Best cat training books for kids (Updated 2021)
Domestic cats, by their very nature, are intelligent and independent creatures and have unique personalities. However, the family cat can still be trained to be an obedient and well-behaved domestic companion, especially around children. These pets can not only provide a source of love and compassion to the kids but also teach responsibility and cooperation. But, having the right resources to help kids learn to take care of their furr-ball is important.
So, which are the best cat training books and guides for kids?
In this article, we review and list some of the best cat training books for kids available in the market. Our list includes beginner guides for all age groups – from young children to pre-teens and teenagers. Most of these books are available in multiple formats including paperback, Kindle, and hardcover, so you can pick the right format as per your preferences.
Do not forget to check out our article on the best cat training books if you are looking for some additional cat training resources for adults and older kids. And if you are looking for some children books for your kitty’s canine friends, check out our article on the best dog training guides for kids.
Best cat training books for kids list
Some of the best cat training books and guides for kids are listed below:| Picture | Product | Editions | |
|---|---|---|---|
  | A Kid's Guide to Cats | Kindle Paperback Hardcover | |
  | How to Speak Cat | Paperback Library Binding | |
  | What Cat Is That?: All About Cats | Kindle Hardcover | |
  | How to Care for Your Cat: A Color & Learn Guide | Kindle Paperback | |
  | The Everything Book of Cats and Kittens | Kindle Paperback | |
  | Cat Science Unleashed | Paperback Library Binding | |
  | I Want A Kitten Or A Cat | Kindle Paperback Hardcover | |
  | My First Cat Book | Paperback | |
  | Everything Cat | Kindle Paperback Hardcover | |
  | The Cat Encyclopedia for Kids | Kindle Paperback |
Which are the best cat training books for kids?
A Kid’s Guide to Cats
Target Audience: 8 – 12 year old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Paperback
- Hardcover
Year of Publication: First Edition, March 2020.
Features:
- This recently published, fun, and practical cat care and training guide is authored by renowned pet behaviorist and TV personality Arden Moore and published by Storey Publishing.
- In 140 detailed pages, the book covers all aspects of how to provide a safe and enriching environment to the feline and ensure positive interactions and rewarding, long-term relationships.
- Rich in colorful photos and illustrations, the book also offers some interesting tricks to teach the kitty. There are some engaging quizzes and art and craft activities as well.
- Although the book is targeted specifically at 8 to 12-year-old children, older kids would also find it interesting and informative.
- The author also has a popular A Kid’s Guide to Dogs book for canines.
How to Speak Cat
Target Audience: 8 – 12/15 year old kids.
Editions:
- Paperback
- Library binding
Year of Publication: First Edition, January 2015.
Features:
- This National Geographic’s funny yet informative cat behavioral training guide for kids is authored by Aline Alexander Newman and Dr. Gary Weitzman.
- In detailed 170 pages, this book helps kids understand what the feline is trying to tell them through its body language and behavior. Full of insights, expert advice, and real-life cat scenarios, and showcases over 30 poses of domestic cats.
- The book is filled with engaging cat photography, illustrations, tips-boxes as well as fun facts and information side-based to make reading more engaging.
- The book is targeted specifically at 8 to 12-year-old children, though younger and older kids may also find it interesting and informative.
- A newer, expanded version of the book – Pounce! A How To Speak Cat Training Guide would be released in August, 2020.
What Cat Is That?: All About Cats
Target Audience: 5 – 8 year old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Hardcover
Year of Publication: First Edition, September 2013.
Features:
- This feline-focused Cat in the Hat’s learning library book is authored by Tish Rabe with illustrations by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu. Published by Random House Publishing.
- Written in the true Dr. Seuss’s style, this delightfully engaging book helps kids understand the ways all cats communicate and behave–whether wild, pedigreed or random-bred domestic cats.
- Short 48 pages, but filled with reasonably detailed information, well supported by high-quality illustrations.
- The book is targeted specifically at 5 to 8-year-old children, though younger and older kids may also find it interesting and informative.
- Tish Rabe has 16 other Seuss Cat in the Hat Learning books, all published by Random House.
