This Sure Looks Familiar...

On Fri, 29 Aug, I was having my dinner on the coffee table. Miu Miu settled down nearby, on the sofa arm rest...

I've tons of the girls' photos in my archives but these which I took quite some time back, immediately surfaced in my mind and I just had to dig them out...

Back in Nov 2005 of Skoda love when she was four months' old...

Back in Aug 2007 of My Little One when she was nine months' old...

Miu Miu had enough of the cat-parazzi and turned to face the other side...

Aha! I had previously captured Skoda in a similiar "乳猪" pose
(the silhouette resembles a piglet, doesn't it?)

Chill-Out

I've taken today off to catch up on my much-needed rest. Grimlock leaves for work very early in the morning so I woke up too with him to clean Miu Miu's surgery area and to feed the antibiotics tablet. This would be the routine till her review in a week's time. I don't mind it at all, just a matter of adjustment - will go to work earlier and knock off earlier lor...

Took my medication and went back to bed and had a very good sleep. Woke up again around noon time, did some housework and took my brunch. I'm resisting the temptation to check my work email. Hey, what good can a sick Mousie do right? ;p It has been one project after another and often, having to juggle a few projects/deadlines at the same time. I need to stop, even if just for a while, to refocus.

My nose has stopped leaking. The throat is still a little stuffy. I'm feeling more clear-headed and less tired. I'm not going back to the doctor yet, quite "sian" (tired) of trying out different types of medication. What I need is rest, reclaim my sanity and stay very still...

Miu Miu's energy level and appetite have both returned. Still a little howling from her but much better than the past few days :) Had to do a little refereeing between Mikki and she. Mikki is quite curious about Miu Miu and want to get closer to her - yet at the same time, she has some fears and is acting in a defensive manner. She stalks Miu Miu but when Miu Miu goes up to her, she scrowls. Mixed signals?!? My mediation stopped when both settled down at different spots for siesta. The two older girls had a jolly good time too doing the same - Skoda took in the sun on her throne, and Braun was all snuggled up behind the DVD player.

Miu Miu springs back into action...

Just fed Braun, Mikki and Miu Miu some treats. Braun is very persistent in pestering me for treats - her will is almost all the time stronger than mine >_<

All three stood side-by-side while I handed out the treats. Braun is one 小气鬼, she had to swipe Miu Miu and got a earful from me. Skoda didn't come for her treats, she is not big on treats. She is still stuck in her throne. Braun has found another spot for her beauty nap. Both Mikki and Miu Miu are with me in the study. Miu Miu is busy grooming herself on the printer - this should be the prelude to her siesta sequel. N is coming later in the evening to see her. Mikki is in the cosy corner - I hope she settles down there and leave Miu Miu alone. I shall go read my papers :)

Drama, Drama... (II)

It was drizzling when I went to fetch Miu Miu. It would be difficult to get a cab on the way back so I asked the cab driver if he would wait for me while I go and get Miu Miu. I was agreeable to paying an additional flag-down rate, and for him to keep the meter running, and assured him I'd not take more than five minutes. The clinic had already prepared the medication; Tolfedine tablets for fever/pain, Ampicillin tablets - antibiotic and Chlorhex cleanser. Dr D told me Miu Miu managed to shake the cone off her neck. They had re-tied it more securely but she doubted Miu Miu would tolerate the cone.

On the journey back, Miu Miu kept struggling with her cone and did somersaults in the pet carrier. In my heart, I kept wishing for the driver to speed away. I called Grimlock up and asked him to standby a pair of scissors.

Grimlock had kept the gang away in the study. We're letting Miu Miu recuperate in my other spare room that has no furniture for her to be jumping up/around with. When I touched home, she was still struggling with the cone so we immediately snipped it off. She kept walking around the room and stood behind the door, wanting to be let out. She then went on to pee in her litter tray - good girl - she didn't pee in the pet carrier nor anywhere else. After a while, she finally started to settle down. She was looking quite drawn-out. I left her to rest in the room and kept the girls out of it. Later I peeped under the door and saw her snoozing away on the cushion. N texted me to ask how she was getting on.

The little girl was trembling slightly and she seemed to be breathing harder. Quite a heartache to see her like this :(

The room was quiet for a good four hours. I gave Miu Miu wet food for dinner and she only ate a little. We let her out of the room, under close supervision. No major reaction from the gang. She was still wailing, at a lesser frequency and for shorter durations. She slept quite a bit. I hope when she becomes more coherent, the wailing would also gradually cease.

