| Since a few cats had owned me a very long time | | | | The book is pleasant to look at with interspersed, |
| ago, I thought I knew a thing or two about them. | | | | amusing cartoon-like drawings, and the font is large |
| Although "The Cat Lover's Survival Guide" is directed | | | | and clear enough for most anyone to read. The |
| toward first-time cat owners, I still found quite a few | | | | language of the book is clear and direct. As an |
| pointers that were new to me. Among those, my | | | | example, here is an excerpt from the Grooming Tips |
| favorite tip is on page 17: "How to: Make a T-shirt | | | | section: "Store your cat's grooming tools in a plastic |
| Cat Bed." I also had no idea that cats could have zits | | | | bag with some loose catnip to make the grooming |
| at any age. | | | | session more appealing." |
| After a simple personal story with her cats in the | | | | The Cat Lover's Survival Guide has 128 pages and is |
| introduction, Karen Commings, the writer, | | | | in paperback with ISBN-10: 0764115766 and ISBN-13: |
| methodically sets out to inform her readers about cat | | | | 978-0764115769. |
| care. | | | | Karen Commings is an award-winning author, |
| In Cleaning Tips, she addresses all kinds of cleaning, | | | | specializing in pets. A former columnist for Cat Fancy, |
| from cleaning after the cats to keeping things clean | | | | Central Pennsylvania's Apprise and Computers in |
| for kitties. Cost Saving Tips and Safety Tips are | | | | Libraries magazines, she was a contributing editor for |
| written with great care, putting the welfare of the | | | | and a regular contributor to She writes regularly for |
| cats first. | | | | CatWatch and DogWatch, the newsletters of the |
| Then follow the Feeding Tips, Grooming Tips, | | | | Cornell University School of Veterinary Science. More |
| Behavior Tips, and Seasonal Tips. | | | | than of her 400 articles, essays, poems and short |
| The final two sections are titled "Helpful Hints for | | | | stories have appeared in print. Her books are: The |
| Cats with Disabilities" and "Helpful Hints for Cat | | | | Dog Lover's and Cat Lover's Survival Guides, Helpful |
| Owners with Disabilities." These two sections were | | | | Hints for Solving Your Most Pesky Pet Problems, |
| totally alien to me with the exception of the part on | | | | Manx Cats: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual, The |
| aging cats. | | | | Guide to Owning a Birman Cat, The Guide to Owning |
| At the end of the book, on two pages, is a short list | | | | an Exotic Shorthair Cat, The Guide to Owning an |
| of pet supply sources, some of which are on the | | | | American Shorthair Cat, Shelter Cats, and The |
| internet. Additional reading sources are also linked in | | | | Shorthaired Cat: an Owner's Guide to a Happy, |
| each section. | | | | Healthy Pet. |
| "The Cat Lover's Survival Guide" presents its material | | | | The joy and comfort of owning a cat comes with |
| directly, without beating around the bush or filling its | | | | the responsibility of taking proper care of one's pet, |
| pages with cat stories. The information is | | | | and in the pages of this book, an owner will find a lot |
| well-organized, sectioned, and bulleted throughout, | | | | of practical information. Whether used as reference |
| making the book an excellent reference material for | | | | or read from beginning to end, this book is a |
| any cat owner. | | | | necessity for any cat lover. |