Project S (IV)

We went to site X on Christmas Day and we sighted the largest number of cats on this trip; six grown up cats and one kitten.

I'm keeping a record of how many cats there are at site X. This orange-white cat would be Cat #5. He/she was taking a nap, very sleepy and so wasn't too bothered with us.

The last time we saw the kittens was back on 8 November. Glad to see him/her again - quite a skinny fella so I think sterilisation for him/her will have to wait. When we were walking off, he/she came after us. I wonder where the other kittens have gone to...

We saw the three darker cats in the photo on our last visit. The white cat (#6) has a light brown patch on the forehead - he/she is actually quite good-looking. Quite a sacredly cat too. We had to stand some distance away before he/she would eat the kibbles. Good for him/her not to get too friendly with people but will he/she be difficult to trap?

Familiar faces...

The white cat is not the same one in the photo above. This one (#7) has a black patch on the forehead and a greyish black tail.

Round 1 of Project S will be taking off on Mon, 29 Dec :) I'll be roping in V for the trapping. We can go for at most five cats per trip (this is the maximum number the veterinary clinic will take in). V will send in the cats to the clinic on Tues, 30 Dec. I'll be boarding the cats at his place after the surgery. He'll then release the cats back at site X two to three days later. Fingers crossed for good weather and a fruitful trapping on 29 Dec and smooth surgery and speedy recovery for the kitties.

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (XIII)

Brought Skoda's urine sample for her regular review on Sat, 6 Dec. Results as follows:

Compared to her last Urinalysis (8 Nov), the protein, Leuko, RBC and bacteria indicators had come down. No traces of blood too. The urine is still concentrated (>1.050), so is the struvite level. Bacteria is still present in the urine so Dr K said there might be contamination with my present collection method, and the PeeWee litter might have affected the struvite level. He asked that we bring Skoda in to the clinic in a week's time and for a Urinalysis to be done with urine collected directly from her bladder, as well as conduct a urine culture and sensitivity test.

Looking at the overall results, Grimlock's neck was spared :)

We also informed him of Skoda's scooting habit - she drags her anal area across the floor, sofa and floor mat. This habit of hers has been ongoing for some time - I had asked Dr K about it some time back but didn't pursue the matter because Skoda's UTI has been the bigger problem. He prescribed a Gentrisone skin ointment, to be applied twice daily. If her scooting habit persists, he recommended a faecal check when we bring her in the following week.

On Skoda's return visit on 13 Dec, Dr K found her bladder to be small and hence had to put her on a drip (subcutaneous fluids). Subsequently, he extracted one urine sample each for the Urinalysis, and the urine culture test. We had to leave her at the clinic for half-a-day. Skoda was still scooting so a fecalysis was also done for her. Dogs have a greater tendency to scoot, as compared to cats.

On the way to the vet... I condensed the original clip to those parts where Skoda could be heard meowing away. Her meowing got more frequent and louder...

Urinalysis results as follows:

The urine was still concentrated. The PH, Leuko, protein and RBC indicators had all gone up. The collection method was eliminated from affecting the struvite level. The fecalysis didn't show up any worms, so the clinic went on to express the anal glands. We are to continue with the Gentrisone ointment and observe if she continues to scoot.

We had to wait till Wed, 17 Dec for the urine culture test results. There isn't any bacteria in the urine, which means Skoda doesn't have to go on antibiotics. To manage the struvite, she'll need to go on 100% Waltham. Dr K didn't think it was a good idea for her to be taking commercial wet food for dinner (though she takes only like 2-3 tablespoons).

We're now as strict as possible on Skoda taking only Waltham kibbles. The other two girls are continuing with their wet food dinners - we give Skoda a little mixed with quite a bit of water. She still scoots but after a week of applying the Gentrisone ointment, we stopped. It is a steroid cream so we're not keen on a prolonged use. Will probably have to bring Skoda back to the clinic to express her anal glands. She is due for her next review in a month's time.

The Reason for the Season

I finally found time to jot down some thoughts about this time of the year. I deliberately stayed away from shopping for presents this year, again. I've managed to do this for two consecutive years. I love and celebrate Christmas for what it is about and the last I want to do is to be caught up with more busyness. I already have had enough of the latter, for some time.

I gave two staff from my department a lunch treat on Mon, 22nd Dec. That I enjoyed very much because we seldom take lunch together. It was to celebrate the birthday of one of them in advance, and I wanted to thank them for their support. I got to know them a little better. I hope to do this more often.

