Who Wants Brush Brush?

Not Allergic!

2010-09-07T23:12:00.006+08:00

The first time that I brought the baby (about a month and a half then) into the cats' room, the cats quickly gathered around. They were happy to see mommy again of course, but were also interested to check out this thing that has been making so much noise in the house. The baby waved his little arms and legs in excitement with all the mewing and movements, and looked at the cats with great curiosity. Mikan reached forward to sniff the baby's face, but we were quickly stopped by a disapproving dad. Well, it was good that the dad stopped us. I was not sure about how the baby's immature immune system would have reacted, and more importantly, I do not want him to develop anything post-contact just in case the cats get the blame.

The baby is now over 4 months old, but he still hasn't had much contact with the animals. He has seen the cats and dog a few times, but there have not been actual touching between them. Doesn't help that the baby gets rashes easily. It could be the warm weather, or the baby really has a sensitive system, I am not sure.

Two weekends ago, the three of us made a visit to a friend's home. Mrs W has numerous free roaming cats in her house and I was naturally anxious. We spent the entire afternoon there and I was very pleased to see that the baby did not react adversely to the environment at all. Moreover, Mrs W's doctor husband explained that the air in their home is surely filled with dander from the cats' coat and proteins from their saliva, such that an allergic person would get reactions (sneezing, itching) the moment they stepped into the house. Hence, it is safe to declare that the baby is not allergic to cats!

We spent yet another afternoon last weekend with fivecatsmom and her lovely family, just talking and hanging out. It is always nice to spend time with like-minded people who can empathise because we share so much in common. The baby lay on the sofa that Tuxie was on, put his hands into his mouth after touching many things, and he was still fine. Watching fivecatskids Bear and Kitten growing up healthy reassured me further.

Now I remember something Dr W said when I asked him when I can start exposing the baby to the cats. He replied, smiling, that the baby is already exposed so I do not have to worry about allergies. (I couldn't quite understand what he meant then, but now I realise that the protein in the cats' saliva are so small that it is easily airborne.) He added that only a very small minority of people are actually allergic to cats, and that most allergies are caused by dust instead. However, most doctors, to be on the safe side, would simply put a blanket ban on all animals (especially cats somehow) when advising on what an allergic patient should do.

In short, there is no need to get rid of the animals when

you get pregnant. For hygiene and a peace of mind, delegate the cleaning of the litter boxes to the husband. (Thank you, Papa!) You will become too big and it will be too uncomfortable for you to bend over the kitty litter bin soon anyway.
the baby is here. You will have less time for them, yes, but if you have a husband like mine who can be trusted to take over the cleaning and feeding, you will have some time to groom the cats and spend quality time together.
your baby has a histamine reaction. The reaction is more likely to be caused by dust. Get an allergy test done before making a rash decision that you will regret later.

We can have children and our animals too.

It's Been a Long Time!

2010-08-25T14:32:00.004+08:00

Many things have happened since the last post. Mostly happy things (marriage, pregnancy - the works), I am glad to say.

While the thought of writing something comes to my mind each time something life-changing happens, something else will crop up, I will get distracted and the posts I have in mind never quite made it here.

Now that the baby is here, I have more time to stay at home but sadly, dramatically less time for the cats.

Anyhow, some of the cat kids' stories are not so happy though. Keeping the long story short for now:

Shiro escaped through a hole in the window mesh in February last year and gave us all a major heart attack. I was a wreck but thank heavens we found her after a few days.
Mikan's perennial affliction with UTI took a turn for the worse earlier this year, when he developed a urinary blockage and was hospitalised for nearly 2 weeks.
Maggie is such a thin cat right now (despite a hearty appetite), the stress of having 3 cats (Mikan, Becksie and Cutie - sigh) who do not like him must be getting to him.

The other cats are nicely plump, and we have recently done some renovations in the cats' room; installing more shelves along a wall to provide more elevated surfaces, and covering the parquet with rubber tiles so that it is easier to clean.

Shall attempt to elaborate at a later time. I just hope that won't take another few years.

Life with the Cats, Their Dad and Patch

2008-09-19T02:08:00.007+08:00

Halfway through dinner today, a neighbour's kid came over asking for help in her homework. With thoughts of "I should be charging you for this" zipping in and out of my mind, I solved the problems for her and she left happy.

(Happy because she understood or happy because she got the solutions?)

As I was locking the gates, their dad delivered news that the fish he left for me was stolen by QQ, whom I bet was showing off her fishy breath to cats elsewhere in the house. Q has developed the habit of sitting across the table, on a chair (she still has manners, mind you), to peer at us during mealtimes. Something their dad is trying to stop but feline stubborness, an indulgent mommy plus the plain cuteness of it all means that she still sits with us thoughout dinner and occasionally, like tonight, gets away with a few bites of fried fish or boiled chicken breast from the soup.

Trying to finish up my rice with the vege dish left (not surprisingly) untouched, their dad hit me with yet another disturbing cat news: Shy, timid Maggie is exerting his dominance over my big boy Mikan. The night before, Mikan was filmed cowering and retreating from Maggie, where all Mag had to do was to stare and inch forward. There was no hearing of such nonsense, Maggie was deliberately allowed to eat last tonight.

Little did I expect one more bad news. Besides the two boys, their mom was also infamously caught on tape, snoozing in front of the TV and breathing rather audibly.

Tired mah. :P

I can hear Patch tossing and grunting somewhere in her sleep. Our sweet old girl is allowed to go everywhere in the house (bedrooms are off limits to all animals though) but we usually find her fast asleep in the kitchen. More on her next time.

Right now, I am on the couch sandwiched between two cats sleeping and purring like the thunder. (Helluva noisy family, I know.) I wish they know that hot, humid weather, human skin and shedding cats are a bad combination. But I'm a bit paiseh to wake them. At least tonight they did not insist on sleeping on the keyboard.

Think I'll tahan for another 5 minutes. Then it's off to their room for these pampered cats.

Laters.

We Grew Up Here

2008-01-01T23:15:00.000+08:00

There are so much to remember about our old place.

Mom was the first thing we saw when we opened our eyes. We dropped our milk teeth here, got weaned off our incessant need of milk, learned to use the kitty litter, wrestled and chased each other like crazy one moment, hated it when the play was too rough the next but loved every minute of being together.

All of us made to our first month and to our first birthday, then the second, third and the fourth. It's really lucky because Princess and Shiro got so sick that we thought they would die. Mom almost killed Princess in another incident but that's another story for another day.

Food time is the best. But mom always has a headache when she decides to cook because Shishi only likes chicken, Cutie only likes fish and Mikan is the only one who would eat pork. One thing that all of us like unanimously though, is Mikan's prescribed food, something our dad grumbles because we finish it so fast and it is extra trouble to get.

We love it when mom plays with us but it happens so rarely. Mom says she is busy but we think she is lazy.

QQ thinks she is queen because she hangs out with mom all the time. No wayyy. Mom calls all of us her number one, she loves us all the same.

Mom talks about moving, she said that we will have to stay in our own room when she is out working but we will be let out once she is home. Sounds like a cool idea. We are not too sure about the dog though.

Will we love our new home? Will we get along with Patch?

Stay tuned.

Complaint

2007-12-30T21:32:00.000+08:00

Their dad commented that admist all the action and excitement that is happening at our place, I had to blog about boring things like vaccination and trapping.

Not boring things what. I just needed to keep track of the things I've done in December.

Truth be told, the things that have happened are starting to look rather foggy in my mind. Procrastination is my vice but all hail the mighty digicam! Dates, action, everything's in there! (It's embarassing to be gushing over digital cameras, I know I know). Anyhow, I've some interesting pictures in my new camera (Christmas present from their dad :D) of the cats moving in, their new room and them getting to know Patch.

I just need to, uhm, find time to upload to the computer first.

Heh.

Second Trapping for the Month of December

2007-12-23T16:55:00.000+08:00

Auntie L and I were down for the second round of trapping and we managed to get another 4 cats for sterilisation. Sadly, the 2 naughty males that we had wanted to get so desperately still managed to outlast our endurance and patience, even with the help of 2 other kindly neighbours whom we've never met, but seem to know the cats well. The boys have grown savvy of our tricks, choosing to stay away though their tums were growling. After 2 hours of baiting and waiting to no avail, we fed them and left.

Determined not to go back empty handed, we spotted and trapped 2 cats from the rubbish collection center, and found 2 more from around Auntie L's place. Though it's good to be able to "clear" 8 strays within 2 weeks, but to have so many unsterilised ones from just 4 blocks of flats just goes to show that our previous sterilisation efforts are not controlling the population. That, or our resident cats are just too plain nice (or rather, lazy) to chase intruders away. Funnily and frustratingly, the ones fighting for territory are the new ones; the residents cats do not give two hoots about the new kids on the block moving in. Compound that with people who dump cats (!@#$%^&*!), there's just no end to this constant sterilisation that drains energy and, well, our finances.

Auntie L refused to let me help her out with the bill this time, I feel so paiseh about it. She doesn't make much each month and has to feed 30 cats every night. I hear her worrying about not being able to cope with the growing number of mouths, the reason I'm all the more determined to help her keep the population in our area low.

Painless Vaccination Day & Patch's Eye Condition

2007-12-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

The doctor called to say that she would arrive in 10 minutes and I quickly zipped over to our place to bring Patch over. By the time I walked Patch over from our place to my mom's where the cats were waiting, the round of jabs was finished. Well, Patch did spend some precious minutes sniffing around and eliminating along the new route, but we couldn't have taken more than 15 minutes. Cats cooped up in a small room with nowhere to hide must have made jabbing a breeze. I had wanted to be there for the cats but I was sure their auntie Angela would have offered comfort to a similar extent. Perhaps even more for QQ, who simply adores her auntie A. :)

My only gripe for the fuss free morning was that the doc did not do a health check on the kids. Guess one can't ask for too much when one is being charged a concessionary rate. At the end, it was a painless day for me (no aching arms and incessantly meowing nervous cats); can't speak so for the cats though. :P

Anyhow, the doc attended to Patch once we got there, jabbed her and went on to check her eyes. It was disheartening to learn that on top of her diagnosed dry eyes condition, Patch's current discomfort is further exacerbated by entropion of her lower lids. The rolling in of the lids irritates her eyes even more, resulting in more active production of the eye gunk that not only obscures her vision, but also prevents oxygen from reaching her eyes. Therefore, it was even more disheartening, but to no surprise, to find blood vessels webbing across her cornea, a sure sign that her eyes are oxygen-starved.

Her dad cleans and drips her eyes religiously every day but to tell the truth, she can do with more than the twice daily frequency. However, it doesn't really help to drip more when we are at home, as the intervals are too close.

Poor poor Patch.

Backdate

2007-12-14T00:00:00.000+08:00

I'm cheating a bit on the dates on the posts to follow. Today is the 25th Dec but I really want to put things down in chronology order. Just want to note down in writing how much (or little) that I have done in these few weeks.

Vaccination Day Later Today

2007-12-13T02:38:00.001+08:00

The guys are still going to get their vaccinations done this year. I'm worried that the stress of moving might affect their immunity and with Patch and myself potentially bringing back all sorts of bugs from outside, I've decided to give them their shots still.

