The Cat Winter 2011 by Francesca Watson

Winter 2011

3,500 years of cats in art & photo competition winners

Meet the creator of Simonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cat

CP in the community

Books and games for everyone!

Plus Emma Milne, Christmas gift ideas & baffling beliefs

As seen on TV! Are you certain she’s taken her worming tablet?

Ask your vet for a spot-on solution for cat worming. To ﬁnd out more information log onto www.profender.co.uk ® Registered Trade Mark of Bayer AG. Bayer plc, Animal Health Division, Bayer House, Strawberry Hill, Newbury RG14 1JA. Tel: 01635 563000. Please Use Medicines Responsibly. http://www.noah.co.uk/responsible

The Team

Welcome …to the Winter 2011 issue of The Cat

Tom Briggs Deputy Editor Francesca Watson Editor

Contacts For editorial submissions to the magazine The Editor, The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT Email: editorial@cats.org.uk Web: www.thecat.org.uk We reserve the right to edit material for clarity or space. Cats Protection is not responsible for the opinions, advice and factual content of contributed items. The views expressed do not necessarily conform to those of the Trustees. Advertisements are accepted in good faith and we endeavour to check their accuracy. However, the charity gives no guarantees or endorsements of the products or services advertised. Cats Protection cannot accept responsibility for any correspondence between the parties, nor can they be expected to arbitrate should any dispute arise. To change your details, become a Special Friend, subscribe, make a donation or become a member of Cats Protection: Supporter Services, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT Email: supporterservices@cats.org.uk Phone: 0800 917 2287 For all other enquiries: Cats Protection, National Cat Centre (NCC), Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT Phone: 03000 12 12 12 (Calls charged at standard rate) Fax: 08707 708 265 Email: cp@cats.org.uk Web: www.cats.org.uk/thecatmag

PS – We’d love to know what you think about The Cat magazine! Please use the enclosed survey to let us know your thoughts or visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/thecat All entries will be entered into a prize draw for a £20 Marks & Spencer gift voucher. Thank you!

Published quarterly by Cats Protection. Printed by Pensord Press Ltd.

Please recycle this magazine when you have finished with it

Ryan O’Hara Creative Designer

ailia Schwar

Rasoul Hudda Creative Designer

123r f.com/N

From left to right

Cover photo:

Photo: Lee Bishop

elcome to the last edition of 2011, where has this year gone? We’re now embracing the dark nights, colder weather and looking forward to Christmas. For thousands of years, the elegant form of the feline has graced the art world. On pages 20 to 21 we celebrate the latest feline art compendium, The Cat: 3,500 Years of the Cat in Art . We move to the art of photography on pages 36 to 38 when we announce the winners of our ever-popular annual photo competition. There have been some wonderful images submitted and I’m sure many will find their way into the Cats Protection photo library and then into this magazine during the next year. There can be no doubt that the cartoonist of recent years has to be Simon Tofield who created the fabulous and extremely popular Simon’s Cat . On pages 32 to 34 he tells Tom Briggs about his journey into animation and his feline inspiration. In this digital age we go virtual on pages 26 to 27 when Rasoul Hudda considers the current role of cats in computer games and on pages 44 to 46 we put down the console and opt for a gentler, perhaps more old-fashioned form of entertainment. We have recruited our youngest contributor to date, 12-year-old Ylena Green, who gives her views on some cat-themed children books available. There are some great gift ideas here guaranteed to get both kids and adults reading. Cats have long been the subject of superstition and myth and Anthony Josice considers these on pages 18 to 19. Securing strong support for Cats Protection in the future is of vital importance and on pages 48 to 49 our Preston Branch takes us behind the scenes, emphasising the importance of community education for cat welfare.

Cats Protection’s vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs. Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

Contents In this issue

14 Celebrity interview

TV Vet Emma Milne talks cats, kids and careers

20 The cat in art

Leonardo da Vinci once said that “the smallest feline is a masterpiece” and, after reading the latest cat art book on the market, we can’t help but agree…

32 Simon says

We mee t the man behind the successful Si hugely mon’s Cat series

36 And the winners are… Introducing the winners of this year’s Cats Protection photographic competition

Regulars 6

18 Furry superstitious

We investigate some of the world’s strangest superstitions involving our feline friends

Game on! A look back at the moggies who have made it into the virtual world

42 Freedom Project

Find out about how Cats Protection and Dogs Trust help the human and animal victims of domestic abuse

44 Felines in fiction

We look at some top children’s books featuring cats

News

10 Letters 16 Cats’ tales 24 Ali’s cats 28 Playing dete ctive 30 Ask the vets 39 Walker on th e wild si

Cat chat

40 Our favourite thin

Behind the scenes with one of our Publicity Volunteers

50 Coffee paw s

52 How can we help? 54 Paws for tho ught 56 Cats Protect ion in

focus

61 Diary of eve nts 62 Find your lo cal

Cats Protection

66 Kids’ corner 68 Making mem orie

69 Rememberin g ca

70 Book review s

The Cat Winter 2011

News Celebrity Paws 2011

■

Stars of stage and screen, including singer Dame Shirley Bassey, actress Brigitte Bardot, chef Gordon Ramsay and Glee star Heather Morris, have kindly donated their ‘paw prints’ to Cats Protection to help raise funds to support the charity’s work. Each celebrity has drawn around their hand and customised the drawing to create a unique piece of art, which will be auctioned on eBay this December. Each lot will be framed and ready for the winning bidder to display, or perhaps give to a friend as the perfect Christmas present. This year, a collection of well-known artists, including Gerald Scarfe, Quentin Blake, Winnie the Witch illustrator Korky Paul and Axel Scheffler of The Gruffalo fame, have also contributed a paw. Contributions include Gerald Scarfe’s elephant themed paw, Bernard Cribbins’ bird paw, Lucy Pinder’s cat paw-trait, some comical contributions from Viz magazine’s Graham Dury, Simon Thorp and Chris Donald, and a fantastic donation from Simon’s Cat illustrator Simon Tofield. This is the fifth year of Celebrity Paws with past contributors including Joanna Lumley, John Barrowman, David Cameron, Tracey Emin, Phil Collins, Rolf Harris and Sir David Jason. Last year’s event was the most successful yet, raising an amazing £2,672.14 and the charity hopes to do even better this year. The eBay auction runs from 1-11 December 2011 and the winning bidders will not only receive a unique piece of celebrity artwork, but will also be supporting the vital work of Cats Protection. For further details about Celebrity Paws please visit www.cats.org.uk

Moggy mood lifters

■

Cats Protection’s latest research has confirmed what cat lovers have known for years – cats can be beneficial to mental wellbeing and to those suffering from mental health issues. The study, which was conducted with the Mental Health Foundation, found that 87 per cent of the cat owners who responded felt that having a cat had a positive impact on their wellbeing, while 76 per cent said they could cope with everyday life much better thanks to the company of their feline friends. In addition to companionship, the study cited interaction as a key component to reducing the suffering caused by mental ill health, with a third of cat-owning respondents describing stroking a cat as a calming and helpful activity. The survey involved over 600 cat and non-cat-owning respondents, with half of them describing themselves as currently having a mental health problem.

What’s in a name?

■

Shirley Bassey, Simon Tofield and Axel Scheffler’s contributions

The Cat Winter 2011

Following a survey on Cats Protection’s website, an emerging trend has been discovered to give felines food – and drinkrelated names. The appeal had gone out to help CP name the many stray and abandoned cats that come into its care. The public clearly had a taste for foodrelated names with Pringle, Saffron, Scampi, Sushi and Jellybean as popular choices not to mention others such as Pilchard, Cabbage and Captain Haddock. These quirky suggestions are a far cry from the most popular cat name which is Charlie, followed by Oscar, Alfie and Poppy, according to insurance company Petplan. Over 1,000 people participated in the poll, ranging in age from five to 70 and some from as far away as Switzerland and the USA. “We’re delighted so many people took part as it’s now given us a huge database of inspiration,” said Karen Thompson, Deputy Manager of CP’s National Cat Adoption Centre in Sussex.

news Photo: Duncan Soar

The Cinnamon Trust Care Home Awards 2011

■

The Cinnamon Trust is a national charity that aims to maintain the vital and beneficial relationship between people and their pets. Its community service volunteers provide practical help from walking dogs for a housebound owner, providing temporary shelter if an owner is taken to hospital and long-term care for pets whose owners have died or moved into residential accommodation that will not accept pets. Each year it publishes a handbook listing all the care homes that are pet friendly and, out of the thousands listed, there is a shortlist nominated for The Cinnamon Trust Care Home of the Year award. Owls Barn in Lincolnshire was the ultimate winner this year with owner and full-time carer, Loraine Olsen, present to receive her award. The home is for people with learning difficulties, challenging behaviour and Alzheimer’s. The home currently has six residents alongside dogs, cats, a tortoise and a fish. The five runners up were Elizabeth Court Nursing Home, East Sussex; Applegarth, Berkshire; Neuadd Drymmau, Port Talbot; Rotherbank Residential Home, Hampshire and The Old Vicarage, Dorset. For more information about the services provided by The Cinnamon Trust visit www.cinnamontrust.org.uk or phone 01736 757 900.

A Christmas cat chorus

■

Good luck to the Farnham & Wey Valley Branch’s charge into the Christmas charts! The branch has released its own version of The Cure’s much-loved track The Love Cats which is now available for download. Robert Smith, lead singer of The Cure, has very kindly waived all royalties from the track so the funds will go directly to the branch. The track was created and recorded by musician and producer Louis DeWray at Earth Terminal Studios, and masterminded by Cats Protection volunteer, Louisa Bird. You can download the track at www.thelovecats.co.uk

Loraine receives her award from Pam Rhodes and Averil Jarvis MBE

Black cat awareness day success

■

A Cats Protection awareness day that encouraged people to adopt unwanted black cats will become an annual event, following the unprecedented support it attracted this year. Thousands of people backed the UK’s first ever Black Cat Awareness Day on 27 October, which drew attention to the hundreds of homeless black cats in Cats Protection’s care and the apparent reluctance of people to adopt them. This has led the charity to introduce it as an annual event in the hope it will continue to raise awareness of unwanted black cats into the future. The campaign’s Twitter hashtag, #CPBlackCats, was in the top ten trends on Twitter and at one point it was the third most-talked about subject among UK users, temporarily beating Justin Bieber! Additionally, around 26,000 people visited Cats Protection’s Facebook page while thousands of black cat photos were uploaded to Flickr, Facebook and Twitter. A YouTube video showing campaign mascot Billy Noir-Mates – pictured below – attracted 5,800 views in the lead up to the day and around 1,600 people visited Billy’s Facebook page on the day itself to make friends with him. The campaign also attracted support from celebrity cat-lovers including Twiggy Lawson, Samantha Fox and Simon’s Cat creator, Simon Tofield. Next year’s Black Cat Awareness Day will take place on Saturday 27 October 2012. Photo: Clare Halden

Helpline number reminder

■

The introduction of the Cats Protection Helpline number, 03000 12 12 12 has been very successful, accounting for 85 per cent of calls that come in. The old number 08702 099 099 will be phased out at the end of this year, so please make a note of 03000 12 12 12.

The Cat Winter 2011

Heroic World War II cat receives bravery award

■

A courageous cat who became part of an RAF crew during World War II has posthumously received a bravery award. The cat, Pyro, is only the second feline to be awarded the PDSA’s Dickin medal, widely recognised as the Victoria Cross equivalent for animals. Pyro was adopted by Bob Bird, a Merseyside photographer serving at the RAF’s Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) at Helensburgh, Scotland. Mr Bird, who was photographing secret trials of experimental aircrafts, found the stray hidden in his darkroom and named him after pyrocatechol, the photographic developing fluid. Pyro went on to join Mr Bird on board many flights during the war and became accepted by the RAF crew as one of their own. In the winter of 1942, Pyro’s presence even saved Mr Bird’s frostbitten fingers from having to be amputated, as he stayed close and kept them warm during a flight 20,000 feet above sea level. Mr Bird’s son, Robin, will be seen receiving Pyro’s award on a Remembrance Day special of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow . Robin said, “Dad used to tell me stories about Pyro, how they went flying together and how he warmed his frostbitten hands on the kitten. My mother said Bob would whistle when he was going flying and Pyro would come running. I am so pleased Pyro has been recognised after 70 years.” The only other feline to win the Dickin medal is Simon, a cat who was serving on the Royal Navy ship HMS Amethyst in 1949. The ship was attacked while sailing from Shanghai to Nanking, in what became known as the Yangtze Incident. Despite being badly injured by the shell blast Simon continued to catch many rats on board the ship and his behaviour, which was described as ‘of the highest order,’ was rewarded when he received the medal in 1949.

The Cat Winter 2011

Feline embarrassed?

■

Cats Protection’s supporters have revealed the embarrassing antics their mischievous feline friends get up to. When we invited our Facebook fans to tell us their mortifying moggy stories, we received a flurry of humorous responses. These included a cat who liked to bring down women’s underwear to show guests and another who kicked up such a fuss that the vet ended up accidentally injecting himself with antibiotics. While it was hard to pick out the most amusing anecdotes, our top ones had to be the cats that did the following: • Played with the bathroom blinds – which promptly fell down as its owner was getting undressed for a bath • Sharpened its claws on a visitor’s leather trousers • Was found entangled in a neighbour’s bra • Relieved itself in a policeman’s helmet • Dragged the tablecloth off, along with all the food, at a child’s party • Caught and noisily crunched a huge bluebottle while potential buyers were viewing the owner’s house • Climbed on to the back of the sofa to clean a bald visitor’s head • Sailed down from a tree just as the fire brigade had arrived to rescue it. Thank you to everyone who shared their entertaining stories – we’re sure none of you would be without your cats despite the embarrassment they sometimes bring!

Branch takes in 10,000th cat

■

Congratulations to the hardworking volunteers at our Basildon, Brentwood & District Branch, who recently took in their 10,000th cat. The branch took in Tia along with 14 others – her three young kittens and another mother cat with ten kittens from two litters – in August when their owner could no longer care for them. Happily Tia and the other cats have all now been found new homes. The branch which started in 1988 currently has around forty volunteers. Branch Co-ordinator Linda Upson, said: “A massive thank you must go to Brenda Bell, our Homing & Welfare Officer, who is responsible for the cats we take in and for the homing of the cats, as well as all our wonderful volunteer Fosterers, Fundraisers and Visitors.”

Tell us about it Do you have an interesting story to tell, a point of view you want to air or something that you just have to get off your chest? Send your thoughts, views, stories, funny photos and ‘mewsings’ to The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email us at editorial@cats.org.uk Don’t forget to tell us your return address and please remember that your letter may be edited for length.

✪ STAR LETTER

A good Samaritan

From Charlie Carter, via email would like to tell you about my wonderful cat, Jinx – on the right. He dotes on our deaf kitten and our older cat. However, lately he has been staying out for longer and longer periods of time. I was concerned that he had found another home. I needn’t have worried, however – it seems that Jinx’s care for other cats spans further than his own brood. We had heard reports of him ‘hanging around’ with another cat in the area. I didn’t mind, but Jinx kept coming home with fleas. It didn’t take me long to realise that the other cat was a stray. Despite my efforts, the other cat did not seem to want to have my attention and would run off when I attempted to get hold of him, so resolved to keep an eye on him and leave food where he could get it. Knowing that the stray was getting more and more poorly seems to have worried Jinx and it seems that he was staying later and later to keep an eye on him!

The Cat Winter 2011

Then for the really surprising bit – Jinx decided that this little cat needed help and “half carried” – according to a builder working on our neighbour’s flat – the poor little thing right to our door and sat huddled over him until I came home! He even pushed a food bowl towards the stray once indoors. Unfortunately, the stray wasn’t microchipped and no-one seems to be missing him. Despite being very thin, he is in good health and has settled in nicely I will eventually aim to rehome him – who we’ve called Nero – once he is stronger and a little more confident – who am I kidding?! I say that, but my partner seems to think I won’t have the heart to give him up! I dread to think what would happen to him if Jinx hadn’t have taken it upon himself to help this guy out. It’s lovely to know that people aren’t the only ones fighting to save the pussy cats!

yourletters

A sunny disposition

An amazing friend

From: Claire Turnbull, via email urther to your lovely article about the cats of the National Trust, I thought you might like to see a picture of Sunny the RHS Wisley cat, living up to his name in the alpine gardens. He was extremely contented soaking up the sun and wasn't at all put out by all the visitors!

From: Clare Guarasci, Loughborough, Leicestershire his is George. He has been with me for 11 years and he is not just my cat, he is my best friend. His favourite things are sleeping and having his chin scratched continuously while purring very loudly. He knows when I need a cuddle and is always happy to oblige. George was diagnosed as being diabetic four years ago, so we set a daily routine to make sure he has everything he needs. He wakes me up every morning with a few taps on the face and, if that doesn’t work, a lick across the eyelid does the trick. It’s time for breakfast, followed by his insulin injection which he is now used to, sometimes even having to remind me if I forget! George does not do anything spectacular that I can write about, just the usual things that cats do. He sleeps most of the time and spends the rest of it keeping himself immaculately clean. He does like to sun himself in the garden on occasion, but doesn’t stay out too long as he is a bit of a wimp! He sometimes likes to pee in my work shoes, especially when he knows I am in a hurry! The one thing he does very well which is very special to me is just to be George. Three months ago, George contracted an infection which, by the time I knew there was something wrong, had caused severe damage to his liver. I had to make the most difficult decision of my life and say goodbye to George. I have two reasons for writing this; the first is as a tribute to George for the happiness he brought into my life that I will never forget. The second is to let everyone know that a cat’s affection is one of the best things you could ever have in your life. But I guess, as cat lovers, everyone reading this magazine already knows that!

How old?

From: Mrs K E L Smith, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk ill you tell me how old the oldest known cat was? Mine only made 15-16 years, but my son’s wife had one who lived 22 years and the present one is 19 years. It would be so nice to know. Editor’s note: Our research shows that there is some debate as to who was the oldest cat; there isn’t any actual proof but Lucy, a tabby from Wales who was thought to be 39, recently featured in the media. There was a cat called Crème Puff from Texas who died aged 38 years and three days while a cat called Blackie from Leicestershire celebrated her 24th birthday in January this year. As yet there is no oldest cat in the Guinness Book of Records.

The Cat Winter 2011

CP’s future is bright

From: Sue Dobbs, Bridgend Adoption Centre, Wales y husband’s niece Callie-Jo is a huge supporter of Cats Protection already. She was travelling on a bus and saw a poster of our Open Day on board and started telling people on the bus about the centre and all the cats we help. Here she is with her CP balloon and badge.

The gentle touch

From: Miss P James, Rugeley, Staffordshire recently adopted two wonderful 16-year-old cats, brother and sister Peppi and Poppy, who are both in excellent health but unfortunately deaf. I asked CP for tips on how to communicate with them and was sent a very helpful leaflet. It included things such as sign language, touching what the cat is sleeping on, walking heavily when approaching, flashing lights and so on. In general, things that work mainly if the cat is used to you and the surroundings, but less so for the newly-adopted. I have since found something that works extremely well for Peppi and Poppy and thought I should pass this information on. When they are curled up asleep in their igloos – most of the time for these two! – I gently blow on their heads to get their attention. They feel this and look round sleepily to see what’s going on, rather than jumping out of their skins if I touch them or their bedding, making them fear they’re being attacked. This may be helpful to other people adopting older or deaf cats. Keep up the good work everyone – they’re worth it!

Our Star Letter wins a fantastic Wicker Cat Bed Tunnel with black velvet-look cushion. All other printed letters will win some Jolly Moggy catnip mice which should keep your moggy amused for hours. Our thanks to Just for Pets for kindly donating these prizes; visit www.justforpets.uk.com to see its full range of products or phone 01527 578 007 for more information.

The Cat Winter 2011

Just for Pets, your online pet store, has everything you need to keep your cat happy and healthy! Our new-look website is bursting with the leading pet product brands, like Royal Canin, Vitakraft and James Wellbeloved. Go online to discuss all your cat-related questions in our pet-owners’ forum, and take advantage of our online pet care advice centre and special online-only offers. We are currently offering great discounts on selected cat food and accessories! To find out more, visit www.justforpets.uk.com or follow us on Twitter @Justforpetsuk

Follow Cats Protection on:

!"##$%&'()*()+&(,&-)(,'&&.&'-/('&-0"&'-( 12.(01))&'%&-(3*'(*4&'(56(7&1'-( From £252

This pen £369

!"#$%&&'"&%()*"+",-./0$".12*."!"3%.45,&*%6" !"76800("0("0-/800("!"9-1,:"/0";-/"-;"

www.twitter.com/catsprotection

<<<=;*6/>0-.*;(08-,/.=,0$"?"@ABC@"DA@EAE"

- With Windows and Doors Open -

KEEP YOUR CATS SAFE! �� 01493 782244

Special “Super Screen” designed to keep your Cat Safe. Professional fitting service included. Suppliers to CAT Protection & Catteries. Free no obligation quote. Rowan Lodge, Back Lane, Burgh Castle, Great Yarmouth, NR31 9QJ

www.thescreendoorcompany.co.uk

celebrityinterview

TV vet Emma Milne talks to Tom Briggs about cats, kids and careers… QUESTION Can you tell us a little about your cats? ANSWER I’ve got two brothers, Brian and Nigel. Nigel is tabby and white and I often describe him as a ‘Labrasloth’. He has the appetite of a Labrador combined with the love of exercise of a sloth! His brother is bright ginger and white and has a little lion chin and a cheeky air about him. Brian has always been in love with our dog, Badger and has doggedly – or is that cattedly? – followed him around since they were little. The cats and dogs are both about 15 and have lived together all their lives. QUESTION You are probably best known for BBC’s Vets in Practice , but have made numerous other television appearances and written extensively about animal welfare. What would you say has been your proudest achievement and why? ANSWER Vets in Practice has given me some incredible opportunities to reach many animals and make a difference in lots of ways that would never have been possible being solely a general practitioner. If I can be cheeky and pick two things, it would be helping raise about £40,000 for the Brooke after a trip to Egypt to see their work with working equines and also being part of the campaign to end tail docking in dogs.

QUESTION You recently welcomed your second child; do you think it is important for children to grow up with pets? ANSWER Yes, absolutely. Our two year old is brilliant with animals and watching her standing in between our great big dogs is just fantastic. Brian loves her too and I feel all the animals have been amazing sharing their ‘mum and dad’ with these two pesky interlopers! Children learn a lot of humanity and the importance of kindness from having pets. I also feel very strongly that people should not let pets suffer at the hands of their children. I think all too often animals are vilified for actions towards children because of behaviour on the child’s part. Parents must appreciate that pets are there to enrich the lives of their children and help them learn about love, dependency and relationships, not to be mauled, poked and prodded when it suits them and then forgotten about when the novelty wears off. QUESTION You kindly supported Cats Protection at last year’s Rescue Cat Awards; what is it about cats that makes them such good pets? ANSWER Cats are incredibly calming creatures to have around. They have such a beautifully, elegant way of moving and seem to appear soundlessly as if by magic which gives them a real air of tranquillity. On the flip side they are entirely their own bosses and this gives them a mischievous, uncontrollable side which makes them appeal to our wilder side.

