5 comments about The Kitten Owner's Manual: Solutions to all your Kitten Quandaries in an easy-to-follow question and answer format.

1. My daughter recently adopted a kitten and this book was quite helpful to her in caring for the new pet. She had many questions that were answered and she constantly refers to it when situations arise that she needs assistance. This book is great for new parents of kittens.



2. I learned more than I ever thought possible regarding the care of cats. A terrific book, and my only regret is that it was not available some sixty years ago when I started my love affair with cats. I am doubly impressed that the Humane Society of the Unted States has endorsed this terrific owners manual. My hats off to Arden Moore along with thanks for writing such an informative book for all cat owners.



3. There is some very valuable advice on how to deal with your kitten. I immediately stopped playing the foot under the covers game with my kitten in order to discourage her from attacking my toes. There are sensible suggestions on how to say "no" to your kitten. And I'm anticipating a move in the next few months, and I think Moore's suggestion to rub a wet towel on your kitten and then rub the towel on the walls of the new house, so that she'll recognize her own scent, will work. On the other hand Moore thinks you ought to keep a first aid kit for one cat that would easily fill the needs of a family of five, she suggests cutting the handles off of paper bags so that kitty won't get herself strangled in them, she suggests making your own scratching post, and gives advice on how to make several toys that pretty much amount to ones you can buy or glorified versions of regular items (socks, a belt from an old robe) that are sure to bring out kitty playfulness without the elaborate Martha Stewart like construction. I was also confused by some of the eating strictures. One table says kittens can't eat dry food until 12 weeks, but the text has kittens eating dry food much earlier. Moore seems to make light of lactose intolerance, and among her kitty treats includes scrambled eggs with margarine and cottage cheese!!! And her kitty chowder seems more like a human treat to me. Counterpointing the interesting suggestion to give your kitten a small piece of raw tuna as an alternative or addition to brushing are chapters on command training, new age therapies and kitty massage. This is fine and cuddly, though I doubt I'll teach my kitten to do much more than sit, if that, and I'm not taking her for acupuncture. This primer is written not so much by a cat lover as a cat fanatic. (Though I admit that if you're going to be a fanatic, it may as well be of cats.) Still I prefer the more practical down to earth advice of Cats for Dummies, than some of the outlandish, occasionally preposterous, cat adulation techniques of the Kitten Owner's manual. Then again, I am going to try the kitty massage.



4. I have been a cat owner for over 7 years and there was alot in the book that I was amazed at. I never knew you could train your cat to speak and things. I was able to follow the guide and now my cat speaks! It took alot of treats tho!!!
   Cant wait til her next book comes out.



5. Arden Moore's "The Kitten Owner's Manual" is a highly informative, clear and often entertaining answer book THAT ACTUALLY works. So often I have turned to a pet book to help me care for my new kitten and I've come away confused and at a lost -- for ideas and a few bucks. But with this book, my questions were answered about my kitten's destructive habits, its finicky diet and its nervous behavior whenever strangers come into the home. It's a simple and very helpful book that gave me the solutions I needed.

5 comments about Urban Tails: Inside the Hidden World of Alley Cats.

1. I'm so glad I ordered this calendar, I couldn't beleave it was on my dorrstep the next day, it was like they new I was going to order it and sent it in advance, amazing. The calendar is so preciouse with all the pictures of street living cats, but the real jewl in this is the stoy the photographer shares on who these felines are, where they live, how he came to know them and take tell their stories. It makes one want to go out and take pictures of forgotten community of homeless and stray animals. It's a work of Heart.



2. Photographer Knox and freelance writer Sara Neeley have teamed up to produce a stunning, poignant photo essay highlighting the beauty of the hidden world of alley cats. Knox, well known for his gritty urban photojournalism, was inspired to photograph the feral survivors he encountered in his work. He soon uncovered a complex underground family structure of cats surviving the clash between nature and modern civilization. The authors readily acknowledge that this book shows only a sunny glimpse at the brutal life of street cats (for "who would buy a book that accurately showed the suffering" they endure?), but their purpose is to document this world and inspire citizens to make small changes, including spaying and neutering both domestic and feral animals.



3. A stark account of the lives of urban feral cats. The book may leave you sad and angry, but the black and white photos are precious, and you will run to give your own sweet, safe, healthy kitty an extra hug. I bought it for a fellow cat friend.



4. The concept of this book fascinated me because all of my life I have been surrounded by stray cats. Ever since I was a child, my family have always left food out for our neighborhood strays. Eventually, some of those strays made our backyard their home, regardless of where we have lived. Many, many cats - all with their own names and distinct personalities - have shared our yards and our lives. Some for fleeting moments, some for many years. We even have photos of some of these cats in our family photo albums, because they were like a family. Even now at their present home, my family has a colony of about 15 cats living in their yard. The numbers vary as they come and go as they please. Some never return. Like the cats in this book, many have met with sad ends - not due to coyotes, but mostly to cars and human cruelty in the form of poisonings. But the cats that remain are loved and fed, their antics entertain us, and they are buried properly when they die.
   
