Because the Cat Purrs

March 17, 2008
The moral that natural historian Lembke (From Grass to Gardens
) has learned from her observation of cat life—“All purrs are not the same”—evokes the three main themes of this short, sweet book: the complexities of animal and human behavior, the interactions between owner and pet and what modern civilization owes its domesticated and wild animals. What makes the book work is the author’s ability to simplify complex topics such as the human genome project while presenting, in depth, the fascinating worlds of less complicated subjects: groundhogs, cottontail rabbits, carpenter bees, chickens, turtles, snails and, of course, cats. She also features a range of fascinating fellow animal lovers, such as Tommie, a “totally enamored turtle fan” who runs a one-man turtle rescue squad. Lembke provides careful observations of disparate elements of the natural world and convincingly argues that while there is “no basic difference” between human and animal capacities for suffering and pleasure, human beings are different in one important way. We have “the ability to reflect on what we do, the power to act humanely.”

April 15, 2008
Lembke, author (Despicable Species, 2001; From Grass to Gardens, 2006) and naturalist, explores how we interact with various animals, plants, and smaller life-formsand how we can benefit from an awareness of our ties with nature. Stories embrace neighborhood cats, in which the difference between feral and wild, the process of domestication, and the meaning of purring are all touched upon; and white-tailed deer, whose explosive population growth is cause for both cheering the increased ability to view the wild and dismay as gardens are eaten and cars strike the unwary. AsLembke meanders through other tales of scarlet runner beans and their carpenter-bee pollinators, the bacteria that are (usually) safely ensconced in our gut, the 4-inch law and its inadvertent effect of making criminals out of the keepers of baby turtles, and of vampire bugs and their effect on horseradish and cabbages, the reader is treated to marvelous snippets of biology, ecology, sociology, and history asshe explores her themes. Lembke has produced a collection of thoughtful essays perfect for all who love musing about the natural world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)