Top 10 Essential Books for New Cat Owners

If you’re a first-time cat parent, you may be overwhelmed with all the things you need to know about your kitty. These books are great resources for new or nearly new cat owners.

There are countless books on the market regarding cat health and behavior, as well as how to keep your pet happy every day, so it can be a challenge when it comes to narrowing down your choices.

If you’re a brand new cat owner and you’re looking for the best information to guide you on everything from feline nutrition to playtime and what to expect in terms of behavior, we’re here to help with a list of popular books that cover a variety of topics.

10 Books for Cat Owners

When it comes to feline health, nutrition, and behavior, there’s a wealth of information out there from a lot of different experts. While that’s great because it means you can have easy access to the information you need, it can be tough trying to figure out where to access the best info that’s easy to understand and apply to your daily life.

As a pet parent, having a few good books handy at all times can help ensure you’ll be able to take the best care of your furry friend. The following 10 books are a treasure trove of knowledge about felines, and they can be super useful, whether you’ve shared your home with a cat in the past or you are completely new to the experience.

If you are totally new to cat ownership, you may be wondering what you should know about cats so you can keep your new fur baby happy and healthy. Written by James R. Richards, The ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats is a great resource on feline behavior, nutrition, health, vet care, litter box training, grooming, and more.

Throughout this book, you can learn about basic feline genetics, pet first aid, how to take care of a senior kitty, and how to nurture the healthy growth of a kitten. Plus, this book even has a section with helpful information on the most popular feline breeds, so it’s also a good addition to your home library if you want to know the major characteristics of your kitty’s breed.

Overall, this is a reference book that you should consider adding to your collection, whether you’ve already brought home a cat or you are preparing to get one, as it covers a broad range of topics that can be helpful when you are trying to choose the right cat and when you are working on doing your best to keep him safe and content in your home. With 368 pages packed with information and beautiful photos, this might become your go-to book about kitties.

is more of a scientific read, but it will expose you to the latest research about cats, while also getting rid of common misconceptions and myths surrounding felines and their behavior. So if you want to know what science is saying about feline behavior and what cats really need, as well as what you should expect as a cat owner, this is a great read.

This book contains a collection of articles on veterinary science and animal behavior, and it delves into the biology of cats, as well as their predatory nature and their social life. Featuring a total of 16 chapters, it covers a variety of topics, such as behavioral development, communication, social behavior, welfare issues, behavioral problems and solutions, and more.

Overall, this book focuses on what research has discovered about domestic cats, so it is yet another useful resource to have on hand, whether you are totally new to being a cat parent or you have had cats in your family for many years.

If you’re a fan of Jackson Galaxy, the star of Animal Planet’s show “My Cat from Hell,” you’ll enjoy reading through Catify to Satisfy: Simple Solutions for Creating a Cat-Friendly Home.

With insight from cat design wizard Kate Benjamin, this book tackles feline behavior issues that you might encounter, such as a cat that scratches your furniture or doesn’t use the litter box. Because your cat’s environment is an important component of his overall happiness and health, this book contains valuable DIY projects and tips that will help you fulfill your cat’s unique needs while maintaining a beautiful and peaceful home. That’s right: if you’re the type of person who enjoys creating things by hand, rather than purchasing them in stores all the time, this book will teach you how to make a variety of fun things for your cat, such as a tunnel cocoon.

Put simply, if you want to ensure you have a cat-friendly home for your frisky feline so you can both be content, this book, which is 272 pages in length, can help you achieve that goal. It covers what your kitty needs every day so you can understand him better while taking smart steps to avoid problematic behaviors before they start.

In Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat – Not a Sour Puss, Pam Johnson-Bennett, a renowned feline behaviorist, offers valuable insights into why your cat behaves the way he does.

This book will cover a wide range of topics so you can really get to know your cat’s specific needs, as well as understand what you have to do to make sure you have a cat who’s sweet, content, and well-behaved. A total of 18 chapters covers topics like how to tell if your cat is sick, playtime techniques for modifying behavior, how to solve behavior problems, grooming, pest control, first aid, and more.

