A cat called Luna Pontoon, and other pets we featured in our January newsletter

In January, we featured 16 cats and seven dogs in our weekday newsletter.

Here are 12 pets we featured in our Morning Report newsletter in 2024

Pets featured in the Morning Report in November

St. Paul’s new cat cafe brings community, coffee shop charm to Grand Avenue

There was a cat called Mao and another named Luna Pontoon. For dogs, we celebrated Lucy and Lola and another called Bruno.

For Memorial Monday, we remembered Sofie and Elliot.

Friday, Jan. 31

Virgil as Santa Claus.

We continue to celebrate the holidays here in the pet corner.

“Virgil impersonates Santa Claus for the grandkids!” Lisa wrote in December.

Merry Christmas, Virgil!

Thursday, Jan. 30

Miss Luna Pontoon

“This is Miss Luna Pontoon, a rescue of unknown pedigree whose personality fills whatever space she’s in,” writes Tim of Hudson, Wis. “Here, she’s observing me diligently working in my home office, on one of her favorite spots, just over my computer monitors.

“Her other preferred location is in my lap, which she reluctantly shares with our canine adoptee, Coda.”

Luna and Coda

Wednesday, Jan. 29

Clarence

“Grandkitty Clarence is snuggling with Grandma during a holiday visit,” Glenice writes. “Clarence is named after the angel who hadn’t gotten his wings in the movie, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ He loves to snuggle and often comes right up to my face and puts his front paws on either side of my neck. Nice kitty hug!”

Tuesday, Jan. 28

Lucy and Lola

Christmas in January?

Here in the pet corner it is, as we are still going through your submissions from over the holidays (thank you for your patience).

With that said, happy holidays to Lucy and Lola!

“These are my granddogs, Lucy, 12, and Lola, 4,” Caryn writes. “They get so excited for Christmas and want to offer helping ‘paws’ to get things all done in time for Christmas. They want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

Monday, Jan. 27 (Memorial Monday)

Sofie

“Here is my friend’s cat, Sofie, who lived a long life of 16 years,” Deb writes. “She was the queen of the house and she and her sister, Zygi, are greatly missed.”

Friday, Jan. 24

Bruno

“Hello, I’d like to introduce Bruno,” Cindy writes. “My daughter and son-in-law adopted him in November and it was love at first sight. Bruno is now living his best life and is a wonderful addition to our family. He is a very good boy!”

Wednesday, Jan. 22

Doodles

Kathy of White Bear Lake calls this photo, “A Cold Winter’s Day.”

“I took this picture of Doodles on Dec. 21, the first day of winter, ” Kathy writes. “‘Doodles’ was named after Yankee Doodle Dandy as she was born on the 4th of July.

“Doodles is one of four cats in the household, and of the four, she is one of two that I have been ‘fostering’ for a friend for the past three years. Doodles is very friendly and affectionate. She has a thick fur coat and LOVES being brushed. She also loves to rub up against my legs so that I’m reminded of her throughout the day as I view the remnants of her white coat she leaves behind on my leggings. Her favorite spot to stay warm is directly on this heat register.”

Tuesday was a good day for that, Doodles!

Tuesday, Jan. 21

Ted and Mo

“This is Mo (orange) and Ted (gray),” EG writes.

“We adopted Ted from the Humane Society in January 2023. He was about nine months old and was with his brother (who another family took just before us). We think it was traumatic to suddenly be without his brother, and he is a very very anxious kitty.

“So, In April we got Mo, who was about six weeks old from a litter found abandoned. Mo is friendly and sweet — and huge. They love to play and snuggle. Ted is still anxious but has been ever slowly improving with Mo’s help.”

Monday, Jan. 20

Lowla

“Some cute dog pictures for the Daily Doggo feature,” Scott writes. “Lowla (wire-haired Dachshund) found the beanbag chair and snuggled so far down only her eyes were peeping out. She was soooo comfy.

Summit and Lowla.

“Summit (English Golden Retriever), and Lowla snuggled together on fuzzy blankets. Anywhere there’s something fuzzy, Lowla is right there on top of it, even when the fuzzy thing is Summit.”

Friday, Jan. 17

When their cat, Shabeth, passed away, Nancy’s husband asked the Humane Society to help them find a cat with a similar look and personality.

Two weeks later, he got the call.

“I think we have just the cat for you!” the person with the Humane Society said.

It was Emmy Lou, pictured here.

Emmy Lou

“Emmy Lou is a long-haired gray cat with big feet and an attitude! ” Sandy writes. “She will snuggle when she wants to and play/argue with her sister, Megan Marie, only when she wants to, on her time! As she ages, she tends to sleep more during the day, but loves roaming the house late at night and early morning looking for her favorite stuffed mouse or pestering her people for breakfast at the crack of dawn.

