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Thinking of getting a cat or kitten or know someone who is? Read this book first.

 

In Kimberly Maxwell's new book, You Had Me at Meow; Considerations before Adopting your Cat, she encourages responsible pet ownership and discusses questions to consider before adopting, taking in a rehomed cat, a rescue, bringing in a stray or searching for a breeder.

This quick little read will hopefully create awareness of the lifetime commitment. It is written for adults since they are the ones ultimately responsible for the cats' well-being and care.

Available exclusively at Amazon. You do not need a Kindle to read it. Use free Kindle reading apps to read on your computer, tablet or even your phone.

If you already understand the commitment but you know someone who is getting a cat,  thinking of surrendering or abandoning a cat—please pass this info along.

Already read it? If you are so inclined I would appreciate a positive review.


See my reasons for writing this book below.

Book title: You Had Me at Meow

Considerations before Adopting your Cat

Author: Kimberly H. Maxwell

Publisher: New Chapter Publishing

Publication date: 2015

ASIN: B00YZ4VDC6

ISBN: 978-0983986010

Non-fiction

Category Pets / Cats
    Pets / Cats / Care / Health

Retail price $2.99 ebook $7.79 paperback


Available on Amazon

Length:  apx 42 and 68 pages

Binding: ebook and 5x8 paperback

Synopsis:

Making sure your heart, head and home are ready to give a cat a forever home.

Included are questions to ask to start off on the right paw, and some suggestions to get your home ready.

Where to get your new cat from?

Did one show up at your door, do you go to a shelter, a rescue, find a cat who needs to be rehomed, or find a reputable breeder?

How do you find the best kitten or adult cat for you and your family?

Have you considered fostering a cat?

Male or female, one or two?

What traits are you looking for?

The little book to read BEFORE you decide to bring home a new furbaby. Encouraging making a responsible informed decision, and committing to be the best pet parent and providing for your cat for its lifetime. You'll be rewarded with love, companionship and purrs.

I’ve never understood how anyone could surrender or abandoned a pet. Yet, it happens all the time, so often that if you are a cat lover online you’ll see post almost daily.

My first cat Skeamer, the pretty girl on the cover of You Had Me at Meow was with us for 17 years. The last 5 to 7 of those she had kidney failure and even went blind. We adapted to the necessary changes and loved her just the same.

For the last 8 years, littermates, Tyler and Trinity have been our furbabies.  Tyler had a mass removed a few years back and he has a sensitive stomach. In 2014 Trinity started showing (not typical) signs of urinary problems. After some testing, the diagnosis was struvite crystals. Now my cats would have to be fed separately and not allowed to eat each other's food. Okay, that is a little harder than you’d imagine. We resigned to shorten some vacations we had planned and adapted to that.

Then this year Trinity blindsided and scared me when she howled out then had an ‘episode’ passing out limp. After emergency clinics,  vet visits, tests, and some more tests, plus 2 more episodes,  she was diagnosed with idiopathic (unknown cause) seizures/epilepsy.  Now, this took a little more than just resigning to new medication or food. For one it is really scary to see and I felt pretty darn helpless, plus I felt the need to constantly watch her as she adjusted to the anti-seizure medication and to watch for more seizures.

I’m grateful hers are not grand-mal and she doesn’t violently jerk but there can still be damage to the brain if they go untreated or if she falls when one hit. There is also the worrisome issue of what is causing them and hoping it is not cancer.

I posted our story as it unfolded on my social pages and was shocked that I had suggestions to put her to sleep. People who have human children don’t put their kids to sleep if they have epilepsy and for us this is no different. Yes, the medicine causes some side effects. Yes, I am becoming a helicopter cat mom watching her and we canceled going on vacation to celebrate our big 25th wedding anniversary but my cats are family. I mentally run through her quality of life and weigh her more often.

Then after the comments online to euthanize my girl and after hearing one too many times about cats being surrendered or abandoned for ridiculous reasons I decided since I was staying at home so much I’d do what I do and write a book about it.

If it stops one family from moving and leaving their cats to fend for themselves; one adult cat from being surrendered because the new kitten is cuter, one cat from being taken to the shelter because the owner bought a new sofa it values more than their cat or one cat who when it needs extra medical care is let go—then I’ll be happy.

I’d love to see a headline someday that the shelters are empty. That all pets have been altered, there are no more unwanted, homeless pets and pets are now living out their entire lives with the person who adopted them, loved and treated like family.

I hope to get this book on shelter, rescue and adoption websites. I will work on a print version as time allows. Any help, reviews or plugs would, of course, be appreciated.

If you know someone who is thinking about getting a cat. Tell them, or gift them this ebook.  It’s a short read, it’s not expensive and you may just plant the seed that adoption of a pet is not to be taken lightly or done on a whim.

 

$2.99 as an ebook. This website is atMeow.com and here's the Amazon link http://tinyurl.com/atMeow

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