Here is some interesting information I received from The Bow Wow Meow that I thought you might enjoy reading:HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR----------------------------------------------The year of the Metal Dragon began on February 5 of this year. According to Chinese astrology this promises to be a time of high energy and exuberance. The dragon demands trust and faith and a daring to fly high among the clouds. As this dragon is ruled by metal, the chances for wealth, authority and excellence are heightened.For those who take risks, it is time to make lots of money. For those who do not believe in the dragon's magic, it is a time of wariness and outrage at the excesses of the year. For some it will be the perfect opportunity to develop creatively.THE NAMING GAME----------------------------------------------These are suggestions for naming your pets:Some Chinese names which caught our eye are Chen which means precious. Another is Cheng which translates as correct. For cute factor, there is Chu which means pearl, or Hong which means pink, suitable for a little cat or dog with a pink nose or tongue perhaps. Then there is I Chih, or Chih for short, meaning honourable and intelligent.ASIAN BREEDS---------------------------------------------- In the spirit of Chinese New Year, we thought we would profile some cat breeds which herald from Asian shores, for those of us who can't fit the dragon in our urban residences.In the feline realm, the Siamese is one of the most famous Asian breeds. Its origin is thought to be somewhere in Southeast Asia, in the Malay States, Indo-China, Burma or the Himalayan region. This is corroborated by the similarities between Siamese and the cats of this region that have kinked tails, svelte appearance and are long headed. The royal cats of Siam were jealously guarded by the King of Siam at his palace in Bangkok. The original palace cats were dark-coloured with yellow eyes, which is very different to the current Siamese. Some mutations occurred which caused the distinguishing points and blue eyes that we know today. In 1884 a pair of Siamese was brought to Britain by the then British Consul-General in Bangkok. His sister then began the Siamese Cat Club in 1901. A popular legend regarding this cat is that a Siamese princess who was frightened of losing her rings while she bathed in a stream noticed her cat had crooked its tail so that she could hang her jewellery from it. Ever since then, Siamese have had a kink in their tail to hold the princess' rings, according to this legend.NAMES OF THE MONTH----------------------------------------------If the naming game has whet your appetite, the bowwow website has a monthly feature which records the top names of the month for dogs and cats, entitled Names of the Month. One of the favourites for January 2000 was, appropriately, Millennium. You can check out the favourite names not only for the current month, but right back to the beginning of 1998. The name and its particular or quirky application are listed, and can inspire you when immersed in that confusing world of name selection. And if you want to be part of the fun, feel free to log your own suggestions in Your Suggestions. Just head to http://www.bowwow.com.au/suggest/index.html THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT---------------------------------------------- The Twyford Wildlife Centre saw the famous nursery rhyme come to life when Bjork, a little eagle owlet was ostracised by her fellow owls and was pining away. The centre's cat, Chief, had just had kittens, so Bjork was smuggled into the cat basket. The mother took to the owl as if she was another kitten. Bjork and her new brothers and sisters played games and even slept in the same basket.Some other cat tidbits we found of interest are: Cats make over one hundred distinctly different sounds. This observation was made by a blind musician who conducted a study of cat noises.The average cat has 130,000 hairs per square inch on its stomach.Composers who kept cats included Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Stravinsky, Ravel, Scarlatti and Debussy. Best Regards The Bow Wow team ______________________________________________ *** Recommendation ****We depend on word-of-mouth to spread the word about this newsletter. If you enjoy reading it please tell a friend who can sign up for a free subscription on our web site at: http://bowwowmeow.listbot.com/______________________________________________ Copyright 2000 by Bow Wow Meow Pty. Ltd. May be reproduced for non-commercial purposes as long as attribution is given.