Best cat care & health books according to redditors
We found 15 Reddit comments discussing the best cat care & health books. We ranked the 9 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 15 Reddit comments discussing the best cat care & health books. We ranked the 9 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
go get "Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning A Cat" - buy it or see if it's available at the library. I devoured it before we got our cats, and I feel like it really addressed so many questions about what it will really be like to own and care for a cat. If you can buy a copy, do it because you'll probably find yourself referring to it a lot. I also got a book from the Humane Society that is similarly very helpful. http://www.amazon.com/Humane-Society-United-States-Complete/dp/0312326084
Good luck!!
Siblings, yay! They'll already know each other which is helpful when transplanting each to a new environment.
I think this book is a helpful general guide for beginners. This one too though it has a stronger focus on wet food diets.
This book helped me save my 17 yo cat: https://www.amazon.com/Tanyas-Comprehensive-Feline-Chronic-Disease/dp/1985194082/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=cats+kidney+book&qid=1562334340&s=gateway&sr=8-4
And I also give him subQ fluids, 100 ml every 5 days or so. Which you can safely do if their hearts in okay shape.
If he’s not eating, feed him ham baby food (Gerber Second Foods Ham), make sure it’s just ham as the ingredient.
I'm not currently a cat owner, but I've read a lot about cat nutrition. First, a lot of vets make their food recs based on what manufacturers say. If your cat is a kibbletarian, odds are the food you are feeding is too high in carbs because it's cheaper to produce than meat. Cats don't need rice, corn, or any grains, and too much can lead to feline diabetes. Even some of the "scientific" formulations have problems. I know it can be frustrating when you are doing everything "right" but it doesn't seem to work. You might want to check out this webiste or this book for more information on cat nutrition. You might have a great vet, but not all specialize in cats. I grew up on a farm, and our vet was great with cattle, but he wouldn't be my first choice for dealing with specialized cat problems. It's obvious you care about your cat, and I wish you the best of luck :)
I would suggest trying out the raw diet as well. I have a kitty with irritable bowel, and I'm considering switching him to raw; I've been doing alot of reading on it lately.
This book was informative : http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cat-Simple-Secrets-Stronger/dp/0312358024/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313206337&sr=8-1
Also, this website has pretty detailed info.
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood
When feeding raw, be sure to feed organ meats, as your kitty needs taurine, and thats where taurine comes from.
Also, my kitty may have asthma, and the meds for that, if you go the oral steroid route, are super expensive. I've looked into that on forums for asthmatic cats, and some people order from canadian and other foreign pharmacies. Apparently you can get medications for significantly cheaper by this route.
Please, please do not listen to the Petco person. Senior cat foods tend to advertise "reduced protein" formulas which means more carbohydrates (especially in dry foods) which you do NOT want for a cat, especially an older one that vomits often. The more carbohydrates and fillers, the more the cat has to eat to fill itself, the more vomiting and pooping and gut irritation, on top of a high possibility for diabetes, urinary issues, food allergies, and skin conditions. Cats throw up sometimes, but rarely. If a vet isn't concerned about this, that sounds like a red flag. How often is "a bit" for your cat?
I really recommend switching to a frozen raw diet as well. If that's not an option, then certainly switch to canned. No dry food whatsoever and especially do not free-feed. If you do more research into the topic (I highly recommend both http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins's book, http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cat-Simple-Secrets-Stronger/dp/0312358024) you'll get a better idea of why it is that cats need essentially a zero carbohydrate, all-meat moist food diet, and how improper high-carbohydrate diets are inappropriate for cats and lead to several serious medical issues (vomiting is just a symptom of other problems).
read Your Cat. It's helped us with our two cats. Better to start early though. Cats with habits are hard to change. Avoid that prescription food unless it is the only option that will work. Prescription food companies care more about profits than cat health (meaning it will be high in carbs and carbs are terrible for cats...they eat only protein in the wild).
edit: the amazon description for that book is terrible. It's a scientific perspective on cat health from a former pet food company vice president. She currently has a cat vet practice and shares her secrets for extending cat life from the typical average of 9 years to about 20 years.
I have a cat that gets crystals, that I have to constantly manage. However, to properly know how to manage it, you need to find out if your cat has struvite or calcium oxalate crystals. Mine has had struvites, which I think is a bit easier to manage.
A few things I've learned about struvites:
A great book to read about cat health (written by a vet that takes a more "whole cat" approach, looking largely at feed) is Your Cat. It really does a great job at dissecting the current state of feline diets, and the role they play in many feline illnesses. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Good luck!
Check out this book for some info: Dr. Jean Hofve, What Cats Should Eat.
I can't speak to what's good for dogs, but I feed my cats Nature's Variety Instinct. (That brand also makes dog food but as a cat owner, I can't vouch for it.)
They make both wet and dry foods, and believe it or not, the kibble actually smells GOOD, and my cats love it. It's a grain-free food, and there's one version called 'Raw Boost' that also has freeze-dried raw meat bits in it.
I suggest that you read up. Like most things in life, knowledge and preparedness goes a long way. Many friends that have pets have at times, shown themselves to be clueless.
This woman's books at Amazon are a good place to start.
Cats are intelligent and can be trained. I have trained mine to use their scratch post only and they haven't touched anything else.
One very good thing is that you are having two. Believe it or not, two is about as much work as one, plus the benefit that they can keep each other company. Cats left alone a lot can sometimes go a bit crazy.
Good luck!
Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life - for understanding the importance of diet and general health issues. Vicky Halls have written several books that I find well written, entertaining and full of good advice with regard to behaviour.
We cook for our dogs. That has greatly reduced the flatulence and bathing him in a benzoyl peroxide shampoo has helped his coat.
The link below is the book that our vet recommended. The recipes are easy and can be prepared in large batches and be frozen. We have five dogs and have found it to be quite economical.
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Prepared-Dog-Cat-Diets-Alternative/dp/0813821495/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369708889&sr=1-7&keywords=dog+and+cat+food+diets
It looks like the whole site is down, which is a shame. Maybe it's just a temporary thing. The person who maintains that site also wrote this book.
If you don't have one already, I recommend buying a basic cat handbook. Like this one maybe:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Care-Handbook-complete-well-trained/dp/1848660480/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501666788&sr=8-3&keywords=Cat+Care
Having some good basic knowledge readily at hand is often better than trying to sort through random advice on the internet.