Whole Health for Happy Cats: A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy, and... by Sandy Arora and Regina Schwabe

Sandy Arora has devoted the last eight years to helping people feed their cats a species-appropriate diet, and treat their cats' health using gentle holistic means. Through her Holisticat mailing list on yahoo and website holisticat.com, she has counseled hundreds of cat caregivers, and continues to give freely of her time. She resides in Virginia.

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
My bookcase is full of volume after volume of cat-related reading material. Some of this material dates back several years, even decades; however, most is much more current than that, touting some of the biggest names in the "industry." Even as current as most of this material is suppose to be, I have difficulty trusting some of it, especially the discussions on diet. Many of these authors are highly regarded as experts in the animal health field, yet, I still cannot find myself trusting a lot of what I read. Actually, some of the information has even been confirmed as outright dangerous and should not even be said in the same breath as "cat," let alone be recommended for use with a cat. Sandy Arora's book, "Whole Health for Happy Cats," fills the void that has existed for so long on my bookshelves. She demonstrates herself to be articulate and informative--(it appears she has good background and training in research methodology),-- backing up her information with plenty of documentation, references, and resources. Being interested in nutrition most of my life, I truly appreciate her guidance on diet. In particular, her knowledge of raw feeding transcends most of what is being offered up by the expert gurus. Here is a lady who really understands what "species appropriate" means (without being dictatorial about it). I've been practicing holistic methods with everyone in my household, furry or non, for over twenty years. I can only come to the conclusion that Ms. Arora proverbially "eats, sleeps, and *you know what*" cats (holistically, of course) because she seems to have covered just about every imaginable area of SAFE holistic cat care remedies, cat well-being, and cat health: from the nutritional end to the herbal end to the homeopathic end to, well, there is practically no end to what Ms. Arora covers in "Whole Health for Happy Cats." And her book is soooooo much fun to look at while you read it, with beautiful pictures (not just drawings) and informative sidebars and tables. (The picture on page 45 is especially amusing.) As an added bonus, I can actually go over to her discussion forum and ask her for clarification of anything in her book. (Pretty cool, eh?) I do have one request: At the end of the book, Ms. Arora has added an appendix that outlines a few infectious diseases. You know the ones: FIV, FIP, FeLV; the ones that, when your vet diagnoses them, cause the contents of your stomach to leap into your throat. Sandy provides some wonderful info to assist those who have to bear the burden of that kind of news concerning their kitty. She helps to take away some of the feeling of helplessness that seems so prevalent with these diseases. And she gives the reader treatment options to help extend not only the life, but the quality of the infected kitty's life. My request? Please, Ms. Arora, if you have another book in you, take this subject of disease/illness/conditions and expand upon as many as you can, extending what you have already hit upon in your appendix and nutritional sections: FIP, FIV, FeLV, IBD, CRF, diabetes, and cancer, to name a few that you've touched upon already. It would be wonderful to have a "trustworthy" up-to-date cat-specific book that details different diseases and conditions, holistic treatment options, and nutritional support. It would probably save a lot of kitty parents a lot of grief and frustration, and give a lot of ill kitties a higher quality of life. "Whole Health for Happy Cats." I would think your cats would indeed be happy if you followed Sandy Arora's advice. Less trips to the vet, tastier, healthier food choices, beautiful fur and skin, healthier teeth, healthier immune systems, and, most importantly, HAPPIER CATS: 'Cause "If kitty ain't happy, noooooobody's happy................"......or something like that.