THE CATLINES MEWSLETTER vol. 1 Issue 1 March 15, 2002 Published monthly by http://www.catliness.com Editor:Lauren Merryfield, Ph.d. =======>^..^<===== Welcome to the CATLINES MEWsletter! For cat-lovers and home-business workers --------------------- If you are receiving this newsletter, either you subscribed recently or received a copy from a friend.  Thank you for joining! >^..^<     >^..^<     >^..^<    (3 kitty heads, representing Jaspur, Mikey and Gabrielle, suPURRvisors and helPURRs in these adventures into catliness.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Local Phone Deregulation is Coming! Want in on the profits?  Are you seriously looking to increase your income?   The United States' First Coast-to-Coast Local Phone Company.  Excel/VarTec is ready to launch NATIONWIDE and make our Excel-VarTec local service    available to 90 percent of the country by    the end of 2002. For more info: mailto:infoRus@earthlink.net?subject=excel go to website: http://www.globalsuccess2000.com/catly  or Call us at: 1-877-816-9887 >^..^< >^..^< >^..^< And now! ... 3cats present... THE CATLINES MEWSLETTER ===================== Table of contents: 1:mewsings from the food bowl (editorial) 2: Kitten Kabootle's Kubbyhole (catly writings) 3: kibble nibble (funny definitions or word scrambles)  4:biz-kittens' busy box (newbie work-at-home or general biz articles)  5: look what the cat dragged in (jokes, quotes, very brief verse)  6:from the catbox (questions, comments from readers) --------------------- BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CATLINES MEWSLETTER! SEND THEM TO: http://www.catliness.com to sign up. --------------------- 1:Mewsings From The Food Bowl: The kitten is born!  We at catliness.com celebrate with you on our very first issue of what we hope will be an informative, entertaining and a favorite especially for catlovers and biz-kittens. Have you ever heard a kitten's first mew?  It is something a catlover never forgets.  I was visiting relatives in rural Nebraska at the time that 11-year-old Julie's mama kitty was preparing to give birth. First the kitty hid in a closet.  Too much other stuff on the floor.  She then scurried, heavy-laden as she was, behind the couch.  Another no-no! By the time Julie moved the couch, picked up her kitty, and moved her to a nice soft blanket in the front hallway, one kitten had already been born. Oops! Several more kittens came, the mama yowling like crazy!  And then there was silence; quite a moment of reverence, and then we heard it--the tiniest mew! Soon 3 more joined the chorus!  What a privilege it was to be nearby for such a blessed event! The birth of this newsletter is, to us, a blessed event, a life-long dream come true! I composed my first song at age 6 entitled, of course, "Mew Mew, my little kitten,"in two-part harmony; a third part eventually made it a trio.    I began writing stories about little girls and their kittens at about age ten. By age twelve I added relationships.  At fourteen, I switched to nonfiction, winning my first essay contest (another would follow my senior year).  I also kept a diary for more than ten years. I've written mostly nonfiction for a number of years, and with the advent of the computer, I had a new goal of editing my own newsletter.  This is the closest I have come, considering that Jaspur, Mikey and Gabrielle give final approval. Jaspur is a lively, sleek, 4-year-old black kitty with some Siamese in him. He's our kitty with the loooooong black tail, which he still chases!  This carrying on in the bathtub really cracks my husband, Jim, and me up!  It sounds like a tennis shoe revolving in the dryer! Mikey, (often called Mickens),was found wandering around a pet shelter.  He was so laid-back that he fit right in with the other socialized cats in the cat room!  We visited three days in a row to have a kitty choose us and Mikey did!  What a sweet, medium-haired, dark tabby cat--the kitty with the long, fluffy, variegated  tail! We thought that was it.  However, I dreamed about an orange little girl cat, and as I was perusing http://www.petshelter.net there she was!  I might not have acted on my dream kitty except that the very next day, among my too many emails, there was one from the petshelter.net.  Someone who knew we were "kitty people" knew of a "very placeable" orange young female in a "not going back to" situation.  Would we like to adopt another kitty?  "Just say no" didn't work! The woman who rescued her said she was a talker.  This was evident as we met her as she waited at a cat clinic for her new family.  She used her pipes well in our bathroom, her first night with us. By the next morning, paws were meeting paws under the door, accompanied by gurgles in CATese.  The three were ready to meet. Our Gabbie Girl named herself.  (Gabrielle, for long.)  Since that time, however, we get a tiny "prrrt" and her motor is on!  Evidently she doesn't need to yell anymore. Once again, thank you so much for joining us.  We hope you will visit our sponsors who help keep these guys in food, litter and such, plus helping kitties still in need of adoption. Lauren Merryfield, Ph.d.  (Yes, I know, "piled higher and deeper!") ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2:Kitten Kabootle's Kubbyhole (Kabootle was a beautiful Himalayan catwith  blue-eyes that shone red in the dark.  He was with us a brief 6 and a half years, succumbing to kidney failure.  