Cat Be Good : A Commonsense Approach to Training Your Cat [Paperback]

Annie Bruce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

"Cat Be Good" by cat owner/expert Annie Bruce is one of the most thorough references on cat ownership available today. Years of experience in foster caring abused and abandoned cats, teaching workshops on cat behavior and being a consultant to frustrated cat owners have provided Annie with myriad insights into the character and quirks of our furry friends. She generously shares her knowledge in this well organized, down-to-earth guide to owning cats.

Topics covered include everything from supplies to training (yes, cats can be trained), litter box blues to traveling tips, shyness to scratching, recommendations for a healthy diet and lifestyle, and much more. Gentle, modern, inexpensive methods are taught for changing behavior. Annie also provides help on dealing with the special problems associated with declawed cats.

This 208-page book also features true stories and shopping lists, as well as appendices describing maintenance schedules, cat activist organizations, manufacturers of cat products, suggested reading, and even cute tricks you can teach your cat. "Cat Be Good" is a must for all cat owners.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Bruce successfully dispels, in this fun, easy read, some of the most common myths of the cat world. -- ASPCA’s Animal Watch, Summer 2000, Betsy Siino & Marion S. Lane

Bruce's affection for cats is readily evident in both her compassionate suggestions and her concern for a cat's emotional well-being. -- Animal Wellness Magazine, Vol 3 Issue 3

The book had this veteran cat owners full attention and approval. -- Norwich Bulletin, February 26, 2000, Rene Knapp

The sort of volume you pour over time after time. . . What Annie doesn’t know about cats would not fill a thimble. -- The Book Reader, Spring/Summer 2000

This easy-to-read, basic and sensible book will delight any cat owner. -- Cat Fancy, February 2001

This is simply a wonderful book, and should be required reading for everyone who lives with a cat. -- Animal Protection Institutes’s Animal Issues, Summer 2000, Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM

About the Author

Annie Bruce was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1955, the youngest of six children. Her Filipino father and New England mother married in 1931. Annie's family owned cats throughout her childhood. Like her mother and grandmother, Annie has a particular fondness for black cats and has owned black male cats since she was a child.

Annie attended Cass Technical High School in downtown Detroit and worked for 20 years as a computer operator. Her volunteer work with sick and abused cats took her to public fairs, where she talked to cat owners about their cats' problems. When Annie realized that many owners and cats were suffering hardship and expense, she started a consulting business. That business in turn led to this book.

Annie now lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Bruce, and four gorgeous cats, Marvin-My-Man, Louie-Louie, Abraham Lincoln and Bob. When she's not talking about cats, she's enjoying friends, eating and hip-hop dance classes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Good Cats Wear Black (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096740620X
• ISBN-13: 978-0967406206
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #951,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know, and more!, May 16, 2000

By 

Jean C. Hofve "Jean Hofve, DVM" (Boulder, CO, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat Be Good : A Commonsense Approach to Training Your Cat (Paperback)

As a an animal advocate and former feline veterinarian, I am thrilled that Ms. Bruce has produced this interesting, readable, thorough, thoughtful book about how to be your cat's best friend. Her experience as a behaviorist lends extra validity to her suggestions. Good info for people new to the world of cats, as well as for hard-core feline enthusiasts. Anyone who's ever had a behavior problem with a cat (a large audience!) will find solid, practical, workable answers here. The unusual format makes this book particularly user-friendly. As the subtitle says, this book is a compendium of common sense advice, a rare blessing in today's world! And for those who are contemplating declaw surgery for their furry pals, read this book first! Annie Bruce tells you what vets don't want you to know!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addressing the negative review posted here, April 12, 2000

By 

J. Harkin (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat Be Good : A Commonsense Approach to Training Your Cat (Paperback)

Yes, this book may be simply written and say nothing that one cannot find addressed more academically in numerous other books on feline behavior. However, unlike the negative reviewer, most people have not read all those other books -- nor are they likely to. They do not have the benefit of that reviewer's expertise and background. Cat Be Good speaks in simple, enjoyable easy to read language which is well laid out and prompts the reader to continue sniffing through it. THAT is why I will be giving it to people who adopt cats from me. I will put this one in their hands as part of the adoption process. Everyone in the household from age 12 up can learn from it. I recently adopted a cat to a White House staff member and another to a decorated Persian Gulf officer who flew 40 missions and whose plane went down 3 times. These people do not want to turn owning a cat into a science project. They want the "Readers Digest condensed version that doesn't give them a headache guide" to assist them and the cat to live together comfortably. Many in this (Washington, DC) area don't need homework assignment-type reading. This book IS simple and beautifully typeset with sidebars and cute stories and just plain fun and entertaining. It addresses serious topics (such as working with declawed cats who bite or have litterbox issues) and does so by offering a couple of tricks which WORK. I know there are many many theories and ideas about what works and what doesn't work when problems arise. I prefer to have cat owners with problems focus on the couple of techniques which are the most viable. --Joanna Harkin/Alliance for Stray Animals and People (yes we help indigent people too encountered as we assist stray, homeless and about to become homeless animals). http:4asap.org

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal Advice, December 22, 1999

By 

Jessica Desiree Dyson (Boulder, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat Be Good : A Commonsense Approach to Training Your Cat (Paperback)

I have recently added a kitten to my life. Wow! I never realized the responsibility. I am so grateful for Annie's new book, "Cat Be Good..." It helped me understand how to appropriately train my kitten in a disciplined yet loving manner. The results were awesome! I learned how to receive the results I wanted without developing bad/negative behavior in my cat, while at the same time maintaining my own resolve and not loosing my temper like I normally would. I know I have done a wonderful service to both myself and my cat by reading this book and utilizing the profound information/advice it offers. I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to train their kitten/cat in the appropriate, loving manner while at the same time receiving the results you desire. Thank You Annie!