How to Care for Your Cat: A Color & Learn Guide
Target Audience: 4 – 8 year old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Paperback
Year of Publication: First Edition, November 2011.
Features:
- This smartly-abridged care and coloring guide is authored/illustrated by Janet Skiles and published by Dover Children’s Activity Book publishers.
- The activity book combines coloring fun with learning on how to take care of the family cat or kitten in a simple and safe way.
- In 30 single-page illustrations, the book offers easy-to-color illustrations along with concise captions and useful information on how to feed, groom and train the house kitty.
- Maybe a little descriptive for four-year-old children, so parental reading and guidance may be required for the young audiences.
The Everything Book of Cats and Kittens
Target Audience: 6 – 9-year-old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Paperback
Year of Publication: First Edition, June 2018.
Features:
- This cat care and training guide is published by the London-based DK Publishing, the world’s leading illustrated reference publisher and part of Penguin Random House
- In 90 short pages, this book teaches kids how to establish a healthy, safe, and loving relationship with their family cat or kitten.
- The book also includes some basic information on the different breeds of domestic cats and their behavioral traits, which most kids would find useful.
- Written specifically for 6-9-year-old kids, the book also has some useful information, tips, and tricks that parents would find useful.
- The cat training guide is rich in engaging and instructive color photos to make reading a lot more interactive and enjoyable.
Cat Science Unleashed
Target Audience: 8 – 12/15 year old kids.
Editions:
- Paperback
- Library binding
Year of Publication: First Edition, August 2019.
Features:
- This fun-filled, science-based activity book for kids is authored by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen and published by the National Geographic Children’s Books.
- In 75 odd pages, the book covers over twenty guided cat-friendly activities that kids can do with their cats to understand how cats behave and respond. Some activities may require adult supervision for younger audiences.
- In an illustration-rich style, the book offers useful information on the fitness, senses, predatory tendencies, and cleverness of felines.
- The book is targeted specifically at 8 to 12-year-old children, though older kids may also find it interesting and informative.
I Want A Kitten Or A Cat
Target Audience: 8 – 12 year old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Paperback
- Hardcover
Year of Publication: First Edition, July 2017.
Features:
- This beginner feline care guide is authored by Jacquelyn Elnor Johnson and the 9-year old Tristan Pulsifer, co-authors of the popular I Want A Pet series (this 4-book set is highly recommended for multi-pet parents).
- In 80 short yet detail pages, this book follows a to-the-point, straight-forward approach to help kids take care of one or more family cats.
- Supported by over 20 all-colored photographs, the information presented is interactive, easy-to-understand as well as enjoyable to read.
- Because of the textual presentation style, younger kids may need some, adult supervision to understand some advanced sections.
My First Cat Book
Target Audience: 7 – 10-year-old kids.
Editions:
- Paperback
Year of Publication: First Edition, July 2016.
Features:
- This beginner cat care and training guide is authored by the popular children book writer and editor Angela Herlihy.
- In balanced 120 odd pages, this book teaches kids how to take everyday care of the family kitten or cat and establish a healthy, safe, and loving relationship with the pet.
- The care guide is rich in engaging and instructive color photos to make reading a lot more interactive and enjoyable.
- Though written specifically for 7-10-year-old kids, older kids may also find it interesting and informative.
Everything Cat
Target Audience: 8 – 12 year old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Paperback
- Hardcover
Year of Publication: First Edition, July 2003.
Features:
- This popular National Geographic Kids Everything series book is authored by Marty Crisp and published by Cooper Square Publishing Press.
- In short yet informative 60 pages, the book offers well-explained fun facts and real-life experiences with felines as experienced and brought to life by a long-cat expert.
- The book is especially rich in high-quality illustrations and photographs to make reading and learning more fun and engaging.
- The book is designed for home as well as library reading and most suitable for 8 to 12-year old kids.
The Cat Encyclopedia for Kids
Target Audience: 8 – 14-year-old kids.
Editions:
- Kindle
- Paperback
Year of Publication: First Edition, March 2018.
Features:
- This detailed cat breed encyclopedia is compiled and authored by Joanne Mattern, a popular author and editor of numerous nonfiction books for kids and published by Capstone Young Readers.
