5 comments about Stuff on My Cat: The Book.

1. This is the funniest cat photo book since Why Paint Cats, which fooled a lot of people into thinking the images were real "cat paintings." But here the photos actually are real. Considering how finicky cats can be, it's amazing so many of them would put up with having so much odd junk piled on them, and then being patient enough so that you could take their picture. If I hadn't seen the book I might not have believed it myself. With so much odd stuff piled on them, the images become sort of live kitty collages. :-) For someone who is both a cat fancier and amateur photographer there is probably no more entertaining book than this.



2. 
   My poor cats have no idea what they have coming the next time I'm drunk off my butt on Jack Daniels' popsicles!



3. Sometimes it is great to have something fun to open at Christmas. This year I gave this book to my new son-in-law, and it was quickly passed around the family. My daughter says that they have it out at their home to share with their guests. Hey, I'm allergic to cats, and I even like it!



4. If you have the Internet none of the pictures are that great. Many of the pictures are online or have been done better since. The paperback is too small to enjoy the collection pages (they display 20 or so pictures on one page). You can get this for someone that doesn't have the Internet, but the paperback isn't good enough so you would need to find a hardback; but I couldn't see paying the price.



5. I picked up this book in a bookstore and couldn't put it down. It was so good, I read it cover to cover at the bookstore, but I didn't buy it (because many book readers are perverse and cheapskates about buying "non-literary books"). Months later, I still think about it and I'm laughing. So I'm finally caving in and parting with my money to get a copy. If anything, it is worth ten bucks for the idea. But it took me months to realize it. Yes, it is that good. (To cat owners especially).

No comments about Not Fit for a Dog!: The Truth About Manufactured Dog and Cat Food.

5 comments about Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Shrink.

1. This book was extremely interesting to me because I love cats and it explained some of the puzzling behaviors that can arise. I found it fascinating that this woman was able to actually think like a cat to figure out what was causing the strange behaviors. It is both humorous and educational. It gives great insight into explaining various cat behaviors. I highly recommend it to any cat owner.



2. I am the proud mother of three cats and two kids. Sometimes we all have problems living in sync with each other. This book let me know that there are many cat owners worse off than I am. All of the chapters were hilarious except for one. I wont say which one, but I cried for ten minutes after I read it. Everyone will really enjoy this treasure and it may tell you things about your kitties you never knew. According to the book, there are no such things as bad kitties, just miscommunications between kitties/owners.



3. My husband got this book for me for Christmas and the next day I sat down and read the whole thing in one sitting. It is very engaging, and it gave me some insight into the zany behavior of my own two cats. Some of the stories were funny, some were sad but all were touching. I would highly reccomend this book for any cat lover.



4. Excellent book, throughly enjoyed. The stories presented by Johnson-Bennett will make you laugh, even cry, and definately THINK! Reading these stories can give you insight in providing a more enriching homelife for your feline companion, maybe even tell you how your cat can tell you if your spouse cheating. This book is a page turner.



5. I had the best experience while reading this book - a purring cat curled up in my lap. I laughed at some of these stories, cried at others (especially the one about Angel). The book also reinforced for me how important it is to have interactive play sessions with your cat each day.

3 comments about Acu-Cat: A Guide to Feline Acupressure.

1. This book is an absolute must for any feline lover. I have even given a copy to my vet. I first read this book about 2 years ago when I started my training for Animal Massage. I have used everything this book has taught me and have had great results.



2. I'm a small animal massage therapist but have not taken a course in Traditional Chinese Medicine yet. This book is very helpful for giving a good background for what seem to be complicated concepts and multiple ideas. Acu-Cat is written in simple terms with a well-organized format. For someone who did not have any training in bodywork, this might be a bit too much but still a good intro to TCM. I'm reading Acu-Cat along with Four Paws, Five Directions and find the former an excellent resource for the more detailed topics.
   Acu-Cat is a "must read" for every vet, vet tech, & massage therapist who did not have TCM in their basic curriculum.



3. Cats are such sensitive little souls, that's what makes them so responsive to acupressure. Snow and Zidonis have created a guide to feline acupressure that clearly describes how to perform an acupressure treatment, including lots of diagrams. Best of all, the book has specific treatments for common feline conditions like kidney problems, aging issues, hindquarter weakness, calming, and much more. My cats love it, they say "PURRRRRRRRR". Your cats will be in 7th heaven and will definitely have all 9 lives.

5 comments about The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat.

