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Ramona D. Marek
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Cats for the GENIUS Paperback – July 14, 2016

by Ramona D. Marek (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 23 ratings
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Are you a cat owner or are you thinking about becoming one? If cats have already cast their magical spell on you, you’ll find valuable information for you and your feline friends. If you’re getting your first cat or find yourself unexpectedly living with a feline roommate, welcome to the cat fancy. Get ready for a whimsical, enchanting, and affectionate lifelong relationship!

Proper care takes time, money, and a lifetime commitment. Whether you are newly kitten smitten or a seasoned feline aficionado, Cats for the GENIUS shows you how to build the foundation of a long, healthy, happy relationship between you and your cat.

Cats for the GENIUS is written with clever wit and in an easy-to-read conversational style common to books in the For the GENIUS series. It is your comprehensive owner’s guide to everything feline.

Cats as a species are surrounded by myth, misinformation, and misunderstanding, causing so many to be relinquished to shelters. With humans, miscommunication is often behind misunderstandings in relationships. Communication is no less important in our relationships with our cats. Usually, the miscommunication involves a perfectly normal feline behavior that may be innate, instinctual, a sign of stress, or a medical condition that a person finds unacceptable in the home environment—weakening the human-animal bond or completely rupturing it. Ramona D. Marek shows us how to understand what our cats are trying to tell us.

An air of mystery cloaks cats but Cats for the GENIUS helps solve some of the mystery from the beginning. The Introduction discusses feline domestication, where and when it began, and whose idea it was in the first place. The book is divided into four progressive parts of eighteen chapters which can easily be read individually and out of order.

Part 1, Selecting a Cat, focuses on the responsibilities of having a cat, picking a compatible feline personality, preparing your home for a new cat, and making proper introductions to other pets and family members.

Part 2, Life with Your Cat, delves into feline nutrition, reading and understanding cat food labels, verbal and nonverbal feline communication, and basic care and grooming of your cat.

Part 3, Keeping Your Cat Healthy, covers how to choose a veterinarian, important vaccinations for your cat, common feline diseases, and fascinating feline anatomy.

Finally, Part 4, Partings, is about the ways we part company with our cats, life expectancy, and the difficult end-of-life decisions we must make.

Sprinkled in each chapter are a variety of sidebars with tidbits of extra information.

About For the GENIUS Books

Since this is a For the GENIUS® book, it is down to earth and pragmatic. It is written in an upbeat, conversational style that you'll instantly connect with. You'll find the fun and useful sidebars sprinkled throughout especially helpful and relevant. This and all For the GENIUS books are written as comprehensive guides to complex subjects for beginners as well as for those seeking a refresher. You don't have to be a genius to read one, but you'll sure be smarter once you do!™

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    322 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 14, 2016
  4. Dimensions
    7.5 x 0.73 x 9.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1941050409
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1941050408
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ramona D. Marek, MS Ed., is an award-winning freelance writer, member and former director of the Cat Writers' Association (CWA), member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners' Cat Friendly Practice Advisory Council, and a nonveterinarian member of the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians. She is a contributing writer for many national and international print and digital magazines, including Cat Fancy, Animal Wellness magazine, Catnip newsletter (published by Tufts University), Cat Talk, and Pet Product News International. Ramona has written about various topics, including the role and symbolism of the cat in fine arts (art, literature, mythology, film, and history), animal health and welfare, and the pet industry.
Her work has been honored with prestigious awards including the 2016 Cat Writers' Association MUSE Medallion for her book, "Cats for the GENIUS", the 2015 Good News for Pets Human-Animal Bond award, a 2015 MUSE Medallion, 2014 Purina One Health award and numerous Certificates of Excellence annually since 2011.

Writing has been a part of Ramona's life since early childhood. Animal welfare, and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, have also been lifelong passions. After earning a master's degree in education, Ramona taught special education for twenty years in public and private schools.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ For the GENIUS Press (July 14, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1941050409
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1941050408
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.23 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.73 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

About the author

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Ramona D. Marek

Ramona D. Marek

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Welcome to the world of award-winning author, Ramona D. Marek, MS Ed. A world where the arts, culture, history, and lots of fur and purrs come together into the printed word. Her work has been printed in numerous national and international print and digital publications.