- In over 200 pages, the book covers useful information and fun facts on almost all popular cat breeds, categorized based on the standard domestic classification. The bonus last section has 30 additional breeds with a short intro.
- Most cat breed details are accompanied by high-quality photos and the information presented is engaging and informative.
- Some pet parents have reported that indexing and breed classification is a little difficult for the kids to follow. Still, the information presented is a great reference.
How to pick the best cat training books for kids?
Picking the best cat training books for children is not much different from picking an adult training guide for pets such as cats and dogs. The best cat care guide is one that is filled with easy-to-follow information and to-the-point instructions on how to ensure its proper upkeep throughout the lifetime and presents this information in a children-friendly manner.
Just like any other pet training materials, no single book may be sufficient, and you may need a combination of resources – both online and offline to help your kids take care of your beloved pet.
Some of the major factors that you should consider before picking the best cat training book or guide for your kids are listed below:
- Target audience and format of the book
- Popularity, reviews, and ratings
- Publication year of the edition
Target audience and format of the book
Considering we are discussing the best cat training guides for younger people, the target audience and format of the book are probably the most important criteria to consider.
Most of the options that we have listed are written in an illustration-rich, interactive format that caters well to children and teenagers in the target audience. Such books are typically less than 150 pages long and have a lot of navigational aids and tip-sections to support their content.
We have listed the best cat training books for all ages of children – from young 3-5-year-olds (example My First Cat Book) to the growing 5-8-year-old kids and the 8-15-year-old pre-teens and teenagers.
You can always utilize the “Look Inside” feature on the Amazon website to get a preview of the book or check for excerpts in Google online bookstore to determine if the presentation style is suitable for your kids.
Furthermore, if you prefer digital editions, then check if the book is available in Kindle format for easy access. Kindle editions are generally cheaper and also available with the Kindle Unlimited service.
Popularity, Reviews, and Ratings
The popularity of the author, publisher, and book is often a great indicator of how the book would turn out to be.
Most of the books listed above have been written by authors and edited by publishers (such as Barron’s) with considerable experience in the field of pet care. But as one size does not fit all, you should look at the reviews, especially by other experts and authors in the field. Check out the reviews on Amazon and platforms such as GoodReads by other readers to determine its suitability.
Publication year of the edition
While this should not be a major factor as the basic rules for training your feline companion have not changed over the years, still, the publication year of the book is also something to look at. After all, the social landscape has changed considerably during the past decade and so have the habits and preferences of children and teenagers.
You can check the publication year of the books and see that none of them are from the previous century. Some traditional masterpieces do have some outdated information and hence may not find a lot of favor with kids and teenagers.
Additional Resources for cat care and training
In addition to the best cat training guides for kids listed above, there are some other excellent online resources that provide the latest information and tips and tricks for training and taking care of these pets. Some of our favorites are listed below:
- Cat Behavior Associates: A favorite place for feline lovers. Well-known author and world-renowned cat behaviorist Pam Johnson-Bennett and other experts share advice, tips, and tricks on keeping your cat hale and healthy. Has some special articles for cat training and care for kids.
- National Geographic Kids – Pet Tricks Playlist: An excellent informative and entertaining resource for kids who love to train their pets all kinds of tricks. There are additional knowledge resources and playlists too!
- Cat School’s YouTube Channel: The YouTube-based online training school where cats can learn fun and practical behaviors through positive reinforcement. Created by ACAAB-certified animal behaviorist, Julie Posluns.
Also, check out the following video on some fun cat facts for kids to get you started:
Final Thoughts on the best cat training books for kids
Teaching kids to take care of family kitten or cat is an excellent way to train them for the challenges of tomorrow. So, having a suitable, age-specific cat training resource is a good idea.
In this article, we listed some of the best cat training books for kids. Our list includes books for young children and toddlers that you can read together with your kids, as well as books that can be read without a lot of supervision. We also shared factors to consider before picking the best cat caring and training guide for your kids and also shared our favorite picks.
We hope that you found this article useful and it would help you in picking the best cat training book (or a combination of books) for your children. Do let us know how you found this article by providing your feedback in the comment section. Until next time, have a blast with your kids and their feline friend!!
Image credits: Amazon.com