MEWSLETTER 46: APRIL 21 2006

(Issue 4)

Hi there, and warm headbutts and purrs to the folk who made it through the Daily Mews cat flap since the last issue. You are very welcome, and please feel free to forward this Mewsletter to your feline loving family members and friends.

I’m sorry this Mewsletter is later than expected. The past couple of weeks have been very fraught with website problems. Over the Easter weekend, it disappeared completely and I had no idea where it had gone or how to retrieve it! Fortunately for me, I have an on-line angel who sorted out the problem for me. Prior to that – and ongoing – I completely lost the right hand margin – again, my ‘angel’ found it for me and sorted things out for me.

At the moment, some of the links on the home page aren’t working. I don’t know why but rather than hold up the distribution of this issue, I thought I’d explain about it, and trust that you’ll use the links from the Mewsletter to get to the articles or poems. You will also notice as you visit different items on the site that the right hand margin and bottom border have gone from some of the pages. Again, I don’t know why but I’m hoping my ‘angel’ will be sorting it all out for me, even I write this to you. So don’t let these blips spoil your enjoyment of the website and the new articles and poems that have been added.

Well Spring has finally arrived – not that you’d know it in one sense as we’ve been having quite a lot of rain here in the UK. But now that winter has taken its final bow and left the stage, the buds are bursting out and suddenly the gardens are clothed in glorious colours again. Here in my part of the UK, there is a hosepipe ban in operation and I’ve been trying everywhere to get hold of a water butt. All the garden centres run out of them as soon as they get new supplies. And the amount of rain we’ve been having over the past few weeks would have given me ample supplies to water the garden when we eventually get our summer. I’ve finally managed to order one from the local water authority and judging by the picture, it’s almost as big as my house!!!

RICKY

Easter Monday was quite a bright, sunny day, and Ricky – in his quest for spiritual enlightenment - spent most of the day practising his Yoga positions in various parts of the garden enjoying the warmth of the sun on his belly bits. For those of you who haven’t seen pictures of Ricky doing his Yoga, please click on this link:

http://www.thedailymews.com/mewsersmewsings/rickyyogasessions.htm

Ricky had a terrible start in life. He was kept incarcerated for over a year in a small hutch, which was meant for a rabbit.  Finally he was rescued by the RSPCA and he was placed with the Cats’ Protection for 6 months until I found him and brought him home. You can read his story here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/introricky.htm

The lead article this month is on the benefits of grooming, and of all the 6 Daily Mewsers, Ricky LOVES to be groomed. The other day he was lying on the chair and I was gently combing him, accompanied by the deep rumblings of a seismic purr, which would probably measure at least 7.5 on the Richter scale of purring. Suddenly, Ricky leaned over to me and licked my face, several times. I thanked him profusely and continued combing him. Such outbursts from Ricky are very rare but treasured none the less.  This is a cat who was put in a rabbit hutch for punishment for no real misdemeanours and it has taken him almost 8 years of living with me and the rest of the Daily Mewsers to realise that it’s ok to sit on chairs, climb on the bed and stretch out, to play with toys and to eat and drink when he feels like it. Goodness only knows what was going on in the minds of the people who previously had him – but it has taken me years of patience and kindness to bring him to the almost ‘normal’ cat he is today – enjoying the touch of someone who loves him, enjoying the sun in the garden, and well, just being a cat!

GARFIELD’S 20^th BIRTHDAY!

Thank you to everyone who remembered Garfield’s birthday on Monday, 27^th March.  He was overwhelmed with e-greeting cards and emails. He even received some birthday cards in the post with some ‘enclosures’ of money. He’s a very lucky boy!

The customary birthday hat photo shoot took place in the morning just after breakfast. I couldn’t decide which hat to get so I bought two. Naturally, Garfield was thrilled and you’ll be able to see his reaction to my choice of hats on the Home Page!

In the last couple of years, Garfield has put his tongue out while having his photos taken. Whether this is a social comment on birthdays in general, or my choice of hat for him, remains to be seen. But he gave me plenty of kisses after the photos stopped, and he loved his new sheepskin bed for about 5 minutes.

I thought that as he has difficulty getting down from the little sofa at night, that a new bed, which was well padded, would make life easier for him. When we did the dry run, I had the bed on the little sofa – and he curled up with BananaMan and Moo and went to sleep.  Then he remembered that he goes upstairs during the day so I took him upstairs so that he could lie in the bed that he shares with Timmy.

