Customer Reviews

House Cat: How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane and Sound

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Never before have I seen a non-fiction book with interesting stories to start each chapter and make you want to read more... Like a novel, but unbelievably informative! If you want to know how to care for your indoor cat, or any cat, or are thinking of making your cat an indoor cat, or getting one.... Here's the purrfect reference. Also added, besides good information and interesting antecdotes, are links to excellent and informative web pages. This is truly the cat book for the 21st century!

About two years ago, I did a complete 180 and became a cat lover, having previously felt indifferent toward them. In January of this year I adopted a beautiful tabby cat from the adoption room at PetSmart (where I purchased this book also, right at the end of the cat food aisle).

I am so grateful to have purchased an independent book on the subject, rather than the equivalent from the "For Dummies" or "Complete Idiots' Guide" series. Christine Church presents her suggestions, her do's and don'ts, in a very engaging and lively way through numerous anecdotes involving her own many cats. She has owned as many as eleven cats (and at least one dog). The book is informative on a number of subjects; I was enlightened to learn, for example, that not only is declawing painful, it can change the personality of some cats for the worse. Previously social and friendly cats sometimes become mean and withdrawn after losing their beloved claws. After reading "House Cat" I can safely say I won't have my cat declawed.

The story of Gillie was both heartbreaking and heartwarming! What an incredible cat, to survive cancer for so long and hop around on three legs! When I see his picture on the dedication page, I regret that I never met this cat in real life.

I was also quite touched by the story of Taffy, the cat who always longed to go outdoors and was granted her wish late in life when she was too frail to possibly run stray. Taffy is one of the several feline dedicatees of the book; Christine Church writes: "For Taffy, whose life brought sunshine to mine and all who knew her. I'm glad I was able to give you sunshine in the end."

With excellent photos to supplement, this is a well-written book indeed.

I got this book because i had cats all my life and i trained them feed them and do everything that i know how to do, but i wanted to be sure that everything that i was doing was right, or better i wanted to learn more intimate details about them. The book actually helped and i learned some pritty usefull stuff about them. So i defenatly recomend to all cat lovers to get this book.

HOUSE CAT: HOW TO KEEP YOUR INDOOR CAT SANE AND SOUND had little new infomation and was a bit on the dull side. I suggest only novice cat owners give it a read.

I have owned cats all my life, but strangely enough I haven't read much regarding this topic. However, this is the first time I have 4 indoor cats, and I really needed some guidance as to how to keep them healthy, fit and sane. I used to live in a big house with a large garden for them to roam free. Now I live in a medium size apartment with only a small terrace. When they were younger I let them out, but I have nasty neighbors who hate cats and have threatened to poison them. And since I love them too much to give them up just for the whim of heartless and insensible people, I opted to raise them as indoor cats instead.

The book has tons of information regarding this issue. The author talks about her own experience with indoor cats, as well as things that she has learned in different places. It covers pretty much everything from cat's health, nutrition, entertainment, medical information, etc. It is well written, and has lots of web links to pet store products, animal organizations, cat pages, and what not so you can look further into some specific topics. It even has a couple of recipes for homemade cat snacks, which are great by the way.

I am grateful for all this information because it has worked well so far with my cats. I even take them out one at a time with a leash and although they don't love the idea, they still enjoy their time out. I watch more carefully what they eat, and I play every day with them to keep them fit and sane. Indoor cats don't have to die of boredom or depression, they can enjoy their way of life if you make it comfortable and pleasant. And if that's your intention, this book will help you get started.

This book provides a treasure chest of information regarding its topic. Not only is helpful advice provided on various issues such as health, litter training, indoor vs. outside cats, cat scratching trees, etc. but explanations are provided are provided as to why the advice is given. For cat scratching posts, for example, the author explains, physiologically, why cats really need to scratch and hence why it is so important to have cat scartching posts along wiht important characteristics thses things should have (i.e., heavy, lined with material that helps remove the sheath of a cat's nail as it scartches, etc.). The book intertwines this information with many personal anecdotal stories from the author that provide a human (or cat) face to her advice. It also makes the book more entertaining to read.

This was a very informative, entertaining book that will help us to spoil Lizzie, our very special little four legged friend, even more than before!

This book would be better called 'How to ensure your cat becomes a neurotic wreck'.

In it we find all sorts of excuses to make your cat behave totally unnaturally so that it fits in with what's convenient for you. I was absolutely disgusted to read about training your cat to use the human toilet, putting your cat in diapers and declawing. And all this is described as though you're being a caring owner by doing it. No cat can be happy shut up all day in the house, especially not with the kind of person who thinks that imprisoning and mutilating their cat makes them a loving owner. The real reason people don't let their cats out is not concern for the cat's welfare but their own selfishness and emotional insecurity.

To give you an idea of this, I quote the story of Taffy who wanted to go out her whole life and was never allowed to do so until she was so old and weak she couldn't run anywhere. How unspeakably cruel - and yet the author (and other reviewers of this book) cite this as an example of how kind they are! What planet are you living on?