I felt quite 'paiseh' though that some of my colleagues brought me gifts. I'll make it up to them in the course of the year.

On Christmas Eve, Grimlock was busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen for dinner. Last year, he made a yummy lasagne from a recipe that he downloaded from the Internet. Usually he doesn't do any cooking (maybe make an omelette now and then). This year, he laid these down on our dining table. The cooking is of restaurant standard :)

Other than the garlic bread, the rest are all home-cooked...

The girls too had a taste of the festivity, ie Fancy Feast Turkey. Mikki loved it, while the other two were lukewarm.

Just before going to sleep, I went "Ho, ho, ho" when I saw what Grimlock got me for Christmas. These are some things I've been eyeing. The Dumbo soft toy and Coach bag are not on my list though. And I didn't think he wanted to go watch 'Cats'. This gesture of his more than made up for something I wasn't too happy with recently.

Thank you, Grimlock for everything. 一生知己，夫复何求？

There is nothing more I can ask for at Christmas. A time spent reflecting over the reason for the season and giving thanks for God's sacrificial act of love (John 3:16), and with my loved ones.

Well, all of us @ the Cove hope you had a Merry Christmas too. May God fill your heart and home with His abundant joy, love, peace and hope.

My Favourite Boy

There is this boy in the cat blogosphere, whom I've set my eyes on for some time...

The pleasure is mine to introduce Totoro (Toro in short). You can read about Toro and his amigos and San here. He is slightly more than four years old. I also stalked him out here :p hee hee.

Look at this photo of Toro and it's not too hard to understand why I'm so charmed by him (btw, I call him the Handsome One).

Killer eyes...

Photo courtesy of Cat Tales

"I'm Watching You!"

Treats mean the world to Braun. When she wants her treats, she'll bump herself again my leg/feet. If I'm taking my meal, she'll wait patiently - almost immediately when I put down my folk/spoon/chopsticks, she'll come pester me for treats. Braun doesn't do it to Grimlock (she knows I'm the one who "spoils" her). If I ignore her, she'll sit right in front of me and dispense her deadly stares, failing which, she'll yowl away and bump some more. That will be the point when I find it hard to say 'No', hee hee. I've somewhat trained her to peck me on my lips (and then I'll give her treats, ha ha!)

One morning I was having inbalance in my ears and I felt the house spinning away, so I quickly laid down on the floor to rest. Braun did her usual thing again, bumping away at my feet. I was feeling too sick to respond. Guess what she did? The rascal actually gave my feet a bite (very gentle one lah!). Then I understood what 哭笑不得 means. Of course, I didn't hold it against her. The comic relief :) provided some distraction.

See how this girl (read: brat) gets to work on getting what she wants (and of course, her persistence paid off, hee hee):

Kissed by a Fish...

Aawww, isn't this sweet?
(The girls have no use for the fish as a toy - yup, one of those I thought would make an interesting toy but I was "proved" wrong. There is a small hole at the base for refilling of catnip.)

Sleep tight, sweet dreams...

"Oops, I Did It AGAIN!" (IV)

Told you this song has got to be Braun's favourite. One morning, I saw tiny red bits on one of the shelves in the store room. I traced them to my red rubber floor mat which was kept at one of Braun's favourite snoozing spots. The mat became like this...

There was absolutely no need to carry out any investigations. No need to interrogate the other two. Yes, Braun was at her biting habit again!

No amount of getting wide-eyed is going to get you off the hook!
Braun, guilty as charged!!

With this latest mischief of hers, here is the updated record:
1) Mobile phone chargers x 4;
2) Mobile phone headsets x 4;
3) Computer mouse x 1; and
4) Rubber floor mat x 1.

I certainly hope Braun hadn't ingest any of the rubber bits, otherwise we'll be in for another headache!

Project S (III)

We made a trip to site X last Sun, 23 Nov. We almost didn't make it there because the skies were very gloomy. None of the kittens were in sight. We saw four adult cats though:

One cat was well-hidden in the drain. The other two were watching him/her.

Cat # 1...
(The winds were very strong so I didn't use any newspaper.
No worries, I cleared the left-overs before going off :) )

Cat #2 (left) - this should be the tom cat we have been seeing.
He hissed at me when I was trying to put the food down. He attempted to mount Cat # 1 (I shook my bottle to scare him off - will need to get him fixed soon).
Cat #3 seem to be having some eye problem.

