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                      Cat Tails Newsletter
                           "MINI MEWS"

       "Tails" about kitties, facts, helpful information,
                and fun for people who love cats 

                               ~:~
 
                         ISSN 1552-938X

                     Sunday, April 6, 2008

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Welcome to Cat Tails "Mini Mews"!

Special greetings to our new subscribers.  Thanks so much for
subscribing.  Mini Mews is an abbreviated version of our regular
newsletter and is sent every other week. It's designed for those
busy schedules to give you a quick dose of fun on a shorter list
of kitty-related subjects. 

Please help us spread the word about Cat Tails and encourage
other cat lovers to subscribe!  When you forward newsletters, we
ask that you send them in their entirety with a personal note so
they will know the mailings came from you.  Purrrrrs.....

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      This newsletter is best viewed in a fixed-width font.
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The saga of my computer woes continues . . . but, there is light
at the end of the tunnel!  It gets worse though before it can
get better. 

It began when the display on my laptop went black.  But, someone
gave me a monitor and, although not as convenient, I was back in
business.  But, then, Ginger, my oldest dog who is blind and her
mind is gone, got tangled up in the cords and, apparently, that
caused a short in the plug for the monitor.  Fast forward
through several months of dealing with gradual worsening of
flashing colors and flickering, interspersed with complete loss
of connection--as of Saturday, in order to see the display at
all, my laptop is now propped up on a 45-degree angle.  I'm not
kidding.  I think I mentioned once or twice before that because
of my computer my nerves are shot.  Well, they are "shotter."

I called my computer-consultant friend, Mike Burton, on Saturday
and he laughed and asked me if by chance I had prayed for
patience.  As as matter of fact, I have.  We had a good laugh
about that.  Be careful what you ask for.  :)

You have got to be sick and tired of hearing all my excuses for
not publishing Cat Tails, from my unusually busy work schedule
off and, mostly, on the last many months, to flashing computer
display, to hard drive dying, to occasional sickness.  Believe
me, I am more sick and tired of them! 

But, I found out Saturday I finally have the money to buy a new
computer.  Everything just worked out beautifully and easily,
and the money really literally fell in my lap without having to
borrow it or take it out of my monthly budget--right on the day
my computer display took a turn to even worse--and 35 hours
after I finally relented and stepped out in faith to follow what
I believe to be God's will for my life at this point.  It's true.
The timing is totally true. 

I have been doing a lot of fussing and whining at God about how
"You know I have to work for a living," but "How in the world do
You expect me to do that when I can't even see my computer," and
"You know I need the money to buy other things right now," and
"It's just too hard to work like this," and on and on . . . . 
Speaking of patience!  I'm sure God has done an awful lot of
rolling of the eyes at me the last three or so months and Tsk,
Tsk-ing, and Oh, ye of little faith-ing.  Because He knew all
along what He was going to do and when--once I finally had faith
to act.  What a wonderful lesson.  I thought I had learned to
have faith years ago, but apparently not.  There are several
other ways He has helped me over the last couple of years, and
especially during the last three months, and shown me He was
there and sent encouragement to me over and over that I won't go
into, and this capped irrefutable proof to me that God does look
after His children, in His own perfect way and in His perfect
time.  What a blessing to have that assurance!

All of this has nothing to do with cats, I know, but is said to
explain what is going on--and that there will not be a Cat Tails
again next week due to the critical computer issues--but,
following that, as soon as I have my new computer and it is
loaded and up and running, I should be able to get back to some
normalcy with the schedule.  I realize I have thought this
before, but believe this time I can follow through.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for staying with me
through these sporadic mailings.  I cleaned out about 30
subscribers who had been bouncing for over a year due to bad
email addresses, but have lost only 4 of you to unsubscribing
during the last month of no mailings, and several others have
joined us during this time.  I appreciate it so very much. 
Please hang in there with me a little longer.

