Our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs
This is the second issue of the Cat´s Meow Newsletter. As the weather is getting colder and colder, our newsletter is also concentrating on winter and Christmas season. Recently Cats Protection in Telford and Wrekin Area rescued an unwanted cat, who was abandoned in the vets office. Thanks to the charity the cat is now in a new loving home and prime example of the type of work that the Cats Protection, and it’s volunteers, get involved in towards re-homing unwanted cats. ABANDONED CAT COOKIE.
Plunging temperatures, icy conditions and heavy snowfall present a number of risks for pet cats, particularly those cats who like to wander outside. However following a few simple tips can help to keep cats safe: When your cat comes in from the snow, wipe off any road grit and any other substances that may stick to his paws or fur. Keep the doors of sheds and outbuildings shut or wedged open, so that cats do not become trapped. Cats may also climb into vehicle engines for warmth whilst out roaming. Be vigilant, and check under the bonnet of your vehicle before starting your vehicle. Provide some shelter for cats that have access outside, such as a designated shelter, or cardboard box partially covered with plastic sheeting. 2
Take special care of your cat if he has arthritis, as the cold can severely affect inflamed joints. Provide additional warm and comfortable places for your cat to rest or sleep. If your cat is finding it hard to reach his favourite resting places then look at ways of making it easier for him to reach his preferred places. Also ensure he can easily access his chosen toileting site. 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. If your cat is seeing snow for the first time, then consider letting your cat wander in a safe and enclosed area such as a garden, and accompany them when they do. If you should let your cat wander further, let him outside when temperatures are highest and traffic levels are lowest. Also, check your cat flap regularly to ensure it hasn’t frozen over or become blocked by snow. Keep your cat in during the hours of darkness when there is a greater risk of cats being involved in road traffic accidents, theft and physical attacks. If you haven’t done so already, consider taking out pet insurance for your cat in view of the risk to your cat posed by the winter weather.
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Come and Visit our Christmas Stall on 3rd December in Much Wenlock Christmas Fayre in Telford. We will be selling our usual range of merchandise, giving a wide range of original Christmas gifts and stocking fillers. We also have an lovely selection of Christmas cards and gift wrap. The fayre is open from 10am to 5pm and there will also be lots more to see and do, including street theatre, live music and an ice rink. See you there and lets help cats and kittens in need together.
Hi Cats Protection; I have a 6 months old kitten and I am really worried how to look after my cat during the winter months as it is my first feline friend. Are there any specific things I should do or be aware of? Kate– Newport Colder season always presents more worries over our animals safety. We have included many useful tips and advice how to look after your cat in a winter. So just look through our Feature Story. Hello! We are very interested in adopting a kitten but are struggling to find a local rescue. Can you provide some details of local centres to Telford or is it possible to adopt directly through you? ? Millie– Telford You can find more information and a list of cats waiting for rehoming at www.cats.org.uk/telford. Our cats are always neutered, microchipped and vaccinated prior to rehoming. They also come with 4 weeks free insurance. 4
In our last issue we started the competition for these amazing Cat Playhouses. Fire Engine went to the lucky subscribers Richard & Cathy Fox . Congratualations for the winners!
In the next issue a plane Cat Playhouse will find a lucky owner. All you have to do is sign up for our digital newsletter and send us an email to pr.catsprotection@gmail.com with the title subject “sign up”.
More prizes yet to come ...
