5 comments about Mutts Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed..

1. What a wonderful book. I had received it as a gift initially then purchased a copy for another animal lover. It is the best gift for those who have a tender spot in their heart for shelter/rescue dogs.



2. Every pet owner should read this to understand the realities of what happens. Then pass it along to their children. Shelters are overwhelmed with these stories. Some end well, but many more do not.



3. Great for any pet lover or aspiring owner. You'll be moved to run to the shelter on your lunch break and make a new home for some eager little animal. Thanks Patrick McDonnell! Love Mutts. Love this book!



4. Pet lovers and those who enjoy the Sunday funny pages have a treasure indeed in "Mutts Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed.", a compilation of over one hundred of McDonnell's Mutts comic strips; on the opposite page of each strip are full color photos of pets found in animal shelters and their heartwarming success stories. A perfect gift for the dog or cat lover, "Mutts Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed." is highly recommended for community library pet and humor collections.



5. I awaited the release of this book very eagerly, looking forward to seeing a lovely little all-black shorthair cat named Pauline featured as a starlet. And there she is, cute as can be!

5 comments about Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated (Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook).

1. I'm not a vet, but Cat Owners Veterinary handbook seems to be thorough and rather easy to understand. It offers a great deal of detailed information regarding feline diseases and treatment options. It is a guide I feel comfortable with and will always use to learn about feline health.
   
   Maria B.



2. I received this book as a gift, at first I just thought it was interesting. Our cat has always been in fine/perfect health and I rarely had to use it, however now that he has some medical necessities I find that I refer to this often. This book has proven easy to read and full of appropriate information that can help you make decisions on the treatment your feline might need. I feel more educated on options for medical treatment as well as when I should seek medical help. We have recently got our first dog and we are purchasing the canine version of this book too. I have purchased the feline book for a friend who also loves it. Great gift to give or receive, people who want to be more educated about their pets medical needs should definitely purchase and have on hand as a reference.



3. This is great reference book for beginners but it has alot of things missing which is why I say it's a good book for beginners.



4. This is an excellently-presented, very well-written, informative and complete guide to your cat's health concerns. Presenting veterinary medicine in lay language can be difficult, but this book does so, and should be your primary reference guide when Cleo gets droopy.
   
   No one likes to see pictures of sick and injured cats, but the authors, a group of D.V.M.s, don't shy away from illustrating some of the more unpleasant conditions that catflesh is heir to, nor should they. After all, illness and injury plague cats as much as they plague humans, and there's no denying that fact.
   
   My only criticism of this book is that many of the conditions described are encapsulated in overly brief paragraphs. Symptoms are given and linked to all manner of serious and less-serious conditions. There is little differential diagnosis offered between them. Hence, the tenor of the book is rather alarmist at times. The authors' bottom line is usually, "See your Vet," but realistically, not every situation requires a visit to the doctor. Few people can afford to consult a Vet every time a minor issue like a transient case of the sneezies occurs, but home care and treatment is rather slighted in this book. Since the authors are Veterinarians perhaps that's understandable, but describing a swelling as a "possible cyst" without also mentioning that it might just be an aftereffect at an injection site can cause upset, cost a cat owner money for nothing, and cause this book to be less-readily consulted in the future. It happened to me, so I speak from experience.



5. I have the Dog Owner's edition so, when I became a Cat owner I bought this. I wouldn't dream of not having the book in my household. It can answer all your questions and ease your worries at times as well. A must for anyone that has a cat in the family!

5 comments about Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats.

1. This book provides a very eye-opening and eventually obvious insight into what a dog or cat's diet should consist of. It alleviates all of those unwarranted fears of feeding the appropriate foods to our four-legged friends. I bought a bunch of copies to give out to people who needed to re-evaluate the way they are feeding their pets.



2. This book contains good information on how to feed a raw diet based on Billinghurst's barf diet. I think it would be helpful for people considering switching to a raw diet, as well as beginners.
   
