Tiny But Mighty: Kitten Lady's Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines

This is, hands down, the best book on caring for kittens in existence.It is, in fact, the only book written at a professional level that I have come across on the subject. This is particularly astonishing in an era in which tens of thousands of books are published each year, many on oddly niche subjects (banana recipes! crocheting hyperbolic geometries! facts about cucumbers! knitting with dog hair!). We have an entire genre of books on adorable cat memes but there was, until now, nothing comprehensive on how to rescue and care for wee kittens, nor on how to prevent kitten suffering through TNR. Needless to say, this book steps in to fill a void and will save many lives.(NB: I did not receive anything in return for this review, nor was I asked to write it. I am a completely independent reader.)What you'll find inside: a comprehensive look at the first weeks of a kitten's life, with an excellent and thorough chronological overview of their developmental stages and how to recognize them, as well as information on how the care you need to provide for them changes over time, including really detailed information on the way in which feeding, health support, climate control, socialization, and other supportive care shifts and transforms practically day-by-day, and according to the circumstances and condition that the kittens were in prior to entering your home. If you've just found a shivering kitten under a [fill in sub-optimal, outdoor situation here], this book will tell you exactly how to proceed.The kitten health information summarized in the book is terrific and an excellent example of what makes Tiny But Mighty so important: there is simply nowhere else to go to find it all in one place. The author's overview and discussion of kitten illnesses is particularly valuable: she lists the most common afflictions, their causes, symptoms, &c, and gives you a good sense for prognosis and the best ways to proceed. The poop color wheel mentioned by another reviewer is practical, not to mention reminiscent of Renaissance medical practitioners' urine color wheels (I digress).Ms. Shaw does an excellent job of presenting and explaining concepts to the reader. The case study narratives that are woven throughout the book are not only engaging but edifying: they often convey information that can't be captured in a list of facts. That said, many times a well-organized, easy-to-reference set of facts is *exactly* what one needs, and Tiny But Mighty is full of well-thought-out and organized tables and lists that would have been more difficult to digest from a wall of text alone. The narrative, case study, & table/list combination format is effective and mutually complementary.Another strength is the book's superb photography. The photos are not mere eye-candy: many convey visual information that can't be communicated as well through words alone. It would be great if all of the photographs had captions, however. Only some do, and I was often left wondering if the photograph in question (and its feline subject(s)) corresponded to the text on that particular page.My main wish for a second edition of the book is for a more developed section on Kitten Fading Syndrome. As Ms. Shaw points out, this is a catch-all term for a number of things, or combinations of things, that can cause a kitten's health to quickly spiral downward, and she rightly suggests getting the kitten to a vet as soon as possible. Yet in my own experience, as well as the author's own, many vets just don't know what to do with a sick kitten! The photograph accompanying my review is of a kitten from our second foster litter who had KFS. When she didn't gain weight we rushed her to a vet, whose only suggestion was to try to make her food more palatable by trying a different brand of formula, or by trying to hand-feed her wet food. (The kitten did make it and was happily adopted, despite our blundering efforts!) It would be really great to have a red-tabbed section that a panicked fosterer could turn to for an overview of the factors that *in the author's experience* most frequently contribute to KFS situations and how to respond to them. This would be a supplement to a visit to the vet, not a replacement for the same, but it would go a long way toward answering pressing questions ("What could be happening? What should I look for and what might these signs tell me? What can I do immediately to try to improve the kitten's chances of survival? What questions or ideas can I raise with my vet if she/he is stymied?"). Information directly relevant to these questions is of course woven throughout the book; it would be great to have it in one place, however, for the KFS kitten. This could even just consist of a bit more discussion, or the addition of another excellent table, with references to relevant sections or page numbers.Two other small wish list items: it would be really helpful to know more about how to treat a kitten with severe anemia, since so many of them are flea-infested, and I would love to see really important information on pages of denser exposition printed in bolded font (for example, the sentence in which the author introduces the importance of heating up cold kittens deserves bolded emphasis).These, however, are minor suggestions for a terrific first edition of a book that is certain to become a feline classic. Bravo. Highly recommend.