Only difference is, we've called in the doctor this time. There's a housecall charge but we won't have spend half a morning lugging 30kg worth of cats and carriers to the vet. Moreover, I think that they would feel less stressed out by having the doctor to come around instead. They will still be upset and spooked by the presence of a stranger and a queer jab of pain, but I think they will appreciate not having to go out.

More later.

New Kitty Litter Spells Disaster

2007-12-13T01:58:00.001+08:00

Their usual pine litter is out of stock in many shops and we've totally ran out of it at home. Given no choice, I bought the crystal type and prayed that they will take to it.

At first, they sat around to watch and sniff as I emptied a bag into their bin. Then Shishi took a brave step in and jumped out like it was hot water; it felt too funny. Becks walked around on the edge of the bin, dipping her paw in to feel but refusing to step in. The others just sat and watch. No amount of coaxing or encouragement worked so I turned in for the night, hoping for the best.

Checking the bin first thing the next morning, I was relieved to see that someone had taken a leak in the new litter. Feeling confident and after praising the kids for being smart and all, I left for a long day at the sanctuary.

I got back home, disaster awaited. Their uncle Philip told me that someone threw up on the floor. Nothing new really. But when I opened the bedroom door, the stench of uncovered do hit me. Definitely something beyond a couple of regurgitated hairballs.

Someone had emptied a full bladder and entire contents of his/her bowels onto the spare bed.

I cleaned up the mess as good as I could, but the mattress could not be saved. I dumped the mattress together with the soiled pillow. I was so shocked by the extent of the mess, I think I forgot to scold anyone.

The spare bed now lies empty except for two cushions that the kids use for kneading.

Lucky thing the mattress was a cheap one from the pasar malam.

***

The crystal type is so much easier to clean. There is no moisture at all to scoop out and the moisture in the poo bits are usually all absorbed by the crystals by the time I get home to clean. All I had to do is scoop out the dried bits which can be done in 3 minutes. Cleaning time is hence down by at least 80%. Moreover, the floor is kept cleaner for there is no more sawdust covering every surface possible caused by even the slightest of air movement, which is good for their dad's sensitive nose.

Down side: Stench of pee is strong within the box for crystals are not meant to be scooped yet on first use. The floor, though not dusty, is littered with tiny crystal balls that needed to be swept up carefully and diligently. Pee smell can gradually be detected in the room after 3 or 4 days of use.

Continue using, or go back to pine?

Baby Cupcak... Kueh Pie Tee?

2007-12-11T02:44:00.000+08:00

Cookies for the Kids

2007-12-06T12:55:00.000+08:00

Seeing how the kids like oatmeal cookies, their auntie Angela and I decided to make some for them. The recipe looked simple enough, wholemeal flour, rolled oats, peanut butter and water, seasoned with the teeny pinch of salt and some honey. Combine, cut into shapes and bake for 10 mins. An hour of labour and a hundred dog shape cookies were borned.

We had a taste, I hated it. Not like I've tasted sawdust, but I suspect the cookies would taste and feel somewhat like that. Auntie Angela politely said that it wasn't too bad and that it reminded her of the coconut cookies they sell in Malaysia. Their dad complimented on the smell, but stopped short at tasting.

Mikan had a taste, he enjoyed the first cookie, licked the second one and walked away on the third. Shishi and Magmag gave it some attention and then decided it wasn't worth swallowing. The others wouldn't be tempted.

The Maltese was ok, but the Dachshund could use a bit more salt.

Patch, on the other hand, loved it. She had four in a row and wanted more. I was heartened by the appreciation though her dad mumbled something about Patch liking almost anything. No wonder they say dogs are man's best friend. ;D

Trapping on Tuesday Night

2007-12-06T12:22:00.000+08:00

I met up with Auntie L on Tuesday evening to trap the few unsterilised cats we have lingering around our blocks. The two unneutered toms are a nuisance, prefering to choose 4a.m. for their face-offs on most nights.

We were dismayed to find a group of adults having a game of soccer at the void deck two nights ago. Yes, the words "adults", "soccer", "HDB void deck", "at night" did appear in the same sentence. But there were few that a formidable looking cat trap and a couple of crazy cat ladies could not dispel. The group paused for half-time when they realised there was a show to watch. To think that we were way more effective than the "No Soccer" sign displayed prominently on the wall was pretty amusing.

Anyhow, we were swarmed by hungry cats the moment we started to bait the trap. It was afterall feeding time and the sterilised busybodies tried numerous attempts to sneak into the trap to get the fish. Auntie L lured those away and I retreated to the far end of the car park where the pretty silver female was seen pacing. Hunger and the smell of freshly steamed fish proved too much to resist, the nervous girl was caught swiftly. She trashed about wildly in the trap, attracting the attention of the other cats and unfortunately putting the two toms on guard. Returning to the scene after rushing back to Auntie L's place to transfer the girl into a carrier, we baited the trap again for the two males but they had figured out what was going on.

To cut the long story short, we did not manage to get the two toms as planned. They did approach the traps a few times but only to sniff. We did, however, trap another black female cat that appeared out of nowhere. I spotted her at the refuse collection center, chewing through a plastic bag to get to the nasi lemak inside. The fish in the trap once again proved too much to resist. It also helped that she was not there to see when we got silver girl earlier on.

2 hours and 4 cats later, we decided to call it a night. Unfortunately, the two quarrelsome toms are still out gallivanting and painting the town red even as I post. But the consolation is that there may not be any receptive females out there tonight.

***

I am surprised that there are still so many cats that are not done around here. I thought there were only 3. I guess one will never know the actual situation unless one is out feeding every night. I'm so glad that I have Auntie L as my guide and she is appreciative that I can help her to trap cats.

Like what one of the caregiver said at the workshop, "Taking care of cats is in fact a community bonding activity, we won't probably get to know each other if not for the cats, ya?"

How aptly surmised.

Patch, the Chair and the Hair Dryer

2007-12-04T15:27:00.000+08:00

What do you do when you get a pooch who is terrified of the hair dryer, a necessity in managing stinkiness in the fellowship of caninehood?

Put her in a circumstance that she is even more afraid of, of course.

An exhausting wrestling match ensued after Patch's bath yesterday. I had Patch restrained in a full body-lock to keep her from running away. With the hair dryer in one hand and a terrified pooch held tightly between my legs, I had only one free hand to rub her coat haphazardly. My wish to end the ordeal is of no less degree than the frantic dog beneath me.

I've likened the visual to a picture I took off the internet.

Heel, sit, shake paws - Bow down to me, grrr!

Restraining a medium size pooch pulling and tugging to get away is no mean feat. I was struggling to keep a grip on her and a moment of weakness was all she needed; Patch escaped to the dinning table and refused to come back out. While exasperatedly trying to reach in to pull her out from underneath the table, the dinning chair caught my eye, the neurons exploded with activity and I grinned.

Patch is afraid of the hair dryer - Patch is even more afraid of heights - I put Patch on the chair - She wouldn't dare to jump down - I can dry her without having to hold her down at all - Eureka!

Plan went perfect, Patch was dried within minutes and I phoned her dad quickly to tell him my brilliant plan.

"Eh, I know how to dry her with the hair dryer liao!"

"Oh?"

"Yah, put her on the chair, it really works!"

"Oh, I used to put her on the washing machine when she was little to dry her, also can. But now I never, cause I lazy lah."

"... ..."

"Hello?"

Tell me earlier mah.

Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage Workshop

2007-12-01T23:39:00.000+08:00

The TNRM workshop was rather fruitful. Dawn shared tips on the the use of the cat trap and more importantly, the role of caregivers in their own housing estate - managing the stray cats in their area so that the cats are not a nuisance to the other residents.

It was nice to be able to meet other caregivers from Woodlands. I am happy to find out that besides doing TNRM, they are also working to seek the cooperation from our town council so that the cats in this area would not be trapped indiscriminately should complaints arise. What the caregivers need the town councils to understand is that by taking cats away (and putting them to sleep) does not solve problems in the long run. Neutering them and feeding them responsibly keeps a cat localised and this in turn helps to keep other cats away, hence effectively keeping the population of cats in check. Taking away the cats, on the other hand, creates a vacuum which nature abhors, so new cats move in, resulting new problems that are in fact nothing new. The diabolical circle turns yet another round, problem is not solved, even more cats get killed and people remains unhappy. Now, the statistics - people love it so let's bring it on - more than 10,000 cats have been killed every year for the past 20 years but face it, we still have a cat "problem" in our hands. I would think it makes more sense to endorse an alternative multi-pronged (wah!) approach this cat "problem" in our society.

It has been emphasised that while people may not like cats and want them to be removed from sight, they do not (necessarily) want the cats killed. What is unfortunate is that people think that when cats that are rounded up and taken away, they are brought to a beautiful cat paradise where they are immaculately cared for and waited upon hand and foot till they grow old and die peacefully in their sleep. Not true. Cats taken away are either (i) euthanised, a short-term non-solution that breaks the hearts of their caregivers or (ii) released in other area where they then become problems to this other area yet again.

Trapping and culling is not effective and there are people who feel uncomfortable with the idea that they are killing cats, however indirectly. We were told that in one instance, a pest control company refused to catch cats as they do not see them as pests. Mighty kind and ethical of them but there was no sweet ending to this case; the contract with this pest control co. was terminated after a year.

What caregivers can do, as adviced, is that besides sterilising and managing cats, they can also work with the TC so that the TC direct cat complaints to caregivers and caregivers in turn work with the complainants to try to resolve the issues. As residents in the same neighbourhood, we would like to keep the other non-cat-loving neighbours happy but at the same time, I would think that similarly as residents, we cat lovers have as much rights to want to live in a environment that we feel comfortable in, i.e. no rampant and regular trapping and culling of cats that are not causing nuisance. At this point of time, I can't quite see myself there to be doing mediation with the TC and the public. I have, however, exchanged numbers with the other care-givers so that I can lend support in sheer presence should they need the strength. My small little contribution in my small little way lah.

* * *

For every complaint made against cats that town councils receive and acted upon, how many grievances of the cat lovers have been voiced and heard? It is plain unfortunate that animal-dislikers seem to get more attention and understanding than people who wants to live in a society where people show kindness and tolerance towards stray cats and dogs (I do have to stop short at vermins - sorry Mr. Rat & family), that, upon sterilisation and management, can co-exist peacefully with us human inhabitants. I mean, that darn cat can't be taking up more than a 60cm square while lying there snoozing on the pavement, can it? And I do shoo cats away when I see them lying atop cars, how can I allow them to be comfortable and enjoying the night breezes when I know that they are going to leave dusty little footprints on the paintwork of gasp, $70,000 worth of metal? The cement floor splattered with dried human spits, littered with junk mails, decorated with used sanitary pads and tissue paper is likely to be considered far more worthy for a lowly cat, but sometimes even that is taken away from them. Animals (with exception of the zoo, but that's tourism, so it's a different story) are just not in the country's numerous economic masterplans.

Rehoming is a tedious, risky and supply-far-exceeds-demand process in sg. If cats can be allowed, or at least tolerated, on our streets (and in our HDB homes!), the cat caring community here would have much, much less headaches in having to constantly find foster homes and boarding facilities for their cats in the at-risk areas.

Anyhow, the workshop did end with good news - that AVA is resuming their support in the stray cat rehabilitation scheme once more, but I can't seem to find any press release on it. No issue, at least now I know that I am not so alone in caring for cats in my community.

