‘Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made a slave of the leash.
That one is the cat.
If man could be cross with the cat it would improve the man,
but it would deteriorate the cat.’
Mark Twain
Hi everyone and a very warm welcome to all the newbies that have joined us since the last Mewsletter went out.
It is roasting here in the UK although – as is our custom – rain is set to take over for a few days. Casey and Gibbs spend all day every day out on the newly finished decking and they’ve been watching Lawrence as he goes about other outdoor jobs. He made them their very own ‘clubhouse’ which Casey writes about in his column – details of which are further down in the Mewsletter.
Fleas. Nasty little critters. I’ve been bitten to bits this year. In all the years of having cats, rarely have I been the dish de jour for fleas. This year, I’ve suffered. Frontline drop on flea treatment DOES NOT WORK. The vets will tell you it doesn’t work yet it still promotes itself as the best thing since sliced bread. What are your remedies? Do you have any tried and tested remedies that keep the little varmints at bay? For the cat as well the home and human? I’d be grateful for any and all suggestions. Casey and Gibbs will be going to the vets this month: Casey for his annual injection and Gibbs to begin his first course of injections. I’ll get them wormed while I’m there and tackle the thorny issue of fleas. It is driving me crazy.
Thank you to everyone who sent me either e-greetings, birthday wishes on Facebook or Twitter, and even real birthday cards through the post! My birthday was a jolly occasion celebrated by being weighed at ‘Wobbly Wonders’; doing the weekly shop at Tescos, followed by lunch in Frankie and Benny’s and a movie at Lawrence’s house – Burnt – starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. A good day, thank you. Casey even sat near me and kneaded my thigh as an extra special present!
ON WITH THE MEWS:
We have a packed Mewsletter this time around so pull up a pew, plonk the cat on your lap, grab your choice of refreshment and enjoy. Feedback – as always, is welcome. Good, bad or indifferent!
First of all, I have a huge announcement to make. No, really, it’s HUGE!!!
We’re dispensing with the competitions (Book Quiz and Caption Competition) this month and in their place we have a Music Quiz. To be exact, Tigger – the Cosmopolitan Cat has written a fantastic quiz and all the answers are song titles with cats or felines in the title. Head over quickly (but come back again to finish reading the Mewsletter!) to this link, get the titles, send me your answers and the first correct one will have a FREE, autographed copy of Tigger’s lovely book by Susanne Haywood. What are you waiting for – hop to it!
Tigger’s amazing cosmopolitan feline song competition
Send your answers to pauline@thedailymews.comby 20th September.
Huge thanks to Susanne Haywood, Tigger’s ‘Mum’ for helping Tigger to set this up.
15 CATS AND MEOWING:
As you know Ellen wrote very movingly last time about losing three of her cats within a few short months. Amazingly, a new chap on the block has made his home with her and his name is Brody. Welcome Brody.
AMAZING CATS:
Qrfluffl (pronounced ‘Kerfuffle’) is a Pomeranian who saved the life of his feline ‘sibling’. For the purpose of this piece, Qrfluffl is awarded the title of honorary feline!
BOOK QUIZ:
Thank you to all who took part. Jared Kline in Belgium was the outright winner getting all titles correct. The Book Quiz and Caption Competition are having a break this month so that Tigger’s Music Quiz can have the lion’s share of the entries. (see above) Both will be back next month. The answers to the last quiz can be found here:
CAPTION COMPETITION:
Gibbs in his box didn’t inspire many of you this month but we do have a winner folks. Well done to Dale, in the US for his winning entry. To see all the captions – and Dale’s winner – please click on the link:
CAT CHAT:
We all know how hard it is to let a beloved cat go; each one of us here has experienced the devastating agony of loss. If that cat had been your only cat, there is a sense of being unfaithful if you then decide to introduce a new cat into your life. Aoife McCann, who lost her wonderful Pookie back in April this year, has written on the highs and lows (and there aren’t too many lows, thank goodness) of dipping her toe in the water of being a cat guardian again.
CHARITIES AND RESCUE CENTRES:
The PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) is almost 100 years old. Began in 1917 as the vision of one extraordinary woman, Maria Elisabeth Dickin, last year it helped over 470,000 of the UK pets in its pet hospitals.
DEZI AND RAENA – SERVICE CATS:
Do you know when your kitten is teething? Did you know that they come with milk teeth that are replaced by their adult teeth? Dezi’s new little ‘sisfur’ is slowly settling into the routine of becoming a service cat but Mommy Audra is remembering what it’s like for a kitten to go through teething.
