Feline Philately

[ Table of Contents ]

I have been collecting postage stamps and associated material including domestic cat images for a number of years, and the collection has grown enormously and become quite advanced. From 2000 to the end of 2003 I wrote a series of articles about new cat-stamp issues for The Cat, the magazine of the UK's leading cat charity, Cats Protection. Although that series came to an end in print, it was continued here until the end of 2018, when we retired from active work on the website. The reviews will remain online for reference purposes, for the time being at least, while the pages continue to be hosted.

All our reviews are fully illustrated, and the complete series — including the earlier articles written for The Cat — is listed below.

As well as actual stamps showing cats, we added galleries of postmarks from places with 'cat names', for special occasions, meter marks and US 'fancy cancels'. Various countries are represented.

If you're interested in thematics, see the article for Topical/Thematic Stamp Collecting.

Contents

Last Two Reviews of New Issues
[ scroll down for the full series of older reviews ]

December 2018
Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China (PR), China (Taiwan), Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador,
France, Great Britain, Iceland, Isle of Man, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jersey, Latvia, Madagascar, Netherlands,
Nevis, Norway, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine
(plus a brief note of Stamperija issues from Central African Republic, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Maldives, Mozambique, Niger, Sao Tome é Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo)

December 2017
Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada, China People's Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Denmark, France,
French Polynesia, Germany, Grenada, Iceland, Isle of Man, Japan, Korea (South), Netherlands, Russia, San Marino, Serbia,
Singapore, Suriname, Sweden, Transnistria and Ukraine
(plus a brief note of Stamperija issues from Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives,
Mozambique, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands and Togo)

and

Cat Postmarks
Cancellations from places with 'cat names', from various countries

Cat Postmarks 2 — 3 — 5
Pages of cancellations for special occasions

Cat Postmarks 4
A gallery of meter marks and American 'fancy cancels'

Topical/Thematic Stamp Collecting
This article discusses sources for thematic collecting, what you might collect,
and how to keep your collection

Older Reviews 2000–2017

February 2017
Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Denmark, France, Isle of Man, Madagascar, Netherlands,
Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sweden, USA

August 2016
China, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Luxembourg, Maldives, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland,
Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Turkey

January 2016
Belgium, Bequia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cuba, Cyprus (Turkish), Finland, Iceland, Madagascar, Maldives, Netherlands,
Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, St Kitts, Tristan da Cunha

August 2015
Alderney, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Burundi, Canada, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cuba,
France, Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Nevis, Poland, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Switzerland,
Taiwan, Thailand

January 2015
Czech Republic, Great Britain, Maldives, Niger, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey

September 2014
Åland, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Macau, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Serbia,
Solomon Islands, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda

April 2014
Austria, Belarus, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Guyana,
Japan, Lithuania, Monaco, Netherlands, Solomon Islands, Transnistria

December 2013
Alderney, Belarus, Bulgaria, China (PR), Croatia, Dominica, Germany, Grenada, Hawaii, Isle of Man, Japan, Korea (North),
Latvia, Montserrat, Niger, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Tanzania, Togo

September 2013
Canada, France, Japan, Latvia, Marshall Islands, Palau, Russia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan

April 2013
Austria, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montserrat, Portugal, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Togo, Turkish Cyprus

December 2012
Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Guinea-Bissau, Ireland, Isle of Man, Japan, Mexico,
Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Togo, Tuvalu, Ukraine

April 2012
Andorra, Belarus, Croatia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, Mozambique, Pakistan, South Korea

December 2011
Australia, Isle of Man, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey

August 2011
Albania, Belgium, Faroe Islands, France, Gambia, Isle of Man, Japan, Morocco, Nevis, Ukraine

April 2011
Antigua & Barbuda, Chad, Hong Kong, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Monaco, Romania, South Georgia, Switzerland, Vietnam

December 2010
Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Israel, Japan, Jersey, Liberia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, United States, Vanuatu;
and (not illustrated) Guinea and St Thomas & Prince

July 2010
Belgium, Faroes, Finland, Greece, Guinea, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Palau, United States + postmark from York, UK

March 2010
France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Palau, Poland, Sierra Leone, St Thomas & Prince, Sweden

December 2009
Åland, Belarus, Belgium, Japan, Monaco, St Thomas & Prince, San Marino, Tajikistan, and 'Mailcats'

September 2009
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Comoro Islands, Cuba, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, San Marino, St Thomas & Prince

June 2009
Belgium, Benin, China, France, Guinea, Hungary, Japan, Monaco, Singapore, St Thomas & Prince

December 2008
Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and Turkey,
+ an older Christmas first day cover from GB, 2001