   My mom has been trapping and taking all the strays that she can to be spayed and neutered for years now. I didn't even know it had a name (trap-neuter-release). It is hard work, though, because of her extremely limited financial resources and uncooperative or unable animal welfare agencies. The Humane Society of Miami, where we used to take some of the strays for low-cost neutering years ago, no longer performs this service for stray cats (only for those that are adopted from them), which I find unbelievable, as what can be more humane to an animal than to neuter it and prevent the inevitable suffering of their unwanted (by humans) litters?
   
   Instead, they refer us to the city Animal Control, who has recently put a limit on the number of cats a single person can take in to be neutered. They also used to have a mobile trailer that went to different points in the city throughout the month to have cats neutered at free or low cost, but due to budget cutbacks this service has also been discontinued. My mom has had to fight tooth and nail and written to everyone from the mayor to the directors of the Animal Control simply to get permission to neuter a few more cats. My mom cannot afford to do this at a private vet's office, and she knows of no private vets nearby that provide this service for free or at a cost as low as the Animal Control. It's too bad that these agencies are unwilling to help the very animals they are supposed to protect.
   
   Back to the book. It's a great book! Like another reviewer mentioned, if you only love purebred cats and see them as a status symbol, then this isn't for you. This is for true cat lovers who see as much beauty in a scraggly little stray kitten as in an expensive purebred Angora. The photographs are striking, but what I enjoyed most was actually the text. At the end of the book, the poignant stories of some of these cat characters are offered. Some have happy endings, some do not. But they are nevertheless fascinating to read. I would have read a whole book worth of them.
   
   I think it's especially important to have a person who hates cats or at the least thinks they don't have as much personality as dogs to read this book. It will show them just how much love, loyalty, and devotion cats can truly have towards each other, and how intelligent and resourceful they can be. Most importantly, it should tug at the heartstrings and inspire feelings of compassion in people so that they stop needlessly hurting and killing these little animals. They need to stop seeing them simply as nuisances or pests, and more as creatures like us: with real families and real feelings, who mourn the loss of their relatives and would fight to the death to defend them.



5. Beautiful photos and wonderful stories abound in this book. While I haven't become a huge cat saver, my 70 year old mother is. She is a firm believer in the Trap Neuter Release, easily fixing over hundreds of cats in her lifetime. She has numerous colonies she feeds and keeps healthy and 40 cats in her own yard (6 acres). Many were abused, abandoned, Felv and Fiv positive. She has blind cats, 3 legged cats, dumped cats, all kinds. If she had the talent, she could write a book to rival this with all her experiences. Thank goodness for the people who do this work, it is heartbreaking and rewarding at the same time. Buy Urban Tails and get involved!

5 comments about 277 Secrets Your Cat Wants You to Know: A Cat-Alog of Unusual and Useful Information.

1. I saw that this won the Best Cat book of the year award and I'm not surprised. I thought I knew a lot about cats but I learned a great deal of really practical and helpful things from this book. Plus it was a lot of fun (and easy) to read.



2. Honestly, this really wasn't a very helpful book. All it seemed to be was a bunch of information gathered from a ton of other cat books and compiled into this one. I enjoy reading cat book but I found this one to be a bit annoying because I felt like I had read it already. Save your money and pick it up at the library if you feel the need to read it.



3. This book is packed with lots of information regarding cats and their owners. A must read for anyone new to owning a cat. Not as necessary for someone who knows allot about cats, as they will probably know most of the information in the book, but can still pick up on some pointers. Great book, Highly Recommended!



4. Great book if you've never had cats but I've had cats for 11 years and I guess they've been pretty good teachers 'cause they've already told me most of what was in this book. Great gift for someone who's just getting cats though!



5. I share my home with two DSH cats, both being rescures. My female loves to play fetch, peek-a-boo, and gives kisses with her big green eyes. My male was abused when he was a kitten by a previous horrible owner, who used to kick him. This book has helped me understand him through his behavior and his body language. He still is cautious of our feet, when we walk by him, but he now loves to be held and kissed, as long as we are sitting down. Every page of this book was informative and also very funny. I've had cats in my life for over 25 years, and after reading this book, I've learned so many new and exciting things. This book is a must.

3 comments about Big Cats (Wildlife).

