1 comments about All About Siamese Cats.

1. I was heartbroken when my original copy of "All About Siamese Cats" was water damaged years ago. The book had pages that appear laminated (not your ordinary paper) and while the water didn't affect the photos and text, it did cause the pages to wrinkle. This last summer I came across a copy of this book online at Amazon.com. When it arrived, I was pleased to find it was exactly the same copy as the one that was damaged. This is a pretty basic book but I'd recommend it to anyone that loves Siamese!

2 comments about Winter Kittens (Zebra Regency Romance).

1. I liked this book. The first story with Felix was adorable. The only problem I had with this book was the last story. It didn't capture my imagination.



2. Winter Kittens is an excellent book to pass a cold, wintry afternoon. The three short stories are all very well written, with likeable heroes and heroines, all with soft spots for cats! My personal favorite was "Rescuing Rosebud", the last story of the three. It contained very well written characters, and not only told a romantic story, but also had a few action scenes which were very enjoyable. This book is a good addition to anyone's collection of Regency romances.

5 comments about Cats: How to Draw Them (Pocket Drawing).

1. This gem of a little book (very pleasant format you can easily carry around with you) really took the mystery out of drawing cats for me. The exemplary sketches are simple enough to show you how to get to the basics shapes of the cat without getting bogged down by details, which is always tricky especially for beginners.
   The sections run as follow:
   1.- basic shapes (a little about anatomy without getting too tangled up in this aspect) including a few races and how their body shapes and sizes vary
   2.- aspects of the cat (heads, eyes, noses, mouths, whiskers, ears, putting it all together as the whole head; feet & paws, tails, body postures and relation between tail and body) still keeping in mind the races, full-haired or slim cats, etc.
   3.- fur and markings (tortoiseshell, white, black, tabby, drawing shadows, highlights for both short and long hair, layers, directioinal marks, kittens, adults, male, female, working with negative space, unusual cats
   4.- cat poses (typical attitudes, sleeping, rounded up, sideways, alert, sitting, facing 2 ways, head turned almost 180 degrees, stretching, scratching, washing, eating, playing, walking, running, stalking, jumping, and finally cats togehter)

   As a cat lover and owner of two, I can't get enough of experimenting using the clear and concise advice given here. Of course, you do have to have handled a pencil before, but not to such extend as being an expert. I'm certainly no more than a medium amateur and I did well, even if I say so myself.
   Enjoy !!




2. I have just ordered a small cat manikin to go along with this book from Dick Blick for sketching different poses. Chapter Two Aspects of Cats is very helpful. The chapter breaks down all the features of the cat and gives detailed examples and steps as to how the face proportions should come together.



3. If you are a serious cat artist with training in realism, then this is a good book for you. The demonstrations presuppose prior drawing knowledge. It is the most grown-up and comprehensive cat drawing book I have ever seen. I've checked out nearly every cat drawing book still in print from my library system (including the step-by-step "Draw 50" type) and find most of them juvenile or too beginner.

   I understand the negative reviews completely. Those who are self-taught or just starting out may find this book intimidating and opaque. I recommend starting with either a more general book on just drawing (Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) or a more concrete book that focuses on step-by-step drawing of specific cats (like the Draw 50 series)

   If you are disappointed in this book, give it a chance. Dust it off in a few years after you have had more practice drawing and observing cats and you'll be surprised how much more helpful it is. If you are just starting out drawing and don't understand all the information, copy the drawings. Copying another person's drawings is a great way to learn how to draw. Especially a fidgety subject like cats. You'll soon be creating your own drawings from the knowledge you gained.

   I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about cats. A more experienced artist will appreciate the demos, and anyone who loves cats will appreciate the drawings.




4. I was very disappointed with this book. it is full of great sketches but not any applicable drawing instruction. I was hoping for not only examples but "how to" guidance and this book doesn't offer it. The title of the book is very misleading, its really about looking at all the poses and features that cats share not about drawing them. Will seek out another author who teaches how to draw cats...