1. This book is terrific. It provides a general guide to companion animal care (In a natural way ofcourse), and then lists ailments and accompanying herbal remedies. Easy to use, easy to understand. Suitable for practitioners and animal lovers. If you have a pet then you should buy this book.



2. Well this book is mainly only for the use for dogs. I was thinking it's be more like a herbal/ailment glossary. You know, about what's wrong with your pet and what herb to use for it. It does have that in the book but very little and it's got more literature in it than I had wanted.



3. This book is an excellent source of almost forgotten and useful information. I am constantly going back to reread sections and have bought it for my farming, animal loving daughters.



4. First I will give the author due credit for her general ideas on natural rearing, caution of over-vaccination, recommendation of a natural raw diet and advice to provide plenty of exercise, sunshine and love.
   
   With that said, some of her suggestions are iffy at best:
   
   The suggestion to not spay and neuter is very ignorant. Overpopulation in dogs and cats leads to euthanasia, homeless pets, pets with bad homes because they were given away to anybody, etc,etc. There is no side effect of spaying and neutering that even comes close to being as harmful to our pets as the side effects of overpopulation.
   
   The author recommends burying meat in the backyard as a healthful alternative to freezing.
   
   She recommends feeding grains with the raw bones, so that the grains can protect the stomach/intestines from any sharp bone fragments. To expect that to work is just silly, and dogs do not need grains in their diets.
   
   She recommends feeding dried fruits,specifically including raisins, but raisins are toxic to dogs!
   
   She recommends red raspberry leaf for pregnant females but this has been scientifically proven to cause a higher fetal mortality rate, and it induces uterine contractions which is not always a good thing.
   
   She does have some good advice, but I wouldn't blindly trust all of the information contained in this book. Natural rearing is best for your dog, but definitely do your own research and make your own informed decisions.



5. I had bought two of Juliette's herbal books for cats and dogs when I read another book by a different author who had recommended Juliette's books specifically. One of our cats had developed a strange problem where his fur ceased to grow in a large area on his left flank. The spot started out small but gradually grew large and larger until a spot several inches in diameter was mostly fur-less on our cat. Our vet ran a number a tests which came up negative and we even ran tests twice. Our vet said he didn't know the cause of the problem. We had our cat for years and he is an indoor cat fed typical dry cat food (Whiskas), as are all our kitties, and we also give our cats canned tuna fish frequently, as well as chicken breast, turkey breast and beef occasionally. We didn't think his problem could be diet-related. Our other cats are very healthy and our vet even remarked on their coats saying they were the most beautiful he had seen. We tried some things the vet suggested, including giving our cat vitamin E supplements and even cod liver oil but nothing helped the problem and it just seemed to get worse over several months. I searched around the internet trying to find informataion on a possible cause of his condition but found nothing really. I thought perhaps his problem could be a thyroid condition. When I consulted Juliette's book, she recommended seaweed, garlic or raw egg yolks for thyroid problems. As I already had eggs in the house, I decided to try those first. I mixed raw egg yolk into my cat's tuna fish and fed that to him on several days and then we noticed that his fur looked like it was growing back. I worried about feeding him too much egg yolks as I didn't want him getting too much cholesterol so I ceased feeding the egg yolk after about a week but his fur continued to grow back until it was all the way grown back and he seems fine now. I'm thankful this book helped us find a way to help our cat. It was worth the price of the book just for the help with that one problem, though I will continue to consult the book in future if my cats need any more treatment for any future ailments. Juliette seems very knowledgeable about natural and herbal remedies. I bought her book "Common Herbs for Natural Health" and used some of her recommended treatments on myself as well with very good results.

5 comments about Catamarans.

1. This book offers a good general overview of sailing catamatans. It is a good place to start if you want to understand the topic, depending on how technical you want to get. It attempts to cover a very broad range of topics and I think it would have been better to concentrate on a smaller range of topics and go into more detail.
   
   In many places throughout the book it promises to deliver an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of a sailing catamaran but fails to deliver. Instead it discusses the topic without providing the necessary formula's, etc required to enable the reader to evaluate a catamaran design objectively.
   
   The book represents value for money (only because it is very reasonable priced), but there is a serious need for a book that goes into the details and specifics of catamaran design, - which this book does not.



2. A man who loves his cats but does at least make an effort to point out the dogs! As long as you feel you have done independent research and accept the author does sell cats for a living, the book is great for those thinking of making the switch from monohull to catamarans and needing some additional reading to justify the expense and that lingering guilt of making the move from one hull to two. But this book sure puts in hard print all the reasons one does make that move!



