Bonds Of Affection: Thoreau Dogs & Cats Book

As a new kitten owner and past dog owner, Complete Kitten Care has provided a thorough overview of the feline ownership experience.
This is a not a brief "how to potty train"-type book, but a deeper explanation of kitten psychology, sociology, life stages, needs, motivations, and expectations: and only after all these things, training. Shojai is clearly an expert at the subject, and her notes come from a place of sincere love and compassion for the best interests of cats, even when confronting controversial issues such as declawing and destruction of unwanted animals.

A full point is taken for less-than-steller editing, particularly in typographical errata and duplication of content. Reiteration for the sake of learning is ok, but frequent déjà vu of near exact verbiage is not acceptable. The content duplication problem is particularly apparent towards the end, where the smell of a weary-eyed editor on their N-tenth read-through is strongest. Writing style in the last few sections also changes dramatically and without explanation from the adoring, motherly nature of Amy's lighthearted tone, to a more clinical matter-of-fact sprit. Neither is necessarily preferable in this type of book, but a rounding of stylistic edges for the sake of reading consistency would be better.

This is a book for the surrogate kitty mom/dad that wants an easy-to-read crash course in kitten love. In terms of useful information per dollar, it's money well spent, especially considering the level of commitment required to care for an animal over the course of a lifetime.

Overall: 4/5.