Don’t you just love stories with a happy ending. How about the Wisconsin cat that received the kind of red carpet treatment more associated with film stars than missing felines as she returned home. Emily's business class seat on a flight from Paris and paparazzi greeting was a stark contrast to her outward journey.

Two months before, the year-old tabby cat sneaked into an office supplies company near her home and hid in a container of paper bound for France. After a three-week sea voyage the much thinner, but healthy cat, emerged.

Amazed staff in Nancy, France, took the cat to a vet where an ID collar bearing the number of Emily's vet in the US allowed them to trace her owners. According to the head of the regional state veterinary service the collar also saved her from being put down - the usual fate of four-legged interlopers at France's ports.

After a month in quarantine she was finally given the green light to go home, but instead of returning in a crate in the hold of a plane as planned, Emily was given an upgrade - free business class seats for her and an escort thanks to Continental Airlines.

On the return leg Emily passed up the peppered salmon filet on the menu and "opted for her French cat food" and some water. In fact she was so keen on the French cat food that when she was handed back to her owners at Milwaukee airport they commented that not only had she regained the weight lost in the sea voyage but was even plumper than when she'd left.

That was not the only change the owner noticed. "She seems a little calmer than she was before, just a little quieter, a little, maybe, wiser."

Everyone where I lived knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love. The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. Ugly would have been a dark grey tabby, striped type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, and even his shoulders Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!!" All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, and squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction

If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around your feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.

One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbour’s dogs. They did not respond kindly and Ugly was badly mauled. I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought. Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.

At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain. Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly.

Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for. Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me... I will always try to be Ugly.

Author Unknown

Have you ever wondered where this old saying originated? Well, thanks to Sarah Hartwell we now know.

Cats and dogs are renowned for their supposed enmity even today, although many households have cats and dogs living harmoniously together.

The problem is that cats and dogs do not always understand each other's body language or behavior. In addition, cats are seen as a woman's pet while dogs are a man's hunting companion. "To fight like cat and dog" alludes to the ongoing enmity between the two species, and by extension to men and women arguing. It probably derives from pitting cats against dogs for sport, something still done illegally as a way of readying dogs for dog-fights.

A 19th Century saying is "the cat and dog may kiss, but none are better friends" and also means to fight like cat and dog, albeit in a roundabout, sarcastic way.

Q: How can I prevent my cat from playing with toilet paper?

A: You might try and hang the roll so that the paper hangs down between the roll and the wall rather than over the top of the roll. (But I can't stand this - drives me crazy).

If that doesn't work you can get a cover that rests on top of the toilet paper to make it harder to pull, and cover the loose end. Another idea is to balance a small paper cup full of water or a can with rocks or pennies in it on top of the roll. As a last choice you might have to keep the bathroom door closed.

Q: How can I know when my cat is sick?

A: A healthy, well-cared-for cat is not likely to a present a health problem. However, it is up to you to recognize the signs that your kitten is not her usual perky self. This means you need to be very familiar with your kitten’s normal behavior. You should be the one to feed, water, and groom the kitten and clean the litter box. This will give you the opportunity to notice anything that is out of the ordinary.

Q: How can I know when to take my cat to the vet?

A: There are several signs that could indicated that your cat needs special care. If you witness any of the following, a trip to the vet is in order.

• Doesn’t groom itself.
• Sneezes repeatedly and has a runny discharge coming from its eyes or from its nose.
• Has difficulty urinating.
• Scratches its ears repeatedly and a brown discharge comes out of the ears.
• Has bad breath and brown scales form on the back teeth.
• Stops eating its regular food for several days.
• Sits quietly by itself or hides for long periods of time.
• Has diarrhea or vomits often for more than 24 hours.
• Breaths rapidly or has difficulty breathing.

FACT # 1: A cat will never break a sweat because it has no sweat glands. Black cat superstitions originated in America. In Asia and England, a black cat is considered lucky. Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion. Cats can compress or elongate their spine, making them smaller to sleep in snuggly places or longer to leap across wide open spaces.

FACT # 2: A cat's tail plays a vital part in the cat's balance and in the "righting reflex" that allows it to land on its feet after falling from a height.

FACT # 3: A cat's tongue is scratchy because it's lined with papillae—tiny elevated backwards hooks that help to hold prey in place.

FACT # 4: A group of adult cats is called a clowder. A group of kittens is called a kindle.

FACT # 5: Black cat superstitions originated in America. In Asia and England, a black cat is considered lucky.

FACT # 6: Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion.

FACT # 7: Cats can compress or elongate their spine, making them smaller to sleep in snuggly places or longer to leap across wide open spaces.

Savannah River Bengals

Ryan Creek Bengals

Mom Dukes Bengals

LazyDays Bengals

The prohibition on dogs may be less of a surprise, since conservative Muslims despise dogs as unclean. But the cat ban befuddled many, since Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats – and even let a cat drink from his ablutions water before washing himself for prayers.

The decree – which applies to the Red Sea port city of Jiddah and the Holy city of Mecca bans the sale of cats and dogs because “some youths have been buying them and parading them in public.”