QUESTION What is the funniest thing any of your cats have ever got up to? ANSWER Brian is a real character and has lots of quirky habits like paddling in the water bowl whenever he has a drink. His funniest, or rather naughtiest, antics though have been stealing. He once, over a period of days, brought us several lovely children’s hand puppets and a pair of slippers. We never found out where they came from and a second pair of slippers appeared a year or so later, very proudly dragged through the cat flap! QUESTION What advice would you offer any of our younger readers who are interested in becoming vets? ANSWER Research and experience! The competition to get into vet school is fierce, so you’ve got to be sure it’s what you want to do, that it’s right for you and that you make yourself stand out from the crowd. Research what all the universities are looking for. This will not only let you prepare properly, but will also help you decide which university would suit your personality best. Experience is really important too. So many people achieve the high grades needed that you need to show you’ve gone the extra mile. Get as much animal-related work experience as you can to show you’re dedicated to your goal. QUESTION We understand you’re working on a new book at the moment – tell us more! ANSWER I was approached by a publisher to write the story of my time as a vet and also being in the media spotlight. I suppose that, just as James Herriot found that lots of funny or odd things happen to vets, this is still true and with the

The Cat Winter 2011

Emma’s new book Tales from the Tail End is published by Summersdale and will be available in March 2012.

Photo: Courtesy of Emma Milne

Emma Milne

added angle of being filmed there are even more things that can happen. It was a pleasure to write because it allowed me to concentrate on all the fun things that have happened over the last 15 years.

Love The Cat? Why not tell a friend?!

Each subscription to The Cat magazine allows us to help more unwanted and abandoned cats and, at the same time, spread the word of the vital work we do. So if you know someone who’d enjoy The Cat magazine why not give them this subscription form?

Winter 2010

Kleptomaniac cats How to stop a pilfering puss

Common household poisons revealed

Introducing feline acupuncture

Great Scots

Christmas card cats celebrated

Can cats reincarnate?

SPRING 2011

Needles about

Festive felines Soul survivors

80 not out! Celebrating eight decades of The Cat magazine

The dangers at home

Caring for Caledonian cats

Plus

Writing competition 2011, a cat-friendly cinema & CP goes digital

Dream a little dream Where does your cat go when he’s asleep?

Plus

Ed Byrne, Cats of colour & Vanquish vet visit vexes

The Cat subscription form

You can pay by Cheque/Postal Order Please make your cheque or postal order for £15 payable to Cats Protection.

Simply fill in your details and choose your method of payment opposite and then return this form to us. You can also FREEPHONE 0800 917 2287 or subscribe online at www.thecat.org.uk. For overseas rates please phone (+44) 1825 741 008 or visit the website.

You can pay by Credit/Debit Card Please debit £15 from my VISA/MASTERCARD (Please circle) Card Number: Expiry Date:

Your details (Please use BLOCK capitals)

Signature:

Title:

(Must be completed)

Name:

Date:

You can pay by Direct Debit (annual transaction) I wish Cats Protection to Direct Debit £15 every year until further notice

Address:

Postcode: Tel (inc STD code):

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay Direct Debits: Service User No: Cats Protection, National Cat Centre,

6 2 6 0 9 7 Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT. 1. Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society Branch. Bank/Building Society

To the Manager:

Email:

Address:

Recipient details (if different from above)

Postcode:

Title:

2. Name(s) of Account Holder(s):

Name: Address:

3. Branch Sort Code: Postcode: Data Protection Notice: We store your details on computer for administration purposes but will not keep them longer than necessary. We may use your details to support the work of the charity and/ or to contact you about our products or services. Under the Data Protection Act, you are entitled to a copy of all the information which we hold about you although we are entitled to ask you to pay for this. We may share information with other carefully selected companies or our trading subsidiary. Offers from carefully selected companies may be made to you. If you would prefer not to receive these, please tick the box. We may from time to time send you updates about our work. If you do not want to receive further communications from the charity, please tick the box. To receive communications by email, please tick the box and provide a valid email address above.

–

4. Bank or Building Society Account No: Please pay Cats Protection Direct Debits from the account detailed on this Instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with Cats Protection and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Signature(s): (Must be completed)

Date: Banks & Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of accounts.

Please return this form to:

Supporter Services Department, Cats Protection, FREEPOST SEA 7678, HAYWARDS HEATH, RH17 7BR.

Cats’ tales Funny, weird, or just plain photogenic; this is the place to show off your cat for the remarkable creature he is. If you think you’ve got a cat who deserves his 15 minutes of fame then write to us, at Cats’ Tales, The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email editorial@cats.org.uk including a photo of at least 500kb in size. If you would like your photos returned, please enclose a selfaddressed envelope. Your letters may be edited for clarity and length.

jjLetting the cat out of the bag From: Georgina Sheldon via email Our rescued feral cat Tallulah used to live in an abandoned garden shed. As you can see, she has swapped her humble beginnings for a life of luxury shopping and is always the first to check we have remembered to buy her favourite cat treats! Since being adopted three years ago, Tallulah and her brother Tallow have settled in well. Although a little nervous at first, Tallulah, the crazier of the two, never fails to entertain us with her bizarre dancing and obsession with moths and worms.

jjFur flies From: Angela Newton, Linlithgow, West Lothian During the spring and summer of 2010, I often brushed my 12-year old cat Olive, outside in our garden. After cleaning the brush of her fur one day, I accidentally left the fur on the grass. A while later I noticed that it had disappeared. Curious to see what had happened to it, I continued to brush Olive outside, discarding the fur on the grass and each time it quickly disappeared. The mystery was finally solved when I saw a house sparrow fly out of our large fir tree, pick up the fur, fly off with it to a nearby row of houses and disappear underneath the roof tiles. He obviously thought it looked like the perfect nesting material for his family. I just keep thinking about how cosy and warm those families of sparrows will be in their nest lined with Olive’s fur. This is a fine example of birds benefiting from the existence of cats!

iiWhat a ledge-nd! From: Nathan Davidson, via email Our cat Billy Ray has all the family in fits with his unusual superhero pose. He’s incredibly affectionate and craves attention. He loves to be around people and is discovering new sleeping places each week – recent favourites include the rocking chair and pouffe in the lounge and, more unusually, the patio furniture cover in the garden. He’s a real hit in the neighbourhood, everyone knows him. He loves being stroked and brushed, although not on his tummy, and he doesn’t like being picked up all that much. He never fails to bring a smile to our faces. Billy Ray sees the windowsill as a decent vantage point, but we love the way he’s stretched himself out for maximum comfort.

The Cat Winter 2011

readers’cats gg I’m alright, Jack From: Mrs Pat Watts, Gillingham, Dorset We adopted Jack from Cats Protection in February 2007. He came to us after a successful operation on a broken hind leg; he was fostered with John at Mill House, Silton, who I hope will read this. We love Jack to bits, he is a very affectionate cat. As you will see from the picture, the leg with a metal plate always hangs down or is stretched out when he sleeps. He runs and jumps around, climbs trees and loves playing; you would never know he had a metal plate in his hind leg until he sits or lays down – obviously more comfortable for him. He is not in pain and it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. Jack was 18 months old when we adopted him; he is now six years old and very content and happy. So well done, Cats Protection for saving Jack and a big thank you to the vet in Wincanton who carried out the operation.

iiLiving life to the Max From: Rachel Haines, Leeds This is one of our cats, Max, who as you can see, likes to sleep in some very unusual places! I think he was pretending to sleep in the bird bath hoping that he might catch out an unsuspecting bird! Max is a very friendly but mischievous cat, waking me up in the middle of the night by pulling my hair when he wants some food, or rattling the plug in the bath like a bell when he wants a drink – he won’t drink out of his cat bowl. His miaow is very quiet so he has learned to get our attention in other ways!

Don’t forget, Cats’ Tales is sponsored by Felix so, if your cat gets onto this page, you’ll receive a month’s supply of delicious Felix pouches from the Sensations range. Your little rascal will find it irresistible at every mealtime.

ii Seizing the window j of opportunity From: Nelly Kardous, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire These are two of my cats Barbara, the ginger, and Spicy. They are often to be found at the window waiting for me to get home. I am beginning to think they know where their food is coming from or is it called cupboard love?

Felix Sensations are available in six flavours, you will find them at your local supermarket or pet store. For more information log onto www.catslikefelix.co.uk *please note that pouches can only be delivered to a UK address. Winners’ details will be passed onto the external suppliers for products to be posted direct.

Sponsored by

The Cat Winter 2011

Furry superstitious Anthony Joisce investigates some of the world’s strangest superstitions involving our feline friends

ew, if any, creatures have had such a profound effect on human culture, thought and superstition. Beliefs about cats are more widely spread than that of any other animal. What men could not equal was perhaps viewed by them as superhuman and as such the cat, with its seemingly supernatural abilities, shining eyes and nocturnal habits contributed to this view and took its place as an animal of mystery and incredible power. Felines have often been viewed as agents of sorcery, witchcraft and the possessors of supernatural powers. As imposing icons of the past, they have contributed naturalistic, mystical and anthropomorphic imagery. In almost every culture, cats are said to have an influence for good or evil, see spirits, foretell the future and even control the weather! Domesticated cats and their habits were undoubtedly known in the ancient world. Pliny, a Roman naturalist, remarked on their agility and ability to stalk birds and in Egypt, when a cat died, the owner shaved off his eyebrows as a sign of mourning. Followers of Diana, Goddess of Hunting, revered cats as they were under her direct protection and because she once took on a feline form. So too, in pagan Scandinavia, Freya, the Goddess of Fertility was associated with cats and her chariot was drawn by them.

Ancient beliefs The association between people and cats, whether as spirit familiars, shamans or guardians of the dead, was dramatically depicted in religion and art. From the time of farming in villages in prehistoric Turkey, to the early civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and the Americas come startling representations of the cat: naturalistic

The Cat Winter 2011

and fantastical, but always imposing and mysterious – an icon of power and an object of religious cults. Representations of the cat in the ancient world may well have been widespread, but worship of the feline was surprisingly rare. Only in dynastic Egypt was the animal transformed into a deity and worshipped as such. The cat-headed goddess, Bastet was considered a benign deity and was associated with fertility and maternity. Egyptians believed that her form had the power to protect against misfortune. She is shown carrying a basket, shield and magic rattle, with which she repelled evil spirits. It may have been the care and attention given to the cat by temple priests that lead to its ‘domestication’. The first recorded instance remains debatable, but it was at least several thousand years BC. The popularity of these newly created ‘pets’ is demonstrated by the presence of their statues created of them, made of wood, bone, gold, bronze and even mud. Many were decorated with jewellery and presented to temples as votive offerings. With the arrival of Christianity, the worship of the cat – not surprisingly – died out. The late 12th Century Winchester Bible maintains an interesting case of Christian zealotry, that the nowpaganised cat gave the name to the heretical Cathars, who owed their name to the Latin name for the cat. Their rites were believed to call forth a giant black feline.

Fertility and promiscuity Over the years, several other superstitions have been attached to the feline. It became a symbol of fertility and then of promiscuity and the sexual aspects of witchcraft. This can probably

be traced back to the Egyptian belief about Bastet and the maternal hopes of those who worshipped her. The beliefs about promiscuity can be found in parts of our language; brothels becoming known as ‘cathouses’ and promiscuity in men becoming known as ‘tomcat behaviour’. Just as ancient is the connection with soothsayers. Previously, this was demonstrated by the relationship between the ‘sayer’ and his cat familiar. More recently, certain card games continue the belief. Most famous of these is the tarot pack. A recent version shows a fantasy world where cats are held in the highest esteem by the people depicted on the cards. Card VII, known as The Chariot shows a highranking warrior, carrying a cat banner and wearing cat attire. The feline’s role as familiar is commonplace across the early modern world. George Gifford, the 16th century writer of A Dialogue Concerning Witches and Witchcrafts wrote, “The witches have their spirits. Some hath one, some hath more, as two, three, four or five, some in one likeness and some in another, as like cats, toads, weasels or mice.” In fact, any small creature that could be kept in the house may have been accused of being a familiar. In Britain, the black cat is considered good luck while in some parts, the white considered bad. In the United States, Belgium and Spain, the opposite is true. It often causes confusion to our foreign visitors when we are seen cherishing bad luck! It is a very good sign if a black cat comes into a house or on board a ship, especially if it does so uninvited. To meet a black cat is considered good luck, especially if it runs across the path of the observer. There are some variants of this belief, such as that in Yorkshire, where it is lucky to own a black cat, but not to meet one. Other variations include the requirement that the cat be greeted politely or that it be stroked three times. Tortoiseshells are said to be lucky for their owners – if one can ever truly own a cat!

Sickness and health If a cat leaves a house where there is illness, the invalid is expected to die and so if he dreams of cats or sees two fighting. It is often said that a cat

Illustrations: Rasoul Hudda

will desert a house while there is an unburied corpse there, returning only after the funeral. If one jumps over the coffin then it is bad news for the soul of the deceased, unless the creature is killed immediately. If the pet sneezes on the morning of a wedding, the bride will have a happy married life. At other times a cat’s sneeze means rain and if it sneezes three times, then soon the whole family will have a cold! Miners will not say the word ‘cat’ when down the mine and, in Cornwall, if one was found, they would not work on that level until it was killed. Seamen also avoid the word, though it is lucky to have one on board at sea. On the Yorkshire coast if a fisherman’s wife keeps a black cat in the house, her husband will return safely from sea. To throw a cat overboard is said to raise an immediate storm. Cats also predict the weather in various ways. If it runs about clawing the carpets and cushions, wind is coming. When they wash over their ears it is going to rain and, in some districts, when they sit with their backs to the fire there is going to be a frost or possibly a storm. It is also believed in some places that a cat can cure various ailments. A well-known cure for a stye in the eye is to stroke it with the tail of a black cat – a tom for a man and a queen for a woman. While doing this you apparently need to say: I poke thee, I don’t poke thee I poke the queff that’s under the ‘ee O qualway, O qualway A dried catskin held over the face is a remedy for toothache; three drops of cat’s blood will cure a wart. In the 17th century, the body of a cat boiled in olive oil was considered an excellent dressing for a wound. There was a magical way to transfer disease which was to pour water in which the patient had been washed over a cat and then drive the animal from the house. Cats through the millennia have always been important and have had various beliefs attached to them, good and bad, but they remain an important part of the lives of many and, though we no longer worship them, many owners do come close in their treatment of their cats.

The Cat Winter 2011

Julie Manet with cat Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1887, Musée D’Orsay

20 The Cat Winter 2011

The cat in art Leonardo da Vinci once said that “the smallest feline is a masterpiece” and, after reading the latest cat art book on the market, Francesca Watson can’t help but agree…

All photos: Courtesy of the Bridgeman Art Library

he cat has fascinated people for thousands of years and its depiction in art has enthralled for almost as long. From ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome to the modern day, felines have been depicted by painters and sculptors from almost every period and artistic movement including the Renaissance, Impressionism, Surrealism and Abstract. They have sat for – and most likely wandered off from – such greats as van Eyck, Leonardo, Velasquez, Renoir, Picasso, Klee and Andy Warhol. Their images have been captured in carved relief, fresco, stone and marble, oil paint and watercolour, the resulting works captivating visitors in museums and art galleries around the world. Caroline Bugler is editor of Art Quarterly , the official magazine for the Art Fund, the fundraising charity for works of art. She has recently published the comprehensive feline art compendium, The Cat – 3500 years of the cat in art , which details the first feline images to be recorded in ancient Egypt, noting the changing role of the cat as seen by different cultures and through the artist’s discerning eye. The owner of an elderly and eccentric tortoiseshell called Molly, Caroline admits that many years ago she had thought about doing a book on the cat in art and started collecting images for it. When she heard that Merrell Publishers were keen to follow up on their Horse in Art and Dog in Art books, it seemed a happy coincidence. Caroline spent about ten months researching the book which she saw as an enjoyable hobby. “Cats have complicated characters: they can be mischievous and playful, charming companions or quite vicious. They can add a touch of humour or intimacy in many paintings,” Caroline notes. “Artistic depictions tend to reflect attitudes in society and these have sometimes been rather negative towards cats. So at different times cats have been used to suggest attributes such as witchcraft, evil, vanity or greed.” Caroline’s book includes over 300 finely reproduced images from art houses across the world: Paris, Madrid, London, Vienna, New York, Moscow, Taipei… as well as from private collections.

Egyptian tomb painting c 1350 BC British Museum

Early representations The first images of cats appeared in Egypt around 2,000 BC in tomb paintings and then on papyrus, jewellery and statues. Cat illustrations were included in Aesop’s fables around 500 BC. They appeared in the Lindisfarne Gospels in 678AD and almost 200 years later in Ireland’s Book of Kells. By 960, cats began to be depicted as pets in paintings during the Chinese Song Dynasty, and in the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci began producing numerous informal studies of cats. Since then, these felines have appeared in Italian frescos, Flemish masterpieces, Japanese printmaking and in the work of the French Impressionists. Shifting and evolving over the centuries, the artists’ different perspectives are various and intriguing: sometimes cats are portrayed as symbols of vanity, greed and destruction or as demonic, sometimes with softness, sentimentality and domesticity. In the late 1800s, Pierre-Auguste Renoir seemed ‘to develop a feline love affair’ by incorporating cats in many of his paintings. His painting Julie Manet with a cat is ‘a masterpiece of original observation, conveying both the affection the pet feels for its owner and the artist’s fondness for the young model’ – daughter of his good friend Eugène Manet and niece of fellow Impressionist Édouard Manet.

The Cat Winter 2011

Modern moggies However, in the early 20 th century, cats ceased to be ‘cosy companions’; seized upon by the Cubists, Fauvists, Expressionists and Futurists alike, their forms were ‘distorted and fragmented, colours subjected to brutal and clashing combinations’. No demure ‘strokeable moggies’ here, but cats that look as if they were ‘constructed from pieces of bent wood’, ‘sharp angles and claws’. The German artist Franz Marc painted them in startling shades of red, yellow and blue. His friend Paul Klee also had a keen interest in cats believing his own three pets were visiting deities, ‘a sacred association made explicit in his painting of a sacred cat mountain.’ The sinister, the vicious, the connection with other worlds, have all been graphically represented. Pablo Picasso included cats in a number of his paintings: during the Spanish Civil War he portrayed a cat attacking a bird, an image symbolising the brutality of combat, confessing ‘that he enjoyed the predatory aspects of the feline character’. Of 20 th century cat artists, the most famous was probably Louis Wain whose images moved from the nostalgic to, as Caroline Bugler puts it, ‘the most bizarre caricature and anthropomorphism as it progressed.’ His early pictures were quite demure and then, in the words of art historian Frances Spalding, ‘his cats became frenzied and jagged, sometimes disappearing into kaleidoscopic shapes’. In contrast, Pop artist Andy Warhol’s 1954 cat portraits in book form are ‘completely fresh and enchanting.’ Warhol loved cats and each of his felines bar one – Hester – was called Sam. His drawn cats appeared in various poses and in the bright colours Warhol is renowned for; red, violet, orange, green and yellow. From worshipped deity to vilified demon; from beloved pet to comical companion, cats have, over the centuries, been observed with interest, humour and affection. This superb book illustrates the multiple personas cats have represented within the innumerable frames of human art. There is little doubt that the cat will continue to provide inspiration for artists and aesthetic pleasure to cat lovers in whatever form artists choose to express themselves in future.

The Cat Winter 2011

The Mountain of the Sacred Cat Paul Klee, 1923, Private Collection

The book is divided into ten sections – early cats, the cats of religion and legend, the comic cat, cat the companion, the studied, the portrait, the eastern and the modern cat – not forgetting the big cat. There is a useful timeline, a copious index and suggestions for further reading; all in all, a book for the coffee table of every cat lover. And, what’s more, we have one copy to give away to a lucky reader! Send your details to us at the usual address.

We’re going

shopping w credit card! Get online… for our great ne

Now you can help cats when you hit the shops, thanks to the new Cats Protection Credit Card from MBNA. You’ll receive a competitive rate on purchases and you can even manage your account online. Even better, once your card has been approved and used, Cats Protection will receive a contribution of £20 from the issuer, MBNA Europe Bank Limited, and the cats in our care will continue to benefit as 0.25% is contributed from every retail purchase thereafter at no extra cost to you. For more information and full details please visit:

www.cats.org.uk/creditcard

0% p.a.

on balance transfers (3% handling fee) for 12 months and on card purchases for 3 months from the date your account is opened*

16.9% APR

typical rate (variable)

* If you do not pay your balance in full we will use your payments to lower rate balances

before higher rate balances. If promotional rate balances are the same we will repay them in the following order: first, the one with the earliest expiry date; if the expiry dates are the same then the one which started first; if the expiry dates, and start dates are the same then the one with the lowest standard rate. The Cats Protection Credit Card is issued by MBNA Europe Bank Limited, Registered office: Stansfield House, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QQ. Registered in England number 2783251. Credit is available, subject to status, only to UK residents aged 18 or over. You cannot transfer balances from another MBNA account. We will monitor or record some phone calls. MBNA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Ali’scats

A sadness Alison Prince bids farewell to a faithful friend and gains a new one…

Illustration: Alison Prince

ingal and I are bereft. Lovely Paddy, who was such a kind and steady presence in the house, died a few months ago. During the hot days of summer he had lost some of his interest in food and spent a lot of time dozing in shady parts of the garden, but that wasn’t unusual, especially when the house was busy with visitors, which it was at the time. Then he came in late on a Saturday night, looking gaunt and ill. I planned to phone the vet first thing in the morning, but by then, Paddy had crept into a secluded corner and was obviously dying. He had always loathed the white cat-cage that had taken him on veterinary journeys before, screaming and vomiting all the way – and this journey, if made, would most probably be one-way. Rightly or wrongly, I decided to leave him in peace. He died a few hours later. The residual guilt is awful. How could I have failed to see the signs? There must have been something. A lurking cancer, perhaps, that suddenly went critical. He never hunted or ate anything silly, so poison is unlikely. The mystery of it adds to the lasting pain. I made sure Fingal saw Paddy before the little funeral under the cherry tree. I hoped he would understand what had happened and not search endlessly for his missing friend. It probably did help to some extent – but the solitude was hard for him, especially at mealtimes. If Paddy had been elsewhere when I put food out, Fingal would only eat a mouthful or two, then go and look for him. He still did this, fruitlessly, and started to spend more and more time outside. People kept advising me that he was lonely and needed a new companion – but I wasn’t sure. Fingal’s need was not so much for another cat as for Paddy and one cannot replace a character of such benevolence and quiet authority. A young newcomer would be a different thing entirely. Eventually, Fingal and I would give a home to some needy kitten – but not just yet.

