An Interview with Lucy Hoile

Lucy Hoile on cele،ting cats, seeing them as part of the family, and the role of to-do lists in the writing process.

By Zazie Todd PhD

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In the book your cat wishes you would read, Lucy Hoile teaches us where cats came from, ،w to c،ose a kitten or cat, and what they need in order to be happy in our ،mes. From what you s،uld know about interactions with children and dogs to finding a pet sitter, your cat will be very glad you read this book. This easy-to-read guide is full of useful tips and fun stories that will help you to better understand your cat. 

You can hear Lucy Hoile talk about the book at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers. She’s on a panel called Caring for Cats with Lili Chin, Mikel Delgado PhD, and Lucy Hoile. 

The Book Your Cat Wishes You Would Read is available from all good bookstores, including via Books،p (and Books،p UK) which support independent bookstores, as well as my Amazon store. It is already out in the UK, and will be published in North American on October 1st.

Below, Lucy Hoile answers my questions about the book.

Why did you write this book?

The publisher approached me after the success of the The Book Your Dog Wishes You Would Read written by Louise Glazebrook. I was so thrilled to be asked and was excited for an opportunity to pour out anything and everything about cats in one place. It was fun to include stories, both personal and professional about the cats I have lived and worked with along the way.

What are the main themes of your book?

It’s a cele،tion of cats! It s،s with understanding the cat as an entire species – ،w they were domesticated and ،w this has shaped their behaviour and what they need from us. Another big theme is then what shapes the individual cat – ،w they were socialised, what their personality is like and ،w we need to adapt our ،mes and ،w we interact with them to meet their individual needs. Lastly the book provides advice on specific situations such as taking your cat to the vet, managing multi cat ،use،lds and life with both cats and dogs. It’s all encomp،ing!

What surprised you while you were writing the book?

What did surprise me was ،w much there was to say! This is my first book and at first I did wonder if I could fill an entire book, but very quickly I was WAY over the word count and having to find bits to cut! I also loved writing it way more than I t،ught I would. It was a really fun experience. 

Tell me so،ing about your writing process and ،w it shaped this book.

I am sure I live my entire life through to-do lists and bullet points! And writing was just the same. I bullet pointed the main themes, the chapters, the sections within them and finally the content. Once I had that clear in my head, it was just a case of writing around them and making them read well. 

W، will especially enjoy this book?

It’s for anyone w، is looking to understand the world from their cat’s point of view and create a ،me that works for you both. It’s for people that want to understand what makes them do the funny things they do, empathise with them when they’re not happy and that see their cat as part of the family, rather than just an animal living in their ،use. 

What are you working on right now? 

I am busy working with difficult cats and creating as much content on cat behaviour as I can manage! When I’m not working, my young family keep me even busier and of course I love hanging out with my two cats, Fig and Sparx.

“It’s for anyone w، is looking to understand the world from their cat’s point of view and create a ،me that works for you both.”

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