Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1514598 in Books
• Published on: 1985-03-25
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 222 pages

Customer Reviews

Grandson of the Author: Brian@astroexec.com
Not only is the book entertaining, the man was too. He was a great story teller, and a great patriot. I remember the time he told me about treating a dancing bear in a cage at a bar somewhere in NYC (1930's). He couldn't figure how to get into the cage, administer to bear, and not be mauled. His big idea was to call the zoo and stand by to assist. The zoo sent over a young, slight of build, female veterinarian. She step into the cage, gave the bear a shot you-know-where, and promptly left. He was so entertained by this event. Here he was, a big tough NYC NG Captain/ experienced Vet, and this competent young vet just handed him his hat. Female doctors of any kind where so rare in the 30's, that this young lady from the Bronx Zoo made the moment that much more memorable.

I would go on calls with him, sometimes. One client would be a primadonna in a triplex overlooking Central Park, and the next would be to a waitress living in a one room apartment over a bar working three jobs to feed her 27 cats.

Today he is taking care of heaven's cats.

A touching autobiography and lots of cool cat stories
The late and dearly missed Dr. Camuti talks about his veterinarian practice in the big city, which concentrates on cats but which includes all sorts of other fauna. His stories are as much about the animals' kooky owners as the animals themselves, showing a touching side of wackiness. There are some famous people in here, but plenty of nearly-anonymous commoners as well.

His writing style is approachable and easily read, and the stories are unique -- you won't have seen anything like these elsewhere. This is not your typical "cat stories" book, all treacley and preachy and maudlin. This is a straightforward guy telling straightforward "no [kidding], there I was"-style war stories, and sounding just like a prototypical NYC veterinarian should.

Do be careful about adopting his advice, of course. Nowadays, we know feeding cats only ground beef is Very Bad For Them, and certainly we have no need of quarterly vitamin shots. This is 1950s medicine, with all that entails.

Don't let Dr. Camuti fool you- he's a charmer!
And so are the many cats that populate his memoir. Written in a down-to-earth, practical manner without any of the gushiness that seems to plague most animal-themed stories lately, Dr. Camuti's love and dedication to animals really shines through in this book. His cat stories are colorful and amusing but also very real- not all owners pay attention to his advice or to their cats, not all cats get well- but that realism makes his stories that much more touching. Also worth reading for the glimpse into New York City life at that time period- Dr. Camuti worked with lots of the celebrities of that era (or, should I say, he worked with their cats). I'd buy copies of this book for all my cat-appreciative friends if I could- it's just that good.