5.     The format of this book is so handy -- small & spiral bound so it remains open while working. I would have preferred the text to be larger, but then maybe I just need glasses.
       The author has done a great job of mixing interesting cat facts and fun along with detailed instructions about how to draw cats. Confusing things like proportion and distance of the eyes to nose, different shapes of heads and ears, are given new meaning that makes illustrating cats much easier.
       These are not static "draw what you see in this book" type of lessons. This author encourages you to look at your own cat while he sits, sleeps or does any of those cute cat things right in front of you, and draw with confidence.

No comments about Hip Dysplasia (The Essential Guide to Natural Pet Care).

4 comments about My Fat Dog: Ten Simple Steps to Help Your Pet Lose Weight for a Long and Happy Life.

1. Although weight-loss in dogs involves common sense more than anything else, such as reducing caloric intake and increasing activity, this small book offers most of the tips that will ensure safe weight-loss in any dog. The book is easy to read, and is medically accurate. But perhaps the best lesson to be learned is not to let your dog get fat in the first place. It's easy to succumb to giving your dog that extra treat or table scrap when you see see those pleading eyes, but this temptation should be resisted for the long-term health and longevity of your dog.



2. The first time I met a dog on a diet, twenty or so years ago, I felt nothing but pity for the poor thing and scorn for its owner. How dare she enforce human standards on her sweet, good-natured lab? Sure, he was a little barrel-waisted, but so what? Let the dog be free!
   
   That was twenty years ago when I was a young pup myself and hated society's pressure on me to be thin. I have a bit more perspective now. I also have a dachshund. I've read that dachshunds are prone to back problems as they get older, and that excess fat aggravates this unhappy condition.
   
   But it's so easy to slip him a little extra dog food or drop a bit of my dinner into his dish after I eat. He loves people food. He also loves training snacks, and the mini-treats in the car, and the food stuffed into his kong to keep him busy when left alone.
   
   He began to expand. I knew I had to take steps. To paraphrase that notorious radio psychologist, Dr. Laura, "I am my dog's owner." I bought this book to help me be a better guardian of my pooch's girth.
   
   It's a very nutritious book! My favorite tidbit is how to know if your dog is really fat of just, ahem, "big-boned." And I also know how much food to feel my dog, and how to read dog food labels. No more dumping food in his dish according to how hungry he looks or how especially fond I am of him at that moment. I guess one of the things I need pounding into my head is that overfeeding is not the same as love. If I want my dog to live long and prosper, I'd better control his diet and give him enough exercise. The author gives lots of ideas on exercise for all kinds of different types of households. Just do it! It matters.
   
   Halfway through the book, there's a startling picture of a fat daschshund with my dog's face and coloring but a lot more pudge. I look at my dog and see his still boundless energy and healthy spine, and I know that picture is what I want to avoid.
   
   I'd like more discussion of different theories of nutrition, because a perusal of the Internet discloses fierce argument over this point, and it seems hard to figure out. But so is human nutrition.



3. This book is exactly what it advertises itself as - simple. But that does not stop it from being a very valuable source of information on ways to improve your dog's life. There are no high-tech, high-expense suggestions for how to treat your dog just like Paris Hilton treats Tinkerbelle. Instead, Ms. Garvey uses a straightforward approach, giving detailed and specific information on how to improve your dog's general living habits, from diet to exercise and much, much more.
   
   If you are looking for the new Atkins diet for your dog, steer clear. But if you want to help your dog improve his or her overall health for, as the title says, "a long and happy life," you should absolutely buy this book.



4. I am the author, and I hope you like this book. I was inspired to write both My Fat Dog and My Fat Cat because I had a fat dog, and I know, first hand, how easy it is to overfeed and underexercise your pet...and how it can affect your pet's health and life span. (Our dog is now 12 pounds lighter and lots healthier.) I tried to make the book fun to read, and offer a lot of ways to get your pet started on the road to good health. It can be done, and I want to help. Please visit me on the web at http://www.myfatdogbook.com, and share your stories.
   
