[Book Review] The Lion in the Living Room

Did you know that housecats are classified as one of the world’s 100 Worst Invasive Species?

Or that one of the earliest cat shows was won by a ring-tailed lemur?

Or perhaps that house cats have made virtually no evolutionary changes to adapt to a human environment?

Written by Smithsonian magazine writer Abigail Tucker, The Lion in the Living Room, serves to enthrall, and digs deep into the growing culture of housecat-keeping. (Or do they keep us?)

I read this while seriously considering acquiring a kitten, and kind of hoped the book would cement that idea – when in fact, it was a pretty unbiased account, given that the writer is an avid cat-lover.

The Lion in the Living Room adds to my small but growing list of non-fiction books that read easily and engagingly. As much as I like science, I have neither the time nor the patience to plough through something that drags along. Tucker strikes a magical balance between fact and humorous musings, and I loved the book – even if it did make me doubt my love of cats and make me feel like a traitor!

Anyway, here I am, a month after finishing the book, and I have a kitten after all! His name is Fawkes (a la Harry Potter), and I adore him – even though he may have befuddled my brain and tricked me into loving him.