People often ask me how I get all the information for this column, and in truth I have to admit that I don’t come up with all of it myself. I rely on a pretty loose knit group of Top of the Mountain Irregulars to keep me informed of goings on around town. This week I received the following special alert from Flannel, one of those irregulars. Here’s the message in his own words:

Okay kitty! Just broke into my human’s computer and need to send out an alarm to all your readers.

This morning, as I was seeking relief on the Danbury News-Times, I happened to read this story about the cat lady who was arrested for having too many cats. Can you imagine…too many cats! Seems to be a problem to humans these days. I’ve heard my human talking about cat ladies and I think she might be one! But the story doesn’t start here…

Me and my mom (Ginger) and four littermates (Sunflower, Black Bart, Loretta, and Kitty Cucumber) were put in a small box and literally dumped at the dump. We were so scared, and we huddled close to mom. My human came to the dump that day and saw some stray kitties hanging around the cans and came over to the dog pound to suggest catching them and at least having them altered. When she saw us shivering and crying, she picked up the box and the rest is history. Sunny and Black Bart are living with a great guy who sends us pictures every Christmas. Kitty Cucumber is living with a lady who feeds her bottled water!! And, Loretta and I lounge around here causing every kind of mayhem with the three other older cats who live here. I’ve heard we’re indoor kitties. Doesn’t matter to me. I get two squares, all the toys I can play with, windows to lounge in and no fleas! I’m a whopping 13 pounds of love.

Moral is...we kitties are great pets! We don’t slobber like dogs. If humans would keep us inside and make sure we don’t have any unwanted pregnancies, life might be easier for the cat ladies of the world. Seems the balance is all off! Old Nissan (she’s 13) remembers reading an article about how this same phenomenon happened to dogs, and then humans got together. Can’t they help us kitties and cats too?

Thanks pal for the forum! Hope our humans can rally together and help all the kitties in our town.

Flannel

I’ve got to say that Flannel has a pretty good point. I hope everyone takes it to heart.

I’ll have to brush off my Madras golfing cap soon. The Newtown Junior Women’s Club 4th Annual Golf Tournament will tee off at 9 am on Monday, August 28, at Whitney Farms Golf Club, 175 Shelton Road in Monroe, for a day of fun that includes 18 holes of golf plus a cart, a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and snacks and beverages served on the course.

While there was no mention of felines, club president Kim DiDomizio noted that the golf tournament is for men and women, age 18 years and up, and that golfers of all skill levels are welcome to join. “This is all about fun,” she said, “and to raise money for the NJWC projects.”

Sponsorship packages are available, ranging in price from $100 to $1,500. Deadline for sponsorship and registration is August 10. To become a sponsor or to register, fill out the form found at www.newtownjuniorwomen.com or mail checks to Newtown Junior Women’s Club, PO Box 217, Botsford CT 06404.

It seems like a part of Edmond Town Hall is missing. But actually it isn’t. The temporary wooden handicap-access ramp, which had been in place for so long near the building’s main entrance that it seemed like a permanent part of the building, has finally been removed.

Now that the elevator and handicap-access improvements on the north side of the building are essentially complete, the temporary ramp was dismantled. The large open area where the temporary ramp stood seems like a good place for some landscaping to dress up the building’s façade.

Sandy Hook resident Jim Shpunt in August will be celebrating his 40th anniversary with the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company. That adds up to a lot of fires since 1966. I recently spotted Jim guarding an area off Bradley Lane where a large tree had fallen onto power lines, creating a hazardous situation.

As PomPom, the Pomeranian who was found badly burned at the Exit 11 commuter parking lot last weekend (and written about in last week’s Newtown Bee) continues to improve, we heard another positive puppy story this week. Mary Villa, who owns Newtown Curtains on South Main Street, recently adopted another dog who was featured in these very pages. Mary saw a photo of Louie, a former resident of the pound, and went right out to meet him. I’m happy to report (as happy as a cat can be when sharing news about a dog, that is) that Mary and Louie hit it off magnificently and Louie is in the process of making himself quite comfortable in his new home.

Joe the barber is working his way into retirement. It’s official: Village Barber Shop, which Marino “Joe the Barber” Pelino has had anchored at Queen Street Shopping Center for nearly four decades, has been sold to a new owner. Joe’s plan is to continue working with the new guy — who reportedly comes from Monroe and has plenty of experience in the male hair-cutting business — full-time for the next six months or so, then ease into part-time hours for another six months.

Time for me to retire, but only for the rest of the week. I’ll be back next week with more, so be sure to…

Read me again.