   But I also want to tell you that I will be donating a portion of books' proceeds to organizations involved in rescuing and sheltering pets in the devastated Gulf Coast area. Every little bit helps.

No comments about Kittens: A Book of 21 Postcards.

2 comments about Just Feline Friends: A Cat's Tribute To Comrades, Companions & Confidants.

1. This is a wonderful little gift book for cat lovers. The pictures and text are great.



2. JUST FELINE FRIENDS: A CAT'S TRIBUTE TO COMRADES, COMPANIONS & CONFIDANTS is that perfect answer for little gifts for favorite friends, especially those who happen to be cat fanciers. Though there are many similar books on the market, books that survey the types of cats and their idiosyncratic moods and manners, this little volume places excellent photographs of kittens, middle-aged cats and old guys in natural settings in a manner that makes the images almost audible.
   
   The difference in this book (not unlike the now unavailable FELINE FRIENDS: A CAT LOVER'S TREASURY from England) is the choices of comments, quotations, and little thoughts - short in length, long in perception - that accompany the photographs. Author Bonnie Louise Kuchler obviously understands her subjects: the words adjacent to the images have clarity and poignancy, haughtiness and wit, and in general enhance the enjoyment of the referenced cats in a way that brings to mind personal memories. This is a gentle book for gentle people and a superb way to gift someone who is thoughtful about animals (oops! CATS in particular!). Grady Harp, December 07

3 comments about Where's the Kitten? (English/Russian bilingual edition).

1. I bought the whole serious for my 10 month old daughter after her doctor gave her, "Where's the puppy"? at one of her well baby check-ups. She absolutely loved the book! We took it with us to Church every Sunday and it kept her occupied. My daughter is now 15 months old and she still loves this book and all of the others in this series. These are by far her favorite books and she has a lot of books. They are also fun to read to her. Even her older 10 year old sister enjoys reading these little flap books to her baby sister. If you have a baby or need to buy a gift for someone who does, you can't go wrong with this book!



2. "Donde esta el gatito?" is great for toddlers, especially one like mine who wants to open the flaps and turn the pages himself. Not only does he get to identify the cat, but there are also everyday things he can recognize on each page- bananas, a toybox and a laundry basket. The Spanish version lets me practice a little Spanish on him (and me), with easy and a little more difficult words mixed together. I recommend the series in English or Spanish.



3. I bought this book for my oldest son about six years ago, and he just loved it (we have a cat, and he loved our cat too). It's a wonderful book for little kids because they can participate by lifting the flaps, and they love the surprise of finding the kitten hidden underneath. The book has been out of print for a while, so I am thrilled to see it's available again.

5 comments about Totally Fun Things to Do with Your Cat (Play with Your Pet).

1. This is a wonderful book for any cat owner. It's ideal for children to learn positive ways of playing with their cat. Large print and easy reading adds to the fun of this book! It gives many ideas of fun things to do with your cat and some tips for better communication. It mentions that trust is very important so we shouldn't do anything to scare the cat, even though it may be fun. Additionally, there are tid-bits of interesting information about cats. It contains instructions for making some cat items instead of spending a lot of money on purchasing them from the store, for example a cat porch by a window and scratching post.
   
   --Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"



2. Nothing new here. I already knew most of the stuff in this book. Nice for someone who never owned a cat before.



3. My son loves this book and has spent countless time with our cat and this book. The cat, on the other hand, probably hates it. ;)



4. The ideas in this book were common sense. Even if this book was written for children as the audience, it was too obvious! Cute drawings. It should be advertising as a child's first cat book in the childrens section not in the adult section.



5. This is a chocolate truffle of a book that is great for cat lovers of any age. Has a section on reading the body language of a cat. Includes some projects that cats (my cat does anyway) enjoy.

1 comments about Know Your Cat'S Purr Points Art Of Cat Massage.

1. I bought this book as a gift, but my daughter and I had a great time reviewing it ourselves first. It is so cute, and the "purr-rating" scale is adorable. Of course, the information is also useful!