New Tails and Tidbits

*Words from the* Whisker Walk
Volume 3 August 6, 2008
Whisker Walk stop 3 - Lake Nebagamon Goodness, gracious, great balls o' twine! What would our cat walk be if we couldn't find a giant ball of twine to visit? Lucky for us, John Frank Kotera (JFK to friends), is happy to oblige. He's been working on his ball of twine (okay, we understand it's currently more football-shaped than ball-shaped because at a certain point it gets hard to roll a ball of twine any more) in Lake Nebagamon for nearly 30 years. JFK gets all his twine from neighbors who bale hay. He estimates its weight to be more than 19,000 pounds and it was once measured by an admirer at 7 feet high and 35 feet wide. (JFK says it's bigger now.) Kotera built a pole barn roof over his creation to protect it from the elements. He doesn't work on the twine ball in winter, however. Then he goes snowmobiling. JFK, the Whisker Walkers salute you and your big ball of twine! Note from Whisker Walk commentator Maggie: Now if I can just find a 20 foot diameter milk jug cap to play with too . . . Information source: "Strange Wisconsin" by Linda S. Godfrey.	Cat's Pajamas Trivia Talk the talk while you are walking the walk with our Cat's Pajamas trivia. Trivia Question: Who is this author who has made herself famous with her lighthearted mystery novels like "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards" and "The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers." E-mail your answer to jmaager@foxvalleypets.org Put "trivia answer" in the subject line. A winner will be chosen at random from the correct responses. The winner will receive a $10 gift card to Tom's Drive In. You must be a registered participant in the Whisker Walk or a donor to one of our Whisker Walk fundraising pages to play. Winners will be notified after the walk finishes on September 12. Thanks for playing! Yesterday's question and answer: Q. What Andrew Lloyd Weber production became the longest running musical on Broadway (at the time) in 1997? A. Cats! (Come on, what else would it have been?!?) Based on a poem originally written by T.S. Elliot, the musical ran on Broadway from 1982 to 2000. The song "Memory" is the most -- well, memorable -- song from the musical.
What does your donation do? Your $10 donation to the Whisker Walk will provide one test kit for Feline Leukemia/FIV. Donate online now! Thank you!	Hey Whisker Walkers! Did you ask your co-workers to help you out? Print out your latest "Words from the Whisker Walk" and put it on your office bulletin board with a note asking for their support!
*Pearl's Wisdom* Homeland security -- stake your claim when intruders threaten Interlopers! Invaders! Other animals on YOUR turf! What do you do when your humans get the hair-brained idea that you -- who should be enough to fill their every moment with overwhelming joy and gratitude -- would like to share your domicile with another quadruped. First of all, realize you are in control. Nobody's setting up housekeeping on your turf without your okay. And make them work for it. When my humans brought home another cat, I hissed and spat so much that they kept the intruder away for days. After awhile, the humans brought him around and I sniffed him from the crack under the door. He wasn't terrible, but that's all they were getting from me. But then, we did a little more sniffing each day and -- you know -- he was kind of interesting. So then I decided I'd take a look at him -- while sitting on my human's lap of course, staking out my claim and demanding kitty treats. So, long story short, after awhile I decided the intruder wasn't so bad after all and I let him stay. But it was my decision! And just because I get caught every now and then cuddling up with the interloper doesn't mean the humans get to skimp on the tuna treats I deserve for letting this guy stay in MY house. Until next time, keep training those humans! -- Pearl
Whisker Walk miles covered today: 306 Total miles "walked": 384