Foster Cats' Blog

Special Post :)

2008-12-24T22:45:00.000+08:00

This is a special post, as her mommy recently sent me this photo of her, though I'm not sure when it was taken. Mommy's camera had been broken, so there hasn't been many good photos of her.

Snowy, ex-foster cat that was rehomed in Aug 2007.

Snowy and Luckie, the family's first cat, in an old photo.

:)

This Blog is Closed.

2008-12-02T00:01:00.000+08:00

Thank you.

See you next year...

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Some personal thoughts

2008-11-30T13:38:00.001+08:00

Sophie’s stay with us must have been traumatic for her and Coco, as it is dramatic for me and the SO. Though there wasn’t much chemistry between Sophie and him, the SO just kept mum and quietly supported me by doing the housework and later, helped to clean up the cage and cat room. :)

I’ve been told by my cat friends that it’s usually the cats that select the owner, and that was how Coco selected me. Perhaps the lesson for me out of this fostering episode is that: 有些事是可遇不可求。

So, Coco may just have to remain as the one and only cat at home (maybe I should not say this). This episode has also made me appreciate Coco even more, although she still disturbs my sleep every night with her snuggling in bed and is still very fussy about food and has difficult eating patterns! We are thankful that we can both go to work and leave her at home with peace of mind, although I do worry that she may be somewhat lonely.

What I’m really sorry about is that Sophie has to return to the cattery, where I don’t know what fate lies for her, and whether she will have another chance at living the home life. Some cats can adapt faster, while others just need more time. I hope that one day, she will meet the adopter, who she will chose as the one for her. She will resume her life as YoGa, the name her sponsor originally gave her.

Meanwhile at home, Coco has suddenly resume her loud, manja meowing and behaviour, so it looks like she’s woken up from her "dream" (refer to XY_Meowie and EJ's interpretation :p ).

End of Blog:
With this post, I have decided to close down this almost 3-year old blog, since I no longer have a foster cat. Things are going to get more intense on the work front, so if the mood and inspiration strike, I may just start another new blog. Meanwhile, I may still continue to post on my food and the luggage-tale blogs if anyone is actually reading those. :P

Thank you so much for visiting this blog, and I'm glad to have made your acquaintances, and even realised some readers are my neighbour and colleague. Haha!

Wishing you all a healthy and better 2009 ahead~!

Sophie goes back to cattery

2008-11-30T13:15:00.000+08:00

Sad to say, the fostering of Sophie has come to an abrupt end.

On Saturday, Sophie had severe diarrhea in the afternoon, and again at almost midnight, although she had hardly ate on Saturday. She refused to let me wipe her last night, and again this morning. I think she may need some medication to make her better, but if she doesn’t like me enough (although she’s always purring and kneading away) to let me wipe her diarrhea stain, trying to give her medicine would be quite unthinkable.

Her sponsor decided that it’s best for Sophie and all if Sophie returns to the cattery, where she won’t feel stressed and where she will be able receive full-time care, so arrangement was made for the pet taxi to send her back. It was my choice to foster Sophie and I’m sorry that things did not work out. At this point in time, I’m not capable to provide the level of care that she probably needs (maybe when I’m semi-retired and can spend more time at home).

Sophie's photo update

2008-11-29T23:17:00.003+08:00

Sophie: I see you... *eyes big big*

Coco: You see me... hmm... *grumpy face*

The cool lady; the rug in the foreground has Coco's scent

Coco stealing peeps at Sophie...wondering who is this newbie that's taken over HRH's room! She seems more disturbed today - other than a bit of breakfast and cat treats, she hasn't eaten anything solid.

Being let out of the cage for breaks

She's a natural on the horizontal scratch mat...see mat only, straightway know what to do.

Choping all of Coco's favourite sunny spots

Sitting regally on top of the cage

Sophie loves to dip her paws into the water bowl and splash water all over the mat and marble floor. >_<"

Friday night was drafty and rather chilly, so she was happy to be enclosed in the semi-covered cage.

Sat afternoon: Though the cloth cover was removed, perhaps she was trying to tell me that it was still too hot.

The "compromise" arrangement, which Sophie promptly re-arranged again some minutes later.

Coco meets Sophie :)

2008-11-29T15:18:00.005+08:00

Sophie arrived yesterday evening, and as I sat on the floor in the cat room, Coco must have forgotten there is a new cat in the house, and approached me confidently...then suddenly stopped in her tracks to check Sophie out!

Furry Encounter from Po P on Vimeo.

Update:
Immediately after she arrived, Sophie (the name I gave her) wasted no time in devouring the kibbles. She wasn't afraid at all; she was friendly, purring all the time and did the knead-front-paws dance. She was also quiet during the night. :)

By this morning, she still hadn't use the litter bin, so I swop hers with Coco's bin, hoping to send her a "stronger" message. Until she's learnt to use the clumping litter, I've to keep her in the cage, with regular breaks out of the cage to explore the cat room under close supervision.

Both cats seemed curious about each other, and I caught Coco taking occasional peeps into the cat room. So far, Coco seems unperturbed by the newbie's presence, and still behaves normally. The most surprising thing was there was no hissing at each other at all, except for a short snarl from Sophie at the SO when he tried to carry her suddenly.

At about 2.15pm, Sophie finally pee-ed in the litter bin, so she's now let out of the cage and free to nap around in the cat room. Photo updates coming up soon. :)

Oh, by the way, I discovered Sophie loves to dip her paws into the drinking bowl to splash out the water! I hope that means she enjoys bathing! Heheheh...

