Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After buying many encyclopedia cat books (6 in all) and continually being disappointed in the lack of detailed information on many subjects, such as the differences in personalities among the various breeds, I have finally found, what I believe, is the definitive book on cat breeds. Ms. Helgren has taken her time to explain the dissimilarities among each breed and has done so in an extremely interesting and concise profile form. She has used easy to read charts for showing the various levels of behavior and general care concerns for each type. There's even a chapter on how to choose the best cat for YOUR personality. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is either beginning a search or just wants to find out more about these wonderful feline companions.

I agree wholeheartly with the reader from California. If you are considering purchasing a cat, you will find this book to be helpful. I also enjoyed the chapter about the history of cat organizations. The author remains neutral about all the various groups, but it appears as if some of them would like to scratch the others eyes out! Talk about being "catty"! I had no idea where were so many cat associations. This book has it all - great pictures, detailed ratings of each breed's characteristics, and well written personality trait descriptions. I have enjoyed every page.

I had previously bought Barron's Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds, and was looking forward to the same sort of large, high quality photos in the cat encyclopedia. Boy, was I disappointed! The photos are small (average size is 2 1/2 X 3 1/2). Some are murky or dark. Some are against poorly chosen backgrounds (e.g. a dark cat against a dark background). Some are mislabeled. (The largest photo of a Siamese is clearly NOT a Siamese.) And speaking of Siamese, they get so wrapped up in trying to show the difference between Traditional and Extreme that they never bother to show photos of all or even most of the colorpoints. (i.e. Sealpoint, Lilac Point, etc.) All in all, the photos are better in one of those $2.49 pamphlets that you buy at your local pet store!

I am a vet tech student and was currently taking Breed ID when I purchased this book. Wonderfully describes the personality and the car of each breed. A must for any library for research or the thirst for knowledge of cat breeds...

I bought this book for my wife, but finished reading it before she did. This is an excellent guide to cat breeds as well as cat genetics. Don't be intimidated, everything in the book in very understandable.

Makes a great gift for cat lovers.

First I want to make clear I did not read this book from cover to cover. I work with cats and pick up this book every so often to look up a breed or to read a little just for fun.

I really like this book for my purposes because it is so easy to grab quick bits of info. Every breed has a graph in the breed's description that breaks down the strength of different characteristics. The different characteristics include activity level, playfulness, need for attention, affection toward its owners, vocality, docility, intelligence, independence, healthiness & hardiness, need for grooming, compatibility with children, compatibility with other pets. I guess it would be helpful for people trying to decide which breed to adopt (though I think people should really consider adopting a rescue cats - they just seem to appreciate being adopted so much more).

This is a really fun book to pick up and flip through because almost every page has a picture. The pictures are professional and large.

I have to agree with another reviewer, if you get the dog breed book first, then you're likely to be disappointed in the cat breed book. In my opinion, it's still one of the best cat breed books out there.

This is a great cat book for cat lovers of all types. The history, personality and conformation of each of the breeds is comprehensive and well-researched. The writing is always clear and easy to read. And the photos, though small, are exceptional in capturing beautiful poses, color patterns and expressions of the different cats. The book also gives some insight into the world of cat associations, which was a refreshing surprise.

Unfortunately, the book is somewht marred by the conflicting views stated in the author's own preface. In the final paragraph, she claims that purebreed cats contribute to the overpopulation problem. Yet, with only a little research, it can be ascertained that purebred cats contribute little or nothing toward the overpopulation problem. On the question of breeding, the author "urges you to think long and hard before[you]decide to breed cats - pedigreed or otherwise. Even one litter is too many." Even one litter is too many? Where does she think that the cats in her book have come from? While this may be sound advice in many contexts, it has no place in a book devoted to exploring cat breeds. I can't help but wonder if the author shouldn't have thought longer and harder before accepting payment on a project which apparently conflicts with her moral views!

I need a comprehensive breed book for a vet tech program I am in. I bought the Dog Encyclopedia made by the same company and it's wonderful! Huge pictures, history, temperament, care, heath concerns, coat characteristics, average height and weight are all included, clear and concise in the dog version. The cat version unfortunately is missing the heath concerns(which is why we are learning breeds in the first place), height and weight. Also, the history goes too into depth about the breed's show status. The pictures are not nice and big like the dog version. :(

I spent days looking at this book before I was able to send it off to the person I bought it for. I had read similar reviews when I purchased it and thought, "Ya, right." Well, they WERE right. It's hard to part with!So, this is another book I will be purchasing for myself. Sigh. Would make a great coffee table book, too. People who saw it in my home before I shipped really enjoyed it, too.