Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten is a memoir of Philip Schott’s 30+ years as a small animal veterinarian in Winnipeg, Canada, told in short 3-to-5-page essays. In the author’s own words, it is “a series of snapshots or vignettes…, mixed up with respect to the timeline, and varying in style and content, veering erratically from advice to trivia to stabs at humor to shameless tear-jerking.” It is certainly all of that, colored by the author’s warm personality and sense of humor.
Naturally there are chapters on the life of a vet, like Smelly Pants, about which I need not elaborate, or the funny and informative chapter about doing an ultrasound on a pelican. It is not all fun, though, and The Last Pet gives a very moving picture of the effect of euthanizing a pet on the vet as well as the grieving owners.
There are bits of philosophy involving man and beast, such as the essay Pets Don’t Care, where he reflects on how nice it is to “engage with a living being that is so blithely oblivious to the human news cycle and the traumas our species inflicts on itself.”
There were fun factoids, e.g., approximately 15% of the population is prone genetically to faint at the sight of blood. He even added to my vocabulary with words like “borborygmus”, which are the rumbly and squirty sounds your stomach and intestines make while they are in action.
This book is the third in Schott’s serial memoir, but given the structure there is no reason you cannot begin with this volume. You WILL want to go back and read the earlier books, which I have read and enjoyed as much as I enjoyed this one, and there are no spoilers.
Just as you can read the books out of order, you can also read the chapters out of order or read them a few at a time as an enjoyable diversion.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and ECW Press. My review reflects my honest opinion.
A book to make you laugh and cry!

I have to admit the title and the cute kitten on the cover drew me in to this book – plus I’m a sucker for veterinary and animal stories. I was also totally amused to discover the small kitten in question is named Supercat.

This is the third book veterinarian Phillip Schott has written about his experiences as a small animal vet in Winnipeg and it’s packed full of anecdotes and tales of his patients (and their owners) told with humour, and occasionally self-deprecation, in his chatty, accessible style. He also touches on the challenges faced by vets during the covid pandemic, which those of us with pets needing regular visits to the vet will relate to. A fast enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys animal tales or is wondering about what it would be like to be a vet.

I love vet stories and I loved this one that made me smile and moved. Every story is well told and you can feel the love for the profession and the animals.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I laughed my way through this book. Philipp has a way of telling his vet stories and experiences that really engage the reader.

Phillip Schott is a veterinarian in western Canada, and has treated a variety of different animals. Apparently he has already written two books about his 30 years of experience as a vet. These anecdotes are short, similar to blog posts, and are recommended for those who enjoy short writings about animals, as long as they don't expect James Herriot. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book as much as I loved the other book by Philipp Schott I read, “How to Examine a Wolverine”. The writing is clever and some of it downright funny. I’ve never had pets, but this book was still relevant to me because it’s about people. Philipp Schott is a great writer and he captivated me the whole way through the book. He’s one of those writers, where, when the book is finished, I feel like I lost a friend. The individual stories are short, so I fell into the trap, as I frequently do, of just one more story. It’s never only one more story. The illustrations in the book were very cute so kudos to Brian Gable. I also loved the front cover, so a shout-out to David A. Gee. This book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for the advance reader copy.

Another good collection of stories from Philipp Schott based around his veterinary practice. Some are funny, some touching and I even learned a few things too.

The story about the lion cut was hilarious. I can't believe the owner didn't ask questions. I definitely share his opinion of off-leash dog parks. In theory, they sound great, but too many dogs aren't well socialized and there are too many dangers with unknown dogs running loose and clueless owners not understanding their own dog's limitations.

I appreciated the author's honesty and frankness about his job. This truly is a challenging profession with so much to keep up with. I know I appreciate when my own vet was honest this week on not knowing much about a rare condition one of my cats is currently dealing with. I'd much rather have her research current treatment options rather than guess based on something she vaguely recalls from school. I think too many clients assume their vet should be an expert in all things but no one has the time for that. Books like this are great for reminding clients that their vet is human and has a life outside the clinic. Emotions can be high when handling tough situations with the animals we love.

Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I like reading books about animals and that's why this one caught my eye. This is the third book I've read by this author.

Dr. Schott is a veterinarian in Winnipeg, MB. He has advanced training in diagnostic ultrasound and for the last fifteen years has had the largest ultrasound referral practice in Manitoba. His other special interests in practice are cardiology, oncology and internal medicine. He has also been the chair of the provincial Peer Review Committee (professional discipline) for a number of years.

After reading all his qualifications, you would think that the writing in this book would be stilted and super professional. It was quite the opposite ... I like his writing style as it was mostly amusing and casual. When he did get technical or not for the faint of heart, he gave a head's up and tried to make it as interesting and fun as possible.

The book is full of stories of his experiences, some sad, some strange, most funny, of being a vet and treating various animals, including his experience with a couple farm animals, which is not his forte. He also describes the serious side of being a vet like euthanasia of pets, how COVID affected the vet industry, and more. It was interesting to read the stories about the animals he's helped and get the scoop on what it's like to be a vet.

I love books about animals & I thought this book was great. Will read more by this author. . Highly recommended by me.

Philipp Schott is not James Herriot. This book isn't about creatures great and small in pre-war Yorkshire - but the pets that come in to this Winnipeg clinic are just as entertaining. The kitten of the title didn't want to leave his travelling kennel when he came to be vaccinated - “he opened his mouth so wide when he screamed that his whole face seemed to consist only of mouth, his eyes squeezed shut to little slits.” Plan B, after he had drawn blood, was to upend the pet carrier, but the kitten “starfished” itself across the opening. Plan C called for heavy duty leather gloves to detach the tiny kitten, one paw at a time, from the carrier. “He even fought us going back into the kennel. It was clear he was after a decisive victory, not just an unseemly draw.”

