The Cat Owner’s Manual, by Dr. Bruce Fogle. DK Publishing 2003

A handy, quick to read book on all aspects of cat ownership. While brief, it goes some medical issues that other cat books don’t- which makes sense, since the author is a veterinarian. A glossary in the back helps the reader to understand the medical section better. There is also a large section devoted to the various breeds of cats that includes whether the breed is quiet or talky, friendly or aloof, active or sedate- information that can really help a person decide if the breed is for them or not. He also goes into cat genetics, which I enjoyed- I finally found out why it looks like my black cat has a white undercoat! (the hair is only black on the tips; the part closer to the body is white. It’s caused by something called the inhibitor gene).  My only quibble with the author is his section on homeopathy- he doesn’t push it, but it’s there with vaccinations. I know a lot of people use it, but personally I think it can risk the cat’s life to use it instead of biological vaccinations or science based cures. 

 

Note: this is an affiliate link. If you buy a book by clicking through, I will earn a tiny amount of money. 

Whole Health for Happy Cats: A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy and Well-Fed, by Sandy Arora. Quarry Books, 2006

Sandy Arora has been researching and working with holistic cat health for eight years, running a web site and email list devoted to the subject. Her book provides her reasoning behind using a raw food diet for cats, and recipes to do so, as well as hints for transitioning cats to the raw food diet. She’s had remarkable success with her system, with chronically ill cats regaining health. Sadly, the recommended foods (the ideal cat diet doesn’t include easily available meats like pork & beef) are expensive and frequently difficult to find- emu, rabbit, pheasant and quail aren’t carried by most supermarkets, although one can raise mice pretty easily. Thankfully, she realizes that the ideal isn’t reachable by most of us, and tells us what to look for- and what to look out for- in commercial foods. There is also good information on litter boxes, dental health, vet care, etc. Where she loses me is when she reaches the part about homeopathic remedies for symptoms that could signal serious illness, although she does recommend a trip to the vet for symptoms like blood in the stool.

A good, solid book for an introduction to a raw/natural diet for cats, but do research outside the book for medical issues.