The Cat Winter 2011

Linda at Cats Protection was all sympathy. She had just found a kitten, she said – a tiny thing at the side of a high moorland hill road. She’d seen it in the headlights one night and thought it was a baby rabbit – then saw it was a very small kitten. She caught it in the shrimping net that lives in her car – cat rescue people are nothing if not resourceful – and though it was too young to lap, had dripperfed it and it was now doing well. “Very pretty,“ she added encouragingly. But it was female. She-cats tend to be matriarchal and run the show. Could Fingal accept something smaller than himself, but bossier? ”If it doesn’t work, we’ll always take her back,“ Linda promised. After a few more days of doubt, I caved in and this skinny little thing arrived. Eight weeks old and full of aplomb, a grey-and-white tabby with darkrimmed eyes like a 1930s film star. Linda had named her Misty, but I switched it to Mitzi which seemed more suited to a small creature with such chutzpah. Fingal was deeply suspicious, but when I put food down, he came to eat beside her, though there was some spitting and hissing after that. For one so young, Mitzi’s language is shocking. I don’t know how it’s going to go, long-term. Things have to move on. But Paddy was unique and lovely and will never be forgotten.

Cat My lovely cat, my purring armful with such gentle, curling paws, you lie now in the rained-on earth and I am shrunken by your loss. You were so generous with your happiness.

A range

perfect pressies

Try our NEW Christmas Wishes gift range Finding perfect pressies for cat-loving friends and family just got a lot easier with our new Christmas Wishes gifts. With a range of six special pressies, you’re sure to find something cat lovers of all ages will adore. And each gift you buy provides love, care and cuddles to unwanted cats and kittens too.

A range of perfect pressies

M FRO T JUS £5

Christmas dinner for a hungry kitten, a vet kit for a poorly puss... choose from six special gifts. Each one comes with a beautiful gift card and stickers. So you’re sure to make one lucky person and lots of furry friends purr with delight!

So why not get your paws on some perfect Christmas gifts today?

www.catscharitygifts.org.uk Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

D11VG13

Game on! Video game aficionado Rasoul Hudda looks back at the moggies who have made it into the virtual world

ats have long been the subject of many entertainment mediums, from the early days of English literature, right up to the present where the Internet is full of comic images of cats doing what they do best. Compared to a number of pastimes, the video gaming industry is relatively young – but it has not overlooked our feline friends. In fact, the omission of cats in one hugely popular virtual pet game was high on the list of what fans wanted changed in its sequel – more on that later. But before considering the present, perhaps we should take a look at the early days of digital pussy cats. Back when outrageous shoulder pads were still a twinkle in a yuppie’s eye, a change was happening across arcades and coffee shops; pinball machines were slowly being replaced by video games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Their popularity on the streets was followed by the arrival of the home console and a smattering of games to be played on them. One such title released in the early 80s was Alley Cat and, like other games of this era, it was basic in style but colourful and surprisingly varied in its gameplay. Players took control of Freddy the Cat, who was tasked with completing certain challenges within an apartment block to reach his sweetheart, Felicia. The graphics may have been crude and the sounds no more than high-pitched beeps, but it allowed children and adults alike to experience a simplified cat’s life without the need for stick-on ears or a tail.

26 The Cat Winter 2011

Humanoid heroes Following the decline of the American video game industry in the mid 80s, a Japanese company released a system that gave birth to a new generation of players and gaming experiences. By 1987, the Nintendo Entertainment System – or ‘NES’ for short – was available worldwide and went on to become the best-selling console of all time. There may not have been a great number of cat-related NES games but one based on the cartoon character Felix led the field. The sidescrolling ‘platformer’ game – in which characters traverse an environment via platforms – had massive success in the form of Super Mario Bros. Felix the Cat had a similar play style. The popularity of Mario spurred developers to come up with a challenger for his throne and, in 1993, Bubsy the Bobcat appeared in the next generation of home consoles, known in gaming circles as the ‘16-Bit generation’. Released on the Sega Megadrive and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Bubsy had a number of hits with what was essentially a copy – or copy cat if you’ll pardon the pun – of Mario and his games. Like Felix, Bubsy was more man than cat, but the developers did attempt to capture the aloof character of real cats in their animations. Both Bubsy and Felix weren’t alone in their anthropomorphism. For a long time, if you wanted to play a cat in a video game, it really meant playing as something that moved like a human but looked like a cat. In the mid 90s, one series took the idea further with the character Felicia – a curvaceous and scantily clad woman with the paws, ears and tail of a cat. She appears in the Darkstalkers fighting games and has become one of the most popular characters, though this could have more to do with her lack of clothing than

feature her depiction of a cat. However, Felicia’s moves do have a subtle feline quality about them and makes her an enjoyable watch as well as an entertaining play. Another, less graphic, humanoid cat is Blinx who was the star of his own Xbox game called Blinx: The Time Sweeper. The Xbox was the first console to come with a built-in hard drive and its makers, Microsoft, were eager to show how that could enhance games. Blinx could manipulate time, rewinding and undoing mistakes or pausing everything around him other than himself. It was a fairly average game and Blinx was a fairly average character who never quite became the mascot Microsoft had wanted him to be.

Cat-like creations Not all video game cats possess human qualities and one such feline not only behaves like a cat but is said to be the epitome of evil. He is Evil the Cat, the nemesis of Earthworm Jim, star of an obscure 16-Bit platformer. While he may be able to talk and handle large weaponry, Evil also grooms himself and plays with a ball of yarn if he becomes bored. Other cat-like characters include Jeane from No More Heroes on the Wii. The game itself is extremely violent, but Jeane offers the lead character, Travis, a peaceful alternative to all the fighting. Players can interact with Jeane, feeding and stroking the only thing that resembles a family to Travis. Because of this, the Scottish Fold is well loved by Travis and players alike. Similarly, Ryu Hazuki from the Dreamcast game Shenmue takes care of a kitten whose mother was killed by a car. Hazuki must interrupt his mission of tracking down an evil businessman in order to look after the kitten until it is old enough to fend for itself. The idea of a virtual pet has been around for some time and the Japanese Tamagotchi is probably the most famous example. In 2004, Nintendo launched the Nintendo DS, a handheld gaming system. This was followed shortly by the release of Nintendogs which helped the device become one of the most popular and profitable portable game systems to date. But as the name suggests, the digital pet simulator only featured dogs, while other companies made cheaper copies that included cats. Nintendo addressed this shortcoming with the launch of the 3DS this year. Boasting a stereoscopic display, the 3DS launched with Nintendogs + Cats, a bizarrely named pet simulation but one that was greeted with cheers

Illustration: Rasoul Hudda

when first announced in 2010. One of the most sought-after developments to the sequel to Nintendogs was the inclusion of cats and, finally, the fans got what they wanted. The cats may not be playable from the start of Nintendogs + Cats but they still have an important role in the game and are realistically recreated ready for stroking and grooming. The Nintendo DS was a pioneer in the rise of the casual gamer with all ages and both sexes enjoying its dual-screened entertainment but nowadays the humble web browser is where a lot of non-traditional gamers get their kicks. Sites like Facebook, Newgrounds and Great Day Games play host to all manner of flash-based content and the latter is where you can find casual game developer Arkadium’s felinethemed game. Called Cat Fight, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all about combat – however a lot of the game centres around an addictive puzzle game not too dissimilar to PopCap’s Bejewelled, one of the kings of casual gaming. Cats Protection too offers some laid-back online fun on the Cats for kids section of the website. There you can play a platforming adventure starring SuperCat, test your memory with Fran’s Cans or have a quick game of SuperCat Swaps. As with so many things, cats have found their way into a medium where you wouldn’t expect to find them. Video games are often unfairly stereotyped as aggressive time wasters, yet the people playing these games have never been so diverse and many are dedicated cat lovers. Naturally, art begins to imitate life and even though cats haven’t played a huge role in video games, when they do appear, they certainly don’t go unnoticed. From the early days of a pixelated puss jumping in and out of windows to the latest releases featuring highly detailed virtual companions, video games are yet another place where you can find yourself in good feline company.

Play! Cat Fight can be played at www.greatdaygames.com/games/cat-fight/cat-fight.aspx The SuperCat games can be played at www.cats.org.uk/cats-for-kids

The Cat Winter 2011

A day in the life of a cat behaviour counsellor

Furry babies or felines? Vicky Halls investigates…

am known to often remark that many years ago, as a child, I enjoyed watching a programme on television called Animal Magic about life at Bristol Zoo. The presenter, a zookeeper called Johnny Morris, was a charming man with a great sense of humour and a unique style of recounting tales of the animals in his care by giving them voices. In this way ‘conversations’ could be had between keeper and his charges to add to the entertainment value of the programme. I so enjoyed the ‘talking animal’ game that, years later, I would use this technique in my days working in cat shelters and later in veterinary practice to amuse my co-workers. Even now, Mangus – my delightful Devon Rex – ‘answers back’ as I have my own personal two-way conversation, one half of which I attribute to her. It makes for a lot of fun – I do blame Johnny Morris! – but I have always accepted that it isn’t real and doesn’t truly represent the thoughts and feelings of any animal I interact with. If I did believe I was merely giving a voice to a cat to express genuine sentiments, I would be guilty of anthropomorphism. This word describes attributing human thoughts, behaviour and motivations to non-human things, such as other species or inanimate objects. It is not uncommon for humans to be anthropomorphic when relating to their pets, as it is a frame of reference with which we are familiar – we have never lived as another species so it is very hard to be able to truly imagine what goes on inside their heads. So, is anthropomorphism a bad thing for our cats? The human/cat relationship has developed and grown extensively over the last 50 years and bears very little comparison with the concept of pets when I was a child. As society becomes more fragmented and people more isolated, we turn towards our pets for comfort and the bond becomes more complex as a result. Demands are made of the relationship

Vicky Halls is a registered Veterinary Nurse, a member of the FAB’s Feline Behaviour Expert Panel and author of several best-selling cat counselling books. For further information regarding these and to subscribe to Vicky’s free monthly e-newsletter featuring cat behavioural articles, cats in the news, tips for cat owners and competitions, please visit her website at www.vickyhalls.net

The Cat Winter 2011

and an emotional element is sought, possibly to compensate for something lacking in the nature of contact with other humans. Modern surveys of the pet-owning population in the UK show that cats and dogs are considered to be members of the family and a significant amount of time, money and effort is put into their care. This is, of course, a good thing in most respects and cats are living longer, healthier lives as a result. However, there are times when attributing human thoughts and feelings to our beloved felines may not be in their best interests.

‘Soulmates’ Recently I visited Sylvia, who was extremely worried about her beautiful tabby called Emmy. Sylvia had split up with her husband and moved with Emmy to a smaller house in a different part of the country to start a new life. She described her relationship with Emmy as ‘soulmates’ and felt that, providing they were together, everything was alright with the world. However, shortly after moving, she was shocked to find that everything was definitely not all right with Emmy’s world as she had taken to over-grooming and creating bald patches on her legs and abdomen and spending most of her time under the bed. Sylvia’s vet had failed to find a physical reason for Emmy’s itchy skin and therefore referred her to me for further investigation. During the course of my consultation in Sylvia’s home, I had the opportunity to take extensive history about her life with Emmy and observe the nature of their behaviour towards each other. One thing that struck me was Sylvia’s preoccupation with making sure she knew where her little cat was at any time and her desire to demonstrate her love. Emmy would be brought into the room by her owner and held tightly until she managed to wriggle her way out of her arms. Emmy would then rush out of the room – in search of a private place, no doubt – only to be followed shortly afterwards by her owner to repeat the process all over again. Sometimes during the course of a consultation, it is necessary for me to challenge owners – in the nicest way possible – regarding some observed behaviour that may be outside their awareness or if the nature of a particular comment or use of words requires further exploration. In this case I was interested to understand why Sylvia was so agitated about Emmy being out of sight. She explained that she

healthcheck

couldn’t bear to think that Emmy felt rejected and that her constant hiding was seen by Sylvia as a ‘cry for help’ and a desire to be held, cuddled and physically reassured. She felt that Emmy had picked up on her emotional upset regarding the divorce and house move and she wanted to make sure Emmy understood that Sylvia was actually coping. She had a strong sense that love would conquer all and Emmy would feel better if she understood how much she was loved and appreciated.

and introduced objects to the home that stimulated Emmy’s feline desire to hunt, climb, forage and explore. An appreciation of Emmy’s natural needs, as a cat, helped Sylvia to realise that loving a cat can and should be expressed very differently from loving another human being. Emmy improved enormously and her fur soon grew back and she no longer needed to sleep in hidden places all the time as the sense of threat from Sylvia had subsided. A change from an anthropomorphic viewpoint to one that embraces the cat as a different species does not mean that the quality of the relationship between owner and cat will diminish. Learning to love your cat differently is equally rewarding!

Feline perspective

Guarding against anthropomorphism • Learn as much as possible about the cat as a species and appreciate the differences! • Observe your cat’s behaviour and interpret it based on feline motivation and not human • Cats like to control interaction so watch out to ensure that your approaches are well received • Cats like to hide occasionally to sleep uninterrupted, don’t take it personally!

Photo: istockphoto.com/Don Bayley

During our discussion, it was apparent that every comment regarding Emmy and her behaviour was viewed and interpreted from a very human point of view. Many complex human emotions were being attributed to her and used as explanatory suggestions regarding her behaviour. Unfortunately in this case, such comments were less than helpful and a way forward had to be found that enabled Sylvia to understand Emmy’s emotional state from a feline perspective. I explained that, despite the intense nature of their relationship, Emmy was a cat with motivations and emotions that were appropriate for her species. Much as I could sense that it grieved Sylvia somewhat, I talked about the characteristics of the species: territorial, predator and prey, self-reliant, risk averse, solitary, highly aware and so on and focused on how the move and Sylvia’s attentive behaviour could be perceived. It was very hard for Sylvia to hear this, but the key to Emmy’s recovery lay in her owner understanding that her beloved cat really wasn’t a little person in a zip-up furry coat. We spoke for some time about the nature of the species and why cats behave in certain ways in response to perceived danger and threat. It was important that every expression of Emmy’s mood was interpreted in this new feline way. Everything had to make sense for Sylvia, otherwise any programme of change put in place would be doomed to failure. Eventually we agreed that, for Emmy’s sake, Sylvia would learn to love a little differently in future. Emmy had been removed from familiar territory and placed within a new and challenging environment where the only thing that she recognised was her owner. Unfortunately her owner was behaving strangely – in Emmy’s view – and the constant focus, picking up, removing from hiding places and general increase in attention, felt overwhelming and highly stressful. Emmy had turned to a predictable behaviour, grooming, as a form of self-comfort, during what was a very challenging time. A programme was put in place that allowed Emmy to control the social interaction; she was left to hide should she wish and was not disturbed. If she approached Sylvia, she was given brief attention and not smothered. Sylvia started to play with her

The Cat Winter 2011 29

Ask the vets…

Every issue, CP’s team of veterinary experts will be tackling your feline-related questions… My cat is about 10 years old. She’s an indoor pet and has a pot of grass to eat when she feels the need. I haven’t noticed any difference in behaviour or eating/drinking/tray habits but she has bad breath. What could be causing this? Dilys McGill, via email Bad breath can often indicate a problem with the teeth or gums. Your vet will usually examine your cat’s mouth at her annual check-up at the time of vaccination as problems of the mouth are common in cats. Cats are adept at masking discomfort and you may be surprised by the severity of the dental problems they can hide. Some other signs of mouth problems include reduced grooming activity leading to poor coat condition, drooling, discomfort when eating, pawing at the mouth, bleeding gums, reduced appetite or weight loss. Dental problems can be a significant source of pain and suffering for cats, so it is important to take her for a check-up. Your vet will look for inflammation of the gums, ulceration, erosions of the teeth, plaque/tartar build-up and any signs of underlying disease. Treatment will depend on the cause of the bad breath, but may include home care, such as tooth brushing, dietary management and dental exercise encouraging the use of appropriate toys, oral medication, such as antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory drugs or veterinary dental treatment under general anaesthesia – with mechanical cleaning of the accessible tooth surface both above and below the gum line and polishing of the tooth to leave a smooth surface – and tooth extraction in some cases. Fortunately, most dental problems are resolvable and your cat will thank you for being such a vigilant owner! BS My 17+ year old ginger female has led a basically indoor live. Going out only in the best of weather and then coming in for toilet. She has an ongoing kidney problem and a skin allergy. For the last few months, she has taken to living outside and even if brought in, will soon go out again. She appears happy enough, although quiet and the vet cannot give me a reason for her change in behaviour. Any ideas? Mrs E Hardy, Barnstaple If you notice any change in your cat’s behaviour, it is always worth taking her for a check-up. It sounds like you have already spoken with your vet about this, which is great – did they feel her kidney and skin health issues may have been contributing to her quietness and altered behaviour? Cats commonly spend more time indoors as they get older, preferring the safety and comfort of home. When cats do start spending more time outside, regardless of age, it may also be due to a change in their indoor environment that they are not so keen on. Do you have another cat, or a dog? Are there

30 The Cat Winter 2011

children in the house, or perhaps young children that visit on a regular basis? Older cats can be less sociable and some prefer to be more remote in their older age. Has the temperature of the house changed? For example, cats with an overactive thyroid gland can be less tolerant of warmer places. Can your cat come in and out of the house with ease without having to go past anything she may be fearful of, also bearing in mind she may have stiff joints? Is she drinking more and passing more urine? This is common with some kidney and other older cat problems; she may prefer an outdoor water source and choose to spend her time nearer to this or to an outdoor site where she prefers to pass urine, rather than having to come in and out of the house frequently. Older cats that may have failing eyesight may feel uncomfortable with changes in the house and so prefer to be in the more familiar surroundings of the garden. It is very difficult for us to comment on your cat’s specific circumstances, but older cats can also suffer from senility and there appears to be some similarities between the symptoms shown in the elderly cat and a human dementia patient. As your cat seems to prefer being outside, you may wish to take the following steps to ensure she is comfortable. • Older cats tend to spend more time sleeping and can find it harder to keep warm than their younger counterparts. Provide a number of warm, soft and quiet resting places, ensuring some protection from the elements • Older cats can be less agile, but cats do like to have the option to rest and survey their surroundings from a high vantage point. You could try to provide a raised area for her to sleep with steps that she can use to assist stiff joints • Provide safe entry and exit spots to the house, perhaps using pot plants around a cat flap to give her some protection as she comes in and out of the house • Groom your cat if she likes this, using soft brushes and combs, particularly around the base of the spine and other areas that may become harder for the cat to reach herself. She will enjoy the extra attention and time spent with you We recommend you continue to liaise with your vet who is best placed to guide you on your cat’s specific circumstances, and hope your cat continues to enjoy her old age. MR Last week our beautiful Chocolate point Siamese, Calypso was put to sleep, she was only seven. The vet’s diagnosis was a severe heart condition leading to congestive heart failure and her lungs just filled with fluid. This was a great shock as she had shown no sign of such a condition. She was fit and well all of Sunday morning, hid herself in the evening but came out at bedtime. She was quiet and seemed shaky. At 8am she was very distressed, we rang the vet and took her in straight away, by this time she had collapsed. The vet tried hard, but by noon it was obvious that nothing more could be done. We are shocked by the

healthcheck

Have you got a question? Send your questions to ‘Ask The Vets’, The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email: editorial@cats.org.uk

suddenness of this, apparently fit cat to put to sleep in less than 24 hours. Our concern now is that we have her litter sister, Dido, and just wonder if this condition is congenital and is there anything we can do to help Dido. We are desperate to keep her in good health. We assume it’s not infectious, as we also have Loki, an unrelated oriental black. They are indoor cats, but have a large private garden, fenced and roofed, so do not meet other cats. Please, we need reassurance that we are doing all we can. Moira Byast, via email We are so sorry to hear about Calypso. Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to comment on the specific cause of her sad decline. We would recommend you talk with your vet about Calypso’s issues and ask whether there are any tests that would be useful for your other cats at this stage. Cats can be affected by a range of heart disorders which they are born with and acquired diseases of the heart muscle itself – known as cardiomyopathies. Of the different types of cardiomyopathy, the most common to affect cats is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Sadly, it can be a cause of sudden death in young cats that may not have had any detectable signs of previous disease. The following gives some information on HCM, but please note that your own vet is best-placed to guide you on your own cat’s issues. HCM is a disease of young to middle-aged cats, although it can also be detected in elderly cats. There is an inherited predisposition to the disease, identified in some Maine Coones, British Shorthairs, Ragdolls, Rex and Persian cats, but the disease can also affect other breeds and is just as common in cross-bred cats. Cats with HCM develop a thickened left ventricle. In time in some cats, this thickening can make it harder for the left atrium to empty into the ventricle, leading to enlargement – dilation – of the left atrium. However, many cats affected with mild HCM live quite normal lives, never developing any symptoms of their heart disease. A minority of cats develop severe HCM and signs of heart disease. In cats severely affected with HCM, back-pressure of the blood can lead to fluid pooling in the lungs and signs can include weakness, pale gums, a reduced appetite and/or breathing difficulties – particularly on exertion – due to congestive heart failure. Sadly many owners are unaware their cat has any underlying heart disease, until such severe clinical signs are seen. Sometimes, cats may show no signs of significant underlying heart disease until something else triggers problems, such as general anaesthesia or the administration of intra-venous fluids because of another illness. Unfortunately, little is known about the progression of HCM in cats which are not showing any clinical signs of disease, although large-scale studies are ongoing. It is not known whether treatment with heart drugs is helpful at reducing the risk of clinical signs developing. However, for cats with HCM which have developed clinical signs, oral medication and regular reviews can be helpful. It is often recommended that owners who have affected cats monitor their cats closely at home, by counting their cat’s respiratory rate while the cat is sleeping and consult their vet if the rate starts to increase, as this may indicate progression of the disease. We recommend you discuss your concerns with your vet who will understand your worries, and hope you are able to find peace of mind. LM

The experts Maggie Roberts BVM&S MRCVS After qualifying at Edinburgh University in 1986, Maggie went on to work primarily in private practice. Maggie first worked for Cats Protection as Veterinary Officer from 1997-99; her interest in feline medicine brought her back to the charity as Head of Veterinary Services in 2006. She has three cats, Trevor, Frankie and Ronnie. Beth Skillings BVSc MRCVS Beth qualified at the University of Liverpool in 1998 and went on to work in general veterinary practice until 2005 when she joined Cats Protection as Head of Veterinary Services. Beth moved into a new role as Clinical Veterinary Officer in November 2006. Beth has two CP cats, Starsky and Vincent. Lisa Morrow BMLSc DVM MSc(BE) MRCVS Lisa graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, Canada in 2000. Lisa first worked with Cats Protection as an Adoption Centre Vet at Derby Adoption Centre and was CP Head of Veterinary Services from 2003-2005. Lisa recently rejoined CP as Field Veterinary Officer in the northern region of the UK. She has two elderly cats called Ginger and Skinnie Minnie. Karen Hiestand BVSc MRCVS Karen graduated from Massey University in New Zealand in 2001 and spent two years in mixed practise in her home country. Since then, she has interspersed locumming around the UK with volunteer veterinary work. She has one cat called Dexter.

