The Cat Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Troubleshooting Tips, and Advice on Lifetime Maintenance (Quirk Books)

Review by Irena A. Svidovsky for The Cat Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Troubleshooting Tips, and Advice on Lifetime Maintenance (Quirk Books)
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“The Cat Owner’s Manual” combines two of my favorite things: cats and great design. It takes the dreaded “owner’s manual” we encounter with just about every consumer product out there and turns it into a humorous, easy-to-read guide for taking care of your beloved kitty. The information is well organized, practical, and covers everything you might want to know. Kudos to the design team for the ease of use and the fabulous illustrations. The subtle humour throughout makes “The Cat Owner’s Manual” a joy to read, whether you’re looking to be informed or entertained.

Review by George Webster, Ph.D., for The Cat Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Troubleshooting Tips, and Advice on Lifetime Maintenance (Quirk Books)
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We have operating manuals for our computers, digital cameras, sound systems, television, and all manner of other devices. This entertaining book provides an operating manual for a much more complex assembly, a cat. Cats are amazing creatures. Their ability to hear, to detect odors, and to operate in darkness is far beyond that of humans. They solve problems. They open doors. My cat recognizes, and acts upon, a surprising number of words, and I assume that is typical for cats. Research shows that cats have highly-developed brains. The portion of the brain devoted to speech is unfortunately not developed, but my cat goes to elaborate lengths to communicate her wishes and feelings.

Brunner and Stall give us a manual of “operating instructions, troubleshooting, and lifetime maintenance” of these remarkable creatures. Filled with the same type of diagrams as a computer manual, the book gives us: an overview of makes and models, home installation, basic programming, fuel requirements, exterior, interior, and emergency maintenance, and advanced functions. Numerous, well-drawn diagrams and cartoons accompany the text, which contains valuable information on cats (Dr. Brunner is a veterinarian). The manual is a sparkling exposition on cats, from their optical sensors to their waste ejection port.

Review by Oleg for The Cat Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Troubleshooting Tips, and Advice on Lifetime Maintenance (Quirk Books)
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I have come accross many cat books, dog books, and dog or cat books that are written in a funny style. This is one of those rare books that actually manages to succeed in everything it aspires to!

Not only is this book recent (2004), inexpensive, and hillariously written and illustrated, but it has all of the basic information a cat owner would need in an extremely USEFUL format. Man, how I wish I had this book when I first got my cat! It covers all of the questions other books could easily overlook, such as how to hold a cat, proper grooming, socialization, etc…. The format is just so… organized, it’s easy to get an idea of where everything is, and the funny mechanical manual format is brilliantly integrated so that it does not interfere with either readability or clarity.

The only deficiency of this book is the lack of detailed medical information. This is not a bad thing in itself, though, as it allows for a shorter, clearer book. I would strongly recommend you to also purchase a veterinarian-written guide to cat health that covers all of the common medical problems. This would allow you access to information about vaccinations, what qualifies as an emergency or needs veterinary attention, and at-home solutions to medical problems without constantly questioning your vet. Such books include “Guide to a Healthy Cat” by Elaine Wexler-Mitchell, DVM (great, recent, inexpensive book – the only lack is that it doesn’t go into as much depth as it should because it tries to be easy to understand), “Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook” (a classic, in-depth book about almost every problem you might face – but not very up-to-date as it was written over 10 years ago), or “The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats” (excellent in so many ways, but does not go into problems not treatable at home except to tell you when to take the animal to the vet).