The Beaver re-branded for modern readers

Long-running Canadian nature/pet magazine The Beaver this week announced its imminent re-branding as North American Pussy. The change comes after a shift towards smaller, more manageable companions.

Many Canadian girls used to keep beavers in the 70s and 80s, but with today's busy lifestyles, they are now far more likely to have a fluffy tail on their lap than a wet beaver – if there's anything there at all.

Founded in 1920 by the Hudson's Bay Company, The Beaver achieved its greatest success in 1995, when a daring exposé led to a Supreme Court ruling outlawing discrimination against three-legged beavers.

Unfortunately the beaver-beating cases of '97, followed four years later by a highly-publicized beaver-eating scandal both indirectly tarnished the magazine's image, costing the publishers millions.

In 2003, The Walrus was introduced, drawing many long-time beaver-lovers. Worse, styles had changed, as Beaver editor Mark Reid explained:

Market research showed us that younger Canadians and women were very very unlikely to ever buy a magazine called The Beaver

The inaugural issue of the newly-branded magazine is devoted to proper care of your pussy, from head to tail. Future issues are to contain advice for breeders, and the controversial topics of trimming, dying and shaving fur – including the so-called "Lion Cut."

But if publishers hope to attract today's generation of fuzzy fans, they may have to find something a little more adventurous for the cover than the raised tail that often greeted Beaver subscribers. As one young reader noted, "I can see plenty of [cats] online."