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                            CAT TAILS

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

                               ~:~
 
                         ISSN 1552-938X

                    Sunday, November 9, 2008

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Welcome to Cat Tails Newsletter!

Special greetings to our new subscribers.  Thanks so much for
subscribing.  I hope these mailings will bring you a smile or
chuckle about our favorite subject . . . cats!

Columns vary, drawing from quotes or other cat musings, facts,
health and behavior issues, tips on a wide selection of kitty-
related subjects, and a "tail" or two, sprinkled with a bit of
humor and fun.  This newsletter alternates with a mini version
every other issue to help with those busy schedules.

Search past issues of Cat Tails and view photos and files at: 
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CatTails>

Please help us spread the word about Cat Tails by sharing it
with other cat lovers and encouraging them to subscribe.  We ask
you to forward newsletters in their entirety with a personal
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have no budget for promoting Cat Tails, so many RUBS and PURRS
for your help!

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It's so good to be with you today!  I have missed you during the
last three months, very much.  All is well on my front and I
hope yours, too.  I'm happy to say Maxie is still eating and
holding his own after that serious bout with a liver infection. 
I'm so thankful to still have him with me.  He has gotten much
more affectionate during the years as he has grown older.  Have
you noticed that behavior with any of your cats as they aged? 
If so, please share it with us.

I do appreciate your patience with me during this time of
sporadic publications, including the several new subscribers who
joined us during the last three months.  Thank you all so very
much.  Hopefully, you will find it worth your while to hang in
there with me.

Just to give us a jump-start after such a long time of Cat Tails
silence, we begin this edition with a link to a short, cute
video of one of the hazards of ordinary kitten life.

Then, this week's Mewsings has a thoughtful poem of feral cats.

Next, Laural sends very sad news about Molly in Subscriber News.

Our "tail" about cats is by author and artist, Ron Hevener.  It
is an interesting, sweet story that may inspire you and possibly
take you away to a far away place in time. 

"Tip" of the Tail was sent to me by another beloved subscriber,
Shelly.  She bought this book for her niece and liked it so much
she wanted to share it with you.

A very witty story about dogs and kitties and economic times is
our "Kitty Witty."  I am sure you will enjoy it.

Finally, all the way at The Tail End is a link to a fun game, so
don't forget to scroll down.

Hope you enjoy!

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

Annette Fincher
Publisher




--- >^..^< ------------------------------------------------------




One life lesson down, many more to go:

http://www.cybersalt.org/c-ch/cat-can
<a href="http://www.cybersalt.org/c-ch/cat-can">Hazards</a>










                   When it's time, it's time.


~ Distributed by Nature Pics, at Yahoogroups.com






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                             MEWSINGS                           
=^..^============================================================



                      Thoughts of a Feral Cat

    (Dedicated to all the kind and caring people, who give the
  lonely Ferals a little care, a little love, and a little hope)
 
     I sit beneath the bushes as she fills my dish each day,
        I only venture out to eat when she has gone away,
       I know it will upset her when I turn away and hide,
     As every day she tries her best to get me by her side.
    I wish that I could let her know that I don't want to run,
 And hope that she will understand it's nothing that she's done.
       I'd like to have her stroke me and pat my weary head,
       But fear will overcome and I'll run and hide instead.
      For all the kindly people who feed the Strays each day,
  I pray the Lord will care for them, as they have cared for me.

~ Annette Easdon





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                         SUBSCRIBER MEWS
=^..^============================================================



                              Molly

I received the following note from Laural, a subscriber, on
Friday, August 15, 2008, about her cat Molly.  If you have been
with me since 2005 and read Laural's stories about Molly and
Chewie, and Blazer, too, Molly may almost feel like a member of
your family:

"Dear Annette, It is with great sadness that I must tell you
that Molly has gone over "Rainbow Bridge". I had to have her put
to sleep Wed.a.m. . . . She was in a great deal of pain, the
tumors were only gong to get larger, and she would have only
suffered more. Jay was there. and Molly is now with Chewie.
forever. They are lying next to each other, on Jay's mom and
dad's property. They have a stream, and huge elm tree. for
shade. It's so beautiful there. Thanks for the stories you put
in about her and Chewie. I do plan on in time to adopt another
kitten. Will let you know about. That. Your friend, Laural"

You may remember the stories we have published about Molly's
(cat) and Chewie's (dog) friendship.  If you have subscribed
since, you may read these touching stories in previous editions
of Cat Tails at these links:

Molly and Chewie:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CatTails/message/231?var=0&l=1

<a href="http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CatTails/message/231?var=0&l=1">Molly_and_Chewie</a>

Brave and valient Chewie gives his all:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CatTails/message/299?var=0&l=1

<a href="http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CatTails/message/299?var=0&l=1">Chewie</a>


I know we all send our condolences to Laural and Jay, but am
sure Molly and Chewie are together again, chattering away and
inspiring other cats and dogs to become close friends at Rainbow
Bridge.





