Love To Read? Book Reviews with Amber at The Mewton-Clawson Library #166 featuring **It's a Cat's Life** by Mary Trewby PLUS Friendly Fill-Ins & **EPIC NEWS**

Hello gorgeous library guests 

and 

Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ 

Thank mew furry much for joining me in the stacks today, and what is this epic news I hear mew ask?

Well, we just heard a few days ago that we are still the Number Two Pet Blog in the U.K. on Vuelio's epic list.

So mew can imagine how delighted we are at that news, well if I'm honest it's all because of my excellent book reviews, aka the more intellectual side of the blog, I'm sure that's what keeps us up near the top! MOL

Katzenworld is still in the No 1 position, and we congratulate them most effervescently, and send oodles of congrats to all the other pawesome pet blogs listed too, they are all ameowzing.

Today the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.

1. I wouldn't mind if _________.

2. I want to _________ my _________.

3. Others come to me when they need _________.

4. _________ is a memory that I regularly think about.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. I wouldn't mind if I won the lottery jackpot! LOL Then I could go and buy a nice farm and rescue oodles and oodles of anipals.

2. I want to paint/redecorate my Amber's library, and the craft room but it would be a humongous job moving everything, there are so many books and if they came off the shelves I don't think I'd remember where they'd all go again, Amber would really be angry at that, and I just don't have the energy right now. 

3. Others come to me when they need something fixing, designing or making. Whether that's problem-solving or literally a physical item. Apparently, I'm good at that stuff. 

4. Basil being at BBHQ is a memory that I regularly think about. In fact, I think about Basil every day as I still miss him so much, sometimes it's really hard to look at his photo's or videos... sad but true.   

Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

This week's top book pick is...

Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

It's a Cat's Life

 A Year-by-year Record of Your Feline Friend

by

Mary Trewby

       Here's a little snippet of the book blurb:      

It's a Cat's Life offers the perfect blend of practical information that every cat owner should know, while allowing them to record all the individual aspects of their own pet. From behaviour, feeding habits and veterinary details, to recording special moments and even your cat's photograph and paw prints! The year-by-year log pages allow the owner to record details of their cat from day one.

This week I purromised Melvyn that he could do a review, well he's got to learn, so here's my young intern... take it away Melvyn!

Hello epic readers, Melvyn here, **waves paw** Amber said I could do this weeks review and she gave me a title called, It's a Cat's Life to appraise.

I thought I was going to get a really exciting book from the guns and ammo, or the military vehicle section of the library, so mew can imagine my complete surprise when Amber gave me this.

Anyhoo surprise aside, I have to say this wasn't what I was expecting at all, at furst I thought it was going to be a memoir by some famouse cat, but it turns out it's actually a diary or journal for your hooman staff to keep, and it's much more too. As I investigated further it turns out it's full of hints and tips for newbie cat parents, so ties in purrfectly with yesterdays guest post. 

It also offers chronological - wow that's a big wurd for me - space to record events and special occasions, plus there's space to keep a log of health information and vet treatments. There are pages for 20 years, and although there's not space to stick a photo to each page mew could easily staple or paperclip a picture to the relevant page.

Also, included are a few pages of condensed useful info regarding kittens, behaviour, cat shows, cat hotels, a travel log if mew go places, diet, grooming, training plus lots more!

If your hooman is looking for a simple diary to log memorable life events and health info, this could be purrfect. What a really neat idea!

• Publisher: David & Charles
• Paperback: 96 pages

My Ratings Scale

Ratings of:

It's a Cat's Life

Overall Enjoyment

I really hope mew enjoy the book as much as Melvyn did if mew decide to read it.

It's time fur me to say BFN or bye-fur-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't furget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.

**NEWS FLASH**

Stop by the blog tomorrow as it's Smooch's 10th Birthday Pawty!

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

Follow me at angry_amber_badtemperedkitty

& @BionicBasil® on Instacat

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another review! 

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

**GUEST POST SEGMENT** The Complete Cat Adoption Checklist From WWW.ALLABOUTCATS.COM

Welcome to our

Guest Post Segment

Today we have a fab guest post to share with mew, which we're sure prospective, and newbie cat pawrents will love. 

If mew're looking to adopt and are feeling a little overwhelmed as where to begin, what to get, what to do, what not to do, what to tidy away, how to make your home safe for your new arrival, etc...

DON'T PANIC!

Take a breath, and keep reading. And as we like to say at BBHQ, we've got your six!

Plus, don't furget that we have dedicated posts on our Top Tips for Cat Pawrents page, where we share a wealth of information to make your life as a pawrent easier.

The Complete Cat Adoption Checklist

Excited to bring a new pet into your family?

Adopting a new cat is a beautiful time full of firsts, but there’s more to think about than what it will be like to play with your pet. You also need to make sure that you are prepared for their arrival using the complete cat adoption checklist.

