Hi everyone – belated happy New Year to every single one of you and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.  This was the first year in about five years that Lawrence and I weren’t ill!  Past Christmases have seen us languishing on our respective sofas thinking we were breathing our last (and me wondering if I had time to change my underwear; my mother always said you must have clean underwear on in case you get taken to hospital by ambulance!!) so it was quite a euphoric time for us.  I was ill at New Year though so came down to earth with a bang and was still coughing at my son’s wedding on January 9^th.

Thank you to everyone who sent me real Christmas cards through the post, and virtual ones via email – I do appreciate them – so thank you.

This Mewsletter was intended to be with you for Valentine’s Day but as is usual in the Daily Mews’ office, things went awry but we are with you now.  Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and shared lots of snuggly snogs with your cat(s).

News on the cat front is that Gibbs might have made the decision to move in.  He’s often downstairs with Casey when I get up in the mornings and although he will sometimes go out after he’s eaten breakfast, he returns later and sleeps either in Casey’s old bed (that Eric took over and Casey refuses to use now) or in a box that I turned on its side in the front room.  He’s made that his den. He’s a smaller version of Casey and very friendly; he’ll sit on my lap and purr happily for as long as he wants to.  But then he’ll run away if I as much as put a toe near him when I’m walking past him.  Weird.

If he does decide to make the Daily Mews Office his home then he’ll need to be neutered, vaccinated, wormed and microchipped.

What qualities do you like about your cat(s)? Write and let me know; include good, clear photos and the best ones I’ll put on the website.

ON WITH THE MEWS:

ARTICLES:

DEZI AND LEXI: AMAZING SERVICE CATS:

True to form, Dezi and Lexi are concentrating their thoughts this month about love.

Happy day of love

THE BLUE-EYED CAT:

Floot tells us a little bit more about her life in Thassos, Greece, and her siblings.

Floot’s latest catch-up

BOOK QUIZ:

For this month’s book quiz, please click on this link:

Book quiz February

Answers by 25^th March to pauline@thedailymews.com, thank you.

CAPTION COMPETITION:

The last caption competition (in the Christmas issue) was won by Becky in the US – well done Becky – and a huge thank you to everyone who took part.  Some great captions. To see the entries, click here:

Caption competition 54

For this month’s caption competition, usual rules apply: no more than 5 entries please, to pauline@thedailymews.com by 25^th March.

Caption competition 55

LINKS:

Robert Blau in the US sent me this link of a ‘pile’ of cats:

Pile of Cats

This is a short little video showing how cats look after their human:

Why we love cats:

This next link will surely warm the cockles of your heart.  After 20 years chained in the back of a rusty pick-up truck in Peru, ex-circus mountain lion Mufasa has been returned to the forest by Animal Defenders International (ADI)

Here’s a short video link showing his rescue and ultimate release:

Mufasa returns ‘home’

And here’s his story:

Back in the wild

Iowa State University’s Lloyd Veterinary Centre has released a video of three-year-old domestic shorthair Vincent walking on titanium-alloy prosthetic hind legs. His hind legs have been missing below the midway point of his shins since he was a kitten.

Vincent’s First Steps

This next link made me really smile at the ingenuity of the cat solving a problem.  This is something that my Ollie would have done.

Cat slides down pole like a fluffy fireman

MEWSERS’ MEWSINGS:

CASEY’S CHATS:

Casey had some unexpected surprises for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.  Read his latest ‘chats’ here:

It doesn’t get any better than this

INDY: WEIGHT LOSS CAT:

Indy has been trying to lose weight and in this article, he gives advice about eating sweet things for Valentine’s Day:

Sweetness for Valentine’s Day

MOET’S MEWSINGS:

Like every princess, Moet dreams of meeting her prince: she has Basil and Otis – her favourite beaus – and for Valentine’s Day, her thoughts and dreams turned to love.

I’m dreaming of my special Valentine’s

NAPPING ON A SUNBEAM

Sue in the UK told me about her beautiful tortie girl, Butty, and how she held on through Christmas.

Butty

Becky in the US wrote to me in December to tell me about her sweet pure white 8-year-old, little Summer, who went over Rainbow Bridge in October.

Madame Summer

A couple of weeks later, Becky’s 20-year-old cat, Star, also crossed over Rainbow Bridge.

Star

Please spare a thought for Ellen Pilch (15 cats and meowing) as she lost two cats toward the end of last year: Lucy and Stinky. 

It’s not easy to let one go, but Ellen, like Becky lost two in a very short while.

Squirt’s Mum, Penel, lost her beloved horse, Sadie, in January. She’d had Sadie for 18 years and it totally poleaxed her, as it was totally unexpected. 

 Please consider them all in your prayers.

PRODUCT REVIEWS:

Casey was overjoyed (if you can picture that!) to receive a package on Christmas Eve containing two catnip mice from Molly’s Mice (www.mollysmice.co.uk).  Gibbs claimed one for himself and Casey had the other one.

Here’s his review:

Molly’s Mice are very nice!

And that just about wraps it up for now.  I will be working on Ollie’s Diaries now throughout the rest of the month and half way through March so the next website update will be towards the end of March.

Till then, keep well and keep warm.  All feedback, good, bad or indifferent is welcome so do please let me know what you think. 

Take care

Love

Pauline – Editor in Chief

Casey – Assistant Editor and reluctantly enjoying the 1 – 2 – 3 game.

Gibbs – ‘I’m not sure if I’m moving in yet, but I’m just doing quality control right now.’

YOUR GUIDE TO USING THE DAILY MEWS WEBSITE

(Keep this somewhere safe)

Many of you are unfamiliar with the website because you visit the article that you’ve written using the link in the Mewsletter or Scratching Post but you don’t know where other things are.  This is a guide which I suggest you keep somewhere safe, or save in a document that you can refer back to from time to time.

Go to www.thedailymews.com This is the Home Page.  At the top of the page you’ll see 6 categories:

HOME – which speaks for itself; CAT HUMOUR; ARTICLES; KITTY BITS; LIFE STYLE; INFO

Click on CAT HUMOUR and a drop down box will show you three more categories: A’MEWS’MENT ARCADE; LAURA DUMM and MEWSERS’ MEWSINGS.

A’MEWS’MENT ARCADE is where all the funny stories/quotes/jokes etc about cats are to be found.

LAURA DUMM has three categories and each one shows her fantastic art work as well as featuring her own cats in humorous situations.

MEWSERS’ MEWSINGS has another drop down box with links to all our feline correspondents.

Now click on ARTICLES: there is a drop down box to lots of different writers featured there and CAT CHAT.

KITTY BITS will give you a drop down box to the MEWSLETTERS/SCRATCHING POST; COMPETITIONS; PAWS FOR THOUGHT; BREED PROFILE; PURRFECT POETRY; CATNIP CORNER and NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY, 2015.

Now click on LIFE STYLE and you’ll find CAT QUESTIONS FOR SQUIRT; NAPPING ON A SUNBEAM; AFTER DEATH CONNECTIONS; GARFIELD’S TRIBUTES; PICTURE GALLERIES; FELINE FITNESS and BOOK/PRODUCT REVIEWS.

The final category is INFO; click on this and you’ll find ANIMAL WELFARE; CHARITIES AND RESCUE CENTRES; CONTACT US; GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS; LINK TO US; OUR MISSION; SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEWSLETTER; DONATIONS AND SUPPORT and finally, THE MEWS TEAM. 

The website that you subscribe to has a LOT of content but many of you are unaware of exactly what is on there.  Do take the time to have a nose around.  It’s there for you to enjoy so please enjoy it!