Cats For Dummies [Paperback]

Gina Spadafori, Universal Press Syndicate pet care columnist and host of AOL's "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection," follows her educational and entertaining book Dogs for Dummies with Cats for Dummies, which she co-authors with Paul Pion, D.V.M., D.A.C.V.I.M., president of the Veterinary Information Network.

If you own a cat or are considering cat ownership, Cats for Dummies is the one book you really must have. This educational, comprehensive, and entertaining book is probably the closest you'll get to a cat "owners' manual."

Beginning with a foreword by Lilian Jackson Braun, the cat-owned author of The Cat Who... mystery novels, the book quickly moves into a brief history of cats, cat psychology, and their recent amazing growth in popularity.

Spadafori and Pion spend a considerable amount of time on the selection of a cat breed. While size and in-bred behaviors don't vary in cats as much as they do in dogs, different breeds of cats do have distinctive traits and temperaments that should be considered when deciding on a purebred animal. Physical characteristics, such as coat type, should also be considered. Some cats require a great deal more grooming than others do. The authors are frank in their discussion of the fate of poorly chosen cats who wind up in shelters because they were too much work and not right for the person who had selected them.

For readers considering a purebred cat, Spadafori and Pion provide tips and resources, including magazines, Web sites and Cat Fanciers Association breed clubs. They also give information on screening breeders to weed out the "truly evil" and the simply ignorant. They strongly encourage adoption of shelter cats, though, pointing out that many of these animals are young, healthy, and affectionate and may have been given up through no fault of their own. Adult shelter cats, Spadafori says, can be a particularly good choice, especially for an older person, since they are past their kitten craziness. Because the adoption rates for adult cats are lower than for kittens, thousands of wonderful animals who would make great pets are euthanized each year.

Spadafori recommends proceeding with caution when shopping pet stores for kittens due to the high percentage of pet store kittens that come from kitten mills where animals are bred indiscriminately and often kept in horrifying conditions. And while some pet stores offer space to sell "oops" litters, she believes the practice, while well-intentioned, sends the message that kittens are easy to place and encourages cat owners to continue allowing their pets to breed.

Once the breed or type of cat has been selected, Cat for Dummies moves on to cover aspects of cat ownership, including kitten-proofing your house, bringing home a new cat or kitten, care, feeding and grooming, and veterinary care. The chapter on medical care and common illnesses is particularly strong, spending much more time on the subject than in Dogs for Dummies, due, most likely, to the fact that the co-author is a veterinarian. This section provides important information without excruciating clinical detail that might lose the reader and is a great addition to the book.

As in Dogs for Dummies, Spadafori includes the entertaining "Part of Tens" section in which she debunks 10 common cat myths, offers 10 things the cat owner needs to do to be prepared for a disaster, suggests 10 sets of questions to ask when choosing a kitten, lists 10 household dangers to cats, and provides 10 cat-related sites on the World Wide Web. Also included is "Ten of the best things ever said about cats." This book is highly recommended for anyone who is owned by a cat or aspires to be.

You know you want to share your home with a pet, but dogs require so much time and attention. Friends recommend you get a cat?a loving but much more independent creature. Sounds like a simple solution. But is your lifestyle really suited to owning (or being owned by) a cat? If it is, what kind of feline do you buy, where do you buy from, and how do you care for it properly? All this and more is covered in this work, which incorporates the excellent "Dummies" format. The authors are eminently qualified to address feline topics. Spadafori writes an award-winning newspaper column and received an award from the Dog Writers Association of America for her best-selling Dogs for Dummies (LJ 11/15/96). Pion is a renowned veterinary cardiologist and cofounder and president of the largest online veterinary information network in the United States. In 22 chapters (along with a generous supply of appendixes), the authors provide reliable information on topics from preventative healthcare and common health problems to solving behavior problems. There is even a chapter on cats in cyberspace. Sure to be often requested, this is highly recommended for even the smallest of libraries.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"...entertaining feline trivia. Fun and educational" (Your Cat, May 2009) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Few creatures seem more inscrutable than the common, domesticated cat. Fortunately, with Cats For Dummies™ you'll finally have insight into everything from cat behavior (both good and bad) to what distinguishes each of the feline breeds. In this thorough, easy-to-understand guide, award-winning pet care columnist Gina Spadafori and world-renowned veterinary cardiologist Paul D. Pion, DVM, DACVIM reveal everything you need to know about topics such as Choosing the kitten or cat who's right for you Choosing a good feline companion for your cat (and whether you should choose one at all) Dealing with problem behaviors like furniture clawing, spraying, and avoiding the litter box Understanding what your cat is trying to tell you Safeguarding your cat from poisonous houseplants and other dangers Selecting irresistible cat toys Controlling fleas and ticks Grooming Traveling with your cat and finding a good pet sitter Surfing the World Wide Web for fun, useful sites all about cats

Discover how to:

Choose and train your feline friend
Solve your cat's litter-box and behavior problems
Know when your cat is well -- or when he's not
Provide proper health care and nutrition
Read feline body language --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

"An educational and fun read for all cat owners." ColleenCurrigan, DMV Veterinarian Homecare for Cats

A Reference for the Rest of Us!

A reference as purr-fect as your cat!

"A book that readers will undoubtedly pull off the shelf again and again." Marge Scherk-Nixon, DVM,DABVP (Feline Practice)

Cats for Dummies is the ultimate kitty cat-alogue, with new and updated advice about choosing and training your cat, understanding feline behaviour and medicine, and maintaining optimal care for your cat's life—all nine of them!

"Cats for Dummies is catnip for the feline fanatic. It offers sound advice on cat care, behavior issues, products, services, and fascinating feline trivia, all served up with wry humor that entertains, even as it educates." -Amy Shojai, Pet Author and President, Cat Writers'Association

Discover how to:

Choose and train your feline friend

Solve your cat's litter-box and behavior problems

Know when you cat is well —or when he's not

Provide proper health care and nutrition

Read feline body language

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Talk to us, ask questions, get answers --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Gina Spadafori Gina is the author of the best-selling Dogs For Dummies, which was given the President's Award for the best writing on dogs and the Maxwell Medallion for the best general reference work, both by the Dog Writers Association of America. With top avian specialist Dr. Brian L. Speer, she has also written Birds For Dummies.

Along with Dr. Paul D. Pion, she was given the CWA's awards for the best work on feline nutrition, best work on feline behavior, and best work on responsible cat care for the first edition of Cats For Dummies. She and her pets divide their time between Northern California and South Georgia/North Florida.

Paul D. Pion , DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM (Cardiology):Paul is co-founder, president, and CEO of the Veterinary Information Network, Inc., and a boardcertified veterinary cardiologist. Paul has been awarded a Physician's Science Award by the National Institutes of Health, a Small Animal Research Award by Purina, the National Phi Zeta Award for one of the two most outstanding manuscripts in 1989, and a Special Recognition Award by the American Animal Hospital Association for innovations in the field of veterinary medicine.

Paul graduated from the veterinary college at Cornell University and has taught in the veterinary school at the Univesity of California, Davis. While at UCD, he made an important research discovery that has touched the lives of every cat in the world: He proved that deficiency of a single amino acid, taurine, was casuing heart disease in cats. His discovery was published as a cover article in SCIENCE, one of the most competitive and respected research journals and, more important, led to the reformulation of the world's cat foods and the virtual eradication of a heart disease that afflicted tens of thousands of cats annually in the late 80's.

Paul lived in Davis, California, with his wife, veterinarian Dr. Carla Weinberg, sons Luca and Joel, and a house full of pets. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.