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MEWSLETTER 58 August 14 2007 Hi there and a very warm welcome with head butts and purrs to all the new subscribers who hurtled through the Cat Flap at The Daily Mews in recent weeks. My grateful thanks to Stacy Mantle and Jeff Shepherd in the US and UK respectively, who held the fort while I was in hospital. Between them both, they did a great job on maintaining the website and sending out the Mewsletter. Thank you to everyone who sent me cards, letters, books, hats, trinkets, cuddly toys – all sorts of things to cheer me up during the months that I wasn’t able to be on line. Thank you, too, to all my prayer warriors for keeping those prayers heavenwards. I didn’t get any of the predicted side effects either with the chemotherapy or the stem cell transplant. And I am in remission – so prayers DO work – and I’m very thankful to all of you. Thanks also for those of you who kindly and generously donated money to help pay for the cattery fees. When I came out of hospital in mid-February Sam, Ricky, Billy and Ollie all went to the cattery as I couldn’t look after myself, let alone 5 cats. I kept Timmy at home with me because I knew he wouldn’t fare too well in the cattery and besides, he is the perfect nurse having spent the last 2 to 3 years of Garfield’s life by his side. It was very expensive so your generosity really helped. Many of you know that Ricky became sick just before he came home to me. He was presenting a snuffly nose and no desire to eat anything (totally unlike Ricky). He was at home with me for 4 weeks and in that time he was back and forth to see Kevin, our wonderful vet. Ricky didn’t eat a thing in those four weeks and finally Kevin took him in to anaesthetise him so that his nose could be x-rayed and swabs taken of the inside of his nose. At first I was optimistic that it was something that could be sorted out as the x-rays didn’t show any tumours or polyps in his nose, but 4 days later the lab reports came bringing news that none of us could have thought of; Ricky had lymphoma of the nasal passages and as he’d lost more than half his body weight he wasn’t in a good position to begin treatment. Chemotherapy in cats is not always successful and the cats are usually quite unwell during the treatment. The kindest thing we could do for Ricky was to end his suffering – but it broke my heart. For those of you who haven’t ‘met’ Ricky before, you can read about his love of yoga and how he came to stay at the Daily Mews Mansion here: http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/introricky.htm and http://www.thedailymews.com/mewsersmewsings/rickyyogasessions.htm Thank you to everyone who wrote to me with condolences. I really appreciate your kind words. July 1st saw the UK become a ‘Non-Smoking’ (in public) country and to tie in with this, the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) has launched a poster campaign to encourage owners to safeguard their pets from the danger of passive smoking. ‘If you smoke, they smoke’ is the hard-hitting message now displayed in all PDSA PetAid hospitals. ‘It’s a reminder that pets don’t just inhale the cigarette smoke of their owners,’ said a PDSA spokesperson, ‘they ingest smoke particles as they groom their fur and this causes the damage.’ Dogs are more likely to contract cancer of the nasal cavities. Cats are twice as likely to develop some forms of cancer. I’ve written in a previous Mewsletter about the problems with owners who smoke; there are more respiratory diseases being seen in small domestic pets and a rise in cancers and lung problems. For the health and safety of your pets, try to quit! You’ll benefit too! Many of us have had our cats for a number of years, and over that time, we’ve probably picked up hints and tips (or things we’ve discovered for ourselves that work) of how to remove cat hairs (for example) from furniture and clothing. For now, purely for the Mewsletter – but maybe later, if I get enough tips, I can write an article about them and put it on the website – please write to me with your hints and tips about anything related to cat care: getting a cat to eat, getting them used to other cats/dogs/pets in the household etc. All these will be very helpful to our readers. I don’t have the answers to every query that comes my way and it’s always helpful to hear how other people resolve problems. One tip I can pass on is that I use an old rubber glove to remove cats’ fur from clothing and furniture. From my point of view, it works better than those lint things you can buy. I use a glove that is no longer usable for washing up because it may have a small hole in it, but for removing fur it’s perfect. I just put it on, and ‘stroke’ the clothing or chair in one direction and the fur accumulates in one spot which I then pick off – simple! August is birthday month at the Daily Mews Mansion; Ollie was 5 on 1st August, Billy and Timmy were 11 on 5th August and I’ll be *!