Customer Reviews

The Stray Cat Handbook (Howell reference books)

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

 

 

Ms. Kreuz's book is truly the textbook for all things feral cat-related. The book even contains some extremely useful information for anyone considering starting their own cat rescue organization or for the average person just wondering what they can do to help that scrawny stray without getting an arm clawed off in the process. Well-written, clear, and concise- I can't recommend this book enough to anyone interested in feline welfare.

This is an excellent resource for anyone with an interest in helping stray cats. Using advice I garnered primarily from this book and my vet, I turned a wounded stray cat into a contented house cat.

This book gives a clear cut, no nonsense, help for those of us with many stray and feral cats in our neighborhoods. As the preface states: "it is a definite how to guide for helping the millions of stray and feral cats currently living outdoors."

I purchased this book hoping to enrich my basic knowledge of stray cat care and T-N-R. How, for example, do you catch that tricky feline who somehow has figured out how to gobble the food without setting off the trap? What visible signs of illness really do require taking a morning to shlep a yowling beast to the free clinic, and which aren't worth the time and effort? What might be several "best approaches" to winter sheltering if you live in an apartment or an urban setting (or anywhere other than the farm on which Kreuz grew up)? Instead of answers, I got a rather meandering memoir of the author's personal experiences with strays, and basic trapping techniques. I skipped through much of the book: one of the author's key themes is that feral cats really are just that, and won't magically become pets no matter how hard you try. This is an important reminder for beginners, but anyone who's spent any time at all with undomesticated cats already knows this very well. Her responses to the question of the expense involved in stray cat care are less-than-satisfying, particularly as many cities and towns do offer free or very low-cost care for ferals. The list of resources is disappointing. A better option for those of us struggling to figure out easier ways to do this necessary work, with limited financial resources and time, might be a visit to the "Alley Cat Allies" website, which provides easy access to clear answers and a very good list of resources (check out their step-by-step construction plans for a "drop trap," for example!).

I heard this author was on TV after winning a special award because of its concise and well written content.