cat The lifestyle magazine for modern cats and their companions PREMIERE ISSUE
Secrets to Good Health p44
Publications Agreement Number 40743013 Return Mail Dept, 202–343 Railway St., Vancouver, BC V6A 1A4
Irresistible Cat Toys
MODERN DESIGN AT HOME
WHAT YOUR CAT REALLY WANTS
Cat People vs Dog People
Make It! Cool DIY Projects
Vintage Cat Posters
FineLine Technologies
MEET THE RAGDOLL BLOGGING 101 FAMOUS CAT LOVERS TINY CONFESSIONS STUFF WE LOVE
JN Index 80% 1.5 BWR PU
F/W 12
DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 13
$5.95
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74470 80767
Plus Win it! We’re giving away tons of great stuff! page 24
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ONT OK I M J U LSIM A I’ TSHC A T S © 2 0 1 2 , A B R A M S I L L U S T R APTHI O
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FEATURES 26
What Your Cat Really Wants Do right by your cat. Give her these essentials and you’ll both enjoy a long, loving partnership. BY STEVE DUNO
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Cat People vs. Dog People Are there real personality differences? BY STANLEY COREN
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Behind the Scenes: Meet the Cover Cat Meet this issue’s cover cat, the amazing Corky whose triumph over adversity (and his pretty darn amazing guardian Gail Ventzke) are nothing short of inspiring.
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A Rare Vintage 20 Our new obsession? Vintage cat posters. BY ROSE FROSEK Cat Blogging 101 Seeking additional income, fame, and a home for all those great photos of your cat? Start that blog, already!
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BY JESSICA NOSEK
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Friends or Foes? How to keep the peace in a cat/dog household.
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Dancing with the Cats Carrie Ann Inaba on the cats who danced their way into her heart. BY MARY-JO DIONNE
BY STEVE DUNO
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THE GOODS 40
Let’s Play! Your cat wants these toys.
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Style: The Design Files Modern design at home.
BREED PROFILE The Ragdoll Meet this laid-back cat with a great disposition. BY TANYA KENEVICH
BODY AND SOUL 42
Back to the Future; Tapeworm Troubles; The Find
43 Pass the Grass; DIY Grow Op; True Carnivores; 44
Secrets to Good Feline Health Seven secrets to making an educated choice when choosing your cat’s food. BY ELIZABETH PASK AND LAURA SCOTT
LIVING 10
Stuff We Love Modern Cat staffers’ picks of the litter.
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The Scoop Cat news and reviews.
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Tiny Confessions Deepest thoughts and secret admissions revealed! BY ROSE FROSEK
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18 Meow! Modern Cat Photo Contest Winners Meet this issue’s selection of cuties.
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We’re Giving It Away We’ve got months of groovy giveaways, from a mod litter box to elevated cat dining stations, just waiting to be won!
30 Meet the Maine Coon A North American original, back from near extinction. BY ROB SPOONER
REGULAR FEATURES 6 Editor’s Letter 8 Contributors 12 The Scoop 18 Meow! Photo Contest 76 Marketplace
COVER CAT Hailing from Fargo, ND is Corky the Cradle Cat, winner of our Modern Cat Cover Cat Contest with a whopping 39,000+ votes. The charismatic Corky is the face of non-profit cat rescue CATS Cradle. Photographed by Ria Czichotzki of Rialee Photography.
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DIY Craft Make it! A crafty cat project that uses recycled material? Now that’s the cat’s meow.
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DIY Eat Homemade, organic chicken and catnip cat treats.
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Art Attack With still life-honed technique and decorative backgrounds, Diane Hoeptner’s watercolour and colour pencil cats have us captivated.
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Connie’s Book Club Curl up with a good cat and a good book. Editor-in- Chief Connie Wilson’s selection of must-reads.
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Last Lick: Cat Woman Before you know it, you could end up at a Cats Anonymous Support Group Meeting.
