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Making the Most of The Tests

Okay. So someone’s bought you this book as a gift or Christmas stocking-filler, and you’ve had a bit of a giggle while flicking through it, but at the back of your mind you’re thinking, ‘This one’s heading straight for the downstairs toilet.’ Hold on just a second. The more time you dedicate to these tests, the more they can work for you in trying to decode the walking enigma that stalks your domicile.

If you’re in the mood for a few quick-fire, fun games to play with your animals, you’ll find plenty of them in this book and you can notch up all your cat’s scores for a rainy day (when you’ll have time for some of the more searching activities). Other tests require you to play out the activity repeatedly (in order to get the clearest result) or over the course of several days. In short, this book is for life – not just for Christmas.

As for your cat . . . many of the tests involve the cat engaging in ‘solo’ behaviour, while some involve other cats or animals. And here comes the rub: some of the most interesting tests focus on the ways in which your cat interacts with, tests and manipulates you. In fact, some of the biggest scores can be scooped by a cat that is adept at getting you to behave in ways that make its life a virtual nirvana.

Have a stopwatch or smartphone at the ready, as some of the activities are time tests. So, once again, you may wish to retest your cat – perhaps over the course of a few days or weeks – to see if the animal is able to improve on its performance.

In some of the activities, multiple points are available for cats that meet the requirements of the tests in different ways. These ‘multiple score’ or ‘bonus score’ areas are clearly indicated, so please only award these extra marks where applicable. If you decide to cheat, then you’re only cheating your pet (and, ultimately, yourself).