“Emmy Lou hopes all your wishes come true for a happy healthy 2025!”

Thursday, Jan. 16

Diggins

“Meet Diggins, our daughter’s Border Collie rescue who loves to pose,” Terry writes.

Wednesday, Jan. 15

Orca

Meet Orca, who belongs to Shari’s friend.

“Bailey shares with us this photo of Orca, relaxing after a hard day napping,” Shari writes. “She has an eclectic decorating sense, to be sure! Happy New Year.”

Tuesday, Jan. 14

Emmy and Baxter.

“This handsome, blue eyed ragdoll is Baxter,” John writes. “He spent a lot of his kittenhood being a skittish lost little fellow in the urban woods of the Twin Cities. A big snow storm forced him to climb a tree, where he was rescued with a ladder. He was so cold he couldn’t stand, and there was worry of permanent damage. A trip to the vet, food, water and loving warmth revived him. He has become an affectionate, docile fellow who always looks for love, food and a good place to nap. Here he is with his sister, Emmy, who was another lost kitten. They get to go outside in summers at the lake to have adventures, but don’t stray far.”

Monday, Jan. 13 (Memorial Monday)

“If you are reading this, I already know that you cherish and love your pet(s),” writes Karen of Inver Grove Heights. “I am guessing that many of you have unfortunately gone through the worst day in the life of your wonderful pet — that day is when you’ve had to say goodbye to them. I have tears welling up in my eyes as I write this. That being said, I wouldn’t have given up the time I had with any of my fur babies.

“My most recent loss happened in the first quarter of 2024. It has been a longer recovery for me this time as it was a sudden loss and he was my only kitty.

Elliot

“One of my dearest friends knew how much I was continuing to suffer. Around Thanksgiving, she surprised me with a paper cutout of a kitty that could have been created from a photo of my sweet Elliot. The paper kitty came with outfits too! As you can see by the picture, there is a resemblance (or at least I feel that there is). It makes my heart smile and I enjoy changing his outfits. In memory of my sweet Elliot, I am sharing this in case it could bring comfort to others. This paper kitty was created by freshcutpaper.com. They have other kitties and dogs available too!”

Friday, Jan. 10

Oscar

“Kristen and Matt had mixed success with getting their housemates in the festive Christmas spirit!” Mary writes. “Oscar in his tuxedo coat was more accepting but Rudy the tabby was mortified that we would share his photo with your readers! He ended up hiding in their Christmas tree!”

Rudy

Thursday, Jan. 9

“Say hello to Sabrina, part Siamese, part something else,” writes Dan of Maplewood. “White with gray markings and green eyes, this cat showed up in my backyard in early September.

Sabrina

“Unlike the other stray cats, she seemed very friendly, ” Dan tells us. “Every time I opened the door to go out to water the tomatoes, she rushed in and made herself at home, finding a cozy place in which to take a nap. By November, she had become a regular fixture and I began to wonder how she would survive the winter, so I took her in, bought a big bag of cat food and a big container of kitty litter. There were already plenty of cat toys from previous residents, so that was taken care of.

“She did not have any reservations about becoming a permanent guest, ” Dan says. “She enjoys watching birds and getting into arguments (through the window) with the backyard cats. She is also fascinated by running water and will come running whenever she hears a faucet being turned on. She can hide for several hours a day and then will suddenly leap out at me from nowhere. A lost cat? I’m not sure. I suspect she was abandoned …”

We know one thing: Sabrina is loved!

Wednesday, Jan. 8

Mao

“This is Mao,” Cathy writes. “Said correctly in Chinese, it means cat (as opposed to the Chairman). He is sad that Christmas is over and all the fun presents have been opened.”

Same here, Mao.

Tuesday, Jan. 7

William and Harry

“Greetings from OKC (Oklahoma City)!” Ned writes.

Ned’s family relocated from St. Paul to Oklahoma awhile ago now. Their cat, Harry, was featured in the Morning Report last summer (on June 17 in this roundup).

“We’ve added a second cat, William, to our household,” Ned wrote recently. “As you can see, our two get along much better than their more famous namesakes.”

He is referring to Prince William and Prince Harry, of course!

Monday, Jan. 6

Willow

“You were so kind as to print an obituary for our cat Bismarck some months ago,” Mary writes. “We were not looking for a new pet but a relative who fosters many animals had a new arrival who needed a home. So we took in Willow who is about one year old. She is a little thing, just under seven pounds but very active and self-confident. She is very affectionate and likes to follow us around the house.

“In the first photo, she is sitting with my husband at the breakfast table, snuggling up on a cold morning. In the second photo, she is playing with a little stuffed penguin. Wishing you warmth in these cold days.”

You as well, Willow and family!