=^===============================================================
                           A CAT "TAIL"
=^..^============================================================



                         NOBODY LOOKING

              Written and Illustrated by Ron Hevener


Follow this link to see the illustration:
http://ronhevener.com/essays/nobodylooking-cat.html
<a href="http://ronhevener.com/essays/nobodylooking-cat.html">AOL_Link</a>


The world, as they say, is turning ... turning ... turning ...
Are you turning with it?


She loved this time of year ... tree frogs and crickets singing
the end of growing time; early mornings, misty and cool.  She
scarcely noticed the cat nearby.  "How's it going back there,
Patches?  Still with me?" she said, as they explored along the
country road, smelling the corn silk, the last of the wild
flowers, the fertile earth.  With the stray feather of a
fluttering dove clinging to a thistle, and a ring-neck pheasant
calling in the cropped alfalfa fields nearby, she thought, "It's
all so much like myself ... like my life right now."


She was a city girl.  Though she had been raised in the country,
it was the excitement and opportunity of New York that called
her.  And she had run for it ­ run straight for it like a cat
after a butterfly, even though New York hadn't treated her very
well.


Yes, she had made her way with odd jobs and good friends.  But,
no matter how much she earned, no matter who she met or what
fascinating stories they told, something ... something ...
called her.  It could be the flick of a squirrel's tail ... the
flutter of a sparrow ... the coo of a pigeon.  Walking on grey
cement, among grey buildings checkered with masks of black glass
reflecting the outside of everything, but nothing beneath the
surface, it could be the color of a leaf falling to the street
that caught her attention.  It could be the petals of a sad
flower, bundled for sale on a cart as someone called out
"Pretties for your love?"


"Pretties for your love" ... she thought, riding slower now.
What an unusual thing to say in a land of concrete hearts and
unforgiving glass.  So far from home, she thought; so far from
herself.


She learned a lot about life by living in the city.  She learned
a lot about people trying to get somewhere in a troubled world.
By now, she could tell who was bold and brassy, who was weak and
timid ... who was a success and who was just another wannabe.
She could tell these things without even saying hello.  She
could tell, just by watching people ­ which was something she
did a lot of these days.  People in subways, people shopping,
people waiting for ... waiting for what?  Pretties for your love?


She tried love.  Or, so she thought.  She went to places where
she could meet other people her age, she struck up friendships
at work, she flirted.  She went to nightclubs and laughed and
smiled.  Sometimes, she even danced the night away.  Love?  Why
didn't she feel it?  Where was it hiding?


In the city, her feet hurt from walking on cement, day after
day.  Her heart, too.  Passing by the park, she noticed the
birds landing for peanut shells and pieces of bread tossed by
strangers.  Birds had it made, she decided.  They only walked on
cement half the time.  The rest, they were dancing on air.  What
did it feel like to fly?  Did her heart remember how to jump in
the air and smile?  Or, like the rest of her, had it forgotten?


It might have gone on like this forever.  Year after year;
working, wondering ... and then, the call came.  "Your father
has had an accident.  We need you."


She didn't have to go.  She could have put it off on someone
else ­ a sister, a brother.  She could have said she was too
busy, or she couldn't get off from work at the restaurant where
she was popular, or said she couldn't afford the plane ticket.
She could have made a hundred excuses to avoid going home ...
but, she didn't.  Was it curiosity?


Green ... green ... so lime-bright it almost hurt the eyes
hiding behind her shades.  Blue ... the sky so blue it dwarfed
her.  People ... where were all the people?  How could anyone
make a living around here?  I must get back to the city.  I must
get back to the life I understand now.








                               Wabe


~ Picture by Andras Ostrom


Family picked her up at the airport.  Taking in their dresses,
shirts and shoes, she would have to tell them about style, she
decided.  She could send them some magazines.  What were they
smiling about?  Didn't they know how foolish they looked to
anyone with any fashion sense?