For a better tomorrow! =^.^=

Talking Cats

2007-12-01T11:46:00.000+08:00

Cracked me up this one. :D

Translated version.

Lots of Catwork to be Done

2007-11-30T21:46:00.000+08:00

Auntie L has been single-handedly managing the strays in our neighbourhood since I have started work. Having to wake up early for work meant no late nights, and trapping cats for sterilisation almost always meant late nights. Weekends are usually spent recuperating from the stress at work and occasionally visiting cats at the sanctuary, which leaves one little or no time to help manage the cat colonies here.

That, or I'm just lazy lah.

GC recently commented that he is amazed by how a friend of ours hasn't burned out like many other caregivers who just get depressed and give up. I know exactly what he meant for I am one of the 'other caregivers'.

I remember being a lot more active when I was in uni; sterilising cats in my neighbourhood, helping out at a cat-rescue house everyday, doing adoption drives during weekends, putting up "I'm adorable, please gimme a home" notices at petshops and vet clinics to look for potential adopters. Unfortunately, disappointments and frustration over over-zealous, under-prepared adopters accumulated to such an extent that I couldn't find the energy to continue doing rehoming. And because I'm no longer doing rehoming, it meant that any kittens that I find become a major headache.

Many nights I walk home with my eyes shut and my ears closed, worried that I would meet a kitten or an injured cat who needs help. As if behaving like an ostrich can stop unwanted kittens from being borned and cats from getting hurt.

Well, it's time to take my head out of the sand and start doing my part again, or at least I will do whatever I can during this break. For one, I want to get the handful of unneutered cats in my area done asap; I'll be collecting the cat trap from Dawn of CWS at the TRNM workshop tomorrow and Auntie L and I will try to trap the nervous female who has produced a litter a month plus ago. So far, we have yet to see her kittens, I wonder if they are still around. If they are, they would probably still be nursing. Will observe and discuss with Aunite L first.

Other than that, I also want to spend as much time as possible with the cats at the sanctuary. The poor darlings there are so just deprived of love and attention. The cats' dad always thought that one needs time to know and gain trust from a cat and was he surprised to find the cats there so friendly and eager for attention. The confident ones rush up to you, weave between your legs and climb on your back when you try to walk away. The shy ones just hang around at the back, never taking their eyes away from you, but wait and pine for the moment that you look in their direction.

Then there are the ones stricken by FIV or FeLV, withering away with each passing day. We always try to end our day at the sanctuary by holding and saying goodbyes to the sickly ones. We have been shocked many times by how quickly and suddenly some cats fade away so every minute spent with them is precious.

Sigh.

My pampered ones are still waiting for dinner to be served, I forgot I bought fish and chicken to steam for them. By some bizzare change of heart, they are starting to appreciate my cooking again. I'd better go serve it up before they turn their snobbish noses up at it.

身在福中不知福。

Baking Lessons

2007-11-05T01:21:00.000+08:00

S, a good friend from work, and I started on our baking lessons today. Having joked about digging out the home economics aprons from our secondary school days and donning high chef hats to impress our classmates, we were disappointed to realise that there will not be any hands-on sessions for this course. Disregarding the impossibility of getting your money's worth while paying pittance for anything on this island and the need to complain about the increased prices in flour (highly relevant to us for the weeks to come), it was a pleasure to find ourselves in the company of an entertaining and competent teacher, and - surprise surprise - friendly classmates who say hellos warmly and let you copy notes you missed out on.

Baking, we've realised, is an expensive hobby/skill. The ingredients do not come cheap and my, what numerous tools you need - the bread knife, the spreader, the turn table, the oven (Baby Belling! Baby Belling!), the mixer (KitchenAid! KitchenAid!) etc etc. Talk about poor timing and a poorer pocket. I have them both!

Well... maybe we do not need the turn table and the mixer just as yet, but - get ready for this - S does not own an oven and neither do I. Joe and I did not have an oven built-in at the new place, for we prefer to keep the kitchen bright and uncluttered (reason no. 1). While we have bought a simple microwave for his instant noodles, I had refused to get a microwave-cum-convection oven which I biasedly feel that is simply not pro enough (reason no. 2). I have also been unsuccesful in convincing him that I am genuinely interested in becoming the Nigella Lawson of his household and to achieve that aim, I would need a proper oven NOW (uhm, real reason).

Anyhow, life always has its backup plans, mostly in the form of a mother with great foresight and invaluable experience. Turns out that the chinese frying wok that mommy dearest bought comes with a roasting cover that allows temperature settings and timer - perfect for my impending baking experiments. A wok that bakes! Wondrous combination if you'd ask me. I have strong faith that the adaptation is going to work out just fine. Let's hope that we don't have to wait too long to find out if it actually does.

Their Dad is Away

2007-10-11T13:14:00.000+08:00

Their dad is away these two days and I'm thinking of what to do with the new found freedom. Perhaps I can bring Patch out for some fresh air at the park this evening; The furthest that she has gone for the past few months is probably the provision shop one block away when I needed to get my daily fix of milk. Poor Patch, she is so undemanding that sometimes it is possible to forget that she is there.

Today must remember to give her more sayang.

And Let There Be Light

2007-09-12T21:30:00.000+08:00

Reno Progress & Kindly Neighbours

2007-09-12T21:10:00.000+08:00

The last major installation ala the kitchen cabinets are finally up but we still have 15% or thereabouts of the house that are yet to be done/repaired/fixed/painted/polished. The renovation is taking longer than expected to be completed - 2 months+ now - but the excitement of seeing the pieces falling in place is (almost) worth the wait.

It seems so far that our new neighbours are friendly and we are doing our fair share of smiling, saying hellos and making small talks. On one afternoon, we dutifully listened and nodded empathetically to the abridged version of 8th-floor-uncle's life story. But he was also one of those who helped to turn off our water mains when they heard our water ran continuously for 3 days straight from the kitchen bathroom before our reno started. We have no idea how that could have happened even now but we were lucky to have our kindly neighbours who acted on it.

I guess I'm hoping that if the neighbours like us, they won't, or at least will hesitate to complain anything about this household that is going to house 6 pampered cats, a dog who spins in crazy circles and the 2 humans who love them.

Hmmm.

But at the end of the day, I'm disinclined to reveal the true number of occupants in our home to our new neighbours. It is impossible that I can conceal our pooch's presence but I don't see a big problem there. Patch is the legendary Eh Gao - she mumbled bassy "Woofs" to a grand total of two times this year, has negative interest in chasing people and does not mark. But there are not many who don't mind cats (I've learnt to lower my expectations) afterall.

Kitty Lamp Arrived

2007-08-08T18:00:00.000+08:00

The lights arrived today! I checked the kitty lamp hurriedly, and heaved a sigh of relief to see it nestled safely amongst its styrofoam cushions. And pardon the messy distractions in the background and the lack of composition. =^.^=

La Lampe

The sunset is more beautiful today because you are by my side

Aaru-kun & Eru-chan

2007-08-06T20:48:00.000+08:00

Came across this wonderful video entry on kuro.shiro.neko's blog. Such sweet love exists between Aaru the golden and Eru the kitten. With the cute little daisy clips on his head and a great motherly demeanour towards the rambunctious little one... Delightful!

More cute cat videos on the KSN blog. :)

The Kitty Room

2007-08-06T20:06:00.000+08:00

The cats' dad and I have been kept busy by the renovation of our new place and the running around to coordinate and purchase all the stuff we need. The experience - with the reno workers and gasp, with each other - is leaving us exhausted physically and emotionally. But I'm also glad to say that now, a month into our renovation, we are closer than ever, learning to manage each other's expectations and demands, and amazingly, calming down to finish whatever shopping we needed to do despite still being angry with each other just a minute ago.

To top it off, we can now boast to be quite confident in nagivating through the streets of Little India and Jln Besar after our repeated visits there to hunt for that desired piece of porcelain or lighting. And oh, we won't be forgetting the yummy Char Kuay Teow and Hokkkien Mee at Hindoo Street anytime too soon. :)

Well, despite the latest disappointment in the botched plumbing works, the house is starting to look like what we had envisaged it to be - a laid-back haven where we can escape to at the end of everyday's humdrum. We are expecting to move in sometime in September and their dad has been reminding me to pick out the least territorial one amongst our brood. He reasoned that if the least territorial one is to move in first, then the place won't end up belonging to just one alpha cat with the others tip-toeing around him or her.

But to pick the least territorial? That's a toughie. Each has his or her possessive streak in one way or another. Shishi and Cutie over food, Mikan and Becks over me, Princey over brushing and play. And Maggie, well, he is ready to retaliate should anyone ever attempt to wound his pride. And I haven't even figured out who is marking on the bed everytime they find their loo too icky to use. Geez.

Good thing I still have sometime to think the moving sequence through.

Anyhow, the kitty room has received its first asset, courtesy of a fruitful visit to the Besar shops last Saturday. It is a really cute yet simplistic wall lamp moulded out of plaster, showing the back of 2 kitties sitting on a ledge and watching the sunset together. Or at least, so it seems when the light is switched on. It was such a delightful find and what made it more endearing was that their dad liked it just as equally. Nothing beats finding a piece of your home together - with no persuasion or tantrums necessary.

Pics and more posts soon.

Princey Featured in Cat Music Video

2007-07-02T13:05:00.000+08:00

I had no idea that Princey's snoozing video had been edited as part of the "It's oh so Cute! Cats of Youtube Music Video"! Well, many thanks to liddymouse for listing Princey's video as one of her favourites and including it in her cute cats compilation.

It's a short inclusion, but what joy it is to see my boy in there, co-starring in a Cat Music Video with other cute felines all over the world. Princey is up from 02:02 to 02:11. :)

Fivecats House

2007-06-29T11:43:00.000+08:00

Visited fivecats at their warm, cozy abode last friday. (Talking about warm, the nights are driving me nuts in my non-airconditioned room lately. Perspiration + cat fur = definitely not a good mix.) Anyhow, what a wonderful evening it was! Seeing the cats again after so long and meeting fivecatskid for the first time. Boy and Tuxie were friendly, hanging out with us in the dining room as fivecats mom and I chatted for a long time about everything. Boy looks well for a 15 year old and handsome Tuxie - he is Maggie with a whole lot more confidence. Buffy cared enough to check me out, but soon disappeared out to the courtyard to rest. She is so small compared to the rest, and looked so pretty. Fivecats mom have brought them up to be such dignified cats.

The two younger ones are still shy, Maggie is still too. I caught a glimpse of Sam later in the night, taking a drink from each of his two bowls in turn and all stretched out later on his mat. Kaku greeted me with a hiss when I peered at her from a gap between the bed and the wall, but that still worked for me.

The evening ended with a tap-dance performance by the very talented fivecatskid. :)

With good company, great hospitality, dance performance AND pressies to bring home - I'm looking forward to the next meet already!
Fivecats mom is such a gem. She adopted my first cats, Buffy and Tux, and fostered Sam, Ka, Mag, Mystique and Wolfie while I tried to find them homes. Though only Mystique and Wolfie eventually found homes, she kept Sam and Ka and continued to love and care for them in every way.

It's a pity that cats do not do visiting. Else it would be great to see the sibling and half siblings meet again!

