Complete Cat Care Manual: The Ultimate Illustrated Guide to Caring for Your Cat

by Andrew Edney

A respected veterinarian covers every aspect of tending to a feline--from daily essentials to crisis management--with step-by-step, specially commissioned photographs, and authoritative text.

Genres: Cats, Nonfiction, Reference, Animals, Science

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1992

Reviews

[Laura Comins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually was very grateful for having this book to refer to when my ten-year-old cat recently started to lose weight as well as urinate enough for three cats on a daily basis. I read about the symptoms for feline diabetes in the book and called the vet for testing. The urine and blood tests returned negative for diabetes, but they had also tested her thyroid which registered off the charts indicating hyperthyroidism, which has almost identical symptoms as diabetes.

When I came home, I immediately checked this book to read about feline hyperthyroidism and was shocked to find nothing mentioned at all about a life-threatening illness! Hyperthyroidism is usually caused by a benign growth on the cat's thyroid gland that causes the overstimulation, and it can be fatal if left untreated. There is actually a treatment clinic called Radiocat that specifically treats cats with hyperthyroidism with an iodine injection to kill the growth. How can this book be called complete, or endorsed by the ASPCA, without including hyperthyroidism is beyond me. I would hope that this major exclusion will be rectified when the book is up for revision... a cat's life could depend on it.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter really likes this book, and when our cat started to lose weight we found some of the information helpful.

[Chloe Rudorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: Excellent pictures and diagrams, very user friendly.

Cons: Information about breeds was mostly incorrect, incomplete, or outdated. Some information that should have been in the book was missing. It would have been nice to have information about vaccines (which diseases can be vaccinated for, when your cat gets the vaccine, etc.) And there was little (if any) talk about some diseases, such as feline hyperthyroidism, which Laura Comins pointed out.

I read this book because of two reasons: one, it is from the ASPCA, an organization that I highly support; and two, because I hoped to learn something about cats. I felt like the name is misleading; this is not a "complete" cat care manual. While the pictures are nice and it is user friendly, this book is due for another edition. It needs to be revised.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn’t what I was looking for personally but that doesn’t stop it from being a solid example of a complete cat care manual. I would have given it more stars but it hasn’t been updated since 2006.

[Dara Springer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very limited information.

[Dylan Whisnant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated and very basic

[Isidora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cat manual was more or less what I was expecting. The information inside was rather general but still useful to me, considering I never owned a cat before. That being said, I did read a lot of things on various websites so this book covered some information that was review for me. I kind of skimmed the 2nd half of the book because it contained information pertaining more to female cats or medical stuff. All in all though, despite this book being kind of older, I borrowed it for a reason: it does have helpful information on being a cat owner.

[Madeline Rosenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in the early 90s, this book has undergone few updates in the past 30 years. The cover seems to have been updated with new images; however, the manual itself is a bit outdated. The health information is still valid and is a good source for new pet owners. I definitely learned a few new interesting facts. With that being said, in the age of Google, I don't think this manual is a necessity.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual is an excellent reference book. It covers the basics of all aspects of selecting and caring for a cat in a surprising amount of depth considering the size of the book. Topics include selecting a healthy cat, daily care, common cat ailments, and even some first aid. Every page is illustrated with full-color photos. I highly recommend this book for anyone thinking about getting their first cat.

[Hardly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped me to realize that my cat is indeed poisoned. Invaluable information. Easy read and informative. 5 stars for opening my eyes.

[Liz Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting read. I usually relied on sites like PetCareRx and PetSmart for pet care info. But with this book, I have my own personal handbook.

[tiger lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated af, contains errors, and gives bad advice like feeding a cat with plastic bowls (that can harbor germs). But I really didn't want to finish reading after the section advising owners to squirt their cat with a water pistol to stop unwanted behaviors. No. No. NOPE!
No decent cat care book will advise pet owners to use this stupid punishment on a cat, so further on from that I just couldn't take it very seriously.
Having said that, it does contain a lot of very beautiful cat pictures, so at least there's that.

[SallyStenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual. Dr. Andrew Edney. Foreword Roger Caras, President, ASPCA, 1991-1999. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1993, 2006. Paperback. 192 pages.

I decided to read this because I have previously read the ASPCA book on dog training and I really liked it. I did not feel the cat manual had as much new information in it as the one on dogs. Possibly that is because I have already read a lot about cats. Also, obviously, this book includes very little on training cats. I did find one interesting suggestion. It says you can use a log as a cat scratcher. That's an interesting idea that I plan to try soon. Also, it does have some nice pictures. Otherwise, the book really isn't anything special. I would recommend it if you are fond of cats and would like to look at the pictures or just want to read another cat book.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never had a cat before when little Frankie decided that I would be his owner. To make a long story short, a neighbor recommended this book to me and it has been extremely helpful. I think any possible question a person would have about our feline friends is answered in this book. If you have a cat, this book will be extremely helpful!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So if you are at all like me and have grown up with cats, most of this is old hat. What I haven't figured out myself, like body language, I've learned from vets or internet research, like common poisons and proper diets. But it is a place to start if you aren't quite as read up on cats and a pretty good place to start if you've just found yourself with your first kitty.

[Berit Ericson]

I'm single parenting a cat. This is my life now.

please note dripping sarcasm from a woman who did actually read this because this is the first time I've fully taken care of an animal on my own and this was and is actually very helpful.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to better understand my cat and now, we are closer than ever.

[H. Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice layout, nice pictures. Spared the details and went for covering every relative topic in snippets. Good to have on the shelf.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had good information, but it wasn't anything I didn't already know. I would recommend his to people who know little to toning about cats and their behavior and how to care for them.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, complete, and informative guide to caring for a cat.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is titled The RSPCA...

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational and helpful to have in your home as a reference if you own cats. Especially for the first aid component as well as fresh food section regarding nutritional recommendations for cats

[Ripon Mondal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and informative.