Books

March 2, 2012

Book review: Sketch People: Stories Along the Way by T.J. Banks

Full disclosure: Sketch People is not a cat book. Sketch People is a collection of stories about people – about their work, their passion, and their experiences. But since the stories were compiled by T.J. Banks, author of some of the best cat books I’ve read, including Catsong and Houdini, there are quite a few cats woven into some of the stories. And I’m honored and delighted that one of the stories in the book is about Buckley and me.

“Hooked on a Feline: Ingrid King and Buckley’s Story” was the result of an interview with T.J. Banks.Continue Reading

February 24, 2012

Book review: Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis

Books| 10 Comments

Okay, admit it: is this book cover totally cute? Not to mention hot? When this book caught my eye at my local Barnes and Noble store a while back, I just had to buy it. I do enjoy a nice romance novel every once in a while, and if there’s a cat in it, so much the better.

I did read the back cover before I bought it, just to make sure there really was a cat in the book, and yes, right there, it said “There’s nothing like working with animals, having a forlorn, grumpy stray kitten make its home under your desk…”Continue Reading

February 17, 2012

Book review: Jekyll Says…Good Deeds Cats Do, That You Should, Too! by D.C. Blackbird

Books| 5 Comments

Jekyll Says…Good Deeds Cats Do, That You Should, Too! was written for the author’s feline companion, Jekyll. “We did not want him to be forgotten,” says D.C. Blackbird. “He deserves more than that. He was special and there are lessons that cats and humans can learn from the fine examples he set in his life.” The author, an American poet and songwriter, is an advocate of animal welfare as well as a proponent of veganism. “Our mission is to teach children, teenagers, and adults about extending compassion for all living beings, as well as values and principles that encourage them to be more just, kind and considerate in their relations with others, and how to live simpler, happier, and healthier lives.”Continue Reading

February 10, 2012

Book review: Pampered Pets On A Budget by Jeffrey L. Barnes and Kristen M. Levine

Books| 7 Comments

Costs for pet health care, food and other supplies continue to increase just as human health care and food costs are rising. Since pets are part of the family, pet care expenses are often the last item that gets cut from the family budget. Pampered Pets On A Budget: Caring For Your Pet Without Losing Your Tail helps pet owners cut pet costs without compromising care.

I was curious about this book. Advising people to save on pet care expenses can backfire. Recommendations on how to save on veterinary costs published in a 2003 Consumer Reports article essentially stated that you should price shop for veterinary care. While price is certainly one consideration, it shouldn’t be the only one, and it should most definitely not be the most important one when choosing your pet’s family doctor.

Thankfully, the authors of this book do not make this mistake. Continue Reading

February 3, 2012

Review and giveaway: I’d Rather Be a Cat by Allia Zobel Nolan

Books, Giveaways| 21 Comments

I’d Rather Be a Cat: The Official “Better Than Dogs” Cat Book confirms once and for all what most of us already know: cats are better than dogs. Bestselling author and ailurophile Allia Zobel Nolan provides inexorable proof, with a little help from her three feline children, why cats are leaving their canine competition in the dust.

Consider the following:

Cats don’t have self esteem issues. They don’t jump all over their humans for approval.
You’ll never have to douse a cat with tomato juice, because cats are smart enough to know that skunks are not to be messed with.
Cats don’t beg. It’s not their style.Continue Reading

January 29, 2012

Pre-order Cat Daddy and help save shelter cats

Books| 7 Comments

If you watched My Cat From Hell, you’ve seen Jackson Galaxy demonstrate his almost uncanny ability to connect with troubled cats and their often equally, if not more, troubled humans, again and again. I love watching the transformation his work brings not just to the cats, but also to the humans. And isn’t it almost always the humans who need to change? The cats are just being cats.

I know I’m not the only one who hated to see the current season end. Animal Planet is currently casting for Season 3, but until the show returns with new episodes, we won’t have to go into Jackson withdrawal: he’s got a new book coming out on May 10.

Cat Daddy: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love and Coming Clean is the story of Jackson’s personal journey from his days as a musician struggling with addiction and working part time at an animal shelter to his present status as the go-to feline behaviorist.Continue Reading

January 27, 2012

Book review: Best Friends, Occasional Enemies by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Books| 5 Comments

While not technically a cat book, with a cover like this, how could I not review this book! Add to that the fact that Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors, and that I loved the previous two books in this series compiled from her wildly popular columns for the The Philadelphia Inquirer. I previously reviewed Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog– The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman and I also enjoyed My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space.

Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life as a Mother and Daughter was like visiting with a good friend who shares your views on a lot of things, only she’s much funnier than you are. Whether you’re a mother or a daughter, you’re going to recognize yourself in this book. You’ll find yourself chuckling, nodding in agreement, and laughing out loud at some of Lisa’s and Francesca’s revelations.Continue Reading

January 20, 2012

Review and giveaway: Cat and Crow by Lisa Fleming

Books, Giveaways| 17 Comments

When a video of a cat and crow playing together went viral (shown below), and was seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic, and Animal Planet, to name just a few, some people were initially skeptical and wondered whether this amazing friendship could possibly be anything but the result of creative editing. However, the story is true. For four years, Moses the crow and Cassie the cat met in Ann and Wally Collito’s yard in Massachussetts, delighting viewers around the world with their antics and captivating their hearts.

In Cat and Crow: An Amazing Friendship, Lisa Fleming, a former newspaper columnist and freelance writer with a passion for animals and wildlife, tells the story of how these two natural enemies became best friends. Continue Reading

January 13, 2012

Book review: Good Cat! Practical Answers to Behavior Questions by Steve Dale

Books| 7 Comments

Steve Dale is one of the most dedicated champions of cats, cat health and cat behavior you’ll ever encounter. He is one of the co-founders of the CATalyst Council, a member of the board of directors of the Winn Feline Foundation, the American Humane Association, and the Tree House Humane Society, a cat shelter in Chicago. This pet expert, writer, radio and tv personality and cat lover extraordinaire is passionate about cats’ health and happiness.

In his new e-book Good Cat! Practical Answers to Behavior Questions, Steve answers common and not so common feline behavior questions. Steve is frequently quoted as saying “Cats are the Rodney Dangerfield of pets; they get no respect,” and sadly, this is true. Cats are more often given up to shelters than dogs, are less often adopted, and more are euthanized.

Much of this is due to the misconception that cats can’t be trained, and that they are often misunderstood. In Good Cat!, Steve dispels these mistaken beliefs, and offers answers and solutions.Continue Reading

January 6, 2012

Book review: The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas by Blaize Clement

Books| 5 Comments

I first discovered Blaize Clement’s Dixie Hemingway series when the cover of the first book in the series, Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter, caught my eye. Dixie Hemingway is a pet sitter who lives on one of the Florida keys – just based on those two pieces of information, I had a feeling I was going to thoroughly enjoy the series, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve since read the entire series, and I was eagerly awaiting The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas.

From the publisher:

Blaize’s beloved heroine Dixie Hemingway is back for another adventure, and she has her hands full when the worlds of celebrity hijinks, counterfeit fashion, and naughty cats collide.

Dixie Hemingway, no relation to you-know-who, accepts a job taking care of famous linebacker Cupcake Trillin’s cats, Elvis and Lucy, while he’s away. But what seems like an easy job turns scary when Dixie finds a celebrity fashion model in Cupcake’s house. The woman refuses to leave AND she also claims to be Cupcake’s wife. But Dixie has met Cupcake’s wife, and this woman certainly isn’t her.Continue Reading

January 5, 2012

Free e-book: 6 Natural Ways to Help your Cat Live Longer by Liz Eastwood

Books, Feline Health| 8 Comments

Liz Eastwood, the publisher of the Natural Cat Care Blog, has put together a wonderful e-book titled 6 Natural Ways to Help Your Cat Live Longer.

When Liz, a certified nutritionist, lost her soulmate cat Bastet to cancer at barely 12 years of age, she was shocked and devastated. Says Liz “most people seemed to think that it was perfectly normal for a cat to get cancer and die,” but Liz refused to accept that. Her childhood cat had lived much longer than Bastet, even though, on the surface, he hadn’t received nearly as good care as what she thought she gave Bastet.

With a background in holistic health, plus some of her own “miracle” health changes through natural means, Liz knew there must be something she could do differently in order to help her dearest feline friends live longer. So Liz began her research. She put a lot of time into it because she wanted to know – and share – how to help cats live to be 20 years old.

Topics in Liz’ book include:Continue Reading