Beauty Bloom (III)

While we're at our wits' end on how to make Skoda drink up, Mikki, on the other hand, drinks quite a bit (in terms of frequency and amount). We often see her lapping up water from the water fountains and bowl. She is also a non-fussy eater, taking readily to both dry and wet food. I checked with Dr K on her drinking habit and he said drinking up a lot is less of a problem than not drinking enough.

Back in April 2007, a blood test revealed that Mikki's liver enzymes exceeded the normal range by like three times. Subsequently, the condition was under control, as confirmed by her last blood test in Jan 2008. She was due for her review so I brought her to the vet yesteday, 5 Jul. She howled from the moment we put her into the pet taxi until we settled down at the vetinary clinic >_<

Her blood test result:

Mikki's liver and kidney indicators are within the normal range (WHEW!). I'm reminded by the test result printout that this girl is now one-year-nine-months old.

This time, I made sure I got the nurse to unbandage Mikki's feet (where the blood extraction was done) before we left the clinic. The last time, she put up a good fight for 30 minutes before we finally managed to remove the bandage.

After her spaying, Mikki has developed a habit of getting down on her side on the floor and rock from side-to-side and at times, throw in a good stretch as well. And here, My Little One (Mikki's nick) was at it again:

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (IX)

Brought Skoda for her review on last Sat, 28 June:

As you can see, it was termed as a bad urine report. Infection and crystals were present in her urine. Dr K asked whether we want to administer subcutaneous infusion of Hartmann's Fluid (found out from ST what this is called) on our own for Skoda. We opted to try syringe-feeding Skoda first. Dr K requested that we put her on 100% Waltham and to review her urine in one week's time.

It turned out that syringe-feeding isn't easy. We only managed to syringe-feed like about 7ml. Skoda runs out of patience quite quickily. We increased her Waltham intake to about 70%. The gang share a common bowl (it is ineffective to be feeding on separate bowls because they would end up stealing from the other's bowl). Braun doesn't like Waltham that much, Mikki is a non-fussy eater while Skoda will eat Waltham only if she is really hungry. We changed our feeding arrangement to mixture of Royal Canin Indoor with Waltham for their breakfast, with just enough RC for Braun and Mikki (usually Braun will eat first, followed by Mikki and then Skoda). Dinner is 100% Waltham. We've cut down on the amount of free-feeding - no topping up after breakfast and we leave out a small supper (100% Waltham). They get wet food on alternate days. I'll continue to source for a wet food that is palatable for Skoda (Braun and Mikki love wet food).

I read from a website earlier this week that prescription food to treat FLUTD or UTI aims to "acidify" the cat's urine, and so it is not advisable to feed it to cats who don't need such a prescription diet on long-term. The website also mentioned this is contrary to what vets would say. I've decided to take an in-between stance and will give Braun and Mikki their RC and just a little RC to Skoda, and give them wet food on a regular basis.

Brought Skoda's urine sample for review yesterday, 5 Jul:

Hurray, there are no more crystals and her urine is less concentrated. Previously, her urine was so concentrated that it couldn't be measured - it is still on the high side though. So, diet does play a part. Dr K asked us to go for 100% Waltham and to continue syringe-feeding her. He said the subcutaneous infusion can be put on hold and the next review is one month's time.

A compilation of Skoda's urinalysis results since Jan 2008:

"Oh no, the beans are gonna continue to syringe-feed me..."

When I'm at the vet's, I'd also go next door to the pet supplies shop (my supplier too) and seek Shadow out. Most of the time, he is not around (somewhere in the neighbourhood). When I stepped into the shop yesterday, there he was. I squatted down and was quite tempted to stroke him. I asked the shop owner if he takes to patting by strangers. Just when I finished my question, Shadow came over to me, did a head-bump and laid down at my feet. You can imagine my delight, it was as if he had read my mind or understood what I just said. I had a good time stroking him. His fur is smooth (has a nice sheen too) and "solid" (Shadow weighs about 11kg, he is three years old).

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Braun is the undisputed 'grooming queen' of the three; nothing less than a thorough job. Mikki is fairly diligent and merticulous too - she is small-sized so the movements are cute to watch. For Skoda, the mood to groom comes by as and when. And if she does get into the mood, ONE area is of particular importance and calls for all of her efforts.

