As a reminder, I am reviewing one book each day until Christmas, in no particular order.
Each choice is special in its own way. All would make great gifts for your cat addicted book lovers. Or your book addicted cat lovers.
Why cat books? Several reasons, really. I adore cats. Cats appear in most of my fiction. And I enjoy promoting cat books for the holidays, because I frequently give or get them as gifts myself. And finally, so many people have a cat, that cat themed gifts are an industry. You can’t go wrong.
Today I am reviewing “Tiny but Mighty,” by Hannah Shaw, a.k.a. “Kitten Lady.”
While yesterday’s selection was all about the cute kitten photography, this book is partly about the cute kitten photography. The photography in this book is from Andrew Martilla, the partner of the author, and the the photographer behind Day 11’s “Cats on Catnip.” Andrew’s amazing photos of the tiniest kittens enhances this book.
The photography, however, is not the main point. Per the subtitle, this is “Kitten Lady’s Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines.” Which means newborn kittens, the focus of her rescue work. She shares here in one thick tome, a lot of what you need to know to follow her example and rescue kittens herself.
Don’t get me wrong, if you’re a Kitten Lady fan, you want this book, even if you don’t plan to do rescue work. It gives you more insight into the challenges that she faces in saving these tiny lives and often expounds on what happens in her videos, but with more detail. It also has lots of success stories and pictures of all your favorite kittens she has rescued at various stages of kitten development. Which you also get to learn about. If you’re a cat geek, this is gold.
If you’re a want to be rescuer, it’s more. This is your new Bible. There’s a lot of valuable information for the average kitten adopter, like litter box training and tips about spay surgery, but Kitten Lady really shines when she’s giving you the ins and outs of tiny kitten fostering and rescue. Shaw tells you how to syringe feed a kitten without risking aspiration. She breaks down the myths of FIV. She briefs you on the dangers of kitten low blood sugar. If you wanted a definitive manual on kitten rescue, I think you’ve found it.
In addition to everything she teaches you about kitten care in this 325 page book, she doesn’t neglect to tell you what you need to know about the human element of this work. Animal rescue is an emotional minefield. Shaw tells us about the importance of “good bye” when fostering – if you don’t “foster fail,” you can save more lives. She also tells us about her first kitten loss, which is a risk rescuers face when taking on these tiny babies. Finally, she talks about self care and compassion fatigue. As she puts it, “self care is animal care,” because we can’t help if we’re not healthy.
This is a marvelous book on many levels. I highly recommend it to Kitten Lady fans. If you love kittens and haven’t found Kitten Lady yet, check her out. She’s just moved into a bigger property to expand her rescue work. And when you see those kittens, you’ll be hooked. If you have always wanted to foster kittens – here’s your how to guide. Study it well, and you’ll be on your way to helping the tiniest of feline babies, just like Hannah Shaw.
