“I have studied many philosophers and many cats.  The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”

French philosopher Hippolyte Adolphe Taine

 

Hi everyone and welcome to the first Mewsletter of the New Year.  Apologies for the confusion in sending out a Scratching Post with a Mewsletter heading from December – midmonth.  This is the Mewsletter and I do hope you enjoy it. And a warm welcome to the newbies that have joined us recently. 

What do you think of the wonderful Valentine’s Day slant that Aida Marina has put on the Daily Mews logo? Great, isn’t it? Thank you, Aida.

January is named after the two-headed god, Janus; one head looks back, and the other looks forward.  January is traditionally a month for new beginnings; it’s the beginning of a new year and also a time when we often make resolutions – which may, or may not – last anything from an hour to a month, or a lifetime if we really get stuck in.  Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? If your cat(s) were to make any, what do you think they would try to achieve throughout 2017?

I think, for a lot of people, losing weight is the main goal.  Whether it’s for a summer holiday, or a wedding or just to feel healthier, it’s a problem that many of us face at some time in our lives.  And not just us humans.  Felines (and canines) can pile on the pounds through no fault of their own.  We eat badly, we give our naughty food to our pets and then because we don’t exercise, neither do they.

We, here at the Daily Mews office have been donning our lycra leggings, our sweatbands and trying to tuck our bellies into our boots in a bid to get fit.  Casey and Gibbs have put their heads together and have come up with a plan which they’ll reveal in their new column.

I’ve had a weight problem for the last 23 years and Casey is exhibiting a little bit of extra ‘fur’ around his middle.  He came to me with a solution recently.  He would help me lose my weight if I helped him regain his svelte shape – it’s a win-win situation.  I’ve created a new section called ‘Fighting the Flab the Feline Way’ which will be in the humour section.  The reason it’ll be in there and not in the Feline Fitness section is because it will be written by cats – and we all know that cats have a wicked sense of humour.  So, if you or your cat have a weight problem, and you think you could help each other to shed a few pounds or kilos, then you’ve come to the right place.

We already have ‘lured’ some of Team TDM (The Daily Mews) members to join us and you’ll hear from Bumble in her bid to get her Dad, Jem Vanston, back on track, and Dumpty, Gabion and Chav Cat as they try the impossible: slim down their Staff in time for a cruise in August and Ellen (15 cats and counting) is working out with her cat Phoebe.

I don’t need to see pictures of you – but it would be nice to see pictures of your cats. They will write the piece from their point of view – it can be a one-off piece or an ongoing series keeping us informed of the progress you’re making.  The only main criteria is that it is funny.  If  you’re not sure if it is funny enough, send me a sample of your intended article and I’ll let you know.  And there is absolutely no judgement here – being overweight is not something to be ashamed of but with your cat(s) on your side, you’ll soon be in that swimsuit for the summer.

If your cat(s) would like to help you lose weight, do get them to write to us and we’ll add them to the list.  We’ll do monthly updates until we are fed up with trying!  

February is also the month of love and we have some lovely pieces from our resident team of writers for you to enjoy.  You may not have any spare money but a smile costs nothing.  Or give someone a hug.

ON WITH THE MEWS:

AMAZING CATS:

Really, this heading should be ‘Amazing Dad’ because Darren Bailey is one amazing human being.  Ceci, is the little kitten that he rescued – and later adopted – and this is an introduction to her amazing story.  They have a Facebook page – the link is at the bottom of the article.

Ceci – the blind kitten

DEZI AND RAENA - AMAZING SERVICE CATS:

Dezi has written about love as we’re approaching Valentine’s Day, and the legacy that her sisfur Lexi left her and her Mommy Audra:

She left us with love

BOOK QUIZ:

Congratulations to Susanne Haywood of the UK who was first with all the correct authors to the December book quiz.  Well done, Susanne.

To see the answers, please click here:

For this month’s book quiz, please click here:

Book Quiz February

Please send your answers by 20th March to pauline@thedailymews.com.

BOOK REVIEWS:

I have recently read one of the most life-affirming books I’ve ever read in my life.  I guarantee you will be hooked from the first page.

Call of the Cats: What I Learned about Life and Love from a Feral Colony by Andrew Bloomfield

CAPTION COMPETITION:

December’s caption competition produced some very good responses – but Helen Gale in the UK just narrowly pipped a few others to the post.  Well done, Helen. Here’s a list of all the captions:

Caption Competition 63

Now see what you can come up with for this month’s caption competition.  Entries, please, by 20th March to pauline@thedailymews.com  - no more than five entries.

Caption Competition 64

My thanks to Earla Hollow in the US for her picture of GrayC the cat having a faceoff with Tucker the puppy.

