MEWSLETTER 19: December 24, 2003

by Pauline Dewberry

Hi Everyone, and a very warm welcome to all the new subscribers.

Here at the DailyMews office we're up to our ears in wrapping paper, presents strewn everywhere, sticky tape and bows at the ready – and a little inquisitive cat that wants to help. Ollie was only 4 months old last December 23rd when he came to stay so he missed all the
frenetic and frantic chaos that besets the house within a whisker of December 1st.

For those of you who have helpful cats and kittens, you will know what I mean when I say that writing out Christmas cards took three times as long – with some having to be discarded – because Ollie was overzealous in adding his flamboyant signature!

And with wrapping presents it was the same scenario. He would lay all over the wrapping paper as I tried to cut it to size. Then he would put his paws on the ends as I was trying to neaten the edges ready to stick them down – and then he would have a think about what was inside and want to have another look, so the paper was clawed at and opened. Then he would say: `Ah yes, that's what it was! Ok, you can wrap it up now!!' and then he'd get bored and go to sleep, leaving me to try and retrieve the paper from underneath him.

Ah – cats …… that's the beauty of them. They are inquisitive, and funny – but not necessarily when you want them to be!

Good news with regard to Garfield. He had to go to the vet about 10 days ago for some dental treatment and when the vet weighed him, he was astonished at how much weight he had put back on. Three months ago the senior vet in the practice has said that at best, Garfield had about one month left to live, and I should start to prepare myself for a time when he wouldn't be around anymore.

My friend made the little table for him and, since then, Garfield has improved tremendously. Because he doesn't have to bend his neck down to get to his food (which hurts him as he has arthritis) he is now able to eat more of the food in his bowl at each mealtime. Eating more means he has put back some of the weight he lost and I'm sure he is a much happier cat.

As Christmas is upon us, I'm sure I don't need to remind you to be careful of small items or toys which could injure your cats if they chanced to eat them. Also, it goes without saying, that you should never give cats any sweets that are meant for humans as sweets and chocolates contain chemicals and additives which are toxic and can make your cat very ill – or even die. And NEVER give cats bones to chew on – they are very dangerous.

If you are having a houseful of guests and your cat isn't used to lots of noise, make sure he has a quiet place where he can spend the day – away from the hustle and bustle. If he is an indoor cat, ensure that his litter tray is kept clean and put in a place where he can find it easily. Put down food, water and some dried food and a few of his favourite toys – or even a couple of new ones – and just leave him in peace.

If he has access to outdoors, make sure that he isn't frightened at any time by unruly children (if your cat isn't used to children) because he may make a bolt for the catflap and stay out for the rest of the day – until he thinks the danger has passed. Tell family members and friends not to overly fuss the cat. In fact, the quickest way to get a cat to come to you is to ignore it completely!

If you do have a few moments to spare between wrestling the bottle of gin from Aunty Mabel and rescuing Grandpa from the power shower, just sit quietly with your cat and have some quality time together. I'm sure he'll thank you for it, and you'll feel the benefit too.

None of us know what our cats get up to during the day when we're not around and I was surprised to find out that Biggles had been keeping appointments twice a day for months. To find out more about the Secret Life of Cats – read:
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/secretlifeofcats.htm and let me
know about any secrets that your cats have been keeping!

Ollie has written a little more in his diaries that you can read here: http://www.thedailymews.com/kitten%20diaries11.htm. He has been here for a year now and continues to astonish, amaze and amuse me minute by minute!

Speaking of diaries, you may like this EXCERPT FROM A DOG'S DIARY, which tells the difference between how a cat and a dog view their days: http://www.thedailymews.com/excerptfromdogsdiary.htm

What breed of cat likes swimming??? First one to send me an email with the correct answer will get a mention and if you have a website, you'll get a link.

I have three wonderful stories by a new guest writer, called Dan Weiss, which will be posted on the site after Christmas, and I apologise that they're not there now – I just ran out of time.

All that remains for me is to wish you all, your family, your loved ones, and of course, your beloved furry friends – a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy, and peaceful MEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Those of you with AOL will need to copy and paste the links into your browsers.

Take care, and have a PURRFECT Christmas – until the next time

Your friend, Pauline and all the Daily Mewsers:

Garfield, Billy, Timmy, Sam, Ricky and Little Ollie.

 

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