Books

Book review: Healing Animals and The Vision of One Health by Michael W. Fox

Books| 7 Comments

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Let me start this review by saying that Healing Animals and The Vision of One Health: Earth Care and Human Care is not a cat book. So why am I reviewing it here? Because it is an amazing book that touches on so many things that matter a great deal to me: conscious living, animal health, human health, the health of our planet, the health care crisis for both animals and humans, and the many pitfalls of commercial pet food, to name just a few.

Michael Fox is a veterinarian best known for his syndicated “Animal Doctor” column. Born in England, the former vice president of The Humane Society of the United States and the author of more than 40 adult and children’s books on animal care, animal behavior and bioethics, is a renowned advocate of animal rights and a sharp and eloquent critic of the biotechnology industry. As a professor, bioethicist and veterinarian, Dr. Fox has spearheaded the movement to foster the ethical treatment of animals and the environment since 1967.

His new book presents a vision of a worldContinue Reading

Review and giveaway: Enchanting Lily by Anjali Banerjee

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The publicist’s e-mail asking me whether I’d be interested in reviewing Enchanting Lily read “Anjali Banerjee’s charming and whimsical women’s fiction novel is the story of a young widow whose eyes are opened to the magic and fortune all around her by the arrival of a special white cat.” I was hooked before I even had the book in my hands!

I enjoy well-written womens’ fiction, and of course, I love it even more when there’s a cat prominently featured as part of the story. In Enchanting Lily, we meet Lily Byrne, a young widow who is leaving Seattle and the memories of her life with her husband there to start over in a small town on an island in Puget Sound. Almost on a whim, she buys a charming cottage and decides to open a vintage clothing boutique. When a white cat arrives on her doorsteop, she has no intentions of keeping her. But the cat, and the universe, have other plans for Lily. The story follows Lily’s healing journey, which is intricately linked to the cat and the human inhabitants of this small community.

Told from both Lily’s and the cat’s perspective, Continue Reading

Miss Marple, Feline Detective: It’s a dog’s life? I think not!

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Guest post by Miss Marple

Why is it that humans can’t leave well enough alone?  We could all live long and happy lives if they’d act more like cats.

Hello, my name is Miss Marple, and I dominate a woman named Tricia Miles.  She has provided me with everything a cat needs.  A lovely home, a purpose and a place to work everyday, and sees to all my worldly needs:  food, toys, catnip.

But recently when she goes out, she often comes homes smelling of DOG.  One dog in particular.  An incredibly self-satisfied bichon frise named (of all things) Sarge.  Perhaps he is aptly named, though, as he tends to come charging into a room barking orders like a drill sergeant.

This DOG keeps arriving in our store, usually in a big pink purse being carried by Tricia’s sister.  Continue Reading

Book review: Murder on the Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett

Books| 5 Comments

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Murder on the Half Shelf is the sixth in Lorna Barrett’s bestselling Booktown mystery series featuring Tricia Miles, the owner of the Haven’t Got a Clue mystery book store and her cat, Miss Marple.

The small town of Stoneham, New Hampshire may have its share of bookstores, but had been sadly lacking in Bed & Breakfasts. This is about to change when the Sheer Comfort Inn is ready to open its door. But first, they offer a free trial night to some local residents, including Tricia. What should have been a relaxing night quickly turns into a nightmare when Tricia discovers the murdered body of the inn’s owner.

The plot thickens when it turns out Continue Reading

Book review: Pet Care in the New Century: Cutting-Edge Medicine for Dogs and Cats by Amy Shojai

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Advances in veterinary medicine make it possible to diagnose and treat medical conditions in pets that would have been a death sentence a decade ago. From chemotherapy to kidney transplants, pets can now receive the same level of medical care as humans. Cutting-edge veterinary care by board-certified specialists ranging from internists to oncologists to ophtamologists is becoming more widely available than ever before.