Hospital ... doctors ... nurses ... machines ... reassurance ...
fears ... prayers ...

Country roads, dirt lane, pot holes ... broken down fences ...
scrubby trees, the house where she grew up.


And, there she was, waiting patiently; her yellow-green trusting
eyes, her little heart as warm and true as ever ... the calico
cat.  The cat she had grown up with, old and stiff in the joints
now ... waiting as if she could wait forever.


Slugging her bags upstairs, looking around her old room, she
wondered how her family had done it.  How had they managed to
hold on to the place all this time?  The cat watched her, and
came to her side.  "What is it Girlfriend?  Wanna go out?"  They
walked to the barn.  In a room now covered with dust, she found
her saddle.  Hanging beside it, a bridle and reins beckoned her.
"Touch us ... remember us ...."


The cat rubbed her legs, comforting the one with whom she had
spent so many lonely hours.  Reaching down, the woman gathered
the cat in her arms.  Carrying the cat gently, she walked out
the lane, beside the cornfield and they were young again.


The world was changing, she thought.  Governments were at war;
gasoline was expensive, winter would be rough.  The father who
was invincible was fighting for his life now.  It was all too
much to bear.  She and the cat were from a time long ago.  A
time almost forgotten.  Taking off her shoes, felt the dirt
between her toes and smelled the corn stalks.


Like a guardian spirit, the cat stayed near her, never far from
her side.  What was her woman thinking?  What was she feeling
with each sigh; when she stopped to pluck a milkweed pod and
scatter its seeds in the breeze?  Only the woman, herself, could
know for sure; but the cat could wonder.


Day after day, it went like this.  Visits to the hospital of
fear and mortality, followed by long, country walks.  Finally,
after many days of wandering, the woman stopped.  She stopped
because she realized that, on these walks with the cat, she had
been peaceful.  Instead of blaring police sirens, she had heard
Blue Herons in the distance, and wild geese.  Instead of angry
and vulgar profanity echoed in the streets, she had heard
delicate chipmunks.  Instead of fleeting acquaintances, she had
known the steady companionship of an old friend.  At that
moment, she lifted her face to the sky ... and laughed.


The world was bigger now than she remembered.  Life was greater,
and a heart was a mystery with many secret chambers.  She could
open those chambers.  Going back in time, she could unlock
golden, glistening memories ... and she could feel them again
... if she wanted to.  Was it really all so simple?


Into the air went her laughter!  Twirling into the clouds went
her shoes and her pain as she spun around in circles and danced!
She wouldn't worry any more about falling off the merry-go-round
in a world of wars and uncertainty spinning out of control.  As
long as there were tree frogs, singing crickets and early
mornings, misty and cool; as long as there were roads leading us
out of the past and into the mystery ahead, she would take the
next turn, and the next, and the next after that.  If all was
lost, she would start over again.  Just like everything around
her did, year after year, all on its own, with nobody looking.
As the stray feather of a fluttering dove clung to a thistle,
and a ring-necked pheasant called in the cropped alfalfa fields
nearby, she thought, "So much like myself ..."


"Come on, Girlfriend," she smiled to the little spirit at her
side, as they walked the path together, smelling the corn silk,
the last of the wild flowers and the fertile earth.  She
wouldn't worry about love any more ­ true love would wait; new
love would find her ....


And the wise, old cat looked on.



© www.RonHevener.com





=^===============================================================
                        "TIP" OF THE TAIL
=^..^============================================================



                    A Lesson My Cat Taught Me



              


Thanks so much to Shelly for sending this information to us
about a book she recommends.  She writes, "The book teaches a
lesson of understanding and compassion of one student towards
another one who is disabled.  Though the book is intended to be
read by a child (8-10) I found it to be an enjoyable read
myself."

This nice book is quite inexpensive, and is available at this
link.  With Christmas and other holidays around the corner, this
will be an easy gift to pick up for someone special.  (The link
is shortened due to its long length.)

http://tinyurl.com/6fjfsw
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/6fjfsw">AOL_Link</a>





=^===============================================================
                          A KITTY WITTY
=^..^============================================================



              EXPLAINING ECONOMICS TO DOGS AND CATS


      So, I'm in the kitchen.

