At five-years-old Emily went missing only to be found two weeks later accidentally locked in a disuseIf the definition of ‘mischief’ is ‘a tendency or disposition to tease, vex, or annoy’ (according to www.dictionary.com at least), then I sometimes think that I should have called my moggy Douglas that.
(Especially as the definition of Douglas is ‘one who dwells near a dark stream’, and Douglas rarely even dwells near the bath.) As you might have guessed, this week’s theme is ‘mischief’, stemming from the results of a recent survey that suggests humans just don’t have enough fun in their lives*.
Perhaps they should have compared these results against those of us who own at least one cat, as I’m sure that the statistics would reveal a certain correlation occurring. Douglas is to a quiet life, what cake is to a dieter. Trouble.
Prank-a-Day
Felix the black and white cat has been getting up to mischief this month by campaigning for mayor in some of our major cities. The impish cat targeted Manchester, home of OUR CATS’ head offices, and events took place at major landmarks around the city.
Thanks to Alaina McGregor for this wonderful photograph of Mischief in Manchester.
The ‘Felix for Mayor’ campaign was in aid of National Mischief Month following independent research by Mind Lab International*. The results revealed that the odd prank and practical joke might one day be as encouraged as our five-a-day fruit and vegetables. Well, maybe not – but it’s nice to think that a bit of harmless fun can lead to longer lives and healthier living. So get out your custard pies (or at least your custard creams) and let your hair down for a bit – who knows, it might actually do you some good, and if not, you can at least enjoy yourself along the way.
Cat Sass
Following the revelation that jokes are good for us, here is this month’s contribution from cat Sassy, owner of Ms Tizzy, who runs www.moggies.co.uk. Based on the feline’s own version of mischief, it is called –
Hampering
If one of your humans is engaged in some close activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called ‘helping’, otherwise known as ‘hampering’, and here are some of the rules:
• When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted.
• For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself.
• For people paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim to hamper! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time.
• When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. Humans love surprises!
The Future of IT
Thanks to Kay Redhead who forwarded this image for this month’s TTCF.
Expensive Tastes
This is a story that has been floating around for a while now, but as an avid coffee-drinker (and cat-owner alike) I’m more than happy to recount it here.
Fancy packaging - the only coffee-producing cats. Thanks to www.firebox.com for this image.
Kopi Luwak, also known as Civet Coffee, is one of the most expensive coffees available in the market today. It is a blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and the south-east Asian bean and its selling price is about £324 a kilo (that’s around £15.00 per cup - a certain green-tinged coffee chain doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?). Rather nicely, coffee expert and Kopi Luwak creator, David Cooper, has said that all proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Trust.
If you’re wondering why Kopi Luwak is also known as Civet Coffee, it is due to the role that the Civet Cat plays in the coffee’s creation. To be blunt: that wonderful, strong aroma and rich taste can only be gleaned from partially digested beans that have made their way through the bowels of this selective feline. This may be enough to disuade most people as while it has been said that cats have expensive tastes, we don’t usually turn to them for dinner suggestions!
Still, times do change, and if you’re feeling particularly generous or adventurous, why not pop into the Peter Jones department store in London when you’re next in town and try a Civet Coffee or two? Who knows, maybe cats have had it right all along.
Find out more at http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2807559.html
More please!
Once again, thank you to all those who contributed this week and please carry on sending in your funny stories, pictures, letters and poems – I hope our readers enjoy reading them as much as I do receiving them! E-mail: Rachel@ourcats.co.uk or post to: Rachel Winterbottom, Our Cats, 1 Lund Street, Trafford Park, Manchester M16 9EJ.
* Research comprised a mischief poll of over 1,700 Brits and an independent scientific study by Mind Lab International, investigating the physiological affects pranks and practical jokes have on people.
