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It's National Cat Day!

Do you love cats? If so, then today's your day! It's National Cat Day on October 29! National Cat Day brings awareness to the countless number of cats in shelters who need a forever home. So if you're thinking of adding a fur baby to your family, check out these books from our pet collection! And consider adopting your four-legged friend from a local rescue like the Michigan Orphan Kitten Rescue!

For fans of Grumpy Cat and Cats on Instagram there's a new cat in town--Bailey, No Ordinary Cat--of the Facebook name, is a special cat with a growing fan base, garnering over 2 million views on Ellen's Instagram and videos that have been shared by Good Morning America, ABC News, CBS News, and more. What makes Bailey more addictive than catnip? In addition to his adorable expressions and his hilarious, heartfelt antics, Bailey has a penchant for doing things that are characteristically uncatlike--things like taking bubble baths (and enjoying them), sitting attentively in a chair and being read to (for hours), getting a pet -icure, and his unending patience while co-raising his human siblings Abby and Hannah (yes, there is photographic evidence that Bailey helped with potty-training). If you have a cat you know how independent they are. Bailey, No Ordinary Cat celebrates the unique quirky spirit of this unforgettable feline through four-color photographs and captions from the voice of Bailey himself. Cat lovers will be delighted to peek into the life of their favorite celebrity cat with the huge eyes, huge heart, and huge personality--and an ever-growing following.

We learn so much from our feline friends, and along the way they keep us company, provide unconditional love, and share in the ups and downs of our lives. What do we learn from our cats? Everything. Our cats make us better people. If we rescued them, they rescue us back. If we're sad, they comfort us. If we need to have more fun, they show us how. They are our therapists, our role models, and our best friends. You'll laugh a lot, tear up at times, and nod your head in recognition as you read these tales about the wonderful experience of sharing life with a cat. Life lessons from our cats come in many forms, from the hilarious to the heroic. You'll enjoy a wide variety in these 101 entertaining stories.

Cat behavior is no longer a mystery with this handy guide to feline friendships. What does it mean when your cat hides in the laundry basket or wags her tail at you? What about when she kneads your leg or dilates her pupils? The Purrfect Guide to Thinking Like a Cat gets right to the point and explains the meaning of your cat's behavior in a straightforward manner. The book contains sections devoted to reading your cat's body language, how to create a comfortable home environment, medical issues, socializing your cat with other animals, and more. 

Get Ready For Your New Best Friend. If you're longing for the pitter-patter of four furry feet, you have some homework to do. When new cat owners aren't prepared, it's the cat who suffers, so it's very important to consider all angles of cat care and ownership before making the commitment. This book starts with the process of selecting a suitable cat for your home and lifestyle and goes on to discuss the present and future requirements of feeding, grooming, training, healthcare, and much more to fully educate prospective new cat owners.

Celebrate the human-feline bond with all its joys, mysteries, and life-changing moments. Gwen Cooper--author of the blockbuster bestseller Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life With a Blind Wonder Cat--returns with the ongoing adventures of her much-beloved, world-famous fur family. Ideal for new readers and longtime fans alike, this memoir told in eight purr-fect cat stories is filled with all the humor and heart Gwen's devoted readership has come to know and love. Raised in a dog-loving family, Gwen never pictured herself as a "cat person."  But from the very first feline she adopted--an adorable five-week-old rescue kitten, slow to learn how to trust after life on the streets--Gwen was smitten.  Eventually one rescue kitten became five, and all the ups and downs of a life with cats are lovingly depicted here: From the obsessive cat who teaches himself to play fetch and demands it morning, noon, and night from his hapless human mom; to the crafty white beauty who raises outside-the-litter-box thinking to the level of an art form; to the routine vet trip that turns into a hijinks-filled misadventure on the streets of Manhattan with three (VERY cranky!) felines in tow. And Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat himself, returns triumphant in new tales of life and love after worldwide fame. Sure to be treasured by cat lovers everywhere, My Life in a Cat House will leave you laughing out loud, shedding an occasional tear, and hugging your own cat a little bit closer.  Read and rejoice!

Have you ever wondered what your cat is saying? Cats do not meow randomly, nor do they growl or hiss because they have nothing better to do. Cat sounds have a purpose, and they can carry important messages, whether for us or other cats. 
Susanne Schötz is hard at work on breaking the cat code. She is a professor at Lund University in Sweden, where a long-standing research program is proving that cats do actually use vocal communication--with each other and with their human caretakers. Understanding the vocal strategies used in human-cat communication will have profound implications for how we communicate with our pets, and has the potential to improve the relationship between animals and humans within several fields, including animal therapy, veterinary medicine and animal sheltering. In The Secret Language of Cats, Schötz offers a crash course in the phonetic study of cat sounds. She introduces us to the full range of feline vocalizations and explains what they can mean in different situations, and she gives practical tips to help us understand our cats better. 

Cats on catnip by photographer Andrew Martilla

A humorous collection of dozens of photos of funny and adorable cats as they play with, roll in, and chow down their favorite snack of choice -- catnip.Cats love catnip. Whether it's eating it, playing with it, or rolling around in it, catnip turns our domestic feline friends into hilarious balls of activity. Carefree and unconstrained, they are free to be silly, exceptionally playful, and downright gnarly. Professional pet photographer and self-confessed crazy cat man Andrew Marttila (the photographer behind Shop Cats of New York) captures a range of the cats' silly and expressive personalities as they react to their catnip trip. Delightful, elegant Fluffy transforms into a hell-bent renegade. Shy, reserved Mittens becomes a free-loving acrobat. In the blink of an eye, a cat's expression transforms from bored to inquisitive to playful to curious to bizarre . . . to utterly unhinged. A fun and delightful look at our furry companions, this gift book is perfect for every cat lover.