This week's Mewsings, called "I Am Your Cat," is such a
poignant reminder for each of us to stop for quality time with
these little furry beings that share their lives with us.  I
think it will touch your heart.  Thanks so much to Vivian for
sharing it with us.  In searching for the author, and I
exhausted several search engines to no avail, I found another
piece of the same title you also will love that I will publish
next time.

Cat Nips has some real life information about cats and coyotes. 
I've mentioned the issue to you before, but we are full-blown
into spring here in the South USA and colder areas are close
behind, so it is a good time for a reminder.  I hear about so
many lost cats and it hurts my heart when they are not found. 
So many things that happen to kitties are preventable by keeping
them indoors.  If you live in or near a large city and don't
think this can apply in your situation, please know that I live
in the middle of several busy neighborhoods with schools,
churches and hospitals, and coyotes have been spotted near my
home.

There are some cute pictures in this issue, including all the
way at The Tail End, so don't forget to scroll down.  The Tail
End has a link to a funny site, to me.  Please don't make your
cats wear a "Kitty Wig" unless they obviously like it, as these
models seem to do.  I thought the title from Timeshifter was
hilarious.

Hope you enjoy!

Take care, have a great week, and kiss your kitties for me!

Annette Fincher
Publisher





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                             MEWSINGS                           
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                          I Am Your Cat

I am your cat, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper
in your ear.

I know that you humans lead busy lives.  Some have to work, some
have children to raise.  It always seems like you are running
here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the
truly grand things in life.


Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer.  See
the way my eyes look at yours?

They are slightly cloudy now.  That comes with age.  The gray
hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.


You smile at me; I see love in your eyes.  What do you see in
mine?  Do you see a spirit?  A soul inside, who loves you as no
other could in the world?  A spirit that would forgive all
trespasses of prior wrongdoing for just a simple moment of your
time?


That is all I ask.  To slow down, if even for a few minutes to
be with me.  So many times you have been saddened by the words
you read on that screen, of others of my kind passing.


Sometimes we die young and, oh, so quickly; sometimes so suddenly
it wrenches your heart out of your throat.

Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not
even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with
grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes.


Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long
sleep, to run free in a distant land.


I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. 
Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have
when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at
yourself that you did not have just "one more day" with me.


Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves
me.  We have NOW, together.  So come, sit down here next to me,
and look deep into my eyes. 

What do you see?  If you look hard and deep enough we will talk,
you and I, heart to heart.


Come to me not as "alpha" or as "owner" or even "Mom or Dad,"
come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look
deep into one another's eyes, and talk.  I may tell you
something about the fun of batting toys, or I may tell you
something profound about myself, or even life in general.


You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to
share such things with.  Someone very different from you, and
here I am.


I am a cat, but I am alive.  I feel emotion, I feel physical
senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and
souls. 

I do not think of you as a "cat on two feet" -- I know what you
are. 

You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.


Now, come sit with me.  Enter my world, and let time slow down
if only for 15 minutes.  Look deep into my eyes, and whisper
into my ears.  Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will
know your true self. 

We may not have tomorrow, and life is, oh, so very short . . . .


~ Author Unknown





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                           Puppy Love


~ Picture by James and Julie Koncyk, from funnypetphotos.com





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                            CAT NIPS
                 (Little Bites of This and That)
=^..^============================================================



              Pets Shouldn't Roam Where Coyotes Do
                      How to Play It Safe


ARVADA, Colo. — Cats that prowl outdoors need all of their nine
lives to survive the cars, the stray dogs and the occasional
cruel child.

But coyotes?  Our five-year-old cat, Sully, had survived two
years in the near-wilds of Montana, where mountain lions also
roam, but he couldn't make it six months in the northwest Denver
suburbs.  This fat feline disappeared one night in early
December, and we knew he was a goner.

Two weeks after his disappearance, we learned that a neighbour
had seen three coyotes supping on our Sully (named after the big
blue monster in the movie "Monsters Inc.") one snowy evening. 
So fat that people always asked if he was pregnant, Sully didn't
have a chance against three lean, ravenous coyotes.