All 6 Kids Showered Today

2007-05-30T13:27:00.000+08:00

Gave all cats a bath today. Becks, normally the one to groom everyone else, received special attention from Mikan and Princey when she entered the room again, all damped after her shower. The 2 boys followed her all the way to the bed and sat beside her, helping to dry her coat. I sat and watched the three of them for a long time, drying each other and themselves. Such an amusing and comforting sight.

Mikan and Cutie were surprisingly calm during the bath, purring loudly as I massaged the the soap in. Later, Mikan tried to wriggle out of my grasp (in vain of course) while I was drying him. In his frustration, gave such a dramatic and audible sigh into my face that I laughed and the naughty almost got away.

Nutty Cutie was not quite cat-like after her bath, instead of drying herself (she refused help from everyone except mommy), she went around rubbing her cheeks against everything in sight, worried that the soap had masked her scent on all of HER things.

Shi was in rage. She hated the smell of soap on the others and, heavens forbid, on herself. How she growled when I soaped and rinsed her - Twice! She hissed at everyone when I let her back into the room when she was done. I tried redeeming myself by giving her extra bit of brushing and cookies while she was nestled in her cage licking herself dry. Last I checked, she was catching some shut-eye by the window.

Maggie kept coming over to ask for more brushing when he was already all dry and fluffy. There can never be enough of brushing in this house. :)

Relaxed Day at the Cat Shelter

2007-05-29T13:59:00.000+08:00

Finally had some time to help out at the cat shelter today.

People just keep sending cats and kittens in, some even crazy enough to think that the perfect life for a cat is in a 2' metal cage with food and water supplied for its remaining years. Imagine this: one moment you are prancing happily along the beach, enjoying the odd Ikan Kuning tossed your way and suddenly, someone picked you up by the scruff of your neck, stuffed you into a dark container and transported you to an airconditioned cell while serving you mashed premium food and filtered water everyday. You stay crouched at a corner for days, whatever happened to the fish bones and the cool seabreeze?

I can't see why a little island off the coast of Singapore cannot be a better place than a metal cage.

It is unfortunate that the adults on the island are regularly rounded up to be brought to the mainland to be put to sleep. With a proper sterilising program put in place, and understanding from the authorities, these cats and kittens will have much better lives there. I wouldn't worry about the cats going extinct on that little island even with active sterilisation - some residents are bound to hoard a breeding female or two for themselves. Especially when this feline group seems to produce a really pretty Siamese for every 10 midnight-black kittens.

We still have a long way to go, I just hope we have enough passionate people to go the mile.

Kids All Excited Over Cyber Cat

2007-03-18T23:43:00.000+08:00

I was browsing the NatGeo website this afternoon, did a search on "Domestic Cat" and clicked on the "Hear a domestic cat" link. Observe what it does to your kids. It's the cutest thing!

I can't stop smiling even now as I imagine Becksie circling my laptop in her hyper-alert mode, chatting non-stop to a cyber cat that she simply, simply could not find. I am quite unable to describe it well in words at all, wish I had it videotaped. :)) The other kids were excited, but Becks was the most curious of all.

Think I'll wait a few more days before tricking Becksie again; these kids are probably too smart to be fooled twice in a single day. Heehee!

Princey Makes a Change

2007-03-12T15:12:00.000+08:00

It is really interesting how the kids managed to work out who sits where during meal time. Position 1 has belonged to Cutie since time immemorial. That place is the prime estate, the numero uno, the place that the sacred plate gets laid down first every single time and no one else had the audacity to ever eat there. Positions 2 and 3 get fed next and those belonged to Becksie and Shishi. The three boys had always waited out their turns at positions 4, 5 and 6 on the bed without fail.

Then one day some weeks ago, Princey had a realisation. Though he might have always been the first boy to be fed, but disturbingly, he was not the first cat to be fed. As he watched me dished out the rations that evening, he recalled the sayings of a great man who told him to be the change that he wanted to see in the world. Princey knew his siblings well, and no cat in his right frame of mind would try to negotiate with Cutie, so he figured that Becks and Shishi would be the more sensible ones to persuade. 2 or 3 was better than 4 anytime.

As proven by this picture taken some days later, Princey had succesfully nudged Shishi from her position 3 to an errant place on the shelf behind Cutie (whose nuttiness prevented her from savouring her meal that evening, claiming that the ominous presense of an intruder unsettled her).

Today, Princey is victorious in being the change he wanted to see. He had successfully acquired position 2 from Becks, and equilibrium had shifted Shishi back into position 3. Mikan and Maggie continued to wait contentedly on the bed.

It's just truly amazing how Princey observed a disadvantage, pondered his options, decided on a plan, acted on it and eventually got what he wanted. For all we know, he might just start talking next. :)

Operation New Year's Day

2007-01-15T13:35:00.000+08:00

2007 started with a cat rescue mission. I received a call from me parents early this New Year's Day morning, saying that they spotted a cat stuck on a ledge on the outer wall of the stairwell of an HDB block. They asked if I could get anyone to help, as they did not think that the poor cat could hold on much longer. The ledge sloped downwards and only goodness knew how long the cat had been stuck up there. My dad said that he tried calling the Civil Defence, who gave them the EMSU number to call, who in turned told them to call the Town Council, only to be dissed for worrying about the unnecessary. The lady on the phone repeatedly insisted that "那个猫会 jump [to safety] 的" (the cat can jump to safety), my mom related to me agitatedly. I told my mom to cool down and go for their breakfast while I try to think of something.

[By the way, it was really quite impossible for the cat to jump to safety. Except for maybe 5 floors downwards.]

I do not know why it did not occur to me sooner, but half an hour into the saga, I realised I could call the SPCA. After relating the severity of the incident to them, they promptly told me that they would dispatch someone to take a look. A man and woman team arrived more than an hour later; we were located at the northenmost part of the island afterall. Anyhow, the woman rang me to ask about the exact location and found the cat quickly, perching precariously on the ledge and having not moved a muscle since my parents caught sight of it. The man and woman assessed the situation, took out a restraint pole, noosed the cat effortlessly and brought it back to safety in under a minute. It was really fortunate that kitty endured the rescue without panicking, except for a little struggle when they were lifting him up. Heck, I would too if someone is attempting to lift me with a noose.

The woman gave me call again after they got the cat. I told them that the cat is a community cat waiting to be sterilised and asked for him not to be brought back with them, which she understood. It would have been really wretched to have the cat rescued only to be brought back to be euthanised. I thanked her profusely and the cat was subsequently released at the void deck. I sms-ed my parents the good news and congratulated them on a blessed 2007, having saved a life on its very first day.

But I have a Question.

Just how did this boy land himself in this predicament? I would like to think that he had ran up 5 floors, jumped up the parapet, missed and landed over the other side. With blessings from his fairy godmother and a multitude of other deities, he managed to land on his paws where he instinctively clawed at the sloping cement and miraculously braked to a stop before plummeting 5 floors down. Given the narrowness of the ledge, he would have only a fraction of a second to react, perhaps a second max. This is the version I chose to believe, rather than someone had, gulp, attempted to murder this cat.

This un-neutered adult tom has appeared in the neightbourhood not too long ago, most likely dumped. Perhaps he was not familiar with the topographics of the area, and hence had gotten himself in such a fix. Dumping cats, as is with trying to murder them, is a punishable offence.

Under Section 42 of the Animals & Birds Act

—(1) Any person who —

(a) cruelly beats, kicks, ill-treats, over-rides, over-drives, over-loads, tortures, infuriates or terrifies any animal;

(b) causes or procures or, being the owner, permits any animal to be so used;

(c) being in charge of any animal in confinement or in the course of transport from one place to another neglects to supply the animal with sufficient food and water;

(d) by wantonly or unreasonably doing or omitting to do any act, causes any unnecessary pain or suffering or, being the owner, permits any unnecessary pain or suffering to any animal;

(e) causes, procures or, being the owner, permits to be confined, conveyed, lifted or carried any animal in such a manner or position as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering;

(f) being the owner of any animal, abandons the animal without reasonable cause or excuse, whether permanently or not, in circumstances likely to cause the animal any unnecessary suffering or distress, or causes or permits the animal to be so abandoned;

(g) employs or causes or procures or, being the owner, permits to be employed in any work of labour, any animal which in consequence of any disease, infirmity, wound or sore, or otherwise is unfit to be so employed; or

(h) causes, procures or assists at the fighting or baiting of any animal, or keeps, uses, manages, or acts or assists in the management of any premises or place for the purpose, or partly for the purpose, of fighting or baiting any animal, or permits any premises or place to be so kept, managed or used, or receives or causes or procures any person to receive money for the admission of any person to the premises or place,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both; except where an owner is convicted of having permitted cruelty to an animal under subsection (2), he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

The punishment is insufficient, but at least cruelty to animals is an offence. (Oh, and thanks to Joe for enlightening me on the finer points of quoting the law. I just hope I haven't made a fool out of myself by trying to be technical. :))

Case in point, do not abandon your animals, no matter what the circumstance. You will simply be subjecting them to possible abuse in all ways that our wicked human mind can devise.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Just when I thought that the episode has ended, the care giver aunty rang me the other night to complain about this male cat. Apparently, this naughty boy is impossible to catch when he sees a carrier but will happily gallop to you otherwise. He is also fighting almost every night with the resident cats, with some confrontation lasting more than 10 mins in the wee hours of the night. Much as I would like to stop them from fighting, I could not muster enough courage to go downstairs on my own at 4 in the morning.

Grr... Sterilisation is still in the plans for him though.

All Numb from Napping

2006-12-29T17:23:00.000+08:00

I woke up from my nap and couldn't feel my legs at all, but it was only because Princess and Shishi have been leaning heavily and sleeping on it respectively. I decided then to nap a little longer - no heart to wake them up you see. :P

Maggie is going gaga over his new feather toy. He spent a long time today tossing it into the air, giving chase, catching it with his paws and carrying it everywhere. I fell asleep watching him play and was woken up in a shock when silly Maggie, in the midst of having so much fun, somehow jumped up onto the bed and landed hard on my cheek. I sat up cursing and Maggie promptly disappeared. Poor boy, I must have frightened him.

Becksie is Obese

2006-12-13T22:24:00.000+08:00

Becks on the left, with an obvious disregard for need to be slim.

The doctor said that the guys are generally okay healthwise, except that Becksie is strongly encouraged to go on a diet as she is currently an 8 or 9 on the Cat Body Condition Chart (the alternative five point system can be seen here).

Well, the guys used to be fed twice a day when they were little and somewhere along the years, I switched to free feeding. With much guilt, my convenience was one of the reasons why I made the switch - I simply had to put down 3 bowls of dry food at various corners of the room and then I was off to work. I did consider the possibility that the greedier of the lot might put on some weight then, but a friend of mine has been free feeding her cats for more than a decade and none of her cats were fat. Guess I underestimated Becksie's gluttony and the consequences of my complacency.

So now, the kids have gone back to their twice-a-day feeding routine. I have yet to decrease the amount of food nor change the type of food that they get in a day, but at least now I can be sure that Becksie does not devour Shishi's share. I'll gather get more information from the internet and friends before deciding how to go about helping Becks shed some pounds, hmmm, make that ounces.

A few reads regarding fat cats:

Feline Obesity
Little Big Cat - Feline Obesity
ThePetCenter.com - Obesity in Cats and How to Get a Cat to Lose Weight...
Catnutrition.org - Obesity
Catnutrition.org - The 'CatKins' Diet

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After giving some thoughts on the issue of giving annual vaccinations, I've more or less decided that the kids will not be going for their boosters the next year, or at least the next year. The decision has been made based on the doctor's and fellow cat owner's advice and the kids' current level of exposure to potential illnesses.