   My problem with this book is that the author annoyed me. The first quarter of the book is about how wonderful she is. The last quarter of the book is full of amazing anecdotes about animals on her diet. I don't have the patience for either. It you like anecdotes about how wonderful the author and her diet are, you will probably like this book much better than I did.
   
   While I agree with most of the things the author says about nutrition and dog food companies, she doesn't back up anything she says. If I was starting out as a new raw-feeder, I'm not sure I would find this book very convincing. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book as your only resource.
   
   For beginners, I would recommend "Raw Dog Food" by Carina Beth MacDonald. For people who want to understand the nutritional principles behind a raw or homemade diet, I would recommend "Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets" by Donald Strombeck. They're a better investment of time and money.



3. If you are looking for straight forward, sound information on providing a raw diet for your pet this is a fine resource. The section on nutrients is very good. In it you will learn what food sources provide what nutients and what parts of the bodys health they aide and supportThe 'shopping list' is also a nice spring board for the newbe. There is a ratio guide that addresses serving size to weight balance. The book includes a significant resource guide as well. If you are interested in providing a Raw, natural, BARF type diet for your pet this is the book I would recomend.



4. This book saved my dogs' life. We struggled with a very serious allergy for years, one day I saw Kymythys' book and decided to go with the raw diet. My dogs' health turned the corner and he has never looked back. He will be 10 this year and I could not be more grateful.
   I have read loads of other books on raw feeding but keep coming back to this one.



5. This is a good starting point if you are considering a raw or barf diet for you pet ... it is written simply for everyone to understand and gives many helpful observations, answers, and suggestions for those interested in this type of dietary regimine for their dog.

5 comments about Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats : Your A-Z Guide to Over 200 Conditions, Herbs, Vitamins, and Supplements.

1. If you want to understand your little friends and what can you do for them, read this book



2. This book is alright if you already have a diagnosis from your vet. But trying to figure out if something is wrong in the first place (symptoms)is not happening. Or perhaps your dog just has dry skin and a sensitive stomach..there is nothing in the book that helped me for less serious conditions either. Needless to say, I ended up returning the book.



3. I wish I had found this book sooner! My dog had a bulging disc and I needed something other then tradional meds (they were making him very ill). I researched everything I cold get my hands on and I have to say- this book is particularly fantastic as it's easy to read. It also lists the traditional meds and the alternatives which could complement those taditional meds. On top of that it lists other therapies such as chiropractic and acupuncture. Overall- it's easy to read, provides great info as well as accuracy. It's a fantastic reference to have for all animal owners!



4. My Bichon, Bailey, has food allergies. I bought this book to do research on this subject, and found it had lots of other very informative information. I am looking into natural homemade diets and natural care. It did the trick! It was very resonably priced for the size and information it has in it... Also so easy to read and understand.. I would highly recommend it!
   Sharon Coombs
   Herndon, Ky.



5. This is one of the more detailed books I have found. I also got Health for Happy Cats and Your Cat by Elizabeth Hodgkins. This one has a lot of details about what to feed, how to feed it, what the diseases are and what the treatments are. You can look it up by both disease and symptom and treatment, which is fantastic. They discuss pros and cons of various things. They also have a good section on cooking natural diet versus raw natural diet. They are more advocates of cooked diet as far as I can tell. They also have a few diets. If you are going to get one book on natural health for cats this should be it. there is a lot of information on supplements.

5 comments about Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat--Not a Sour Puss.

1. I always wished my cats could talk so I'd know what they were thinking. Now I can understand them a little better. Written in an easy to read humorous style this is good resource as well as a good read. If you're a cat lover you might also enjoy "A Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers."



2. Pam is excellent in her understanding of the social hiarchy of felines. This book has been a life saver in a family of 6 cats.



3. This is THE book to read if you want to get inside your cat's brain. Once you read it, you will learn how to better understand your pet. Informative facts and advice to be found inside. The author's definitely done a good job on this one!



4. This book is a most excellent book for new kitty parents, and also has info useful for old kitty pros. I currently care for 7 cats, and have been owned by cats for quite some time now, but I've learned a lot from Pam's books. My first was Psycho Kitty.
   
