The Cat Fanciers' Association Complete Cat Book

Siegal, the author of dozens of books about animals, including The Cornell Book of Cats and Davis Book of Dogs, teams up with members of the Cat Fancier's Association to produce this authoritative reference on Felis silvestris domesticus. The bulk of the volume consists of a guide to the 41 recognized breeds and, as such, is sure to land on the shelves of the association's members and other serious cat lovers--those who might, for instance, want to bone up on the scoring system for their Javanese or reread the cat show standard for their tailless Manx. But those who just love their plain old non-pedigreed tabby will also find the sections on breeds fascinating. After reading about the devoted, intelligent Ocicat--who happens to look like a mini cheetah--it's hard to imagine anyone not wanting one. Some sections anthropomorphize their subjects needlessly (""Ragdolls are considerate of their humans' busy schedules, so they bathe and groom their moderately long, silky coats by themselves""), but they're all highly informative and well written. People looking for their first cat will do well to read the section about choosing the right one (again, the emphasis here is on pedigreed animals), as well as the section on New Kitten Basics. The chapters on feline nutrition and basic health care, penned by veterinarians, are also an excellent resource for cat lovers of all stripes.