Whole Health for Happy Cats

A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy, and Well-Fed

by Sandy Arora, with foreword from Regina Schwabe, DVM

If it were a simple choice, many people would choose to treat and care for their pets with natural therapies. Unfortunately, most cat care-givers find the expectations and requirements of natural pet health care fairly imposing and outside their reality in regards to cat care. Unlike the other resources on the subject, Whole Health for Happy Cats provides readers with the basic information to enable them to ask the right questions as well as find the right answers for their cat and their lifestyle. For individuals interested in caring for their cat without the use of drugs or chemicals, Whole Health for Happy Cats will enable them to incorporate holistic treatments into their lifestyle and benefit from reduced health care costs and a longer and healthier life for their cat. Although the book's approach is organic, it also presents well-documented health facts and research so that cat owners can make the very best decisions for their cat's lifelong health and well-being.

Subjects include basic care and supplies, choosing a health care professional, understanding and implementing natural remedies (herbs, holistic care, homeopathy, flower essences and aromatherapy) understanding the issues related to traditional veterinary care, spaying and neutering, pre and post-surgery care, vaccinations, special issues such as dehydration, kidney disease, cancer, general nutrition, choosing commercial foods, preparing all-natural recipes, nutritional supplements and vitamins, fear, anxiety and panic, aggression and relationships with other animals.

Sandy Arora has devoted the last eight years to helping people feed their cats a species-appropriate diet, and treat their cats' health using gentle holistic means. Through her Holisticat mailing list on yahoo and website holisticat.com, she has counseled hundreds of cat caregivers, and continues to give freely of her time. She resides in Virginia.

Regina Schwabe, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian with a special interest in holistic therapy including nutrition. She is a 1976 graduate of the Tieraerztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany and is certified in veterinary acupuncture and chiropractic. Her practice has encompassed large as well as small animals but is currently focused on integrative medicine for dogs and cats. Pamplin Animal Wellness Services is located in rural central Virginia

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part One: Prevention
CHAPTER ONE: THE BASICS OF HOLISTIC CAT CARE
Happy Cat Necessities
Basic Body Care
Grooming
Skin Conditions
CHAPTER TWO: HOW TO FEED KITTY RIGHT
Feeding Requirements
A Case for Raw Diets
A Cat's Ideal Diet
Cooking for Your Cat
Safety Cooncerns
CHAPTER THREE: RAW DIET RECIPES
Transitioning to a Raw Diet
Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins
How to Prepare Raw Cat Food at Home
Diets for Specific Health Conditions

Part Two: Wellness
CHAPTER FOUR: ROUTINE VETERINARY CARE
Choosing a Veterinarian
Vaccinations
Spaying and Neutering
Why Get Blood and Urine Tests?
CHAPTER FIVE: HOME CARE AND MINOR AILMENTS
Aromatherapy
Herbs
Flower Essences
General Guidelines for Minor Ailments
Pre- and Postsurgery Care
Parasites
Digestive Upset
Litter Box Issues
Appetite and Weight Loss
CHAPTER SIX: UNDERSTANDING CAT BEHAVIOR
Rule Out Physical Problems
Think Like a Cat
Flower Essences for Mental Health
Should You Let Your Cats Outside?
Bringing Home a New Baby
Bringing Home a New Cat
Spraying or Inappropriate Elimination
Aggression, Mood Swings, and Unpredictable Behavior
Pet Peeves

CONCLUSION
References
Resources
Appendix A: Calcium Supplementation Calculation for Not-Just-for-Sunday Turkey Dinner Recipe
Appendix B: Infectious Diseases
Acknowledgments
Photographer Credits
About the Author
About Regina Schwabe, DVM
Index