-
Because the Cat Purrs
- How We Relate to Other Species and Why It Matters
- Narrated by: Celeste Lawson
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Because the Cat Purrs
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
We share our lives, for better or worse, with a multitude of animals: white-tailed deer and white-tailed eagles, hens and wrens, frogs and guppies, and, last but hardly least, bugs and bacteria. For the most part, we drift along separately, with neither man nor animal affecting the other's way of life. Sometimes, however, we fall in love - as in the case of the cat in the title - or otherwise encounter our animal neighbors in ways that change both of us. Lembke challenges her listeners to consider the idea that all creatures are conscious, with the ability to make choices, exercise awareness, and seek pleasure while shunning pain.
Rarely has a book of natural history covered such a broad range of subjects, from the everyday bargains we make with our pets and other domestic creatures to descriptions of bungee-cord snail sex and the purpose of a honeybee's sting. Lembke explores the evolution of her subjects, and draws on literature and myth to paint gorgeous, wide-ranging portraits of everyday (and more unusual) encounters, such as that of a gardener and a groundhog, or a chicken egg and Augustus Caesar's wife. This is a sensitive and timely appraisal of how we treat the creatures we share our planet with - and how we ought to. It is a book that no lover of intelligent writing about the natural world will want to miss.
Editorial reviews
Janet Lembke's essays are part poetry, part psychological investigation, and part love letter. Lembke's treatise on animals explores the companionship and affinity so many of us experience with our non-human friends. These anecdotes range from the historical to the scientific, all of them angling toward the importance of this interspecies relationship. Celeste Lawson's performance of Lembke's work is light and accessible. Her gentle tone accentuates the compassion that fills Lembke's words.
Related to this topic
-
Letters from an Astrophysicist
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Vikas Adam, Piper Goodeve, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,817
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,799
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of 100 letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Dear Neil...
- By Tina G. on 10-14-19
-
The Selfish Gene
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,921
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,538
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,460
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Better than print!
- By J. D. May on 07-31-12
By: Richard Dawkins
-
How the Earth Works
- By: Michael E. Wysession, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael E. Wysession
- Length: 24 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,717
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,500
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,482
How the Earth Works takes you on an astonishing journey through time and space. In 48 lectures, you will look at what went into making our planet - from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the subsequent evolution of Earth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent course
- By Doug B. on 05-23-19
By: Michael E. Wysession, and others
-
Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,180
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,048
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,044
Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
-
Welcome to the Universe
- An Astrophysical Tour
- By: Michael A. Strauss, J. Richard Gott, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,366
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,208
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,203
Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
All About What We Know About the Universe - ALL
- By J.B. on 02-17-17
By: Michael A. Strauss, and others
-
Chemistry and Our Universe
- How It All Works
- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 517
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 410
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 406
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
- By Jen on 05-14-19
By: Ron B. Davis, and others
-
Letters from an Astrophysicist
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Vikas Adam, Piper Goodeve, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,817
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,799
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of 100 letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Dear Neil...
- By Tina G. on 10-14-19
-
The Selfish Gene
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,921
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,538
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,460
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Better than print!
- By J. D. May on 07-31-12
By: Richard Dawkins
-
How the Earth Works
- By: Michael E. Wysession, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael E. Wysession
- Length: 24 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,717
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,500
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,482
How the Earth Works takes you on an astonishing journey through time and space. In 48 lectures, you will look at what went into making our planet - from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the subsequent evolution of Earth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent course
- By Doug B. on 05-23-19
By: Michael E. Wysession, and others
-
Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,180
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,048
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,044
Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
-
Welcome to the Universe
- An Astrophysical Tour
- By: Michael A. Strauss, J. Richard Gott, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,366
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,208
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,203
Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
All About What We Know About the Universe - ALL
- By J.B. on 02-17-17
By: Michael A. Strauss, and others
-
Chemistry and Our Universe
- How It All Works
- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 517
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 410
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 406
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
- By Jen on 05-14-19
By: Ron B. Davis, and others
-
Brain Energy
- A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More
- By: Christopher M. Palmer MD
- Narrated by: Christopher M. Palmer MD
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 999
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 995
We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. Brain Energy will transform the field of mental health, and the lives of countless people around the world.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Arguing brain health theory to medical profession
- By Maya H Saric on 03-10-23
-
Inspired
- How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, Second Edition
- By: Marty Cagan
- Narrated by: Marty Cagan
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,674
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,177
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,151