Veterinary surgeons have provided the advice on these pages, but for specific cases and health concerns, it is important that you consult your own vet who will be able to look at your cat’s history and do a clinical examination.

The Cat Winter 2011

Simon says Simon’s Cat creator Simon Tofield talks to Tom Briggs about his success and the real-life feline friends behind it…

t started as a means of testing a piece of computer software and has grown into a global online smash, but despite the massive success of Simon’s Cat , its creator Simon Tofield is a man with both feet firmly on the ground. Simon was as taken aback as anyone when his debut film, Cat Man Do , took the internet by storm – mainly because he didn’t know that the introduction to his now-famous creation had been uploaded! “The success has been a delightful surprise for me really because I created Cat Man Do as a test to teach myself a computer animation program,” he explains. “I didn’t put any titles on it because I didn’t think anyone would see it. The software company asked if they could put it on their website to test their server. I had nothing planned for it so said yes. Soon afterwards they phoned me and said ‘look, you’ve got to do something with this cat, because it’s taken our server down twice – it’s had 35,000 hits in two days!’” With no intention of the video going viral, there was no budget behind it and Simon actually provided the voice of the cat himself – something that he still does to this day. Realising that he now had a potential hit on his hands, Simon took the video back and began to plan what to do with his new creation. Before he could get very far, however, it emerged that it had already gone viral! “People had seen the video on the website and copied it onto YouTube over 500 times. They’d called it everything from ‘Cat Alarm Clock’ to ‘Wake Up Kitty’, so I realised that the only way I could really get my name known was to make another film and make sure my name was at the end of it, so that’s what I did and that was Let Me In .”

The eyes have it Simon’s twin passions of cartoons and cats date back to an early age. As a child, he “begged and whinged” to be allowed a feline friend and, when he was nine years old, his wish was granted. He has had cats in his life ever since. Meanwhile, he was already cultivating the skills that would ultimately see his creation reach an audience of millions. “I’ve always drawn cartoons ever since I was a little boy and also I’ve always loved cats,” he says. “I drew cartoon characters and animals and I’ve always loved making animals up – sort of like Griffins and things like that.” This creativity continued into college when he started to teach himself how to animate using flip-books. “I’d get a pad of paper and then start at the back and draw images on each page and flick

The Cat Winter 2011

Simon’s cats Simon shares his home with four feline friends: Jess, Maisy, Hugh and Teddy. “You think that they’re all going to be the same, but they’ve all got different characters,”he laughs. Most of them were adopted from the charity Stray Cat Rescue of which Simon is now Patron. “When I went along to the shelter, I wanted to help all the cats I saw, but I could only take one and that was Maisy. I felt bad that I couldn’t take any more so I phoned them back and asked them to tell me about every cat. Then, when the film got big, they phoned me back and asked me to be Patron. “One of the stories they told me was about a little kitten who had been left in a box. I was so touched that I had to go along and see him – and you know what it’s like when you go to see a little kitten, you end up bringing him home!” It was Hugh’s antics that first inspired Cat Man Do . “He was the little kitten jumping on me trying to wake me up so, effectively, he is Simon’s Cat ,” says Simon. Hugh isn’t the only one of the four to have been immortalised in animation, however, as all four have inspired various elements of Simon’s work. His latest book, Simon’s Cat in Kitten Chaos , is about Teddy. “I always like to base the films and books on real life and I thought a new kitten coming into a cat’s home was a great source of material.

“There are lots of pages of the kitten exploring the house and how it appears to him and then he and the cat dealing with each other. They have a running battle going on throughout the book until the cat realises he can use the kitten to his own advantage!” Jess and Maisy’s idiosyncrasies, meanwhile, have inspired scenes in, among others, TV Dinner . “Maisy is the one on the back of the sofa and Jess is the one scratching my legs, so between the four of my cats, there’s a lot of material for the films and books.”

Universal appeal One of the key factors behind the success of Simon’s Cat is its universal appeal. The antics of our feline hero and his often bewildered owner cross demographic and geographical lines. “Cats are great like that because they’re the same all over the world,” says Simon. “Me animating a cat in England will be the same as a cat in Germany or France. If you can crack the mannerisms and get those lovely little nuances, then you’ll have cat fans all over the world.” And Simon’s perfectly-observed recreations of these mannerisms are what really strike a chord with fans across the globe. “The ones that are mainly based on cat mannerisms are the most popular because people look at them and say ‘That reminds me of my cat!’”

‘Cats are great for animation because they’re built solely for body language’ The Cat Winter 2011

Photos/Illustrations: © Simon’s Cat Ltd

through them. That’s how I taught myself to draw movement. They were the things I excelled in at school and I spent all my time drawing. Luckily, it’s paid off!” Before the success of Simon’s Cat , Simon worked for various people, creating numerous characters along the way – all with his visual signature of the big, expressive eyes that are now so famous. Indeed, the eyes play a particular part as far as Simon’s latest creation is concerned – more on that a little later!

It’s not just the language barrier, so often the deadly foe of comedy with international aspirations, that has been negotiated with aplomb, however. How often do you see something that captures the imagination of adults and children alike, for example? I tell Simon how my one-year-old son and I have recently watched his latest film, Double Trouble , together and both laughed out loud. “Children like it because it’s all visual,” he says. “There’s no complicated language. We also get a lot of letters from deaf people saying how much they love it because the slapstick style doesn’t need the sound.” With its global appeal, it seems in some ways as though the cartoon and its feline star have become public property. Simon clearly doesn’t have a problem with this, though, and it is worth noting that he hasn’t given the cat a name: “They see their own cats in the animations and it gives them a sense of ownership. He’s quite a plain, white cat so he could be any colour really and people project their own pets onto him. Anyone can put their own name on him and they’d be justified.”

Favourite film Simon’s cats: (Top to bottom) Hugh, Jess, Maisy & Teddy

The Cat Winter 2011

Every one of Simon’s fans has their own favourite film, but does the man himself have a particular fondness for one in particular, I wondered? “Yes, I like the latest one because I put a lot of extra bits in it. They took me way over length, but it was worth it. It was hard work but a better film for it. “Cats are great for animation because they’re built solely for body language – you

can look at one and know how he’s feeling. They’re also perfect for films that have no talking and by having the new kitten in the film, I got to make a film with the cats ‘talking’ to each other via their bodies. It was really fun to do; there are lots of big tails and hackles up. I always like to do something for me in every film – something that I haven’t done before. “The kitten was nice to draw because he’s so different; I do a lot of characterisation with the tail for the cat, but the kitten has a tiny tail so I had to find a different way to get the humour across and that was through his eyes.” So what does the future hold both for Simon and Simon’s Cat ? “I’ve got another book to do for next year and there may be some longer films coming out too. I’ve got no intention of giving up animating for a long while yet,” he says. This news will, no doubt, be warmly welcomed by his multitude of fans. With all the films that are in the pipeline and the huge success of his previous ones, Simon no longer has time to do everything himself and has been training others to help him create more of them, but despite Simon’s Cat becoming bigger and bigger, Simon is quick to acknowledge those who have helped him get to where he is today. “I’ve got everything to be grateful for, because my love for cats has made this all possible. I owe it all to my cats and YouTube really; I’m just so pleased that people like my work and that they like the cat so much.”

Visit

www.cats.org.uk

now!

Autumn 2011 Crossword answers Across: 7 Appropriate, 8 Shrimp, 9 Privet, 10 Totter, 12 Angels, 13 Ass, 14 Diesel, 16 Braver, 18 Andrew, 20 Scared, 22 Astronomers. Down: 1 Rash, 2 Sprint, 3 Corporal, 4 Drop, 5 Making, 6 Reveille, 11 Oriental, 12 Asbestos, 15 Strata, 17 Amazed, 19 Wood, 21 Erse.

Winter sudoku answers

Coping with the loss of a pet? Pet Bereavement Support Service 0800 096 6606 pbssmail@bluecross.org.uk www.bluecross.org.uk Registered charity no: 224392 (England and Wales), SC040154 (Scotland). SCAS registered charity no: 1070938.

Reg. Charity 1100649

The Cat Rescue Resource

WWW.CATCHAT.ORG finds homes for over 5,000 cats every year

And the winners are… Introducing the winners of this year’s Cats Protection photographic competition…

he winners of our ever-popular photographic competition have been announced. As always, our judges had a tough task ahead of them with a very high standard of entries across the board. Professional photographers Marco Betti and Helen O’Hara were tasked with selecting the winners and chose photographs by George Ackerley, Kirsty Bain and Steve Ayres as the winners of the Under 18, Student and Adult categories respectively. Congratulations to all of our winners and runners up and a big thank you to everyone who entered this year’s contest.

WINNER

Adult category Angus by Steve Ayres

36 The Cat Winter 2011

photocomp

WINNER

Student category Morris by Kirsty Bain

WINNER

Under 18 category

Kipper by George Ackerley

The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Winter 2011

photocomp

Runner up Adult category

Archie by Kathryn Collinson

Runner up Student category

Maggie by Andrew Pye

Runner up Under 18 category

Peanut by Ellen Margaret Hoare

Runner up Under 18 category Mia by Simon Hadfield

The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Winter 2011

The Mensa cat flap John Walker helps Dexter with the puzzle of the cat flap

oving house, as everyone knows, is a miserable experience. Even if it’s for the happiest of reasons – like getting married and moving in with a lovely lady – the process of trying to put your entire life into boxes is absolutely never fun. And the process is not exactly improved by having a cat. Dexter, as has been established in previous issues of The Cat, is a profoundly unintelligent animal. Which meant moving a couple of miles away to a new building, surrounded by new territory, was a daunting process. For me. Looking up advice on the best ways to help a cat adjust, I first noticed that I’d certainly not taken Dex’s feelings into account when packing up the old place. Apparently, I was supposed to leave one room the same until the last moment and keep him in there. Well, first, the idea of trying to keep Dex in one room without his clawing through the windows sounds hideous enough. But also, when you’re as joyfully brainless as he, the upheaval is merely an opportunity to get lost in more cardboard boxes. It was more the other end that worried me. Every piece of advice I’d read or heard told me that he needed to stay indoors for ‘at least two weeks’ and all too often, ‘preferably a month’. The idea of keeping Dexter in for more than two hours was terrifying enough – any door being shut is such an affront to him as calling his mother a dog-loving tuna-hater – but to keep the front door shut? Brrrr. Fortunately, our new house has a clever trick. Two cat flaps. I thought he’d be delighted, not needing to rely on me to open a door or window any more. Clearly at some point, a utility room was added to the original back of the house, and both flaps have been left in. This means the annex has been dubbed ‘Dexter’s Laboratory’, containing his food, litter tray, ridiculous number of toys he ignores and the terrifying cat-tree-like construction my father built. The plan was to pretend this was ‘outside’. Covering up the one leading to the real world, we could teach him to use it without his getting out and inevitably getting lost and see how long we could get away with it. It turns out the answer was ‘at least two weeks’. Because Dexter could not figure out a cat flap. Okay, so he’s five now and had never encountered one before. It was new. It was obviously going to take some getting used to. But I wasn’t prepared for quite how difficult he was going to find the operation of a two-way flap.

Illustration: Rasoul Hudda

The first obstacle was that it was, apparently, terrifying. As I demonstrated how it opens and closes, the gentle snapping sound of the door returning to the frame set Dex sprinting through the house in an apoplexy of fear. Perhaps keeping him in wasn’t going to be so difficult. After literally days of swinging the door back and forth, so that he could get used to the noise and realise it wasn’t about to bite his face off, we then moved onto the somewhat more complex process of actually using it. Hinges are a bit much for Dexter. No matter how many times I showed him how it opens, or gently pressed his head against it so he could open it, no memory of this could penetrate. And nor could he. I’m not sure if there’s a sadder sight than watching an adult cat pawing at the top of a cat flap, as close to the hinge as possible, for minutes at a time. Just a mad, brainless, endless scraping against the Perspex screen, eliciting not a millimetre of movement, until he’d trip or slip or something that would cause him to accidentally bang into it and fall through. He still hasn’t quite got it. He still believes his paw has to be involved in its opening in some way, despite it adding nothing. It’s still pretty embarrassing to watch. But he safely made the transition to going outside, only getting lost twice... so far. A big wall the other side of an alley at the end of our tiny garden-ette isn’t possible to get back over again – so of course this is the first place he jumps down at any opportunity. We’ve slowly learned the route back from the private courtyard it leads to. As for the cat flaps – he still resents them. If he sees me or my wife nearby, he’ll sit in front of the door and wait – mostly fruitlessly – for us to open it for him. In other news, I’m never moving house again.

There are so many great things out there for cats and their owners. Here are just a few of our favourites…

WIN

Toasty toes! Why not add a bit of fun to your feet with these lovely Tie Studio socks? They’ll keep your feet warm and, at the same time, show off your unfailing love for all things feline. The smiley cat faces will add flair and style to feet of all sizes – well, from size 4 to 11 – which is no mean feat! These, along with other feline-fixated gifts can be found via www.mail-order-moggies.co.uk priced at £4.95. We have five pairs to give away so, to be in for a chance of winning, send your details in to the usual address with your entry marked ‘socks’ . Don’t forget to tell us which shoe size!

Here, kitty, kitty!

Eat, Sleep, Sniff

WIN

We’re lucky enough to have the brain behind the fabulous Eat, Sleep Sniff website as one of our dedicated Design Team. You’ll recognise his inimitable style of cartoon within this very magazine. Now Rasoul has set up a small online shop selling his artwork. There are greetings cards, badges and postcards available as well as the opportunity to commission Rasoul for your own bespoke illustrations; they don’t necessarily have to be cats either! We have five sets of Eat, Sleep, Sniff button badges to give away. To win a set, send in your details with the entry marked ‘Eat, sleep, sniff’ . www.eatsleepsniff.com

40 The Cat Winter 2011

We all know the vital importance of microchipping in reuniting missing pets with their owners and the clever people at Kitty Collars are no exception. Their collars – printed with the owner’s telephone number, address or special message – complement the microchip option and can speed up the reuniting process. The collars are made of really soft nylon and are extremely comfortable – there’s no need for a pet tag which can get lost and which some cats find irritating. Most importantly, they’re safe! The breakaway clasp releases quickly if the collar gets caught on anything, freeing your cat from danger. Breakaway cat collars are the safest type of cat collar and the only type recommended by Cats Protection. For more information, visit www.kittycollars.co.uk or phone 01983 200 201. We have ten collars to give away and, to be in with a chance of winning, send in your details, with an email address if you have one, marking the entry ‘Kitty collars’ .

WIN

Two for tea Christmas is fast approaching and the Cats Protection Christmas Catalogue is now available. Filled with fantastic gift ideas it makes shopping for your loved ones, or yourself, easy and fun. The full range can be viewed on www.catsprotectionshop.co.uk but our particular favourite is the Kitty In A Teacup range, consisting of a mug, place mats and coasters. The cute kitty design is perfect for cat lovers and guaranteed to brighten up any table. For a chance to win the range including a box of six cork-backed place mats, six coasters and an adorable mug, send your entry to the usual address and mark it ‘Kitty’ .

WIN

The

Lavender lovelies

WIN

Who can resist this gorgeous little lavenderfilled cat with a cute bow and ribbon rose collar? We certainly couldn’t and think he’s a lovely decoration for your Christmas tree or, indeed, a perfect present at any time of the year for a cat lover. All the scented gifts by Scatty Cat are handmade in England and cats are not the only animals that feature in their collection. There is a variety of gifts to choose from on its website www.scattycat.co.uk but we’ve been lucky enough to receive ten fragrant fabric felines to give away to our readers. Send your entry in marked ‘Lavender cat’ .

cat’ s miaow

WIN

Puss pendant Geraldine Murphy is the creative force behind Saba Jewellery which is handmade in Ireland and guaranteed quirky! Her necklaces have appeared in the film Tara Road and Irish President Mary McAleese owns one of Geraldine’s creations. Animals are her main inspiration and the element of play is very important in her design. For Geraldine, jewellery should always be uplifting and we definitely feel uplifted by this beautiful kitten pendant. It is handmade from sterling silver and 9kt rose gold and hangs from a sterling silver snake chain. Saba has been kind enough to give us this necklace for one lucky reader. You can enjoy the entire Saba range at www.saba.ie. To win this silver kitty, mark your entry ‘Saba’ .

For a chance to win one of our fantastic giveaways, send your name and address on a postcard or sealed envelope to: The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT. You can also send your entries via email to competitions@cats.org.uk. Don’t forget to mark your entries in the subject header so we know which competition you’re entering as well as including your name and address in the email body. On occasion we may need to pass on the details of competition winners to the prize suppliers for products to be posted direct. Closing date for all giveaways is 13 January 2012.

The Cat Winter 2011

Freedom Project Y

ou’ll already know a lot about the important work of Cats Protection. You’ll have heard about our neutering work, the education we provide and, no doubt, the number of cats we rehome every year. What you may not know is how we work in partnership with Dogs Trust Freedom Project to help the pets of families torn apart by domestic violence. We know that for many victims, leaving violent relationships or home is made impossible simply because they cannot bear to lose their pets or to put them at risk. Very few local authorities provide facilities for boarding pets and most refuges for those escaping such violence are unable to accept pets. We provide a free fostering service taking care of Freedom Project cats until their owners are in a position to reclaim them. Since becoming involved with the Freedom Project in 2004, we have helped more than 240 cats and 120 families. The service is currently available to people seeking refuge at emergency hostels in Greater London and Hertfordshire.

How it works The Dogs Trust Freedom Project promotes the service through advertising, information leaflets and posters. Referrals are dealt with by our colleagues at Dogs Trust who contact our Freedom Project Co-ordinator who then finds a suitable placement. All information about the client and the whereabouts of the cat is kept strictly confidential. The owner cannot visit their cat during its stay, but regular updates are passed on. This approach is designed to ensure a potentially violent partner cannot discover the cat’s whereabouts.

The Cat Winter 2011

How you can help We are currently recruiting Freedom Project Fosterers who have no other cats or dogs and who can keep a Freedom Project cat indoors throughout the time they are with us. All costs; food, litter and veterinary expenses are paid for by Cats Protection and we will microchip, vaccinate and neuter the cats if necessary. Everything the cat might need is catered for, including litter trays, beds, toys and scratching posts. We also support and visit our Freedom Project Fosterers on regular basis. If you live in London, Surrey, Sussex or Kent and becoming a Freedom Project Fosterer is of interest, we would love to hear from you. Knowing that you are helping cats and their families to escape violence, abuse and cruelty at home is immensely rewarding. There are no costs incurred by our Freedom Project Fosterers – all equipment, consumables and veterinary care is paid for by us. All you need to do is to provide the love, care and attention to these cats, many of whom have had to endure living in an abusive and unstable environment. We are also looking for volunteer Drivers, Home Visitors and Fundraisers. So for more information about becoming an active volunteer for the Freedom Project and to apply, please visit www.cats.org.uk/freedom-project Alternatively contact the team on 01825 741 973 or by emailing freedom.project@cats.org.uk If you can’t spare the time to become a Freedom Project volunteer but would still like to help, you can donate to the project by phoning 0800 917 2287, quoting Freedom Project.

MyMog is here! Cats Protection’s brand new iPhone app is out now and ready to download. You can create, design and play with your very own virtual puss and even hear him miaow and purr! Don’t forget to share your virtual cat with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. MyMog is free to download – it’s fantastic feline fun for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Use your device to download here Or search for MyMog on UK iTunes or visit www.cats.org.uk and follow the links.

|||| |

||||

|||| ||

||||| ||| | |

| ||||| |||||

||||| ||| || |||| | |

Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

|||||

| ||| ||

||||| ||| | |

\\\\

||||||

|||||| ||||| | \\\\

|| | ||

With added festive fun!

Felines in fiction

lena Green ventures forth into the fictional Y feline world to report on some classic and recently published books for children

y name is Ylena – pronounced E-lane-a – I’m 12 years old and a ‘readaholic’! I also love cats, so when I was asked to give my opinion on several books about them, I jumped at the chance. I love a good mystery novel and a bit of romance too and adore any book that contains even the word ‘vampire’. I read roughly three to four books a week, give or take a bit. Some of my favourites are Jane Eyre , Wuthering Heights , the Twilight series and now The Tygrine Cat on the Run by Inbali Iserles has joined the list. All animals are wonderful, but I love cats above all – especially our family’s beautiful tabby, Amber. I love the way cats look at you when you do something silly like trip over your own feet. If you look into their eyes, it almost seems as though they are laughing at you. I really enjoyed reading these books and got a lot of pleasure out of it – even the ones that are more suitable for younger readers. The only book from this collection that I had read before was Thomasina , but like most cat classics, I thought it was well worth another read. There’s nothing better on a winter’s day than curling up with a good book and maybe some chocolate! In my mind, books are always great stocking fillers and there is something here for children of all ages. Happy reading!

The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart This fantastic, magical book is about the adventures of Mary Smith. Mary discovers an extraordinary broomstick of the flying sort in her great aunt’s garden while exploring with her new-found feline friend and troublemaker, Tib. Her boring world is tipped upside down and replaced by the dangerously magical world of Endor College of Witch Craft and Wizardry. When Tib goes missing and is replaced by a note, it is up to Mary to find and rescue him. However, that is more easily said than done. When Doctor Dee and Madam Mumblechook realise that someone is still in the college, they follow Mary and give an epic chase across the countryside. I loved this book with its many twists and turns. I think that children of all ages will adore this timeless classic.

44 The Cat Winter 2011

feature

Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd This fun rhyming story is more of a poem than a book as it describes the mischievous night time adventures of Slinky Malinki. By day a jet-black kitchen cat, by night a naughty cat burglar. I think young children aged five and under will love this entertaining tale.

Gobbolino, the Witch’s Cat by Ursula Williams Black all over with a tabby sheen, bright blue eyes and a little white paw Gobbolino does not look like your typical black witch’s cat. The thing is Gobbolino doesn’t want to be a witch’s cat. He wants to be a kitchen cat, he wants to watch the baby, not stir potion; he wants to sit in front of the roaring fire, not fly on a broomstick. Ursula Williams has made the story so magical, you feel you are sitting with Gobbolino on the princess’s bed and watching him perform in the travelling Punch and Judy show. Kids the age of 10 and under should love this feline story.

