"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...... >_<

One Claw Less - The Final Chapter

Before 9am today:

After 9am today:



We brought Braun for her review on Thurs, 24 April. The vet examined her wound which was almost completely well except for a small red dot on the area where the claw is now gone, so she said to wait for another 3-4 days before removing the cone. We took a look at the area this morning and the red dot is no longer there so we decided to "liberate" Braun. She immediately embarked on a good 25-minute grooming routine and then pestered me to bring out the cat fly toy. By the way, she found her voice back. During the past two weeks, she didn't yowl (as she usually does) to dish out instructions to her human slave; she resorted to staring >_<

Beauty Bloom (II)

I was looking through the slideshows I've created to-date of the three girls. The tally stands at six on Skoda and three each for Braun and Mikki. They're all photogenic so I'm surprised Skoda is leading the score by quite a margin :p

It is a Herculean task to clip Mikki's nails. She resists all forms of restraints. We did that this morning. Grimlock suggested using a different technique, ie putting her hind legs on the table (instead of having her sit on my lap). We managed to clip all the nails on her left front paw. Now, that is considered an achievement. Usually we're able to clip three nails at most. Fingers crossed that next time round, we'll be able to repeat the feat.

Attitude, Loads of It

Here, Skoda has this "sum sing" (gangster) look on her face. I'd think her sitting posture is so "unglam" (she is a girl!), tsk tsk tsk (the Mouse shakes her head). And she forgot to suck in her stomach (the Mouse sighs).

Have TV, Will Sleep

Braun and Mikki have a penchant for snoozing on top of the TV. They have no problem even if the volume is on the high side; the ceiling light is shinning brightly down on them; and having to do some balancing act. They have a thing about sticking a leg out. This spot is not suited for Skoda...because she is too 'broad' (ok lah, too fat) heehee.

The shelf above the TV is one of Braun's favourite snoozing spots. I bet she'll get to it as soon as the cone is off her.







(15 Mar 08)

One beetle, two beetle, three beetle...

(14 April 08)

One Claw Less (II)

Today before the vet visit for Braun's review:

We kept Skoda and Mikki away in the study in the morning so Braun was free to "roam" the house. I think she enjoyed the breather.

After the vet visit:

Braun still has the cone around her neck. She will have to wear the cone for another week :( There was some blackish stuff on her wound. I had thought it was some medication Dr D had applied (ie the same stuff Dr K applied the last time when Braun encountered a similar mishap). It was actually dried blood. During the week if I applied a little pressure when cleaning the wound (I wanted to remove the blackish stuff), Braun would yelp. Seeing her reaction, I just did some surface cleaning and then applied the Baneocin powder. It turned out the cleaning didn't do any good. Her wound is inflammed.

Today, it was Dr QH on duty (Dr K has been on leave since last week). She cleaned up the blackish stuff, trimmed away some of the fur in the area and prescribed an additional ointment (Centellase). Dr QH showed us how to do the cleaning properly (looks like it is unavoidable to apply some slight pressure). There was a big black dog barking at the top of his lungs in one of the cages in the treatment area. He just had quite a fair bit of maggots (!) removed from his body. The packet of maggots was placed on the treatment table. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, yucks! I whisked Braun out of the treatment area as soon as the demo was done. We requested for the clinic to clean up her ears (the base was oily and there were some brownish particles). Her ears get oily easily so we clean her ears like once every three weeks. She tends to get uncomfortable when we do the cleaning so I thought better let the experts do it this time round.

Braun was tired out from the vet visit. After giving her some treats, she promptly took a nap outside the toilet.

This photo was taken in the storeroom so the wound looks black.

Braun perked up after the power nap. Here she was getting playful, "dangling" her head from the top of the newspaper pile.

I was looking forward to "liberating" Braun after the review. Brought tuna treats as a reward for her (the girls love tuna but I'd only give this to them once in a blue moon). The celebration will have to wait. Come Monday, she'll have to be placed in isolation when we are at work. This girl wouldn't quit going for the high spots. I caught her getting ready to leap a few times in her present state (she got more than a round of shelling from the Mouse). Mikki doesn't take well to seeing Braun with the cone around her neck. When their paths cross, Mikki would scrowl at Braun (like a cobra going to strike), hunch her back and do mini prances sideways (this part is quite a comical sight, hahaha...). I read somewhere such behaviour might be due to fear rather than a display of aggression. Braun gets jittery at sudden and loud noises and will scamper to take cover. How is she going to run fast and safely in her present state? Ok, so the beans will do what is best for her, that is, stay firm and make her wear the cone for another week; be more "daring" when cleaning the wound; AND "heartlessly" stick by her imprisonment.