Is Coco getting a sense of déjà vu?

2008-11-28T19:26:00.003+08:00

Something is happening at the fostercat household...

As Coco checks out the usual apparatus...

I am eagerly waiting to receive the next fosteree. :)

The fosteree is litter-bin trained with pine pellets; will be confined for a while till she uses the litter sand, definitely by tomorrow morning.

Favourite Cave

2008-11-28T19:19:00.004+08:00

Coco's favourite cave...

She loves her cave even more now that we've put it high up on top of the suitcase atop the sideboard

The suitcase with cushion is quite comfy too.

The escapist

2008-11-25T21:55:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, I like to play this game with mommy. Like when she comes to me, I will purposely escape from her grasp, just to annoy her. I would escape to under the bed, under the sofa, or sit out on the window sill and refuse to come out.

I especially like to meow loudly for her, and when she comes, escape from her, so that she can't catch me! Heheheh!

I also like to show off my agility on the windows...

Neh-nehny-pooh-pooh! You cannot catch me!

But best of all, I like to sit there to suntan a bit until it gets too hot, then I would lie flat on the marble floor to take yet another cool nap!

Hee hee!

Got college education, but still...

2008-11-24T08:28:00.001+08:00

...no have common sense, ah?

Pandas may look like cuddly soft toys, but come on... *roll eyes*

Read about the foolish "bravado": Panda in China zoo bites student who wanted a hug

Is it responsible for a national body to promote irresponsible behaviour?

2008-11-23T09:50:00.011+08:00

Directly or indirectly?

http://groups.msn.com/singaporecats/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=1&ID_Message=16594

Again, I'm filled with that sense of "Not that I want to say ah..."

In Chinese: 不是我要讲啊。。。

In Hokkien: Mmm si wo ai kong ah...

*Triple roll eyes*

Just don't send me to the gallows.

After all, when I was small and cute, YOU picked me to be part of your family.

Funny slinky cat :)

2008-11-21T23:05:00.001+08:00

Watch the kitty at http://sg.video.yahoo.com/watch/3898066/10614370

:)

Not so nice

2008-11-20T21:18:00.000+08:00

On my way to meet the SO somewhere in town after work, I passed by this place, which looked like a company / shop with an adjoining cafe.

The sign on the wall made me do a double take!

It's quite unusual and not too cat-friendly.

Old man and his pet

2008-11-20T21:02:00.006+08:00

Old man riding his bicycle in the park...

...with his trusty pet for company.

He's even made a bark-like covering over the bike handle bar, which I supposed simulates the real tree branch and provides a better grip for the bird. Look closely...it's a very special handle bar!

Old man is jovial and allows curious passerby to take photos of his pet. He says his pet can talk, but the bird didn't talk when we were there. :)

My furry toy

2008-11-20T12:38:00.003+08:00

A few nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, then failed to get back to sleep. After a while, seeing that I'm back in bed, Coco came back to snuggle next to me again, with her hind legs next to my waist and her head nearer to my legs/knees.

As I laid on the bed, I held onto her hind paws, coz I hate it when she pokes them into my sides and wake me up. I began stroking her furry hind paws and somehow fell asleep.

I had a dream...that I was holding onto something (maybe a jug of water) and had to hold onto it tightly.

Suddenly, I began to feel the sensation of something brushing against me repeatedly, to-and-fro, to-and fro...

As lucidity slowly and gently fell upon me, I realise that I was holding more tightly onto Coco's hind paws, and not the jug! And Coco was getting a bit unhappy with me by swishing her tail more and more vigorously at me!

Ha ha ha! What a funny dream! :P

2009 Calendars for a good cause

2008-11-16T16:28:00.000+08:00

2009 calendars for sale - from Project Kuching Coast:

The sales' proceeds will go towards efforts to sterilise, medicate and feed the stray cats at "kuching coast". :)

Click here for more details.

Memorable quote

2008-11-14T22:15:00.000+08:00

Re this tragic incident:

About the man who was mauled to death by the white tigers in the tigers' den at the zoo, the SO commented:

" Haiya, what a way to die! "

I thought: Hmm... yalor, poor man died in much terror and fright... *sympathetic*

And then he said:

" He will get the tigers into trouble! "

>_<"

Change of seasons

2008-11-13T21:55:00.007+08:00

While we were away on holiday, our cat sitter reported via sms that HRH was eating very well, and would completely finished/cleaned up both bowls of dry and wet food. That I thought was quite a feat, but since we came back, I realised HRH wasn't eating much of the dry food. It turns out that Coco has decided she didn't like Sannabella anymore, and would only finish up the RC kibbles placed on one side of her bowl. So now, her dry food diet is changed to 100% RC.

Although she's totally very interested in smelling whatever human food we are eating, Coco had never once been interested in eating our food, but all of a sudden, she really likes to eat grilled saba (Spanish mackeral), so much so that she will begged / demand to have some of it, and later asked for a 2nd and even a 3rd helping!

I wonder how long her current flavour of the month will last.

Ps: The saba was cooked as it is, i.e. unsalted & with no seasoning, so Coco was not unnecessarily exposed to undesirable food elements.

Monday shenanigan

2008-11-10T22:09:00.003+08:00

Ahh...it's Monday morning, and I'm so tired...