"For My Tum-Tum Fan(s)"

A funny and cute video clip. Watch out for Skoda's fanning tail while she grooms her tum-tum.

A Father's Sorrow

I took a cab to work today morning. About 10 minutes away from reaching my office, the cab driver and I started to talk. I was surprised he could speak fluent English (he is 69 years old). He used to be a white-collar worker and when the economic downturn hit in 1985, he was retrenched. He was unable to find a job (due to his age) so he became a cab driver.

He has three children. The youngest, a daughter, is a teacher who gets in touch with him once a year and doesn't give him any allowance. His eldest, a son, recently passed away in his sleep. He is currently staying with his second child, another son who is single. This son will soon be heading to China for work for a month. He said he would be able to retire if only each of his children would give him $200-$300 a month. I listened all this while when he shared with me part of his life story. I think he just needed someone to listen to him. Sometimes, less is more and well, 家家有本难念的经 (each family has its own tales to tell of)

When I was getting off, he wished me a good day ahead and in the same breath, he said he'll try to. To cheer him up a little, I teased him for being so specific and he laughed.

Spaced-Out

On one hot summer's day, Skoda settled down comfortably in PG2 ('Pinky Generation 2'*)...

* Having served the gang well and long, PG1 had decided to call it a day permanently. PG1, thanks for all the fond memories.

Much Ado About Nothing

叫我如何不爱她？

"Please Drink Up" Campaign (II)

A status update on introducing flavoured fluids to Skoda:

We started first with milk because no preparation is required (a packet of Cosi pets milk costs S$4.50). We were a little afraid that the girls might put on weight if we give them milk daily so we took their weight. Skoda tipped the scales at 6.5kg, Braun at 3.7kg and Mikki at 3.5kg. I didn't expect Mikki to weigh that much (she looks petite).

(Thanks again, ST)

Both Braun and Mikki took very well to milk. That rascal Skoda wouldn't try any bit of it; she didn't bother to humour us, not even a little. Uuuurrrggghhhh... Braun and Mikki ended up finishing the packet of milk.



I'm not keen on feeding the girls fish on a regular basis so chicken stock was next. We bought two packets of chicken bones:

Her Royal Highness (aka that rascal Skoda) "responded" to chicken stock with much disdain. Braun and Mikki LOVE the chicken stock. I gave them the boiled chicken meat - Braun and Mikki chomped up all of their share; Skoda left hers untouched. If Skoda had shown any enthusiasm towards the boiled chicken meat, I'd let them have it on a regular basis.

The beans were now down to the last option, ie fish stock. In fact, they were optimistic that might just be it. When the cooking was done, the stock smelled so fishy that the Mouse kept chuckling away (so overflowing with confidence).

"Humph, I no like fish stock TOO yah! Mousie, I can almost see smoke coming out of your head..."

And again, Braun and Mikki finished up the boiled fish meat, Skoda left hers untouched. Mikki LOVES the fish stock, while Braun seems to prefer chicken stock better.


What else can we do to make Skoda drink up?!?! (Help...anyone has any method/tips to share?)

I went to the vetinary clinic one evening to pick up a packet of Waltham kibbles. I had a chat with Dr D on our attempts to make Skoda drink up (and the failures). She suggested trying IAMs canned food which has some gravy - to entice her to drink by mixing the gravy with water (gradually increase the water portion). I went to a few pet supplies shop - they have IAMs dry food but not the canned food. Aunty P passed me two cans of Fussie Cat - Skoda was lukewarm (the other two love them though). I also bought Burp! salmon in gravy - Skoda was more enthusiatic to it as compared to Natural Balance wet food.

We'll be bringing Skoda for her review next Sat, 28 June. I'm gonna update Dr K on our failed attempts. Fingers crossed that her urine indicators are within the acceptable range. I'm already at my wits' end >_<

Must remember to check with Dr K if it would be alright to be feeding Burp! salmon in gravy on an ongoing basis. There is no country of manufacture indicated and no breakdown of what the gravy is made up of (ingredients label: 52% salmon and 48% gravy).