Well, they do not go outside, I am always able to wash up properly before I touch the kids after I come back from the animal sanctuary and quite frankly, the kids were at huger risks a few years ago when I used to do a great deal more stray-cat work than I do now. And not forgetting the amount of stress they suffer whenever we make a trip to the vet's.

However, I might just change my mind about it again when the time comes for us to move in with Patch and dad. Patch goes romping on the grass, sniffs other dog's peepee (and getting quite a bit on her nose I'm sure) and attempts to make friends with the neighbourhood cats whenever she is out. The catkids have been indoors since they were three days old so I really worry that their immunity is not strong enough to withstand whatever bugs Patch might just bring back from her daily walks.

We will just see how.

2006-12-07T03:12:00.000+08:00

Vaccination Morning Mess-Up

2006-12-07T00:51:00.000+08:00

Vaccination day started off in a flurry as their dad decided that he was free to take us in the last minute. I thought we would just walk-in, knowing that appointments needed to be made at least a week in advance for that clinic. When their dad gave me the evil eye for (i) not making an appointment and (ii) insisting that we travel all the way to Bt. Timah to their usual vet, I assured him that there wouldn't be a long queue since it was a weekday.

I called the clinic when all of us were settled, nervously for the catkids, in the car. Then it was my turn to panic when the receptionist told us that they were so full that it was imposible to fit anyone in, not even walk-in customers. That was the only day that we would get to use the car so I decided that I had to get it done, begging or threatening. Eventually, after much asking-nicely (oh alright, and some pleading), she gave in and asked for my pet's name. When I told her there were five of them, a 2 seconds silence ensued and she proceeded to tell me politely that it couldn't be done and that she could help me make an appointment on another day. I told her that I really couldn't make it any other date (which is quite true) and if that was the case, I would have to take them somewhere else. Expectantly, my lousy attempt at threatening was futile. Oh well, I forgot their vaccination cards anyhow. But I do understand that they are usually very busy and the recep was nice and polite throughout the call so it would really not be fair for me to blame them for anything despite my immense frustrations.

Admist the incessant mewing, I stole a look at their silently brooding dad, considered a few other places that we could go and finally decided on ARC across the road. Luck behold, the doc was free to attend to us. As I heaved an audible sigh of relief and animatedly congratulated ourselves on our good luck, I thought their dad looked decidedly a whole lot less pissed.

Vaccination Day Tomorrow

2006-11-02T23:53:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow morning the older 5 kids are going for their annual vaccination.

I remembered how a hamster cage fitted all 5 of them perfectly during their kitten year. Then I bought them a second-hand carrier (I was a poor student then) when they were 1 and by that time, they had to go in two shifts for their jabs.

When they were two, the carrier was threatening to give way even under the weight of the lightest 3 so the jabs were done over 3 weekends. Luckily their uncle Davis was there to help carry the heavies, I couldn't imagine having to lug them all the way to the vet's on my own. Any two of them added up to a minimum of 10 kg!

Last year, their dad was available to take them. Mikan looked sheepish sitting in a plastic picnic basket I bought specially for the occasion, Princess and Shiro were comfortable in their portable cathouse and Cutie and Becksie went snugly in their familiar carrier.

This year, we are most likely to see some reshuffling in their seats. Becksie, who has put on much weight over the past year, will most probably travel first class, and alone, in the picnic basket. Mikan will go with Cutie and Princess with Shiro. The plan is always to pair a heavy with a light so that mommy and daddy's arms won't break.

After their jabs we would expect to see some kids feeling a little under the weather for a day or two. Nothing a jar of Gerber's chicken baby food couldn't cheer up though.

I've come to be concerned with the risks of Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma, must remind self to ask doctor about that tomorrow. Anyhow, the recommended vaccine site (excluding rabies and FeLV) is on the right shoulder and never between the shoulder blades.

The vet once told me that it would not be neccesary for the naughties to go in for vaccinations after they are 10 years old but a very experienced cat friend told me that they would not need to have any more annual vaccinations after they are 5. And some say that there is no need to take yearly jabs, once in every three years is sufficient.

Hmmm.

There's just to much disparate information around on the internet and among friends to sieve through, decipher and decide upon. And I am guilty of not researching and thinking about the issues until the next day is vaccination day. But well, mostly I just listen to the vet, choosing to believe in their professional knowledge and judgement. I mean, they should know best, shouldn't they?

Somecat Is Unhappy

2006-10-06T17:23:00.000+08:00

I'm just so, so relieved that Mikan is well again. The test results were inconclusive like the one we did when Mikan first had an infection a few years back so we are still not sure why. Anyhow, the doctor put Mikan on a prescribed diet as a precautionary measure. Mikan seemed to enjoy it and well, so did the rest of the naughties (oh, their interest lasted at least till we saw the bottom of the first packet).

Just when I thought that I could take a breather, alas, luck was not on my side. Someone started to pee on my pillow. The first time it happened, it was just drips and I put it down to accident, but I could no longer deny the fact that someone was trying to tell me something by the second and third time the same thing happened. When I finally came home to a huge patch of stinking wetness one day, out went the pillow and nearly too, the cats. Most unpleasantly, one of the new pillows I bought after that fell victim to unscrupulous marking yet again just after two days.

Books and articles say that the cats who mark are stressed by a:

new environment - Nope
new member in the house - Nope
new cat - Heck, I wouldn't dare
change in kitty litter - Nope
relocation of litter bin - Nooope
medical condition - Doubt it
litter bin hygiene - Hmmm..

So someone is unhappy with the standards of my cleaning. Fine, I smell your message, your kitty highness.

Three also suggested that they might be unhappy with me. True - I have been spending comparatively less time at home the past few weeks. So I reconciliated with the unhappy cats by coming home earlier these few days, brushing them more religiously and serving up hors d'oeuvre before each meal. So far, so good.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's uncanny how fivecatsmom and I seem to experience the same problems (UTI, marking) these few months or thereabout. Unfortunate events yes, but I'm just glad to have someone to share my problems with.

Thanks there, fivecatsmom. :)

When Our Kids Fall Ill

2006-09-05T12:30:00.000+08:00

The constant worry when you are away at work, the heart-in-the-stomach anxiousness when you got home and he wasn't there to greet you, and the sigh of relief when you found him sleeping spread-eagled beneath the bedsheets amongst the pillows.

The annoyed chiding you gave him for playing hide-and-seek at such an inappropriate time juxtaposed the air of nonchalance coming from a sleepy cat still lying on his back purring music into your ears.

Come give me some pets, mom. What's with that worried look?

Sniff sniff

2006-08-10T14:48:00.000+08:00

The kids finally got a few hours of freedom to run like crazy around the whole house yesterday afternoon but none was interested. The kids' dad and I were perturbed: What could be spooking them?

Now, QQ was busy hiding under the sheets; Shiro scampered up the cabinet in the living room to watch; Mikan and Princey walked around a little and then decided they wanted to just sit under bed in the other room; Becksie was a little undecided, first bringing her fat tum to the kitchen and waddling back into the room again; Silly Maggie did not even venture 2 steps away from the bedroom door.

We decided then that their dad must have smelt strongly of Patch, having spent the morning washing her. It was no wonder then that the kids did not approve of the offensive stench hanging in the air..

.
.
.
.
.

Ahem, no offence Patch and Dad, the cats turn their snobbish noses up at oranges and bananas too but I really do think those smells are quite wonderful.

Heh. =^.^=''

Okay! Pictures!

Becksie does not apologise for having a Sumo wrestler's kind of girth.

The kids decided its time to practise a little of their synchronised gazing routine.

To the left, Oei Princey, LEFT!

Ahh.. Now we're talking.

Our Playhouse Collapsed Today

2006-07-28T20:29:00.000+08:00

Aww... It stood only for 3 weeks!

Need to Get: New Kitty Litter Box

2006-07-18T16:23:00.000+08:00

The 6 kitties at home have been sharing 1 kitty litterbox for as long as they can remember and its high time they get one more. Mikan is having bladder infection again and I wonder if it is because he holds his pee till I get home to clean the litterbox at the end of the day. Not to forget the few nights when I crashed into bed almost immediately following a long day at work, failing to clean out the litter till the next morning.

I have just placed an order for a new litter box, following the recommendation of a good friend who gave it 2 thumbs up. Problem One, however, is that it comes without a lid and Shishi & QQ are such shovellers in the litterbox - just imagine litter flying out of the box and across half the room. Problem Two is that there is really not much space left in the room to accomodate yet another fixture.

Problems, problems.

Of Kitty & Tiffy

2006-07-05T19:00:00.000+08:00

Good news has it that Kitty, a 1 month old male tabby I found by chance, has gotten himself a home. Unimaginative name aside (The vet wanted a name, so there), he is the sweetest, most lovable and trusting little guy ever. 2 weeks ago, while going out to give a little food to the strays downstairs, I met Kitty sitting forlornly on the stairs with his little paws tucked in beneath himself, looking as if he was waiting for that someone who had left him there to return. I picked him up, went to the few neighbours I know who owned cats to see if they knew him but all had denied responsibility.

Then the predicament came. Do I (i) Leave him him where I found him and hope that he will find his way home (ii) Ring up SPCA, who knows, someone may pick Kitty up within the critical 24 hours (iii) Bring him home and expect a shelling from parents and QQ. (iv) Call up my CatRescue contacts and plea with them to offer Kitty a place to stay for the time being.

Noticing that Kitty's whiskers had been snipped neatly down to 1 cm (abusers lurking round the corner maybe) and imagining QQ spitting and hissing away (WHAT DO YOU MEAN 1 MORE CAT?!), I decided to give option 4 a shot.

Long story short, a friend kindly offered to foster Kitty and the sweet thing got himself adopted in a few short days. Kitty now stays with another 2 month old kitten. :D

Kitty is only one of the very few who manages to find a home so quickly and I pray that he will be the best behaved kitten who will grow up to be the best behaved cat in the world. I pray that his new family will be patient and tolerant towards his bad habits and misbehaviours. I pray that they will laugh over his mistakes and learn to love him for who he is, be it for better or worse. I pray that his family will never, ever give him up. I pray that he will be loved and cherished forever.

***

Click here to read about Tiffy, a poor kitten who left us prematurely. Rest in peace, Tiffy.

2006-07-05T18:43:00.000+08:00

While the kids are waiting for their bath to realise, the fur on Becksie's back is getting increasingly oily. Becksie must have not been able to groom that part of herself, tummy's in the way I suppose. It's a wonder how Becksie can eat herself to that size, I mean, cats are supposed to eat only the amount needed to satisfy their daily energy requirements, right? Well, wrong in Becksie's case.

Anyhow, Becksie is probably waiting for me to get home this very minute so that I can brush her. Their dad commented that he rarely sees them groom themselves, perhaps they know that I will do it for them. Funny thing is though, Becksie has taken it upon herself to be in charged of cleaning everybody's ears and somehow, only the area over their eyes. In fact, Becks has totally chewed off the whiskers that grow over Mikan's eyes! Last I checked, QQ and Princess are similarly devoid of whiskers in that area too. =.=

*********************************************************

Inspired by what San has done for her 3 amigos, I shall endeavour to get meshes with bigger holes for my kids too. They've been deprived of fresh air way too long!