I didn't get any sleep last night, as I'd spent almost half the night chasing after a roach who wouldn't give up, and neither did I!

Phew! It's really hard work, trying to get into the nooks and crannies where the roach was hiding.

I even woke mommy up for help several times during the night, but the roach was too sneaky to be caught!

Now that the beans are going out to make some dough instead of disturbing my peace, it's time for me to start enjoying my l-o-n-g weekend.

Yeah, my five-day long weekend... isn't that great?

Ahhh... life is good.

ZZZZzzzzzz.....

Back to routine

2008-11-08T11:21:00.000+08:00

After a few days of being extremely chatty and very manja (since our return), Coco seems to have settled back into her old self and routine. The difference now is that she will snuggle against my body when we sleep, whether I'm using the blanket or not, and she still meows for me after a while, if I'm not in the same room as her.

Though still soft, we noticed that her fur seems to be less smooth and silky as before. We had bathed her on the weekend before our trip, so it would be almost 4 weeks now since then. According to regular updates from the catsitter, she ate very well and finished up all the wet and dry food (which is better than when we're around!).

Closure

2008-11-07T23:01:00.003+08:00

Yesterday evening, I had a chance to speak with the new domestic helper of the household that feeds Shiny, Jambala and Humm-Humm. In her limited English, she said that an aunty told her that she (the aunty) had taken Shiny away, and after about a week, Shiny passed away.

At least we now know what had happened to Shiny during her last days, and that she did not die alone, out in the streets.

Sigh...

Shiny, RIP Oct 2008

Scare me only!

2008-11-04T10:55:00.002+08:00

Coco blogged:

During the wee hours this morning, while I was alone at home (as usual nowadays), I heard some strange noises outside, which gave me a fright. Someone was breaking into my home in the early morning!

I cautiously hid in the kitchen while stealing glances at the commotion at the main door. I didn't know who these beans were and my tail turned into a bushy bottle brush!

Then, the beans started calling my name - "Coco, Coco...!".

It then dawned on me that my mommy and daddy are back!

To cut a long story short, I got to snuggle with mommy in bed again, and mommy said that overnight, I've turned into a kneading cat!

In case we miss her

2008-10-12T15:19:00.001+08:00

Where is Shiny?

2008-10-12T15:10:00.002+08:00

Shiny, Shiny, where are you?

Not a day goes by without us (L and I) thinking and sms-ing about you.

Are you in someone's home, safe & sound, with plenty to eat and enjoying the comforts of home?

Or has someone taken you away, only to terminate your life, before we could say goodbye?

Wherever you are, I hope you're no longer in pain and that you'll always remember the sweetness and kindness that the nice aunties and uncles have bestowed on you.

Mommy's helper

2008-10-11T19:28:00.001+08:00

Mommy was packing some clothes, so I've decided to help her.

Checking out the box and some socks.

Sitting on the vaccum bag to remove the air inside...

But mommy said she was taking the clothes out from the bag...not keeping them inside! Sigh...

Anyway, this sweater feels good...

Good enough for a snooze! Oops! Not being very helpful there...

Here I'm sitting on them to stop prevent them from dropping onto the floor.

All that packing makes me a tired kitty.

Ps from auntie p:
I don't think Coco knows what the suitcase means, coz when we went away last year (her first year with us), I'd used my backpack.

I followed Cat aunty's advice and tried to tell Coco a couple of times about us going away, and that she must be good to the catsitter, etc. The conversation would usually start off with her being quite vocal and responsive, and then gradually she would turn silent. Maybe she thinks I'm too long-winded and got bored with me. *roll eyes*

Fat man with yelping JRT

2008-10-11T18:05:00.012+08:00

Just came back from trying to feed the community cats an early snack/dinner, without much success.

While I was with Blackie (community cat) and before I could feed him, we were suddenly bombarded with loud barking, and that's when I saw a JRT on a leash darted forward towards Blackie. I took a step forward to stand between the JRT and Blackie, while the JRT continued barking away at Blackie. My first instinct was to shoo JRT away with my bag, but I stopped myself in time.

While all that yelping was going on, which created a din, the short and fat man (about 1.6m tall, wearing greenish collared shirt and shorts, with chubby face and specs - all this is for me to remember his face) stood there, saying to his dog "Ok, ok" while all the while smiling away with his eyes on the sheepish Blackie slinking away.

After about 30 to 40 seconds, fat man continued to stand there while his JRT barked on, making no effort to pull back the dog or to walk away. I think he must be enjoying the sight of seeing his dog barked at Blackie, since he was still smiling smugly away. Maybe he was actually giving his dog positive strokes for barking at Blackie, shit!

I suggested for him to take his dog away, since his dog was so noisy. Fat man's retort was "why don't you bring the cat away?"

Me: "The cat has already gone away." (Blackie has already walked away and hiding under a parked car, you smug idiot).

Fat man again retorted:"Why don't take take the cat home to feed? Why don't you adopt the cat and bring home...?" and he turned away from my sight.

Ahh...too bad fat man slinked away. I had wanted to ask him: "You were really enjoying that, weren't you?".

(Note to self: JRT is slim, with a sharp, somewhat pointed face, slightly bigger than usual size - could be mixed breed)

Is she a 大陆猫?

2008-10-10T17:58:00.008+08:00

HRH now seems to despise her once-favourite Fussie Cat tuna with salmon, although she still eats some of the other flavours. Her current favourite of the month is this:

Tom & Pus *whisper - made in PRC* *Sshhh...*

She likes it so much that she's even willing to eat it cold (straight from the fridge).

