"A Plume book."

1. Big Choice: Deciding Which Pet Is for You 1 -- Establishing Your Pet Compatibility Ratio 1 -- What to Consider When Choosing a Pet 3 -- What to Do If an Adopted Pet Is Not Working Out 23 -- 2. Home Is Where Your Pets Are: Living Comfortably with an Animal in a House or Apartment 25 -- Welcome Home 25 -- Making New Pets Feel Wanted 25 -- Making Your Home Safe for a Pet and Making a Pet Safe for Your Home 27 -- Laying Down the Rules of the House 35 -- Honoring an Animal's Rights of Privacy 38 -- Choosing the Right Toys 38 -- Protection in Times of Natural Disaster for Pets 39 -- Most of All, Have Fun 40 -- 3. Children and Pets 41 -- Foremost Concerns 41 -- Matching the Right Pet to the Right Child 43 -- Temperament 43 -- Age 44 -- Helping Pets Deal with Children 50 -- Getting It Right: A How-to List for Children Taking Care of Pets 52 -- Recognizing When Children and Pets Aren't Working Out 56 -- Go with the Flow 57 -- 4. Traveling with Your Pet 59 -- This Chapter's Time Has Come 59 -- A Word of Warning on Cats and Travel 63 -- Traveling by Car 63 -- Traveling by Plane 68 -- Shipping a Pet 73 -- Boarding Your Pet at a Kennel 73 -- Choosing the Right Pet Sitter 76 -- 5. Keeping Your Pet Healthy 78 -- Overseeing Your Pet's Health 78 -- Finding a Veterinarian 82 -- Working with Your Veterinarian 85 -- Financial Concerns and Pet Insurance 86 -- Warning Signs: When to Take Your Pet to the Veterinarian 87 -- Getting to Know Your Pet's Medications 90 -- Scheduling Regular Checkups 91 -- ABCs of Emergency Care 97 -- Pet Care for the Changing Seasons 104 -- Special Health Concerns for the Older Pet 105 -- 6. Saying Good-bye: Grieving for a Pet 108 -- Grief: The Universal Human Emotion 108 -- Stages of Grief 109 -- Giving Yourself Permission to Grieve 111 -- Ways of Saying Good-bye 114 -- Methods of Burial and Disposal 116 -- ABCs of Grief Work 118 -- When Mourning Becomes Too Painful 122 -- Grief Counseling 124 -- Helping Children Grieve for a Pet 125 -- 7. People's Best Friend: Caring for Your Dog 128 -- Origins of the Noble Dog 128 -- A Primer of Canine Behavior 129 -- Dog Breeds in a Nutshell 132 -- A New Puppy in the House 138 -- Puppy's First Few Days at Home 141 -- Feeding a New Puppy 143 -- Step-by-Step Paper Training and Housebreaking 146 -- Dog Grooming 101 149 -- Feeding and Nutrition 153 -- Breaking Bad Habits, Teaching Good Ones 157 -- Maintaining Your Dog's Good Health 165 -- Other Important Health Concerns for Dogs 172 -- Tips to Keep Your Dog in Top Physical Condition 175 -- 8. Caring for Your Cat 179 -- Your Mysterious Houseguest 179 -- A Primer of Cat Behavior 180 -- Cat Breeds in a Nutshell 183 -- Choosing the Right Cat 189 -- A New Cat in Your Home 191 -- Basic Cat and Kitten Care 194 -- Feline Nutrition 199 -- Secrets of Good Feline Grooming 203 -- Basic Training for Your Cat 208 -- Keeping Your Cat Well and Healthy 212 -- Common Feline Diseases 217 -- Further Cat Concerns 224 -- 9. Small Furry Animals 230 -- Owning a Small Animal 230 -- Hamsters 230 -- Gerbils 238 -- Rabbits 244 -- Guinea Pigs 253 -- Ferrets 262 -- Rats 270 -- Mice 276 -- 10. Birds 284 -- What Kind of Bird Do I Want? 284 -- Types of Pet Birds 290 -- Housing for Pet Birds 302 -- Food and Nutrition 304 -- Art and Science of Bird Care 306 -- Keeping Your Bird Healthy and Fit 316 -- Common Bird Ailments 320 -- 11. Fish 324 -- Subtle Magic of the Fish Tank 324 -- Setting up the Aquarium 325 -- Art and Science of Adding Fish to a Tank 340 -- Feeding Time 342 -- Choosing Fish for an Aquarium 344 -- Maintaining the Health of Your Fish 354 -- 12. Reptiles and Amphibians 362 -- Why Keep Reptiles or Amphibians as Pets? 362 -- Reptiles 366 -- Amphibians 400.