This section of CATLINES is named in his honor (or is it his orneriness?) ..................... THE CREATION STORY AS TOLD BY THE CAT On the first day of creation, God created the cat. On the second day, God created man (humanity) to serve the cat. On the third, God created all the animals of the earth       to serve as potential food for the cat. On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man (humanity)       could labor for the good of the cat. On the fifth day, God created the sparkle ball so that       the cat might or might not play with it. On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to       keep the cat healthy and the man(human) broke. On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but he had to       scoop the litterbox. --author unknown to us ..................... --EASTER LILIES AND YOUR CAT:  BEWARE! Part of being the responsible pet owners that we all aspire to be, is to be aware of the many different health issues facing your pet.  Excluding dangerous plants from our cat's environment is one very important way of ensuring a safer, healthier, and happier home for our beloved feline companions. At this time of year many of us purchase Easter Lilies to display in our homes as a beautiful symbol of the coming holiday.  As cat owners, we must be aware that Easter Lilies can be deadly to felines.  The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the Cat Fanciers' Association, and I, want to be sure we are all aware of the dangers of the Easter and other types of lilies.  There are many alternative plants, equally beautiful, that we can display in our homes during this season. Experts say that the Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum, Japanese show lily, some species of day lily, and certain other members of the Liliaceae family, if ingested, can cause kidney failure in cats. All parts of these lilies are considered toxic to cats and consuming even tiny amounts can be life threatening. Other Lilies to avoid if you have a cat in your home include: GLORY LILY - Gloriosa Superba TIGER LILY - Lilium tigrinum STARGAZER LILY - Lilium orientalis RUBRUM LILY - Lilium speciosum rubrum ASIAN LILIES - Lily asiatic delicious ASIAN LILIES - Lily asiatic montreaux Cat owners are encouraged to consider these safer alternatives: Easter Orchids Easter Lily Cactus Easter Daisy or violets. For more information about these and to see photos of the dangerous lilies, you can visit CFA's website: www.cfainc.org Be safe and protect your beloved pets. --              CAT NIPS "Stories, Facts & Tips on the World's Most Popular Pet" If you like this newsletter subscribe for FREE by visiting: http://www.shagmail.com/sub/catnip.html ..................... Cats Sweet-talk artist, malcontent Quiet little innocent, Agile gymnast, silly clown With Cheshire grin or solemn frown, Busybody, stay-at-home Fearless hunter free to roam, Alley-fighter, diplomat . . . So many faces has the cat. Author Unknown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DO YOU HAVE AN ADORABLE PET? You and your pet could win some great prizes in our monthly Adorable Pet contest right here http://www.peoplepoems.com/pets.htm./ Don't miss out on this chance to get your pet featured online for the world to see!  Only at http://www.peoplepoems.com/pets.htm./ Joann Javons http://www.peoplepoems.com http://www.private-practice-marketing.com =====================  5: look what the cat dragged in (Top o' the mornin' to ya!  In honor of St. Paddy's day, we offer the following limmericks): Ooo, I didn't know about their tails, poor kitties! According to a story, some people in the town of Kilkenny in Ireland enjoyed tying the tails of two cats and watching them fight till only their tales were left behind. Most likely the story is a parable of a contest between Kilkenny and Irishtown, two municipalities which fought about their boundaries till little more than their tails were left. Here is a popular limerick (another word that takes its origins from the name of an Irish town) about the cats: "There wanst was two cats of Kilkenny Each cat thought there was one cat too many So they fought and they fit And they scratched and they bit 'Til instead of two cats there weren't any." ..................... There once was a cat named Samantha: Part lion, part tiger, part panther. That fine supple beast, Eats lots of dry yeast, And hides 'neath the red pyracantha! ..................... A house cat is just an extension, Of a common, four-cycle invention. What keeps it ticking? Eating and licking, Plus resting, an' demanding attention! by Mark Lentczner & John Horigan at http://www.glyphic.com .................... cat quote: Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6:From The Catbox hmmm, no comments in this CATegory; being our first issue.  LM --------------------------- the CATLINES MEWsletter is published by Lauren Merryfield, Ph.D., co-owner of catliness.com. We are proud members of the International Council of Online Professionals (I-cop) http://i-cop.org/cgi-bin/mem/jl.pl?1060 ======================== Sub and unsub info: You may subscribe or unsubscribe to the CATLINES MEWsletter by going to our website: http://www.catliness.com and filling out the form. ---------------------------- To submit catly writings for possible publication, mailto:infoRus@earthlink.net?subject=catlines-submit For feedback, questions or suggestions: mailto:infoRus@earthlink.net?subject=catlines-feedback --------------------------- Copyright ©March 15, 2002 by Lauren Merryfield, Ph.D. http://www.catliness.com >^..^< >^..^< >^..^<         Click Here For Newsletter Advertising Opportunities