"Please Drink Up" Campaign (I)

A "Please Drink Up" campaign has just kicked off at the Cove. Main target, as you'd have guessed it, is Skoda. Of the three, she is the only one who drinks off the dome of the drinking fountain so we decided to get a CatIt drinking dome. It also costs less than the fountain ($56.80 before discount). I picked up the dome from PLC (Bugis Junction branch) and Grimlock immediately set it up when I got home. The unit kept making a vibrating sound which isn't a good thing at all because the noise puts the girls off.



After several failed attempts to fix the noise, I brought the dome back to the shop. The sales assistant accepted my account and promptly facilated the exchange. We also decided to switch back to the drinking fountain. PLC stuff are overpriced but so far, I've found their service satisfactory.

The new drinking fountain is completely quiet, just like the other unit. A few days later Skoda was due for her review and I was disappointed to hear of her urine being very concentrated (see post dated 8 June 2008). The quest continues to make Skoda drink up >_<

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (VIII)

Skoda was due for her review on Sat, 31st May. At 6.30am, she started singing at the top of her lungs. I managed to distract her until about 7.30am (vetinary clinic opens at 9.30am and the urinalysis has to be done within two hours after collection). Then she stepped into the kitchen sink and got into the squatting position. I immediately whisked her into the room where the litter tray had been kept away and she wasted no time (that was how "urgent" she was). Here was how her urine looked:

I was relieved to see that Skoda's urine was no longer brown in colour and crossed my fingers this would mean better news. And we bought another water fountain on 26 May.

Urinalysis results as follows:

The inflammation had receded; protein level has returned to normal; no presence of blood; and the white blood cells level has come down. Skoda need not continue with Baytril. HOWEVER, her urine is very concentrated (in fact exceeded the parameters) and crystals are present again. She has got to drink up so Dr K said to introduce flavoured fluids such as milk or chicken/fish/beef stock. Other options would be to "run" fluid under her skin (there is a home kit for this) or syringe-feed water - both of which we're not keen (nope, we don't want to stress her up) or sprinkle pan salt into her kibbles so as to induce thirst. We're to bring Skoda back for her review in one month's time.

"What, get me to drink - what's that again?!?! You wait and see lor..."

As Busy As a Bee

I've become a weekend blogger.

There had been one event after another at work, and I'm juggling a few other projects at the same time. Thank God that I enjoy my work; for good health, the energy level and the mental capacity; and things are going well so far. The pace and volume will possibly be as such for me for this year. I'll take things one at a time and keep counting on God for His wisdom, grace and strength.

I've lots of photos and video clips to upload - I'll find time to do this. This is another of my favourite things when I get some me-time.

The tortise almost instantly came to mind when I was thinking of an image to accompany this post. To me, the tortise symbolises forbearance and being able to take things at its own pace. Very often I think of animals in describing a state of mind.

"Gimme, Gimme!"

Braun takes a keen interest in the food items, especially fruits, we lay on the coffee table. Here, she couldn't resist giving it a go:

Note: Braun of course didn't get to take a bite of the strawberry. We make it a habit not to give the girls any human food.

Sun Worshipper (II)

It never fails to amaze me how well the girls take to warm spots. Here, Mikki takes her power nap on the scanner that is placed next to the study window, right smack under the hot sun:

"A Penny for Your Thoughts"

My Little One getting pensive (a great thinker in the making?):

P/S: Yesterday night, for the first time in the history at the Cove, we managed to clip Mikki's front paw nails all at one go. We just might have discovered what works for her, ie let her hind paws rest on a solid surface instead of having her sit on my lap. And of course, to keep at distracting her with treats. Hurray!

八支脚，打横走

Heading of blog posting: Make a guess what creature this would be? (Ans: what the beans had for dinner yesterday).

English translation: A creature that has eight legs and walks in a sideways manner.

I had a craving for crabs yesterday and Grimlock placed a delivery order for them from Punggol Seafood. Well, we are not equipped with four wheels and we wanted to eat in the comfort of the Cove. The ones sold at nearby eateries in our neighbourhood fail to make the mark. The bill came up to S$85 for 2kg chilli crabs and the golden buns.

