While You Were Sleeping

Yes, I took these photos when Mikki was snoozing near me. The fur on her belly is starting to grow back, very slowly. I'm still stumped why the vet shaved off such a big area. I watched a documentary today. One of the scenes showed a vet operating on a dog who was due for delivery. The dog was put on GA and her front paws were tied to two vertical posts. I imagined Mikki going through a similiar surgery procedure when she was spayed recently. The dog delivered eight puppies, the size of her litter was considered unusual.

See how thick her fur is...

Right Here Waiting

One evening, Grimlock was munching away on a packet of titbits. For as long as he was eating, Mikki sat on his stomach patiently, hoping to get some crumbs. Her wait was futile though. That was how close Mikki came to be a lap cat.

Good for Taste, Good for Napping

We bought a new scratching box for the girls about a month ago. We picked a bigger/wider one with Skoda in mind. We've one other scratching mat, one vertical post and one box (a slimmer one) placed at different spots. Providing ample and appropriate scratchers go a long way in "preserving" our furniture. Scratching is a natural behaviour for cats.

Why do cats scratch? (source: http://www.catscratching.com/)
1) Marking their territory - Scratching is a territorial instinct by which cats place their mark and establish their turf. Through scratching, cats mark their domains with more than just visible signs of claw marks. Cat's paws also have scent glands that leave their own special scent on their territory. And this is why they mark the most visible portions of your house. It's Kitty's way of adding her own personal touch to your (and her) home. Her version of interior decorating.

2) Exercise - Scratching also serves to keep your cat in shape. The act of scratching stretches and pulls and works the muscles of a cat's front quarters--a cross between a feline gym workout and Kitty Yoga.

3) Sheer pleasure - Hey! It feels good to scratch.

The new scatching box (costs S$24.90) came with a packet of catnip. I'm not fond of using catnip on my girls (somehow I find their reaction to it unnatural) but the smell had penetrated the box. As usual, Skoda was the first to check it out.

Skoda was at it for almost 10 minutes

And marked it with her drool!

Mikki has a duo use of the box - her sleeping pad

"Why, can't use it as my bed meh?!?!"

The Feeling is So Right

"Grimlock and I share a connection beyond words. There ain't another better place to slumber away."

Kitty Love II

Here are some items that I display and use in the office, which often give my colleagues an inkling that I'm fond of cats...

A painting of three cats on the wall. These three don't look anything like my three darlings but I love the colours. Bought it at an art shop for S$15 in Marina Square.

It's a ginger! My notebook, sweet right? I bought it at my church stationery stall (S$5.90) and it came with a small bookmark. The bookmark is placed on the computer keyboard.


My toiletries bag (spacious and cheap, bought it at a pharmacy in Millenia Walk for close to S$10). I've a habit of brushing my teeth after lunch.


And the latest addition, a small Maneki soft toy. I just bought it (S$8.90) yesterday at Queensway Shopping Centre. I'm gonna put it near my desk calendar when I get in to the office tomorrow :)

I'll soon add another item, a frame-up of the clipping on Skoda and Braun in last week's Sunday Times. I still have an unused 2007 calendar with cat photos (someone bought it for me), somewhere in my drawer. Will put it up before it's too late :p

I didn't bother to decorate my work area in my last office. In fact, I didn't want to give away too much of myself. I feel more settled-in at my present workplace. I spend an average of 9-10 hours at work so I like to surround myself with my favourite things.

Roving Eye@mcc

The photos taken with my Sony Ericsson w810i have turned out to be quite alright, so I shall as and when post such snapshots of interesting sightings. I've coined this new feed as RovingEye @ mcc (mcc stands for My Cats' Cove).

I was taking lunch today afternoon at a coffeeshop near my office, along Waterloo Street. The nasi padang is sedap (delicious in Malay)! (I ate something else though) I happened to look up and saw this:

It is a packet of Friskies cat food placed on top of the drinks freezer. That means someone here is a community cat feeder - bless his/her kind heart :)! Sometimes when I walk around my office area, I see small heaps of wet and dry food, and small bowls of water at selected spots along the streets. Over a month, I see like one to two cats (sometimes none) hanging around in the vicinity.

Kitty Love

I had to work yesterday and was at the NUS Cultural Centre. Actually there wasn't much to do. Feeling very bored, I popped in to the Lee Kong Chian Art Museum and ended up having a very good time browsing through five exibitions at the Museum (admission is free). These were "Modern Southeast Asian Art", "Bodies and Relationships: Selected Works of Lee Sik Khoon", "Picturing Relations: Simryn Gill & Tino Djumini", "Ways of Seeing Chinese Art" and "Responding to the Divide: David Kwo". It was the last one that I enjoyed most, for an obvious reason.

"Responding to the Divide: David Kwo"
Synopsis: From landscapes and figures to flowers and birds, David Kwo painted a variety of subjects interpreted through traditional Chinese brush techniques and Western styles. He is most famous for his portrayal of small animals, especially cats and dogs that became his hallmark.