Carbonel – The Prince of Cats by Barbara Sleigh When Rosemary buys an old broomstick and a cat from a strange old lady at the market, she has no idea that the broomstick is a flying one and that the majestic black tom is, in fact, the prince of cats. It then falls on Rosemary to restore Carbonel to his throne. To do this, she must find two magic items that will free him from the wicked witch’s curse. Can she do it? I loved this book with its quirky characters and I think kids aged eight to 13 will love it too.

The Tygrine Cat on the Run by Inbali Iserles Mati is different from all the other cats at Cressida Lock. Firstly, he is a Tygrine cat, the last of an ancient desert tribe that were wiped out by their rivals, the Sa Mau. Secondly, he can go into Fianey, the feline spirit world that rests in between the wakefulness and sleep. The Sa Mau have released something terrible, so terrible that the spirits shake and quiver. Mati can sense that the phantom is coming to find him at Cressida Lock and urges his kin to move on and leave their home. But will the kin agree to leave their homeland? I loved this spine chilling thriller and would definitely recommend this book for 10 to 15 year olds!

The Cat Winter 2011

A Home for Mr Tipps by Tom Percival Mr Tipps is a lonely stray cat, but has a special friendship with a lonely boy who feeds him and keeps him company. That is until one day there is no boy and no bowl of milk. So sad Mr Tipps wanders off for a walk and is chased by a dog until he realises he is lost. We follow Mr Tipps as he tries to find his way home. I think this book is perfect for new readers as it is simple and has lots of pictures, I would recommend this book for children under five.

A Cat Called Penguin by Holly Webb Alfie thinks the world of his large rescued black-and-white cat named Penguin. The two are firm friends and love to have exciting adventures in next door’s overgrown garden, but when a new girl arrives and takes over, she bans Alfie and Penguin from the garden. Suddenly Penguin begins to disappear to next door and Alfie goes round and discovers that Penguin is being fed by that new girl, Gracie. But later Alfie becomes increasingly worried about Penguin when he doesn’t appear to be in either of the two rival children’s houses. What will happen?

Thomasina by Paul Gallico Thomasina is Mary Ruadh’s ginger cat and means everything to her. When Thomasina becomes ill, Mary Ruadh turns to her father and local vet, Andrew Macdhui to make her well again. However, Andrew is busy with another critically ill patient and decides to have the poor Thomasina chloroformed. Mary warns him that she will never speak to him again if he ‘murders’ her beloved cat, however, he carries out his cruel plan and leaves his only daughter to mourn for a cat he thinks will be easily replaced. When Mary Ruadh takes a turn for the worse and begins to die of a broken heart, Andrew turns to Lori – the Red Witch of the glen for help. The question is, can Lori cure a broken heart? I adored this heart-warming story. Between Paul Gallico and Thomasina – they practically turn the pages for you. Kids ages nine and up will definitely enjoy this book.

Reader giveaway We have a copy of Tom Percival’s A Home for Mr Tipps , as well as his previous book Tobias and the Super Spooky Ghost to give away to one lucky reader. For a chance to win, send your name and address on a postcard or sealed envelope to: The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT. You can also send your entries via email to competitions@cats.org.uk by 13 January 2012. Don’t forget to mark your entry in the subject header so we know which competition you’re entering as well as including your name and address in the email body.

46 The Cat Winter 2011

Make him the promise of a lifetime At Cats Protection, we have been saving injured, starving and abandoned cats and kittens since 1927. Thanks to our promise never to put a healthy cat to sleep, we have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of cats, giving them all a second chance at life. You can help us keep our special promise and care for even more cats by leaving us a gift in your will. If cats are close to your heart, make sure your kindness continues to change their lives for many years to come. Ask us for your free information booklet today.

01825 741 271

(Mon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fri, 9am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5pm) or email

giftsinwills@cats.org.uk Find out more with our free information booklet Order your free copy of our booklet today. Simply complete and return this form to: Matt Vincent, Legacy Department, Cats Protection, FREEPOST SEA 7678, Haywards Heath, RH17 7BR. No stamp needed.

Title:

Name:

Address:

Postcode: Tel:

It really helps Cats Protection if we can keep you informed about our exciting work, campaigns, activities and fundraising. If you would prefer us to not contact you by post or telephone, please phone 08707 706827, email: cp@cats.org.uk or write to us at the Freepost address: FREEPOST SEA 7678, Cats Protection, Haywards Heath, RH17 7BR. Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

LA72

Cat chat J eanette Greaves , a Publicity Volunteer for Preston Branch spreads the word…

Part of the community If variety is the spice of life, then being a Cats Protection volunteer is like diving into a vat of curry powder! Over the last couple of years, our ‘talks team’ has visited a Mothers’ Union that turned out – in the nicest way possible – to be more of a Grandmothers’ Union, several lots of Brownies, a social group of lovely middle-aged ladies who started meeting 30 years ago as a ‘Young Mums’ group and a reception class at a primary school. Our oldest audience member was in her eighties, the youngest was four. Future talks are booked at a local Air Cadets Squadron and another Rainbow Guides group. We tailor each talk to the audience. Children want to talk about their own cats and it’s important to respond in the right way. “My cat has had 30 kittens!” is an interesting item of information and we’ve found that it’s useful to have leaflets on hand about our free neutering scheme at every talk that we give. With younger groups, we try to focus on the basics, emphasising that cats need love, food, access to water, shelter, safety and veterinary care. We’ve found that, with little children, it’s best to leave the topic of litter trays until the end of the talk as they can get quite excitable at the prospect of telling us about where their pets choose to toilet! With older groups, such as Brownies, we start to introduce the idea of volunteering and the role of Cats Protection in the

48 The Cat Winter 2011

community. We talk about the importance of neutering and about the responsibilities of pet ownership. ‘Goody Bags’ are very useful for this age group; they like to have something tangible to take away. CP-branded bags, badges, pencils and bookmarks will be taken away by them to be used later, reminding them about the work we do and introducing CP material and contact details into the family home, For adult groups, we tend to assume a basic knowledge of cats and, although most talks do settle down into lovely chats about members’ own pets, past and present, we start off by talking about the charity, its aims and history and what we do locally. If we have stories about cats rescued from, or rehomed to, that particular area, we try to include them. Again, we give out promotional material and gifts such as pens and we also take our own newsletters, membership forms and the cute pyramidal cardboard collecting boxes. For most of these groups, ‘education’ isn’t the issue, but we do try to raise awareness of the charity and hope that we will recruit new members, or even new volunteers.

Securing the supporters of the future We actively look for opportunities to give our talks; although we’re only addressing a small group of people, it’s a very personal and individual contact with each one and can have more of an impact than a radio broadcast or a newspaper article. Our talks are mentioned in our newsletter, partly to let our members know that we’re spreading the word, but also in the hope that they’ll mention us to any groups that they are a part of. Members who are the parents of younger children might be involved with Scout or Guide groups, while religious members can link us up with social groups connected to their faiths. Our most recent talk was to a reception class at a primary school. I’ve delivered post-graduate courses to science students and made sales pitches to senior supermarket managers, but the thought of talking to 20 young children made me hesitate and I was very grateful to have Val along. I was counting on her experience of primary school teaching to make the whole thing go well. On the way there, she asked what age group we’d be working with and I told her that the children were four or five years old. She paled and told me that she was used to older groups. She seemed more nervous than me at that point! We needn’t have worried; the teacher and her classroom assistant had the class very well organised and the children behaved beautifully. We were asked to keep the talk to 20 minutes, as the little ones don’t have a long attention span, but they kept asking questions about cats and telling us

Photo: Claire Goodwin

ne of the three aims of Cats Protection is to educate and inform the public about cats and, at a branch level, a good way of doing this is to give talks to groups. Preston Branch has four volunteers who get involved in this side of things. Alan Needham is a retired schoolteacher with an impressive CV of public speaking. He is regularly engaged by community groups to speak about his work with Cats Protection, but even when he is asked to speak on other topics, he kindly donates his fee to our branch. Shirley Chisnall is fantastic at putting larger groups of children at ease, is extremely knowledgeable about cats and CP and knows just how to pitch the content at the right level for each age group. Val Chew, our Neutering Volunteer, is a retired primary school teacher and she is in her element with smaller children such as primary school classes, Rainbow Guides and Beaver Scouts. My contribution is to plan the talks and make sure we have back up materials and promotional items to hand. We don’t charge a fee to give the talks, but will happily accept a donation towards branch funds if one is offered. For younger groups, we often ask the children to bring a donation of cat food, which helps with awareness and makes them feel included in the work that we do.

behindthescenes about their own pets and, before we knew it, the bell had gone and we’d been there for twice the planned length of time! We’d printed off cue cards to guide the talk, focusing on the basic needs of cats and kittens, which led to interesting discussions on what to feed cats, when they should be allowed outside, where they sleep, when they need to see a vet and where they get their water from. The biggest response came from talking about how cats need to be loved and to interact with people through play. The children really did seem to respond well to both of those ideas. We left face masks and pictures for the children to colour in and I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The rough with the smooth Sometimes, particularly with older groups, not everyone there is sympathetic and it’s important to be prepared for the difficult questions, which we do get. The most common one is “How do I keep my neighbours’ cats out of my garden?” but we’ve also been in situations where we’ve had to explain why we can’t instantly take in stray cats when they’re reported to us and even why we choose to volunteer for an animal charity when there are so many other problems in the world. Questions like that are welcome, as they give an opportunity for

us to explain our situation and also to involve the group in discussion. One of the unexpected bonuses of giving talks locally is that we sometimes meet branch members who we know of only by name. They may be elderly or disabled and unable to come to our fundraising events, but they subscribe to the newsletter and are keenly interested in our work. With church groups in particular, these supporters get the chance to come to the talk because they have support within the group from friends who can offer transport to the talks. Getting out and about, giving talks to people of all generations, takes CP into the community, we find out how we are seen by others and get the opportunity to let others know about our rescue, rehoming and neutering work. We’ve met people who adopted cats from us in the past and people who have given cats up to us. We’ve been told about fundraising opportunities and been told about feral colonies before they got out of control. We would love to do more talks, so if you know anyone in the area covered by our branch – PR1 – PR7, PR25 and PR26 postcode areas – who is looking for a speaker, please get in touch. Our phone number is 0845 177 0708, our email address is prestoncatsprotection@gmail.com.

Give your feet a rest and exercise your mind

Ten-minute crossword

Amusing Heather Heather Cook’s feline friends give short shrift to Cats Protection’s Volunteer of the Year

Across 1 Snow storm (8) 6 Possess (3) 9 Supply with necessary kit (5) 10 Replies (7) 11 Chip shop fish (7) 13 Cash (5) 14 English county (6) 15 Device for taking photographs (6) 19 Casual trousers (5) 21 Ungainly (7) 22 Sold from the cask (7) 23 Subject (5) 24 Male child (3) 25 Duplicitous (3-5)

Down 2 Wash (7) 3 Adjustable fastening (3) 4 Northernmost American state (6) 5 Go ashore (9) 6 Large sea (5) 7 Unpleasant (5) 8 Systematic procedure (6) 12 Omission (9) 16 Instance (7) 17 Kidnap (6) 18 Military pageant (6) 19 Betrayer (5) 20 Once more (5) 23 Hot drink (3)

To win one of these three Stripy Cat Tea For One sets, complete our crossword correctly, rearrange the shaded letters and find the infamous fictional Christmas character then send it – or a photocopy – along with your name and address to Crossword Competition, The Cat, NCC, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT. Alternatively email the answer with your name and address to us at competitions@cats.org.uk with Crossword in the subject header. Winners will be drawn on 13 January 2012. The prizes are kindly sponsored by The Cat Gallery. Visit www.thecatgallery.co.uk or phone 01904 413 000 to request a catalogue. Last issue’s winners: Miss H Commons, Pat Brent and Miss KM Barnes are the winners of the last Crossword. The answer was Damon Hill. Apologies to all who tried to enter the Summer crossword competition. Due to an error, the grey squares were put in the wrong places – the answer should have been Don Quixote!

Answers to Autumn Crossword on page 35.

50 The Cat Winter 2011

Rarely have I travelled along the M25 in a state of euphoria, but that’s exactly how it was on the way home from this year’s Cats Protection AGM. To my great surprise and delight, I had been presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award and felt honoured and humbled in equal measure. We all do what we do for the cats, not for the recognition, but it is wonderful to have this support from people who understand and value what we do. Arriving home with my trophy, I was greeted by an array of sullen furry faces. I brandished my wooden cat prize and Bella, the rescue Persian, immediately succumbed to a messy sneezing fit. Benjamin Wobble seemed marginally more interested, but was overcome by weakness and collapsed in his empty food bowl. Miss Elizabeth – never a cheerful cat – looked sulkier than ever as she reversed up to the fridge door and sprayed copiously over the gleaming surface. Miss Isabelle thought about coming in to show interest, but was distracted at the last moment by the appearance of a large and particularly fascinating slug. Bonnie Bun-Bun, the tabby matriarch, took one look at the trophy and wondered if it might be edible. Upon being advised that it had a decorative rather than nutritional purpose, she lost interest and smacked Bella smartly round her fuzzy little chops. Our beautiful black boy, Lucio, romped in as soon as he heard voices. “Here’s Mummy’s big boy!” I cooed as he rubbed his head lovingly against my arm. It was only when he ripped at my coat pocket that I remembered the catnip toy I’d purchased at the National Cat Centre. The mood lightened considerably once the food bowls had been filled and Portia Patch even condescended to sit on my lap so that I could tell her about my day. In fact, she managed to stay awake for almost a minute before a rumbling snore reminded me that one person’s excitement can so easily be a tortoiseshell cat’s total exhaustion.

Purr ‘n’ Fur Climb every mountain Tomba lived a fulfilled life and his fame extended far beyond the borders of Switzerland, where he gained a lot of publicity. A mountaineering yearbook in Japan dedicated a double-page spread to him, complete with photographs; a South African weekly told his story; and in New York also he became almost a household name. Tabloids across Europe wrote reports about him; Swiss TV came to Schwarenbach to film and they subsequently broadcast a fascinating report with impressive footage.” For a fuller account and to see some amazing images of one of Tomba’s expeditions, go to www.purr-n-fur.org.uk and select ‘Adventures: mountain climber Tomba’ from the Most Recent Additions.’ Patrick Roberts

Sudoku Fill in the empty cells so that the digits 1 through to 9 appear: • only once in each row • only once in each column • only once in each 3x3 box (shown by the thicker lines)

Answers appear on page 35.

The Cat Winter 2011

Illustration: Rasoul Hudda

Tomba was a long-haired cat from Switzerland, based in an Alpine hotel in the canton of Valais, who during the climbing season would follow mountaineers on their ascents and so reached a number of impressive summits. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy his outings and would wait eagerly for the next group of climbers to make their preparations. His exploits have been recorded in brochure by the Peter Stoller Family, who run the Berghotel Schwarenbach, near Kandersteg, from where Tomba went out on his exploits. The text has been translated directly from the original German and is reproduced below. “On 7 August 1988 a little kitten came into the world. Tomba, named partly after his mother, Tomassa, and partly after the renowned alpine ski racer Alberto Tomba. When barely old enough to walk, Tomba started making off straight away across the hills and ridges. Time and time again we became worried about him, so we would set off out into the wind and rain with the intent of bringing the kitten back into the safety of our home. However, when we learned that 10-month-old Tomba had escorted three mountain climbers up to the 3,453m-high summit of the Rinderhorn, we knew that we were dealing with a real mountaineer, who would be able to find his own way home. Once, when Tomba was en route with a young married couple, he was suddenly reluctant to go any further and he took himself off the path behind a large rock. The couple were curious so they followed him, believing he had discovered something there. Just then, an avalanche thundered across the path they had been climbing up... Tomba had actually saved them both from disaster! On Max and my mountain tour on the Rinderhorn, Tomba padded up the steep firm slope. We couldn’t help but be amazed. Tomba followed effortlessly, paused when we did, climbed onwards when we did. Over the summit ridge along the extreme edge he pranced, with his tail held aloft, fawning all over Max and evidently content. He had reached the summit, which was 3,453m high. Max wanted to carry him on his rucksack on the descent, but this offer was proudly turned down. Every time Tomba slid on the ice on the steep glacier, he would ‘adjust his rudder’ and immediately bring himself back on track.

How can we help?

03000 12 12 12

The Helpline team has taken some time away from the ringing phones to cover some of the more common topics of the winter months…

hristmas is great for spending some quality time with your cat, but it’s also riddled with potential dangers! We’ve put together a checklist to help you make sure the festive period stays safe and happy for both you and him. 1 D ecorations can be dangerous to cats if broken or nibbled by cats, particularly items like glass baubles, tinsel and fairy light cables. If your cat can’t keep his paws off them, it is best to keep him out of the room when you are not there 2 Noisy parties can be stressful for cats so if you are planning a full house, ensure that your cat has a safe, quiet room to which he can retreat if he wants to avoid all the fuss. Many cats are startled by the sound of loud bangs, so try to keep him out of harm’s way when it comes to pulling crackers, letting off party poppers and so on 3 Holly and mistletoe are potentially toxic to cats so if choosing to have them in your house, position them well away from your cat’s reach. Also, if you receive any plants as Christmas presents, consult your vet to check they are feline friendly 4 If you are thinking of offering your cat a treat don’t be tempted to give him human chocolate, which is not good for cats, or pieces of turkey which may contain small bones. Instead, you can give puss one of the safe-to-eat, healthy Christmas cat treats that are available 5 Clearing away Christmas presents. After opening presents, be sure to completely clear the room of wrapping paper, elastic bands and so on to prevent your cat from nibbling at them 6 If going away at Christmas, make plans for your cat well in advance, particularly if you are planning to put him in a cattery

The Cat Winter 2011

Danger! Through the winter months, another common worry for callers to our Helpline is the heightened use of antifreeze as the weather gets colder and the danger this chemical can pose to their pets. Antifreeze, or ethylene glycol, is a chemical used in car engines and as a de-icer in brake fluids and other liquids. Many animals find antifreeze sweet tasting and ingesting even the smallest amount can lead to kidney failure and death, especially in cats. To avoid accidental poisonings • Always keep antifreeze in clearly labelled, robust, sealed containers away from children, pets and their environment • Clean up any spills immediately, no matter how small, and make sure pets cannot access the area until it is clean and safe • Always dispose of antifreeze safely and responsibly. Contact your local authority for advice If your pet shows any of the following signs take them to a vet immediately • Increased urination • Increased drinking • Vomiting • Depression • Lethargy • Appearing drunk and uncoordinated • Seizures • Abnormally fast heartbeat • Very fast, shallow breathing The sooner veterinary treatment is received, the better their chances of survival.

helpline Photo: istockphoto.com/Janine Lamontagne

Some general winter worries

How can I help keep my cat safe during the cold weather? Your cat may be less inclined to go outside to the toilet when it’s cold and wet, so provide at least one, if not two, litter trays in your home as your cat may prefer to stay in the warmth to do his business! If your cat uses an outdoor water source to drink, make sure it doesn’t freeze. Always have clean, fresh water available inside in case the outdoor source is inaccessible. We all like to be warm and cosy during the winter and your cat is no exception. Provide some shelter for him if he goes outside, such as a designated shelter – or cardboard box – extra bedding, blankets and fleeced cat beds are always appreciated. Vehicle engines can be seen as a nice, warm place for a cat to have a nap so, before setting out on a journey, be vigilant and check under the bonnet of your vehicle. Keep your cat in during the hours of darkness when there is a greater risk of road traffic accidents, theft and physical attacks .

What could I get my cat for Christmas? Christmas is a great time to spoil your cat. With a wide range of cat products available, why not take a look at our Christmas catalogue? It has some great gift ideas for you and you cat! • Paw print cat bed £19.99 – 62676 • Cat Treat Ball £3.95 – 66625 • Scratch & Play Catnip Mat £10.99 – 66790 For further details please see our Christmas Gift Catalogue 2011 at www.catsprotectionshop.co.uk

I’ve got a really busy Christmas lined up and with friends and family coming over, but my cat is very timid and I’m worried it may stress him out. Is there anything I can do to help make it less stressful for him? Feliway® is a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone, used by cats to mark their territory as safe and secure. Feliway® can be used to help comfort and reassure cats, while they cope with a challenging situation and/or help prevent or reduce the stress caused to a cat during a change in their environment. Provide extra hiding places and high vantage points where he can sit and watch what is going on around him. If you are able to do so, please provide your cat with a separate room where he can enjoy some quiet time, please remember to leave him with food, water and a litter tray and give him a few extra cuddles!

To contact Helpline, please phone 03000 12 12 12 or email helpline@cats.org.uk

The Cat Winter 2011

A price worth paying After an expensive visit to the vets, Sarah Staples values the importance of pet insurance

The Cat Winter 2011

cage for exercise four times a day. Getting her out was easy... getting her back in not quite so easy! So what makes Missy so important? It was down to Missy that I had my first involvement with Cats Protection. One fateful lunchtime at work, a friend of mine was determined to show me the kittens she wanted on a website. And there was Missy! “Missy... a pretty black cat... needs an experienced owner as she can have her moments!” It was love at first sight! When her Fosterer said to me that Missy had been in care for 10 months as she was difficult to home, I nearly cried, even more so when she said, “Missy was here waiting for you. You were meant to be together.” I was so touched that someone could look after “my” Missy for 10 long months without giving up hope, I wanted to give something back and help cats like Missy. As I took Missy home I promised her Fosterer, “I will love her, I promise you that!” Life is not always kind or fair. It seems particularly unjust that, having spent so long in care just a few years ago, Missy has again had to spend many months confined to a cage. Just a few days before her accident, I remember watching Missy charging up and down the garden and thinking what a joy it was to see her playing and enjoying life to the full. Missy is a real climber, hopefully one day soon she will be able to climb again. Whatever happens I will know that I have done everything I can for Missy... and that’s why insurance is so very important!

Illustration: Rasoul Hudda

ow would you feel if you had to have your cat’s leg amputated because you could not afford the treatment to fix it? This is not scaremongering, this is a real choice you might have to make! It cost a staggering £4,500 to fix my cat, Missy’s fracture. Amputation would have cost under £1,000 – still no mean sum for most people to find but perhaps most importantly, on a Saturday evening, the cost of admitting your cat to emergency care is likely to be at least £300. As I went to discharge Missy nearly a week after her accident, I was armed with five credit cards to try and cover the bill. Fortunately, as I had insurance, the hospital made a direct claim to the insurance provider for the £3,000 covered, which made life so much easier. It’s very easy to view insurance as an unnecessary expense – accidents happen to other people don’t they? As a volunteer for Cats Protection, I am well aware of potential dangers to my cats: they are shut in at night when accidents are most likely to happen, likewise in heavy snowfall and it took six months for me to find a house in a suitably safe location for my cats to live. No matter how careful we are, accidents still happen! There was nothing dramatic about Missy’s accident. At quarter to eight one Saturday evening, Missy came down the garden path. As usual she was the last in and I remember the sense of relief that she was coming in early while it was still light. The relief was short lived when I saw Missy was on three legs. I actually did a double take – was she really on three legs? Even at this point, I had no idea what was in store. There was no blood, it didn’t look that bad but Missy’s fracture was particularly complicated and needed pins and external fixators to hold it together, necessitating many months of cage rest, then room rest, then house rest... Some people might ask why I went to such lengths to save Missy’s leg with no guarantee of success. Wouldn’t amputation be so much cheaper and simpler? I do have another cat, Georgie, who I adopted with three legs. She copes very well but also has limitations. As the surgeon said to me, “Cats are born with four legs!” Missy hasn’t been particularly unhappy in her cage, but has needed a lot of love and a huge amount of work and attention from me. I dismantled an old coffee table to build a bench coming out from the bedroom window sill and secured Missy’s cage to the bench. Missy was in her favourite room with a view to all that was going on outside. At night she would rattle her cage as she clearly wanted to be on my bed – a second table and cage were constructed right next to the bed and all was well... that is apart from the need to get Missy out of her

Talking Cat

An audio version of this magazine is available free to all subscribers. Contact Supporter Services on 0800 917 2287 or email supporterservices@cats.org.uk to request your copy.

