Cats exceed dogs in their numbers as companion animals in the U.S. and much of Europe, despite them not filling working roles. In the past, their prowess as mousers on farms sometimes made them essential, but these days, many cats lead leisurely lives in people’s homes. What accounts for them becoming such appreciated family members? What are their behaviors that are so enticing? Exactly how do they respond to us? When are they preferred companion animals, more than dogs? What do we know about cultural differences in views about cats? Their growing popularity, and the relative paucity of data about owned cats living in homes, emphasizes the importance of monitoring their welfare. The anthrozoological research literature on companion animals includes extensive studies of dogs, while contributing relatively few close looks at the special behaviors and traits of domestic cats that make them so desirable as companions. We know little about the dynamics of our interactions with cats and the attachment shared with them, which may differ in some ways for those we have with dogs. Nor have we identified the specific contexts where cats are particularly or uniquely compatible. How does the type of attachment affect and shape the bond/relationship between human and cat? How are cats as emotional support animals for people with special needs, especially autism? What new information do we have about the cognitive abilities of domestic cats, and how these abilities shape cats’ behavior and relationships with humans? How do early life experiences of cats influence their behavior as adults, or their successful integration into human households? Do cats fit best in certain residential settings, or with specific types or ages of people? This Research Topic provides an opportunity to update our understanding on the special qualities and behaviors of cats, and to scrutinize our mutual interactions with these companions.

This exploration of the newly emerging, diverse, and controversial area of animal lawpresents a basic survey of the laws designed to protect animals, analyzing and critiquing them, and proposing a future where the legal regime properly recognizes and protects the inherent worth of all animals.

Across the world, cats are loved as pets or are kept or tolerated for their role in controlling some animal pests. But cats, both pets and feral, also kill many native animals and this toll can be enormous. Cats have been remarkably successful in Australia, spreading pervasively across the continent and many islands, occurring in all environments, and proving to be adept and adaptable hunters. A large proportion of Australia’s distinctive fauna is threatened and recent research highlights the significant role that cats play in the decline and extinction of native species. Cats in Australia brings this research together, documenting the extent to which cats have subverted, and are continuing to subvert, Australia’s biodiversity. But the book does much more than spotlight the impacts of cats on Australian nature. It describes the origins of cats and their global spread, their long-standing and varying relationship with people, their global impacts and their ecology. It also seeks to describe the challenge of managing cats, and the options available to constrain their impacts.

This is a fast-growing field of law, and today more and more lawyers are finding they have cases that deal with animal law. This one-stop resource contains every major aspect of private civil and criminal litigation of animal law disputes. The book also contains sample litigation documents, discovery materials, expert information and more. It's the one resource every lawyer who engages in animal law needs.

Paperbound reprint of a 1991 work providing information about the 37 or so species of the world's cats. The author is curator of mammals and birds at the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Ten years have passed since the nuclear accident occurred in Fukushima, Japan, following the Great East Japan earthquake. Thereafter, many people around the world have been concerned about the risks posed by radiation. They still believe that even a small amount of radiation exposure will affect human health. In reality, however, there are many natural radionuclides in the environment, which emit a variety of types of radiation. Although it is well known that there is a positively linear relationship between acute radiation exposure and cancer risk in atomic bomb survivors, the risk of chronic radiation exposure due to natural radionuclides cannot be well explained to people who have lived in high-background radiation areas for many generations. Therefore, more studies in this research field are required to obtain new scientific findings. In order to promote further scientific activities, it will be the best for us to understand the current status of this field by summarizing what we have apprehended so far. This Special Issue will highlight measurement data, methodologies, radiation biology, and risk assessment related to radiation.