Initially Cat #4 didn't come over to us.
He/she kept looking over to where the other three were so I blocked them off-sight and moved the food nearer to him/her. From his/her physical condition and disposition (kept circling our feet), he/she probably is being dumped here :(

In my concentration to make a mental record of how many adult cats there are, I didn't pay any attention to their gender. I'm certain Cat #2 is male; the others should be females. It started to rain when we left the site. I was glad the cats had some food in their tummies.

I went to site X again slightly earlier today, 30 Nov and I didn't see any cat nor kitten. I went around the area twice. The numbers fluctuate over each trip that I've made so I wonder if it'll make trapping difficult. I shall give V a call during the week and tell him what I know, and see what he suggests. Let's see if we can get the first session going soon. I'm planning to round up the adults first. The kittens may have to wait, till they are bigger.

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (XII)

I brought Skoda's urine sample for her regular review, on 8 Nov - results as follows:

We're back to 'square one', in fact, the results are worst than her last review. The protein and WBC levels had gone up, and there are blood and crystals in her urine. RBC level has made an alarming return. I was stumped by the results because Skoda's diet had remained the same (about 90% Waltham).

Dr K asked whether we can put her on 100% Waltham. This girl needs a little RC to get her eating Waltham but if he says so, we'll do so. We had stopped syringing her with water, so we'll resume on this. It is just 3ml - I doubt this is of much help but again, we'll just do it. Skoda is very smart - she knows we usually do this before bedtime and so she'll be running all over the place. And when we finally managed to get hold of her, she'll turn her head here-and-there and clam her mouth shut.

There is blood in her urine. The results have been on a yo-yo pattern since Skoda's UTI condition was first detected in Dec 07. Dr K asked whether we want to do all the above, and repeat the urinalysis in a week's time and if things don't get better, she'll have to start taking Baytril. Honestly, we're at our wits' end. I doubt there will much of an improvement within one week. The key problem lies in her not drinking up enough. I asked to start her on Baytril rightaway and bring the infection down. Dr K was going on leave so he prescribed a two-week course and to arrange a review when he gets back.

When I got home, I updated Grimlock. Now, Skoda holds the strings to Grimlock's heart. He wasn't keen to give her the antibiotics - never mind if the risk is a mere 0.01% and only if administered in an higher dosage. He makes the final decisions about Skoda. And so we agreed not to give her the antibiotics and do all the rest. For the past weeks, the girls have been taking wet food for dinner daily. Can't wait to see if the latter has done Skoda good.

I've booked a review appointment for Sat, 6 Dec. This time, we'll be bringing Skoda along so that Dr K can take a look at her at the same time. Will also check with him again on getting a scan done of her urinary tract - this can only be done at the hospital (we're not keen on bringing her back there). Alternatively, we'll bring her over to ARC for a second opinion. I've promised Grimlock that if the indicators get any worse, my hands will be around his neck >_< (just joking lah...)

"Shucks, I'm not looking forward to my date with Dr K..."

Happy (Belated) 2nd Anniversary TO ME!

I'm heartbroken.

It was my yearly anniversary on Thurs, 13 Nov and Mousie didn't write any post in my honour. She was one day late last year and this year....

Boo hoo hoo, she loves me, she loves me not, she loves me,...

Looks like I'll have to take things into my own hands and get the load off my chest. Now, what shall I write about? Continue to whine away about how neglected I'm feeling? What I really think about Mousie, Grimy, The Bossy One and The Wimp? Hmmm...(gets pensive)

Mousie calls me her Little One. Can't I just be slim?!? I'm already two years old - Little One?!? She ought to be thankful I'm agreeable with both wet and dry food, and I drink up ever so often (unlike someone ). Mousie calls me her Puppy. I'm quick on her heels, hee hee. The song "I'll Follow You" expresses my exact sentiments for her. I'm certain she secretly enjoys the attention too :)

Mikki when she was about two months old, tipping the scales at 250grams...

Grimy gets on my nerves whenever he gets on to his silly "wiper hands" game. He tells my Mousie he is trying to find out my tolerance level. I give him a earful whenever he does it. He sure has a thick head. He'll be the death of me, arrggghhhh... I wish he could be more creative with the nicks he coins for me. Nowadays, he keeps calling me Chocobo Mikki. What has that got to do with me?!? >_<

I’ve registered these with my beans: I do NOT want to be bathed. I do NOT want my nails to be clipped. Thank you very much. (Beans, read this: You wouldn’t want to incur my wrath, do you?)

I’ve also trained my beans to escort me to the food bowl, at my command and in a prompt manner. They are to stroke me on my back, while I nibble away and to be at it UNTIL I stop eating on my own accord.