That evening I made sure the new bed was somewhere out of any draughts and put BananaMan and Moo ready for him. Then I laid him in it, tucked him in, and kissed him goodnight. Five minutes later, when I checked on him just before going to bed myself, his bed was empty. He was lying on the floor!

I quickly went in to see if he was OK and I got the feeling that he preferred to lie alongside Timmy on the sofa bed. So I placed him back up there knowing that if he got down in the night, he wouldn’t be able to get back up again. Timmy was already asleep on the edge of the little sofa – having left a sizeable gap for Garfield to slot into.

The following morning Ricky was in Garfield’s new bed, and Garfield was half in, and half out of one of the old donut beds lying on the carpet! So much for trying to make him comfortable in his senior years!

Thank you again, to everyone who took time out to send cards to Garfield. It’s really very kind of you.

Health wise, Garfield’s health continues to be a cause for concern and he is much frailer since his birthday. His kidneys are giving him problems but he is eating and drinking well, and I take him out in the garden so that he can have a rickety stroll round before deciding on a spot to go to the toilet. Then we sit down to have a cuddle in the sun before coming back upstairs to lie in his bed with Flump, Teddy and Timmy.

OLLIE

As we all know, cats do the weirdest things and as this little Ollie story will show, they don’t come much weirder than this. Ollie has taken over one of my jumpers. He decided that this jumper suited him far more than it suited me – and I had no choice in the matter. It was during last month when I was so sick that I wore this jumper, a big baggy soft chenille grey thing, over big baggy sweat pants. Big baggy clothes to suit big baggy me, I thought! The jumper had seen better days but it gave me comfort and I loved wearing it, nestling up inside it while I lay on the sofa each day, resting. One morning I had laid it on my bed and Ollie just jumped up on my bed and positioned himself on it. First, he kneaded it to within an inch of its life and then he circled three times in one direction, and then circled three times in the other direction before settling himself down upon it. Within seconds he was asleep so I thought the best course of action would be – as any cat loving person knows –to get another jumper out of the cupboard!

The following day, I thought I would wear the grey jumper that Ollie had claimed the day before, but before I could get it out of the cupboard Ollie was on the bed screaming at me. I had no idea what his problem was and asked him, quietly, to moderate his language and tell me what was wrong. He continued to shriek. Turning my back on him, I retrieved the jumper from the cupboard and laid it on the bed while I got the sweat pants out of another cupboard – when I turned round, Ollie was fast asleep on the jumper – having dispensed with the kneading and circling rituals. Now each day as I go upstairs to get dressed, Ollie follows me up and if the jumper isn’t all ready on the bed he shrieks at me!

Do you have any cats that have claimed one of your items of clothing for themselves? Please let me know at the usual address – and I’ll share the stories in a future issue of the Mewsletter.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A’mews’ment Arcade: 10 signs that your kitty is nuts!
                                  Cats’ Rights
Animal Welfare: Orang-utans facing extinction because of global demand for palm oil
Bird Flu Update
Cat Charities: Exploits Valley SPVC, Newfoundland, Canada
Cat Chat: Every Cat is Special
Cudell Street Cats by Laura Dumm
Ed Kostro: That’s What Friends Are For
Feline Fitness: The benefits of grooming your cat
Mewsers’ Mewsings: Timber’s Diaries
Purrfect Poetry: Orlando’s Continuing Adventures
Quiz
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A hilarious and addictive game for you to play!!!!

http://upchucky.com/games/hairball-bowling.html

The doo-wop horses proved to be a hit, so here is the link again: http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf

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GARFIELD’S EASTER GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ

We had such a great response to Garfield’s Christmas book quiz that we’ve decided to do an Easter quiz with a slight difference. We know how intelligent cats are, so Garfield has chosen the questions that he wants the feline sleuths out there to provide the answers to. Once again your felines must write in with the answers to the following questions. Every single entrant will receive a special prize from Garfield so be sure to enter – remember you have to be in it to win it!

1.                  Who wrote the Owl and the Pussy Cat?

2.                 What is the name of the actor who lends his voice to the cat in Shrek 2?

3.                 What is a group of kittens called?

4.                 What is the name given for someone who loves cats?

Send your answers to p.dewberry@ntlworld.com

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BIRD FLU UPDATE:

I’ve received a number of emails requesting information about bird flu and what to do. Some of you have already begun keeping your cats indoors. My advice is to wait until your own governments or representatives tell you to begin keeping your cats indoors – then do it. Obviously take sensible precautions in the meantime.

This is a cutting reproduced in full from a cat magazine that I receive. It may help to put things into perspective.

