The Cat Lover's Survival Guide
Since a few cats had owned me a very long time ago, I thought I knew a thing or two about them. Although "The Cat Lover's Survival Guide" is directed toward first-time cat owners, I still found quite a few pointers that were new to me. Among those, my favorite tip is on page 17: "How to: Make a T-shirt Cat Bed." I also had no idea that cats could have zits at any age.
After a simple personal story with her cats in the introduction, Karen Commings, the writer, methodically sets out to inform her readers about cat care.
In Cleaning Tips, she addresses all kinds of cleaning, from cleaning after the cats to keeping things clean for kitties. Cost Saving Tips and Safety Tips are written with great care, putting the welfare of the cats first.
Then follow the Feeding Tips, Grooming Tips, Behavior Tips, and Seasonal Tips.
The final two sections are titled "Helpful Hints for Cats with Disabilities" and "Helpful Hints for Cat Owners with Disabilities." These two sections were totally alien to me with the exception of the part on aging cats.
At the end of the book, on two pages, is a short list of pet supply sources, some of which are on the internet. Additional reading sources are also linked in each section.
"The Cat Lover's Survival Guide" presents its material directly, without beating around the bush or filling its pages with cat stories.
The information is well-organized, sectioned, and bulleted throughout, making the book an excellent reference material for any cat owner.
The book is pleasant to look at with interspersed, amusing cartoon-like drawings, and the font is large and clear enough for most anyone to read.
The language of the book is clear and direct. As an example, here is an excerpt from the Grooming Tips section: "Store your cat's grooming tools in a plastic bag with some loose catnip to make the grooming session more appealing."
Karen Commings is an award-winning author, specializing in pets. A former columnist for Cat Fancy, Central Pennsylvania's Apprise and Computers in Libraries magazines, she was a contributing editor for Pets.com and a regular contributor to http://www.Petplace.com She writes regularly for CatWatch and DogWatch, the newsletters of the Cornell University School of Veterinary Science.
More than of her 400 articles, essays, poems and short stories have appeared in print. Her books are: The Dog Lover's and Cat Lover's Survival Guides, Helpful Hints for Solving Your Most Pesky Pet Problems, Manx Cats: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual, The Guide to Owning a Birman Cat, The Guide to Owning an Exotic Shorthair Cat, The Guide to Owning an American Shorthair Cat, Shelter Cats, and The Shorthaired Cat: an Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet.
The joy and comfort of owning a cat comes with the responsibility of taking proper care of one's pet, and in the pages of this book, an owner will find a lot of practical information. Whether used as reference or read from beginning to end, this book is a necessity for any cat lover.
By Joy Cagil
-
The Cat Lover's Survival Guide
- Here is "must reading" for first-time cat owners--though everybody who loves cats will find helpful information in these pages. Included are strategies for protecting feline friends from household hazards and humane ways to correct undesirable habits.
Comments
Post a Comment