   While I was a volunteer with our local humane society I always recommended "Think Like A Cat" to first time kitty adopters. It has all the prerequisite instructions for those who know nothing about cats and are about to be owned by their first kitty...or even the second or third...



5. In general it was alright. But some of her ideas were too bizarre. You can't teach a cat to come! And her idea of giving cat treats to get them to learn new things? Okay but if you have a cat who needs to lose weight that is not the best thing to be encouraging. Cats are not children. You can't reward them and then decide one day not to anymore. Also, the idea that if you don't play everyday with your cat that you are going to somehow ruin them? Please. I don't play with my cat every day and he is just fine. Also the idea that you have to give your cat the "Right" toys? They are CATS, not children. My cat has several "Inanimate" toys and he doesn't seem bored. Plus many of these interactive toys are not cheap and the fishing rod type toys break.
   For the person who said cats belong outside? Maybe so.But I live in an apartment and letting my cat outdoors is out of the questions.
   I skipped many parts of the book because my cat does not have those issues. And as for the litter box? I own an automatic one which she seems to frown on and I love it. It is so much easier to clean. If my cat has any problems I can still tell.
   Shoe me a cat that can learn to sit and stay and I will show you a frog who can talk!

5 comments about PetSpeak: Share Your Pet's Secret Language!.

1. As the owner of a 50-pound terrier mix who was not trained correctly and then experienced a period of abuse and neglect, this book has been extremely influential in how I communicate with my dog, and how I recognize what my dog is communicating to me. The book was recommended to me by an excellent trainer from Las Vegas, Nevada, and I have relied on it ever since to help me recognize signs of stress and boredom in my dog, develop a more effective training program, and recognize the true causes and remedies for destructive behaviors. This book should be required reading for all pet owners. There would be many more happy pets and happy owners.



2. Not as good as I expected, a lot of it seemed like common sense or for dog owners.



3. As a steward for many cats and dogs my whole life, I thought I could read them very well. But "PetSpeak" opened my eyes to many things I was doing wrong, particularly in interpreting the countless nuances of their expressions and activities, and how I responded to them. Anyone who is around cats and dogs should read this. Their lives and those of their animals will be enriched.



4. If you are a dog or cat lover you must get this!!! It is so informative and teaches you new thing for communicating with you loved ones,.... I found information that I have not known and It is also enjoyable to read and to know what your loved one means by some action,.... It is also has illustration and brought it in a humour way,... It shows for example the tail meaning of dogs and cats...why dog sometimes eat faeces, why cat wakes up so early,....their vision compare to us,.....and lots other informative thing,.... It lets you take your relationship with your pets to another level,..... It has given me a different perspective on my babies,...



5. I found this book extremely informative even though I've been working with animals for the last 25 years. Great book for the beginning pet owner (dog or cat) and good also for trainers. Helped to dispell my confusion of direct eye contact being a form of communication or a direct challenge.

5 comments about The Cat Bible: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know.

1. The Cat Bible reads like a text book and isn't something I see us keeping. I'd rather have a cat guide that was easier to read and proivded information in a cleaner manner.



2. While I've had cats before, this book is incredibly valuable. We just got a new kitten and found great info on training him with techniques we've never considered before. I recommend this for anyone getting a kitten regardless of your history of having cats.



3. I bought this book hoping to find good, practical advice about owning my first cat. Instead, I found the book to be extremely condescending and preachy. Rather than giving truly practical advice about cat-related matters, I was treated to Ms. Hotchner's personal diatribes on issues such as declawing, cat food, spaying/neutering, etc. I would have vastly prefered a more dispassionate discussion of the pros and cons of these issues rather than Ms. Hotchner's one-sided opinions.



4. Good but it lacks some schematic drawings of a cat's anatomy.
   
   Sandra



5. This is a handy-dandy guide to almost everything you need to know about your cat. It covers everything from kitten behavior to most common medical problems. If you're looking for a guide specifically on how to raise a kitten or what to do in a medical emergency, I'd go with something else. This is more of a guide on basic questions you might have for your cat. It covers a lot of areas , but nothing too terribly in depth. I recommend it for general feline questions.

