Gathows: Neopia's Forgotten Treasure

I, being the upstanding blue gathow that I am, prefer to think of my species as a rare and much sought after petpet in the eyes of Neopia. Imagine my surprise as I read the Neopian Times over my owner’s shoulder, only to discover that there are absolutely no articles about us gathows in there! Petpets like kadoaties, meepits, and even slorgs get into the times all the time! The Neopian Times mascot is even a white weewoo! So why are Gathows, who are more superior by far than these other petpets, so lacking in the myriad of pages in the Neopian Times? Is it our rarity? The fact that we shed a lot? Does it just creep people out that we rarely blink?

Whatever the reason, I right then and there correct this critical oversight. After sneaking some paper and a pencil from my master’s desk, I immediately set to work on an article that fully delved into the history, habits, and care of us gathows. So without further ado, I present to you the very first Neopian Times article on gathows, written by me, Sapphire the blue gathow!

Description

We gathows are small, feline petpets with long fluffy fur of varying colors. Our luxurious fur comes in shades of black, pink, green, blue, (like me!) plushie, snow, Tyrannian, white, and yellow. We all have a characteristic star shaped marking on our foreheads, which makes us easily identifiable. This marking isn’t just for looks; it serves a purpose. It allows us to sense the subtle variations in stars’ brightness and movement across the sky, even in the daytime. As a result, we have a very acute sense of time and direction. As a matter of fact, we are some of the best navigators in Neopia! We have small pointy ears and a long tail ending in a furry tuft. We also have extremely sharp claws, making us unpopular with those who spend thousands on Neohome furniture. Be sure not to make us mad, because our claws can be quite painful!

History

Gathows originally hail from the ancient lands of Tyrannia. Our sharp claws allowed us to climb both trees in the Tyrannian jungles as well as rocks and boulders on the plateau. However, the threat of something managing to sneak up on us was always present since our hearing and sense of smell are not the best. To make up for this, we developed exceptionally sensitive vision, and we were able to spot predators and prey from miles away! We were always constantly vigilant, scanning around us at all times. We were so attentive that the natives believed that we never blinked! Of course, we do blink on occasion, but we don’t need to as often as other petpets. Conclusion? Never challenge a gathow to a staring contest!

When early explorers came to Tyrannia, they often welcomed us onto their ships to catch vermin. Our renowned ability to navigate accurately by stars even in the daytime came in very handy on long journeys over the ocean, earning us a permanent spot in many explorer’s ships. It also didn’t hurt that we were thought to bring good luck.

Merchants and explorers who came back from Tyrannia sold us to Neopians for a hefty fee, and we soon became a symbol of power and wealth. We received only the best treatment. However, this status was short lived. We fell out of favor when other petpet like kadoaties came along. Kadoaties were considered fancier than us, and they didn’t leave those pesky hairballs lying around due to their short fur. I personally don’t see what’s so great about them! You can’t even turn the lights off without them yowling their heads off! And they’re so demanding! I mean, just look at the ones in the Kadoatery! Gathows are way better!!! *Ahem*... well, back to the article...

Buying a Gathow

There are three ways to get one of us Gathows. We sometimes come in stock in the Tyrannian petpet shop when the shop owner can catch one of us from the wild. However, this is very rare, as gathows are usually able to avoid any ill conceived attempt at capture, what with our acute vision and superior intelligence. If you’re really lucky, you may find one of us for cheap in a user’s shop, but this is, again, unlikely. The easiest way to buy a gathow is from the auction house or trading post. We usually go for around 900,000 neopoints, so be prepared to empty out that bank account of yours!

A Cozy Home for Gathows

Gathows are very adaptable, and, as a result, can live comfortably in just about any land, although tropical lands like the jungles of Tyrannia are preferred. We don’t like living in Maraqua, however, since we hate water and can’t swim very well. As for our beds, we probably won’t be content with just a simple petpet bed. Domestication has bred much of the wild streak out of us, turning us into delicate, luxury loving petpets. In short, we say the fancier the better! We love nice fluffy cushions by the fire, and if you want to get really fancy, you can always buy us a deluxe blue tower, or even a luxury castle petpet bed! But, if you don’t want to spend thousands of Neopoints, an electric petpet condo or a blue scratching home will also be acceptable. We do like our privacy, however, so make sure you put our bed in a nice, quiet, out of the way spot.

Yummy Treats and Feeding

When it comes to food, we Gathows want only the best! That includes faerie petpet food, Chokato Petpet Food, rainbow petpet food, and fancy petpet food! These lavish treats can cost up to 20,000 neopoints! However, if you don’t want to empty your pockets just to feed us, you can always just buy us disco petpet food, which ranges around 80 neopoints a can. As with most petpets, it’s also good to vary our diets. Try to break the monotony of the classic petpet food with the occasional gourmet treat. Our favorite gourmet foods include Blue Toobers, Terry Berries, Tyrannian Water Neggs, and Honey Blossoms! But we won’t say no to the occasional leftovers from Kelp either...

Keeping your Gathow Happy

Well, now that you have a bed and delicious food for your new petpet, you’re pretty much good to go, right? Wrong! We’re going to need something to keep us occupied all day, or else we’ll find other ways to have fun. And that may mean coming home to find your furniture in shreds, and we don’t want that now, do we? The best way to keep us happy and out of trouble is to buy us some nice toys to play with. Among our favorites are the blue feather toy, purple petpet ball, wind up cootie and zytch, yellow tube toy, veespa petpetnip toy, and any springy toy. You may also want to think about investing in some sort of scratching post, and remember, the fancier the better! I prefer the green tiered scratching post myself, but every gathow is different. Try to cater the best you can to your gathow's specific preferences. If you must, buy a bunch of scratching posts and set them all up in one room. The one your petpet scratches the most is probably their favorite. Once you know which one they like, feel free to return or resell the others.

A Pet for your Gathow

Lastly, if you so choose, you can get your gathow a pet of their own! However, knowing the lavish and expensive habits of gathows, it is safe to assume that a petpetpet will not be cheap. Although, if you still have some spare neopoints after buying your new petpet a bed, food, and toys, a petpetpet is a wonderful investment. We gathows really enjoy having pets of our own to adventure around Neopia with. Petpetpets like Aboogalas, Glymes, Lady Blurgs, Moffits, Squippits, and Wormoebas make great companions. However, many other petpetpets may cause scratching, rashes, and overall misery for us. Be careful when shopping for petpetpets, and never purchase any that could cause us distress!

Well, I certainly hope that my article has shed some light on gathows, the wonderful and forgotten treasures of Neopia! We may be a little high maintenance... well, maybe more than a little... but we’re still excellent companions! If you can afford a gathow, then, by all means, go out and buy one! We’re certainly better than those stuck-up kadoaties... anyway, this is Sapphire the blue gathow signing off! Take care, and remember: Gathows Rule!