>_<"

Sometimes, she likes to supplement her diet by catching her own food, which we prohibits as far as possible.

{Chinese translator: 大陆猫 (da4 lu4 mao1) means "cat from the land of PRC (i.e. 大陆)}

About Shiny, the community cat

2008-10-09T23:45:00.005+08:00

Quite a few things have happened since the last update on Hari Raya.

Shiny has stopped hanging out at the block where I usually feed her and where her wooden box is. Instead she's been hanging around the household that feeds her and the other community cats. I think the distance between those 2 blocks are too far for her ever weakening body.

Since then, I've began placing another water bowl nearer to her "feeding household", in addition to the earlier one at her other place where her wooden box is. A few days ago, someone left wet food on her box overnight, even though Shiny was no longer there. I didn't clear the stinking mess away for this person has to learn not to litter. I've also stopped putting out the water bowl next to the box, to discourage further littering by this person.

As Shiny has been getting food from her regular household, she no longer eats the food I gave her, or just a very tiny bit, so I've stopped giving her wet food. I still visit her twice a day and change her water twice a day.

Meanwhile, through Shiny, I've met other people who cares for Shiny. One is a lady who fed Shiny some essence of chicken! Another came to see and stroke Shiny and who told me that Shiny used to always greet people who passes by, and how she misses Shiny's clear voice. :)

I'd earlier made plans for someone to continue to feed Shiny when we go on holiday. Last night, I was thinking about reminding this someone to change her water, but I have not seen Shiny the whole day today. The last time I saw her was last night.

Shiny wasn't at her hangout this morning, and I noticed her water bowl had been moved away from its usual spot. At night, I sms-ed L, who said she'd met Shiny early this morning and Shiny had walked towards her! *Phew!* This means Shiny hasn't conked out and that someone must have taken her (I guess) between 7am and 8am this morning. Whether they've taken Shiny home to care for her, or to the vet, I really have no idea. Will have to snoop around tomorrow or during the weekends if I get a chance.

坏女人 vs Film Goddess

2008-10-08T14:28:00.003+08:00

Much has been said about the Palin woman, such as her infamous gaffes that she'd committed when she was interviewed about her knowledge on foreign policy (her answer goes along the line of "Alaska is near to Russian and Canada"), but lots have been said about her being an animal- and environmental activists nightmare. Her list of misdemeanor to animals and possible environmental damage is just too long to mention - just do a search for "Sarah Palin and animals" on YouTube and you'll get an idea.

Read : Brigitte Bardot slams Sarah Palin as a 'disgrace to women'

(Chinese translator: 坏女人 means "bad woman")

Very free again~! :P

2008-10-07T21:28:00.004+08:00

Hahaha, as if~!!

My tzer siao target *cues Jaws music*

Yes, the last time we discussed this subject, we've established that the hind paws have got four digits.

A clearer photo of the hind paw - the paw pad (?) to the left looks like er... Mickey Mouse?
BTW, are they called paw pads?

Dah dee dah~!

The target is still so blase... but look at her sneaky-looking eyes...

When it comes to the front paws or hands (as some might say)...

People say there are five... #5 being just below the claw in the photo above.

But hor...

We actually have six digits! The #6 being the rather un-noticeable digit. Hee hee~!

(Dialect Translator : Tzer Siao = "disturb" in Teochew)

Copy Cats

2008-10-05T22:52:00.004+08:00

Mommy was up to her goofy tricks again today and came to kar cheow me while I was trying very hard to take my evening nap.

She said my paw is very soft and nice to touch, but I think she was trying to do an imitation of cat aunty's imitation of Michelangelo.

Me the PI cat

2008-10-05T22:45:00.000+08:00

Mommy says she has to stay away from the PC, so asked me to blog my report on my PI work! She said someone's been asking about the origin of some cat food that we have at home, so I have to make a convincing case that they aren't made in PRC!

Waa... why me?!?

Here's a big bag of Sanabelle Adult formula which was purchased recently.

Here you can see that I am looking high and low for the country of origin, which means the country where it is made. It was really quite hard to find it, as my England is not so powderful yet, you know!

Ahh, here it is! I've found it!

Next, is a bag of RC which comes in 3 types and shapes. The bag say it's a formula for "special" cat... yes, special cats just like me! :)

But mommy say "special" just means it's for extra fussy type of cats... like me.

*Angry*

So I tried to look for the country of origin... there were so many small words...

Finally, I've found it too! Mommy says I did a good job and gave me extra salmon treats. After that, I was so tired from my PI work that I went straight to take my beauty nap.

D-Day is coming

2008-10-04T00:19:00.004+08:00

I think I should try to spend less time in front of the very entertaining / relaxing computer and more time to do my chores and start packing. The PC is THE multimedia toy for us, and we can amuse ourselves sitting in front of it, thereby neglecting the housework.

We'll be going away for a vacation in 2 weeks' time for about 2.5 weeks, and this will be the longest time that Coco will have to spend alone at home with no human contact, other than with the cat-sitter. This thought has been bothering me for the longest time, coz I wonder how the ingrate-make-me-lose-sleep brat will handle our long absence.

I also wonder how many minutes or hours the cat-sitter would be willing to spend with Coco. Will she try to visit Coco twice a day and spend at least an hour or more (in total) with Coco each day, like I usually do when I cat-sit Spud? She's a busy mother of three, so I feel I should not impose on her by insisting that she does.

