Win A Free Book And Some Top Quality Cat Food!

After the success of the Hardest-Looking Cat Competition at the Under The Paw launch party the other week (see finalist Batman above), I've decided to revive the challenge and open it up to Facebook and myspace and littlecatdiaries blog readers. The winning entry will win a signed copy of my new book Under The Paw: Confessions Of A Cat Man and a box of Applaws gourmet cat food (the meal of choice of Under The Paw's feline anti-hero, The Bear).

Photos of cats should be sent to underthepaw@tom-cox.com and entries will close on 21st July. In the time from now until then, I'll be featuring longlisted cats here every 3-4 days and readers will have the chance to influence the outcome by posting their enthusiasm underneath (though obviously voting for your own cat is not allowed).

For an example of the calibre of submissions for the previous (limited entry) competition, go HERE.

Finally, please note that this competition is NOT limited to members of the Under The Paw facebook group and friends of Six Sodding Cats on myspace. Anyone can enter, so please don't hesitate to invite all your cat-owning friends.

Can't wait to see the pictures!

A Bear and a Bear!

Mail Online brings us yet more news of animal antics from the Berlin Zoo - this time the beautiful friendship between a cat that looks like The Bear and... an actual bear.

Your Cat Magazine

I have an article in the July issue of Your Cat Magazine, which is on sale in all good newsagents and supermarkets from June 15th. That's me on the cover up there, hiding behind the indignant black wannabe Siamese/Bombay loudmouth. Do check out their smart new website.

More Pics From The Times Shoot

I thought I'd post some more pics from the shoot for last week's Cat Men article in The Times, since they're some of the very best ever taken of my cats. The photographer was Jason Bye, who, when not patiently accommodating small furry megalomaniacs, has been known to take the odd snap of David Attenborough, Norman Mailer, Richard E Grant and Europe's oldest man. You can check out his excellent website here.

Stray Dave Chows Down On His Spoils

Thanks to Lenise for taking these pics of the Under The Paw Hardest-Looking Cat Comp Winner enjoying his prize at the Lewisham branch of CHAT.

Stray Dave: Hard, Or Just Plain Adorable?

Last night my publishers held a small but perfectly formed launch party for Under The Paw in a room above a pub in London's Covent Garden. The highlight of the party was the Hardest-Looking Cat competition, for which the prize was a job lot of the (so The Bear tells me) very tasty Applaws cat food. Participants were asked to bring a photo of their - or a close friend's - toughest cat; a longlist and shortlist of finalists was drawn up by three judges after much-deliberating*, then the room was asked to show its disapproval or approval via the medium of noise. I feel confident in predicting that 2008 will end with this being the only literary party of the year to have included 30-odd people standing next to a bar alternately booing and cheering pictures of cats.

The unequivocal winner was Stray Dave (see above). Dave is still at the Lewisham Branch of the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, looking for a home. Scroll down THIS page to find him. I can't help but feel that the overwhelming support for him was nothing to do with his apparent toughness - he actually looks more inebriated than hard - and more to do with the fact that everyone in the room probably felt an instinctive need to shower him with love and cheer him up. I have to confess I'm very tempted to take a trip down to South London this weekend, even though I've told myself that six mogs is my limit. Lenise, who helps look after Dave at CHAT, struggled out of the room with three boxes full of high quality sustenance for him.

Below I've included pics of some of the other cats who made the longlist. Hannah, who sent in the photo of Mee Mau assures me she isn't taking the piss, but I'm not sure I believe her.

Milo (also in residence at the Lewisham branch of CHAT):


Barnaby:


Badass:


Batman (DON'T LOOK AT THE EYES!!):


Mee Mau:



* E.g. Does a cat automatically become hard just because he is behind bars in quarantine?

Piece about Cat Men in The Times

I've written a piece about the underacknowledged stereotype of The Cat Man in today's (UK) Times newspaper. I must say I'm enjoying that classic soulful, questioning look The Bear is giving the photographer in the main picture (see above). Actually, it's a wonder that The Bear, Pablo, Shipley, Ralph or Janet got in on the action at all, the way Bootsy was throwing her weight around during the shoot.

By the way: if anyone wants to check it out, that t-shirt I'm wearing with the cat and the jockey - my only bit of cat-related clothing, I feel compelled to point out - came from the excellent Threadless website. It's called Jump.