3. Awesome book! Definitely a must have for any cruising catamaran owner. The author offers many insights and helpful tips in sailing a cruising catamaran, including heavy weather tactics, sail trim, boat handling and anchoring tips, design characteristics, as well as some knowledgeable recommendations for those shopping for a cat.
   
   When my first copy came in the mail I was totally drawn into if for about a week. This was by far the best book written about modern day cruising catamarans. Besides all the valuable info the photography is incredible. I was so impressed with the book that I showed it to a new catamaran owner I had recently met who was about to have a crew sail his FP Tobago (35ft) across the North Atlantic from Florida to the UK. Since they were all mono-hull sailors with no experience in sailing cats I thought it'd be a great idea for them to read prior to their departure. I let them borrow it for a few days and that's all it took. The owner begged to buy this book from me. I was glad knowing that it would be valuable addition to his boat. Last I heard the book was in the Azores - after successfully sailing through a Force 7 storm.
   
   In summary, this book deserves all 5 stars and is equally suitable for your boat and/or your coffee table at home.
   
   Kevin Welsh
   S/V Bladerunner



4. A wonderful compilation of what you need to know when interested in catamarans for touring. The author is clearly a cat fan. But who can blame him.



5. The photography in the book is excellent, and there is plenty of information on the characteristics of cruising catamaran design, construction, and handling, but there is plenty of wasted space too. For example, the "Noteworthy Multihulls" chapter is basically a series of two page ads for various multihulls. It even includes a few boats in the 60 to 100 foot range, of which the vast majority of cruising sailors will never set foot on, much less own. One of the catamarans listed, the Jaguar 36, has a displacement of 24,460 pounds, higher than some 40 foot or longer catamarans listed, but the author doesn't see fit to hightlight or explain this outlying figure. Some of the appendices, again, are a waste of paper. Survival equipment checklist, Cruising equipment checklist, Maintenance tasks, Metric Equivalents, Beaufort Scale, Glossary of nautical terms, strike me as a last minute addition to fill up more pages. For what reason? I don't know. The rest of the information was worth what I paid for it.

3 comments about Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat.

1. I had picked up one of the author's older books a while ago and was pretty impressed, but it was mostly a collection of stories. So, while interesting, it was no where near complete.
   
   This book, on the other hand, is practically an encyclopedia of feline behavior. VERY cool. She starts with body language, her recommendations for setting up their environment and building confidence, and then goes onto common problems and how to solve them.
   
   The only real blank is that she seems to assume that your cat is used to and at least somewhat trusts YOU. The section on a shy cat assumes that the cat is afraid of visitors.
   
   I just skimmed it, so perhaps it's in one of the introductory sections that I missed (like the play therapy section, which she covered a bit in her other book so I didn't read it in this one). I'll reread it more in depth later and update.
   
   I really like her approach, though, because she does not recommend discipline that the cat will associate with the person - like water bottles, noise makers, yelling, and stuff like that. Instead of negative approaches (like locking the cat out of the bedroom) she suggests positive approaches (like creating an interesting environment in another room). Definitely more work, but I think more successful in the long run.



2. Pam Johnson-Bennett is one of the best authors in the newly emerging field of cat behavior and this book is no exception. She offers no-nonsense, practical ways of understanding and dealing with your cat's quirks and problems. Her solutions are rarely the "QUICK AND EASY" variety (if you wanted that, I guess you should have gotten a pet rock). But this book goes a long way toward helping you understand your complex and mysterious little housemate. If you take the time to follow her instructions and do what she says, you will get results. Do it for your cat!



3. Some of her methods are fine for a cat behaviorist or someone who has plenty of time (and no job) to spend catering to their kitty. I am a busy person who needs to socialize a rather "psycho" kitty to my already established one cat household. It has not gone well and if I practiced what this lady preaches I would be at this for years. It's a bit frustrating. Also I do not have a local cat behaviorist in my area to consult and my vet is more of the mind of - well just let the cats figure it out. I am still looking for advice. She seems dead set against using drug therapy on high-strung cats but if you cannot even handle the cat how can you practice all of these great techniques?

5 comments about Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Cat Lover's Companion (Uncle John's Bathroom Reader).