‘The Cat Group has reassured UK cat owners that there is currently no risk of cats catching bird flu or passing it on to humans.

‘The group (representatives of the Feline Advisory Bureau, Cats Protection, Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, Animal Health Trust, RSPCA, European Society of Feline Medicine, Blue Cross and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association) says: “Cats are susceptible to the current subtypes of avian flu, as are garden birds. Consequently there is a theoretical risk that cats could introduce the virus into a household through predation and that people could be infected from the bird, or the cat. The risk must be considered remote. The virus would have to be introduced into domestic poultry in this country through imported poultry, cagebirds or migrating wildfowl; then the virus would have to spread to native garden birds. At each stage warning would be given by the authorities. Currently there is no risk.”

‘Wild birds brought in by your cat should be disposed of by sealing inside a plastic bag and placing in the rubbish bin. Wear disposable gloves or use the plastic bag to scoop it up.

‘If you see an unusual number of dead birds in your area do not touch them but inform the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs helpline on 08459 335577 or email helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk.’ (Your Cat April 2006 issue.)

The World Health Organisation posted the following announcement on its website:

‘There is no present evidence that domestic cats play a role in the transmission cycle of H5N1 viruses. To date, no human case has been linked to exposure to a diseased cat. No outbreaks in domestic cats have been reported.’

The Feline Advisory Bureau, in its current magazine ‘Fab Journal’ states that... ‘Cats are among the many animals that can be infected when they come into close contact with the virus, but cats do not appear to be a reservoir of the virus nor be important in its transmission to other animals. Infection in cats is rare.’

The Feline Advisory Bureau is continuously adding information on bird flu and cats to its website as it becomes available: check out www.fabcats.org 

I hope this allays any fears or worries that any of you may have.  

EASTER

I had hoped to get this issue out well before Easter but as usual the best laid plans etc, so the next item is slightly redundant but nevertheless, worth knowing.

Easter is, by tradition, a time of family gatherings (like Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year) and I would like to gently remind you that you need to be sensitive to your family pets’ feelings at this time. NEVER, EVER give a cat or a dog (or any other kind of pet) any chocolate. It is poisonous to them, and can cause a fatality. Chocolate contains several chemicals that are mind-altering and mood changing, which can be potentially fatal to cats. It’s not funny to give cats types of non-pet food to see what they might do, or how they might react because the cat could be dead within a very short space of time. Eat the Easter eggs yourself or share with your family – NOT your pets.

Some people also have Easter lilies in the house in a beautiful display. ALL lilies are poisonous to cats and death follows contamination by the pollen extremely quickly.   Please follow this link to learn more:

http://www.fabcats.org/hiddendangersofplants.html

AMUSEMENT ARCADE:

‘Cat’s rights’ is an amusing look at the inalienable rights that cats have – and we humans who are privileged to share their lives should take note and action accordingly! Submitted by Jackie Brooks whose own Orlando Adventure is featured in the PURRFECT POETRY section.

http://www.thedailymews.com/amewsments/catsrights.htm

Caroline Clark in North Carolina, sent me a very funny item for the A’mews’ment Arcade called ‘Ten Signs Kitty is nuts’. You can read it here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/amewsments/10signskittynuts.htm

ANIMAL WELFARE

I love orang-utans, with their faces like surprised coconuts, but did you know that in as little as 12 years they could be extinct? Their habitat in Borneo and Sumatra is being plundered for a product called palm oil. This is one of the world’s most widely used vegetable oils, but it tends to be a hidden ingredient. However, it is found in 1 in 10 items in your local supermarket, including bread, chocolate, crisps, detergents and lipsticks – yet you don’t even know it’s there. 

Another major big threat to orang-utans is the demand for cheap oil for biofuels (liquid fuel made from plant material).  Under EU legislation, by 2010 just over 5% of all transport fuels must be biofuels. BP has agreed not to use palm oil in its biofuels until it has found sustainable sources.

To follow this campaign and see how you can add your voice to this issue, please click on this link:

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/oil_for_ape_summary.pdf

CAT CHARITIES

Mike in Newfoundland, Canada, has written to me to let me know that the Exploits Valley SPCA is holding its ‘Help Us Help Them’ Telethon on Tuesday, 25^th April. It will take place live on Rogers Television Community Channel 9 from 6.30pm – 11.00pm.

