House Cat: How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane and Sound

by Christine Church

Indoor cats are not deprived. . .

. . . in fact, keeping your cat indoors can add ten or more years to his life. Here's how to add quality to those years. Along with the scoop on litter boxes, creating a cat-safe home, and achieving a truce between cat and couch, this updated edition supplies the latest on nutrition for indoor cats, new vaccines and medicines, coping with feline emotions, and other essentials that make life more rewarding for you and your cat.
* Help an outdoor kitty become a happy house cat
* Discover innovative new cat-care products and scores of online resources
* Learn about new treatments and medications for common illnesses
* Take the trauma out of travel (yes, you CAN train a cat to walk on a leash)
* Find out how to provide basic nursing care and first aid

Genres: Cats, Nonfiction, Reference, Animals

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Christine began writing at a very young age, penning and illustrating picture books at age 9. In school, she could be found sitting in the back of the class, writing short stories (she aced English and literature). By 1992 she was professionally published in both nonfiction and short stories. In 1998 her first book was traditionally published, which led to many more book deals.

Look for nonfiction cat and horse care books and much more on her web site, christinechurch.net

Reviews

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book, and I learned quite a lot about the stresses cat can suffer and how to work with them to overcome it. Church goes into types of litter, the different litter boxes, toys, how to keep your cat from scratching up the furniture (!), what you should look for in a cat tree and why one scratching post ain't gonna cut it! She explains health issues --- including tips on giving your cat a msssage! What to do when you introduce a new critter to the family and all about cat hierarchy.

Extremely useful info. Although, I do have one quibble. I know, shocking, just one? She suggests using your Social Security Number as an ID tattoo on your cat...and no. Just no. Never use your SSN for ID unless it's required like at the bank, credit cards, insurance, taxes (blech!).

Otherwise, if you own a cat or multiple cats, you may want to check this out. Or buy it to have on hand!!

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really gave me some good advice on taking care of my first (and only) cat! I will probably refer back to this book time and time again, just because it is so well written, and has such cute little stories from cat perspectives in it!

A really great book for both new cat owners (me!) and those who've been at it for a while.

[Kaity Mumma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fear I am an inadequate cat mother 😭😭😭

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have owned cats all my life, but strangely enough I haven’t read much regarding this topic. However, this is the first time I have 4 indoor cats, and I really needed some guidance as to how to keep them healthy, fit and sane. I was used to live in a big house with a large garden for them to roam free. Now I live in a medium size apartment with only a small terrace. When they were younger I let them out, but I have nasty neighbors who hate cats and have threatened to poison them. And since I love them too much to give them up just for the whim of heartless and insensible people, I opted to raise them as indoor cats instead.
The book has tons of information regarding this issue. The author talks about her own experience with indoor cats, as well as things that she has learned in different places. It covers pretty much everything from cat’s health, nutrition, entertainment, medical information, etc. It is well written, and has lots of web links to pet store products, animal organizations, cat pages, and what not so you can look further into some specific topics. It even has a couple of recipes for homemade cat snacks, which are great by the way.
I am grateful for all this information because it has worked well so far with my cats. I even take them out one at a time with a leash and although they don’t love the idea, they still enjoy their time out. I watch more carefully what they eat, and I play every day with them to keep them fit and sane. Indoor cats don’t have to die of boredom or depression, they can enjoy their way of life if you make it comfortable and pleasant. And if that’s your intention, this book will help you get started.

[Rachel Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only ever had outdoor cats before, but over the last few months, and after a lot of research, have come to the conclusion that the dangers outside for cats grow ever greater (foxes, traffic, horrible people) and that my cats should be indoor only. Also why should I let my cat out to roam in other people's gardens, pee on their plants and kill the birds that they put out food for?

It's not easy, there is a lot to think about, espcially in terms of places for them to sleep and climb and setting aside specific playtimes, but this book outlines everything you need to know.

My only gripe is it's American. All the books about indoor cats are. Indoor cats haven't really caught on in the UK yet...

[Sualen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this to see if there was anything I could do to help care for our first "official" pet kitty that we fostered and decided to keep. It's pretty basic but there are a few things I didn't consider. All-in-all, if you're planning on getting a cat or any pet for that matter you should read up on it and make yourself prepared for the responsibility. Fortunately, our kitty is already a part of our family. Unfortunately, I didn't read up beforehand and gathered some of the necessities before bringing her home...have a little shopping to do.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent reference book. Although I've had indoor-only cats for over 20 years, it pays to refresh one's knowledge, especially about a cat's health and care. (It's also a great "how to" book for 1st time cat owners.)

[Yarnkettle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made it halfway through. It did not seem to give many suggestions other than find out what the problem is and fix it. Yeah I was kinda hoping you could help me with that.
Many many many website links, not terribly helpful.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't learn anything new from this book.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Quite an insight!