BY NASTASHA SARTORE
BY SUZANNE BEECHER
I L LU ST R AT I O N CH R I STO P H E R R OZ Z I
PA I N T I N G D I A N E H O E PT N E R
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am absolutely thrilled to be writing the Editor’s Letter for the premiere issue of Modern Cat magazine. It is a labour of love and I think we’re addressing a real hole in the market when it comes to providing cool, smart, and good looking cat-focused editorial. Modern Cat actually began life years ago when we registered moderncat.com and moderncatmagazine.com way back in 2004/2005, and debuted with a section within Modern Dog magazine beginning with the Fall 04 issue with Regis and Kelly on the cover (Regis is a devoted cat lover). So it’s beyond exciting to see Modern Cat as a magazine of its own where we have the space to present even more finds, fun, tips, enthusiasms—in short, all the best on offer for cats and their people. Woohoo! What I’m most excited about, though, is the community we are building, one of like-minded individuals united in their love of cats and their desire to return the happiness and joy their felines give them. It’s wonderful to be able to offer a platform for the sharing of advice and knowledge, as well as for animal advocacy. A big part of Modern Cat’s mission is to support rescue and I’m so pleased we’ll be able to use our combined voices to influence positive change, promoting the adoption option, finding “furever” homes for shelter cats, and encouraging spaying and neutering to reduce the number of unwanted or unplanned for cats ending up in the shelter system. Our collective support helps animal shelters receive funding and the much-needed backing of the communities they work within. One organization deserving of a shout out is the “no-kill” Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) that operates two shelters in Richmond, BC, one of which houses North America’s largest cat sanctuary and sits on six acres of serene, suburban farmland. “Cat paradise” may not be
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overstating things. It provides a home to more than 200 cats. The shelter is maintained by around 100 dedicated volunteers and is funded primarily by private donations and through the earnings of their thrift store. My photo on this page was taken with an adorable RAPS City Shelter kitten named Henley who is up for adoption (for more info go to rapsociety.com). So, here’s what to expect from Modern Cat: the best ideas and solutions for a life with cats. Get ready to be inspired. We’re rounding up the very latest and greatest of what’s new in the cat world, from cool finds to must-haves; health and wellness; tips and recipes; DIY projects; inspired and inspiring design; breed profiles; behavioural advice; exclusive interviews with cat-loving stars, designers, and rescuers; giveaways; contests; and much, much more! When you consider the place our cats hold in our hearts and households, Modern Cat magazine is a natural. In this issue we get to know the Ragdoll, figure out what it is that your cat really wants, explore the differences between cat people and dog people (yes, the differences are real), share our new obsession, vintage cat posters, get our veterinary nutritionists to give us the low-down on the secrets to feline good health, curate a collection of the coolest cat toys and things for the home, introduce our Cover Cat contest winner, and loads more, so delve in! And don’t forget to join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for DIYs, gorgeous photos, musings, inspiring stories, a behind-the-scenes peek at what we’re up to in the MC office, and, of course, our popular Friday Freebies! With love,
Connie Wilson, Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief
I have lived with many Zen masters, all of them cats.
—From Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell
P H O T O J ESSI C A N OSE K
ED ITO R ’S LE T T E R
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C ON TRIBUT OR S Tanya Kenevich is an editor in New Jersey and an avid fan of animals, especially cats. Her dream is combining her two passions in life—cats and writing. When she’s not writing or editing, Tanya enjoys trying new types of ethnic cuisine, reading mystery novels and books about animals, and playing servant to her adopted Himalayan, Priscilla. Funny cat poses are also encouraged, if the mood strikes. Tanya also enjoys blogging and watching Animal Planet, although Priscilla enjoys neither. Check out Tanya’s Modern Cat debut, a profile on the loveable, outgoing Ragdoll, on page 20.
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VOL 1 NO 1
Publisher
Modern Dog Inc. Editor-in-Chief
Connie Wilson Editor & Creative Director
Jennifer Nosek
Circulation Manager & Marketing Director
Jessica Nosek
Circulation Supervisor
Jane Hope
Design & Production
Maxine Matishak
Design & Production Assistant
Vanessa Dong
Sales & Marketing
Sara Lima, Mary Liu Editorial Assistant
Olivia Fellows
Editorial Interns
Lori-Lee Emshey Sarah Iannone Nastasha Sartore Accounting and Subscription Services Assistant
Ria Czichotzki, owner of Rialee Photography, is a family, child, and pet photographer based in Fargo, ND. Working out of her natural light loft studio located in historic downtown Fargo, Ria has made a name for herself in the photography world with her simple and modern style. So when we needed a photographer for our cover shoot with Corky, winner of our Cover Cat Contest, we knew we’d found our woman. Turn to page 36 to meet Corky and see some of the behind-the-scenes action.
Author Suzanne Beecher, author of Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life, is all kinds of amazing. She has owned a restaurant, founded and published a business magazine, started a nonprofit program to feed the homeless, and homeschooled her youngest son. Today, from Sarasota, FL, where she lives with her husband and cats, she writes a daily column at dearreader.com and designs book clubs for libraries. 375,000 people read her daily emailed column and excerpted book selection. In this issue (page 80), Suzanne shares how she somehow became Cat Woman (sometimes these things choose us). Read more about Suzanne’s book at muffinsandmayhem.com.
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Celine Benipayo Controller
Cecilia de Roca Chan Donations Program Liaison
Jessica Nosek
Honourary Editor-at-Large
Jytte Wilson
Subscription inquiries call (800) 417-6289 Advertising inquiries call (866) 734-3131 In Canada: MODERNCAT (ISSN 1929-3933) Volume 1, Issue 1. Published biannually by Modern Dog Inc. at Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Cat, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 In USA: MODERNCAT (ISSN 1929-3933) Volume 1, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at 142 Churchill Drive, Newington, CT 06111-4003. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and additional offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402. PHONE
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The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, images, photographs or other materials. By accepting and publishing advertising the publisher in no way recommends, guarantees or endorses the quality of services or products within those advertisements. Copyright 2012/13 by Modern Dog Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, electronic or mechanical, including the Internet or photocopying without the written permission of the Publisher. Modern Cat and its logotype are the trademarks of Modern Dog Inc. Subscription orders and customer service inquiries should be sent to Modern Cat Subscription Services, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4
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