I've been having this sort of conversation with the SO since some time ago, for more than once:

Me: How ah? Do you think she will be ok?
SO: Hmm.... (after some thought) I think so. Cats are solitary animals.

Me: Do you she will miss us?
SO: I think you will miss her more.

*Laughs*

Me: She still behaves like a kitten. When do you think she will grow up?
SO: She will grow up in our absence.

>_<"

After that, I have been asking the SO on numerous occasions: How ah? Do you think she'll be lonely? Etc, etc.

Sigh... Such is the suffering arising from attachment.

Coco, 14 Jan 2007

- the day she was rescued together with Snowy and caged for toilet training

I guess we must get ready some slept-on bedsheets, blankets and t-shirts with our scents and place them all over her sleeping areas... in case she misses us, even for one bit.

And now I'll have to take my hp along and activate international roaming, just so that we can communicate with the cat-sitter during the trip.

Animal abuser & killer in the making

2008-10-03T17:27:00.000+08:00

What a sad boy, and even sadder parents:

A blank-faced 7-year-old boy broke into a popular Outback zoo, fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile and bashed several lizards to death with a rock, the zoo's director said Friday.

The boy jumped a security fence at the Alice Springs Reptile Center in central Australia early Wednesday, then went on a 30-minute killing spree, using a rock to slay three lizards, including the zoo's beloved, 20-year-old goanna, which he then fed to "Terry," an 11-foot (3.3 meter), 440-pound (200 kilogram) saltwater crocodile, said zoo director Rex Neindorf.

Read: Aussie boy breaks into zoo, feeds animals to croc

Poor animals.

More cats for adoption

2008-10-02T21:48:00.008+08:00

Jen Jen or JJ (click)

Goldee 1 (click)

Goldee 2 (click)

I thought this cat (below) is pretty, so took my camera out (again) to take a photo, and only realised much later that she might be Yoga.

Could this be Yoga?

This cat (Kelly-Sar) understands mommy's command in Cantonese to go sit on her lap!

This guy (Pai-Kuat-Chai aka 排骨仔) was sleeping in that manner until he got wakened up by the papparazzi. :)

Lovely afternoon

2008-10-01T21:18:00.006+08:00

Instead of having tea with L, my new friend whom I met through Shiny, we went to visit our common friend, Phyllis. To me, Phyllis is a very special woman. I will always marvel at her love and dedication to saving and helping animals. :)

We met Cleo and Simba, two lovely kittens rescued by Chinky (another special person) that are up for adoption.

More information about them can be found at the Cats for Adoption (Singapore) blog.

Cleo and Simba

Both are estimated to be born in July 08, and both are girls. :)

Sunday adventure

2008-10-01T12:18:00.005+08:00

Coco hadn't asked to go outside for a long while, so I was surprised when she jumped off from the sofa (after looking out of the window) and started meowing towards the main door.

Being the well-trained human bean, of course I understood her command. :)

Trying to get some floor perfume onto herself

Thus began her happy, cheerful climb up to the next floor

Dah dee dah~!

I was seated at our doorway and switched the leash into the "lock" position; I didn't want her to go upstairs where the people aren't nice neighbours (that's another long story).

After a while, I could feel it... the leash didn't feel tight anymore...

Oops! Where is the cat?

Coco had somehow slipped out of the walking jacket and went up to the upper level. Maybe the sudden disappearance of the walking jacket from her body made her feel insecure, coz she began SCREAMING away, as if to announce her presence to the whole world: -

"Hear ye, hear ye, neighbours! Yes, we have a cat here! We have a resident here who's been keeping me - a furry, hair-shedding cat that supposedly loves to roam about (according to HDB) and prohibited! Yes, here I shall come, into your homes and perhaps defaecate here, there and on your sofa too if I have the time!"

"Eh...but if I'm supposed to love roaming about, why is my tail all puffed up in fear!?!
HELP, mommy!!"

In short, mommy had to dropped everything, even placing her camera on the floor of the stairway, quietly walk towards Coco, grabbed her into her arms, calm her down, settled her back into the flat before retrieving the walking jacket, leash and camera from the staircase.

The culprit - guilty as charged~!

Shiny on Hari Raya Puasa PH

2008-10-01T11:38:00.003+08:00

Finally got a slightly better shot of Shiny's eyes in the daylight, coz she keeps looking away whenever she sees the hp.

When we went to feed her last night, someone had left for her a plastic bag of wet food on the floor and a a bowl of dry food (which attracted ants). We cleared the leftover wet food but left the dry food there.

This morning, I saw a lady passing by who stopped by, sat down and stroke Shiny and let Shiny rub her leg. She must be thinking about why this cat is so skinny. After she left, I went to feed Shiny.

Specks of white among her dark fur - is this a sign of old age?

Shiny eats slowly and would rest in between bites of food. It would take at least 15-20 mins before it's confirmed that she's had enough (so that we can clear), but we would not have this privilege of time in the morning during working days. L is back from her business trip, so I've asked her to meet for tea (I don't know her...yet).

Cerebellar Hypoplasia

2008-09-29T22:58:00.000+08:00

A cat with a condition known as cerebellar hypoplasia can live a normal life. Let's hope the vets here know about that!

Watch the video of cute Charley on Singapore Community Cats' blog.

