MEWSLETTER 26:    May 11, 2004

by Pauline Dewberry

Hi everyone, and a very special welcome to all the new subscribers. You are very welcome and we hope you'll enjoy receiving the MEWSLETTER each month. I apologise for this issue being over a week late – I am up to my eyes in preparation for Spanish exams and over this past weekend, I had to write two essays in Spanish! I've got a presentation to do next week, which I haven't even written yet, and the draft copy needs to be shown to my tutor this coming Thursday – so please wish me luck. I also teach Spanish and one of my students is about to take her Spanish exams (not the same ones as mine) so I've been working hard to get her through them.

As a result of this, and Garfield AND Billy each needing to go to the vets this month, the Polydactyl article STILL hasn't been written (where is that GHOST writer when you need one!) and for that, I apologise.

This month's QUIZ!!!

1. Lady Jane is a sinister, large grey cat that appears in which novel by Charles Dickens?

a) Oliver Twist
b) David Copperfield
c) Bleak House

2. What is the correct term for neutering a female cat?
3. What is a `haw'?
4. What is the largest number of kittens ever recorded in one litter?

a) 9
b) 19
c) 29

5. Which is the largest of the big wild cats?

Good luck. The first 3 people with the most correct answers will be mentioned in the next MEWSLETTER. If you have a website and would like a link, please put that in your reply and please add your hometown or country.

Anyway, on to the MEWS.

The washing machine is throbbing away in the kitchen; Garfield booked an early spot on his sun lounger which is next to the kennel* (see below) – so if he gets too hot he retires to its cooling interior, before re-emerging for more rays; Billy is in his usual corner spot on the sofa; Timmy and Ricky are on and under the rocking chair respectively in the back bedroom; and Sam and Ollie are on book end duty on my bed.

Just looking at them stretched out or curled up asleep while I work on my various projects on the computer, or around the house, is such a comforting feeling. Cats instil a sense of peace and tranquillity. It's impossible to be angry or upset around cats and their great sense of presence and innate dignity spurs the muse locked within each of us.

This feeling is encouraged in Dr Gerald Schiffhorst's book `Writing with Cats' which is a delightful read and very encouraging to writers of all levels struggling to find their `mews'. He suggests that we study our cats and take note of how they carry out their own tasks with precision. Each action is preceded by thought and planning – and a writer would do well to emulate his or her cat.

I really enjoyed this book, both for its down to earth method of talking to the reader, encouraging and motivating the reader to embrace the feline within and take one's cue from watching one's cat (s), and also for the vast knowledge that Gerald has for his subject. He is an excellent writer, teacher, and student – yes, I do mean student – because he has studied Lizzie, his own `mews' who has taught him all he knows!

I've been writing for many years and I thought about whether my writing style and content had improved or grown in wisdom and maturity since having my cats. Looking back now I know that writing about cats began when Biggles and Garfield first came here and I would write long letters to family members and friends about their exploits which would have people laughing as they could visualise the activities I wrote about.

But it isn't just about writing ABOUT cats – Gerald's book confirms that cats INSPIRE us and he uses lots of quotations about other writers throughout history who've been inspired by their own feline companions.

To learn more about Gerald's book `Writing with Cats' please visit his website www.writingcats.com and to order it from www.amazon.com  please click here: http://www.thedailymews.com/catbooks.htm
This book isn't available yet from www.amazon.co.uk.

For those of you who have been itching to see Garfield's 18th birthday picture wearing his newest hat, your patience has been rewarded, and it is now on display in Ollie's diaries, so without further ado, RUSH here!!!
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/kittendiaries14.htm

I told you about the BBC contacting me in regard to Garfield appearing on their `Test Your Pet' programme, but having discussed it at length with Kevin, our vet, we thought it was in Garfield's best interests if he didn't attend. It would have been a very long and stressful day for him and it is only just over a month ago that he had his stroke – Kevin said that the stress of the journey to London, sitting in a studio surrounded by 300 people, up to 150 animals of all shapes and sizes, the lights etc, and being out of his routine (cats HATE change!) could precipitate another – and possibly fatal – stroke. Garfield is far more important to me, than having 2 minutes
of fame on TV.

But it didn't end there. The BBC contacted me again on Friday, 30th April and asked if they could come out to the house on the Bank Holiday Monday (3rd May!) to film Garfield doing his `thing' and if any of the others wanted to get in on the act, they would film them as well. I spent a manic Saturday and Sunday tidying, primping, painting, weeding, polishing, you name it, I was doing it, and I didn't hear any more from them. They didn't show up!

