Dennis C. Turner

Dennis C. Turner (* 1948 in Pennsylvania ) is a Swiss-American biologist. In particular, he researches the relationship between humans and domestic cats .

Turner studied biology at San Diego State University and Johns Hopkins University . As a doctoral student, he studied the hunting behavior of vampire bats on site in Costa Rica . In 1975 his dissertation was published: The Vampire Bat. A Field Study in Behavior and Ecology . He had written the work in Switzerland, where he now found a job at the University of Zurich - first in wildlife research, later as head of the pet ethology group.

Turner began to be interested in the behavior of cats and familiarized himself with the work of Paul Leyhausen . He also became an expert in the field of animal-assisted therapy . Turner began publishing popular science books on cats. In 1991 he founded an institute for applied ethology and animal psychology , which among other things offers animal psychological advice. In 2000, the University Management of Zurich awarded Turner the Venia Legendi (Dr. habil) in the field of behavioral science of small animals. Turner also teaches in Japan at Azabu University, which made him professor in 2001.

Works

• The Vampire Bat. A Field Study in Behavior and Ecology (1975)
• The domesticated cat ( The Domestic Cat , 1988, with Patrick Bateson et al.)
• These are cats (1989)
• The human-cat relationship G. Fischer, Jena / Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-334-60528-0 .
• Love and understanding cats , A humorous guide for cat lovers, 2nd edition, Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-440-10468-2 .
• Turner's cat book , How cats are, what cats want, 2nd edition, Kosmos, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-440-12136-8 .
• "Attachment to Pets. An integrative view of human-animal relationships with implications for therapeutic practice", Julius, H., Beetz, A. Kotrschal, K., Turner, D. and Uvnäs-Moberg-K. 2013. Hogrefe.

Web links

• Turner's Institute for Applied Ethology and Animal Psychology
• Interview with Dennis C. Turner in the NZZ Folio magazine
• Conversation with Dennis Turner: The Velvet Paw Myth - The Cat and Her People planet-wissen.de June 10, 2011