Eye Drops

2008-09-29T21:38:00.008+08:00

Antibiotic eye drops for Shiny

Eye drops for the beans

They are the same!

Almost 2 weeks have passed since we'd stopped applying eye drops on Shiny, and miraculously, her eyes have healed almost totally on their own, save for a little bit of the 3rd eyelids showing. It's a vast improvement from almost a month ago.

(Shiny, 28 Sep 08)

(Shiny, 17 Sep 08)

However, despite our feeding her twice a day (unless she's full from other's feeding) to try to maintain her weight, she seems to be still losing weight. L, the lady I've met has tried to take Shiny to the vet with the help of Damy (professional pet taxi), but both times, they failed to catch Shiny, who somehow managed to scoot away. And I can still remember how she struggled, bashed herself and became the screaming banshee the last time I tried to take her to the vet. Either she's really fearful of confined space or she doesn't want to go to the vet.

The person who put the blue collar on Shiny calls her JJ. Last week, that person left some dry food out for Shiny, which ended up being a mess that attracted thousands of ants - and this was just outside some residents' home. Once, I found 2 ant-infested piles (on Shiny's box and on the floor), which I had to clear and in the process, inadvertently killed some ants. :(

That kind of started my exchange of "love notes" with this person for a while. I first scribbled a note, which I left for him/her, hoping that he/she would stop littering.

When I got home, I prepared a more water-proof note.

Then stuck the note at Shiny's box the next morning. Haha! :P

That person even left a pack of open dry food (dunno is it for cat or dog?) in between the 2 flower pots...as if Shiny will know how to take food from the packet and feed herself? >_<"

Luckily, the house-owners (a Buddhist family) did not destroy my note. That person got my message and left an note in return for me. He/she had stopped leaving out leftover food, and I'd left my email for this person to contact me, on yet another note. All notes were left intact for several days and over the weekend, until I removed them today. :)

Left for dead, crippled mutt gets new lease of life

2008-09-27T16:28:00.001+08:00

ST 27 Sep 2008

TWO years ago, Sayang was found in a drain on Jurong Island, emaciated, riddled with infections and his hind legs missing.

Now, the three-year-old mutt is busy chasing after his four-legged playmates in his new home at Upper Thomson.

Sayang has a wheelchair - imported from the United States by dog rescue organisation Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) - and pulls himself around on his now-muscular front legs.

'He is very happy now. He gets around really fast,' said his owner, Ms Ng Choong Leng.

The 44-year-old adopted Sayang a year ago after a security guard found the dog lying in a drain.

'He was probably just surviving on drain water because he couldn't move,' said ASD president Ricky Yeo, 40.

No one knows exactly how Sayang lost his legs, though Mr Yeo suspects the dog could have been run over by a truck or been a victim of abuse.

After ASD volunteers rescued him, Sayang had to have his testicles removed because of an infection. He now wears diapers because he has no control over his urine and bowel movements.

When he first arrived at Ms Ng's home, Sayang was afraid of people. Over time, however, he has grown used to the presence of people and is now affectionate. He even sticks up for himself around Ms Ng's other dogs.

'Now he is very feisty and fights with the other dogs over food, and he stands his ground,' she said.

Sayang is the Malay term for love and affection.

'When we were nursing him, dressing his wounds, we would address him as 'sayang' to soothe and comfort him, so that name stuck,' said Ms Ng.

LIAW WY-CIN

(Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_283001.html)

9,300 pets abandoned by owners

2008-09-27T16:16:00.005+08:00

ST 27 Sep 2008

9,300 pets dumped in just 1 year

SPCA teaming up with animal welfare group to educate owners in exhibition

By Judith Tan & Liaw Wy-Cin

'BARKING too much.'

'Too hyperactive.'

'The maid is gone.'

These are some of the silliest reasons pet owners have offered for dumping their furry friends, said Ms Deirdre Moss, the executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) here.

But they are why 9,328 animals - cats, dogs, rabbits and hamsters - were left at the SPCA between July last year and June this year.

Of this number, more than 3,000 were dogs. And among abandoned dogs, over half were pedigreed.

To stem this flood, the SPCA gives talks at schools - from primary to tertiary - to spread the message about responsible pet ownership.

It is an attempt to tackle the problem at the source - the SPCA lacks the space and resources to care for every animal left at its premises in Mount Vernon Road.

Of the more than 3,000 dogs it received from July last year to June this year, over 2,000 had to be put down.

All licensed pet dogs are required to be micro-chipped, but the SPCA still finds 80 'lost' dogs each month with no information on them.

Barely one in 10 of all animals the society gets is adopted or claimed by owners.

Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), a non-profit organisation which rescues stray and abandoned dogs, has a no-kill policy, but it has to rely on its network of 20 to 30 dog owners to help look after them temporarily.

The ASD has close to 100 dogs at its adoption centre in Lim Chu Kang and elsewhere.

Its president Ricky Yeo, 40, said: 'Many of these dogs are abandoned when young couples move on to start a family or break up.

'Couples will fight over the house, but no one wants the dog. One was even tossed out from a moving car.'

The Cat Welfare Society, a charity run almost entirely by volunteers, said many cats are dumped on the streets when they outgrow their 'kitten cuteness'.

Said committee member Ang Li Tin: 'There are many who take stray cats home, let them roam and mate with other cats in the area, and then dump the kittens in carparks or dumpsters.

'The kittens either starve, get abused or survive on the streets, while contributing to more cats being born to live on the streets.'

