Cat Lover's Daily Companion

by Kristen Hampshire, Iris Bass, Lori Paximadis

Cat Lover's Daily Companion is a unique, easy-to-use, and inspiring handbook filled with a year's worth of insight, helpful tips, and practical advice into the feline-human relationship for all cat lovers and owners. Whether you're a cat owner yourself or someone who just loves all things cat, this book will provide you with a lifetime's worth of ways to enjoy and appreciate cats. The format—a year-long, day-minder-type book—is not meant to be read cover to cover; rather, the book can fall open on any given day and lend applicable information and inspiration. Cat Lover's Daily Companion is also completely indexed so you're able to easily search for specific content. Each day features essays, anecdotes, activities, and trivia that remind you why you love Monday - Practical information, from welcoming a cat home to understanding its basic needs Tuesday - Engaging tales of cats in history and literature Wednesday - Feline health and wellness topics, from acupuncture to the zodiac Thursday - Household tips and ideas for cat-friendly home decor and crafts Friday - The world of cat breeds, from Abyssinian to York Chocolate Saturday and Sunday - Bonding, relationship building, and planning special occasions with your pet With Cat Lover's Daily Companion , you'll have a year's worth of ideas, information, and activities to help you care for, understand, socialize, and honor your feline friend.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Amy Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began "Cat Lover's Daily Companion" on January 1, 2011 and planned to read each day's entry. Of course, I would get behind and end up reading a week's worth at a time.

I kept the book by my bed all year and loved the variety of entries it offered. Every day (or week) I could look forward to a different topic. Mondays would be about practical information regarding cats. Tuesdays were probably my favorite, as they discussed felines in history, literature, and art. Wednesdays dealt with health and wellness. Thursdays were the ones I would find myself sometimes skimming, as those topics were about crafts and decor. Fridays introduced a different breed every week and was very informative. Saturdays and Sundays were lumped together for the weekend and were focused on bonding and relationship building between a cat and their human.

The fact that there were different topics for different days kept the book interesting. I learned quite a bit and plan to keep the book handy so I can look back through when I have a question about something. It's a wonderful guide for both new cat owners and experienced pet parents. This would make a great gift any time, but especially as a welcome home gift for a new cat. There is even a spot on the cover to add your cat's picture. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this book at my bookstore!

[Jessica Thurlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished a book called the Cat Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat. It's kind of like a user's manual for cat owner's. It has tips on how to handle your cat's behaviour, what to do in an emergency, instructions on how to make cat toys and other cat projects as well as general information about cat breeds.

I particularly enjoyed learning about how to communicate with my cat in sections such as "Feline Body Language," and "Kitty Talk: Your Cat's First Ten Words." In those sections I learned what my kitty's body language really means. That means I am better able to understand their needs and moods. Understanding these things helps me to create a stronger bond with my furry feline friends; making for a definitely more peaceful household.

The sections detailing such information as how to medicate your cat properly, how to administer the heimlich manoever and CPR properly and what to do if you see a tick on your car were extremely comforting to read because everyone has an idea of what to do if a human has an emergency, but how often are we prepared for a pet emergency? The book also gives basic vital information like average temperature and blood pressure for your kitty so that you're better prepared to determine if your cat is sick.

For the budget conscious pet owner this book gives excellent tips on how to create "green" toys for your cat. For example, full size plastic straws, rinsed paper cups and large empty thread spools make great kitty entertainment. One project I especially liked was the "catnip blanket."

Materials

2 pcs polyester quilt batting 18" x 22"

2 pcs fleece 18" x 22"

2 tbsp dried catnip

Straight Pins

Scissors

Coordinating or Contrasting acrylic yarn

Tapestry Needle

1. Place piece of batting atop the wrong side of one piece of fleece. Sprinkle with catnip, cover with second piece of batting and top with second piece of fleece, wrong side against batting. Pin around and trim away uneven edges.

2. Using yarn and needle, blanket-stitch around perimeter of blanket, concealing ends of yarn inside blanket.

I would enthusiastically recommend this book to cat lovers around the world! It is helpful, engaging and entertaining.

[Caleb Liu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed through this book. This is a good basic introduction in a very easy to digest format though I don’t see many reading this as day to day entries. It covers most of the basics though nothing much new compared to more comprehensive cat care guides.

On the whole, very readable aided by how it mixed interesting facts and information about cat breeds, famous cat owners with sound advice.

I’d still recommend more comprehensive books like The Complete Cat but this is a nice basic introduction.

[Ryu · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a current cat owner, or a new cat owner, this is a great book to help you understand your cat a little better. Very useful! Has great ideas, also has better explanations than other books about cats. There's also a dog companion book.

[John Stinebaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice articles and information but the crafts were so so.

[Mia]

'Cat Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat' is an informational guide written by Kristen Hampshire. The book gives tidbits and advice on raising your newly adopted cat, facts and history on origins of certain cat breeds or pieces of media containing things alluding to cats, and crafts for the frugal owner.
There's not much that I can really say about this book; it's exactly what it says it's going to be, and contains stuff that would greatly assist those that have never owned cats before or have owned cats and are looking to do something different for their furry friends. The crafts, while I haven't done them, look fun enough and the history was interesting to learn about.