Verdict: The gravy is the dry type (I was pleased to see that water/liquid was not slipping out from the gravy). It was a little too saltish though. I didn't find it very spicy (note: I go by 无辣不欢 so my threshold is quite high). The crabs were fresh (口感蛮QQ的!) and one of the crabs had roe in it (ultimate indulgence, yum yum). Overall, it was a craving well satisfied :)

The food were delivered in a nice, sturdy box which Skoda wasted no time in giving it a thorough check (while the beans got down to enjoying their dinner). She and Mikki later turned it into their playground (they exchanged a brief kiss :) in one of the photos ).

心静自然凉 (The Heat is Killing Me!)

Looks like the heat wave has returned and is here to stay. All @ The Cove are trying their best to stay above the weather. By the way, it is 33°C today and the same for the next upcoming three days. And it is now only May...

Perhaps I could learn a thing or two from the girls on how to hold up to the heat: 1) Get meditative; 2) Simply do nothing, ie stretch-out on various surfaces (Skoda seems to particularly take to the granite flooring - cooler?); 3) Sleep the heat away (amazing!); and 4) “以毒攻毒”(get right into the sun - you must be kidding... ):

I came across a website that offers tips on how to keep our kitties cool and comfy during the long, hot summer.

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (VII)

Two Saturdays back, we brought Skoda for her review but she couldn't produce an urine sample. The vet technician initially told us her bladder was empty but yet after her consultation, informed us that Skoda peed in the pet taxi. The latter incidence was very unexpected of her. Earlier in the wee hours, she was very urgent but held on (such a good girl!) until we decided to abandon mission and let her use the litter tray. Dr K commented she seems to have put on weight so it is getting difficult to 'feel' her bladder.

Yesterday morning, we self-collected Skoda's urine sample. We reverted back to this method because I didn't want her to get stressed up by the clinic extracting urine direct from her bladder (lest this has anything to do with her peeing in the pet taxi). Her urine sample was brownish in colour and this doesn't look "good" at all to me (it was yellowish orange the last time). Normal cat urine colour should be yellow in colour.

The urinalysis results (17 May 08):

The Waltham prescription diet seems to be working because there are no more crystals in her urine :) However, there is inflammation in her bladder which explains why the protein level and white blood cells levels have gone up and there is blood in her urine (as compared to her last urinalysis on 1st Mar 08). If not treated/managed, the condition would lead to kidney problems. Dr K has put her on a course of Baytril, an antibiotics if administered in an higher dosage, poses 0.01% of causing blindness in cats. Skoda is allergic to Clavamox (the first line of antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infection) so this is her next option. The prescribed dosage is 50mg, half tablet once daily. We're to monitor her closely for any adnormality and bring her back for a review in two weeks' time.

This girl needs to drink up. She only drinks from the water fountain (leaves the other two water bowls untouched) and from the kitchen sink tap, and she is lukewarm towards wet food. We'll be getting another water fountain/dome (all three girls will benefit anyway). The investment cost is insubstantial compared to her heading the dreaded direction.

"What's Up?"

"This looks familiar. The last time, the beans vanished with it and left us behind. This calls for an immediate and thorough investigation!"

Sniff, sniff, sniff.

"Nope, nothing conclusive yet..."

"But hey, I actually am beginning to like this. Not bad at all, quite comfy. The investigations can wait."

Where is the Girl? (IV)

This was the girls' old pet taxi which we improvised into a cat bed (throw in a cushion plus a towel). Grimlock washed it and had put it aside for drying.

Guess who this might be?

"Sssshhhh, don't let the other two know I'm hiding here. Pretend that you didn't see me."

"Surely, I could do with some time-out."

Super Cat

Some time back, Grimlock showed me this comic in the Straits Times:

P/S: Well, it is the cat who keeps people ;)

My Sun-Kissed, Beautiful Babe (II)

Took this series of photos on May Day. The moment was so right. I was there. Skoda was taking in the late afternoon sun, just being herself (read: babe). I kept at taking her photos. Electrifying, awesome...

叫我如何不爱她？

My favourite shot of the lot:

"Watch My Eyes"

Besides being very vocal in making her demands known, Braun recently honed a new, tested "skill", ie dispensing deadly stares. She resorts to this when the Mouse is slow in responding to her commands. Life is hard for the Mouse...... >_<