Chico, a little dog, aged 11, about the size of a large cat, nearly toothless, was the victim of a savaging from a big dog. Chico's elderly owners faced the choice of skin grafts (expensive and not locally available), euthanasia (unthinkable), or trusting to makeshift surgery and the healing of time. Five months of daily home care and weekly visits to the vet later, Chico survived. “All his scars were on the outside. On the inside there was only joy.”

Then, there's Rufus. “He was a gorgeous middle-aged longhair cat, and he was a deep orange.” His owner “was an elderly pink-haired woman in a green pantsuit, so she, with carroty Rufus, made a striking pair.” Rufus, however, had a hopelessly matted coat, and grooming was essential. The “Lion cut” proposed by the vet was a mistake – Rufus felt cold and looked ridiculous, but “he looked quite fetching in his midnight black cable-knit sweater, purchased for him from the local pet shop by his remorseful doctor.”

Humour keeps cropping up – the mysterious illness of the dog who kept having seizures and running round in circles was solved when the vet spotted that a claw from the dog's right forepaw was locked in matted fur by the right ear – but in between the tales of pets and their people, Schott flags up some effective campaigns. He's scathing about people who don't believe in vaccination and he's on the side of the animals when it comes to politics - “It is therapeutic to engage with a living being that is so blithely oblivious to the human news cycle.”

He argues for the value of pets to elderly owners – the last years of life are often the loneliest, so “access to ownership of an animal should be made easier then, not more difficult”. A pet can be essential to the well-being of a lonely senior, and he pleads for pet-friendly accommodation for pensioners, a neighbourhood rota of pet-watchers and a register of people prepared to take on a dying owner's pet to ensure that it will go to a welcoming home when the owner passes on. A thoughtful vet indeed.

(This review originally appeared in the Chesil Magazine, Dorset)

I absolutely adored this book. In the early stages of the pandemic, I read a huge range of medical memoirs, but vet memoirs never crossed my mind. But when I saw this, I had to read it. As expected, it's wickedly funny, well written, and paced well, Recommended to fans of the genre.

This book was great it had over 60 heartwarming, funny, and adorable stories about angry pelicans, bug-eyed goldfish, and plenty of cats and dogs…. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The cutest cheeky kitten on the cover made me request this book on NetGalley, was very pleased my request for a ARC was accepted, Thank you here is my fair and honest review.

I really liked the tone the author set in this book, he used funny stories from his many years experience as working as a vet to educate and give factual, helpful information. The writing was conversational in tone, parts were funny, parts were sad, parts were lovely and parts were gross.
I will be honest and say I skipped some parts, there was a icon at the start of each chapter giving you a hint about what animal was going to feature ,I found my skipping to the cat stories, I didn’t skip the other parts because of the writing it was cause am to use the authors term a eccentric cat lady and who really wanted to read the cat parts, of which there is loads all which are purrfect.
Each chapter was a short story, and they could be read as stand alones.
The story featuring the Siamese cat had me crying with laughter…so funny .I liked the touching story of the last pet “rosebud”, I cringed for my own wee cat with the lion cut story, and like the author I have always loved snow leopards so I loved that story but would have loved it even more if there had been pictures.
This book is one that animal lovers will love, it features great cartoon sketches which were a nice touch although would have liked some real pictures in among it.
It’s a good insightful, informative book but first it off it will make you laugh.
This was the first book I have read from the author and I will now look out for his previous work as I really enjoyed this as did my own little “super cat” Alfie

Thank you for the EArc. This author really knows how to pull at the heartstrings. You will laugh and you will cry and unfortunately you will wonder why some of the stories are in the book. Definitely not my favorite of his books but a decent read none the less.

Sweet book. Loved the stories.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I for the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I absolutely loved this book of short essays about life in a busy veterinary practice. The topics are informative, touching, and very often humorous. I loved the books by James Herriot growing up. Dr. Schott's books remind me of them and are just as entertaining!

Overall a very pleasant and interesting read. I particularly enjoyed the tone set by the author- it felt like he was simply regaling me with bits of his life as a veterinarian. As if we were sitting down having tea and pastries as he made me smile, tear up , sigh and even laugh outright at times. Would recommend to all who love and care for their pets or simply those who would enjoy them vicariously.

“Battle Cry of the Siamese Kitten: Even More Tales from the Accidental Veterinarian,” by Philipp Schott, (ISBN: 9781770416697), publication date: 11 October 2022, earns two stars.

This is an honest telling of the happenings of an experienced and witty veterinarian, taking the reader from his early years in school to a thirty-plus career in veterinarian medicine. It is full of wisdom, humor, self-deprecation, and great pet owner tips. Apparently, it is the third in a series book from Dr. Schott.

The book is comprised of over 60 theme-based short stories about everything from a baby snow leopard to a baby newt, but it focuses on dogs and cats and their often-intriguing owners. It certainly won’t win a Pulitzer Prize, but it will make you laugh, feel empathy, and vicariously experience the joy of having a pet of any type in your life. It’s a fun, fast read.

Thanks to the publisher, ECW Press, for granting this reviewer the opportunity to read this Advance Reader Copy (ARC), and thanks to NetGalley for helping to make that possible.