Spotlight A selection of tales from our branches and adoption centres...

Despite the odds By North Ayrshire Smudge is one of a litter of five who came into our care recently after their mother gave birth to them in someone’s back garden. Smudge has funny little paws and deformed toes. She also had a deformed back leg which had to be amputated when she was just eight weeks old. We think she has been very brave so far growing up with her disabilities and, through it all, her character has shone right through. Some of her siblings also have funny little paws too which will limit their mobility for life. Smudge has needed a lot of veterinary care and attention before she can go to her forever home, so we are appealing for help towards these costs. Can you help us raise much-needed funds for Smudge and her siblings? Visit www.justgiving.com/northayrshirecats to donate and have a look at ‘northayrshirecats’ on YouTube to see Smudge in action before her operation.

Cliff hanger happy ending By Belfast Adoption Centre Lucky by name and Lucky by nature, this 16-year-old tom had recently been diagnosed with a form of dementia and had managed to get away from his owner’s house in Lisburn. His owner feared that Lucky would never manage to find his way home. Meanwhile, a kind member of the public contacted us about an elderly cat which had been wandering the streets and took him to our vet. The Belfast Adoption Centre had him admitted and named him Cliff. Lucky’s owner had placed ads in newspapers and distributed leaflets but had heard nothing. We then received information from one of our volunteers at the centre who had read a newspaper article about Lucky. She rang the centre and explained that the cat in the article bore a striking resemblance to one she knew as ‘Cliff’. Once we contacted Lucky’s owner, he was over the moon and made his way to the centre to be reunited with his beloved cat.

56 The Cat Winter 2011

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

Mike alike

Two-roo love!

By Reading & District

By Welwyn Hatfield District

Happy endings are always good, but quirky ones that raise an extra smile are especially welcome. During the summer, big tabby bruiser Mike – Tyson – appeared on the branch website under an alias of Dave and caught the eye of a potential adopter, who asked to visit ‘Dave’ and another young cat being fostered at the same location. Nothing strange about this so far. However, the visitor who thought he was seeing a cat called Dave, who was really Mike, and another cat who was called Cooper, turned out to be – yes here it comes – Mike Cooper! Human Mike chose cat Mike to share his home and all is going well, except that cat Mike has had to revert to his alias of Dave to save the confusion of two Mikes in one household. Cooper has also since found a loving new home.

Smidge was only nine months old when she came into our care but, despite her young age, she was already pregnant. She soon delivered three kittens, but didn’t seem interested in looking after them. After a lot of help and long nights bottle feeding, the new arrivals reached 12 weeks and were rehomed. Just two months later, the call came. Smidge, now named Roo, had caught someone’s eye. Roo’s visitor fell head over heels with her. She is now very settled in her new home with, of all things a dog – who is also called Roo!

Amazing Grace By Gwent

A Trojan prince By Bath & District Hector turned up in the garden of our Fundraising Officer a few years ago. She advertised him on posters and a lostand-found website, but time passed and he was never claimed. He made it quite clear that he wanted to stay and has since proved himself to be very public spirited. First, he saved the life of another cat by becoming a blood donor via a scheme run by the Bath Veterinary Group. Now, he has extended his career to become a rat catcher. The local chickens were attracting unwanted rodents and he has despatched three, possibly four of them. Here he is, enjoying a well-earned nap after his heroic efforts.

When seven-week-old Precious first came to us suffering from a badly broken leg after being abandoned behind a skip – The Cat, Autumn 2011 – we had grave doubts about her future, but didn’t bargain for her amazing fighting spirit which, along with the vet’s expertise, pulled her through a very traumatic experience. Precious recovered very well after her operation and went to her new home at the end of July, where she has settled in brilliantly. Her new owner changed her name to ‘Grace’, although ‘Tornado’ might be more appropriate, as she is as playful and energetic as a kitten should be! Considering the terrible ordeal she has gone through, she is doing remarkably well and has excellent movement in her injured leg, which we hope will continue as she grows to adulthood. Very surprisingly, she showed no fear of dogs and desperately tried to get out of her recovery cage to play with her Fosterer’s own dog. Thankfully, it seems that she was too young to realise what had happened to her and she now lives with a dog who she absolutely adores, as well as two other cats. She cuddles up to the dog and jumps onto his tail as he passes by and gets wagged along with the tail!

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

The Cat Winter 2011

Messageboard from your local Cats Protection...

Southend & District

Billy

Outer Aberdeen & District

Crawley, Reigate & District

Reading (East), Wokingham & Bracknell

Female, 5 years approx

Female, 3 years approx

Male, 2-4 years approx

Jet

Male, 5 years approx Billy came into our care after the greenhouse he sheltered in had to be demolished. He needs a kind, patient person to love him; he would be best suited to a home without other pets – at least at first – and with access to a garden.

☎☎ 01702 202 222

Forfar & District

Jenny

Female, 2 years

Little Bit

Jet is not a lap cat and does not appear to have been handled much in her previous home. She would suit a quiet home with no children or other pets.

☎☎ 01224 823 598

Little Bit will happily sit on your knee and likes to play with her toys. Ideally, she is looking for an adultonly home where she won’t be left alone for long periods as when she gets bored she has a tendency to over groom. She would love a garden to explore and this will definitely help keep her entertained!

☎☎ 08453 712 734

Crewe & District Branch

Oscar

Weymouth & District

Male, 2 years approx

Sparkle

Jasper

Jasper had been foraging for food for some time when he was found. While fending for himself, he picked up an infection which means he cannot live with other cats or go outside unless it is a very contained area. We would be willing to support caring for Jasper as a long term foster cat and would be there to look after any medical bills that may arise due to his condition.

☎☎ 08453 714 212

National Cat Adoption Centre

Female, 1 year

Murray and Minnie Male and female, 13 and 14 years

Jenny is full of mischief and still very much a kitten at heart. She is looking for a quiet home with an understanding owner as she can be excitable at times, however, given a chance to settle, she will be very loyal and lots of fun. She would love to find a home with a garden.

☎☎ 08453 712 063

The Cat Winter 2011

Sparkle has been with us throughout the summer and very much needs her own forever home. Life in a cat cabin is better than being a hungry stray, but it’s not a patch on having your own home and people, especially during the long, dark winter nights!

☎☎ 01305 262 737

Oscar is deaf so needs an indoor-only home or somewhere with a cat-proof garden. He is looking for a home with no younger children, but we believe he would get on with other cats. He is quite vocal, especially at night time, so he needs an understanding owner! Oscar does not travel well, so ideally the home should be within a 30-mile radius of Crewe.

☎☎ 01270 663 143

These two came to the centre when their owner was made homeless and have been here since January. Murray has high blood pressure and needs lifetime medication. Both would be good with children and they get on well with other cats too.

☎☎ 01825 741 330

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

St Albans & District

Smudge

Female, 1 year

Downham Market Adoption Centre

Marbles

Female, 11 years

Epsom, Ewell & District

Barclay

Barclay lived as a stray at a stable for a considerable time. Although nervous, he is becoming more friendly and confident by the day as he learns he can trust people and is relishing regular meals. He is seeking a peaceful new home of his own.

☎☎ 01737 350 307

Cheerful and friendly Smudge enjoys having home comforts and would be a companion cat. She is placid, not a fussy eater and is very clean. She is in excellent health and loves sitting on your lap and being a lap warmer! Are you that committed someone who could make Smudge feel loved and secure once more?

☎☎ 08453 712 064

Maidenhead, Slough & District

Sugar

Male, 10 months

Marbles has been diagnosed with a condition called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy. It is a form of heart condition. Our vets were astonished when they discovered this as she was showing no clinical signs of ill health. Her previous owner had no idea that Marbles had a heart condition, which we feel shows how well she is and also a good sign of things to come.

To everyone who has sent donations to Stockport Branch following the previous articles about Lucia and Kimmy – The Cat, Summer and Autumn 2011. Many of the donations were anonymous and we would like to pass on our thanks. To everyone who sent a donation to Eskdale branch to help with the cost of Hamish’s vet bills – The Cat, Summer 2011. Hamish is currently very well and incredibly lazy – he has hardly set paw outside all summer. His fur has nearly all grown back and he has put on lots of weight. Thank you very much.

☎☎ 01366 382 311

West Oxfordshire

Bobtail

Male, adult

Sugar is deaf and has had a difficult start to life, so he is a little unpredictable. He needs a very special owner who can accommodate his ‘moods’ and allow him to live on his terms. He is unlikely to be a cuddly cat, but deserves a permanent home.

☎☎ 01628 620 909

Bobtail came into us as a stray with half his tail missing and had a dislocated hip, probably the result of a car accident during his time living on the streets. He can be stroked but is frightened of being picked up and we don’t think he could cope with young children or other cats.

To Sharon Franklin , Manager of Colwyn & District Branch’s charity shop. Sharon celebrated her 50th birthday in August by walking round Anglesey, Holyhead to Holyhead – about 90 miles! It was very well planned and Sharon completed the walk in four days. Sharon was joined by Barbara Larner, Sue Roberts and her daughter and Jane Wilkinson. Elaine Bennett and Mary Keenan, Branch Co-ordinator, also supported Sharon. Dorothy Dolan and Kath Sutton were the support team, on hand to provide refreshments, plasters and encouragement. Over £600 was raised and this will go to help with the costs of the treatment of two cats with broken legs. To everyone who very generously donated to Gwent Branch towards the cost of veterinary treatment for Precious – see page 57 – your help was very much appreciated.

☎☎ 07814 043 320

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

The Cat Winter 2011 59

rawley, Reigate & District Branch is looking for a C Publicity Officer. The role will mainly involve generating local publicity to promote awareness of the activities and aims of the branch. Good organisational, interpersonal and communication skills are vital for this role. A knowledge of publicity and/or the media would be useful. Please phone 08453 712 734 or email enquiries@catsprotection.co.uk rawley, Reigate & District Branch is also looking C for a Fostering Liaison Officer. The role will involve liaising our team of Fosterers and ensuring that they have all the recourses they require. Good communication and organisational skills will be required, along with a reasonable knowledge of cat care. Please phone 08453 712 734 or email enquiries@catsprotection.co.uk lymouth & South Hams Branch urgently requires a P Fundraising Co-ordinator to book and organise events, liaise with volunteers to run the events and to think of new ideas for fundraising. We also require volunteers to help on the welfare side of our work. If you think you can help in any capacity, please phone 08453 712 753. eading (East), Wokingham & Bracknell Branch is R looking for Home Visitors for the Reading East, Bracknell, Wokingham, Lower Earley and Twyford areas. We also need Fosterers in the Bracknell/Wokingham and Woodley area – starting off as indoor fostering. Please phone 08453 714 212 (9am-5pm, Mon-Fri) olverhampton Branch is desperately looking to W increase its overall volunteer numbers across all areas, but we especially need help in our shop in Warstones Road, Penn. We also urgently need a Homing Officer on our Committee to coordinate and manage homing visits throughout Wolverhampton. Please email us at cpwolverhampton@virginmedia.com for more information. elford & District Branch is looking for volunteers for T a variety of roles, including Fundraisers, Home Visitors and Fosterers. More information can be found on our website www.cats.org.uk/telford. If you can help, please contact our Co-ordinator, Ginette Pardoe, on 08452 601 502 or email catsprotectiontelford@gmail.com toke & Newcastle Branch desperately needs helpers to S raise funds. Our excellent new Fund raising Officer needs anyone who can help her in any way. If you can do a car boot or tabletop sale, collect bric-a-brac from family and friends or use craft skills, such as sewing or knitting to make items for sale at events. Or if you could organise an event, please get in touch with Margaret on 07842 286 382.

reat Amwell & District Branch is currently looking for G more Fosterers to join a small and friendly branch team. The branch will pay for bedding, food, litter, vet costs etc and training and support will be given. Can you help us look after cats and kittens in our care before they go to their new homes? Please call us on 08453 712 736 or visit www.greatamwell.cats.org.uk for more information. asingstoke & District Branch needs to recruit a B Fundraising Officer. Sparing just a couple of hours a week can make a huge difference to the cats in our care. We are sure whoever takes on the role will find it incredibly rewarding. It’s also a great way to make new friends – both human and feline! Please contact Andrea Shepherd on 01189 814 617. t Albans & District Branch is looking for an Assistant S Fundraising Co-ordinator to support our outgoing fundraising team to help us run local quizzes and tombola fêtes as well as coming up with good, fun ideas that we can all help make a success. We are also looking for a Lost/Found Fosterer to join our small group of friendly Fosterers to take in ‘found’ cats who are lost and need to spend a short time in a pen before they are reunited with their owners as well as for the ‘found’ strays who need a bit more care before they are rehomed. You need to live in the AL1-AL5 area and have space for two outdoor pens. Please phone 08453 712 064 or email stalbanscp@hotmail.co.uk olwyn & District Branch is looking for new Fosterers to C accommodate cat pens in their back gardens. They have two double and one triple pen available. The branch will cover all the expenses of installing the pens and provide everything needed to care for the cats. Fosterers should have their own transport and be able to take the cats to vets when necessary. The postcode areas we would like to locate the pens are LL18, 22, 28, 29, 32. Please contact Mary Keenan on 01492 660 221 or email mary.keenan@vodafoneemail.co.uk

Deadlines All branches are encouraged to send in their success stories and diary dates for every issue. The deadlines for the next three issues are: • 9 December – Spring 2012

reston Branch is looking for one or two new Fosterers P to join the team, to help us to rescue and rehome even more cats in 2012. Our Fosterers have one or two cat pens in their gardens, so it’s important that you have a private and secure back garden. If you have any questions, please contact the branch on 08451 770 708 or email prestoncatsprotection@gmail.com

• 16 March – Summer 2012 • 15 June – Autumn 2012

eymouth & District Branch needs many new volunteers for W the full range of branch work, including cat care, fundraising and publicity. We’re also seeking more Committee Members to run the branch. Please contact Gloria on 01305 262 737.

60 The Cat Winter 2011

tockport Branch is looking for volunteers to help with S trapping and neutering feral cats. If you are interested, would like to know more about volunteering with us or would like chat to other members of the branch, please call Jacky Goodman on 07900 415 674, email stockport.cp@hotmail.com or visit one of our events.

Please send your entries to: CP in Focus, Editorial Team, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email editorial@cats.org.uk. CP volunteers and staff can now submit their stories online via CatNav. Log on at http://catnav.cats.org.uk Please ensure that Cats Protection in focus stories and diary events are sent as seperate documents.

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

Diary of events Find out what’s going on near you...

ENGLAND BERKSHIRE Reading & District

Fairs 7 January: Bazaar & Book Sale – WRVS Hall, John Burrows Playing Fields, Hadleigh. 10.30am-1pm. 4 February: Table Sale, Knightswick Centre, Canvey Island; 9am-4.30pm. 25 February: Bazaar, WRVS Hall, Richmond Avenue, Benfleet; 10.30am-1pm. 17 March: Bazaar, WRVS Hall, John Burrows Playing Fields, Hadleigh; 10.30am-1pm.

LANCASHIRE Preston Stalls

3 March: Hanwell Methodist Church, Church Road, Hanwell, London W7 1DJ; 10.30am4pm Many participating societies. Admission free. Details 020 8567 6739 www. animalwelfarebazaar.info

14 January: Jumble sale, St Leonard’s Church Hall, Marshall’s Brow, Penwortham; 11am. 28 January: Table Top Sale, St Mary’s Church Hall, Cop Lane, Penwortham. 11 February: Table Top Sale, St Mary’s Church Hall, Cop Lane, Penwortham; 10am. 18 February: Jumble Sale, St Leonard’s Church Hall, Marshall’s Brow, Penwortham; 11am. 10 March: Jumble Sale, St Leonard’s Church Hall, Marshall’s Brow, Penwortham; 11am 31 March: Table Top Sale, St Mary’s Church Hall, Cop Lane, Penwortham; 10am.

Ashfield & Amber Valley

GREATER MANCHESTER

SHROPSHIRE

Collections

Stockport

Telford & District

2 December: Tesco, Alfreton 8-9 December: Tesco, Clowne

Fairs

3 December: Woodley, Civic Hall, Hyde Road; 10am12.30pm 11 February: Woodley, Civic Hall, Hyde Road; 10am12.30pm. We have a wide range of events being planned for 2012. Please phone 0161 439 1274 – evening and weekends – email us at stockport.cp@hotmail.com or take a look at the Events section of our website, www.stockport.cats.org.uk, for further details.

3 December: Much Wenlock Christmas Fayre. We will be selling Christmas gifts and stocking fillers as well as Christmas cards and gift wrap. The fayre is open from 10am5pm and there will be lots more to see and do including street theatre, live music and an ice rink.

Jumble Sale 10 December: All Saints Parish Hall, Downshire Square, Reading RG1 6NH; 1-3pm.

Reading (East), Wokingham & Bracknell Monthly Meetings Last Monday of the month unless a Bank Holiday. 28 November: Christmas celebration, bring nibbles and soft drinks. Our Lady of Peace (OLOP) Church Hall, Wokingham Road, Earley (Earley Cross Roads), RG6 7DA; 8pm. No December meeting as Christmas.

DERBYSHIRE

DEVON East Devon Coffee mornings 8 December: Mince pie and coffee morning/bazaar, All Saints Church Hall, Sidmouth; 10am-12noon.

ESSEX Rayleigh, Castle Point & District Homing shows 10 December: Methodist Church Hall, Eastwood Road, Rayleigh, SS6 7ED; 10.30am-1pm. 14 January: WRVS Hall, Richmond Avenue, Benfleet SS7 5HE; 10.30am-1pm. 18 February: Homing Show, Methodist Hall, Chapel Lane Hadleigh; 10.30am-1pm. 10 March: Homing Show Methodist Hall, Eastwood Road, Rayleigh SS6 7ED; 10.30am-1pm.

GREATER LONDON Ealing Animal Welfare Bazaar

HERTFORDSHIRE Great Amwell & District Stalls 26 November: Christmas bazaar, Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon; 9.30am-2pm.

St Albans & District Fair 3 December: Marshalswick Community Centre, St Albans; from 10.30am. Pop along and say hi, ask about volunteering or buy some gifts!

SURREY

12 February: Homing show and fundraising sale Broadbridge Heath Village Hall, Wickhurst Lane, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, RH12 3LY; 11am-3pm. 18 February: Banstead Antique & Collectors Fair.

WARWICKSHIRE Wolverhampton Fair 2-3 December: Christmas Craft fair in Wolverhampton’s Mander Centre. Lots of stalls including jewellery, Christmas decorations and gifts, needlework, paintings, face painting, handbags and purses, ceramics and glass gifts as well as CP information and gifts. 9am-5pm.

NORTHERN IRELAND Belfast Adoption Centre Christmas Fair 3 December: Plenty to see and do for the whole family. Stalls include bric-abrac, grocery, cakes, crafts, homemade cards, tea, coffee and mulled wine and, of course, the cats! 270 Belfast Road, Dundonald, Newtownards, County Antrim, BT16 1UE.

Crawley, Reigate & District

WALES

Fairs

CLWYD

3 December: Smallfield Market, Surrey; 9am-12pm. 4 December: Crawley Psychic Fair, Hawth Theatre, Crawley, RH10 6YZ; 10am-6pm. 11 December: Homing show and fundraising sale Barnfield Care Home, Horley, RH6 7LA; 11am – 3pm. 17 December: Smallfield Market, Surrey; 9am-12pm. 8 January: Homing show and fundraising sale Horticultural Society Hall, Ifield Ave, Crawley, RH11 7AJ; 11am-3pm. 21 January: Banstead Antique & Collectors Fair. 29 January: Psychic Fair, Hawth Theatre, Crawley, RH10 6YZ.

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

Wrexham Collections 25-27 November: Stall at Pets at Home, Wrexham.

Stalls 18 December: ‘Mince Pies and Moggies’ at our Wrexham adoption centre. Enjoy an afternoon eating mince pies, meeting all our cats and buying gifts and cards at our stall. For a Christmas treat you are welcome to pop a little something in our cats’ Christmas stockings; 1-3.30pm. 22 December: Charity bag pack at Marks & Spencer, Chester.

The Cat Winter 2011

Contacts

Find your nearest Cats Protection branch, adoption centre or charity shop...

