Marianne Mays, a qualified veterinary nurse from Great Britain (and author of many cat-related books) with years of experience caring for and showing cats both pedigreed and not, brings her expertise to bear in a book about the latter. This glossy, beautifully produced 7x11" hardcover is filled with practical advice and information, featuring an introduction (history and definition) and chapters about acquiring a non-pedigree cat, general care, feeding, raising kittens, showing non-pedigreed cats, health care and cat behavior. The best chapter was saved for last -- "Marvelous Moggies" contains heartwarming and touching true stories about domestic cats (often with tragic backgrounds) that were rescued and adopted and given a chance to flourish in loving homes, including the author's. Just about every page of the book is illustrated with beautiful color photos that perfectly complement the text. There are also lovely drawings at the beginning of each chapter.

Offering a fascinating British perspective yet perfectly useful in the U.S. or anywhere in the industrialized world, Moggies is a book that is an essential addition to the cat lover's library. Mays has a clear, conversational, common-sensical writing style and presents her material in a straightforward, utterly understandable manner. Her love and care for cats shines through on every page and emerges most passionately in the final chapter of poignant anecdotes that serve to illustrate how the advice in this volume works.

Whether your cat is a purebred or of motley origins, Moggies -- with its distinctive outlook, entertaining yet practical presentation and charming photographic illustrations -- is a testimony to the fact that all felines, from the humble "moggy" to the noblest pedigreed breed, are equally deserving of care and love.

[ by Amy Harlib ]