With a wide range of interests and writing abilities, Ramona takes joy in investigating the world around her. A life-long animal lover and advocate promoting respect and compassion for sentient, living beings through action and word. She is known as a cat writer, but not to cause a hissy fit, also she also writes about dogs.

Her work has been honored with prestigious awards including:

*2018 recipient for the distinguished Shojai Mentor Award

*2017 Fear Free Pets Award and Cat Writer's Association MUSE Medallion for her article “Fraidy Cat? How to Recognize Signs of Fear, Anxiety and Stress” and a MUSE Medallion for her article, “Make Sure Your Cat’s Microchip Works!” published in Tufts Catnip newsletter

*2016 Cat Writers' Association MUSE Medallion for her book, "Cats for the GENIUS"

*2015 Good News for Pets Human-Animal Bond award; a 2015 MUSE Medallion

*2014 Purina One Health award

*numerous Certificates of Excellence annually since 2011.

Ramona's inspirational Muses are Tsarevich Ivan, a joie de vivre silver tabby Siberian, and Natasha Fatale, a full-time diva dressed as an “anything but plain” brown tabby.

Classic. Eclectic. Felicific. Curious? Learn more at www.RamonaMarek.com

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
23 global ratings
A really helpful book.
5 Stars
A really helpful book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It covers numerous topics from picking out your new kitten or cat to end of life decisions. She provided many useful links that is nice to have in one place instead of having to search the internet for them. I found the section on grief helpful, having just recently lost my senior kitty. I really enjoyed the little sidebar items with anecdotes about the authors cats. If you have a cat or are thinking about getting one, this book is a must have. Five paws up.
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Top reviews from the United States

