We're Having A Kitten!: From the Big Decision Through the Crucial First Year [Hardcover]

Eric Swanson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1997

Emphasizing that you must choose a kitten as you would a partner, animal expert Eric Swanson offers clever questionnaires to help you find the right breed for your personality profile--and gives sound advice on everything from preventing plant nibbling to combating cat hair and claw marks.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Eric Swanson, author of We're Having a Puppy!, turns his attention to feline friends in We're Having a Kitten!, an informative look at adopting a cat and spending the first year with your new, fuzzy bundle of joy. From picking the right breed to training and traveling with your cat, Swanson covers everything that new kitty owners would ever want to know. Emphasizing the joys and responsibilities of cat ownership, We're Having a Kitten! is a "virtual feline bible," perfect for the first-time owner.

From Library Journal

Acquiring a puppy or a kitten entails a commitment that can last from ten to 15 years. In both these books, Swanson, an expert on animal behavior and cat training techniques, guides potential owners through the pros and cons of pet ownership with humorous yet honest advice. In We're Having a Kitten, he outlines considerations?furniture clawing or plant nibbling, vaccinations and healthcare, and the cost of food and litter?that may influence the decision to acquire a kitten. In one particularly good chapter, Swanson discusses the various cat breeds and gives excellent advice on how to find the right breed for an owner's personality. His chapter on introducing the kitten to the household and training essentials is especially well written. We're Having a Puppy follows the same format, describing such aspects of responsible dog ownership as house training, dealing with barking and chewing, and exercising the animal. Swanson discusses various breeds and their personalities, and a chapter on living together includes information on training, travel, and grooming. While there are other excellent pet care and training books, such as H. Ellen Whiteley's Understanding and Training Your Cat or Kitten (LJ 12/93), Swanson's titles are unique in stressing the responsibilities of pet ownership. The illustrations in both volumes are great fun. Public libraries will find an eager audience for both titles. [See also "Obedience School for Your Pet Collection," LJ 8/97, p. 47-50.?Ed.]?Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga.
-?Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312170629
• ISBN-13: 978-0312170622
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,093,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT, fun,AND informative, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: We're Having A Kitten!: From the Big Decision Through the Crucial First Year (Hardcover)

Mr. Swanson has written a bok that not only ENJOYABLE to read, but FULL of information for 1st time cat owners, "thinking of being" cat owners or even long time cat owners. Great illustrations also. Thank you, Mr. Swanson (and Mr. Dombrowski)

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, October 14, 2001

By 

P. S. Rouse "catmom, reader, traveler, and so... (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We're Having A Kitten!: From the Big Decision Through the Crucial First Year (Hardcover)

My husband & I recently got a kitten & trying to read up as much as we can on his care.. This book takes you through step by step in choosing & caring for a kitten. I found the book very informative but I also found it contradicted some things that other cat care books mention.. Also the book doesn't really give you any information about spaying/neutering but advises you to seek out your vet.

My husband thought the book useful for the most part, but in some ways strict.. Seeming to advise against some things that other cat care authors give allowance for.. such as what type of food the kitten and/or cat should eat.

I would definitly reccomend this book with the advice to let it AND other books be your guide....