Hi everyone and a very warm welcome to all the new subscribers who’ve joined us recently. Britain is in full summer mode at the moment although it could all end tomorrow – such are the vagaries of the British weather! Poor Casey doesn’t know what to do with himself; he is spending a lot more time in the garden and will lie in the shade of the Mexican Orange bush (a favourite den of Ricky’s) and then he’ll come into the kitchen and just flop on the floor – exhausted!

I have some great articles and stories for you this time so as usual, pull up a pew, plonk a cat or two on your lap and enjoy.

ON WITH THE MEWS:

AMAZING CATS:

We’ll be hearing from Dezi and Lexi next time hopefully but we have another truly amazing cat this month: Bagel who was born without eyelids and needs to wear sunglasses all the time. 

Bagel – aka The Sunglass Cat

Moet lives in Oman and lived in appalling conditions in a pet shop before finding her forever home with Dr Emily Shotter and Luna.  Since Moet’s arrival, Lily, another cat rescued from living in a bird cage, has joined the family.  Read Moet’s astonishing story here:

Moet – my story

ARTICLES:

ED KOSTRO:

Ed is a tireless campaigner for animal rights and three years ago, after the 4th of July ‘celebrations’, he came across a quivering, shivering, little Chihuahua who’d bolted from her tether. Ed has been campaigning ever since to get fireworks banned as not only are all animals traumatised, but US veterans have a hard time dealing with fireworks too.  I must admit, I HATE the fireworks that we have to ‘celebrate’ Guy Fawkes failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament! And I never go out on that evening, making sure my cats are safe while the whizzing and bangs are going on outside. The trouble is, it’s never for just one night: Ed was telling me that there are fireworks going off for days before – we have exactly the same situation here for almost the entire month of November.  With more on New Year’s Eve.  

Lupita

15 CATS AND MEOWING:

Ellen Pilch writes about Barney, another of her cats, in this month’s insight into her life living with 15 cats and a long-suffering husband.

Barney

LYNN SCHIFFHORST:

I know that many of you have been enjoying Lynn’s stories about Carlo who found a new life with the village priest in Italy.  Here’s another lovely adventure for you to curl up and read and enjoy:

Carlo and the operatic villain

(My huge thanks to Jem Vanston for trawling the Internet looking for illustrations for this story)

BOOK QUIZ:

We had zero entrants for the Book Quiz last time which is a great shame.  I shall do one more and if there aren’t any entrants this time, I’ll be shelving it. For the answers to June’s Book Quiz:

Book Quiz

For this month’s Book Quiz:

Book Quiz

CAPTION COMPETITION

I thought it was a great picture worthy of all manner of captions but sadly, we had very few entrants.  So Becky and Jamaka – our intrepid caption entrants will each win a prize – well done, Ladies.

Caption Competition 48

Here’s this month’s Caption and huge thanks to Katy in Greece for her great picture of Chapy. Captions please to p.dewberry@ntlworld.com by 25th July.  Not more than 5 please.

Caption Competition 49

If the Caption Competition also fails to net any response, both competitions will be shelved. If you have any pictures of your cats that you’d like to put forward for the Caption Competition, please send them to me at the usual address (see above).

FELINE FITNESS:

Vet buddy, Neil McIntosh, has written for Daily Mews before.  Here’s another of his humorous looks at a serious issue: neutering.

Dollar

Do ‘like’ the surgery’s Facebook page at the end of the article. 

KITTY BITS:

Ellen Pilch has written another ‘out and about’ piece; this time about the Meow Parlour, New York City’s first cat café.

Meow Parlour

There are about 12 veterinary practices in the UK which are for cats only.  Rachel Grafton, writing for Your Cat magazine, has written about one called Jaffa’s Health Centre in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Chloe Hukin, the editor of Your Cat magazine, kindly gave me permission to use Rachel’s story, and Pete Coleshaw, the vet at Jaffa’s, sent me some lovely photos of cats being themselves at their practice.

Home from home – a cats’ only veterinary practice 

LINKS

My thanks to Kaat in the Netherlands for this brilliant link.  What do you think your pets get up to all day while you’re at work or at school?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-80SGWfEjM&feature=youtu.be

Robert Blau – and several others – sent me links to sign the petition to stop China’s Yulin Festival where they eat dog meat.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/206/893/746/

Ham sent me this video of what lonely cats do on Valentine’s Day – sorry I didn’t include it then :(

http://www.flixxy.com/valentines-day-for-lonely-cats.htm

MEWSERS’ MEWSINGS:

CASEY’S CHATS:

Casey has been sniffing in the cupboards recently in case there are any masked intruders or skeletons lurking:

Guardians of secrets

June 21st is Casey’s designated birthday and he has some wry comments to make about having birthday:

Birthdays

HOL AND DAISY SAUCE:

Hol and Daisy’s female keeper has been very poorly of late and here’s a brief note from Hol to explain:

Hope dies last 1

SQUIRT’S SCRIBBLINGS:

Squirt has been busy these past few months as he settled into his new home with its overgrown garden.  He loved the unruliness of it all – that is, until Staff and Manstaff started tinkering with it.  Here’s his latest Scribblings:

Do you think that’s a weed?

TOFF CAT:

I don’t know about you but I’m really loving Carol Lake’s totally naughty and irreverent look at the upper classes written from Toff Cat’s point of view.

Captain Tarquin Flemtwangle (Retired)

Pongo Trumpington Trubshaw

And that’s about it for another month.  Hopefully I’ll be with you towards the end of this month as I’m trying to get back on track.  I’ve been working on Ollie’s Diaries and hope to have them ready to send out to my readers before too long. Tomorrow – 8th July – it will be 2 years since we lost Ollie and it’s an understatement to say I miss him.  Reading through his diaries made me realise – once again – just what an adventurous and funny cat he was, and in his diaries he’s so full of life. That’s why it was so hard to continue with them after he died. The sequel to the Diaries is already finished so I must finish the Diaries in order to get them both ‘out there’ for other people to read and enjoy.

As always, your feedback is welcome: good, bad or indifferent. Till the next time, Casey joins me in wishing you a very happy, and safe, summer.

With love

Pauline – editor in chief

Casey – assistant to the editor-in-chief and guardian of the secrets

Dogs Come when Called

"Dogs come when called. Cats take a message and get back to you."

"Of course, every cat is really the most beautiful woman in the room."

Edward Verrall Luca (essayist)