If you’d like your cat to feature in a future Caption Competition, please send me a good clear photo to the usual address.

CAT QUESTIONS FOR SQUIRT:

Squirt was indisposed this month so Casey and Gibbs rallied to the cause and answered Dumpty’s question. 

Dumpty’s Valentine’s Day Dilemma

FELINE FITNESS:

Have your kitties been listless, depressed, sleeping more than usual? Believe it or not, they can get something similar to the human illness SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder) and the symptoms are very much like the ones we might exhibit.  So, what can you do to help your kitty feel less depressed during the winter months?

SAD

Sally Edwins wrote a piece a month or so back and I gave the link to the website the article was on, because it was rather long.  She subsequently edited it and now you can read it in the Feline Fitness section:

A crash course on cat food

FIGHTING THE FLAB THE FELINE WAY:  our new column where felines help their humans to lose weight, and humans help their felines to shed the pounds.

CASEY AND GIBBS:  Casey and Gibbs get the ball rolling with their first article on trying to help me to lose my belly bits so that they can have more lap space:

Wobbly Wonders – who needs ‘em?

PHOEBE’S WEIGHT LOSS TIPS:

Phoebe is one of Ellen’s ’15 cats and meowing’ and she’s taken it upon herself to get Ellen into shape as well as Ka Two, one of the felines in her family.  Here’s her first article:

Phoebe’s weight loss tips

HOMEPAGE MESSAGE:

The latest homepage message is where you’d expect it to be – on the home page!  Just go to www.thedailymews.com and scroll down a little bit – and you’ll see it.

MEWSERS’ MEWSINGS:

BILBO’S BUZZ:

Bilbo has written about what he loves – and there are plenty of things,  believe me!

The meaning of love

CASEY’S CHATS:

Casey apologises for his late New Year greetings – and hopes you enjoy his article this month.

Happy New Year - belatedly

COOKIE’S CRACKLES:

Cookie, being the romantic cat that he is, has written about Valentine’s Day – he has a secret admirer too!

Cookie’s Valentine

GIBBS’ GIGGLES:

Sometimes Gibbs ‘borrows’ Casey’s column to meow his opinion and although, Casey good-naturedly allows him the limelight, he thought it was time Gibbs had his own column. Here then is Gibbs’ first article in his very own column:

Feet

MOET’S MEWSINGS:

It’s hard to find a special gift to give to the one you love, but Luna got together with Cosmo and Lily  to find just that perfect gift.

The perfect gift for Mum

LINKS:

Mike in Canada sent me this link, and Aida in ‘sunny’ Los Angeles put it in a format that I could share with you. It’s short, but it’s funny.

Gone to the dogs

Bobbi in Canada sent the following information:

‘Simon Teakettle Ink has been added to the Behavior & Training section of the Library of experts and trusted advice for Veterinary Technicians, at http://vettechnicians.org/ There are links to my award-winning article on training, as well as to Terzo's video.’ and

‘Simon Teakettle's Fan Club has finally achieved more than 100 species from 38 countries on six continents. With just a few exceptions, these are photos taken by individuals. The Fan Club page also contains links to 18 charities which promote child or animal welfare in many parts of the world. Go to: http://SimonTeakettle.com/fan.htm.’

If you want to join Simon Teakettle’s fan club click on the link and submit your photo and tell Bobbi where you’re situated in the world.

The PurrEver Ranch Sanctuary is a home dedicated to taking care of senior cats and is now filled to capacity and unable to take in any more cats.  If you can offer one (or more) of their cats a forever home, then please click on this link:

http://www.gotcats.org  

See them on their Facebook page: PurrEver Ranch Sanctuary.

Jem Vanston sent me the following link of a cat and a dog who are best friends:

Best friends

Mike in Canada also sent me this ‘feel-good’ link about a mother goose asking a policeman for help.

Goose asks for help

Robert Blau in the US sent me the link to a new adventure in Chicago; a safe play area for bunnies, birds and children.  It’s a great way to get children used to animals and to treat them right.

Robert’s kind of place

PAULINE’S MEWSINGS:

For those of you that need a bit of cheering up here’s the link to an article I wrote a while ago about losing weight.

New Year, New Self       

And that just about wraps it up for this month.  The next update will be towards the end of March and there may be a Scratching Post midway to keep you ticking over.

Until then, take care, keep warm and hold those stomachs in…

Love Pauline – editor in chief with an ever-diminishing lap

Casey – assistant to the editor in chief who spends his waking moments looking at keep fit videos

Gibbs – assistant to the assistant and dancing on air because he has his very own column at last

xxx

 

              

 

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)