On display are paintings influenced by Fauvism, the Bauhaus, Cubism and Abstract Expressionism. Kwo’s artistic tendency, the assimilation of Eastern and Western techniques and an integration of the artist’s varied training and influences, lasted a lifetime. Kwo sought to build a bridge between his native and adopted culture that allowed a conciliation of the two. He blended the disciplined art of calligraphic brushstrokes and composition with Western emphasis on freedom, creativity and improvisation.

David Kwo became acquainted with the first Vice-Chancellor of the Singapore university, Dato Lee Kong Chian. In 2003, he donated 105 paintings to the Lee Kong Chian Art Museum of the National University of Singapore. This exhibition features over 50 significant pieces of the late artist. Runs till 1 Dec 07.

There was a section of his paintings titled Small Animals. An extract of the section introduction: "He had a special affinity for all animals, especially cats which he became famous for. His earlier works were in classical black and white but he later experimented with bright playful colours. With ink and deft strokes of his brush, Kwo captured the essence and personalities of cats, dogs and birds." Here are his cats paintings:

Kim was an impromptu creation one summer day in 1957. A few brilliantly executed brush strokes laden with thick ink captured the silhouette and expression of the cat. Its furry body seems to be supported by a long and sinewy tail while its orange slit eyes are hauntingly provocative. After hanging it up on the wall, the artist found himself the target of the cat's relentless gaze, which never once left him. He was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement that he decided to publish copies of his painting. And so, the American public came to know and embrace Kim and its master.

Kim
1957, Ink on paper, 66 x 38 cm

In 1999, Kwo produced four paintings of cats with backgrounds of random geometric shapes in bright colours. They might remind viewers of stained glass art found in churches. Although the multiple hues brighten the entire picture, they also overwhelm the main subjects of the painting.

Three Cats with Blue Eyes
1999, Ink and acrylic on paper, 96 x 73 cm

How does one give a new face to familiar and finite subject? Kwo had been looking for inspiration in other works of art and experimenting with all possible techniques. Up to the early 1980s, Kwo's works were basically rendered in the traditional xieyi (illustrating the subject's meaning) style. From 1984, he started to experiment with colour decoration and filling the entire space. It culminated in the birth of his xieyi + abstract decorative style of expression.

Three Cats
1999, Ink and acrylic on paper, 96.5 x 71.5 cm

Apart from three works produced in the 1950s, Mimi (1983) is the earliest in the 105 donated works. A few strokes were all it took to bring to life the cat's innocence and cuteness. The cat's dark eye circles make its pair of yellow eyes exceptionally bright. It can be said that the spirit of a good work of art lies in the "dotting of the dragon's eyes".

Cat Named Mimi
1983, Ink and acrylic on paper, 28.5 x 33.2 cm

In Cats and Sparrows, a fish seems to have been completely swallowed by a black cat. A brown cat lies on the floor and is been harassed by the black cat and several sparrows. An attempt at a three-dimensional expression has been made here.

Cats and Sparrows
1992, Ink and acrylic on paper, 61 x 53 cm

I did a Google search but couldn't find an official website on David Kwo. At the Museum, I read that he was born in 1919 in Beijing, China. He spent several years in U.S. and taught briefly in Singapore. He died in 2005 of prostrate cancer, aged 86. At the ripe old age of 84, Kwo was still painting (he indicated his age on some of the paintings). I would have wanted to find out why this love for cats, whether he had any cats (if yes: how many, any gingers, what their names were, if he had a favourite), any other cat paintings etc. Too bad I can't paint/draw, otherwise I'd be so inspired to use my girls as models. I'm sticking to photography for now. I'm also keen on ceramics - just wait till I pick up the course. By the way, I took these photos with my handphone, a Sony Ericsson W810i - quality is not too bad.

A Shot at Stardom

Hot from the Press! Literally from the press this time. The Sunday Times published a photo of Skoda and Braun in its "Readers' Pets" column today (24 June, page 13). Ha, ha, I've become a 'xin ma' (ie celebrity's manager)!

It was a wait of almost eight months, wondering if the column is ever going to publish my submission. I submitted this photo back on 1st Nov last year (it remains as my favourite shot of Skoda and Braun):

The coordinator wrote to me two weeks ago asking if I've any of their new photos, a one-liner on their habit to include with the photo and their updated age. I submitted these as well:

I don't have a good shot yet of Skoda, Braun and Mikki together. Maybe we'll send in a solo shot of Mikki the next time.

I thought I'd have to wait a few more weeks and I was uncertain if their photo would really get featured. When I woke up this afternoon, I somehow had a feeling it might be there and asked Grimlock to check out THE column. And he took his own sweet time, flipping through the pages one by one. I was in the kitchen and then heard his excited voice (I had thought one of the girls was caught in some mischief). Yay, Skoda and Braun have made it to the national papers!