I may be the youngest but I know my rights.

The Bossy One has a limited sense of humour. Hey, I’m only trying to be friendly. She gets on fine with The Wimp so why can’t she be just as nice to me? Ok, after Miu Miu left us, she seems a tad nicer to me. I wish she would play with me. And what is it about drinking up that she has a problem with?!?!

The Wimp is pretty good at making a slave out of Mousie. Wait till she finds out my Mousie always gives me an extra morsel when she is not looking. Can’t stand the tactics she resorts to get her way (roll eyes). When the beans aren’t watching, I like to give her a taste of my powerful right hooks – so that she knows I’m NOT the Third One.

On the outside, I’m one girl not to be messed with. On the inside, I don’t mind some attention. When the latter is lacking, I let it out by singing the blues in the wee hours. Most of the time, my Mousie will stroke me to ease my loneliness, that is, if she manages to drag herself out of the bed. Grimy is a log when he gets to the bed. The other two can’t be bothered with me. Now you know why I love my Mousie so so much.

I didn’t realize I’ve written this much. This should teach Mousie a lesson or two – when she doesn’t make me her priority, I spill the beans (evil grin). I overheard my Mousie saying something the other day about "Monster Twos". Who is the Monster??

This is one of Mikki's favourite poses - standing tall and looking "prim and proper"

Oops, got to go - Mousie just went out of my radar. I need to go check her out...


Just Me,
MIGHTY Mikki

Project S (II)

We went to site X yesterday evening and the count was four kittens and one tom cat. It was a sunny day the whole of yesterday. I wonder where the others have gone off to. We brought some kibbles along and fed the kittens. When one of them was eating away, the tom cat came along but he wasn't interested in the food. He was very alert and went off in a flash. The kittens were hungry and we fed them till they had their fill.

I think the kittens are too small in size to be sent for sterilisation. I'll be going to the veterinary clinic again next Sat, 15 Nov so I shall check with Dr K and ask if the clinic extends a concessionary rate for sterilisation of community cats. I'll also call up V to get a better idea of his scope of work. Maybe we can get the tom cat fixed first and then the kittens in a month's time.

Kitten # 1 - this one ate the most and in the fastest speed...

Kittens #2 (in the foreground) and # 1...

Kitten #3... (kitten #4 was evasive)

The tom cat whom we also saw on our last trip...

Project S

About a month ago, Grimlock and I noticed a growing colony of stray cats (I don't think they are sterilised) at Site X. Several are young kittens. My plan is to round them up for sterilisation (I've code-named this as Project S) because the food source at this site is limited and with the rate the colony is growing, I fear it will soon warrant the "wrong" kind of public attention. I estimate there are about 12-15 cats in the area.

In view of our limited resources (manpower, transportation, pet carriers and arrangements for post-surgery recovery), I contacted CWS to see if there is any volunteer/caregiver who would be interested to embark on Project S with us. We've no experience with trapping of community cats so I thought it would be good if we can find someone with experience to do it together with us the first-time round. The CWS volunteer passed me the contacts of two caregivers, the contact of V who is a "professional trapper" and the volunteer herself shared some tips with me (she is a fellow blogger involved in Project Kuching Coast).

btw, I'd not be eligible for the CWS sterilisation reimbursement because there is a certain minimum gross monthly salary (I confess I'm still stumped on the logic). I'm fine with bearing the sterilisation costs on my own because I'm clear why I want to do this (and Grimlock aka my partner-in-crime is supportive :) ). I think our regular veterinary clinic, Mount Pleasant Springside extends a concessionary rate for sterilisation of community cats.

We hadn't been to Site X since a month ago (I've been very tied up at work and weekends weren't any better). I'm a little better for time now (and also before the colony grows any further), so we made a trip there yesterday, 2nd Nov to get an update. We were there in the late afternoon and only spotted one cat - this took us by surprise. What has happened to the other cats? I hope nothing untoward has happened to them... It rained heavily earlier in the day. I'll make another trip there sometime this week.

Skoda, Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Doesn't Skoda look sweet in the big portrait photo of hers on the blog masthead? (Those big round eyes and the pink nose of hers, aawwww...)

Today, 29 October marks Skoda's third year at the Cove. (I wrote this up ahead of time, lest I get busy with work). I had spent a little time recollecting how the past one year has been for her and with having her around.

The most significant event in my memory bank would be getting a first sign of her urinary tract problem, on 11 December 2007. I think I can say her condition is under control, thank God she isn't on any medication. The challenge remains to make her drink up more - this we don't have a solution yet. I'm seriously considering giving her wet food on a daily basis. She isn't big on wet food so shall try out for dinner (hopefully she is hungry enough to want it more). Her next review is due in a week's time.

