2 comments about Maine Coon Cats 2008 Calendar.

1. This was a gift for my son and his wife who have two maine coon cats. They loved the calendar and all the really beautiful pictures. They had fun looking for pictures that looked like their cats. This calendar is an excellent choice for maine coon cat lovers.



2. We received this calendar as a gift from my in-laws. The photos are mostly gorgeous, with good color and detail on nice, heavy stock. If you love these cats, you'll enjoy this calendar. It's a little late for the current year, of course, but let's hope the 2009 edition is as good.

1 comments about The Mystery of the Coon Cat (Three Cousins Detective Club #25).

1. I read this book before my daughter did, to preview it. I really enjoyed the plot and the lesson that the story taught. It was just long enough to hold a 7 year olds attention without getting into deep confusing plot twists. If you want a book that is fun to read, easy to follow, and one that you don't have to preview before your child reads it, any of the books in this series will do. I will buy more of these books because I know I can hand her one to read and know that anything that comes up in discussion from this book will teach a lesson.

No comments about A Cat Named Fish and a Fish Named Cat.

5 comments about Guide to Owning a Maine Coon Cat (Guide to Owning).

1. This is a small but delightful book. The part about the typical Maine Coon Cats character is very interesting. It also has details about the different coat colors and patterns, showing your cat, and about general cat care. The photographs are top quality.



2. The first half of this book is very good detailing the Maine Coon breed, history and standards. Wonderful photos. The second half fails miserably. It is too generic. It does not go into specific details about this particular breed. It just gives the general feeding and caring patterns which are similar to other cats and other books that I have read. It does not tell you what the ideal weight should be, etc. Another area that it fails is to tell you about a specific hereditary trait which I found out about on the internet: hip dysplasia. So only two stars for this book.



3. The basic content of this book is generic to all cats, but what sets it apart from others is the very high quality of its pictures.

   The reader can get a very good idea of all the background, behavioral characteristics as well as colors and patterns without a lot of further research. Easy reading for the new MC owner but not as complete as "That Yankee Cat," or "This is the Maine Coon Cat."




4. The basic content of this book is generic to all cats, but what sets it apart from others is the very high quality of its pictures.

   The reader can get a very good idea of all the background, behavioral characteristics as well as colors and patterns without a lot of further research. Easy reading for the new MC owner but not as complete as "That Yankee Cat," or "This is the Maine Coon Cat."




5. "Guide to Owning a Maine Coon Cat" starts out strong with a detailed exposition of the various Maine Coon origin theories: the 'Marie Antoinette'; the 'Viking'; the 'Racoon cross'; the 'Lynx cross', among others (I favor the 'Viking' since Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats look an awful lot alike).

   The author then spends a good deal of print on the Maine Coon personality and the breed standard and colors. The photographs are beautiful, professional and in color.

   It's when we get to the chapters on care, grooming, and feeding that this book strays away from Maine Coons and becomes generic and uninteresting. The photographs deteriorate into advertisements for various grooming and food products. Some show the covers of other books from the same firm that published this book, i.e. T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

   Go ahead and buy this book, but buy it for the first 38 pages.

No comments about The Maine Coon Cat (Learning About Cats).

No comments about Maine Coon Cat Kittens 2008 Mini Wall Calendar.

2 comments about Maine Coon Cats 2008 Square Wall Calendar.

1. I have a black Maine Coon, named Bear, which is very appropriate if you saw him. He weighs a good 20 pounds. The first picture on the calendar looks just like him. If you love Maine Coon's or any cat you will love this calendar



2. I loved it so much I gave it to my sister. The photographs are wonderful and remind me of my own Maine Coon kitty. My sister loved it. There are cat calendars and cat calendars--some only so so. This one is magnifico.

5 comments about This Is the Maine Coon Cat.

1. As seems to be the problem with all books about specific breeds, this one also fails miserably. The first half is about the history of the breed. But the second half is very generic about cats in general. Pretty pictures. Don't waste the money on this book.



2. I refer back to this book regularly, even though I own other books about Maine Coon cats. I thoroughly enjoyed the information on the history of the breed. The book describes the breed's show standards and contains pictures of Maine Coons throughout. The book provides descriptions of the different color classes of Maine Coons, and I have not seen such a complete description elsewhere. The book does contain information on raising Maine Coons that really applies to any breed, but I put that information to good use when my first litter was on the way. The only negative I have is the price; but considering how often I refer back to this book, I believe it was worth it.



3. After I bought my "coon" I bought this book in hopesof finding out about this great and mysterious breed. The book reallydid not tell me anything that I didn't already know by researchingarticles on-line before I bought her. It did show pictures of alltypes of MC's that I never knew existed, but not what I wanted toknow. I wanted to know more about their quirkiness, etc. that makesthem so unique and fascinating. I actually find more info from otherowners on-line! But, for people who are just learning about MC's, thisbook is probably a good start.



4. "This is the Maine Coon Cat" by Sharyn Bass was published in 1983 and if you check its photographs against a recent Cat Fanciers' Association yearbook, you'll see slight differences between the Maine Coons that won ribbons twenty years ago, and those cats that strut their stuff on current breeders' websites, or in the CFA Yearbook. Since Sharyn Bass's book has quite a lot of information on showing Coonies, you need to be aware of changes to the breed standards (or judges' preferences) if you're planning to show your own cat. The CFA and the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association (MCBFA) websites are probably the best places to research current Maine Coon breed standards.