* on the 18th August! Sam has a February birthday and he was 10 this year. Our good friend, Ed Kostro, celebrates his birthday on 16th August, so all of us at the Daily Mews Mansion wishes Ed a very happy birthday. Ollie was up to his mouse catching tricks again recently only this time he released it in the front room (lounge) where it promptly ran under the sofa. My sofa is a corner unit and very heavy – I can’t move it so for a day or so, whenever I rested on it, I made sure to keep my feet up! However, a few days later, and Billy, who’d been snoozing at the other end of the sofa, suddenly leapt off the sofa and ran to the gas fire and started to poke his paw behind it. I realised that the mouse was possibly behind the fire and eagle-eyed Billy had spotted it. I took a look – but couldn’t see anything only fluff <hides head in shame and embarrassment> but Billy kept his vigil up for most the afternoon. Then Timmy suddenly leapt up on top of the fire and tried to reach over to a built in cupboard where I keep my music system and various CD’s and tapes. He kept pushing his paw in the available gaps between the speakers and the CD’s. How could the mouse have got up there, I wondered? I have a bag of knitting wool down beside the sofa and I wondered if in the dead of night, the entrepreneurial spirit of the mouse had him crocheting a harness and abseiling from the fire up to the cupboard! Or may be he fashioned crampons out of old match sticks and climbed up the cupboard that way. You never know!! Anyway, I got the humane mouse catcher (a plastic container) and slowly began to take the CD’s, tapes, and the music centre off the top of the cupboard. Sure enough, there was evidence of the mouse’s visit and I put the ‘mouse catcher’ in place, and he obligingly ran into it for me. I took it outside and released it in my neighbour’s garden! Then I had to clear up all the droppings, the shredded paper and dust all those CD’s, tapes and the music centre before replacing it all. Ollie seemed oblivious to all this extra work on my part and Billy and Timmy were cross that the mouse got away. For those of you who live in or around Newfoundland, Canada, Mike sent me details of their forthcoming events at the Exploits Valley SPCA. So try and get along to some or all of the events and support a worthy cause. Our annual Exploits Valley SPCA Cold Plate will take place on Saturday Oct. 20, 2007. Tickets will go on sale one month before and be available from our SPCA members or at the shelter on Duggan St. in G.F.W. Cost will be $5.00 and it will be a beef cold plate. The annual SPCA Fall Bazaar will take place on Monday, Nov. 26 starting at 7PM. It will be at the Royal Canadian Legion on Queen Street in G.F.W. It will be a craft and bake sale as usual. Admission includes a tea and dessert that is definitely a big favourite with their regular supporters. Donations of crafts or baked goods are solicited and will be most welcome. These can be dropped off at the shelter or given to their members. Come out for an enjoyable evening and support the SPCA at the same time. To learn more about the Exploits Valley SPCA or to donate, please click on the link below. http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/evspca.htm If you would like to nominate a charity or pet rescue centre, please contact me in the usual way. On with the Mews … *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Articles Cat Chat Cudell Street Cats by Laura Dumm Ed Kostro Feline Fitness Napping on a Sunbeam Purrfect Poetry Quiz *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A hilarious and addictive game for you to play!!!! http://upchucky.com/games/hairball-bowling.html *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* BOOK QUIZ: Who wrote the following: 1. Enough to make a cat laugh. 2. You can take the cat out of Slough 3. Stuff on my cat Send your answers to p.dewberry@ntlworld.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ARTICLES Skipper was my neighbour’s cockatiel and we looked after him while they went on holiday. It was pretty nerve-wracking as I had Biggles, Garfield and Charlie at the time and I was terrified that somehow Skipper would become the Dish of the Day. Read about his exploits here: http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/houseguest.htm When bringing home a new kitten or cat to an established feline family, it’s important to get the introductions right. Click here: http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/therightintroductions.htm In the old days when it was just Garfield and Biggles, I used to let them sleep on my bed with me. One night, Biggles kept Garfield and I awake most of the night because he had developed a nose whistle. Read on for a good laugh: http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/nosewhistle.htm CAT CHAT Lee in North Dakota wrote a little anecdote about the barefaced cheek of her cat Scrappy who got the better of her litter mate, Bunny to steal her food. Read on: http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/leftpawcheek.htm Our regular columnist, Jimmy, has written another thought-provoking article (which proves how intelligent cats really are!). Click on the link below to see if you agree with his views: http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/gettingbetterallthetime.htm Click below for the latest story from Ron Hevener on raising cats for showing. http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/yougottahaveheart.htm CUDELL STREET CATS Little Bogart gets another lesson from one of the other Cudell Street cats – this time it’s from Bongo. Click on the link for another of Laura Dumm’s fantastic cartoons: http://www.thedailymews.com/Cudellstreetcats/bogartlessonsbongo.htm ED KOSTRO Ed wrote the following poem as a tribute to my Ricky, but also to show just how much he’s learned from each of the cats who’ve shared his life and home. It’s Ed at his best: http://www.thedailymews.com/poems/philosopher.htm FELINE FITNESS Brett the Vet, my veterinary friend in New Zealand has written a timely warning about white cats and the sun. http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/whitenosesofsummer.htm Some time ago, I remember telling a friend of mine whose cat had white ears which had gone crusty that she may have cancer and my