Spadafori Gina - Cats For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Our first thanks must be to the many experts who read over our shoulders and made suggestions that helped us realize our dream of making Cats For Dummies a complete, cutting-edge reference that will improve the lives of cats and those who love them. William G. Porte, MBA, DVM, of Sacramento Veterinary Surgical Services, repeated his role from Dogs For Dummies and Birds For Dummies as our lead technical reviewer and again brought his keen observations to bear on the text.

To date only a few dozen board-certified feline practitioners are in the United States and Canada, and we are thankful to have had two of them review parts of this book: Margaret A. Scherk-Nixon, DVM, Diplomate, ABVP, of Cats Only in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadas Veterinarian of the Year for 1997; and Alice M. Wolf, DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM, Diplomate, ABVP, of the Texas A&M Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine and one of two lead consultants for the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). Two other colleagues contributed greatly to this book: Monica M. Mastin, DVM, head of VIN database services, and Stuart W. Turner, DVM, an emergency-care practitioner at the Solano Pet Emergency Clinic in Cordelia, California.

Other veterinarians who helped us include David Bruyette, DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM, chief of staff of the VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital and the other lead consultant for VIN; James H. Sokolowski, DVM, Ph.D., Professional Services Manager, Waltham USA, Inc.; Duncan Ferguson, VMD, PhD, Diplomate, ACVIM, Diplomate, ACVCP, Professor, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Physiology, the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine; Roger Gfeller, DVM, Diplomate, ACVECC, chief of staff of the Veterinary Emergency Service, Inc., Fresno, California; Gary Landsberg, DVM, Doncaster Animal Clinic, Thornhill, Ontario; Ilana Reisner, DVM, Ph.D, Diplomate, ACVB of Ithaca, New York; and David Aucoin, DVM, Diplomate, ACVCP, Director, Veterinary Services, for Innovative Veterinary Diets.

We also wish to thank feline behaviorist Steve Aiken, Melinie diLuck of the Happy Tails Cat Sanctuary in Sacramento, California, Dusty Rainbolt and Michael Brim of the Cat Fanciers Association, as well as researchers Janine Adams and Audrey Pavia. Kirsten Baitis was invaluable in helping us with the final stages of the manuscript.

The contributions of illustrator Jay Gavron are always eye-catching, and were still smiling at Rich Tennants The 5th Wave cartoons. We still cant believe our good fortune at having Lilian Jackson Braun write our foreword, and we cant thank her enough for her generosity.

The staff at Wiley has to have one of the biggest concentrations of cat lovers at any company in the world. Thanks to Publisher Dominique Devito and the rest of the acquisitions staff Tracy Boggier, Scott Prentzas, Nikki Moustaki. Thanks to Pam Mourouzis, Keith Peterson, and Tina Sims in Editorial for their work on this edition, and to Jennifer Ehrlich and William Barton, who shepherded through the original manuscript. Others who deserve mention are Angie Hunckler, Patricia Pan, and Regina Snyder.