England South East Bredhurst Kent *Matts * Hill Road, Hartlip, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7XA ☎☎ 01634 232 471 88www.bredhurstkent.cats.org.uk Friends of Bredhurst Kent Adoption Centre Chelmsford & District *Willow * Grove, Deadmans Lane, Galleywood, Chelmsford, CM2 8LZ ☎☎ 01245 478 389 88www.chelmsford.cats.org.uk Eastbourne *63 * Marshfoot Lane, Hailsham,* East Sussex, BN27 2RB ☎☎ 01323 440 101 88www.eastbourne.cats.org.uk Friends of Eastbourne Adoption Centre Haslemere *Chase * Lodge Studio, Hammer Lane, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 1QD ☎☎ 01428 604 297 88www.cats.org.uk/haslemere Friends of Haslemere Adoption Centre

Croydon ☎☎ 0208 763 0072 88www.croydoncpcats.org.uk

Milton Keynes & District ☎☎ 01296 738 558 88www.mkcats.org.uk

Caterham, Redhill & East Surrey ☎☎ 08453 712 739 88www.eastsurrey.cats.org.uk

North Hertfordshire ☎☎ 01438 228 877 88www.northherts.cats.org.uk

Ealing & West London ☎☎ 0208 752 0793

Paddington 88www.paddington.cats.org.uk

Eastbourne & District ☎☎ 01323 440 101 88www.eastbourne.cats.org.uk

Rayleigh, Castle Point & District ☎☎ 01268 750 831 88www.catsrayleigh.org.uk

Eltham, Sidcup & District ☎☎ 01689 815 475 88www.cats.org.uk/elthamsidcup

Romford & District ☎☎ 01708 451 341 88www.romford.cats.org.uk

Epsom, Ewell & District ☎☎ 01737 640 882 88www.epsom.cats.org.uk

St Albans & District ☎☎ 08453 712 064 88www.stalbans.cats.org.uk

Folkestone & Hythe ☎☎ 01303 237 744 88www.folkestonehythe.cats.org.uk

Southend & District ☎☎ 01702 710 630 88www.catsprotectionsouthend* .pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Great Amwell & District ☎☎ 08453 712 736 88www.greatamwell.cats.org.uk

Sutton & Cheam ☎☎ 0208 330 0176 88www.sutton.cats.org.uk

Greenwich ☎☎ 0208 8538 666 88www.catsgn.org.uk

Swale ☎☎ 08453 712 755 88www.swale.cats.org.uk

Guildford & Godalming ☎☎ 01483 422 529 88www.guildford.cats.org.uk

Tendring & District ☎☎ 08453 712 742 88www.tendringcats.org.uk

National Cat Adoption Centre *Chelwood * Gate, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT ☎☎ 08707 708 650 88www.ncac.cats.org.uk

Harlow, Epping Forest & District ☎☎ 01992 579 539 88www.harlow.cats.org.uk

Friends of the National Cat Adoption Centre

Hemel Hempstead & Berkhamsted ☎☎ 08453 711 851 88www.cats.org.uk/dacorum

North London *135 * Junction Road, Archway,* Greater London, N19 5PX ☎☎ 0207 272 6048

Hastings & District ☎☎ 01424 754 328

Hendon, Finchley & Mill Hill ☎☎ 0208 952 1350 88www.hendon.cats.org.uk

Basildon, Brentwood & District ☎☎ 01268 285 778 88www.bascats.org.uk

High Wycombe & South Bucks ☎☎ 01494 448 849 88www.buckscats.org.uk

Bexley & Dartford ☎☎ 01322 611 911 88www.cats.org.uk/bexley

Hillingdon ☎☎ 01895 443 637 88www.hillingdon.cats.org.uk

Bromley ☎☎ 0208 402 8860 88www.bromleycatsprotection.org.uk

Hornchurch & District ☎☎ 01708 755 211 88www.hornchurch.cats.org.uk

Camberley & District ☎☎ 08453 712 745 88www.camberley.cats.org.uk

Horsham & District ☎☎ 08453 712 749 88www.cats.org.uk/horsham

Canterbury & District ☎☎ 01227 266 838 88www.cats.org.uk/canterbury

Lea Valley ☎☎ 08453 134 746 88www.leavalley.cats.org.uk

Chelmsford & District ☎☎ 01245 478 389 88www.chelmsfordcatsprotection.co.uk

Lewes, Seaford & District ☎☎ 01273 813 111 88www.lewes.cats.org.uk

Chichester, Bognor Regis & District ☎☎ 08453 712 760 88www.cats.org.uk/chichester

Maidenhead, Slough & District ☎☎ 01628 620 909 88www.cats.org.uk/maidenhead

Chiltern ☎☎ 01296 680 397 88www.chiltern.cats.org.uk

Maidstone ☎☎ 08453 712 758 88www.maidstone.cats.org.uk

Crawley, Reigate & District ☎☎ 08453 712 734 88www.catsprotection.co.uk

Mid Sussex ☎☎ 01444 414 884 88www.cats.org.uk/midsussex

62 The Cat Winter 2011

Tenterden & District ☎☎ 01797 366 379 88www.tenterdencats.org.uk Three Rivers & Watford ☎☎ 01923 283 338 88www.cats.org.uk/threerivers Thurrock & District ☎☎ 08453 712 752 Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough & District ☎☎ 01892 516 377 88www.uckfield.cats.org.uk Welwyn Hatfield & District ☎☎ 08453 711 855 88www.welwynhatfield.cats.org.uk Woking & District ☎☎ 01483 721 700 88www.woking.cats.org.uk Worthing & District ☎☎ 01903 200 332 88www.worthingcatsprotection.org.uk Chichester, Bognor Regis & District *7a * Crane Street, Chichester,* West Sussex, P019 1LH ☎☎ 01243 774 737 Colne Valley **75 High Street, Halstead,* Essex, CO9 2JD ☎☎ 01787 274 667 Croydon *13 * High Street, Purley,* Surrey, CR8 2AF ☎☎ 0208 763 9898 Caterham, Redhill & East Surrey *20 * Chipstead Valley Road,* Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2RA ☎☎ 0208 660 7475

Ealing & West London *3a * Albert Terrace, Pittshanger Lane, Ealing, W5 1RL ☎☎ 0208 998 3940 Eastbourne & District *14 * Seaside Road, Eastbourne,* East Sussex, BN21 3PA ☎☎ 01323 733 888 Eltham, Sidcup & District *14 * Tudor Parade, Well Hall Road,* Eltham, London, SE9 6SX ☎☎ 0208 859 6009 Folkestone & Hythe *139a * High Street, Hythe, Kent,* CT21 5JL ☎☎ 01303 238 661 Greenwich *18 * Old Dover Street, Blackheath,* London, SE3 7BT ☎☎ 0208 858 2220 Hastings & District *43 * London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6AJ ☎☎ 01424 203 778 Lea Valley *145 * Chase Side, Enfield,* Middlesex, EN2 0PN ☎☎ 0208 367 4813 Medway & Gravesham *34 * Canterbury Street, Gillingham,* Kent, ME7 5TX ☎☎ 01634 571 270 *142 * Franklin Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4DG ☎☎ 01634 578 436 Sutton & Cheam *15 * The Broadway, Cheam, * Sutton, Surrey, SM3 8AY ☎☎ 0208 642 1575 Tenterden & District *Lakehurst * House, Unit 1, * 94c High Street, Tenterden,* Kent, TN30 6JB ☎☎ 01580 765 277 Worthing & District *35 * Rowlands Road, Worthing,* West Sussex, BN11 3JJ ☎☎ 01903 200 332

South & South West Exeter Axhayes *Little * Hill Cottage, Clyst Honiton, Exeter, Devon, EX5 2HS ☎☎ 01395 232 377 Isle of Wight *122 * Marlborough Road, Ryde,* Isle of Wight, PO33 1AW ☎☎ 01983 562 609 Newbury & District *Heatherpine, * Curridge Road, Curridge, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 9DH ☎☎ 01635 200 111 Truro *Point * Road, Carnon Downs,* Truro, Cornwall, TR3 6JN ☎☎ 01872 870 575

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

Ferndown Homing Centre *51 * Cobham Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne,* Dorset, BH21 7QZ ☎☎ 03000 120 175 88www.ferndown.cats.org.uk

Holsworthy, Bideford & District ☎☎ 08453 712 717 88www.holsworthycats.org

Weymouth & District ☎☎ 01305 262 737 88www.westdorset.cats.org.uk

Honiton ☎☎ 01404 452 41 88www.honiton.cats.org.uk

Weston-Super-Mare & District ☎☎ 08453 712 066 88www.westonsm.cats.org.uk

Evesham *c/o * Dogs Trust Kennels,* 89 Pitchers Hill, Wickhamford, Evesham, Worcester, WR11 6RT ☎☎ 01386 833 343 88www.eveshamcpl.org

Andover & District ☎☎ 01256 892 019 88www.andovercats.org.uk

Launceston & District ☎☎ 01566 773 814 88www.launcestoncatsprotection.org

West Oxfordshire ☎☎ 01993 831 350 88www.westoxfordshire.cats.org.uk

Hereford *Cobhall * Villa, Allensmore, HR2 9BP ☎☎ 01432 277 543

Barnstaple & District ☎☎ 01271 860 787 88www.cats.org.uk/barnstaple

Mere & Gillingham ☎☎ 01747 840 621 88www.mere-gillingham-cp.co.uk

Winchester & District ☎☎ 01962 883 536 or 01962 884 468 88www.winchestercatsprotection.co.uk

Friends of Cats Protection Hereford ☎☎ 07787 434 756

Basingstoke & District ☎☎ 01256 352 281 88www.basingstoke-cats.org.uk

Midsomer Norton & Radstock ☎☎ 01761 436 486 88www.midsomer.cats.org.uk

Wootton Bassett & District ☎☎ 07928 674 433 88www.wootton.cats.org.uk

Bath & District ☎☎ 01179 861 467 88www.bath.cats.org.uk

Minehead ☎☎ 08453 712 761

Yeovil & District ☎☎ 01935 412 755 88www.yeovilcatsprotection.info

Blandford & Sturminster Newton ☎☎ 01258 858 644 88www.blandfordcats.org.uk Bournemouth & District ☎☎ 08453 712 762 88www.bournemouthcats.org.uk Bridgwater ☎☎ 01278 684 662 88www.bridgwater.cats.org.uk Bristol & District ☎☎ 01179 665 428 88www.bristol.cats.org.uk Callington & District ☎☎ 01579 382 794 88www.cats.org.uk/callington Cheltenham ☎☎ 08453 712 730 88www.catsprotection.net

Newbury & District ☎☎ 01635 200 111 88www.newbury.cats.org.uk Okehampton & District ☎☎ 08453 712 751 88www.okehampton.cats.org.uk Oxford & District ☎☎ 01235 221 147 88www.oxford.cats.org.uk Plymouth & South Hams ☎☎ 08453 712 753 88www.cats.org.uk/plymouth Portsmouth ☎☎ 08453 712 743 88www.cats.org.uk/portsmouth Reading & District ☎☎ 01189 403 005 88www.readinganddistrictcats.org

Cherwell ☎☎ 07716 596 212 88www.cherwell.cats.org.uk

Reading (East), Wokingham & Bracknell ☎☎ 08453 714 212 88www.cats.org.uk/readingeast

Cirencester, Tetbury & District ☎☎ 01285 641 289 88http://cirencats.tripod.com/

St Austell & District ☎☎ 01726 817 837 88www.staustell.cats.org.uk

East Devon ☎☎ 01404 811 089 88www.eastdevoncats.com Exeter ☎☎ 01392 276 291 88www.exeter.cats.org.uk Falmouth, Helston & District ☎☎ 08453 712 729 88www.cats.org.uk/falmouth Fareham & Waterlooville Districts ☎☎ 08452 601 504 88www.fareham.cats.org.uk Farnham & Wey Valley ☎☎ 01252 334 644 88www.weyvalley.cats.org.uk Forest of Dean ☎☎ 01594 841 511 88www.cats-forestofdean.co.uk Frome & District ☎☎ 07733 390 345 88www.cats.org.uk/frome Glastonbury & Wells ☎☎ 01749 850 660 88www.stray-cat.co.uk Gloucester ☎☎ 07891 112 654 88www. gloucester.cats.org.uk Gosport Town ☎☎ 02392 582 601 88www.gosport.cats.org.uk

Salisbury & District ☎☎ 08453 712 068 88www.salisburycats.co.uk Southampton ☎☎ 08453 712 718 88www.cats.org.uk/southampton Stroud ☎☎ 01453 828 326 88www.stroud.cats.org.uk Swindon ☎☎ 01793 644 536 88www.swindon.cats.org.uk Taunton & Wellington ☎☎ 01823 461 527 88www.taunton.cats.org.uk Teignbridge & Totnes ☎☎ 08453 712 723 88www.teignbridge.cats.org.uk Tewkesbury & District ☎☎ 01684 297 227 88www.tewkesbury.cats.org.uk Torpoint & Rame Peninsular ☎☎ 01752 829 104 Torquay & District ☎☎ 01803 557 014 88www.torquay.cats.org.uk Truro & District ☎☎ 01209 861 134 88www.trurodistrict.cats.org.uk

Bournemouth & District *333-335 * Charminster Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 9QR ☎☎ 01202 530 757 Bristol & District *272 * North Street, Bedminster,* Bristol, BS3 1JA ☎☎ 0117 963 9028 Cheltenham *20 * St James Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 2SH ☎☎ 01242 234 494 East Devon *72 * High Street, Sidmouth,* Devon, EX10 8EQ ☎☎ 01395 513 394 Forest of Dean *28a * Newerne Street, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 5RF ☎☎ 01594 841 848 Gloucester *15 * Broad Street, Newent, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL18 7AQ ☎☎ 01531 821 247 Honiton *137 * High Street, Honiton, EX14 1LW ☎☎ 01404 423 12 Mere & Gillingham *High * Street, Gillingham, Dorset, * SP8 4AA ☎☎ 01747 833 669 Reading & District *11 * The Triangle, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 4RN ☎☎ 0118 945 3733 Taunton & Wellington *48 * Bridge Street, Taunton,* Somerset, TA1 1UD ☎☎ 01823 322 244 Truro & District *23 * Pydar Street, Truro,* Cornwall, TR1 2AY ☎☎ 01872 276 351

Central Birmingham *Packhorse * Lane, Hollywood, Birmingham, West Midlands, B47 5DH ☎☎ 01564 822 020 88www.birmingham.cats.org.uk Friends of Birmingham Adoption Centre

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

Mansfield *Mansfield * Road,* Warsop, Mansfield,* Nottinghamshire, NG20 0EF ☎☎ 01623 845 846 Nottingham *The * Gate House, New Farm Lane, Nuthall, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 1DY ☎☎ 0115 938 6557 Ashfield & Amber Valley ☎☎ 01246 825 165 88www.cats.org.uk/ashfield Bedford & Biggleswade ☎☎ 08442 496 911 88www.bedford.cats.org.uk Burton on Trent ☎☎ 01283 511 454 Cannock & Burntwood ☎☎ 01543 279 641 88www.cannock.cats.org.uk Corby & District ☎☎ 08453 714 209 Coventry ☎☎ 02476 251 491 88www.coventrycats.org.uk Evesham & District ☎☎ 01386 833 343 Halesowen & District ☎☎ 08453 712 062 88www.halesowen.cats.org.uk Leicester & District ☎☎ 01162 881 318 Lichfield & District ☎☎ 08453 712 741 88www.cats.org.uk/lichfield Ludlow & District ☎☎ 01584 874 171 88www.cats.org.uk/ludlow Luton, Dunstable & District ☎☎ 08453 712 746 88www.luton.cats.org.uk Mansfield & District ☎☎ 01623 845 846 Mid Warwickshire ☎☎ 01926 334 849 88www.cats.org.uk/midwarwick Northampton ☎☎ 08447 003 251 88www.cats.org.uk/northampton

KEY: Adoption Centre Homing Centre Branch Charity shop

The Cat Winter 2011 63

North Birmingham ☎☎ 08452 601 503 88www.northbirmingham.cats.org.uk North Shropshire ☎☎ 08452 602 389 ☎☎ 07792 165 437 88www.cats.org.uk/north-shropshire Nottingham ☎☎ 01159 386 557 88www.cp-nottingham.org Ross-on-Wye & District ☎☎ 08453 712 763 88www.cats.org.uk/ross-on-wye Rugby ☎☎ 01788 570 010 88www.cats.org.uk/rugby South Birmingham ☎☎ 08453 711 854 88www.southbham.cats.org.uk Stafford & District ☎☎ 08452 601 509 88www.stafford.cats.org.uk Stoke & Newcastle ☎☎ 01782 515 167 88www.stoke.cats.org.uk Stourbridge & District ☎☎ 08448 848 520 88www.cats.org.uk/stourbridge Telford & District ☎☎ 08543 711 857 88www.telford.cats.org.uk Walsall Borough ☎☎ 01922 682 005 88www.walsall.cats.org.uk Wellingborough & Rushden ☎☎ 08453 714 209 88www.wellrushcats.co.uk Wolverhampton ☎☎ 01902 651 173 88www.wolverhampton.cats.org.uk Worcester & District ☎☎ 01905 425 704 88www.worcestercats.org.uk Bedford & Biggleswade *12 * The Springfield Centre, Kempton,* Bedfordshire, MK42 7PR ☎☎ 01234 840 827 Coventry *34 * Far Gosford Street,* Coventry, CV1 5DW ☎☎ 02476 222 105 Halesowen & District *9* High Street, Blackheath, Rowley Regis, West Midlands, B65 0DT ☎☎ 0121 559 3135 Hereford *13 * Commercial Road,* Hereford, HR1 2BB ☎☎ 01432 278 016 Ludlow & District *5* Old Street, Ludlow,* Shropshire, SY8 1NW ☎☎ 01584 878 606 Mid Warwickshire *27 * Regent Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5EJ ☎☎ 01926 338 250 Pershore *Royal * Aracde, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1AG ☎☎ 01386 550 440 Stafford & District *Market * Stall 48, St John’s Indoor Market, Stafford

64 The Cat Winter 2011

Stourbridge & District *27 * Lower High Street,* Stourbridge, DY8 1TA ☎☎ 01384 422 208 Telford & District *75 * High Street, Broseley,* Telford, TF12 5EX ☎☎ 01952 884 388 Wolverhampton *54 * Warstones Road, Penn, Wolverhampton, WV4 4LP Worcester & District *53 * St Johns, Worcester, WR2 5AG ☎☎ 01905 426 748

East Dereham *Hoe * Road Farm, Hoe Road, Longham, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 2RP ☎☎ 01362 687 919 Friend of Dereham Adoption Centre Downham Market *Wards * Chase, Stowbridge, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3NN ☎☎ 01366 382 311 Friends of Downham Market Adoption Centre Boston & District ☎☎ 01406 424 966 88www.boston.cats.org.uk Breckland ☎☎ 01842 810 018 88www.cats.org.uk/breckland Bury St Edmunds ☎☎ 01284 850 887 88www.cplbury.org.uk Cambridge ☎☎ 01223 441 880 88www.cambridge.cats.org.uk Chatteris, St Ives & District ☎☎ 01480 465 226 88www.chatteris.cats.org.uk Dereham & District ☎☎ 01362 687 919 88www.derehamcats.org.uk Ely & District ☎☎ 01353 699 430 88www.ely.cats.org.uk Framlingham & Saxmundham ☎☎ 01728 723 499 88www.framandsax.cats.org.uk Grimsby & District ☎☎ 01472 399 810 88www.grimsby.cats.org.uk Haverhill & Stour Valley ☎☎ 08453 719 599 88www.stourvalley.cats.org.uk Horncastle & District ☎☎ 01526 388 535 88www.horncastle.cats.org.uk Ipswich ☎☎ 08453 712 069 88www.ipswich.cats.org.uk Milton Keynes ☎☎ 01296 738558 88www.mkcats.org.uk North Walsham & District ☎☎ 01692 535 858 88www.cats.org.uk/northwalsham Norwich & District ☎☎ 08454 941 900 88www.norwich.cats.org.uk

Peterborough & District ☎☎ 08453 712 750 88www.peterborough.cats.org.uk

Bolton & Radcliffe ☎☎ 07760 780 759 88www.bolton.cats.org.uk

St Neots & District ☎☎ 01480 476 696 88www.stneots.cats.org.uk

Boston & District ☎☎ 01406 424 966 88www.boston.cats.org.uk

Scunthorpe & District ☎☎ 01652 651 001 88www.scunthorpe.cats.org.uk

Burnley & Pendle ☎☎ 01282 859 847 88www.burnley.cats.org.uk

Skegness, Spilsby & Alford ☎☎ 01754 830 621 88www.skegnesscats.org.uk

Burscough & Liverpool Bay ☎☎ 0151 526 5999 88www.liverpoolbursc.cats.org.uk

Sleaford & District ☎☎ 01529 488 749 88www.cats.org.uk/sleaford

Calder Valley & District ☎☎ 01706 810 489 88www.caldercats.org.uk

Spalding & District ☎☎ 01775 725 661 88www.spalding.cats.org.uk

Carlisle & District ☎☎ 01228 540 330 88www.carlisle.cats.org.uk

Stamford & District ☎☎ 01778 571 343

Chesterfield & District ☎☎ 08453 712 754 88www.cats.org.uk/chesterfield

Waveney ☎☎ 08453 714 202 88www.waveney.cats.org.uk Cambridge *172 * Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3LP ☎☎ 01223 566 997

Crewe & District ☎☎ 01270 588 710 88www.crewe.cats.org.uk Culcheth & Glazebury ☎☎ 01925 764 604

Ipswich *184 * Bramford Lane, Ipswich, IP1 4DP ☎☎ 01473 742 226

Derby & District ☎☎ 01332 206 956 88www.derbydistrict.cats.org.uk

Lincoln *381 * High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7SF

Dewsbury, Wakefield & District ☎☎ 01924 261 524 88www.cats.org.uk/dewsbury

St Neots & District *10 * Cross Keys Mall, Market Square, * St Neots, PE19 2AR ☎☎ 01480 476 696 Waveney *2* Blyburgate, Beccles,* Suffolk, NR34 9TA ☎☎ 01502 713 167

North Derby *White * Cottage, Long Lane, Dalbury Lees, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 5BJ ☎☎ 01332 824 950 88www.derby.cats.org.uk

Doncaster ☎☎ 01302 840 777 88www.doncaster.cats.org.uk Durham City & District ☎☎ 01388 720 689 Gateshead & District ☎☎ 0191 420 3180 88www.cats.org.uk/gateshead Halifax, Queensbury & Brighouse ☎☎ 01484 711 728 88www.cats.org.uk/halifax Harrogate & District ☎☎ 01423 889 598

Friends of Derby Adoption Centre

Hull & District ☎☎ 01482 790 284

St Helens *100 * Chester Lane, St Helens,* Merseyside, WA9 4DD ☎☎ 01744 817 718

Lancaster & Morecambe ☎☎ 01524 850 112 88www.lancaster.cats.org.uk

Warrington *Animal * Village, Slutchers Lane,* Bank Quay, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 1NA ☎☎ 01925 411 160 York *582 * Huntington Road, Huntington,* York, North Yorkshire, YO32 9QA ☎☎ 01904 760 356 88www.cats.org.uk/york Atherton & Wigan Metro Areas ☎☎ 01942 888 693 88www.athertonwigan.cats.org.uk Barnsley ☎☎ 01226 762 658 88www.cats.org.uk/barnsley Beverley & Pocklington ☎☎ 01482 861 866 88www.bpcp.org.uk Blackburn & District ☎☎ 01254 260 107 88www.blackburn.cats.org.uk

Macclesfield ☎☎ 01625 667 966 88www.macclesfieldcats.org.uk Newcastle upon Tyne ☎☎ 0191 296 3512 88www.cats-protection-newcastle.co.uk North Sheffield ☎☎ 01142 456 371 Northumberland East ☎☎ 07749 713 142 (6–9pm) 88www.east-northumberland.cats.org.uk Preston ☎☎ 08451 770 708 88www.prestoncpl.com Rochdale ☎☎ 01706 522 440 88www.cats.org.uk/rochdale Sheffield Hallam ☎☎ 01142 493 330 88www.catsprotectionshop.com South Wirral ☎☎ 0151 355 9813 88www.southwirral.cats.org.uk