5 comments about Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs: Small Doses for Small Animals.

1. For someone who is just learning about homeopathy in general, this book not only gave me a good introductory understanding of homeopathy overall for pets and people, but also gave me some great tips and helpful knowledge that I was able to put to use right away with my sick cat. I was able to find the best way to treat my cat with homeopathy with the help of this book and my vet.



2. I'm not wild about this book. While I'm sure there's some good information in here, I haven't found it yet. What I have found are opinions that I find difficult to swallow.
   
   For example:
   
   Don't vaccinate your pets. Hmm. I understand there might be reasons to stay away from vaccinating pets, as there are for not vaccinating children. However, I also understand that if I want to board my dog, or take him to the local dog park, or take him to the groomer, or have my vet come within ten feet of him, I need some evidence that this dog has, in fact, been vaccinated. I don't see a practical way around this in this book.
   
   He says vaccinations weaken the species by allowing weaker animals to survive. My neutered dogs aren't contributing to the gene pool anyway, so I don't understand this argument.
   
   Then there's the thing about feeding your dog only raw meat, because dogs in the wild don't have someone cooking for them. Okay, fine. Dogs in the wild don't have veterinarians, nor do they sleep on a human's couch. If we're going to take this thought to its logical conclusion, we shouldn't have pets at all. And if we should have pets, why on earth would I want to risk their getting infected with E. coli? Or does this raw meat thing assume that I kill it myself rather than buy it?
   
   He says that a lot of meanness in dogs comes from the rabies vaccine. He cites no studies, offers no data, just says that from what he's seen, this is true. I'm sure I don't see anywhere near as many dogs as the author, but come on, I have yet to see a dog made mean by vaccines. Show me a reproducible study.
   
   There may be some valuable information in this book, but it's colored by these unsupported "facts", so it's hard to tell what's good information and what's not. There are better books on the subject. Buy one of them.



3. It's good for reference. A little difficult to self diagnois your pet and not always easy to find the treatment for a specific problem in the book.



4. AFTER REVIEWING OTHER BOOKS & BUYING ANOTHER BOOK (that was poorly written) I WAS RELIEVED TO READ THIS. HOMEOPATHIC CARE FOR CATS & DOGS GETS RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER. INDEX IS GREAT, NICE LISTING OF HOMEOPATHIC SUPPLIERS THERE PHONE, FAX & WEB SITES ( I had wondered where to get supplies but that answered it for me.) YOU ONLY RECEIVE NEEDED INFORMATION. NICE GUIDE FOLLOWS WITH EASY TO FIND REMEDIES. INCLUDES INFO ON HOW TO DECIDE YOUR ANIMAL NEEDS HOMEOPATHY OR IS IT TIME TO SEE THE VETERINARIAN. IT'S NICE TO KNOW YOUR LIMITS. I PROMISE YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK.



5. I purchased this book along with 3 others to educate myself as to various diets and medical care of my pets. I found this one so far to list anything about heartworms in cats. I live in Oklahoma and we have a lot of mosquitoes and have had 2 dogs that contracted heartworm but we've never had a cat contract it and we've had cats live to be 14, 16, and 20 years. I had my suspicions about the necessity of giving heartworm medication to a cat and Dr. Hamilton pretty well answered my questions about it in two sentences on page 332, "This is a serious disease that primarily affects dogs (it is rare in cats, despite claims by the preventive manufacturers)." and, "I do not recommend their use (preventives) in cats, as the incidence does not warrant the drug use in my opinion." Overall, I found it's a very professional yet understandable book for those of us who wish to take care of our beloved pets through more natural means.

5 comments about Whole Health for Happy Cats: A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy, and Well-Fed (Quarry Book).

1. Very helpful! The author, Sandy, knows a lot about the health of cats. I recommend it to anyone who loves their kitty cats.



