Steve Dale’s Good Cat!

Pet expert extraordinaire, Steve Dale a syndicated columnist; TV, radio and podcast host; pet advocate and certified animal behavior consultant is known to millions of pet lovers. Recently, Dale published his first series of eBooks, including Good Dog! Practical Answers to Behavior Questions and Good Cat! Practical Answers to Behavior Questions, for the ePublishing division of TMS.

For the man with all the answers, I had some questions. His publicist send me a copy of the Good Cat! eBook and set up a time for an interview. I called Steve at home and a man with a cold answered. Anyone on radio or TV has to project a lot of energy and two seconds after hearing his hoarse hello, I abandoned my plan. “Let’s cut this short,” I suggested. “I don’t want to do a normal interview.” It must have worked because over an hour later, we’d happily zigzagged all over the map and we both felt more energized veering off the path less traveled on.

Dale, open and generous said, “Ask me anything.” He spoke candidly on and off the record. He’s a charming mix of exuberant confidence without the arrogance. He is one of the co-founders of the CATalyst Council, sits on the board of directors of the Winn Feline Foundation the American Humane Association, and the Tree House Humane Society. In February, Dale will be honored as the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Dog Writers Hall of Fame. He was almost as excited about, “59 across!” his name being part of a recent TV Guide crossword puzzle. I’ll be honoring Dale with a separate profile at Cat Wisdom 101 in February.

Steve Dale’s new book Good Cat! begins with a brilliant message from the inimitable Betty White, who at 90, is a passionate animal advocate and my role model. Dale, equally in awe of her said, “She didn’t have to write that for me.”

Good Cat! is a compilation of topics in a Q and A format with chapter titles in Dale’s signature wit like:Training your Kitten: Practice makes Perfect; It’s possible to train cats, more possible they will train you; Let’s Party – Play is every cat’s Passion; Cat

Scratching in all the Right Places; The Litter Box; Fastidious Felines, Habits, Compulsions; and Cats Have Senior Moments, Too.

The topics are covered by with skill and aplomb by Steve Dale and a selection of other cat experts including Pam Johnson-Bennett, Dr. Sheldon Rubin, Amy Shojai, and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins.

Whether you’re a newbie cat lover or seasoned pro, you’ll learn something new about cats. The comprehensive list of resources are an added bonus.

Steve Dale’s good cat, a cute Devon Rex named Roxy graces the title page of chapter four. All the other cat photos in the book are by Glenn Kaupert.

For the price a latte you can have lasting wisdom and a few chuckles.

Visit Steve Dale and like Good Cat on Facebook.

“Good Cat!” by Steve Dale; Winter 2011; ISBN-13: 978-1-930645-01-1

• Kindle ($2.99 at amazon)
• iPad ($2.99 on iTunes)
• Nook ($2.99 on Barnes & Noble)
• Kobo ($2.99 on Kobo)