Mr Goh Shih Yong, a spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, said the only long-term solution is to teach people responsible pet ownership.

Many people are willing to pay between $650 and $2,000 for Maltese puppies 'because they are cute, white and fluffy'.

But this breed ranks high in the statistics of dumped pedigree dogs - 106 went unclaimed in the first eight months of this year.

'Education is key to arresting the pet abandonment and stray animal problem in the long run,' Mr Goh said.

The message is getting through to at least some tertiary students, who have stepped forward to promote animal welfare.

People for Animal Welfare (PAW), formed in 2005 by a group at the Singapore Management University, is doing just this.

It will team up with the SPCA to mount an exhibition on the issue at the East Coast Parkway on World Animal Day on Oct 5.

There will also be a photo gallery of animals available for adoption. T-shirts and calendars will be on sale to raise funds for the society.

Ms Moss said: 'Because we take in so many animals, we are not able to find homes for all of them. Keeping a pet is a life-time commitment, and not just for the novelty.'

(Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_282999.html)

The two kings - Sugar & Tiger

2008-09-27T13:45:00.003+08:00

Last night, on the way back from feeding Shiny and having dinner, we met b/w Mimi, whom we haven't see for weeks, and Kiddy.

After giving them snacks, b/w Mimi insisted on following me about. I carried her purring body...thought I'll sit on the bench with her for a while, when suddenly, a swoosh of white fur jumped onto the bench first. I thought it must be Kiddy, but Mimi jumped off my arms and ran away!

It was Sugar. Mimi sure knows to not mess with The King~!

Sugar looks good, ate a bit of dried food and still followed me about. I lured him away to a corner where we'd first met years' ago. We have yet to move into the flat then and I'd come by to see the progress of the house painting. On the way out to the bus stop, I saw this big, white friendly cat with touches of ginger on his coat. That was how I first met Sugar.

I sat with him, brushed off the loose fur from his coat and just rested there with him, but he didn't allow me to rest for too long. He gave me a couple of gentle nips on my arm and hand to remind me to get back to work - of giving him strokes and neck scratches! Haha... so adorable!

After about 20 mins, I had to go home and shoo-ed him from following me home.

This morning, I met the other King, who lives a little further away. I hadn't see Tiger for a long while, and I heard that he's somehow become a daytime house cat in somebody's home. :)

I was carrying groceries and didn't intend to call him, but he decided to follow me... he must have smelled the cat food in my bag! So boh pian lor, had to give him some food, not that he's deprived.

While he was eating, cat-friendly neighbours stopped by to say hi and to stroke Tiger.
Waa, this king certainly has more than a few fans.

Finally, he gave me a good front view shot of him.

After eating, he still followed me about. The normally aloof fella even gave me several affectionate rubs, then decided to park himself in the middle of the passageway.

A kid on his scooter and aunties pushing trolleys of groceries had to move around his royal highness, but they didn't seem to mind, and even greeted him by name. :P

I must have been too free

2008-09-27T12:48:00.010+08:00

Car decal by CWS

An old ad campaign by CWS years' ago

I still see it on the roads occasionally

Cute "smiling" car

Made in China

Also made in China...as I was recently informed (after news of the tainted milk scandal broke). And no, I didn't ask.

Buy 2 cans get 1 free woh...works out to be 80 cents per can. I'd tried some on HRH Coco, who seems to like it...think she's getting tired of Fussiecat. It must be too much of a good thing...

Tainted milk sickens animals

2008-09-25T20:48:00.000+08:00

Sep 25, 2008

Tainted milk sickens animals

SHANGHAI - CHINA's milk crisis apparently has spread to animals.

Three baby animals at the Hangzhou Wild Animal Park near Shanghai have kidney stones after being fed milk powder for more than a year, said Zhang Xu, a veterinarian with the Hangzhou Zhangxu Animal Hospital.

The powder was made by the Sanlu Group Co., which is at the center of the tainted milk crisis. The industrial chemical melamine has been found in a growing range of Chinese-made dairy products, and it has been blamed for sickening 53,000 infants in China and killing four.

The two orangutans and a lion cub were found with kidney stones on Wednesday after concerned officials sent them to Zhang for a checkup.

'The milk powder crisis made us very worried about the health situation of baby animals,' Ju Lijia, the animal park's public affairs manager, said by phone on Wednesday.

'We stopped feeding with Sanlu after it was found to be tainted.' The orangutans and lion were the only ones found with kidney stones, Mr Ju said.

Officials at the Beijing Zoo and zoos in the other major cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xian said they had no cases of animals sickened from milk powder.

An official at the world's most famous panda reserve, the Wolong Nature Reserve, said the baby pandas there are not fed on milk made from formula. -- AP

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_282459.html

A dog in a mosque?

2008-09-25T20:38:00.000+08:00

Sep 25, 2008

Guide dog allowed in mosque
Ruling by Muslim body hailed as a breakthrough

LONDON - A BRITISH Muslim body has ruled that a blind student can take a guide dog with him to his local mosque, a judgment Muslim and blind advocacy groups are hailing as a breakthrough.

The Muslim Law Council (Shariah) UK issued a fatwa allowing 18-year-old Mahomed-Abraar Khatri to take his dog with him to the Bilal Jamia Mosque in the English city of Leicester, about 160km north of London.

