Like Passages, this groundbreaking book uses the poignant, powerful voices of adoptees and adoptive parents to explore the experience of adoption and its lifelong effects. A major work, filled with astute analysis and moving truths.

Certified cat behavior consultant Laura Cassiday used her extensive experience working at the Maryland SPCA to help her write the definitive guide book for anyone who has recently adopted (or is considering adopting) a new cat. Using input and interviews from over 40 shelter and rescue organization experts, this book covers every topic and question a new cat owner will need to know to successfully integrate their new cat into their home and life. Topics covered include: Choosing the correct cat for your home and lifestyle What to do if you’ve found a stray cat or kittens Becoming a cat foster parent Bringing your new cat home: supplies, safe spaces, and introductions Cat nutrition Grooming and shedding Cat health care Troubleshooting problems Litter Boxes Issues Destructive Scratching Biting and Aggression Fear and Anxiety Nuisance Behaviors (Counter Surfing, Excessive Meowing, and More) Carrier Training Giving Medication Playtime and enrichment Senior Cat care So you’ve decided to adopt a cat. Easy, right? You just go to the closest shelter, pick out the cute, fluffy orange one, and live happily ever after. Although this is exactly what goes through the minds of many would-be cat adopters, picking out your new best friend can be a little more complicated. I mean, if you get a kitten, you’re looking at a 15-20 year commitment. I once had one of my cats live to be 27! And what happens if they don’t like your other pets? Or your kids? Even worse, what if they stop using their litter box? And how often do cats even need to go to the vet, anyway? Even for impulsive people like myself, you have to at least put a little bit of thought into it. That’s where this book comes in. It’s a comprehensive guide to all things cat adoption. If you don’t know where to start, this is a good place. If you’ve just brought your new kitty home and have questions, we’ll cover that too. Even if you’ve already had a cat for a while, you’re guaranteed to learn something new. So grab your catnip and feather wand, and let’s get started!

Your dream of being a parent can come true. The Complete Adoption Book is your indispensable resource along the way. Whether you choose to pursue independent, agency, or international adoption, The Complete Adoption Book is the most comprehensive and authoritative adoption book you can use to guide you through the process—from deciding if adoption is right for you to budgeting your expenses and interviewing birth mothers. As adoption professionals and adoptive parents, authors Laura Beauvais-Godwin and Raymond Godwin bring an unparalleled level of expertise and compassion to every situation an adopting parent is likely to encounter. The information provided in The Complete Adoption Book includes: *Information about every kind of adoption—from family adoption to independent and from agency to international *All contact information required for agencies, attorneys, and support groups *State-by-state requirements for completing legal adoptions *A step-by-step guide to the home study The Complete Adoption Book puts control back in your hands and places you on the right track for securing the family you’ve always wanted quickly, legally, and with few complications.

Explores the obstacles and issues that adoptees, orphans, and foster children face when they have been separated from a parent or denied the right to know their origins

A mother talks to her child about what life was like before the child was adopted from Russia, and what life is like now.

While books about adoption proliferate, none of them addresses the subject of open and interracial adoption like Jana Wolff's personal and frank account does in [i]Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother[/i]. Often irreverent, always insightful, surprisingly funny and stunningly honest, [i]Secret Thoughts[/i] tells it like it is: How it feels for a woman to look nothing like her child and to know the woman who does. This fiercely honest and funny book answers questions no one dares to ask: What if I don't like the child I get? Will she want the baby back? If this is the happiest day of my life, why am I so sad? Am I too white for a kid this black? Chapter titles include: The Myth of Bliss, Friendly Racism, Meeting Your Child's Mother, and Adopted Poop Doesn't Smell Any Different.

This book provides a ringing endorsement of international adoption based on comprehensive evidence from social and biological sciences paired with the author's first-hand experience visiting a Kazakhstani orphanage for nearly a year. A balanced account of the evidence supports international adoption as a viable means of promoting child welfare.