Prizes were provided by “SUCKUK” visit them at www.suck.uk.com or call them at 020 7923 0011 5
The fireplace flickered a blue flame in amongst hot coals. The rug, old yet still not yet threadbare was the perfect place to warm a tail, as Cora had found out many years previously as a young kitten. Her ear flicked appreciatively at the steady flow of heat, and she let out a contented half purr, stretching out her back legs slightly. With a belly full of food, a warm place to nap and the humans quietly tapping away at their heat generating compy-thingys Cora decided that there was no greater life for a cat. Living the university life suited her. There was a church and churchyard behind her house, the ideal place to catch mice and voles. The small village inside the university housed most of the lecturers, who mostly didn‟t keep pets and of course the students were forbidden, so she had almost unchallenged reign over her territory. The university itself was situated in amongst parkland and woodland, so there were acres and acres to prowl through if she was feeling energetic. And of course, there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books. Intelligent, or at least in Cora‟s eyes, semi-intelligent, humans did not adopt foolish animals. When Mr. and Mrs. Sanderson had decided to invest in the warmth and company of a kitten from the cat shelter, they‟d picked the one with the most personality. Their first meeting with Cora had involved her playfully tapping away at the toys provided by her temporary home, eyeing the cat food as it was brought out and gracefully, before any of the other 5 kittens in the house had smelt it open, bounded up for the ideal place next to the food bowls, rubbing sweetly along the feeder arm. „She‟s Miss. Thing!‟ The owner had told Mrs. Sanderson giggling. „Because she thinks she‟s „something‟!‟ Cora had deftly ignored that comment and made her pick off the offerings. Little had she known then, that line had been her selling point and within the hour she was being taken home to the comfy cottage with the old stone hearth she now lay next to. Cora dosed peacefully by the fireplace, watching the flames flicker and dance with interest. Mr. Sanderson was a history lecturer, and he had settled down on Cora‟s sofa – wherever she slept was hers – to watch the afternoon news. Mrs. Sanderson had been out doing something probably unimportant, and so Cora found herself being fussed. „Well.‟ She thought heavily rolling onto her back. „If he must…‟ It had been a nice belly-rub though. And ear scratch. And he‟d told her a very interesting story. According to Mr. Sanderson, the ancient Egyptians had worshipped cats. Originally they were vermin hunters – not unlike what Cora was now, she thought personally – who became domesticated (Unfamiliar with this word, Cora imagined it to mean „bored‟) and started to co-exist with the humans. Praised as killers of harmful vermin that attacked crops, and of cobra‟s that attacked people, the humans created a lion headed goddess called Mafdet who was a symbol of justice and execution. Eventually, the cat goddess Bastet replaced the Mafdet cult, as a fierce protector. However time passed, and Bastet softened the image of felines into symbols of grace, poise, fertility and motherhood. Apparently, so sacred were cats in ancient Egypt they were buried as humans were (or rather, humans were buried as they were according to Cora. Mr. Sanderson got his sentences muddled at times.) and were treated as followers, or living memories of Bastet. Some were even buried with gold. Apparently, according to Mr Sanderson, one man had found a tomb with over eighty thousand cats buried there. They made jewellery from cat images, made statues of them, and if a cat was ever harmed by a human the penalty could be severe, even death! Mr. Sanderson had told her a story of a Roman soldier who had run over a cat in his chariot and who had been executed by a mob of Egyptians despite pleas from the pharaoh. Well that‟s what happened when you hurt one of the „Eyes of Ra‟. 6
It was at this point that Mrs. Sanderson came home, and the story stopped. Mr. Sanderson gave her a final scratch behind the ears, and wondered off to help unload some shopping, leaving Cora to think. And think hard she did, all evening. So hard, that she didn‟t run directly to the kitchen when she was called for her warm special milk that Mrs. Sanderson got her from the vets so she didn‟t get a bad tummy. She‟d been thinking so hard, she hadn‟t wanted to go out and chase voles that evening. Instead she‟d just curled up by the fire and thought until finally, about five minutes ago, she reached a conclusion. It must have been nice, being worshipped by all those humans. But think of the effort! All that time having to be fussed and loved and watched over, a poor cat couldn‟t get any peace! Sure, it would be envious for a time. She quite liked the idea of Mr. and Mrs. Sanderson