Anyone care for their pawtograph? (term coined by ST) :)

Latest Additions

I've expanded my collection of fridge magnets to include the SpongeBob Squarepants characters (Lego magnets). Bought them at a shop in Suntec City (near to the cinemas) for S$14.50. Grimlock enjoys the cartoon.

Close-up...

The display looks better together with the packaging. I stuck them on the bomb shelter door because if I put them up on the fridge, Skoda can't keep her paws off them. And she has a perculiar habit with what she does with small fridge magnets, which is another story.

Full view of the packaging... Can you see what is in the background?

You might have guessed it. We mounted some best shots of Skoda and Braun on almost the entire bomb shelter door (made a huge difference to an otherwise plain-looking, uninteresting door and gave the Cove a touch of character and warmth) . We haven't "updated" it with Mikki's photos yet. Can you see the grey mouse magnet? It is there, all thanks to Skoda's perculiar habit.

My Sun-Kissed, Beautiful Babe

I took this series of shots indoor on a sunny Saturday, 9 June. I came upon this slideshow feature on another blog and that gave me the idea to put this series to good use. The impact is far more satisfactory than if I had presented the photos one by one, in a static manner. And I had a lovely model on-hand. Viola, I'm so pleased with the results/effects! Please join me to admire the beauty of Skoda :)

"A cat pours his body on the floor like water. It is restful just to see him." - William Lyon Phelps

Wild Wild Wet

Last Sunday, 10 June was Bath Day for the girls. We bathe them once every three weeks. I usually take this on, gladly because it's a good way to bond with them. Each has her own preference on how the bathing should go so my handling skills are put to the test.

In the beginning when we only had Skoda, we used to bathe her once weekly. This came about because she was a "chia char bo" (fierce girl) during her early days with us. After her very first bath - the honour was Grimlock's and we used Johnson & Johnson lavender shower cream on her (we hadn't bought her cat shampoo yet), she became subdued and after licking herself dry, she slept so soundly. We were awed by the wonders the bath did for her. We even speculated if the lavender fragrance had any doing with her "transformation". She then was also kept in a room while we were away at work, so we placed a lavendar air freshener in this room, hoping the scent would add to her sweetness quotient. Silly human beings, right? Ok, fast-forward...during Skoda's subsequent vet visit, we were told the frequent baths would strip her coat of its natural oil/shine so we changed the frequency to once every three weeks.

Skoda is the vocal one when it comes to bathing time. Once we start to touch her belly, that's when her "scolding" starts. Sometimes, I wonder if my neighbours think we're trying to murder some cat. And she won't stay still, she walks all over the place. And I've to keep talking to her (that I'm not trying to 'kill' her). When we use the shower head/jet for the final rinse-down, she'll try to swipe the shower head and keep hissing away. Quite energy-consuming to bathe her.

"You can run but you can't hide! Off to the bathroom you go!!"

It was Grimlock's turn to bathe the girls.

Mikki peeks anxiously under the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the commotion...

Lick, lick, lick...gotta get this water off asap!

Braun is the cooperative one when it comes to bathing time. I normally have her sit on the toilet seat (cover placed down) and she'll stay on it from start to end. No struggle, no "scolding" from her whatsoever. When I use the shower head to rinse-out her belly, she'll even arch up her back so the water can reach that area easily. No sweat!

Ditto for Mikki. She doesn't mind being bathed. A little vocal but manageable. And she is not that big-sized yet so to towel her dry can be quite quickly done.

After they had licked themselves dry, their coat appeared whiter (applicable only for Skoda and Braun) and felt so smooth and fuller, and they smelt so good. I think the bath helped in reducing the animosity between Skoda and Mikki because they now smell the same too :)

Mission PG is a Failure!

Last Sun, 10 June, Grimlock and I bought a box of Vitakraft cat-grass for the girls (costs S$5.80). We thought Braun might benefit most from it because she pukes hairballs on a recurrent basis. I also saw from a blog, this person who successfully grew cat-grass for her cats and how much they enjoyed munching on the grass. Upon reaching home, we eagerly embarked on this project, code-named Mission Plant Grass (PG).

Mikki doing a thorough, initial inspection...

What cat-grass is good for...

Braun supervises the preparation...

The contents...

As per the instruction, I poured water into the box. Guess what? I saw creepy crawlies (tiny bugs and worms) emerging from the seedlings. First, there was one, two, three...and then I stopped counting. I alerted Grimlock on my finding and we decided to discard the box. I placed the box inside a plastic bag, tied it securely and promptly threw it down the rubbish chute. None of the crawlies shall get on to the girls!

The next day, I went back to the pet supplies shop and related my finding to the salesperson. He got me a replacement box, no questions asked. He opened the new box and we didn't spot any creepy crawlies. I was delighted with the good service and went home happily, telling myself this time it ought to work out.

To play safe, we poured out the entire contents to do a thorough filtering. After looking real hard for a while, we found tiny worms. Mission PG ended so abruptly. Sorry girls, no grass munchies for you!