We've just cleaned her wound area and put her away in the room for the night. She ate quite a bit of the kibbles that we had left out for her. She has a tendency of licking the wound area - aaarrrggghhhhh, this would affect the healing and this girl wouldn't tolerate the cone. She wailed away for like 6-8 minutes before the room became quiet again. What a day...

Drama, Drama...

Grimlock circulated photos of Zapedii who is up for rehoming among his friends. A colleague of his friend (Thanks again, S!), N was keen to adopt a cat. I did a preliminary screening of N and gave her a couple of days to think it over. She reverted, still keen in Zep Zep and after discussing with her family. N came by to take a look at Zep Zep on last Sunday, 17 Aug together with her friend, E who has three cats.

Zep Zep snoozed through almost the entire time they were here. The sweet girl did a good job though in charming them with her varied sleeping patterns. Three pairs of eyes (N, E and mine) were looking at her while she slept on :) We spoke at length on what would be involved and both E and I shared our experience/tips on cat care, and bits of Zapedii's traits/habits.



When I asked N if she needed time to think it over further, her reply was an instant affirmative. The little voice in me tells me she just might be Zep's special someone and Grimlock was in concurrence too. N would need time to prepare her home and get some stuff for Zep Zep. Just before they were leaving the Cove, Zep Zep woke up and they got to take a better look at her. N was to come on Sat, 23rd Aug to bring Zep Zep back to her home.

Alas, a drama unfolded on Thurs, 21st Aug. Zep Zep was more vocal than usual. By the time night descended, I suspected she might be in heat. She kept making bone-chilling, hideous wails and doing flips on the floor. I did a Google search on the symptoms and was certain she is in heat. The gang were spayed before they came into heat. I rang N up because I didn't think Zep Zep could go home with her as planned. We agreed to arrange for Zep Zep to be spayed. N still wanted to bring her home on Sat, 23rd Aug but looking at how frequent, intense and disturbing her calling was, I advised her not to until the spaying was done. I'd want Zep Zep to start off on a better note at her new home, not drive everyone up the wall on her arrival. I went without sleep on Thurs, 21st Aug.

Dr K was already fully taken up for Sat, 23rd Aug so I made an appointment instead with Dr D who was the vet on-duty Sun, 24 Aug. On Fri, 22nd Aug night, the noise was so nerve-wrecking that I called up the Animal Recovery Centre to see if there was a slot for Sat, 23rd Aug. The Centre does not spay cats in heat. Before we retired for the day, I played 'fly fly' with Zep Zep for a good 30mins. It helped to tire her out and she was less noisy that night.

When I brought Skoda's urine sample for review on Sat, 23rd Aug, I checked with Dr K on the possible risks of spaying a cat while in heat. He said the blood level would be higher and the uterus would be enlarged, and the surgery area would be wider. More importantly, the cat's life would not be put in danger. The calling might still continue for 2-3 days after the spaying. I also asked about side effects and whether the recovery would take a longer time, both of which would not be the case. For kittens, if sterilisation is not done, the heat period would keep coming back and if we're to wait till the heat period is over, medication might not work in suppressing the symptoms. I updated N and we agreed to let Zep Zep remain at the Cove after the surgery and see if the calling would stop. In the night, I played 'fly fly' with Zep Zep, for just 20 mins and in a less intensive manner, in view of her surgery the next day.

The fewer quiet moments in the day...

After being deprived of proper sleep for three consecutive nights, I'm down with flu again. The weather has made it worst for me. I don't regret keeping Zep Zep with us throughout this time. Grimlock is also feeling the stress. We only want the best for Zep Zep and we'll stick it out together, and with her. It makes a lot of difference when two minds are the same. This too will come to pass. I cannot help but wonder if her previous owner, knowing what was coming, had thrown her out for the same reason...

N came along and met up with us at the veterinary clinic this morning and she paid for the sterilisation. Zep Zep has been registered at the clinic under her new name, Miu Miu :) We also had a blood test done to check if the anesthesia would cause any complications. We were delighted to hear that Miu Miu is in the pink of health. Dr D said the ALKP (liver) and PLT (platelet) indicators are slightly higher because she is a young cat and she is nervous, respectively. She also commented Miu Miu is going to be a sassy girl ;) The girl was already putting up a fight in the cage (while waiting for surgery).

The blood test results:


The veterinary clinic just rang to inform that we can bring Miu Miu home. The girl has already come about. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery...

Where is the Girl? (V)

Braun aka Spider Girl was caught in action again. She sure is one avid climber. How on earth did she manage to find her way there?

