Oh, those tiny claws are sharp!
You don’t expect something so small to draw blood, but there it is on the back of your hand. Thankfully the pain is overwhelmed by the big ears and huge eyes and tail like antennas on a car. You fell in love with your kitten one point three seconds after he landed in your hands and in the new book “The Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten” by Philipp Schott, he does more than purr!
Philipp Schott has the best work.
He’s a veterinarian and chief of staff at a pet hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and his days are filled with soft eyes, silky ears, warm purrs, growls, and yelps. Humans are also his customers, and after many years of pet care, he has a few stories…
He writes, for example, about a tiny Chihuahua, something named Chico, who was the victim of “BD-LD”, or big dog (BD) attacking a small dog (LD). Sweet and carefree disposition Chico was with his owners for a daily walk when a large dog approached with intent to kill. Once Chico got to the hospital, Schott saved his life, but later Chico has scars on the outside.
“Inside,” says Schott, “there was only joy.”
Vaccines can be controversial things for some people and, apparently, some animals. Schott writes of a client who “didn’t believe” in having her dog vaccinated, even though she explained the risks. Then there was the German Shepherd which required three staff members and twenty minutes for a four second procedure. Schott writes about a kitten named Emily who didn’t care about Manitoba’s COVID rate or that she was a male cat. Schott dispenses advice for humans caught in the ‘Cat Wars’, he explains why obsessive licking is sometimes a
good thing for your pet, he reflects on how several jobs are similar to being a veterinarian, and writes about the easy fixes: They don’t happen much, but when they do, it’s magical.
Quick: What’s cuter than a fluffy pet? Not much, that’s a fact, but the stories within “The Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten” come pretty close.
A few pages into this book and you can probably imagine how much fun it could be to have author Philipp Schott at a cocktail party.
Here he tells a very sweet story about the owner of a rabbit and a rabbit camera because you can’t be too sure. She writes fondly of the “Cat Ladies” over there, along with plenty to keep feline owners happy. Tales of dogs, he checks. And human foibles go hand-in-hand with animal stories in this book, as Schott seems wonderfully, perfectly willing to tell even about himself.
These are super short anecdotes that are very long for endearment, with subtle advice tucked away in the tales, a few LOLs thrown in for good measure, and the occasional tear. Animal lovers 13 and older will want to curl up with “The Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten.” Don’t wait to get your claws on it.
“The Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten” by Philipp Schott, DVM
c.2022, ECW Press $17.95 280 pages