1. You should know that it's a *much* smaller book than the "normal" Uncle Johns' books. It's got plenty to read in it and great stories, though. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for cat-lovers! Hard-cover makes it an even nicer gift, and at the price you can't beat it. Rock on, Uncle John! s:)



2. this is a fun book, especially for people familiar with the ways of cats. I'm not sure that the term "bathroom read" is necessary.



3. A great book for cat lovers! It has interesting stories and cat facts
   that make for a great read.



4. this book, like all the uncle johns' books is another success, more so if you are a cat lover. i recommend it to all!



5. I've enjoyed the other Uncle John's Bathroom Readers and this one made a wonderful gift for my cat-loving mother! I've enjoyed browsing through it in her, um, facilities, and I find the stories fascinating. Great literature it isn't, but it is perfect for those who love cats and only have a few minutes at a time to read!

4 comments about Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into National Parks (Bathroom Reader).

1. As an avid BRI reader, I was really looking forward to this book. It has lived up to all my expectations. If anyone is interested in national parks in the US and Canada, this is "must" reading.



2. I am very pleased with how soon this book was received. The book is very interesting and informative regarding National Parks. It is a hard book to put down once you start reading.



3. This latest Uncle John publication proclaims on its back cover "It's time to hit the Trail!" Hit the history books is more like it. This wonderful little volume is full of fascinating trivia about the national parks and monuments found in the US and Canada. Each chapter is brief enough to be read during a single trip to the throne room of your house, and for the most part the prose is enjoyable enough to keep you coming back. Favorite stories for me were "The Great Pig War" in which the US and England nearly managed to go to war over a dead pig (San Juan Island National Historic Park) and the Mojave National Preserve's "lonely phonebooth."
   
   For the most part the history and folklore seemed accurate enough, though the authors did slip a little when they wrote that Ansel Adams had saved King's Canyon with pictures of its Giant Sequoia Grove. There is no such grove in King's Canyon proper. General Grant Grove is now administered as a part of King's Canyon National Park, but it has been protected since 1890. In any event, King's Canyon was preserved because it so closely resembled Yosemite. On the other hand, virtually every other element of the book is accurate. Indeed, this is one of the few sources I have ever read that correctly notes Hot Springs Arkansas is the oldest National Park, dating back to 1835, long before the Yosemite Grant or the creation of Yellowstone National Park.
   
   So, by all means get this rather unusual travel guide. It probably won't help much with actual trip planning, but it is nice for whiling away the time between trips: especially that portion of the time when you are otherwise preoccupied.



4. Interesting tid bits about National Parks. Suggest you read this before visiting the parks. You might decide to change your routings, in some cases.

5 comments about How to Toilet-Train Your Cat: 21 Days to a Litter-Free Home.

1. i just bought this book last night and i read it cover to cover. granted i already did a few hours of preliminary research on cat toilet training methods and available training products online, the book was overly simplistic and i was appalled by some of the methods the author suggests.
   
   first of all, only 33 pages of the book are actually dedicated to the training process itself which is 27% of the book. the majority of the remaining pages covers litter box training, a subject that i can probably safely assume that most of us have already addressed. the author does not address questions related to correct toilet seat posture, training multiple cats, getting your cat to use other toilets, and traveling with your cat.
   
   the 33 pages of applicable material covers a 21 day process: the first 16 days consist of moving the litter box to the bathroom (1 day), gradually elevating the litter box to toilet seat height (12 days),and gradually moving the litter box from the stack of newspapers directly onto the toilet seat (3 days). on the 17th day, the author instructs you to remove the litter box altogether and give your cat the next 4 days to use the toilet seat itself. equipment needed? just heavy duty plastic wrap, adhesive tape, and newspapers. wow! lift the toilet seat, take a sheet of plastic wrap and attach the plastic across the toilet's porcelain rim leaving a slight indention in the middle. fill the middle with a cup of kitty litter and lower the toilet seat. the last 3 days instruct us to cut a small hole and then larger holes each day in the middle of the plastic wrap while at the same time using less and less kitty litter. on day 20, voila, get rid of the plastic wrap and litter! day 21, congratulate yourself. so in actuality, this is a 20 day training process.
   
   the author's instructions are much too simplistic and give more weight to the height adjustment the cat will have to make (jumping up to use the bathroom) than the changes associated with posture and balance on the toilet seat, the removal of kitty litter, and the water in the toilet being exposed as the barrier disappears. most importantly, i'd like to know how many cats the author has actually toilet trained using his methods b/c i don't understand how heavy duty plastic wrap and adhesive tape can support the weight of anything larger than a 3 lb kitten. if the cat doesn't feel safe on the training contraption, it is probably going to refuse to use it. if the cat were to actually fall in, i'm pretty sure the cat will rebel against any other attempts at toilet training.
   