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

Stockport ☎☎ 0161 439 1274 88www.stockport.cats.org.uk

Swansea & District ☎☎ 08452 179 648 88www.swanseacats.co.uk

Ellon & District ☎☎ 01358 721 204 88www.cats.org.uk/ellon

Stewartry & District ☎☎ 01557 339 233 88www.stewartry.cats.org.uk

Teesside ☎☎ 01642 589 090 88www.teesside.cats.org.uk

Wrexham & District ☎☎ 01978 313 574 88www.wrexham.cats.org.uk

Eskdale & District ☎☎ 01387 376 738 88www.eskdale.cats.org.uk

Stonehaven ☎☎ 01569 739 396 88www.stonehaven.cats.org.uk

Trafford ☎☎ 0161 610 2189 or 0161 969 0331 88www.trafford.cats.org.uk

Colwyn & District *28 * Sea View Road,* Colwyn Bay, LL29 8DG ☎☎ 01492 535 655

Forfar & District ☎☎ 08453 712 063 88www.cats.org.uk/forfar

Stranraer & District ☎☎ 01776 840 619

Wear Valley & Darlington ☎☎ 07792 699 918 88www.cats.org.uk/wearvalley West Cumbria ☎☎ 01946 590 079 88www.westcumbria.cats.org.uk Wharfe Valley ☎☎ 08451 947 292 88www.wharfevalley.cats.org.uk York ☎☎ 01904 760 356 88www.yorkcats.org.uk Barnsley *95 * High Street, Wombwell,* Barnsley, S73 8HS Burscough & Liverpool Bay *1* School Lane, Burscough, Lancashire, L40 4AE ☎☎ 01704 893 393 Chesterfield & District *2* Cavendish Street,* Chesterfield, S40 1UY ☎☎ 01246 279 163 Derby & District *31 * The Wardwick, Derby, DE1 1HA ☎☎ 01332 360 080 *Institute * Buildings, North End, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, DE4 4FG Newcastle upon Tyne *162-166 * High Street East, Wallsend,* Tyne & Wear, NE28 7RP ☎☎ 0191 2627 377 Teesside *7–8 * Ramsgate, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, TS18 1BS ☎☎ 07432 379 292 York *13 * Walmgate, York, YO1 9TX ☎☎ 01904 620 361

Wales Bridgend *Green * Acres, Pant Hirwaun,* Bryncethin, Bridgend,* Mid Glamorgan, CF32 9UJ ☎☎ 01656 724 396 Wrexham *Alma * House, Madeira Hill, Wrexham, Clwyd, LL13 7HD ☎☎ 01978 313 574 88www.wrexham.cats.org.uk Aberystwyth & District ☎☎ 01970 822 120 Cardiff ☎☎ 02920 369 138 88www.cardiff.cats.org.uk Colwyn & District ☎☎ 01492 660 221 88www.colwyn.cats.org.uk Gwent ☎☎ 08453 712 747 88www.gwentsouthcp.org.uk Newtown & District ☎☎ 01686 670 277 88www.newtown.cats.org.uk

Swansea & District *85 * Brynymor Road, Swansea, SA1 4JE Wrexham & District *60 * Chester Street,* Wrexham, LL13 8BA ☎☎ 01978 310 555

Scotland Arbroath & Carnoustie *15 * Kinaldie Holdings,* Arbroath, DD11 5SH ☎☎ 01241 434 605 88www.arbroath.cats.org.uk Clackmannanshire & Stirling *The * Marion Hunter Cat Adoption Centre, Ochivale Terrace, Fishcross, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, FK10 3HT ☎☎ 01259 720 555 Dundee & District *102 * Foundry Lane, Dundee, DD4 6AY ☎☎ 01382 450 035 Glasgow *Cardyke * Farm, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow, G66 5LD ☎☎ 0141 779 3341 Friends of Glasgow Adoption Centre Shetland *Gott, * Shetland, ZE2 9SH ☎☎ 01595 840 517 Alness & District ☎☎ 08453 714 204 88www.alness.cats.org.uk Ardnamurchan & Mull ☎☎ 01967 431 203 88www.cats.org.uk/ardnamurchan

Fort William & District ☎☎ 01397 772 071 Fraserburgh ☎☎ 07876 513 593 Giffnock ☎☎ 01416 385 110 88www.cats.org.uk/giffnock Glasgow ☎☎ 08453 712 722 88www.glasgow.cats.org.uk Huntly & Keith ☎☎ 01466 760 311 Inverclyde ☎☎ 07740 947 160 Inverness ☎☎ 07815 910 861 88www.inverness.cats.org.uk Inverurie & Alford ☎☎ 01467 625 695 88www.cats.org.uk/inverurie Isle of Arran ☎☎ 01770 820 611 Isles of Lewis & Harris ☎☎ 01851 612 448 Isle of Skye ☎☎ 07817 943 072 Lanarkshire ☎☎ 08453 714 213 88www.lanarkshirecats.co.uk Montrose & Brechin ☎☎ 08453 712 738 88www.montrosebrechin.cats.org.uk Moray ☎☎ 07837 342 646 88www.cats.org.uk/moray

Barra & Uist ☎☎ 07050 121 586

Nairn ☎☎ 08453 712 714 88www.nairn.cats.org.uk

Caithness ☎☎ 08453 714 217 88www.caithnesscatsprotection.org.uk

North Ayrshire ☎☎ 08453 714 218 88www.northayrshire.cats.org.uk

Central Aberdeen ☎☎ 01224 749 568 88www.catsprotection.org.uk

Orkney Islands ☎☎ 01856 771 642 88www.orkneycats.co.uk

Central Dumfries ☎☎ 01387 710 083 88www.centraldumfries.cats.org.uk

Outer Aberdeen & District ☎☎ 01224 705 252 88www.cats.org.uk/outeraberdeen

Clackmannanshire & Stirling ☎☎ 01259 720 555 88www.clackscats.org.uk

Peebles & Biggar ☎☎ 0707 4357 228

Cumnock & Doon Valley ☎☎ 08453 714 219 Deeside ☎☎ 07837 342 660 Dundee & District ☎☎ 01382 450 035 East Neuk of Fife ☎☎ 08453 714 210 88www.eastfife.cats.org.uk Dunbar & District ☎☎ 07581 162 260

Perth ☎☎ 08458 622 206 88www.perthcats.co.uk Peterhead & District ☎☎ 07791 834 226 88www.peterhead.cats.org.uk Renfrewshire ☎☎ 0141 876 4133 88www.renfrewshire.cats.org.uk

Strathspey ☎☎ 08453 712 725 88www.strathspey.cats.org.uk Tain & District ☎☎ 08453 712 737 88www.tain.cats.org.uk Tomintoul & Glenlivet TNR ☎☎ 01807 590 573 Turriff & District ☎☎ 07050 241 846 West Fife ☎☎ 01383 419 975 88www.westfife.cats.org.uk West Lothian ☎☎ 08453 712 719 88www.cats-westlothian.org.uk Central Aberdeen *96 * King St, Aberdeen, AB24 5BA ☎☎ 01224 634 894 *187 * George Street, Aberdeen,* AB25 1HZ ☎☎ 01224 658 565 Clackmannanshire & Stirling *The * Marion Hunter Cat Adoption Centre, Ochivale Terrace, Fishcross, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, FK10 3HT ☎☎ 01259 720 555 Dundee & District *102 * Foundry Lane, Dundee, DD4 6AY ☎☎ 01382 450 035 *5* Reform Street, Monifieth,* Dundee, DD5 4BA ☎☎ 01382 534 316 Outer Aberdeen & District *187 * George Street,* Aberdeen AB25 1HZ ☎☎ 01224 658 565 West Fife *6* Arberlour Street, Rosyth,* Fife, KY11 2RD ☎☎ 01383 417 548

Northern Ireland Belfast *270 * Belfast Road, Dundonald,* Newtownards, Northern Ireland,* BT16 1UE ☎☎ 02890 480 202 Friends of Northern Ireland Adoption Centre Armagh ☎☎ 07709 483 550 88www.armagh.cats.org.uk

KEY: Adoption Centre

Shetland ☎☎ 01595 840 588 88www.cats.shetland.co.uk

Homing Centre

South Ayrshire ☎☎ 08453 714 216 88www.southayrshire.cats.org.uk

Charity shop

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

Branch

The Cat Winter 2011 65

’ s d Kiner Cor ubmit also s s to n a c r c at t you er tha otos of you o, have b m e Rem d ph . Als o ebsite n g s an s v id e drawi s for kids w the scene d t the Ca n our behin ut at o e e m s e h ki d s you heck t k /cats-forC ? s g u blo rg. .cats.o www

Welcome to Kids’ Corner! We love to hear from our younger readers so please send in your cat-themed letters, jokes and drawings – every picture printed wins a prize; in this issue our favourite wins a Big Cats book by Dorling Kindersley. Write to us at: The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or via email editorial@cats.org.uk. Don’t forget to tell us your name, age and address.

A cat’s past Did you know that all felines – including big cats like lions and tigers – have descended from one prehistoric animal? You’ll need to visit our Cats for kids website to help you answer the following questions. Go to www.cats.org.uk/cats-for-kids and click on ‘About cats’ and then ‘A cat’s past’. 1. When did the first cat show take place? a) 1817 b) 1871 c) 1781 2. Which ancient civilisation worshipped cats as sacred animals? a) The Romans b) The Greeks c) The Egyptians 3. When did the first carnivores that looked like cats first walk the earth? a) 20 million years ago b) 12 million years ago c) 30 million years ago

66 The Cat Winter 2011

Winner!

Paige, 9, from Worsley, Manchester

Amy, 10, from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire

Tabitha, 7, Hove, East Sussex

Zaria,7, Hove, East Sussex

Congratulations to Paige who wins a Big Cats book by Dorling www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk We hop you enjoy the read!

Illustration: Rasoul Hudda

Well done to our runners up Amy, Tabitha, Zaria and Poppy who each win a Kitty Luv CD-ROM; a virtual pet for your PC. This prize has been donated by Yellow Moon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the fantastic one-stop shop for great value arts, crafts, and exciting educational games and toys. See more at www.yellowmoon.co.uk

Poppy, 9, Exton, Rutland

The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Winter 2011

makingmemories

An extraordinary cat Lynne King remembers a special cat given a second chance

arrived at work totally unprepared for what awaited me in the cat kennels. Earlier that day, the vet had been asked to put a healthy Siamese cat to sleep because the owner could no longer keep him for personal reasons. Strange though it sounds, the owner felt putting him to sleep would be kinder than having him ending up in a shelter. Now the idea of having another cat hadn’t even been discussed at home and I had been pretty good at resisting all temptations that working in a veterinary practice brings about. No, what I had was a harmonious household with two female Siamese, Solo and Souzie and Marty, a neutered male who was also an independent black bear of a cat. No, there was no way, I told myself as I opened the cage door and took Elmo out. He wrapped his front legs about my neck and purred like a diesel engine, how could I not take him home? Elmo was like a whirlwind, entering our routine lives and lived up fully to his name. Seven years of being the sole house cat with no experience of other cats or the outside and having the mischievous daredevil gene of the Siamese breed, was a recipe for trouble ahead. My two females were mortified when he not only chased them up the stairs and under the bed, but then laid claim to the floor-to-ceiling scratching post as his own personal domain. Marty decided the best course of action was to ignore him and Elmo saw no fun if there was no chase involved. After a week of living under the bed, the girls, on realising Elmo was here to stay, ventured downstairs and began to accept him. Introducing him to the big outside was a worrying prospect, but we lived on a quiet road, had a secluded garden and as the other three cats went out in daylight hours only, we felt it only fair to offer Elmo the same freedom. We kept him confined for a month and then gradually allowed him out into the garden with us. He had no fear and it was as if he wanted to make up for those years of confinement. Up and over the sixfoot fence and he was gone. He came back this time but a week later, hours passed and no sign. As darkness fell, we were walking the streets calling for him, posters went up. Twenty four hours later, we received word; Elmo had been found lost and hungry taking shelter in a porch at the other end of the street and being fed his favourite ham.

68 The Cat Winter 2011

After that incident, neighbours’ houses were open territory where he would wander in if doors were left open, upset the resident cat and eat any tasty titbits left hanging around. One Boxing Day was spent in the vets – a very expensive case of constipation and X-rays revealing a mega colon problem. There were regular abscesses on the bottom, one caused by a neighbour’s cat that had caught Elmo fleeing through the cat flap. Everyone at work got to know him; he was such a character and loved all human contact, children included. He would show his affection by placing his paws about your neck or climbing onto your shoulder and wrapping himself around your neck like a scarf. Sadly we lost Solo to a short illness which left Souzie seeking comfort from Elmo. They became inseparable. We moved with my husband’s work and I had to give up my job in the vets. We fenced the new garden in as Elmo most definitely couldn’t be trusted in open countryside. We did try it once and ended up having to trespass on an exclusive golf course and retrieve a howling Siamese from the eleventh hole. Elmo was always having constipation problems so his bout of sickness was put down to this as it was only happening at night. Then he started acting as if he had a bad taste in his mouth and so there was a trip off to the vets once again and though no bad teeth could be spotted, he was booked in for a dental. Blood tests and ultrasound followed – more tests and then a referral. When stomach cancer was finally diagnosed, we wanted to do everything possible to delay the inevitable. Now looking back on it, I feel it was for our sake rather than Elmo’s, we couldn’t let go. Elmo was put to sleep on 5 April 2009. Persuading the owner to have him rehomed rather than put to sleep had given him and us four wonderful years. Every cat has an individual character that makes each one special, Elmo had several rolled into one, that’s how much impact he had on our lives and everyone he came into contact with. An extraordinary cat who is sorely missed.

Illustration: Rasoul Hudda

Remembering cats through helping others This section offers readers the chance to pay tribute to a beloved cat by helping others. Donations go towards pens for our branches, which help house cats and kittens while they wait for new homes. Please send your donations to: Remembering Cats, The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Cats Protection’. Tributes will be printed in the next available issue. Please note that this is an increasingly popular page and we cannot guarantee that your dedication will appear in a particular issue. Please print your tribute clearly to avoid errors (no more than 20 words) . Thanks to readers of The Cat, 312 pens have now been bought.

In loving memory of S IMBA – 03.09.01. Our special boy – missed so much. Always in our thoughts and hearts. Love Mummy, Daddy, Leo.

OPPY died August P 1998 and POLLY died September 2001 – now reunited with TOBI , CLEO , JASPER and R OSIE . Remembered fondly, Gill.

My beloved black & white boy PETER , PTS 03.06.11, gone to join all our loves, HONEY , TANYA , LILY , OSSIE , TOM and darling M IM . So very loved.

CHEEKY PTS 21.02.11. You left your pawprints on my heart wee lady forever. Till Rainbow Bridge. Love always Daddy & Sox xxx

PIGGY – Our beautiful gentle girl PTS 24.07.10 aged 20. Loved by all the family and forever in our memory. Sleep peacefully girl.

POSY 07.05.94 – 03.11.10. I’ll always love you, sweetheart. You’ll always be my goddess. You’re the love and light of my life.

S PARKY – lost to RTA 03.07.11 age 4, sweet and mischievous. Will be sorely missed by mum & cat friends – Laura x.

MELVIN About 1988. PTS 03.08.11. Whose motto was “Live to flee another Day”. A lover not a fighter and already missed. Elizabeth, Bobby & Courtney Campbell.

PICKLE , PTS 11.07.11. Loving friend, playmate and supervisor. Love and miss you for ever. Mummy, Grandma & Uncle Dunc xxx Our darling Maine Coon boy CHUNKY – 18.01.94– 18.06.11. Such a beautiful and big character. Miss you so much. Love Mummy and Daddy.

T IBBY PTS 06.08.11 aged 12. Sweet natured loving cat. Sorely missed. Will be loved forever. The Prendergast and Snelling families. In loving memory of

ANDY – a dear gentle S cat who disappeared one September day. Remembered always. Gwen. PEACH 17 ½ years old PTS March 2006 – daughter of PIPPA – Ginger Girl. Love you both. In loving memory of

T IGGY , 1992 – 03.03.11. A loving friend, asleep in his favourite garden. Till we meet again. Peter, Fromie and Minie.

T INKER , RTA 07.08.11, aged 4. Such a beautiful boy, so much loved and missed. Remembering too black boys THOMAS , RAGS , PUSHKIN . Patrick. E RIC 01.11.03. Even though you are gone, you are still an inspiration Big Fella. Love The Bid x. God bless my very dear WINSTON . We loved each other so much and I miss him terribly. Rita, Winston’s Mum.

M OWIE , 1977 – 12-01-00.

O EDIPUS Psalm 73:23

A loving friend, asleep in his favourite garden. Till we meet again. Peter.

I am continually with thee. Don.

C LEO 26.03.92 – 20.08.06.

B ENJAMIN (BENNY)

It broke my heart to lose you but you didn’t go alone, for part of me went with you. Gill, Billy & Timmy.

PTS 25.08.11. Miss you so much and loved you more than I knew. Will remember you always. Mum.

Treasured memories – our special cats GERALD PTS 01.08.06; WILLIAM died 21.01.07; POLLY PTS 29.12.09; THOMAS PTS 07.03.10. Mum, Dad, Richard.

In loving memory of B ONNIE , the friendliest and best cat in the world, PTS 23.08.11 aged 18 years. Cherished forever. RIP. In loving memory of SMUDGE who died a year ago aged 18 years. Also B ORIS , PICKLES and TIBBY . All sadly missed. Ron and Joan. Beautiful BELLA sister of Leo. Rare gems of the Siamese world. Passed away 03.09.11 in the home she lived for the last 16 years. Cherished every day. Sharon. MARVIN 09.92 – 09.09. Remembering our little man who is sadly missed and always remembered. Also remembering SAMMY , WALLY , BARNEY and TEDDY . All our love Mummy, Daddy and Molly xxx. In loving memory of GIZMO – 13.01.06 and T EDDY 04.12.06. Loved and sadly missed. Always in our thoughts and hearts. Love Mummy, Daddy, Leo. PIPPA 20 years old PTS Feb 2008 – my lovely tabby. Miss you so much.

W EENS aged 19½ years. 21.10.93. The best little girl cat. Think about you every day. Also ROSIE and DINAH 08.61. Teresa.

The Cat Winter 2011 69

Book reviews Looking for a great book about cats? Check out our reviews before you buy...

Fun and games for cats! by Denise Seidl There’s more to cat’s play than a catnip mouse and this is a lovely book full of fun activities for your feline friend. It’s a marvellous ‘how to’ guide with colourful pictures backed up by the practical reasoning behind. It focuses on all types of cats from indoor to outdoor, loners to team players… and the activities vary from feline agility and skill games to IQ tests and brain teasers. This is a full feline work out both physically and mentally yet at the same time teaching your cat essential skills and may even help with inappropriate behaviour. Readers have the opportunity to come away with a deeper insight into their cat’s ways and hopefully a closer bond will be forged by this playful interaction. Francesca Watson Fun and games for cats! (£14.99) is published by Hubble & Hattie (www.hubbleandhattie.com; 01305 260 068 ISBN 978-1-845843-87-8)

Warduff and the corncob caper by Mat Head Oh, to be a kid again and have the opportunity to discover the joy of reading through books like this! When a wily fox decides to visit the local farm for tea, you can guess what’s on the menu! The farm animals call for Warduff’s help, a cat who is an integral and authoritative figure in the territory. He sets out to protect the animals and outwit this determined and hungry fox. This is Mat Head’s debut and his entertaining tale with colourful and animated illustrations will entrance all readers. It is the type of book that will become a favourite which kids will remember long into adulthood. Francesca Watson Warduff and the corncob caper (£10.00 Hardback £5.99 Paperback) is published by Andersen Press (www.andersenpress.co.uk; 020 7840 8710 Paperback ISBN 978-1-84939-226-6 Hardback ISBN 978-1-84939-198-6)

WIN

We have three copies to give away! Send in your entries with Warduff in the subject header to the usual address by 13 January 2012.

Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya translated by Amy Hirschman For anyone asking “why?” to this book, we counter with “why not?” While it’s definitely one for those who favour hobbies that are a little on the quirky side, it fits in with the whole reduce, reuse, recycle ethic that we should all be embracing. Using only hair that has already been shed by cats – as the book maintains early on, you should not shave your pet or, indeed, sell his fur as it’s for your own personal use – the author guides us on a creative journey that teaches readers how to adorn such items as badges, hats, pincushions, tote bags and even portraits. If you have an abundance of cat hair you’re not quite sure what to do with, this could be the stocking filler for you! Tom Briggs Crafting With Cat Hair (£10.99) is published by Quirk Books (www.quirkbooks.com ISNB 978-1-59474- 525-6)

Books received I love my cat by Georgina Harris, Warriors – The new prophecy by Erin Hunter, Best in show – knit your own cat by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, I am Maru by Mugumogu, Cozy cats cottage by John Schroeder, Sparkle Puss, The Cornish Chocolate Apothecary by Stella-Rose Benson.

70 The Cat Winter 2011

www.lindee-lu.co.uk

Leading Specialist Manufacturer of your favourite

Fostering Branch Rescue Pens Unit 5 Coates Est Nailsea Bristol UK

01275-853800

Pampuss the ultimate in woodbase litters and the most saleable on the market. Pampuss - produced by an advanced pelleting process using only softwood timber for a performance product. Absorbency - up to 3 times that of ordinary litters! Hygienic - in both appearance and smell, excellent odour control and easy tray cleaning. Low dust means paws and fur stay clean. Bio-degradable - Made from re-cycled materials

EASY TO DISPOSE - Can be used as Avaialble in 5, 15 and 30 litres

Mulch, Compost or can be incinerated

Telephone: 020 8501 1033 Email: sales@pettex.co.uk www.pettex.co.uk Lindee Lu

184x135_advert(new).indd 1

11/1/10 15:03:11

Naturally hypo-allergenic wet cat food wholesome, complete and healthy

www.th Please go to to clai ecat.wellbelov vouc m your ÂŁ ed.com

her of 2 ema box of f your n il 12 pou ext ches

The off er is interne available onli ne only t acces until 15 s and use of a . Requires use v o .03.201 2 or wh alid email add f a printer (to ilst stoc ress. On print vo for full k li terms a s last. One vo ne registratio ucher), uche n vali nd c www.te rms.well onditions go t r per person, d o beloved .com

All the goodness of James Wellbeloved now in a pouch Made with natural ingredients and all the nutrients your cat needs throughout his or her life. No Cereals. Complete food, which means you don't need to supplement your pet's diet with anything else. Uses a single source of meat protein and excludes many ingredients known to cause tummy upsets. Ideal for cats with food intolerances and coat issues. Available in Turkey and Lamb, in three lifestages: kitten, adult and senior. NO ADDED ARTIFICIAL COLOURS, FLAVOURS OR PRESERVATIVES

Nutritional Advice: 0845 603 9095

For a list of local stockists and to subscribe to our free e-newsletter