Overall, if you are interested in learning how to create a safe environment for your kitten or adult cat, how to train your kitty, how to modify behaviors, how to care for a senior cat, and much more, this book can be a smart choice.

by Debra M. Eldredge is full of valuable information for cat owners, particularly when it comes to feline health from kittenhood through adulthood. It provides insights into everything from supplements, nutraceuticals, and holistic treatments, to medications, dental care, diets, behavior, and much more.

The book’s content is written clearly, and it even includes directions on how to handle common health problems. Illustrations and tables further clarify the information that’s presented, and an index that’s filled with symptoms will help you find what you need quickly and easily.

If you are a visual learner, you will find that Complete Cat Care Manual: The Essential, Practical Guide to All Aspects of Caring for Your Cat is perfect for you. Written by Dr. Bruce Fogle, a leading specialist in pet behavior, this handy guide contains tons of information on everything from feeding and grooming to training and exercise.

Throughout this book, you’ll learn more about your cat and the many ways that you can work on making sure you’re both happy in your home. This practical care manual also covers some common behavioral issues and problematic situations that might happen with cats, and it provides helpful tips and advice on how to resolve those problems.

Whether your kitty is scratching your furniture or you want to know how to administer first aid, this research-based book can serve as a valuable resource. Laid out in a way that makes it easy to read, this book is also full of photos, charts, illustrations, and diagrams to help with pinpointing symptoms and following appropriate treatments when you’re helping a sick kitty get better.

Thanks to Decoding Your Cat: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Cat Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones, nothing your feline does will be a mystery to you. If you’ve ever looked at your cat’s behavior and wondered why he’s doing what he does, this book can help shed light on your feline friend’s wants and needs.

Written by feline behavior experts from the American College of Veterinary Biologists, this book showcases the latest science in an easy-to-understand format, so you can determine the reasons behind your pet’s behavior and know how to resolve behavior issues in the most effective ways possible. Needless to say, the information that these experts present is invaluable, both to newbie cat owners and those that have had cats in the past.

Overall, this book can give you a glimpse into the depths of your kitty’s mind by explaining the underlying reasons for his actions, while also offering advice on how to deal with unwanted behaviors, so you can work toward ensuring your pet’s physical and psychological health.

Another book written by Jackson Galaxy, Catification: Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You!) is focused on helping you create a home that’s enriching for your kitty and stylish for you.

Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin show you how you can design attractive, cat-friendly spaces throughout your home, so you won’t need to rely solely on products that you can purchase in pet stores. In other words, you can make your home “both cat-friendly and chic.”

One of the top ways to ensure your kitty will be happy in your home is by designing it in a way that helps keep her active, confident, and comfortable. So, in addition to providing information on how you can better understand your particular kitty’s unique personality and needs, this book will guide you, step-by-step through more than 20 DIY projects for everything from catios to cat beds.

The sooner you accept you aren’t the owner in this relationship, the easier it will be for you. How To Be Owned By A Cat: Simple Action Plan For First Time Cat Owners Who Have NO Idea What They Are Getting Into can help guide you through the process of understanding what being a cat owner really means.

Entertaining and insightful, this handy book can serve as a practical and step-by-step guide for first-time cat parents. And it can give you all the info you need to know before getting a cat and shortly after bringing one home. The clear and humorous tone of Kate C. will make it easier for you to go through all of those newbie pawrent problems with a smile on your face.

Last on our list of 10 books for cat owners is Cat Grooming 101: How to Uncover and Maintain Your Cat’s Natural Beauty. Sure, cats are great at grooming themselves, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ever need your help when it comes to staying clean and healthy.

This handy guide covers how to care for your kitty’s skin, fur, ears, paws, eyes, and teeth. You can learn everything from how to brush your cat’s teeth to how to clean his paws. And it also covers special grooming requirements for certain breeds. Short, to the point, and easy to read, this practical guide by K. Marie Alto can become your go-to manual for your kitty’s beauty regimen.

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