September 2008
Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Carriacou and Petite Martinique (formerly the Grenadines), Czech Republic,
Finland, Great Britain, Grenada, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Slovakia, Tuvalu, Ukraine

March 2008
Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and the Netherlands

December 2007
Alderney, East Timor, Ghana, Great Britain, Iraq, Micronesia, Netherlands, Peru and Serbia

September 2007
Austria, Ireland, Moldova, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Singapore, Slovakia, Thailand,
Tristan da Cunha and Ukraine

June 2007
Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cuba, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, and Macedonia

March 2007
Belgium, Cuba, Ecuador, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia,
the Philippines, Poland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States

December 2006
Argentina, Belgium, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine;
and older Christmas stamps from Ghana, Iceland, Norway, Palau and St Vincent

September 2006
Finland, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, St Thomas & Prince,
Singapore, and Switzerland

June 2006
Albania, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, The Gambia,
Great Britain, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Taiwan

February 2006
Great Britain, Japan, Latvia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Romania,
Rwanda, Sweden, Taiwan

November 2005
Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Cuba, East Timor, Great Britain, Japan
Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Portugal, St Helena, Singapore

June 2005
Austria, Brazil, Congo, The Gambia, Grenada, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Netherlands,
Nevis, Sierra Leone, Spain, St Vincent, Tajikistan

March 2005
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Iceland, St Thomas & Prince, the United Nations

December 2004
Aland, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Malaysia,
South Korea, St Thomas & Prince, Taiwan, Turks & Caicos

October 2004
Armenia, Australia, Ireland, Montserrat, New Caledonia, San Marino,
Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Ukraine

June 2004
Antigua & Barbuda, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Malta, Netherlands,
Slovenia, Union Island, United States

March 2004
Belgium, Brazil, Grenada, Liberia, Micronesia, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles,
Norway, St Thomas & Prince, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Tanzania, Turks & Caicos

December 2003
Antigua & Barbuda, Belgium, France, Guinea, Netherlands, Serbia, Sierra Leone,
St Thomas & Prince, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine

August 2003
Faroe Islands, Guinea, Japan, Jersey, North Korea, Singapore
+ older Christmas stamps from The Gambia, Great Britain, Jersey, Nevis, New Zealand, Norway

April 2003
Aland, Australia, Dominica, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan,
Malaysia, Mexico, Ukraine

January 2003
The Congo, France, Guinea, Jersey, Netherlands, Philippines, United States

September 2002
Aland, Cambodia, The Gambia, India, Macau, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Poland

May 2002
Cyprus, Great Britain, Japan, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Moldavia, Portugal,
Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, Togo

January 2002
Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic,
Germany, Great Britain, Guyana, Israel, Mali, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Uganda

November/December 2001
Albania, Aruba, Czech Republic, Cuba, Guyana, St Thomas & Prince,
El Salvador, Fiji, France, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands Antilles, Switzerland, Taiwan

July/August 2001
Angola, the Bahamas, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Czech Republic, The Gambia,
Great Britain, Grenada, Grenadines, Iceland, Japan, Mauritania, Micronesia, Sierra Leone,
Slovakia, St Helena, Turks & Caicos, Ukraine

March/April 2001
The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, St Vincent & the Grenadines, former Trucial States (now UAE)

January/February 2001
Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Ghana, Guinea, Japan, Kosova,
Nicaragua, Tanzania, Tuvalu

November/December 2000
Congo Republic, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tadjikistan,
Tanzania, Udmurtia, Western Sahara

September/October 2000
Afghanistan, Belgium, China, Dominica, Great Britain, Liberia,
Mozambique, North Korea, Slovenia, Tanzania

July/August 2000
Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Congo Republic, Djibouti, Guernsey,
Indonesia, Isle of Man, Japan, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, United States, Zambia

May/June 2000
Argentina, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo,
France, Netherlands, Venezuela

March/April 2000
This being the first in our series of reviews, it was a longer article which has been split here into two.
Part 1
briefly covers the story of cat stamps and includes descriptions/illustrations from:
Belgium 1959 and 1960; Cuba 1957; East Germany 1959 and 1960s; France 1956; Hungary 1959;
Luxembourg 1961; Netherlands 1952, 1962, and 1964; Poland 1964; Spain 1930; Timor 1960;
West Germany/West Berlin 1960s
Part 2
includes the (then) more recent issues from:
Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Japan, Liberia,
Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Singapore, Tanzania, Togo

Our featured feline Chico (see head of the page) belonged to a lady in the Swiss village of Chesières who lived near the ground-floor office where I worked in the mid-1980s. Every so often he liked to pass by, spend a little time with us and check we were doing everything properly.