1. This book is a excellent reference for the person who wishes to learn about the "Big" Cats and the "Great" Cats. It goes into detail on all species including sub-species, range, habitat, behavior, the status on threatend species and the tragedy of now extinct species. Superb photography and graphs make this book the perfect addition for your library. The references section of this book also points out other publications which would be benificial to the reader



2. This is among the best books I've ever read. It has my top 8 most favorite animals, the eight big cats, in it, the information is etched in terrific print and detail, you can learn tons from it, and the photos are absolutely glamourous. There are few, if any, large cats I have seen photographed that are more beautiful than the ones in this book. Any cat lover should buy it. By the way, here are the eight big cats, in the order I like them(I love them all, but this is just how MUCH) Okay then, my lineup! Here goes:
   
   1. Lions and Lionesses
   
   2. Tigers and Tigresses
   
   3. Jaguars and Jaguaresses
   
   4. Leopards and Leopardesses
   
   5. Cougars and Cougresses
   
   6. Snow Leopards and Snow Leopardesses
   
   7. Cheetahs and Cheetahesses
   
   8. Clouded Leopards and Clouded Leopardesses.
   
   Sensing a trend here? If you are, good. You want to learn and love the beautiful and majestic animals that are the big cats? Buy this book. It's as good as they get. At least in some ways.



3. A fantastic book for anyone who is interested in big cats. The book covers all eight of the world's big cat species, giving details on such things as; population status,habitat,prey and physical characteristics. With stunning photo's and a clear and concise text, this really is a must for anyone who has a love for these majestic creatures.

4 comments about Fantastic Felines.

1. A friend showed me the book and I bought it as a resource for my art students. Wonderful use of colors and imagination!



2. WOW, WOW, WOW!!! This book is just knockout! Full-color dynamite with the exciting art of Laurel Burch. I love the simple lines and fabulous color combinations that set your imagination free with wonderful fantasy. the pictures are so gorgeous that it takes looking at them over and over again to catch all the fine details before you realize that what looks so simple is indeed complex and well-thought out art design. Very intriguing! A must have for cat lovers.



3. If you love Laurel Burch then you will love this book. It's gorgeous, sumptious, lavish -- all the words that people use to describe Burch's artwork. I thought the most interesting parts were 1) the biography; 2) the pictures detailing how various objects are planned, sketched, painted and then produced; and 3) actress Tippi Hendren's work in rescuing big cats (lions, tigers, etc). It would have been a better book, however, had there been more text regarding production as well as Burch's background and approach to her work. The last couple of chapters contain information about the various product lines (cups, plates, scarves, umbrellas, etc) plus four pages showing all of her cat jewelery -- but no information on how to obtain them or when and if her jewelery will be available again. Many of the pictures of Burch's artwork are suitable for framing, btw, so you may want to order two copies. Nb: with a couple of exceptions, all of the photographs are of Burch's cat pieces (hence the title of the book, "Fantastic Felines"). Don't buy this expecting an overview of all her work. But if you like the cats, then this book is definitely for you.



4. I have collected a variety of Laurel Burch products, this book, Fantastic Felines, I must say, is one of my favorites. It not only displays a variety of products Laurel Burch has designed, but also goes into her private life, for us to get an idea of what inspires her as an artist. Throughout her book, the poems and the beauty in her artwork, are heartfelt. Everytime I pick up the book I see something new. I recommend this book highly as an intergral part of any Laurel Burch collection or for any cat lover. Great as a gift, too, for that's how I received my copy, and I'll cherish it always. Thanks, Laurel. Fantastic Job!

1 comments about The Barf Diet (Raw Feeding for Dogs and Cats Using Evolutionary Principles).

1. Serving BARF diet to your dog is NOT for everyone. It requires a fair amount of research and a mentor to guide you through the trial/error phase of feeding your dog this way. This book is the primer to making or considering a switch to this type of diet. However, I would recommend that anyone interested in this type of feeding regimine thoroughly investigate the many books Amazon.com has available on this type of diet.

4 comments about What Cats Teach Us...: Life's Lessons Learned from Our Feline Friends.

1. This book makes a nice gift for a cat lover....it has nice pictures with inspirational quotes.



2. This short book is filled with cute and adorable photos of cats. Each photo is accompanied by a "lesson" -- sometimes wise, sometimes funny, but always put into a fresh context by the photo. A great gift for cat lovers.



3. This is a delightful collection of feline photography, each photo accompanied by a small quip or word of wisdom that is sure to bring a smile to the reader's face. The pictures are beautiful and well-executed, and the cats shown in them are equally diverse and attractive. My favorite shot has got to be one of a kitten who has somehow gotten him/herself draped inextricably over the arm of a lamp, and dangles in midair awaiting rescue. The caption reads: "Give in and accept help in an impossible situation." This little book would make an excellent stocking-stuffer, or simply a treat for yourself.



4. This little photo book is absolutely wonderful and makes a great addition to any pet lover's library. The photos are so adorable, and the captions of life's lessons are so clever and cute. A great way to showcase the ways cats enrich our lives.

