A cat on a rug in the Lower East Side of New York City on Feb. 21, 2024. In ‘The Interpretation of Cats,’ Claude Béata helps explain the inscrutable behavior of our feline companions.

Cats say, ‘Don’t touch me if I do not allow you.’” A version of this article appears in print on , Section C , Page 2 of the New York edition with the headline: What Is Your Pet Thinking?