"The Cat Who Cried for Help," by Dr. Nicholas Dodman

No library on cat care should exist without the inclusion of The Cat Who Cried for Help. Dr. Dodman de-mystifies many of the behavioral problems cat owners struggle with, and you will find yourself nodding in understanding when you read some of the vignettes presented by actual clients of the author.

You and your cat, Spike, have always had a great relationship. One day with no apparent provocation, Spike attacks you as you walk by, with much hissing and raising of hair, drawing blood when he bites you. Or, one day your spayed female cat, Alice, suddenly turns on her sibling, Martha, turning your home into WW3. Martha takes to hiding under furniture and cowering when you try to hold her.

Sound familiar? In The Cat who Cried for Help, Dr. Nicholas Dodman explores these feline behavioral aberrations, along with others that haunt cat lovers: inappropriate elimination (missing the litterbox), yowling at night, wool-sucking and self-mutilation, to name a few. His treatment methods combine extensive re-training and discrete medication, and he is not afraid to admit an occasional failure. The book is laid out in vignettes by chapter, each dealing with an actual case from Dr. Dodman's files. The chapter headings alone are intriguing: The Devil you don't Know; The Rebel Without Claws; In the Heat of the Night.

The chapter, The Rebel Without Claws, is one of the most convincing arguments against declawing that I've ever read, and it is widely quoted by anti-declaw advocates.

In my opinion, it should be made required reading in every veterinary college in North America.

The first few chapters are otherwise easy reading for the lay person, but toward the end of the book Dr. Dodman delves into pharmacologic treatment that may be baffling to the novice. Still, using the training advice from The Cat who Cried for Help along with the ministrations of a sympathetic veterinarian, you'll be encouraged to know that almost any extreme behavioral problem can be lessened, if not entirely overcome.

Dr. Dodman is a veterinarian and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. His work with animal endorphins has led to several U.S. patents that he holds for ideas regarding behavioral physiology and pharmacology.

I highly recommend this book for the novice pet owner as well as experienced breeders, the cat rescue community. The problems which may appear academic today, could suddenly become very real in your own household.