(Oops, please pardon the mess, hee hee)

1,000 (Green) Origami Cranes (X)

We're two weeks' late with Skoda's review. I was contemplating to postpone Skoda's review but ended up telling myself we had better get an update on her UTI status. The thing with cats is that one can never tell much from the external appearance.

Skoda's review results today, 23 Aug:

All the indicators have gone up, except for Leukocytes and thank God, there is no blood in her urine. Her urine is again so concentrated that the USG indicator has exceeded the normal range.

Dr K asked if there had been any changes in Skoda's diet. I reported that we've increased her intake of Waltham and we've also stopped syringing her with water because we see her drinking more often from the fountains. Dr K asked that we resume the syringing. The method of collection would also affect the results so he said not to put any pellets on the upper tray the next time. He didn't prescribe any medication because he wants us to increase her water intake and see if this is the main cause in the next review. On my query if we should be administering the sub-cuts, he said that can still be put on hold.

We had made some progress in the last review. And now we're back to Square One. Aaahhhhh...what are we to do to increase Her Royal Highness' water intake?!? >_<

"Just look at me and your headache will be gone in lightning speed. What say you?"

A National Day Surprise

Grimlock and I have become accidental fosters.

On National Day, 9 Aug at around 10pm, I heard a distressed meowing sound on our floor, so I asked Grimlock to go check out the sound. 10minutes later, the doorbell rang and Grimlock was at the doorstep with a kitten. Grimlock had found her (yes, it's a she) on the floor below ours. She ran towards him when she saw him and followed him back.

I think the kitty should be around 6-8 months' old. She is very friendly and is in good physical condition. Her ear is not tipped. We gave her some kibbles which she promptly finished up. Our next-door neighbour also heard her meowing and told us she went into their house and sat on their sofa, and asked if she is ours and whether she is the offspring of one of our girls.

We didn't think it was a good idea to leave her meowing away on the corridors (lest she ends up in some nasty hands). We thought of bringing her downstairs to the ground floor but it had rained heavily earlier (wet and cold) and we often see dogs being brought out on walks in the vicinity. We decided to take her in for the night. I prepared the study while Grimlock whisked her into the toilet for a thorough bath.

Isn't she photogenic?

Busy licking herself dry after the bath...

We printed out some posters and went downstairs at 1am plus to put them up at the lift landing, at our block and at the next block. The next morning, the posters at our block were removed so I put one up again. On Monday morning when I was going off to work, the poster was gone again. The poster at the next block remained intact for three consecutive days. We concluded the removal was not the cleaner's doing, and that kitty has been dumped. We had put down an email address on the poster for the owner to contact us - to date, no one has come for her.

The kitty is pretty (I'll let the photos speak for themselves). She is of good temperament; enjoys contact with the beans and her own kind, loves chin rubs and stroking, purring machine and cooperative (she put up minimal fuss with bathing, nails clipping and cleaning of ears). And she is young. She is also litter box trained and takes well to both dry and wet food. We'd think she stands a good chance of being rehomed.

Snoozing away on one-of-a-kind "pillow", ie my hand lor!

ZZzzzzzzZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz

I fail to understand how someone can be so irresponsible... Apparently, kitty has been home-raised, she is so trusting. How is she to fend for herself outside???

We've named her Zapedii for now (not used to calling a cat with no-name). The name is originally spelt as Zapedee - I came across this name some time back in the papers and it sort of got stuck in my head.

Zapedii (Zep Zep, in short) is very keen to hang out with the gang. Initially Skoda and Mikki didn't take too well to the "intrusion". Braun is mostly nonchalant; when Zapedii gets a tad too close to her, she would hiss too, but in a gentle/mild way (this is so she). However, when I hand out treats, Braun is not so tolerant of Zapedii and would swipe her. Skoda is now more agreeable with Zapedii but would not hesitate to put up her Alpha stance should the latter get too friendly. Zapedii has been helping herself to Pinky aka Skoda's throne. Her Royal Highness has been gracious enough to allow her use. Zapedii is a good match with Mikki in terms of energy level - the two have been engaging each other in high-speed chasing and wrestling matches. It can get quite rough with Zapedii ending up sliding across the floor >_< (but rest assured, violence level is well within NC16 rating lah!). Zapedii is a smart girl - when the tension gets a little too much, she would crouch down, get down on her side, flash her belly. I must say her antics are very effective for the other party would ease off.

"Talk to the paw..."