Ollie has written about this, and about Billy leaking red stuff everywhere in his latest edition of the diaries – you can see them here:
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/kittendiaries15.htm

The animal sanctuary that is being highlighted this month is the Chaldon Animal Sanctuary which is run by two women from their home. They have about 150 animals in their care, including a bull, goats, horses, foxes, cats, dogs, and chickens. You can read about them here:
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/chaldonanimalsanctuary.htm

And on the subject of animal charities, please click on this link and support their hard work by clicking on the link in the article daily as this helps to feed the animals in their care.
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/animalrescuesite.htm

Amiee Amarral sends me lots of cat related articles, many of which go into the A'MEWS'MENT ARCADE section, but she finally wrote a lovely little story about Spooky – a black cat who had a litter of kittens in her father's old car.
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/Spookyskittens.htm

Amiee also wrote about Pinto, a polydactyl cat that had a fair helping of extra toes. You can read about him here. http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/Pinto.htm

And continuing with the 'extra toes' theme, Jena wrote about a cat called Mittens who also had extra toes. Read about her here: http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/mittens.htm

Ever wondered how you tell the sex of a kitten?? Read this whimsical piece sent in by Amiee and you'll know in future what to do! http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/4littlekittens.htm

The latest brilliant cartoon from Laura Dumm shows a cat speaking up for itself and speaking out against some of the things that we Humans do to them. Check it out here:
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/protestingpuss.htm

Helen Dowd has written a really beautiful and moving article which will have you reaching for the tissues and looking at cats in a new light:
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/shadowandchick.htm

For those devotees of Dan Weiss and his wonderful stories about Frankie and Johnnie, here is the latest chapter of Frankie Weiss and her Magic.
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/frankieweissmagic5a.htm

Helen is also a gifted writer of poetry, and 'Always In Our Mind' is a tribute to Honey, a cat who made an impact on Helen's life. http://www.thedailymews.com/poems/alwaysinourmind.htm
 
An article, which will have you roaring with laughter and nodding in agreement as you compare the antics of your own feline chums with those portrayed in this next article, is written by Marjorie Dorfman. Enjoy!!!
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/felinefoibles.htm

Profiled this month is the Maine Coon – one of the largest domestic cats and a very popular pet in the States. To read about this beauty, please click here:
http://www.thedailymews.com/articles/mainecoon.htm

In the Mews!

Ricky has discovered a hitherto undiscovered source of drinking water (despite there being 3 bowls of freshly filtered water available); namely two huge plant tubs which I hadn't managed to put drainage holes in – so they were waterlogged. Overtime, algae had accumulated on the surface but he would stand with his back paws resting on the rim of one while his front paws rested on the one he chose to drink from. You can see a picture of Ricky perched on the tubs in Ollie's latest diary entry. It was disgusting and I took the opportunity to drag both tubs onto the bit of earth behind the shed and upend them.

Bereft of his watering hole, Ricky looked at me to provide an alternative. Washing a huge plant pot saucer and filling it with fresh filtered water, and resting it on two broken bricks placed
close together to act as a plinth, easily solved this. This is also the right height for Garfield. Now the Fountain of Youth is in place, all the cats make several daily pilgrimages to drink the Elixir of Life!!!!

Ollie's new season feather collection got off to a good start. I came down one morning to find 5 different feathers neatly arranged by the cooker. I don't know if he's been taking Feather Arranging courses on-line while I'm busy doing other things, but I have to give him 10 out of 10 for artistic merit.

He's also been doing his T'ai Chi in the garden again as he swoops, leaps and pirouettes in a bid to catch butterflies, bees, and flies. Fortunately, he hasn't managed to catch anything yet, but it is great entertainment for the other cats who giggle away to themselves as they watch his valiant efforts.

We had some lovely warm sunny days during mid-late April, which meant that Garfield spent a good part of the day lying on my sun lounger. We have a Time Share arrangement on it; - he has any 50 weeks of the year when there is an inkling of sun and I get 2 weeks in mid-December! It's a fair arrangement and works well for Garfield.

It's good to see him stretched out on the lounger with the sun warming his body. Alongside the lounger is a kennel that we were given recently, and he retires to it if he needs to cool down. All the cats have explored it and it was funny to see Timmy flounce off in a huff into it when I started the vacuuming the other day. I went to the back door and as soon as he saw me, he turned his head the other way. He was very apologetic when he came back in and made up for his behaviour by lying on my desk with his bum on the CAPS LOCK so everything I typed came out in capitals. He likes doing that, for some reason.

Sam, on the other hand, was sitting bolt upright like a soldier on sentry duty when I caught him in it, although most soldiers stand OUTSIDE the sentry box.

And if one of them gets caught short and it starts to rain while they are outside, they head straight for the kennel and settle down until the rain eases off. I'm wondering whether to put a sofa and TV out there for them – what do you think???

Names Poll
I've received a lot of names so far, but there are still a good many of you who haven't written yet to let me know the names of your cats. So, please, please, please, let me have them by the end of the month and the results will be posted in the next MEWSLETTER.

Well, I hope you enjoy this issue of the MEWSLETTER – your feedback is always welcome – good or bad – and please feel free to send this issue on to your feline loving friends and family.

Until the next time, I wish you all well and I hope life will be just PURRFECT for you!

All good wishes

Pauline and the Daily Mews Gang

Garfield, Billy, Timmy, Sam, Ricky and Ollie

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