恭贺新禧

Festive greetings from all @ the Cove:

身体健康， 充满活力

(Good health and vigour. Health is the greatest wealth, agree?)

笑口常开，一团和气

(Loads of laughter, and harmony.)

有情人终成眷署,合家美满平安
(Best wishes for those who have found/looking for their special someone, and family bliss.)

国泰民安， “牛”转乾坤
(Prosperity and peace for Singapore. Speedy rebound of the global economy.)

Aren't the paper cuttings pretty? We got a few of these back in a trip to Beijing 4-5 years ago (very intricate details):

Fodder for the Gang

From time to time, I'll let the girls try out a different brand of dry food so that they don't get hooked on a particular brand. They were taking RC Indoor 27 for some time. Skoda is on Waltham Feline Urinary S/O. The ideal situation where each keeps to her own food doesn't exist at the Cove. Braun has a distaste for Waltham. Mikki and she have no need for this diet anyway so we get one other brand of commercial dry food for them.

Breakfast is almost 100% Waltham with a little of the commercial dry food on the side for Braun. Mikki is easy when it comes to food - if there's anything she rejects, that is something to take note of (ie permanent elimination). Braun and Mikki get wet food for dinner (Natural Balance salmon). We mix a little wet food with lots of water for Skoda (Dr K instructed for her to stick to Waltham). Skoda is basically a dry food junkie.

Recently during the weekends, I started to give them plain boiled chicken (to gain from some goodness of unprocessed food?). If Skoda is hungry enough, she'll take some of it while Braun and Mikki love it. I tried out boiled pork yesterday - Mikki loves it but Braun and Skoda didn't take any of it, so I'll stick to chicken.

A month ago, I bought a small packet (1.13kg - $32.54 after discount from PLC) of Wellness Indoor Health 40 (dry food) for the girls to try out. I was drawn by its claim of containing no 'meat by-products, corn or corn gluten, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, colours or flavours'.

All three are agreeable with the switch. There seems to be less shredding and their stool don't smell as strong. Today, we bought the 2.27kg packaging ($48.79 after discount). The brand is quite pricey (or rather the mark-up of PLC stuff is quite high?). My regular pet supplies shop does not carry this brand so it looks like I'll have to let PLC earn my extra few bucks >_< The three rascals are really having it good...

A World Fit for Children

I keep an inventory of interesting articles that I want to share on my blog. It's a big world out there.

I came across this article in the Straits Times on 20 Nov 2008 - Universal Children's Day, one of the oldest UN days. Sift through it and see what you pick from it. The figures put deprivation in perspective.

Project S (VII)

I was on leave today, 2nd Jan. After finishing some office work, I decided to go out for a stretch. Went to check out the newly renovated Sembawang Shopping Centre. About 30% of the shops are not opened yet. Free parking till end of Feb. That explains the snake queue of cars waiting to get in?

Took a late lunch at the Kopitiam food court - the bak chor mee was disappointing. The Daiso store is about the same size as the one at Plaza Singapura - no stocks of the pet hair removal sponge. I've been trying for some time to get this. Mine are very well-used. The Pet Lovers' Centre in the basement has not opened for business yet. The Giant supermarket is of a decent size - quite organised. Bumped into a colleague there. For a CapitalLand development, I found the retail mix a let-down.

Was still feeling quite energetic so I decided to swing by Site X to check out the batch of cats who were released yesterday. Bought several cans of Fancy Feast at Giant (there weren't any other choice; I didn't want to get Whiskas). Upon arrival, I saw an unsterilised white/grey cat - I forgot to take a look at the rear but from the face shape, I think it is a boy. Bumped into the nursing mother and she ate about 1.5 cans. Saw another brown cat who didn't want any food.

Went back to the starting point and saw one of the females who were spayed (recognised her by the tipped ear and her trimmed belly). She kept yowling at me - scolding me for the 'adventure' I had put her through, ha ha? She ate close to one can.

Mousie to noisy cat: 'Hey, dessexing is for your good alright? Now, you only need to fend for yourself.' (Glad to see her looking alright.)

The white/grey cat was taking a nap in the bushes. He woke up when I got near. He was quite cautious. I had to stand a little further from the food before he would touch it. He ate about 0.5 can and went off.

I surveyed Site X another round, didn't spot any other cats and made my way out.

Hope the weather will remain dry over the next few days.

So, the updated tally of unsterilised cats is something like this:
1) White/grey cat (boy spotted on 2nd Jan)
2) Brown cat (the one who didn't want any food). There are a few identical ones so I'm getting confused.
3) Cat no. 5 (white/orange)
4) The tom cat
5) The nursing mother
6) The Siamese
7) A white (spotted hiding in the big tree on 1st Jan)
8) Possibly two litters of kittens

Project S (VI)

While waiting for V to send back the first batch of cats for release at Site X, Grimlock and I spotted two white/grey cats (one male and one female) and a younger male cat (brown). One of the white/grey cats had got away during the last round of trapping. The two white/grey cats were hungry enough to hang around us (we kept shaking our kibbles container and giving them just a little kibbles to make them want more). The younger male cat wondered off to a nearby offbounds area.

At such last-minute notice, V was available to help us with the trapping. When he arrived (he came together with R, another fellow cat blogger :) ), he laid down some wet tuna food and managed to nab the male white/grey by the scuff of his neck. The female white/grey ran away and went into hiding in a big tree at their favourite hanging-out spot. So V prepared the trap. For a long time, the female white/grey didn't emerge from hiding. V spotted another white cat hiding in the tree.

While I kept watch over the trap from another side, V actually got hold of the younger male cat who earlier wondered off. No idea how V did it.

Finally, the female white/grey showed up. We kept to a far distance from the trap and watched, waited. I was holding my breath. She went for the food and viola, we got our third cat.

We spotted another female cat - a nursing mother. We decided to leave her alone because she probably has hidden her litter of kittens somewhere. Her kittens would still need her. We also saw a Siamese cat running across - this is the first time I'm seeing him/her.

While making our way back, we saw another pretty white cat with light brown patches on her back. She was quite alert so we had to use the trap. The Siamese came along too and checked out the trap. We got the white cat. The Siamese ran off. The white cat is slightly small in build (about five months' old) so V will check with the vet if it is ok to spay her. By this time, it started to drizzle and night had descended so we called it a day.

On this second round of trapping, we rounded up two males and two females.

The 'wonderer' (male)...

The first 'captured' cat (male) during this round of trapping...

The one (female) who played a waiting game with us...

(It got dark so I didn't take any photos of the young, female white cat)

Well, I don't think I can ask for more. Nine cats sterilised within a week. I think the trapping will get challenging because no amount of projection/planning will do for the cats' appearances, ie if-you-see-them-you-see-them.

I'm left with cat no. 5 (white/orange), the brown one whom we let off on 29 Dec, the tom cat, the nursing mother, the Siamese, a white who was hiding in the big tree (?) and possibly two litters of kittens >_< (if the nursing mother indeed has just given birth).

Update - 4 Jan 09: The second batch of sterilised cats (total of four) were released back at Site X today. The white/grey female cat was pregnant so she underwent an abortion.

This is the pretty white cat with light brown patches on her back. Strangely, she didn't scuttle off upon release.

In summary, four males and five females were sterilised this week.

I shall wait till after the Chinese New Year for the sterilisation of the kittens, as well as the other grown-ups.