The other memorable event would be our attempts to "train" her for cat-walking. We weren't successful but it is ok, we won't impose on her. Every morning when I open the door to pick up the papers, Skoda would pop her head out of the gate. Braun does the same too so I'll hold the door for a couple of minutes while they satisfy their curiosity (quite cute watching the two of them stretch their necks out). When I get the door key, they will rush to the door for this daily routine.

It is amazing how observant Skoda is - by watching and remembering the beans' routine/acts, she knows what they are up to or their next moves. She still has got her act together on holding the strings to Grimlock's heart. Well, of the three, she is the only one who puts up with his advances (he would pick her up into his arms, cuddle and "squeeze" her ;) ). Everyday without fail and in fact for a few times in a day, she would bring down my kitchen tea cloth (which hangs from a top cupboard handle and it is secured with a clothes peg), hold the cloth in her mouth and drop it off on the floor. To finish off her act, she would be meow out loud as if to inform us of what she has just done (attention-seeking?).

On Skoda's third anniversary, it remains to be said there is never a dull moment with her around. Gratification comes just by looking at her alone :) Shall smother her with lots of hugs and kisses when I get home later.

Skoda love when she was a kitten...

The lovely, babe-licious Skoda...

Home Sweet Home

Grimlock and I went to visit Miu Miu at her new home last Sun, 5 Oct. The little girl is in good shape. She allowed us to still cuddle and stroke her and remains her playful self (plenty of toys). She is now allowed full access of N's house throughout the day. We're elated to see Miu Miu settling down well and we can see her new family dotes on her.

Miu Miu has been conferred the status of an Honorary Member of the Cove :) We'll remember her with much, much fondness.

On 9 Aug 2008 when Miu Miu came to our doorsteps...

Miu Miu, may you continue to bring joy to those around you and be dearly loved, cherished...

Roving Eye@mcc: As the World Goes By

We headed earlier today to Yishun Ring Road for brunch and saw this sweetie snoozing away on a chair outside a hair salon. He/she wasn't bothered at all while I snapped away with my mobile phone. I'm always happy to see a community cat enjoying his/her space in the neighbourhood. An hour later, he/she was still taking a nap on the same chair.

"Cats Love Lamb"

Bought this new Angel's Treats, apple-glazed lamb bites for the girls to try out. The free-range New Zealand lamb and delicious Fuji apples sound yummy, doesn't it? Of the four, Braun loved it the most (then again, I can't recall any treat that she will resist, hahaha).

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (XI)

Brought Skoda's urine for a review on last Sat, 27 Sept - the results as follows:



Skoda's urine is still concentrated (USG>1.050). The good news: a PH that is now acidic and less crystals (struvite). The WBC (white blood cells) indicator might point to inflammation but it is still acceptable (below +++) and bacteria presence might be due to contamination at collection. Dr K asked if there is any way we can increase her water intake. This question drew a blank. Her next review will be in a month's time.

Summary of urinalysis results since Jan 2008:

	USG	PH	Protein	Leukocytes	Struvite	WBC	RBC	Bact	Blood
12/1/08	1.048	7.1	++	+++	+++	++	+	+++	NIL
1/3/08	>1.050	6.2	++	+++	++++	++	+++	++	++
31/5/08	>1.050	7.0	NIL	NIL	++	++	NIL	+++	NIL
28/6/08	>1.050	7.6	++	+++	+++	++	NIL	+++	NIL
5/7/08	1.048	7.0	NIL	+++	-ve	NIL	NIL	++	NIL
23/8/08	>1.050	7.2	+	+++	+++	++	+	+++	NIL
27/9/08	>1.050	6.8	+	+++	+	++	NIL	+++

I also brought Braun along because there is a bald spot in-between her shoulder blades, for about three weeks. The spot isn't growing bigger but it isn't going away either. Now and then she will get this bald spot near the same location, which "disappears" after a while. There are some dried skin flakes on the spot that looks like dandruff.

Dr K did a skin scape test - there isn't any parasite nor fungi growth on the bald spot and he also didn't find any fleas on her. There is a biology term for the condition (the term vanished from my head as soon as he spoke it). It is a condition that will keep coming back, and it is hard to put a finger to the cause. He prescribed MPN cleansing solution, to be applied once daily. The spot is looking less thinned-out now.

(Taken 23 Aug 2008)