Sadly, family pets frequently disappear from backyards.  It's
not just coyotes stalking them:  Foxes, mountain lions, wolves,
bears, hawks and alligators also make a dent in the pet
population.  But few predators are as ubiquitous as the coyote.
And hawks and foxes can't carry off a 14-kilogram dog.

The wily coyote can.  Or more precisely, this crafty, adaptable
canine can entice a dog into straying from home and into the
maws of a hungry pack.

During a daytime stroll in an off-leash park near her home in
Boulder, Colo., Pam Morrison watched as her Siberian husky,
Jack, took off after a coyote 100 metres away.  From a distance,
she saw the dog abruptly sit down.

"I thought, 'That's really weird.  Why's he just sitting there
looking at this coyote?'"

Some hikers coming from the dog's direction filled Morrison in:
The coyote was not alone.  There were five in all, stationed in
a circle, and somehow, Jack had managed to stop at the edge of
the circle, without running into it.

"They were all just looking at him and he was just looking at
them," Morrison said.

Finally, Jack slowly got up and walked back to Morrison.

The incident taught her to be more careful, although she still
lets Jack off leash wherever it's legal.

"He has a lot of energy," she says. "He needs to run."

Two centuries ago, coyotes were confined to the Southwest
prairies, but since then have adapted so well to human sprawl
that their territory now covers the entire United States.  They
have even been found in New York City.

As large as a medium-size dog, coyotes can scale a two-metre
fence.

"I think they're here, they're established, and we live with
them the best we can," says Rob Calvert, a wildlife biologist
with the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department.

"They've weathered all kinds of attempts to lower their
populations."

Ed Tagliente, a park ranger at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal
National Wildlife Refuge, says the coyotes he studies there, 18
kilometres northeast of Denver, are smart and resourceful.

"They are self-regulating," says Tagliente.  "When things are
good, they will have large litters.  When things are not so
good, they'll have small litters."

The best that pet owners can do is use common sense to
discourage coyotes from venturing onto their turf, wildlife
experts say.

Be especially careful in the spring, when coyotes are bearing
pups and will behave more aggressively to protect them.

Dog owners are advised to keep their dogs leashed.

Other precautions include keeping garbage in a lidded bin,
feeding pets inside (coyotes will want that kibble, too), and
using bird feeders that keep the seed off the ground.  Seed
attracts small animals that attract coyotes.

Above all, do not feed coyotes.  They're not only dangerous
predators, but they also can carry rabies and fleas.

Coyotes rarely attack humans, although such attacks, generally
on small children, have been noted in places such as Colorado
and California, where both human and coyote populations are
high.  Harry Morse, a California Department of Fish and Game
spokesman, cites three people bitten by coyotes in California in
the past few months.

Coyotes are typically shy and elusive; you're more likely to
hear their howls and barks than see their tails skinny behind a
bush.  They camouflage well.

And there are benefits to maintaining a healthy coyote
population near our neighbourhoods.  Calvert says they keep
rodent populations down.  Along with fewer mice and rats, that
can mean lower groundhog populations, which benefits farmers,
gardeners and horse owners.  When coyote populations drop in the
Northeast and Midwest, "the woodchuck holes begin again," says
Calvert.

I learned my lesson the hard way.  While running with my dog the
other day, we crossed paths within 2.5 metres of a wiry,
brownish-grey coyote.  My dog tugged and groaned against her
leash. I held firm, and thanked my cat - long since eaten - for
teaching me that a pet's place is inside the home or on a leash.


Copyright © 2008 The Canadian Press.





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              Let's see, you have a spot right here


~ Submitted by Sharon C.





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                       What's the PETA #?


Kitty Wigs ??


             


                Flash, modeling the "Silver Fox"


Silver, pink, blond, or maybe blue to go with those beautiful
blue eyes.  Purrfect colors for the drama cat in your home.

http://kittywigs.com/wigindex.html
<a href="http://kittywigs.com/wigindex.html">AOL_Link</a>



~ Title and link provided by Timeshifter, of Nature Pics





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