bringing her shiny things and toys and cat nip, goodness knows she brought them enough half eaten mice! Yes it would be nice to get to sleep on the comfy chair when they were home, or need the blanket all she liked. However she just didn‟t think she could cope with the constant attention day in day out! It was nice perhaps, every other day. But every day?! No. No, that was no life for a cat. So Cora settled down on her rug and yawned widely, closing her eyes. Thinking hard like that made her very sleepy. The only way to fix sleepy was a nap, and she didn‟t imagine she‟d be allowed much of those if she was being worshipped all the time. No. The quiet university life suited her just fine. Within a few minutes she was fast asleep. Mrs. Sanderson looked at their cat worriedly. She‟d been very lethargic today. She still remembered that black bouncy kitten who‟d out smarted all the others to the food bowl. Miss. Thing… “Do you think she‟s alright Jonathon?” She asked looking at her husband, who pushed his laptop lid down. He glanced across as well. “Oh I should think so Gail.‟ He said, moving his glasses to rub his eyes slightly. „She was probably just thinking about Bastet.” “Who?” Jonathon Sanderson chuckled. “Nothing important dear, I was just telling Cora about my lecture earlier.” Mrs. Sanderson didn‟t look too sure. “Well we‟ll keep an eye on her tomorrow, and if she doesn‟t perk up then…” Mr. Sanderson chuckled. “Yes dear. I know dear.” They did both love their Cora. Written by Lex.
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Do your Christmas cards feature your cat sitting on Santa's lap? Does your cat sign the card? Do you give your cat Christmas presents and stuff a stocking full of toys? Do you spend more for your cat than you do for your spouse? Do you cook a special turkey for your cat on holidays? On any day!?
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Foods that should not be given to cats include onions, garlic, green tomatoes, raw potatoes, chocolate, grapes, and raisins. Though milk is not toxic, it can cause an upset stomach and gas. Tylenol and aspirin are extremely toxic to cats, as are many common houseplants. Feeding cats dog food or canned tuna that's for human consumption can cause malnutrition.g 2. Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor
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On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life.
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In just seven years, a single pair of cats and their offspring could produce a staggering total of 420,000 kittens.
A cat lover is called an Ailurophilia (Greek: cat+lover).
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Making your own cat toys is easy and fun. Here are some tips that help you to save some money and at the same time have a perfect toy for your feline friend. 1. Plastic bottle tops are fun for cats to bat at and chase around. There‟s nothing elaborate you need to do; just put the plastic bottle top on the floor and pretend like you‟re not watching. 2. Cardboard boxes are kitty favorites. Cats can keep themselves entertained for a long time with a cardboard box. Just set it in the middle of the floor or on a favorite piece of furniture. If you have more than one cat, it can be very entertaining to watch them cram together into the box or chase each other in and out of it. 3. Old socks that you want to get rid of can be filled with catnip and tied shut. Catnip is pretty magical stuff to cats. The catnip sock is sure to be a favorite. 4. Take all that nice, crinkly junk mail and make cat toys from it. You can simply ball the waste paper into little balls, or you can tie a piece of crinkled-up paper to the end of a string. 5. Gift ribbons, especially bunches of curly ribbon, make fun cat toys. 6. Toilet paper tubes can be fun, too. Some cats like them as they are; others prefer them with ribbons attached to either end. Still another way a toilet paper tube can be a cat toy is to put some beans into the tube, cover both ends with wax paper and rubber band them in place. The beans will make an enticing rattle when your cat bats at the tube. 7. Use the cork from your wine bottle. Corks are porous and light, the perfect thing for cats to swipe and chase. You can also attach the cork to a string and dangle it. 8. Paper bags of all sorts make interesting cat toys. Cats can‟t stay away from an open bag lying on its side. If you sprinkle some catnip in the bag, it‟s even more enticing. 9. Make a tunnel with tall cardboard boxes, open-enddown. Lay them end-to-end, cutting the short sides out to make them open. Cats enjoy tunnels, but you can make them even more fun by adding a dangling toy (made from recycled materials of course!) at either end. Adapted from Green Life. 10
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HOUSECAT PAPILLAE
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