   The chapter on "Health Care" is not specific to Maine Coons and is also a bit dated, for instance in its treatment of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). There is actually a vaccine for this disease now, although the extent of protection provided by it is debatable.

   An important omission in this book is a discussion of hereditary defects known to occasionally occur in Maine Coons. These include hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, cardiomyopathy and white-linked deafness. Two of my six Maine Coons have slight heart murmurs, and the vet informs me that the older of the two will have to start taking heart medication within the year.

   Bass presents good, general purpose information on feeding, caring for, and breeding cats. There are detailed instructions on how to construct a queening box, which we followed, although matters didn't quite work out according to the book. Our queen ignored the box and had her litter under our bedspread.

   One final quibble concerns Bass's photograph of a Maine Coon trying to use a litter box that was meant for smaller cats. His hindquarters and tail are hanging over the edge of the box, which negates the purpose of the whole thing, since deposits tend to end up on the floor. We learned this lesson the hard way, and now have super-sized boxes for our super-sized cats.

   Although "This is the Maine Coon Cat" is well-written and quite detailed, I'd recommend "That Yankee Cat" by Marilis Hornidge as the most interesting book written about Maine Coons. It's a hundred-and-one pages of sheer delight for those of us who are actually lucky enough to be owned by one of these big old, shaggy down-Easterners.




5. This a great hardback book for the serious Main Coon fan

5 comments about Maine Coon Cats (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. "Maine Coon Cats" is one of a series of cat books published by Barron's. It has been 'personalized' by inserting the breed name 'Maine Coon' into the title and various other places in the text. Most of text is about cats in general, but all of the book's photographs display big, fuzzy Maine Coons. And there are some specifics about this very special breed - the cost of a show kitten vs. 'just a pet', a short history of the breed, etc. We own a small Maine Coon cattery ('JustThisOnce' Cattery) with five current residents (if you don't count the humans). For a more specific book on this native American breed, I'd recommend "This is the Maine Coon Cat" by Sharyn P. Bass. The photographs are mainly black and white (and grainy), but the text is much more specific to Coonies, especially if you plan to show. I learned from Bass's book that our Maine Coons aren't unique in the way they scoop water out of their dish with a big, hairy paw and then drink it. Evidently, this is one of the breed traits that got Maine Coons mistaken for raccoons in the first place!

   I don't want to turn you away from Barron's "Maine Coon Cats - A Complete Owners Manual". It contains very good generic information about raising cats, and the photographs are really lovely. It just has that 'mass produced' feel about it.




2. I liked the book. It's a good book for people who don't know a lot about the maine coon cat breed. I found out several things I didn't know. Yes the end is a little generic, but it is only talking about how to take care of a cat, which would be generic. I think it's a good book for first time Maine Coon cat owners, such as myself.



3. This is a good introduction to Maine Coon cats. Mostly, this is a "care and feeding of" book that could apply to any cat, which is what this book is really for. If you are new to cat ownership and have a Maine Coon, this will get you started.

   We have Maine Coon rescue cats and we don't plan to breed any cats (preferring to adopt orphans--there's a glut of cats out there.) But if you were planning to breed Maine Coons, you surely would need a more comprehensive book than this slim volume.

   However, if you just want some general background about the history, pictures of coat colors and information about the general qualities of this breed, this book is just fine. The most valuable page is actually in the back, describing various illnesses, with a black and white drawing and description of a cat "not doin' right", which is how a cat subtly tells you it is feeling sick. We caught our cat "not doin' right" and she was actually on the point of being seriously ill. We caught it in time--thanks to that helpful description --cats are sometimes not terribly expressive, purring even in pain and perking up if their beloved owners are around.




4. I found this informative and well rounded. Fun, not stuffy--with lots of pictures. For this price, a must-have!



5. MY CAT IS A MIX BUT ABOUT 75% MNCOON. THIS BOOK DID EXPLAIN ALOT OF QUIRKS AND BRED IN HABITS I NOW SEE IN MINE. THEY ARE CRAZY CREATURES.
   VERY INFORMATIVE AND PICS GALORE,THANKS-LBSMITH

5 comments about That Yankee Cat: The Maine Coon.

1. A wonderful reference book on Maine Coon cats. I loved learning so much about this breed.



2. I bought this book due to the great reviews given by readers, but I cannot see what they are so excited about (Maybe they were the author's friends). The photographs are really poor (blurred, poorly lit) and only a few are in colour. I would have expected at least a clear description (with images) of the different colours Maine Coons available, but again here were only written descriptions. The text runs on an on with no apparent point to make. This was clearly written for purple haired ladies who attend cat shows and go on and on about standards, not a cat enthusiast who would like to learn and appreciate a specific breed.



3. This book was very informative for Maine Coon owners and lovers. The history and background of this breed was informative and impressive in detail. Maine Coon owners will learn a lot and give them more to admire in their very special cats. A winner of a book.



4. We recently purchased a Maine Coon kitten and found this book to be very informative. It has given us not only information for the care of our kitten, but gave us background info and info on what to expect as our kitten grows. I highly recommend this book to anyone who owns or is considering getting a Maine Coon.



5. A lot of ueful and interesting information in a compact book. A pity that more of the photographs were not in colour rather than B & W.