Mike also wrote to tell me of a little girl, called Kelsie, who gave $50 of her $65 birthday money to the SPCA. This is such a wonderful, selfless act from a child of 6 years old – her mother said that she wasn’t coerced into doing it – she volunteered the money herself. Bless Kelsie for her goodness and kindness. You can read about Kelsie and the Telethon on this link below:

http://www.envision.ca/webs/exploitsvalleyspca/

Once there, go to UPCOMING AND PAST EVENTS AND FUNDRAISERS on the left hand navigation bar.

CAT CHAT

Those of us that take on a stray cat know that despite the hard work, the inevitable tears, it’s not without its reward in some way. It takes a special kind of person who will take on a stray cat that has a serious illness like feline leukaemia – Larry McCarley and his family took on Othello – and never regretted a second of his life with them. This story originally appeared in Pet Warmers so some of you may have seen it already.  

http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/everycatspecial.htm

CUDELL STREET CATS

The second great cartoon strip by Laura Dumm featuring Bogart, the newest kitten in Cudell Street receiving his life lessons from Gert. Check it out here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/Cudellstreetcats/bogartslessonsgert.htm

ED KOSTRO

Ed Kostro has been busy with the pen again and has written a wonderful poem celebrating the extraordinary bond between a ginger cat and an orang-utan. You can read it here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/poems/friendsarefor.htm

To read the newspaper report of this friendship, please click here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/weird_news/14061181.htm

FELINE FITNESS

The 2007 smoking ban announced by the British government will not just benefit the health of people, but our pets, too, says the PDSA. Research shows cats exposed to second-hand smoke were twice as likely to develop feline lymphoma, a type of cancer that can be fatal, in smoking households.

Plus, cigarette smoke is one of the most common causes of respiratory allergies in cats, which makes them sneeze, cough and wheeze.

If giving up completely is difficult, there are numerous ways to lessen the effect on your pets. For example, try not to smoke near them, keep all rooms well ventilated and encourage visitors to have a cigarette outside. (YOUR CAT magazine, April 2006 issue).

Longhaired cats should be groomed every day to avoid their fur tangling and matting. But did you know that grooming is recommended for shorthaired cats on a regular basis as well? Follow the link to read more.

http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/benefitsgrooming.htm

MEWSERS’ MEWSINGS

I knew we’d hear from Timber again having read his views on food combinations in last month’s Mewsletter. This time, having spoken and discussed the matter at length with Ollie for tips, he has written the first of his diary entries. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from him on a regular basis. To read his diary entry, please click here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/mewsersmewsings/timbersdiaries1.htm

NAPPING ON A SUNBEAM

Belle, the perfect cat, here for such a short while, and gone too soon. Read about her here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/belle.htm

PURRFECT POETRY

The next adventure in the continuing saga of Orlando and his friends, written by Jackie Brooks, can be seen on this link:

http://www.thedailymews.com/poems/orlandoexpedition.htm

I’ve decided to hold the poll on cats’ ages over until next month to give the new subscribers chance to enter their own cats’ ages. So far, Garfield is a clear winner at 20 years of age, but I heard from Professor Dorit Ravid in Israel that his beloved cat, Mush, was 25 when he passed away last July 2005.  What a wonderful age – and accomplishment! I’m hoping that the Professor will write us an article about Mush and send me a photo to put in the CAT CHAT section when he feels up to it. I know that losing a cat at that age is devastating and my heartfelt sympathy goes to the Professor and his family.

Leny in Holland found me a link to the oldest cat in Holland who although deaf, is a very sprightly AND active 27 year old.  He celebrated this amazing birthday milestone on 8^th April 2006. If you follow this link you’ll see a video clip of Dikke Muis (which means Fat Mouse in Dutch) and I think you’ll agree, he’s in very fine shape indeed, for a cat of such advanced years.

http://www.tctubantia.nl/fotoenvideo/videopagina/article235193.ece Once the page opens up, click on ‘breedband’ and the video clip will begin. It is in Dutch but you’ll get the gist of it.

Well, you have a packed Mewsletter to keep you busy for an hour or so and I hope you enjoy all the links – despite the blips. Make a coffee, put the cat on your lap and enjoy! 

Don’t forget to let me have your feedback – it’s always good to hear from you and views. Until the next time, have a Purrfect month!!!

All good wishes

Pauline – Editor
Garfield – Chief Technical Advisor and Assistant Editor
Billy and Timmy – Researcher and Care of the Elderly (respectively)
Sam – Ethnic Minorities Advisor
Ricky – Self-help guru and Yoga instructor
Ollie – Jumper-napper and Shrieking Maestro 

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