Would the beans want to consider granting Zapedii PR status at the Cove? I must confess her charms are quite irresistible BUT we're already committed with three cats. Four would be too much to handle. I believe in quality care - as it is, I've just enough attention to give to three (not forgetting Grimlock, hee hee). With how she comes altogether (pretty + sweet + young), we won't be hoarding her for ourselves. Zapedii deserves a home where she can be No. 1 or No. 2.

This is our maiden attempt at rehoming. I must say the sense of responsibility is tremendous. Zapedii has been dumped once - thank God she emerged unscathed from the experience. We're going to take extra care and time in screening potential adopters. We'll do all that we can to help Zapedii find her special someone; one who would be committed to caring for her, is patient and accepts her for who she is (well, looks are not forever).

Zep Zep, a penny for your thoughts?

"My New Sleeping Bag"

When I saw the freebie (a tote bag) that came with a magazine I bought, I immediately knew what to use it for. It became the girls' new sleeping "bag" (or rather, mat). It has a surface (like sack material) which they, especially Skoda, would like. Skoda is a smart girl. When I first placed the bag on the sofa, she promptly did her manicure on it.

Face-Off

Though Skoda and Braun aren't the sort of pals who would snuggle up to or groom each other, their relationship has been a cordial one. Over time, they've learned to respect each others' space and how to square-off. They've had their share of quibbles, tiffs and petty fights - quite mild, nothing that gets the adrenaline pumping. I happened to be right there during one of their confrontations. Braun adopts a defensive mode right from the start, while Skoda waits for the right time to strike. And as if in a act to show who the boss is, Skoda gives her toes a good lick after "finishing Braun off".

The City that Never Sleeps

We were in Hong Kong (HK) for a five-day break, starting Fri, 11 July (‘7 Eleven’) which marked our 4th wedding anniversary. This was our third trip together to HK. We are fond of HK – my dialect group is Cantonese, and we both love the shopping, the vibrancy of the city and the food.

We took the first flight out on Cathay Pacific. The sky was pitch dark when we set out from our house…

A bird’s eye view of Singapore:

We stayed at the Stanford hotel located in Mongkok. The view from our room (no zoom was used to take this shot). It was that close to the next building.

Some flavours of potato chips which are unavailable in Singapore. They tasted just like the usual flavour.

We didn’t forget to get something for the girls. We were at a stretch of pet shops in Causeway Bay and came across the Temptations treats (costs about S$3.20 per packet). I wonder why this is not sold in Singapore. Initially only Braun likes them, now Skoda and Mikki have taken to them as well. They are not crazy over the treats though. While in one of the shops, I saw this blog link being featured on a notice board – Ding Dong Foundation, a shelter for stray cats.

An animal welfare group, Rescue Centre for Abandoned Pets also put up a stall in the area. Its volunteers were raising funds through the sale of merchandise and distributing brochures on what the Centre does and to seek support.

We bought these publications from a roadside newsstand and a convenience stall respectively. I wonder when we would have a local cat magazine.

On our last day, we took a late lunch at a Delifrance cafe that was well tucked away from the busyness on the streets. Just look at the human traffic…

Hong Kong is truly a city that never sleeps. People hang out on the streets late into the night and shops are open till 10-11pm. The weather was similar to Singapore’s (ie some sun with interim showers).

We shopped to our hearts’ content, covering shopping malls in Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Nathan Road and Causeway Bay. This might explain the lack of photos taken of the trip. It was summer sales’ time. The mainlanders are the ones who keep the cash registers ringing. We usually don’t go for branded stuff but the discounts proved irresistible. Common sizes were fast running out of stock. My haul included three pairs of jeans, three pairs of shoes and 13 tops (hee!) in total. The things in Hong Kong are not necessarily cheaper as compared to Singapore (HK$5.45=S$1), but the variety is a lot more interesting and more to pick from. I won’t need to go shopping for some time to come.

This time round, we entrusted our girls to C, a cat sitter with KittyCare. Here were the daily updates:

11 Jul: “Cats are fine. Skoda under sofa, Mikki in the room and Braun is on top of the fridge.”

12 Jul via MMS:

13 Jul: “The girls are fine. They let me touched them today :)” I expressed my surprise that Braun was “touchable” and C replied: “Yes Braun was a bit scared but did not try to run away.”

14 Jul: “Just to let you know that the girls are fine :)”

When we reached home, Skoda and Mikki were near to the door. Braun had gone into hiding under the sofa but she emerged shortly. They looked just the same. When I went into the master bedroom to put my things, Braun sneaked into the room and plopped herself on the floor – this is her way of “demanding” for chin rubs, which I promptly dispensed. Coming home couldn’t get any better.

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).