Table of Contents

Introduction

BEFORE GETTING A CAT
The Five Welfare Needs
Where Cats Came From
How Cats Learn
Cat Communication
Cat Vocalization
Breed Traits
Picking a Breed
Picking a Breeder

KITTENS!
Picking a Kitten
Kitten Development
Socialization and Habituation
Feeding Kittens
Vaccination
Neutering
Worms and Other Parasites
Insurance
Stringing You Along
When To Go To The Vet
Declawing

ADULTHOOD
Exercise and Obesity
Diabetes
Creepy-Crawlies
Stress-related Disease
Common Poisons

SUPER SENIORS
Senior Considerations
Kidney Disease
Thyroid Disease
Senior Health Checks
Aging Gracefully
Saying Goodbye

A CAT’S SENSES
Sight
Taste and Touch
Sound
Smell and Scent Marking
Eating and Drinking

BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING
Behavioral Health
How Training Works
Hunting and Predation
Territory
Fears and Phobias
Eating Unusual Items
Over-grooming, Pawing, and Scratching
Self-reliance and Independence
Litter Tray Problems
Indoor Cats
Fun Cat Activities
Scratching
Aggression
Living With Other Cats
Introducing New Cats
Living With People
Household Rules
Harmony With Your Cat

Index

Promotional Information

Practical tips for looking after your cat from expert authors

About the Author

Emma Milne qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Bristol University, England, in 1996 and is best known for her appearances in the UK television program Vets in Practice. She has since appeared in numerous television and radio programs on wildlife and animal welfare. Milne has written several books on animal welfare and her series of five children’s pet care books, The Pet Detective Series, teaches children that it’s just as important for pets to be happy as well as healthy. Karen Wild is a certified clinical animal behaviourist with over twenty years experience. She runs a full-time behaviour practice, Pawprint, near Peterborough, England, working with family pets. Wild is a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) and she is an Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist and ABTC registered Animal Training Instructor (ABTC-ATI). She has authored three books: What Your Dog Wants, 21 Days to the Perfect Dog and Being a Dog. She is a resident behaviour and training feature writer for Dogs Today magazine.