friend was really cross with me for being so ‘alarmist’. But I was right – it was cancer and as my friend left it for too long, both ears had to be removed. The cat later developed cancer in other parts of her body and eventually had to be put to sleep last year. She was about 20, the same age as Garfield. But if she had acted upon my initial comment, she may not have developed the other cancers – makes you think. So be sun wise. Little Snookie, who is sadly no longer with us, wrote to the Mewsers a while back telling them about the sun screen product his ‘Mum’ had purchased for him. You can read it here: http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/snookiesunbathing.htm NAPPING ON A SUNBEAM Sadly, a number of us lost our beloved feline companions during the months that I’ve been off line. Ed Kostro’s cat, Buddy, passed away in February this year, at the marvellous age of 20. Ed’s written a very moving tribute to him called Farewell, my friend, farewell. You can read it here: http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/Buddy.htm Jimmy lost one of his house mates at the end of July and you can read his thoughts on Ch’Bee here on his website: http://www.acatnamedjimmy.com/CreateYourDay.htm http://www.acatnamedjimmy.com/WeeklyThought.htm You can read Jack Stewart’s tribute to Ch’Bee here: http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/Ch'Bee.htm Jena in Texas lost two of her beautiful cats during this year: Rambo passed away in February and Mischief had to be put to sleep on 7th August. I know how upset Jena is, as was still grieving for Filet who passed away last year. Jena sent me a touching story last year of a dying cat and a deer. Check out the link here: http://www.king5.com/lifestyles/stories/NW_061306ANBcatand_deerSW.817a5913.html Mike in Newfoundland, Canada, had to have Moishe, put to sleep in February and I know how much his feline family are missing him. Maia, also in Canada, lost Kiwi, to a road traffic accident in May and her other cats were pining for him. You can read Maia’s moving tribute to Kiwi here: http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/kiwi.htm Maia has a wonderful website called www.petpawradise.net which not only features cats, but ALL animals. Check it out. My own precious Ricky had to be put to sleep on 27th July and you can read his tribute here: http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/Ricky.htm Another tribute to Garfield which was overlooked last year as I was preparing to go into hospital was written and illustrated by Jill Carpenter. Click on the link below: http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/garfield.htm If you want to add your comments about this poem just click on the link below to get to Jill’s site: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=26314&id=24028 Erica in Australia lost her beautiful little one year old cat, Cracker, in a road traffic accident in December last year. Read her tribute to him, here: http://www.thedailymews.com/NAPPINGONASUNBEAM/Cracker.htm Stacy Mantle, who looked after the website for me, lost one of her own cats earlier in the week. Baby, who was 5 years old, was found on the driveway with no apparent signs of trauma. It’s not known what happened to him, but Stacy and her family are naturally totally distraught. Our thoughts go out to everyone whose lost one of their feline members. PURRFECT POETRY Carol, from Wiltshire, UK, wrote a beautiful poem for me last year but which I’ve only just got around to putting on the website. The healing powers of animals are well documented and we all know the therapeutic value of a purring cat. Read her wonderful poem here: http://www.thedailymews.com/poems/thehealer.htm WILLI WHISKAS There is a new girl on the block!!!! Little Dumpty Roo has joined Willi Whiskas and Tushtots at Tom Cat Towers to become an honorary Tom Cat. Read her delightful debut story here: http://www.thedailymews.com/Williwhizkas/littledumptyroo.htm Oliver, alias Ginger Tompkins in the Willi Whiskas book, was the grumpiest of cats who hated humans, or so it seemed, drawing blood every time his owner tried to stroke him. Carol Turner has written movingly about Oliver who contracted fly strike last year and had to be put to sleep in July 2006. http://thedailymews.com/Williwhizkas/oliver.htm Finally, Wednesday, 15th August is NATIONAL CAT DAY and once again, for those of you who aren’t as fortunate as I am in being able to stay at home to be ministered to by your feline companions, I give you dispensation to take a day off work to pamper your cat(s). This is the 4 year that National Cat Day has been going and the idea is to get more people involved in taking time out to spend the day with their cats, doing things their cats would like. http://www.thedailymews.com/mewsersmewsings/whycatday.htm For more information, go to www.happycatday.org or buy the book HAPPY CAT DAY (a manifesto for an official cat holiday) by Tiger Hample (a bold visionary feline). Well, that about wraps up this Mewsletter for this time. I hope you will enjoy all the articles and poems and remember I like feedback, good or bad, so please use the Contact Us link and let us know your views. If there is anything you’d like to see either in the Mewsletter or website, please let me know. Until the next issue – hopefully mid-late September, I hope you all have a good summer. Pauline – editor Billy – Cuddle King Extraordinaire Timmy – Nursing Executive Sam – Intelligence Officer Ollie – I’m Bored with this Mouse, I’ll leave it for Mum to sort out! BACK TO THE MEWSLETTER Archive Index
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