I am a cat lover, so when I saw the title Purr-fect Recipes for a Healthy Cat: 101 Natural Cat Food & Treat Recipes to Make Your Cat Happy, I had to review it. Author and fellow animal lover Lisa Shiroff takes you through the basics, which provides great information for new cat owners, like what a healthy cat looks like; a cat’s natural diet; cat friendly foods; and foods that are dangerous. You’ll also get a brush up on the current trends of the commercial pet food industry, where you’ll learn what and what not to buy for your cat.

    Chapter four takes through your cat’s eating habits and you’ll learn about raw versus cooked meat, and making changes to your cat’s diet. Chapter’s five through 8 will inform you about natural cat care; going green with cat care; what toxins to avoid; learn about your cat’s health conditions; tips to getting your cat to eat; and learning the basics of being a personal chef to your pet.

    Finally, we get chapter nine that gives you 101 tasty recipes for you to make for your cat. Like: chicken liver balls; autumn harvest treats; carrot cake for cats; braised rabbit; oats and beef loaf; scrambled eggs; braised steak; crab cookies; and many others.

    Every cat owner will enjoy reading Purr-fect Recipes for a Healthy Cat. There are recipes that will make a great snack or dinner for your feline. There are even a few meals you can share with your cat. There are a few recipes for dairy tolerant cats and cats with diabetes. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and I plan on making a few treats for my cats.

Reviewed on 05/16/2012 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Billy Burgess

 I tried this book in order to improve my relationship with the cat who shares my home. At best, I’m her step-aunt. Ms. Kat with her patchwork-coat has been with my husband for nearly 17 years. I’m definitely the Johnny-come lately. Our relationship has been tolerable with a number of shorts ups and longer down turns. 

I grew up in an environment where animals were business so even the idea of cooking for a pet was odd. Although I’d fixed special meals for pregnancy and nursing animals, it simply wasn’t part of the daily routine. So Ms. Kat and I started our cookbook adventure.

The book covers a lot of educational ground regarding cats, nutrition, commercial products and the advantages of providing fresh food for your local feline(s). One of the things I found most intriguing is that other than a couple of nutritional additives, like kitty vitamins, all the ingredients could go on my regular shopping list.

The background information, recipes, and instructions were easy to understand. Many of the recipes seem like casseroles, soups or similar techniques you already use in your kitchen. A good food processor or blender is definitely recommended. You might even want one just for the cat depending on how you feel about the ingredients involved.

I learned a lot about my cat while working with this book. One of the things I learned may benefit you as well. I found out that Ms. Kat, who has always been opinionated and expressive, doesn’t really like casserole and soup-style food. The individual ingredients that did or did not meet her approval where clearly communicated. She’d rather her have sardines plain, liver is definitely good raw, but when it comes to rice her interest is sparing and definitely hold the parsley.

 Perhaps this is due to a lifetime of eating commercial kibble and her tastes would change over time. Still, it could be helpful when considering individual recipes to do a small test run with each ingredient to check the rating with your cat or cats. If you have a finicky eater this information is beneficial before completing an entire recipe.

My cat will continue getting daily treats from different ingredients that met her approval. Since she likes salmon skin but not the fish itself, perhaps her choices shouldn't have surprised me. But then, I like cooked blueberries and avoid them raw…so maybe she’s not as picky as she seems!

Reviewed on 10/24/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Heidi Roth

"Hello cat owner!" Have you ever wondered why your cat is so friendly when you’re cooking or eating your dinner?  Maybe its because cats are tired of processed food and want some of the natural foods we eat.  I want the best for my cat, and I want my pet to live a long healthy life. Purr-fect Recipes for a Healthy Cat 101 Natural Cat Food & Treat Recipes to Make Your Cat Happy is the purr-fect book if you want the best for your loved one. This book is great reference for all cat owners and future cat owners who want to offer their pet the best nutrition. Lisa Shiroff has written an easy to follow guide to natural foods and treats for that special member of your family.

The beginning of this book guides you through chapters of what a healthy cat looks like, what vitamins a cat needs, foods to avoid, cat care and how to address specific health conditions.  Now we are ready to prepare our cat’s natural menu.  Lisa Shiroff guides us through the ingredients needed, the shopping and the preparations for delicious meals your cat will love.  I couldn’t wait to try some of the easy to cook recipes like Chicken Fried Rice, which included 1lb chicken cubed, 2 tbs. chicken fat, 2 tbs. zucchini, 1 egg, 1C rice, and 1 tbs eggshell powder. When the cooking was done I let my finicky cat try it and she loved it, if fact I make it, freeze it and serve it to her every week.

 Since trying that 1st recipe, I have gone almost totally natural for my cat only feeding her a little bit of dry food per week.  I have only prepared half of over 100 recipes and my cat has loved all of them.   I can hardly wait to try all the recipes.  Since feeding my cat natural food from the recipes in this book I have noticed that my cat is happier, more playful, and her coat is shinier than ever.  I highly recommend Purr-fect Recipes for a Healthy Cat 101 Natural Cat Food & Treat Recipes to Make Your Cat Happy for all cat owners who want only the best for their cat.

Reviewed on 08/18/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Michelle Poe