What We Are Up To Everyday

2006-06-19T04:53:00.000+08:00

Jus experimenting with stuff.

Gazing as a Past Time

2006-06-07T10:28:00.000+08:00

The kids are bored stiff, I know it. They yearn for the great outdoors, well, not like they would dare venture forth but they yearn for it nonetheless. Any bird-chirping, dog-barking, ambulance-wailing outside will send a blur of fanatic furballs rushing up to the windows to catch a glimpse of the commotion. It is always amusing to watch them rushing up to the windows like that, but unfortunately, this led me to ponder yet another point on the quality of my cats' life.

For their safety, I have meshed up the window grilles such that unobstructed view is realisable only when they put their noses right up against it. This morning Shi was gazing in front of the window as usual when some chirping caught her attention. Tail-twitching, she reached for the winged sight and touched... the mesh. Shi sighed, sat down, tucked her paws beneath her and resumed watching the traffic.

Moments later, an insect of some kind flew into the room and immediately Mikan led the pack on a hunt. It is fascinating how the cats can quickly organise themselves at various vantage points around the object of interest, sans the need for words. There they had a couple minutes of intent watching and tail-swishing, before Mikan chirupped, pounced and promptly got rid of the intruder. Then, as swiftly as the campaign was convened, it was adjourned till the next luckier insect, with each cat creeping back underneath the bed for a snooze or to the water bowl for a drink.

That day while going out for lunch, the kids' Dad and I saw a stray stalking birds beneath a tree. Though the intent was most likely sinister, the cat looked like she was having fun. I commented that I was sure QQ would love to be there, watching and catching birds, bees and butterflies alongside this beautiful feline stranger, and I felt strangely melancholic once again.

Meow~~

Fashion Shoot - 2 -

2006-05-29T13:22:00.000+08:00

Wha.. a.. hey, hang on a minute there!Lemme put on my saddest face yet. Ok, not working, she's still laughing.MadMom's unstoppable... This calls for a speedy exit!She's not here, she's not here...Dang. She's still here.Sigh, ok just 1 good picture and that's that.

Fashion Shoot - 1 -

2006-05-24T09:30:00.000+08:00

I asked for size M singlet, thinking it would be a loose fit but nope, I was wrong. It turned out to be an okay fit for Shi & QQ, fitting for Mikan and sheer figure hugging for my three other piglets. The kids were amazing, staying still to pose while mommy took shots from this angle and that. Well-behaved kids? Nah. They just didn't dare move, thinking that a monstrous force was constricting their every movement hence it would be best idea to not move at all.

Haahaa!

Shiro models first.

Mom, see my tucked-in tail, half-squat stance and bored look?Watch me set things aflame with my devilish red stares.
Princess decides to check her out.

Hey babe, what's that thing on you?
Let me have a feel of the fabric... Hmm...
Did you say take it off? Do allow me to help... with my fangs.

To be continued. Heheheh!

What's Been Up

2006-05-15T15:49:00.000+08:00

Made 1 trip (finally) to the animal sanctuary to visit the cats. It was therapeutic cleaning ears, chins, bums and having warm furballs sit on my lap.

Bathed (finally) the 6 naughties at home. This time the guys were so so so much more cooperative. I was drenched from head to toe still, but was scratched minimally.

Bought them (finally) their 1st singlet. Yes, I know that animal clothes are... But I have always wanted to see how they look clothed so... Oh well, I guess I can't explain myself out of this. The kids do prefer to go au naturel afterall but *ahem* I had fun snapping the 6 sheepish-looking models.

More lata.

Video = Tummy Rub

2006-05-03T13:56:00.000+08:00

I found this video of then a-month-old Princess placidly enjoying a tummy rub.

Unfortunately, it reminded me a little too much of the kitten killer video. *Creepy*

The Chronicles of NTU Cats - Part I

2006-05-02T14:24:00.000+08:00

The university was really the place that started it all - my love for cats. It was where I met Buffy and Tuxie, Faye, Jim, Baby and Marlboro-chan, Maggie, Ka and Sam. Last night, I somehow remembered the story of a little kitten, whose colour I could no longer recall, one whom I had seen just once and never again.

It was a rainy evening and I was in the school library when I heard this incessant mewing coming from the outside. The short, sharp bursts of cries were evidently that of a kitten and worse, were cries that could only come from a kitten in distress. I moved near the window to try to catch a glimpse of the kitten, but all I could see were bushes and a covered drain. I knew the kitten was somewhere directly below but exactly where I could not make out. Though I had a paper coming up, I told myself that I had to find out what was happening. Dashing down to the bushes where the calls were emanating, I was appalled to find fellow students casually lounging on the canteen chairs just next to the bushes, relaxing and chattering after their dinner, apathetically oblivious to the loud, desperate mews that even I could hear from the upper floor on such a noisy rainy day.

Ignoring the swelling anger, I scanned the bushes for signs of a kitten but there was nothing. The rain continued to fall hard and I could hear the kitten's calls resonating above the rapid gushes of water in the drain. Then it hit me, the kitten was in the drain.

I lifted one of those heavy industrial steel plate covers and peered inside anxiously. I could see nothing for there was not enough light. I hurried further down the drain, lifted another length and looked in again. This time, I saw the silhouette of a kitten clutching onto the sides of the drain with its front paws, tiptoeing on its toes, trying to get away from the torrents sweeping past its feet. Though the drain was just about knee deep, it was sufficient to put the life of a young, drenched kitten in peril. Without second thoughts, I stepped into the drain only to realise that I should have taken off my shoes and socks before getting in.

I called out to the little kitten and beckoned it to come towards me but as expected, I only suceeded in frightening it away. Clutching onto the walls of the drain, the poor baby inched further and further away, knowing that one slip would mean getting carried away by the gushing water. I hoisted myself up, ran past the kitten, lifted up yet another plate, attempted to get hold of the baby from the other direction and again, yielded nothing but a petrified kitten running for its dear life.

All this while, the crowd in the canteen either paid absolutely no attention or simply looked on at this mad, and wet, person dashing in the rain, lifting drain covers, splashing into the water, getting out of the drain and repeating it all over again. Just as I was on the verge of giving up, on the petrified kitten and the indifferent audience, someone finally came over to help. He suggested that we get in at opposing ends of the drain with the kitten between us and he would remove the covers one by one while moving towards me, hence chasing the kitten in my direction. I agreed immediately. Once the kitten was within reach, I made a mad scoop for it and then, the drama was all over in half a minute. I put the kitten down amongst the bushes and it sped off, having forgotten to say thank you.

As I got out to wring out my socks, I thanked the kind stranger for the both of us and he soon left, after replacing all the displaced drain covers on his own. I wondered if he had realised he had made a difference in the life of one kitten and the heart of another human being.

While I had fumed over the lack of sympathy in some people, a kind soul had appeared to lend a hand when I needed it most. Though I could not remember his name nor his face, his actions had allowed me to believe that I would be able to find friends who would not see me as some half-crazed human being just because I hold my animals in such high regards and love them so dearly.

Updates on Mikan

2006-04-29T17:30:00.000+08:00

Mikan is now on his third round of anti-biotics. This time, for his fever.

Last Saturday morning, I noticed that Mikan's ears felt really cold to the touch, was looking rather listless and had no appetite for the usual fare. Even the new batch of wheatgrass I bought could not interest him one bit. I tried canfood - still not interested. Surrendering, I opened up a bottle of Gerber chicken which he slowly lapped up about two-thirds. I gave him his tablet then left him to rest, thinking that having to take antibiotics for the past 2 weeks must have upset his system a little.

Come Sunday night, Mikan was still disinterested in food and play, choosing a quiet corner to sleep while the rest went on about their usual business. I dished out half a bottle of Gerber and water and brought it to Mikan. He finished the food but refused to touch the water, getting up to walk away whenever I went near with the water dish. And while I was pestering Mikan to eat and drink, I was in turn chased after by a horde of meowing kitties, fully convinced they were starving and wondering out loud why they were being left out of being fed. Eventually, I gave the other half of the can to the others to share and left Mikan to rest, hoping that he'd get better.

Before I left for work on Monday, Mikan was still languid. I carried him up to the bed to rest and thought he felt feverish. Worried, I quickly brought in a trough of cold water, dampened a towel and draped it over his back. Poor boy did not resist, the wet towel must have made him feel slightly better. The other naughties took turns to come up to investigate and lovingly gave Mikan a lick or two on the forehead before walking away. They must have known that their big brother was not feeling well and were trying to comfort him.

I couldn't concentrate on work that day and went back early to check on my sick boy. Mikan's doctor is usually fully booked so I didn't bother to call and went to the clinic straight away. It started raining buckets just as we were leaving the house, which was just as well for no one was there when we reached and Mikan got to go in first. The doctor took his temperature and indeed, Mikan was having fever, 1 degree higher than normal. The doctor felt that the bladder infection probably had nothing to do with fever and honestly told me that he was not sure what was causing it. We could run tests but the procedure would be long and tedious. All he could do was to give Mikan symptomatic treatment for the fever and observe his condition. Though I remained worried about the underlying cause of Mikan's fever, I understood where the doctor was coming from.

So, Mikan was given a jab and sent home to rest with more anti-biotics to take. He was feeling much better the next day, with the fever gone and appetite and curiosity returned.

Anyhow, naughty Mikan is now perching atop the cabinets watching as I type away on the computer, happily unawares of the worriment he had caused in the past month.

Video = What is Inside the Dustbin?

2006-04-13T16:00:00.000+08:00

Cutie came squealing that she was sure that something is in the dustbin making rustling sounds. Turned out that greedy Mikan was hiding in there, licking empty bicuit wrappers with gusto.

Oreo

2006-04-12T08:40:00.000+08:00

After spending 2 years with an Australian lady, dear Oreo was returned to us in 2004 when his owner had to return home. When he first came back to us, he was very shy and confused, prefering to hide in the litter bin most of the time. From being the only cat in the house, he suddenly had to share his living space with so many others and worse, the nice lady he had lived with for so long did not seemed to be around any longer. Fortunately, it took just a few days for good-natured Oreo to realise that, hey, this place was not too bad afterall. My guess was that Oreo figured out that there was no point brooding over the past; He had to move on, to feel loved and to love someone once again.

From then on, Oreo really loved us to the best that he could. He would always follow someone around, looking for any opportunity to be petted. He would be there sitting near the sink when I did the dishes; He would be there at the bench when I sat down to rest. All I had to do was look up and he would be there watching, front paws kneading, mer-ow-ing softly and waiting to give me loving head-butts. Oreo was a boy who loved only people. He had no cat friends and thrived solely on human attention. He loved to sit on laps but hated to be carried. We touched noses all the time.

One morning in February this year, when I got a call from H telling me that Oreo had passed away, I was totally shattered. I had last seen him two weeks earlier and indeed, he was having a bit of a sniffle. But that was all, wasn't it? I had refused to believe it, how can my big healthy boy die from a mild flu? Although it had been a nasty thought, I wanted to believe that the casualty was someone else, another cat, anyone but Oreo. They must have made a mistake.

When I was there at the cat house a week later, I had to believe the news was true. There was no more Oreo sitting on the shelves watching. There was no more Oreo shadowing as I moved around to check on the other cats. There was no more Oreo doing his signature mer-ow as I looked his way. I sat and cried for a long time that day.