2. This book is wonderful. It is just packed with information for keeping your cat healthy. Wonderfully written and illustrated with side notes filled with bursts of info that you will reflect back to over & over again. Most treatments, for common cat aliments, are all natural cures but it also lets you know when to call the vet & how to be a partner with your vet when your cat needs medical aid. Beautifully illustrated with rich photos of normal cats. Good book for anyone regardless of experience with cats. You will learn why you cat does what they do and what to do when it is a problem. Info ranges from kittenhood to litter box to calorie control to illness remedies - this book will never get dusty on a shelf, it has gained a permanent spot on the table by my chair.



3. Whole Health for Happy Cats has become my cat bible. It lives in the kitchen with my `human' recipe books. Like them, it's covered in...ahem... `stuff', as I refer to it so often, particularly with regard to making nutritionally-balanced, cat-appropriate food.
   
   My three cats are benefiting greatly from the info on nutrition and gentle holistic means for treating illness and disease. I'm also benefiting by saving a fortune on vet visits and expensive drugs that often just treat the symptom, not the cause. I feel so much more empowered knowing that I can treat common ailments myself, using items readily available from most health food stores. The book also explains when I should go to the vet without delay. The book is thoroughly researched using the latest information available. For this reason, it's far more useful than older books on the subject.
   
   Without this book, I wouldn't have the confidence to make my animals' food myself. This book has all the information I need to know that the food I'm giving them is not only enjoyable for them to eat, but is nutritionally balanced, based on the latest research in cat nutrition. Given the tragic pet food contamination that killed thousands of cats and dogs, I can sleep at night knowing that my guys won't be the victims of less-than-optimum quality control and cat-inappropriate `filler' ingredients that are in so many commercial pet foods.
   
   I particularly love the `mix and match' table which shows you how to nutritionally balance various types of meat with the other things cats' need.
   
   For those who don't want to make their cats' meals, the book includes details on what to look for in commercial cat food, and what to avoid.
   
   The book covers a whole raft of issues including diet, first aid, treating minor ailments, behavioural issues, reducing stress during vet visits, cat-toxic plants, how to introduce cats to each other to minimise hissing, spitting and flying fur, solving toilet troubles and how to resolve conflict in multi-cat households. There's even a recipe for safe, cat-appropriate tooth paste to maintain good teeth and gum health (I'm psyching myself up to try that out) and a gentle tummy soother.
   
   The book is very easy to read, with lots of gorgeous photos, side bars, graphs and tables and interesting facts and figures. An absolute winner. I've given copies of this book to others and it's also in my public library.
   
   My cats are healthy, lean, purring machines and they have this book and the author's extensive knowledge to thank for that. Every purrson should have a copy.



4. I first found the web-site and bought the book; first for myself and then many friends. It's so very wonderfully written. Nothing 'in your face' that you have to do certain things. So easy to read and the photos are great. I've recently had a problem with a couple kitties and with the help of Sandy's book, things are SO much better.... Please get it and read it....and get some for your friends....



5. This book has become a most valuable resource in my house, I have learned so much about proper cat care from Sandy Arora and treasure this book very much. I keep it handy with my cookbooks in the kitchen even :) This book helped me learn to take better care of my cats, they have made the smooth transition to an all raw diet, supplemented by other natural methods of keeping. My copy was always out on loan that I finally got a second copy!

5 comments about James Herriot's Cat Stories.

1. Goes quickly, but he writes well and if you're a cat owner, you'll really develop a rapport with the cat stories in here. Not just for "cat ladies" - my husband picked it up and couldn't put it down.



2. Look you haven't heard a story read until you've heard it read by Christopher Timothy!!!! This guy could make a phone book interesting to hear read! These stories are great! They'll have you laughing and crying! So becareful if you listen in your car ;0) I was driving my 18 wheeler down a rural road in Luisiana getting all teary eyed! Scary thought, right?



3. James Herriot writes of his veterinary experiences as no one else could. Full of humor,sometimes sadness but always spellbinding and interesting. I could not put this book down.



4. When I sent away for this book I had no idea that it would be so beautifully illustrated in full colour. It is a real little treasure of cat stories told in a way that only James Herriott can. I loved it.



5. We loved this book so much, we named our two cats Olly and Ginny. 'Nuff said.