   also, unless you have a spare bathroom, you may give up on toilet training before the cat. i imagine it will get really annoying removing, repositioning, and reattaching flimsy plastic wrap to your toilet everytime someone in the household needs to use it. or reinstalling and cutting holes in plastic wrap each time the cat soils the plastic wrap. i suggest buying one of the commercially available toilet training plastic pans, such as citikitty or litter kwitter, or just finding a metal bowl with the same diameter as the inside of your toilet bowl or aluminum baking pan that will sit securely under the toilet seat.
   
   in all fairness, the book does address two topics that were completely new to me. in the first, the author states that you should not even attempt to train an unaltered cat. however, he does not address why this is true. secondly, he suggests that many cats can be "hooked" on the smell of chemically treated litter, so they should be slowly weaned off the scent by mixing the old litter with a new unscented (flushable) version.
   
   i bought this book at half price books for $2.98. it wasn't even worth that.



2. The book was very clear and the steps are easy. My cats started off following right along, However I didn't follow the directions exactly & did have a set back. I'm looking forward to trying again & hopefull that it will work this time. I would advise anyone trying this method to make sure the rest of their house is clean though. If your cat does hit a point where they decide to resist the training, that fresh pile of clean laundry seems to be a favorite site for them to express their irritation at the new change to their lives.



3. Most of the book contains information about how to litter train a kitten, but the last 20ish pages are the key. Our cat, Fenway, was not successful in just 21 days and required the alternate method. But, we are litter free now and have been for about two weeks. Plus, we really didn't need to buy anything new for this book. We had everything on hand. It was a bit annoying at the plastic wrap time as we had to leave our apartment to find another toilet. It would be nice if it had other chapters such as "Adding a second cat to your house" and "Moving to a new home." Check out this blog for photos of our Fenway in action--baggypantsandbravado.blogspot.c0m.



4. I bought this book recently after being fed up with cleaning the cat box, stepping on litter that had fallen out, and lugging a ginormous amount of litter up stairs.
   The majority (2/3) of this book is about cat behavior, even to what your cat's meows mean. In essence, why cats do what they do and how they have the potential to be toilet trained.
   I did more research on the internet before I began Kunkel's method. His method, for me at least, would involve more money being spent than I was inclined to spend (new box that fit the size specifications, undeoderized litter to wean my cats off of the deoderized kind, etc.). Plus, his last few steps involve saran wrap and tape that goes over the bowl of the toilet. In other words, I feel there is a lot of potential for psychological damage for the cat - and maybe the owner, too!
   Instead, I purchased a CITIKITTY (www.citikitty.com). My cats used it immediately - 20 minutes out of the box - and I am highly satisfied with the results so far. It is filled with litter and fits over the bowl of the toilet, under the seat. It is durable enough that the cats can stand in it and it is easy enough to take off when I need to use the toilet (no adhesives or other mess). A hole is made in the center that gradually gets larger so that the cat is forced to stand on the seat itself.
   Toilet training your cat is an exercise in classical conditioning, whatever methodology you use. Go slow and with the pace of your cat. Good luck!



5. Well, the book got made, and I bought it. Maybe I'm the dumb one!
   
   We are still (months later) trying, as we really want to eliminate the litter, but have had to research other books and the internet for more, MUCH more info. This author doesn't even offer info for more questions. It's as if he's covered every possible scenario in the world, now it's up to you, the reader, to do it.
   
   All you have to do is read the other reviews of this book to see that he's left out A LOT of possibilities. The reader is left to his own devices to fill in the numerous blanks. And as much time and energy as it takes, I find it almost impossible to believe the author has spent time training his friends' cats, too. It is time consuming, messy, and so far, extremely frustrating for both me and my cat.
   
   We have followed, word for word, every instruction in the book, and have still been unsuccessful. The Saran Wrap? Bad idea - the cat falls through, every time (even with heavy duty wrap & very light Siamese cat ) which causes MUCH consternation on the part of the cat. We finally rig it so he can go again - he'll go, but doesn't like it. He has to be contained in the bathroom, and even still, will go on the floor rather than in the pot.
   
   The pace of the training is entirely too fast, and offers no other options. Note to publisher: if you reprint this book, it needs some serious revisions.