5 comments about Pet First Aid: Cats and Dogs.

1. The second worst thing that can happen to your pet is for him to get sick or hurt; the truly worst thing is for you as the pet owner to be totally unprepared when accident or misfortune strikes. This book covers all the basics of first aid care for dogs and cats, from cuts and bee stings to convulsions, choking, and traumatic, life-threatening injuries. Steps to take in any given situation are laid out one at a time, and a number of very helpful illustrations make all of the information as direct and understandable as it can be. The book is arranged alphabetically by first aid topic, so you can always find the information you need quickly and easily. You really don't even have to read the book. Just having it close at hand when something happens to your pet can make a real difference; it can even help save your loyal companion's life. I would recommend reading the book, though, or at least glancing through it. You can learn important warning signs to watch for in your pet's behavior and help catch a problem in its early stages. In cases of real emergency, knowing what not to do can be just as important as knowing what you should do. You would do well to follow the precautionary suggestions the book describes--putting together a pet first aid kit, for example. By no means can or should this book take the place of professional veterinary care, a point which the text emphasizes, but it can help keep your pet healthy and happy.



2. This book is a great help to me when my pets have any bumps or scratches. It is a wonderful source of first aid information that any pet lover should have.



3. This book is so helpful. I think every dog and cat owner should have one. It is so easy to use and can save yourself a lot of money in Vet visits if you're like me and worry about every little thing that might be wrong with your 'baby." I like the glossary and illustrations. I'm getting one as a Christmas gift for all the dog owners in my family. You can't beat it for $8.



4. I couldn't agree more with the previous comment. I would only add that Dr. Bobbie Mammato, the author, conveys her wealth of experience in emergency veterinary care and public health, and makes this an extremely readable and useful text. In fact, why isn't Dr. Mammato credited as the author on your Web site



5. Would you know what to do if your cat or dog had an emergency? I worked on the book so I'm biased, but... "Pet First Aid" may help save your pet's life! From the American Red Cross, the nation's largest humanitarian organization, and The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization. All proceeds support the efforts of both non-profit organizations. Makes a great gift for everyone you know that owns a cat or dog.

5 comments about The Eleventh Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack: Contains: Garfield Strip Numbers 31, 32, and 33 (Garfield Fat Cat Three Pack).

1. As always, it was pretty funny! The only thing I thought was a problem (A too common problem) was that the strips started to fade into each other, and into the strips from earlier books. All of em funny, all of em following the old formula. I guess when you've written thirty books you run a little low on ideas, so I can't really blame Jim Davis. Entertaining comic strips with everybody's favorite fat cat.



2. It is good, but i expected more of it after reading the tenth fat cat 3-pack



3. With "The Great One" Charles Schultz's passing (RIP Mr. Schultz and thank you!), this leaves Garfield as the only current comic strip that remains consistantly funny. This review is a pretty universal review for all of the books. If you're a Garfield fan and you don't have them: Get them!!!



4. This fat cat 3-pack (like the others) is not only entertaining to read (like the others), but it is also a great reference book of Garfield comics (like the others), because from the point the book starts to the point it ends it has every daily comic in the order they were in the newspaper without skipping any days.



5. Great book! It was a great buy and if you're thinking of buying it, don't hesitate! Garfield makes me laugh a lot from his attidude and his interest in all the things that people love to do.

2 comments about Cats and Their Women.

1. I received this book as a gift and really enjoyed most of the stories and accompanying photographs, especially those involving rescued cats. However, there are two anecdotes/photos that will make cat lovers cringe, especially rescuers. One is a picture of a child with a bag over her head grasping a Siamese cat under her front legs with her lower body completely unsupported and dangling. The cat also has a bag over her head! The other is a saccharine sweet Hallmark-card-worthy photo of a curly haired little girl sitting under a Christimas tree with a fluffy kitten in her lap. The authors were evidently so taken with the photo that they failed to notice that the accompanying text is pretty grim: The kitten pictured was never spayed and had several litters. Eventually, the neglected "pet" is found dead (and pregnant) in the road by the family. But that's OK because cats are easily replaced: The story concludes, "And now we have a cat named Frisky." How sad! The authors originally wrote about women and dogs and I honestly cannot imagine them including a comparable story about a dog, but people do not value cats in the same way. Overall, an enjoyable book, but I was disappointed by the inclusion of the two stories cited above. Surely there were better submissions that could have been used.



2. If you love cats, this is an absolute MUST read. It is a heartwarming book. Each two-page spread features a black and white photograph of cat along with the woman they've adopted, and a short text on some aspect of their relationship. In a matter of a few pages it will take you from laughter to tears and back again. There is also a book "Dogs and their women" which is equally excellent. I actually keep and extra copy of these two on hand as quick presents for animal lovers. They are that good.