The Complete Cat's Meow

Darlene Arden

Description

Awards:
Cat Writers’ Association Muse Medallion, Books - Health and General Care category
About.com Readers’ Choice Award, Best Book about Cat Care

The all-in-one resource for cat owners

Do you consider cats valued members of the family? Do you want to ensure you're giving your beloved feline friend the very best possible care? Then this all-in-one, comprehensive cat care guide is for you!

From grooming to litter box issues to nutrition and much more, The Complete Cat's Meow covers all the bases to raising and caring for kitties. It also shows you how to introduce a new kitten to other pets, handle behavioral problems, and make life comfortable for cats of all ages.

• Covers everything cat owners need to know about health, nutrition, behavior, and training
• Compelling photos of a wide variety of breeds
• Other titles by Arden: The Irrepressible Toy Dog; Small Dogs, Big Hearts

Whether you're a veteran cat owner or thinking about adding a feline to your family, The Complete Cat's Meow is your one-stop guide to comprehensive cat care.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

1 THE NEWBORN KITTEN.

Before the Kittens Are Born.

After the Kittens Are Born.

Stray and Shelter Kittens.

Vaccinations.

Meeting the Breeder and the Kittens.

2 READY, STEADY, GET YOUR CAT.

Are You Ready for a Cat?

Kitten or Adult Cat?

Pedigreed or Moggie?

Long Coat or Short?

Where Will You Get Your Cat?

3 GEARING UP FOR KITTY.

Kittyproofing Your Home.

The Litter Box.

The Litter.

The Scratching Post.

The Cat Tree.

The Window Perch.

Food and Water Dishes.

Toys.

Catnip.

Grooming Tools.

The Cat Bed.

The Carrier.

4 HOME AT LAST!

Newest Cat in the Family.

Sharing the House with Dogs.

Indoors Is Best.

Environmental Enrichment.

5 UNDERSTANDING CAT BEHAVIOR.

Four Myths about Cats.

Feline Body Language.

How Cats Vocalize.

Litter Box Issues.

Destructive Scratching.

Fear.

Rough Play.

Ankle Attacks.

Intercat Aggression.

The Importance of Interactive Play.

The Baby Myth.

6 FEEDING A CARNIVORE.

Commercial Diets.

Homemade Diets.

Dining In.

Life Stage Feeding.

Veterinary Diets.

Enticing Your Cat to Try a New Food.

Obesity.

7 ROUTINE HEALTH CARE.

Your Cat's Veterinarian.

Feline Spa Services.

Senior Cats.

8 SPECIAL FELINE HEALTH CONCERNS.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease.

Urinary Tract Stones.

Dental Disease.

Abscess.

Diabetes.

Liver Disease.

Allergies and Intolerances.

Asthma.

Upper Respiratory Infection.

Herpesvirus.

Colitis.

Diarrhea.

Vomiting.

Hip Dysplasia.

Spinal Problems.

Hypertension.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Hyperesthesia.

Idiopathic Peripheral Vestibular Disease.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis.

Feline Leukemia Virus.

Osteoarthritis.

Cancer.

9 EMERGENCIES AND SURGERY.

Poison!

Medical Emergencies.

Nursing Your Sick Kitty.

Cats and Surgery.

Anesthesia.

Critical Care.

Rehabilitation Therapy.

10 POPULAR CAT BREEDS.

Abyssinian.

American Shorthair.

Bengal.

Birman.

British Shorthair.

Burmese.

Chartreux.

Cornish Rex and Devon Rex.

Maine Coon Cat.

Norwegian Forest Cat.

Oriental Shorthair.

Persian.

Ragdoll.

Russian Blue.

Scottish Fold.

Siamese.

Siberian.

Singapura.

Sphynx.

Tonkinese.

Moggie or Mixed Breed.

11 CATAPULTING INTO ACTIVITIES.

Start Training.

Training and Pet-to-Pet Issues.

Let's Have Some Fun!

Harness Training.

Cat Agility.

Therapy Cats.

APPENDIX A: SHOPPING FOR YOUR CAT.

Cat Trees and Beds.

Dinnerware.

Carriers.

Cat Toys.

Collars, Harnesses, and Walking Jackets.

Cat Enclosures.

Stress Relief.

If You Can't Get Out to Shop.

Just for You.

APPENDIX B: USEFUL RESOURCES.

Web Sites.

Helpful Books.

INDEX.