CASEY’S CHATS:
Casey and Gibbs are spending a lot of time in the garden so ‘Dad’ made them their very own clubhouse.
DENVER:
Denver knows that something strange is going on in his house, but he can’t quite work it out.
DUMPTY’S DINNER DATES:
This month Dumpty writes about a shameless feline who seduced the ladies with his fine vocal renditions.
Mikey – all you can eat bin diver
FELINE FITNESS:
Do you know how to introduce a new cat to your other cat? There are a few guidelines which will make it stress-free and less painful.
Meet and greet: cat introductions
With the summer in full flow now, many people suffer with various allergies – usually hayfever, or to the pollen or grass. But what if you’re allergic to your cat??
FLOOT: THE BLUE-EYED CAT:
Floot seems to live life on the edge in Thassos, the Greek Island. Visitors provide much merriment and mischief and spooky goings-on make everyone jump!
Snakes alive and other carry-ons
FRONT PAGE MESSAGE:
Despite petitions and more awareness, animal cruelty doesn’t seem to be happening any less. My homepage message is – on the Home Page. Go to www.thedailymews.com and scroll down a little bit.
INDY – WEIGHT-LOSS CAT:
Indy has given us 8 good tips for getting that weight down. Might try a few myself!
Make kitty happy, lose that weight
JEM VANSTON:
Those of us that are besotted with cats and all things feline (this can include the larger cats: lions, tigers, etc) will probably collect cat ornaments throughout our lives. I’ve got a lot of cat ornaments that I’ve collected and other people have sent to me. Jem has written a jolly interesting article about cat collectables which you’ll like.
Cat collectables and ‘cat-iques’
KITTEN CARE:
Grooming your kitten right from the start – even if he has short fur – is the best way to get him used to being handled. It gives you the opportunity to check him over for any lumps and bumps.
LINKS:
A hospital in Romford, Essex, allowed a dying woman’s cat in to her room so that she could say goodbye. This is a beautiful story of Patch, a ginger and white cat, being allowed into the hospital so that he can say goodbye to his owner, Gladys Wray, who was dying of lung cancer. An hour later, Gladys died, happy that she’d been able to see Patch and spend a bit of time with him.
Although animals are not allowed into hospitals for hygiene reasons, would you want to be able to say ‘goodbye’ to your cats or dogs?
Hot on the heels of the Olympics in Rio and just before the Paralympics begin come the Cat Olympics – you’ll love this:
Chloe Bloom contacted me recently with a link about passive smoking and our pets. As someone who mentions this now and again, passive smoke is just as dangerous for our pets as it is for humans, and more vets are seeing different cancers in all our domestic animal companions.
https://quitza.com/awareness/smoke-free-pets
MOET’S MEWSINGS:
Moet’s article this month is heart-breaking. Oman – where Moet lives – does not have any animal welfare and as a result, pet shops keep animals in appalling conditions. It’s not helped when ex-pats return to wherever they lived before, because many of them just turn their pets out on the streets to fend for themselves.
There is a donation link at the end of the article where you can make a donation to help these animals. Thank you on behalf of Moet, her Mum, Emily and the cats and dogs of Oman.
NAPPING ON A SUNBEAM:
Once again, a heart has been broken, and a beautiful feline has gained his wings and is now running free at Rainbow Bridge. Sue Fallon has written a lovely tribute to her senior kitizen, Mischief who was 17 years old.
OTHER MEWSINGS:
I read Your Cat magazine each month and often ask the editor, Chloe Hulkin, for permission to include an article or story on the website. Fortunately for me, she usually agrees. This month, I was very lucky to get permission to publish this very moving true story written by Peter Glover:
And that just about wraps it up for this month. See? I said it was packed!
Enjoy the last days of summer. I was horrified a few weeks ago (before my birthday which is mid-August) to see Christmas stuff in some shops – in August! What are your thoughts on that?
Take care and until the next time,
Keep safe.
Love Pauline – Editor
Casey – Editor’s Chief Assistant and Editorial Advisor on all things Feline
Gibbs – Newly promoted to Feline Tester of New Things that Dad Makes
xx
Dogs Come when Called
"Dogs come when called. Cats take a message and get back to you."
"Of course, every cat is really the most beautiful woman in the room."
Edward Verrall Luca (essayist)