The media could not be loaded.  We have been looking forward to the release of this book for a very long time. My daughter fosters tiny kittens (in my home) until they are ready to be fixed and adopted, but she is new to this and is still learning. She has twice attended Kitten Konferences at which the Kitten Lady spoke. We have also watched her YouTube videos. So when we heard that the Kitten Lady was going to be releasing a book, we were excited.I don't know what I was expecting, but this book far exceeded all expectations. It is incredibly detailed. At 300+ pages, it will teach you everything you need to know. With this book in hand, you can get started helping this vulnerable community.There are also marvelous photos throughout. I'm attaching a video of one chapter, not so you can read it but so that you can get a real for the format of the book.You may also want to look for the Kitten Lady's Big Book of Little Kittens (release date October 8th). I have an ARC of this oversized and lengthy children's book, and it also far exceeded expectations.

8 pages in and I was already choked up. Not because it was sad... but have you ever read something and known in your core that the author completely understands you? THAT is what I feel as I read through Tiny But Mighty by Hannah Shaw.This Kitten Lady guide is the most informative, detailed, and thorough guide to saving kittens that I have ever read. The balance between information, real-life stories, and fun is perfect, and I will certainly be keeping this in my foster nursery for quick reference!Thank you, Hannah, for writing this book! The hundreds of thousands of kittens that it will help save (and I!) are SO thankful to you!

This book is a fantastic, concise culmination of everything you need to know about kittens. I’ve been doing cat rescue for a few years, and have followed Hannah since the beginning. Her videos have been incredibly informative and the stories of hope and stubbornness in this book reiterate the importance of those attributes in animal rescue. I ordered four copies, and plan on loaning them out in my rescue to whoever needs a helping paw! Jam-packed with knowledge and experience, this book also contains stories of recovery, loss, and joy. If you have ever considered fostering, or have fostered kittens before, this book is a definite must-have!

I pre-ordered this book when visiting Cat Camp in NYC and listening to Kitten Lady speak. Inspiring! I cannot wait to read this BIG book!! It is literally front to back with full pages of life saving knowledge!! I run my own community pet outreach program in Atlanta - TNR is my real passion and befriending my personal feral cat colony. To date, I have never had to rescue neonates without a mom or without having a volunteer who could take them on. Not knowing how to properly care, check and vet them gives me anxiety, but now that I have the Tiny but Mighty bible, I will be ready to save any neonate in need and knowing I have a book full of knowledge, gives me a lot of confidence! If everyone had the tools and knowledge, we can save a lot more kittens - this book is going to make it happen!

An excellent reference book for those who look after orphan neonatal kittens or even queens with their litters. If you have been doing this for a while there probably isn’t much that’s new info for you but if you are a new or one off rescuer you should read this cover to cover and I think every rescue should have a copy of this on hand for reference. This book mainly focuses on specialised care and I wouldn’t consider it “required reading” for those just adopting a kitten of 8 weeks+ but if you are a rescuer you definitely want a copy of this.

The author is passionate and deeply knowledgeable on raising very young kittens. She also covers developmental expectations at various ages and weights - it is a how too for this type of situation. Highly recommended.

Bought this as a requested Christmas gift for an adult cat lover. Still being read - her go to book for lots of useful information, and cheaper than WHSmith

Bought for my fiancée who loves kitten lady and follows her and her fostering adventures online.I have been told she loves the book and is taking her time reading it cover to cover.Now the worry is that at the end of this she will want to foster kittens even more much to the dismay of our two cats.

I've read this cover to cover. Such a great resource for starting out in kitten rescue. Gets into the nitty gritty of some important issues surrounding kittens , including TNR, supporting shelters and much more. Well done Kitten Lady!