      All four dogs are in the kitchen with me.  It's morning
and that means it's time for cookies.  The dogs all know this
and they do not let it slip my mind.  Ever.

      All four furry dog butts are planted on the tiled floor in
a row.  All four tails going back and forth like they are
competing in a synchronized tail wagging contest.  Their
expectant looks always make me smile.

      But, this morning, they are getting a little lecture with
their cookies.

      "Listen, my doggies," I begin carefully, "The whole
country is experiencing financial problems and we're going to
have to tighten our belts around here.  Do you know what that
means?"

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.

      "Well, it means that instead of each of you getting four
cookies in the morning, you will only be getting three."

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Cookies, cookies!  She said
cookies, right?

      "We must make every penny count for two for a while so
we're going to have to cut back on a lot of extras."

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Extra, extra!  She said extra
cookies, right?

      "So now, that box of doggie treats has to last for a
whooole month instead of three weeks."

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Oh, yeah!!  Doggie treats!  When
she says doggie treats, she means cookies!!  And we love
cookies!!  Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.

      "We're going to have to cut way back on the smoked pigs
ears, too."

      WAG, WAG, WAG, WAG, WAG.   She said smoked pigs ears,
didn't she?  Yep.  She said it.  We're dogs ... we have good
hearing.

      "So, from now on, you're only gonna get smoked pigs ears
every other month or so, okay?"

      WAG, WAG, WAG, WAG, WAG.  Did you hear that?  We're
getting pigs ears! Woo Hoo!!

      "We're all making sacrifices now," I say as I dig into the
dog treat box and come up with four square tidbits.  A brown one
for Timm, a yellow one for Violet and whatever is left for
Raisin and Batdawg because they aren't the fussy ones.

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Crunch, crunch, crunch.  Okay,
we're ready for round two of cookie time!

      "Like not having flavored cream in my coffee every
morning," I say, letting them know they aren't the only ones
having to make changes as I pass out the treats.  "It's back to
plain milk for me."

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Crunch, crunch, crunch.  Okay,
none of us peed in the hallway last night so pay up, lady! 
Round three!

      "And no more pricey paper towels to clean up the messes
you dogs make!" I admonish tenderly, "We're using the cheap
store brand now."

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Crunch, crunch, crunch.  Round
four, please!

      "It won't be so bad," I say, looking at their eager faces.
"There'll always be plenty of regular dog food.  It's just the
treats we're cutting back on."

      Wag, wag, wag, wag, wag.  Where's round four, lady?  Huh? 
Hey!  Excuse us, but aren't you forgetting something?  Like
round four of cookie time?

      "Sorry, guys, but that's it for today," I say and show
them my empty palms.  That's the signal that treat time is
over.  They looked at one another and I swear I could see the
confusion on their faces.  Then Raisin heaves one of her big dog
sighs and turns to leave.  The rest of the dogs follow her into
the living room and soon they are all stretched out in their
favorite spots because right after cookie time, nap time is next
on their daily agenda.

      Smith, the cat, purrs into the kitchen then and butts his
head against my shins.  That's his way of reminding me that his
food dish is empty and he would like his half a can of tender
slices in real beef gravy and ONLY tender slices in real beef
gravy and not some other flavor, or some other brand, if you
don't mind.  And even if you do mind, it had better be exactly
what I want or I will throw it up on the sofa, and we don't want
that mess again, now do we, lady?

      He sits primly in front of me, wrapping his tail around to
cover his front paws.  He blinks at me a few times and then
yawns.

      "Smith, old buddy," I begin gently, "I have some news for
you.  Times are tough right now, the old pocket book has taken a
direct hit, so we're gonna have to tighten our belts a little. 
Do you know what that means?"

      He blinks again.  Yeah, I know what that means.  That
means you and the dogs are gonna have to make a few cutbacks. 
Now, where's my half a can of tender slices in real beef gravy?


~ Jackie Gregg

-------------------------

Jackie says, "I live in northern rural Michigan with dogs, cats,
a few other critters and a husband, all of which I take care of
pretty much in that order.  Gardening and writing take up the
rest of my free time."





=^===============================================================
                           THE TAIL END
=^..^============================================================

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                       Cat-Herding, A Game


Good Luck!
http://www.cybersalt.org/c-ch/cat-herding
<a href="http://www.cybersalt.org/c-ch/cat-herding">Herding</a>





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