This checklist gives you an introduction to everything that you should take time to consider before you bring your newly adopted cat home. By working through each category, you can feel comfortable knowing you have done everything you can to make sure your pet will start its new life safe, happy, and well-loved.

Photo by The Lucky Neko on Unsplash

Your Complete Cat Adoption Checklist

• Question Yourself

• Education Matters!

• Preparing Your Home

• Shopping List

• Healthcare

Question Yourself

Before you start preparing to adopt a cat, it’s essential to take some time to ask yourself if you are in a

good situation to adopt. As much as adopting is a joyful affair, bringing a cat into an unprepared home

is not the kind choice.

Ask yourself some critical questions as you prepare yourself to adopt:

• If you own other pets, are they friendly towards cats?

• Are you prepared to go through an introductory phase with your pets?

• Do you have enough time to take care of a cat?

• Have you thought about how your cat will be taken care of when travelling out of town?

• Do you or other members of your household have any allergies to dander, dust, hair,

or dirt that may be affected by owning a cat?

Education Matters!

Whether or not you have owned a cat before, it’s a great idea to take some time to familiarize yourself

with what it takes to properly care for a cat before you adopt. Statistics say76% of cat owners consider their cats to be members of the family, and knowing how to take care of

them is essential.

There are lots of different ways to do this!

Try the following:

• Watch videos that showcase “A Day In The Life” of cat owners to see what their tasks entail

• Visit a friend that owns a cat and walk through the steps of ownership with them

• Talk to your local rescue or adoption centre about cat ownership

• Read books and pamphlets on the topic

There are many ways to get educated about becoming a cat parent.Part of your job will be to learn what to do, and doing this before you bring a cat home is ideal.

Preparing Your Home

If you do not currently own any cats or pets at all, chances are high that your home needs to be

cat-proofed! Many potential hazards exist in our homesand many of them are things that we don’t even think about from day to day.

Take time to go through the following list to ensure your home will be safe and cat-friendly from day one:

• Tuck away wires and cables

• Ensure breakables cannot be knocked over

• Check if heavy items could be a danger to your cats

• Put away small items they may try to chew or eat

• Get down on the floor and explore from their level to find additional hazards

• Lock windows and make sure screens are secure

• Look up any houseplants to ensure they are non-toxic to cats

Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash

Beyond preparing your home by removing cat hazards, it’s also crucial that you give cats some cats

only space. A separate room for when they first arrive and a cave-like bedcan be great ways to help your new cat feel safe and secure in their new environment.

Shopping List

There are several important cat care supplies and accessories that you should be sure to have before

you bring your new cat home. Some of these items, such as cat food, should be adjusted to fit the

specific dietary needs of the cat you are adopting.

• Food bowl

• Water bowl

• Cat food

• Cat treats

• Litter box

• Litter

• Litter scooper

• Collar with ID tag

• Travel carrier for vet trips

• Nail clippers

• Comb and/or brush depending on coat type

• Non-toxic cleaner for litter box and spot cleaning

• Odor neutralizer for litter box and spots

• Cat toys

• Cat first aid items

• Chews and/or brushes for dental care

• Cat bed

• Cat furniture (tree, scratching post, etc.)

Some of these items, like nail clippers and dental chews, can be gradually added to your cat care items.

Still, it’s good to know in advance how much you will need to budget to care for and enrich your cat properly. 

A Happy New Life Together

Every aspect of cat adoption introduced today is a small part of your larger care plan.

This checklist can help you make sure that you’ve taken time to work through every area that needs

to be addressed but remember: it’s not an exhaustive list.

If there is anything in the complete cat adoption checklist that you are unsure about, take some

time to ask fellow cat owners, pet specialists, or your vet! It’s OK to be uncertain as long as you are

ready to learn. With the right attitude and supplies, your new cat will live the happiest life possible.

Guest Author Credit

All About Cats’ is a popular cat blog with expert-written, expert-reviewed guides bringing you the facts on cat products, behavior, health, and more.

www.allaboutcats.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2fX-cJNCODSByMC3SpuQSQ

Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/wwwallaboutcats/

Do go check out their fabulous website, as it's full of fantastic articles.

Thanks very much for joining us today, and many thanks to our pawesome guest author for providing such a supurr starter list to assist newbie cat pawrents in navigating the preliminaries of cat adoption, and the all impawtant settling in period. We do hope mew found it valuable and welcome your feedback. 

Amber will be here tomorrow with another pawesome book review and she's got some fabulous news too, so do stop by the library if mew get chance.

Until next time...

Wing Commander Basil and The B Team

Don't furget to subscribe to our blog and never miss another post. 

**All Photos supplied by today's Guest Author and copyright credits are as stated

All links supplied by Guest Author are not affiliates**

BBHQ Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com