THE CATS OF THISTLE HILL: A Mostly...

THE CATS OF THISTLE HILL: A Mostly Peaceable Kingdom by Roger A. Caras (Fireside: $11; 237 pp., illustrated). A former correspondent for ABC and the 18th president of the ASPCA, Caras lives on a rambling farm in Maryland with a menagerie that includes horses, a llama, a burro and numerous dogs and cats. He deftly uses fond anecdotes to present a serious message: Millions of unwanted animals are killed every year because irresponsible owners refuse to spay their pets. Caras’ insistence that all animals, even physically unprepossessing specimens, deserve to be treated with respect and affection will strike a responsive chord in animal-lovers everywhere.