How do today's most successful tech companies - Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla - design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently from the vast majority of tech companies. In Inspired, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides listeners with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great book, terrible audio wanted to ask a refund
- By Srikanth Ramanujam on 11-15-18
By: Marty Cagan
-
Cosmic Queries
- StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going
- By: James Trefil, Lindsey N. Walker - editor, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 892
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 759
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 752
In this illuminating audiobook, Tyson and coauthor James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia - How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone? - and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not worth it
- By Daniel Earl on 03-15-21
By: James Trefil, and others
-
Reentry
- SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets That Launched a Second Space Age
- By: Eric Berger
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 146
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 139
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 139
From launchpad explosions to a pernicious cricket infestation to the demanding management style of Musk himself, the rise of SpaceX was beset with challenges and far from inevitable. Find out how the startup beat the odds and flew high enough to outpace their rivals... and where they're going next.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Appreciated the engineering details
- By Will on 10-19-24
By: Eric Berger
-
Ranger Confidential
- Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks
- By: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Julia Motyka
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,275
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,139
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,136
The real stories behind the scenery of America’s national parks. For 12 years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Depressing from Cover to Cover
- By Drew (@drewsant) on 04-13-15
By: Andrea Lankford
-
Gut
- The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ
- By: Giulia Enders
- Narrated by: Katy Sobey
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,636
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,043
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,000
Our gut is almost as important to us as our brain, yet we know very little about how it works. Gut: The Inside Story is an entertaining, informative tour of the digestive system from the moment we raise a tasty morsel to our lips until the moment our body surrenders the remnants to the toilet bowl. No topic is too lowly for the author's wonder and admiration, from the careful choreography of breaking wind to the precise internal communication required for a cleansing vomit.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Doctors opinion
- By KevinMcVeigh on 03-02-17
By: Giulia Enders
What listeners say about Because the Cat Purrs
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bree ODonnell
- 01-06-21
Monotone
Couldn’t get past 10 minutes with the drab voice. Sounded like Siri reading to me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Dragon Rose
- 06-24-21
not really about cats
a bit disappointed because I thought this book was about cats and it really isnt.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mary
- 12-10-21
Mary Wilson
The reader drones on and on, like the worse professor ever. A very uninteresting documentary, not a story. Very little about cats at all. It covers mold pretty well!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Gorilichis
- 10-09-20
Not for animal lovers
I'm passionate about animals, I don't eat meat and won't kill anything if I can help it. I also read a lot of books about all kinds of creatures, written by behavioralists, zoologists or just fellow animal nuts whose love for the subject is obvious. This is not that kind of book. It has a lot of fascinating tidbits about biology but it's clear that the author is one of those people who declare themselves animal lovers but aren't. Not really. I've had the same conversation many times throughout my life, when someone says they love dogs and then tell you how they gave up a companion of many years when their boyfriend du jour was allergic, or how they tried to have their cat put down because "it" peed on the sofa. The author discusses hunting strategies, recipes and ways to murder "pests." She talks about abandoning a pet turtle because she was tired of cleaning after him and how he probably died in the wild. She talks about using deadly traps on mice or how she had a groundhog murdered because she was a nuisance. I'm not a vegetarian nazi and I'm even OK with hunting, I just can't tolerate hypocrisy. Not about animals.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- J. Furman
- 08-17-22
Author and Narrator Did Not Deliver
The title of my review sums it up. Like many listeners/readers, I expected something different than a description of how a select group of creatures evolved to live around humans. Such a description is not necessarily bad, it's just not what the title and cover suggest.
While I commend the author for her curiosity, this is her primary redeeming quality. She did not even really explain "why it matters", just how it happened that certain creatures evolved to live around humans. Also, she ends with a poetic statement of how animals experience pain and suffer and in the same (or similar) way that we do. All of her self described behavior in this book indicates that she doesn't care a whit about any creature besides humans. She spent her entire life bending nature to her whim and treating animals cruelly. She's thrown baby mice into the garbage, suffocated pollinating bees for her own fancy, and abandoned a pet turtle outside because she didn't want to take care of it. She killed carpenter bee hives seemingly because she thought they were pests, even though she knew that they're also pollinators, and then ended the chapter saying how no one researches the "poor carpenter bee". This is in addition the poisoning innumerable plants and animals which she considered "pests", without showing any interest in growing native plants or attracting helpful animals into her garden.
She had no comments about how a neighbor "beat [a groundhog] to death" or how another one was flooded out of its burrow so the husband could shoot it. When a storm brought down a large tree in her yard, she had many lovely comments about how birds and squirrels used it as "a playground". That oak was probably their home, or at least the home of many other animals - no comments about how they might actually be distressed instead of playful or how they evolved to make new homes.
The above are just a few big examples of how terribly the author treated animals. She's shown no indication of actually believing that their lives have value, or of caring about causing pain and suffering. Only humans seem to be worthy of such empathy.
This review is coming from someone who supports hunting and farming. There are ways to do both humanely. Hunting was the only area where she described how that actually helps wildlife populations.
The narrator was no help to the story. She was monotonous and sounded bored. The female version of the "Milk!" narrator. Seriously, it was like listening to the most boring college lecture.
An overall dud of a book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!