In Pet Care in the New Century: Cutting-Edge Medicine for Dogs and Cats, Amy Shojai provides a close up look at the amazing medical options for diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as the high level of preventive care available to cat guardians.

This comprehensive guide covers

  • the benefits of ultraound, CT scans, MRI’s and more
  • advances in drugs, surgery, and rehabilitationContinue Reading

Conscious Cat Sunday: The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth

Books, Conscious Cat Sunday| 11 Comments

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How many of you remember the old Batman TV series from the 1960’s, featuring Julie Newmar as the original Catwoman?

On a recent Google search, I came across Julie Newmar’s first book, The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth. With a title like that, how could I not be intrigued?

I knew it wasn’t a cat book, but I asked for a review copy anyway. I usually run book reviews on Fridays, but this book is such a perfect fit for our Conscious Cat Sunday feature, I decided to share it today.

The book claims to be (tongue in cheek) the self-help book to end all self-help books,Continue Reading

Book review: Minette’s Feast by Susanna Reich

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This seems to be the year of Julia Child and her cats. Since I didn’t grow up in the United States and didn’t watch The French Chef on tv, my introduction to Julia Child came via the 2009 movie Julia & Julia, which I absolutely adored. When I came across mention of a book about one of Julia Child’s cats, a tortoiseshell cat no less, I had to know more.

Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat is a beautifully illustrated book aimed at children ages 3 and up. I must still be a child at heart, because I was utterly charmed by this book.

The story takes place in Paris, France, where Julia and her husband Paul lived in the late 1940’s. They couldn’t have children, and when Minette, their first cat, showed upContinue Reading

Review and giveaway: Your Cat: The Owner’s Manual by Dr. Marty Becker

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When I look at cat care guides, I typically review them to see if they are something I would recommend to other cat owners. I’ve spent almost three decades either caring for cats, working with cats, or writing about cats. I spend a good part of each day educating myself about the lastest in cat health and cat care. I love to learn about cats, and I learn something new every day –  but I don’t expect to learn much I haven’t read or heard about before from a basic cat care book.

At the same time, I knew that Your Cat: The Owner’s Manual: Hundreds of Secrets, Surprises, and Solutions for Raising a Happy, Healthy Cat wouldn’t be just another cat care book. After all, it was written by America’s veterinarian, Dr. Marty Becker, the veterinary contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show, and his writing partner, Gina Spadafori, a veteran journalist who has been writing about pet care for decades.Continue Reading

Book review: Natural Flea Control for Cats by Liz Eastwood

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Liz Eastwood is a writer, certified nutritionist, and the publisher of the Natural Cat Care Blog. Liz and I share the same views on a lot of things when it comes to cat care, which is why I was delighted when she told me that she had put together a small e-book titled Natural Flea Control for Cats Made Simple. I expected it to contain solid, well-researched information, and I wasn’t disappointed.

If you’re still using chemical flea products on your cat, please educate yourself about the dangers of these products, and about how to control fleas without chemicals.

Liz’s book offers a simple and safe method to keep these pesky parasites away from your cat. In her book, Liz will tell you how to

Cat Daddy release day giveaway: win the audiobook

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Book review: Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy

Books| 17 Comments

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Jackson Galaxy’s long awaited first book, Cat Daddy: What The World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean, is coming out Thursday, May 10. You can still pre-order the book and help homeless cats at the same time: Jackson’s publisher will donate $1 for every pre-order, click here for details on how to make your pre-order count.

If you don’t want to pre-order, you’re going to want to be at the bookstore first thing on Thursday and snatch up your copy of this book. And you’re going to want to set aside a good chunk of time to read it, because once you start, you’re not going to be able to stop.

This book is no ordinary cat memoir, nor is it an ordinary cat advice book. It is an inspirational tour de force that offers an intimate glimpse at Jackson, the man, and Jackson, the Cat Daddy. This is one of the most unconventional memoirs I’ve ever read, but then, I didn’t expect anything less from Jackson.Continue Reading