The Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats: Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nation's Top Holistic

As one of the veterinarians who contributed to this book, I was interested to see some of the comments, especially about garlic. Garlic is in the onion family and does contain a small amount of the onion's toxic ingredient (thiosulphate). While I have seen red blood cell damage from as little as one meal of baby food containing onion powder, I have not seen such problems with garlic. In fact, garlic is a common ingredient in many pet foods and supplements, usually in small amounts as a flavoring agent. For instance, I have recommended Missing Link for my feline patients for many years; it contains garlic, but I haven't seen any damage from it. Cats being cats, they are far less likely than dogs to eat a food that contains too much garlic. The article from TC Instincts actually says: "*continued* use of garlic or onions can *eventually* result in hemolytic anemia." This suggests, as has been my experience, that it takes long-term feeding of a significant amount of garlic to cause anemia. As with most things, the old saying "Moderation in all things" is well heeded in this case. (The reviewer also states that dogs can handle garlic and onions; that statement is dangerously false. Dogs are also susceptible to toxicity from these plants; onion toxicity is quite common in dogs.) In holistic medicine, the fundamental principle is to tailor treatment to each individual animal. It still requires you to watch your pet closely, and to be alert to any changes in its condition. The holistic veterinarian depends on the person who sees the animal every day, to monitor each treatment for any positive or negative effects. This goes for any modality, including herbs and homeopathy, both of which can be very harmful if not used properly. Anitra Frazier's book is terrific, but bear in mind it is 15 years old. She recommends 20% of the diet to be grains; today, we know that cats do not handle grains well, and a high grain content (such as is common in dry foods) contributes to obesity, diabetes, bladder problems and other diseases. She also highly recommends garlic as a supplement. So while her book contains much good advice, you shouldn't just follow it blindly without balancing it against other sources of information, and constantly assessing your animal's response to each change. In the same way, this book contains a great deal of valuable information. As new information becomes available, some bits may become outdated. However, to dismiss the entire book because of one (controversial) item is really throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I can not say enough good things about this book. I refer to it more times a day than I can count. It contains vital information that all pet lovers should know, from the quality of foods we feed them to the treatments for illnesses they get. I unfortunatly got this book after I lost my beautiful Ragdoll cat to fatty liver disease. Had I gotten it while he was alive I believe there could have been hope to save him. I still have three other cats though and this book is my "Bible" when it comes to their care. My other Ragdoll was on a "prescription" diet that was supposed to be good for her. After 4 months of diarrhea (that the vet kept giving pills for which did no good), I found this book. I changed her diet, gave her milk thistle, some probiotics (for one week), and she made a 100 percent turn around. This book also contains many telephone numbers where you can order herbs if you aren't lucky enough to live in an area where pet health stores (or people health stores) are available. I highly recommed this book. It is informative, thorough and will really open your eyes to your pets health.

Finding this book was a Godsend. After purchasing several other "natural cat care" books, this book exceeded all expectations and made the others a waste of money. This is the only book you'll ever need to keep your cat healthy, or in my case...to save its life. After my cat was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease called Fatty Liver Syndrome, I followed the suggestions of several veterinarians in this book, as well as utilizing "conventional" medicine with my local veterinarian and her blood enzyme levels were normal after only 3 weeks! Normally, recovery takes twice as long. This book offers alternative and supplemental care that is infomative and practical. I highly recommend it.

Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats is a welcome addition for those who wish to pursue natural remedies for their cats. It gives the reader a variety of choices in each section, so that one is able to select one thing, and if that does not accomplish all that one hopes, one is able to make another choice. Many modalities are mentioned including homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, and herbal medicine. There is discussion of a healthy diet as well. Mr. Zucker interviewed a number of holistic vets from around the country and compiled their suggestions into this much awaited volume. I can recommend it highly.

As a health writer, I know that pharmaceuticals can be very dangerous compounds. But for years, I overlooked the fact that drugs aren't good for pets either. Your cat can probably benefit from safer alternative treatments. Martin Zucker has put together a wonderful book with top veterinarians. Don't keep alternative and holistic treatments to yourself -- share them with your pet!