Edie C
5.0 out of 5 stars A really helpful book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book. It covers numerous topics from picking out your new kitten or cat to end of life decisions. She provided many useful links that is nice to have in one place instead of having to search the internet for them. I found the section on grief helpful, having just recently lost my senior kitty. I really enjoyed the little sidebar items with anecdotes about the authors cats. If you have a cat or are thinking about getting one, this book is a must have. Five paws up.
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Edie C
5.0 out of 5 stars A really helpful book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book. It covers numerous topics from picking out your new kitten or cat to end of life decisions. She provided many useful links that is nice to have in one place instead of having to search the internet for them. I found the section on grief helpful, having just recently lost my senior kitty. I really enjoyed the little sidebar items with anecdotes about the authors cats. If you have a cat or are thinking about getting one, this book is a must have. Five paws up.
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One person found this helpful
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Leela
5.0 out of 5 stars You don't really have to be a genius to enjoy this book
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Well researched and well written, if you are a cat person, you need this book. If you aren't a cat person, this book will make you more cat-conscious than most of your feline-loving friends. You don't really have to be a genius to enjoy this book, but you'd be pretty darn smart to get it. Your cat will thank you for it.
3 people found this helpful
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VMSS
5.0 out of 5 stars Who is the real genius here...you or your cat??
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
I loved this book, my afghan hound and I are owned by 2 beautiful black rescue cats and everyone has benefited from the information in this book. If you are owned by cats, it would be in your best interest to keep this handy for quick reference! Cats rule our lives, you know!!!!
3 people found this helpful
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Howard B. Dickie
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent book on cats. Very helpful and, interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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kittyliterate
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Cat Lovers
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2016
I came out of the womb with one word on my lips: “Cat!” and thus began my life-long affection for/obsession with these four-legged fur-meisters. Over the years, I lived with a half-dozen or more felines; have written nine books about them, and belong to various and sundry cat shelters/organizations. So when a new “Everything you ever want to know about cats” tome gets published, I’m not first in line to scoop it up. “Been there; done that,” has been my attitude.
Until recently, when I lost two senior cats and after some time, adopted two new rescues. It has been 16 years since I had fur youngsters in my care, and I must admit, a refresher course was just what I needed.
Enter Ramona Marek’s Cats for the Genius. This all-inclusive book, with sections on preparing your home for a new cat; melding new kitty with senior kitty, kitty nutrition (what was the kitten eating before you rescued him/her?; deciphering cat food labels; homemade diets; kibble vs. wet food), a comprehensive overview of feline health, challenges, and problems, what to do in an emergency, and great asides and facts and warnings, and more, was the perfect refresher for the things I knew but forgot, and a real eye-opener to new information that I’d never known before and was grateful for learning.
In short, I whole-heartedly recommend this book to read through at your leisure, or to use as an outstanding reference book for all things feline. And more good news: it’s written in an easy to understand, flowing, incicsive manner. I give it a ten. Allia Zobel Nolan, author of Women Who Still Love Cats Too Much; Cat Confessions: A Kitty Come Clean Tell All Book, and dozens more.
2 people found this helpful
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Sal
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Cat Lovers . . . .
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2017
Kudos to Ramona D. Marek for writing such a comprehensive, user-friendly book for people contemplating becoming a cat parent or those of us who have been cat parents for years. It is very well organized and the content in each chapter also contains tips, pictures, anecdotes relating to the specific topic discussed. From preparing to bring a kitty into your home to how to gracefully say good-bye, you'll find it all here. It is a book you can read cover-to-cover or skip around to different sections for specific information. I particularly appreciated the comment in the chapter, "Understanding Feline Behavior" which points out that what appears to be misbehavior on a cat's part is likely due to lack of knowledge of cat behavior on the owner's part. Understanding a cat's behavior provides a good foundation to enjoy them for as long as they are with us. Chapter 17, "A Lifetime of Love" covers an important and often overlooked topic of including pets in one's estate plan or will should the owner predecease their pet(s). After all, they're members of our family and deserve to be taken care of even if we aren't here to do so. Those are just a couple of examples of the "nuggets" in "Cats for the Genius". Every person considering becoming a cat owner or every existing cat owner will benefit by having a copy of this book.
5 people found this helpful
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Marci Koski
5.0 out of 5 stars A complete guide to felines for both new and experienced cat guardians
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2017
Cats for the Genius by Ramona Marek is a fantastic guide for anyone who is interested in cats. Whether you're thinking about getting a cat and need to figure out what kind of kitty will be best for you, or if you've had cats all your life, you will get a lot out of this book! It's organized in sections that make it easy to either read straight through or find just what you're looking for if you have a specific question. My favorite chapter is Chapter 8, Understanding Feline Behavior, because it addresses the most common issues that I see as a behavior consultant: litterbox problems and aggression. Cats for the Genius will help you understand normal feline behavior and why they do the things they do, and how you can shape your cat's environment to help them express normal and healthy behaviors. This is a guide that you'll reference over and over again as a responsible and loving cat guardian!
5 people found this helpful
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Debbie De Louise
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be a Dummy About Cats; Read CATS FOR THE GENIUS
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016
Anyone who has had the pleasure of spending time with a cat will realize these animals are no dummies, and neither will you be after reading CATS FOR THE GENIUS by Ramona D. Marek. An award-winning freelance writer and a member and former director of the Cat Writer's Association as well as a member of the Feline Practitioner's Advisory Council, Marek has published articles for a variety of international print and online pet magazines.

CATS FOR THE GENIUS is a comprehensive book containing 18 chapters divided into 4 parts: Selecting a Cat; Life with Your Cat; Keeping Your Cat Healthy; and Partings. There are also several appendixes that include Helpful Resources, Books, and a cat calendar of special feline dates. Especially helpful are the "light bulb" facts spread throughout each chapter and the summaries at the end. There are also a number of explanatory photos and drawings.

If you'd like to be as informed as a cat expert, you should read CATS FOR THE GENIUS.
7 people found this helpful
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