Sujets

• Pets
• Cats

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 04 mars 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781118024560
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Praise for The Complete Cat s Meow
This is a book to be treasured by every cat lover-and we are legion. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute.
-Betty White, actress and author
Darlene Arden s work has always been top-notch, and like most pet writers work, mostly focuses on dogs. This is the most complete, ontarget cat book I ve read in a very long time. Truly everything you need to know about having a cat is here; in fact, Darlene does everything except adopt the cat for you. And along the way she dispels myths and mistaken notions about cats, too. With this book, Darlene instantly CATapults herself into a select group of top cat experts in the country.
- Steve Dale, CABC, contributing editor USA Weekend , syndicated Tribune Media Services columnist, host of Steve Dale s Pet World national radio shows, and board member of the American Humane Association, Winn Feline Foundation, and CATalyst Council board of directors
Darlene Arden puts her usual writing flair into The Complete Cat s Meow . Accurate, well-researched, and full of useful and fascinating facts, this book provides what the title promises: complete information. Think cats can t be trained? Think again. This book will teach you a great deal, whether you re a beginner or have been cat-owned for many years. Although all sections of this book are accurate and well written, I was particularly impressed with the section on handling and socializing kittens, as this is vital to their growing into well-behaved and loving adults. The section on understanding cat behavior is equally noteworthy, since so many problems can be avoided if one understands how cats relate to their world. The section on popular cat breeds is spoton accurate, for those of you who wish to share your life with a pedigreed feline. A must-have for any cat lover!
- J. Anne Helgren, author of six cat books, including Barron s Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds and Communicating with Your Cat, as well as hundreds of articles on cats and cat breeds
In thirty-plus years of living and working with cats as a veterinarian, I believe people become cat lovers by finding the specific cat that fits their personality. The Complete Cat s Meow is full of information enhancing the human-cat bond and ensures loving cats is a lifelong pleasure.
- Vicki Thayer DVM, DABVP (feline); president-elect, Winn Feline Foundation; past president, American Association of Feline Practitioners
THE COMPLETE CAT S MEOW
THE COMPLETE CAT S MEOW
Everything You Need to Know about Caring for Your Cat
DARLENE ARDEN
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2011 by Darlene Arden. All rights reserved.
Howell Book House
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
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The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising here from. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011922017
ISBN 978-0-470-64167-5 (paper: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-118-02456-0 (ebk.)
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Book design by Lissa Auciello-Brogan
Cover design by Wendy Mount
Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Composition Services
To the memory of my mother and her first cat,
Susie; to my little muse and her last cat, Aimee
(GP Sinaye s Plaisir d Amour of Ajolie); to the late
Barbara Royer, who insisted I should write a cat
book as useful as my small dog book; to Dru
Milligan and Jolie Stratton for entrusting me with
Aimee; and to the memory of my friend Kari
Winters, taken from us far too soon under
mysterious circumstances, who rescued and
rehabilitated more cats than anyone will ever
know. This book is dedicated to each of you with
my love and grateful thanks.
CONTENTS
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I NTRODUCTION
1 T HE N EWBORN K ITTEN
Before the Kittens Are Born
After the Kittens Are Born
Stray and Shelter Kittens
Vaccinations
Meeting the Breeder and the Kittens
2 R EADY , S TEADY , G ET Y OUR C AT
Are You Ready for a Cat?
Kitten or Adult Cat?
Pedigreed or Moggie?
Long Coat or Short?
Where Will You Get Your Cat?
3 G EARING U P FOR K ITTY
Kittyproofing Your Home
The Litter Box
The Litter
The Scratching Post
The Cat Tree
The Window Perch
Food and Water Dishes
Toys
Catnip
Grooming Tools
The Cat Bed
The Carrier
4 H OME AT L AST !
Newest Cat in the Family
Sharing the House with Dogs
Indoors Is Best
Environmental Enrichment
5 U NDERSTANDING C AT B EHAVIOR
Four Myths about Cats
Feline Body Language
How Cats Vocalize
Litter Box Issues
Destructive Scratching
Fear
Rough Play
Ankle Attacks
Intercat Aggression
The Importance of Interactive Play
The Baby Myth
6 F EEDING A C ARNIVORE
Commercial Diets
Homemade Diets
Dining In
Life Stage Feeding
Veterinary Diets
Enticing Your Cat to Try a New Food
Obesity
7 R OUTINE H EALTH C ARE
Your Cat s Veterinarian
Feline Spa Services
Senior Cats
8 S PECIAL F ELINE H EALTH C ONCERNS
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
Urinary Tract Stones
Dental Disease
Abscess
Diabetes
Liver Disease
Allergies and Intolerances
Asthma
Upper Respiratory Infection
Herpesvirus
Colitis
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Hip Dysplasia
Spinal Problems
Hypertension
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hyperesthesia
Idiopathic Peripheral Vestibular Disease
Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Feline Leukemia Virus
Osteoarthritis
Cancer
9 E MERGENCIES AND S URGERY
Poison!
Medical Emergencies
Nursing Your Sick Kitty
Cats and Surgery
Anesthesia
Critical Care
Rehabilitation Therapy
10 P OPULAR C AT B REEDS
Abyssinian
American Shorthair
Bengal
Birman
British Shorthair
Burmese
Chartreux
Cornish Rex and Devon Rex
Maine Coon Cat
Norwegian Forest Cat
Oriental Shorthair
Persian
Ragdoll
Russian Blue
Scottish Fold
Siamese
Siberian
Singapura
Sphynx
Tonkinese
Moggie or Mixed Breed
11 C ATAPULTING INTO A CTIVITIES
Start Training
Training and Pet-to-Pet Issues
Let s Have Some Fun!
Harness Training
Cat Agility
Therapy Cats
A PPENDIX A: S HOPPING FOR Y OUR C AT
Cat Trees and Beds
Dinnerware
Carriers
Cat Toys
Collars, Harnesses, and Walking Jackets
Cat Enclosures
Stress Relief
If You Can t Get Out to Shop
Just for You
A PPENDIX B: U SEFUL R ESOURCES
Web Sites
Helpful Books
I NDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are people who deserve a big thank you for sharing their knowledge, for cheerleading, for caring so much about this book. In alphabetical order:
Jill Archibald; Linda Aronson, DVM, Pet Shrink, Berlin, Massachusetts; Joan Bernstein; Jane E. Brunt, DVM, executive director, CATalyst Council; Carol Carberry, DVM, DACVS, Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus, New Jersey; Shawn Finch, DVM; Vickie Fisher; Sue Janson; Pam Johnson-Bennett, CCBC; Dottie LaFlamme, DVM, PhD, DACVN, Nestle Purina Pet Care Research; Dru Milligan; Jolie Milligan-Stratton; Jacqueline Mason Munera, BA, CCBC, ProCBC, CAP2; Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, ABS; Phil Padrid, DVM, associate professor of molecular medicine (adjunct), University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, associate professor of small animal medicine (adjunct), the Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine, regional medical director VCA, NM, AZ, NV, UT, NB