The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms [Paperback]

Michael S. Garvey D.V.M. (Author), Anne E. Hohenhaus D.V.M. (Author), John E. Pinckney D.V.M. (Author), Katherine A. Houpt D.V.M. (Author), Melissa S. Wallace D.V.M. (Author), Elizabeth Randolph (Author)

Book Description

Series: Veterinarians Guide | Publication Date: June 1, 1999

The experts reveal how to interpret and understand your cat's symptoms
and what steps to take to ensure its health.

This comprehensive and practical book is designed to assist cat owners in understanding their pets' bodies and health based on signs and symptoms of disease, and in determining the most common medical problems that might cause particular symptoms.
     Adopting the "decision chart" format from popular symptom guides for human ailments, such as the American Medical Association's Guide to Your Family's Symptoms and Take Care of Yourself, five leading veterinarians have designed a user-friendly chart system that will guide a pet owner from noting the symptom and observing the cat's behavior to understanding the associated signs of an illness, the possible conditions, and the best steps to take. Filled with more than 150 charts in an easy-to-follow two-color format and medical drawings, The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms is the indispensable reference for cat owners. It not only considers the problems of sick and injured pets, but also addresses the needs of healthy animals. It has all the information a cat owner needs:

¸  What a healthy cat should look like
¸  Flow charts to the 200 most common symptoms
¸  Behavioral issues, such as spraying and clawing
¸  Emergency first aid, including transporting an injured cat
¸  A glossary of veterinary diagnostic tests and medical terms

With this unique combination of medical information and advice, plus an innovative chart system, The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms will ensure that your cat really does have nine lives.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's a lot easier for the layperson to tell when a fellow human is feeling poorly than it is to understand the inner workings of a cat. For one thing, people use words to tell you what hurts and when it started. And for another thing, we, as fellow people, have a little insight into what's healthy human behavior and what isn't. When the toddler cries and then vomits lunch, we sense something's not right, even if the child can't verbalize the problem. But when your cat brings up a hairball, does that mean she is ill? When your cat meows, it's hard to know if it means "Hey, pet me," or "I feel rotten."

To know when cats are acting oddly, you need to know what normal is. The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms starts off describing a healthy cat body, from skin, hair, eyes, ears, and teeth to the inner workings of the cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, respiratory, and musculoskeletal systems. This picture of feline health is followed by a chapter on how to keep those systems healthy, with advice on choosing a veterinarian, plus vaccinations, spaying and neutering, nutrition, and litter boxes.

Part 2 does an excellent job of covering accidents, medical emergencies, and diseases that could threaten your cat. This section discusses broken bones, burns, and poisoning; conditions such as hypoglycemia, pneumonia, seizures, and pyometra; as well as infectious and parasitic diseases. For each, it tells you what to look for in your cat and when to dash off to the veterinary hospital for emergency treatment. There's a chapter on feline first aid, as well.

And if you suspect your kitty isn't up to snuff but aren't sure? Part 3 is where you can ensure that your cat's behavior is normal, with more than 130 common feline symptoms and flow charts explaining how to interpret them. Associated signs, possible conditions, and recommended actions are listed for each symptom. Perhaps your cat is showing signs of depressed appetite, with difficulty breathing and possibly coughing as well. These could be signs of cardiac disease, pneumonia, or even lung cancer, and a trip to the emergency clinic for x-rays is strongly suggested. On the other hand, maybe your cat is eating wool. The chart says this condition (termed Wool Eater, a form of compulsive behavior) is not unusual for Siamese cats, but could lead to vomiting or intestinal obstruction; the recommended action is to put the wool out of kitty's reach, and maybe see a veterinarian for behavior-modification medication. Symptoms such as depression and lethargy are treated in depth, as are diarrhea, gagging, lameness, nasal discharge, and various sorts of vomiting.

With appendices that list congenital defects and disorders, poisonous household products, and a glossary of veterinary medical terms, this is a remarkably useful reference for anyone who loves cats. --Stephanie Gold

From Library Journal

Most people would agree that it is difficult to recognize the signs of illness in our petsAa problem compounded by their inability to communicate with us in our own language. The authors of these concise and affordable books are all veterinarians (save one) who believe that the easiest way to detect disease early in pets is to educate the owner about the animals' normal bodily functions and behavior. In each book, Part 1 covers the healthy body, with overviews of the senses and the cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, respiratory, and other systemsAall presented in lay readers' terms. There are also sections on proper veterinary care, vaccinations, nutrition, grooming, and the importance of spaying/neutering procedures. In Part 2, the authors give insight into common accidents and medical emergencies (such as diarrhea, seizures, poisoning, and heat prostration), contagious and infectious diseases, and first aid care. A valuable and extensive index of signs and symbols is included along with appendixes covering household products that are poisonous, congenital defects and disorders, and medical terms and diseases mentioned in the text. Both titles are recommended for public libraries, although concerned pet owners will also want to keep a copy at home.AEdell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375752277
• ISBN-13: 978-0375752278
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST IF YOU NEED HELP FOR YOUR CAT BUDDY, August 13, 2002

By 

Sherman A. Thompson (Brady, TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms (Paperback)

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I read everything I could find at the local library concerning diagnosis of symptoms displayed by my cat. The technical books in the library were useless because of the plethora of technical terms that the average layman like me hasn't a clue on the meaning of. Also, the organization, or should I say lack of organization, of the other books made them tedious to follow. Many references and cross-references ad infinitum. I had to tease out answers to simple questions and, even then, didn't fully understand the points they were trying to make. I've had cats for most of my life and thought I was an expert, but I was stumped and worried about my little friend's symptomatic behavior. I needed help, and fast.

Five minutes with the guide to symptoms by Garvey, et al, answered my immediate question and led to a quick solution. The book is filled with well rendered drawings that illustrate and complement the text. The people who put this book together obviously know cats intimately and understand cat behavior. The writing is easy to understand and to the point. It also explains the "whys" behind the facts. The table at the back is both comprehensive and easy for the average reader to understand. This is a book to be USED, not just read.

No book is perfect but this one comes close and gave me what I needed. ....I'm totally satisfied with it.

41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Recommend Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook instead., June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms (Paperback)

No where near as thorough as Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. The information was nothing new. Not worth the $18.00 I paid for it.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference. Contains much valuable information., September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms (Paperback)

The unique chart form in the second half of this book provides cat ownerns with an invaluable quick reference when a cat is ailing. My cats, like most, often do not complain when they are not feeling well, and I must figure out what's wrong. This is an excellent, helpful guide.