Bye bye for now, my lovely head-butting friend.

In Loving Memory of Oreo (2002 - Feb 2006)

Video = Princey Snoozing In the Sun

2006-04-06T14:05:00.000+08:00

I thought Princey truly epitomised serenity here.

Que Zen music.

Video = Mikan Having His Milk

2006-04-05T17:07:00.000+08:00

Baby Mikan drinking from his bottle. Cuteness!

Mikan Says Thank You

2006-04-05T07:58:00.000+08:00

Mikan says thank you all nice uncles and aunties, jiejies and gorgors for your well-wishes. He still has this itchy feeling there, so he still visits the toilet 20 times a day. There is still blood in his urine but this is afterall only the second day of his medication.

"But one thing good came out of Mikan falling ill," I heard Princey told Maggie last night: "We get can food everyday now."

Anyhow, I gave sick boy a good brush before I left for work this morning. He even rolled over and requested that I do his belly too. Ah, such sweetness.

Mikan Goes To the Vet

2006-04-04T15:01:00.000+08:00

The heavy downpour yesterday proved to be a blessing in disguise. Eventhough I waited some time for a cab (4 consecutive empty taxis slowed down, took a look at the carrier at my feet and sped away hurriedly), I did not have to wait long at the vet's. Many other patients did not show up so I was the one of the first to arrive for the evening consultation.

Mikan refused to come out of his carrier when it was his turn. But I'm feeling fine, mom. I finished all my dinner and drank water before this, remember? And after that I even went to the toilet five times. Opps.

The doctor felt around Mikan's tummy and told me that he couldn't really feel his bladder so it must be quite empty. The previous time, his bladder walls were thick and hard with bad inflammation so it was easily palpable. This time, since the bladder was not full, it meant Mikan was still able to pass urine successfully so doctor ruled out the possibility of blocked urethra. As Mikan still played and ate normal, the doctor said that the infection must have just started. The only discomfort Mikan would have felt was the constant itch in his bladder.

The doctor also felt that the current diet and lifestyle are probably not the cause of Mikan's condition, since my 2 other boys eat the exact same food and lead the exact same sedentary lifestyle. He told me that some individuals are just predisposed towards having UTI but the actual cause may never be fully explained. Some cats can have blood in the urine even without crystals or infection in their bladder. He felt that the best thing to do for Mikan is to prescribe some anti-biotics to clear the infection and then observe him further at home. We thanked the doctor, collected Mikan's medicine and waited for his dad to pick us up.

While waiting outside the clinic, I set Mikan's carrier down on the steps and a tabby came over to say hello. The friendly young tabby put his nose on Mikan's carrier door and asked him what happened. Mikan sat dejectedly at the other end and replied that he was not allowed to talk to strangers and that he just wanted to go home and pretend that none of this was happening. Few minutes later, a nice lady who was feeding the strays passed by and saw Mikan. She peered into the carrier and asked me what was on his head. Turned out that the silly boy had decided to disguise himself by wearing the carrier cushion on his head.

At a red light halfway home, Mikan's dad complimented that our boy was well-behaved and reached into the carrier to pet him on the head. Mikan snuggled up against his dad's palm and started purring for the first time since the evening, relieved at knowing that we love him afterall.

Mikan Has UTI Again

2006-04-03T09:02:00.000+08:00

I sensed something was amiss when Mikan sat beside me while I was cleaning their kitty litter this morning. He is usually very shy when it comes to going toilet, preferring to do it when no one is around. So when Mikan went into the bin when I was there, it was bad sign. As he squatted, I snatched a piece of tissue from the table top and placed it under his bum. My heart sank when he stood up and I saw the tissue stained with just 2 big drops of pink liquid. That meant he had blood in his urine, a sure sign of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

The last time Mikan had UTI, the poor boy had to spend a night at the vet's to get a proper urine sample and I remembered him straining his neck to watch me as I was leaving. Sigh.

Anyhow, the examination showed that the infection was not due to stones nor a blockage. The urinalysis showed normal pH, high levels of red blood cells (due to the blood) and white blood cells (sign of infection) and some bacteria. However, cultures for the types of bacteria that commonly cause urological infection showed up negative, which meant that all the tests had been unsuccessful in pin-pointing the exact cause of infection.

Fortunately, Mikan responded to the second round of anti-biotics prescribed and remained problem free for more than a year till now.

I have just contacted the vet's office and he is fully booked for today. I will have to walk-in and from previous experience, the wait is likely to be an hour the least. I must remember to bring extra towels for Mikan to change while waiting.

It is going to be tough for me to concentrate on work today.

It's Just Me

2006-03-31T22:20:00.000+08:00

Maggie thinks that I am a cat like him. When he wants to say hello, he will walk up to me, turn around and show me his bum. He will then look over his shoulder and meowed at me as if to ask, "Mom, you had a good sniff yet? It's just me. Care to brush me some?"

Cats Love Wheatgrass

2006-03-30T10:08:00.000+08:00

The guys fighting over grass

It seems that I've got a few who are surprised that cats eat grass. Well, don't be! Mrs W, a fantastic friend of mine who has dedicated her life to the cats, grows pots and pots of wheatgrass for her cats to chew on. Fivecats told me before that her Boy likes a particular species of grass that grows wild on open fields.

H, another good friend of mine, goes for walks to look for a special kind of plant that grows on the sandy soils beside tarmac roads. I've seen how her cat went gaga over it; Sniffing and chewing the roots, rubbing his face with the leaves and rolling on the floor in a state of daze. The happy cat was so intoxicated, he had drool dribbling down his chin all the way to his chest!

A few weeks ago, Mikan gave me a scare when he was hooked onto chewing the dried flowers. I guess it says that there's insufficient roughage in their current diet. Also, these guys are indoors 24/7 so a few of them derive pleasure from continuous snacking. I'm counting on the grass to give them an alternative something to chew on, hopefully my fat ones (Becksie, Princess, Maggie) can lose some weight!

Excerpt from http://messybeast.com/overweight.htm

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE CATS
2004, Sarah Hartwell

"Owners don't like to see waste. Hence modern cat foods boast that they are "highly digestible". This is not true of the cat's natural prey which contains a degree of indigestible parts known as "animal roughage" and had vegetable matter in its gut. Historically, owners were encouraged to feed their cat small amounts of cooked vegetables with their meat to mimic animal roughage, but most modern owners have gotten out of this habit. Where modern cat foods do contain vegetable matter, it has usually been treated to make it digestible. Some foods boast that they are so digestible and efficient that they reduce the amount of faeces a cat passes. Although what goes into the litter tray seems like wasted money, it is necessary for intestinal health. Just like humans, cats are designed to deal with a certain amount of bulk. Adding that bulk back into the cat's diet can often prevent obesity. Owners need to understand that there is more to feeding a cat than dumping half a cup of kibble in its bowl."

More information on Cats and Wheatgrass:
Wheatgrass for Cats: Living Food for the Modern Housecats
Feline Grass-Eating

Becksie Complains

2006-03-29T17:00:00.000+08:00

Becksi gave me a Top-10 list of things she doesn't like.

You don't brush me when I expect you to. I mean, the other cats will get their turn, right? Get them to wait instead.

You brush me way too long. Are you trying to say that I don't groom myself well enough? Ok, there are some spots on my back that looks unkempt, but it's just because I haven't had time today, nor for the past few months. Now, what do you mean I can't reach those spots?

You don't brush me enough. Since you know that there some places that I can't reach, can't you just do a decent job?

I'm sleeping on your lap and you moved. Cats need their sleep. Period.

You chase me out of the cupboard. I go in there because I think some of your clothes are really out-dated. That's why I throw them out on the floor and drag some under the bed. Yes, I sleep in there sometimes but it's only because I got tired sorting out your clothes. Fur on your clothes? Oh please.

I'm in the leaving room. Yes, the leaving room is the place you go to when you leave us to go to 'Work', wherever 'Work' is. It is worse when I'm in my basket and you bring me to the leaving room. That means we're going to 'SeeVet' and I hate going to 'SeeVet'. I meow all the the way there and back is so that you'll know I'm not pleased at all.

When Rain is outside. I can smell Rain from miles away. I start creeping around slowly because it just might find me. I know you hide Shishi and me in the basket with some towels, but it would be good if you can just make Rain go away.

When you clean our room with that vacuum thing. I hate it so much, I don't even know how it looks like. Under the bedsheets is where I seek solace.

You do not stay still when I want you to feed me grass. I like you to feed me because... Well, because I like to. And I knock it off your hands and hang on to your hands with my paws is because you don't seem to know what I want.

And do you really have to vacuum?

Becksie is such a complain queen.

Patch Smiles For The Camera

2006-03-28T22:21:00.000+08:00

By request. :D

Patch the Mini Bull Terrier Visits

2006-03-27T15:32:00.000+08:00

Unlike most other Bull Terriers, Patch has a general calmness around her that is either aloofness or umm, daftness. It was told that once, she casually jogged up to some cats, hoping to sniff some butts and perhaps play for a while. The rest was history and Patch has since learned to leave the kitty meows alone. Well, most of the time.

Anyhow, Patch came over to our place yesterday while the cats were all in the bedroom. I opened the bedroom door to find 6 tiny noses twitching anxiously behind the door. The guys sniffed the air cautiously, having no clue what it was but knowing the smell came from the direction of the living room. Guardedly, Mikan stepped around me, looked out of the room and saw this thing standing 10 feet away.

And boy was he spooked. The hair on Mikan's back stood and his tail puffed. Arching his back and flattening his ears, Mikan slowly turned sideways on his toes and glared.

And glared. And glared.

Patch, who was leashed to the front gate, watched silently from a distance. Curious at this funny puffy thing, she started to wag her kinked tail and decided to flash her most gracious smile just to show how friendly she was.

Now, back to Mikan. To have Patch smile at him was like having the Big Bad Wolf grimace menacingly at Little Red Riding Hood. And my, what big teeth you have. Just then, Patch leapt into the air, all excited and ready to go sniff butts.

Well, the jump put an abrupt end to the meet. Startled, Mikan hissed, turned and fled into the room. Behind him, the rest of the kitties scampered, leaving a bewildered Patch wondering why the party ended before it even got started.

Cutie Was Nice

2006-03-26T09:46:00.000+08:00

Joy is seeing Cutie be nice to Maggie for a change.

Last night before bedtime, Cutie sat Sphnx-like on the floor, resting and watching the others settle down after their routine mad-dash around the room. Just then, Maggie walked past Queen Cutie and peered at her nervously. Cutie, however, was in mood for truce. She gave Maggie a slow blink and sent him on his way. No hissing, no slapping on the floor, no grr-grr-rr; Just plain old "Ok, you are friend" blink.

Maggie walked to the far end of the room, settled down and gave a sigh, perhaps in disbelief of his good fortune.

Of Cats & Naps

2006-03-25T16:30:00.000+08:00

Read about Operation Cat Nap & the commendable work of the Singapore Cat Welfare Society.

On Making the Most Out of Your Life

2006-03-24T13:05:00.000+08:00

What can a cat do in 2 minutes? Plenty, says Princess.

13:00:00 Play with Mousey. Play wildly like it's the first time you've ever laid your paws on this furry fellow.

