The book Cat Sense by John Bradshaw is a good read (you can probably find a free pdf thats complete, and years ago I uploaded the audiobook to audiobookbay, but this preview will do for not linking to amazon or potentially breaking rules).

He got around the problem of cats not doing cat things in a lab by just, you know, having cats at home and observing their behavior. Sure, its only a look at domestic cats for the most part, but its a great read anyway.