Finally Arrived!

After a one-month wait, our order finally arrived at the Cove! Chief Inspector aka Skoda exercised her due dlligence and administered strict customs clearance of the parcel before she'd let it through:

(Viola! I just figured out how to make a photo collage - thanks to Picasa web album. This would come in very useful because I often take consecutive shots. Picasa doesn't seem stable though.)

For some time, Grimlock and I have entertained the thoughts of bringing Skoda out for walks. She is "kaypo" (ie curious) enough to want to, at times, venture out of the gate to "look see, look see" (and bolt right back at any sound or sight over at our neighbour's). Such attempts of hers never fail to get our adrenalin pumping. When we've visitors, she doesn't go into hiding and will check them out at a safe distance (she used to more forthcoming when she was younger). Of the three, she is the most "gung-ho" and she could do with more exercise. Our apartment is a corner unit and there is a park near our block.

Those collars and harnesses sold at the local pet supplies shop are unsuitable and unsafe for cats so the sourcing would have to be done overseas. We recently got a supplier contact through San (an experienced "cat walking" trainer :) ) and aunty P and pooled our order of cat walking jackets with the latter.

"Oh, is this for me? What's this? What can I do with it?"

Some years back, I saw a man with a cat on leash below my block - the cat stayed put despite of the man's coaxing (the cat was very calm). It was quite a comical sight and I was amused that he actually tried to walk a cat (I then thought only dogs would go on walks).

We've now placed the jacket next to Pinky so as to let Skoda get used to it. And we'd also familiarise ourselves with the leash training tips posted on the supplier's website. Will need to get an identification tag and a leash. Watch this space for updates on how our leash "training" mission of Skoda goes (it is too preliminary to speculate on whether roles might be switched?) :)

Skoda snoozing away with the cat jacket on her.

(9 March 2008)

Besides the cat jacket, we also bought a fly toy from the same supplier. The girls are having great fun with it, one of our "better" acquisitions to date.