13:01:05 Done. Hmm... Let's do some stalking next. Ohh, a ready target. *wiggles bum*

13:01:30 Target locked... Pounce! No wait, mom said I play too rough. Perhaps I'll lick her for a change.

13:02:00 Consider that done. What's next?

Introduction - Part V - Magneto

2006-03-20T13:13:00.000+08:00

Name: Magneto / MagMag / Maggie

Also Known As: Brush Brush Cat

Date of Birth: 11th November 2003

Found Location:Under some staircase, NIE.

Status When Found: ~ 1 month old, together with Sam, Kaku, Frodo and Mystique. Hissing non-stop and extremely ravenous, being left on their own and having starved for at least a week.

Loves: Food, double servings please.

Creeping near Mikan's bowl to have a go at his food, for only Mikan is kind enough to share.

Brushing of course!

Hates: Strange people, which is basically everyone in the world except Mom and Auntie Angela.

MagMag has a queer relationship with QQ. The silly girl is still spitting and hissing at him after spending 2 years living in such close proximity. Mag used to retaliate, puffing up and jumping sideways to show that he was not afraid. Now, however, he avoids QQ's vehement stares as well as he can, makes detours within that small room around her and scoots whenever she attempts to show him who's boss.

However, being the gentle giant that he is, Mag tried to groom QQ gingerly when she had her back turned on him once. But alas, that loving act ended with Maggie speeding away when he took a glance and saw QQ's raised paw.

Reading With Cats

2006-03-16T16:19:00.000+08:00

Today, the cats teach me how to read a book (well, a comic book) properly.

Princess: "How can you read if you keep flipping the pages like that? Do allow me hold it still for you. Oh no, I insist. "

QQ: "To hold a page down properly, sometimes you have to sit on it. And see how the boy and his tiger become alive when you move your head quickly like this? "

Waking Up With Cats

2006-03-16T10:59:00.000+08:00

I was woken up by an early call this morning and after answering it, struggled back to bed to grab more sleep. Along the way, an obstacle course awaited. Becks called out loudly to me from the table, wanting attention and possibly food. Shishi weaved between my legs and made little jumps with her front feet off the ground to rub against my knees, making endearing 'mmm' and 'maa' sounds. Mikan ran ahead, jumped onto bed to wait for me and Maggie watched the commotion atop the cage, disinterested.

As I snuggled in under the covers, Mikan had left for his favourite spot under the bed. Becks crawled in with me and started to purr, lying contentedly on my chest. QQ came in soon after, asking for some pets. I stroked them groggily and Becks left a minute later, probably annoyed at having to share the attention. I felt someone stepped on my shins, then proceeded to lean heavily against the crook of my knee. There's only 1 cat who doesn't give two hoots about stepping on mommy - Princess. A quick peer confirmed the suspicion.

I drifted in and out of sleep and the kids took turns snuggling up. Finally, I decided to get up; There's no way that I would be able to rest properly with them moving around so much. Getting up, I saw Becks watching me from the other bed, blinking at me affectionately. Habitually, Mikan sidled up to coax me to sleep somemore.

What a wonderful way to start the day. =^.^=

Mikan's Secret

2006-03-13T22:01:00.000+08:00

At first, it was just puzzling not to be able to find Mikan whenever he was out of our room. No matter how long I called for him, he would not respond, choosing only to reappear when he was done with whatever he was doing in secret. So, armed with the camera, I shadowed Mikan as he dashed out of the room on one occasion.

Acting nonchalant, the sneaky boy jogged around. "Hmmm... A futile attempt to shake loose of any surveillance," I thought to myself. Minutes later, confident that he is indeed alone, Mikan turned his attention on his unknowing target, whatever it was, and watched intently.

Mikan sat like that for a while and I started to wonder if my suspicions were unnecessary. Maybe Mikan had wanted to watch the telly? Just then, sneaky boy leapt up the cabinet and I quickly picked up my camera once more. What is he doing? Perhaps he had figured out how to turn the television on?

Wrong! His eyes were set on the bouquet of dried flowers all along!

I hurried to the supermarket to get fresh wheat grass.

Introduction - Part V - Shiro

2006-03-09T15:10:00.000+08:00

Name: Shiro / ShiShi / Kushiro

Also Known As: Girlie Cat

Date of Birth: 1st July 2003

Found Location: Indescript neighbourhood park in Seletar.

Status When Found: 1 ~ 3 days old, together with Mikan and QQ, yelling at the top of her voice and crawling all over.

Loves: Anything girlish; ribbons, hairclips, furry stuff, and preferably white in color.

Sneaking out of the front gate to roll in dirt along the common corrridor.

Hates: Rainy days.

Shi has a bit of Siamese in her, telling from the color of her coat and that queer cross-eyed look. Lovely Shi is the first baby to open her eyes, 10 days after I found the brood.

Introduction - Part IV - Cutie Pie

2006-03-09T14:03:00.000+08:00

Name: Cutie Pie / QQ

Also Known As: Silly Cat

Date of Birth: 1st July 2003

Found Location: Indescript neighbourhood park in Seletar.

Status When Found: 1 ~ 3 days old, together with Mikan.

Loves: Being stroked.

Catnip.

Watching litter bins getting cleaned and using it immediately thereafter.

Rolling in ecstasy in freshly disinfected litter bin.

Hates: Kitties who play too rough.

QQ took almost 2 weeks to learn to do her business in the kitty litter bin when the others took probably, say, 2 minutes. But she has fallen in love with the hooded litter bin eversince!

Introduction - Part III - Princess

2006-03-08T10:59:00.000+08:00

Name: Princess / Purin Purin

Also Known As: Xiao Pang

Date of Birth: 1st July 2003

Found Location: Same indescript neighbourhood park in Seletar.

Status When Found: 1 ~ 3 days old, eyes shut. Lying beside Becks under the hot sun.

Loves: Being brushed.

Being carried.

Looking for small spaces to nap in.

Hates: When no one wants to play.

Princey got very ill when he was little. It started with infection of the naval which spreaded to his limbs and subsequently respiratory pneumonia. He was so sick then I had to separate him from the rest and made him his own "princess bed" (hence his name). The naughty peanut would fall asleep in my palms and wake up crying the moment I put him down in his bed. He just refused to be left on his own.

To top it off, being the naughty baby that he was, he refused to drink his milk nor take his medicine. Under the advice of a kind vet, I thinned out his medicine with milk and gave him a few drops a time constantly throughout the day.

He is now a plump little boy who plays too rough for his siblings' liking, probably because he was separated from the rest for quite some time and has not learnt to play appropriately. The infection he suffered from, however, had fused his carpus. (See: "Then" picture; Note his deformed front limbs.) That limited his flexibility of his limbs so while the others are scaling window grilles like King Kongs, Princey can only sit and watch forlornly.

See also his smallish right ear? Poor baby got nipped by a doggie on the day I found him. Though it drew no blood, his right ear has not developed properly since.

Introduction - Part II - Beckham

2006-03-06T10:51:00.000+08:00

Name: Beckham / Becks / Becksie

Also Known As: Jealous Cat

Date of Birth: 1st July 2003

Found Location: Same indescript neighbourhood park in Seletar.

Status When Found: 1 ~ 3 days old, eyes shut. Becks was found 12 hours after Mikan, on the other side of the bush, lying under the hot sun.

Loves: Being brushed.

Squeezing to the head of the queue, whenever there is one.

Jumping into closets and refusing to come out while messing it up.

Hates: Being made to come out of closets, Being left on her own, Rainy days.

Introduction - Part I - Mikan

2006-03-06T08:31:00.000+08:00

Name: Mikan / Minimikankankan

Also Known As: Big Brother

Date of Birth: 1st July 2003

Found Location: Indescript neighbourhood park in Seletar.

Status When Found: 1 ~ 3 days old, fast asleep under a bush.

Loves: Dipping his paws into water and flicking it everwhere. Known to have dropped toys into water dish on purpose. ("I'm not playing with water, mom! I'm just fishing them out!")

Lying down beside mommy the moment she wakes up to go to work and going to sleep in her arms immediately.

Used to love playing fetch but not anymore.

Hates: The Vacuum Cleaner.

Thank You

2006-03-03T05:14:00.000+08:00

One night 3 years ago, I found 2 kittens crying for their mommy for over 9 hours in a school canteen. They are Buffy and Tux, now living happily with Three.

Come same year July, I chanced upon a nest of 5 kittens, yelling for food and warmth in the dead of the night under a bush. Mikan, Cutie-Pie, Princess, Shiro and Beckham now live with me and well, let's just say that I try to serve them to the best of my ability.

4 months later, I got another litter of 5; Their mommy taken away by the authorities. Sam and Akasha have been adopted by Three as well, I kept Magneto while Mystique and Frodo went to 2 other homes.

Since then, many other cats have entered my life. Some have left etching memories, some are just flitting imageries. Some are still here, some had just left me or were long gone.

That night 3 years ago, Buffy and Tuxie brought me into a priviledged world - where one is loved by cats. Thank you for letting me in.

How Cute More Can You Get?

2006-03-02T08:32:00.000+08:00

QQ: Mom, look at me standing up!

Who Wants Brush Brush?

Not Allergic!

It's Been a Long Time!

Life with the Cats, Their Dad and Patch

We Grew Up Here

Complaint

Second Trapping for the Month of December

Painless Vaccination Day & Patch's Eye Condition

Backdate

Vaccination Day Later Today

New Kitty Litter Spells Disaster

Baby Cupcak... Kueh Pie Tee?

Cookies for the Kids

Trapping on Tuesday Night

Patch, the Chair and the Hair Dryer

Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage Workshop

Talking Cats

Lots of Catwork to be Done

Baking Lessons

Their Dad is Away

And Let There Be Light

Reno Progress & Kindly Neighbours

Kitty Lamp Arrived

Aaru-kun & Eru-chan

The Kitty Room

Princey Featured in Cat Music Video

Fivecats House

All 6 Kids Showered Today

Relaxed Day at the Cat Shelter

Kids All Excited Over Cyber Cat

Princey Makes a Change

Operation New Year's Day

All Numb from Napping

Becksie is Obese

Vaccination Morning Mess-Up

Vaccination Day Tomorrow

Somecat Is Unhappy

When Our Kids Fall Ill

*Sniff sniff*

Our Playhouse Collapsed Today

Need to Get: New Kitty Litter Box

Of Kitty & Tiffy

What We Are Up To Everyday

Gazing as a Past Time

Fashion Shoot - 2 -

Fashion Shoot - 1 -

What's Been Up

Video = Tummy Rub

The Chronicles of NTU Cats - Part I

Updates on Mikan

Video = What is Inside the Dustbin?

Oreo

Video = Princey Snoozing In the Sun

Video = Mikan Having His Milk

Mikan Says Thank You

Mikan Goes To the Vet

Mikan Has UTI Again

It's Just Me

Cats Love Wheatgrass

Becksie Complains

Patch Smiles For The Camera

Patch the Mini Bull Terrier Visits

Cutie Was Nice

Of Cats & Naps

On Making the Most Out of Your Life

Introduction - Part V - Magneto

Reading With Cats

Waking Up With Cats

Mikan's Secret

Introduction - Part V - Shiro

Introduction - Part IV - Cutie Pie

Introduction - Part III - Princess

Introduction - Part II - Beckham

Introduction - Part I - Mikan

Thank You

How Cute More Can You Get?

Sniff sniff