'I hope it will open up some doors and let other people to get a dog and not be worried of any religious aspects behind it,' Mr Khatri told British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Observant Muslims generally regard dogs as unclean and they are not allowed in mosques. It was not immediately clear whether this was the first time a dog has been allowed in a British mosque, or whether the move had any precedent elsewhere.

Mr Ahmed Rehab, a spokesman for the US-based Council on American Islamic Relations, said he had never heard of any similar incident in the United States.

The fatwa does not allow the dog into the prayer hall itself. Instead, Mr Khatri can leave it in a gated area in the entryway near where the shoes are kept.

BBC television footage showed Mr Khatri ushering his yellow Labrador, Vargo, into the enclosure.

The Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of UK Muslim organisations, said it was pleased with the ruling.

'The scholars who have deliberated this ruling have explored the issue from all angles and we are delighted with their fatwa,' MCB Assistant Secretary-General Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra said.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association described the decision as 'a massive step forward for other blind and partially sighted Muslims'. -- AP

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_282367.html

Sweet old dame

2008-09-24T21:25:00.004+08:00

The more we get to know each other, the more endearing I find Shiny to be. Although she's totally black, scrawny and ill-looking, the grand old dame more than makes up for it with her charming purrsonality. All the while, she is friendly and would call out to any passerby who cares to give her eye contact. The SO and I often joke that Shiny is machiam like calling out "uncle" and "aunty" to anyone who passes by her!

Last Sunday morning after eating, she was resting in her wooden box while I squatted about taking her photo. As I called out her name to catch her eyes, she suddenly jumped out of her comfy box to come and give me an affectionate rub. :)

After feeding her last night, she sat on the cement ledge, staring at me while I walked away. I walked back towards her, pointed towards her box and told her to "go back to your perch", which she promptly did, followed by happy scratching! This old gal is very perceptive. Heh!

She also likes to have us near her while she's eating and kept coming to me to rub my ankles every now and then while taking bites of her food.

This evening, instead of coming towards us, she calmly remained on her usual perch as we approached, obviously not hungry. Someone had left food on her seat, which wasn't a good idea as it might attract the ants afterwards. I wonder what brand of dry food these are? They look like S/D except that they seems bigger than the S/D kibbles.

Whoever it was has also put a collar with a tag on Shiny. The tag had 2 letter initials and a neighbouring block number (which isn't the block where L or C lives).

Seeing the new collar on Shiny, I kind of feel gratified that there are others who cared enough to look out for likeable Shiny, which makes her a lucky cat. :)

Update on Thurs, 25 Sept '08:
Shiny's eyes look sooo much better, finally! A tad of the 3rd eyelids still show, but her eyes are clear, while the swelling in her right eye has subsided more. She was hungry for breakfast, ate quite a bit - 1-1/2 tbsp of softened RC dry food, followed by 1/4 Fussiecat, which she didn't finish. There was a bit of vomit on her wooden bench, which was cleaned with wet tissue.

It's not just food, or milk...

2008-09-23T15:38:00.000+08:00

Sigh... even China-made chairs are toxic.

French retailer in hot seat over Chinese chairs

Eczema, anyone?

The Eye

2008-09-22T22:23:00.004+08:00

Does it remind you of that evil, burning eye from Lord of the Rings?

Finally, I could take a super macro shot of her eye without Coco blinking or looking away. Heh!

Feeding the fussy HRH

2008-09-21T13:36:00.001+08:00

A pretty bowl, in a good large size...

...which I didn't buy it for HRH... Heh! I've been using microwaveable plastic bowls, or the discards from my old pottery class.

I was short of canned food one evening, and on the way home, went to buy this to feed Shiny, and gave the (clean) leftovers to try on Coco.

To my surprise, Coco took to it, and on the next night too.

But it costs more than Fussiecat. >_<"

Coco really knows how to pick and choose!

These (below) are cheaper, but all kena-ed rejected by HRH's QC, including the "kitten tuna pouch" from the same brand.

Rejected by HRH (Note: the actual food looks nothing like the picture)

Another reject! *Grrr...!!*

I must remember not to try these brand on HRH again. Sigh...

Shiny the Ah Mah

2008-09-21T11:48:00.001+08:00

I was late in feeding Shiny this morning, and when I was almost near her usual hangout, I saw her trotting into the old man's flat. Outside the gate, I heard the old man telling her to "come, come" but I could see neither man nor cat.

After a while, the old man reappeared and I told him that I've come to feed the "black cat". He let me into his home, where I walked all the way inside, and saw Shiny slurping milk from a plastic cup in the bathroom, right down to the last drop! *jaw-dropped* Haha! This gal knows how to worm herself into people's hearts and homes, though I'm not surprised, coz Shiny is a likeable cat.

The old man said Shiny refused the food they once gave, so they don't feed her. He said Shiny is 14 years old. Waaa.... she's a grandma already!

Animal All-Stars

2008-09-20T17:01:00.003+08:00

On Yahoo! Video

The cats, dogs and other animals are so adorable, and some are very clever. :)

Animal All-Stars Video

He was here

2008-09-20T13:38:00.001+08:00

And he's still here, with us...

And always will be with us... on our minds, and in our hearts.

More neighbours have been asking about Jon Jon and of course, about Sugar, as they were once the inseparable pair and THE ICONs of our blocks.

Sad to say, the bad news hasn't yet ended. Someone who saw it informed Ms A (caregiver) that Charlie (aka Thin Tail) has passed on, perhaps one day before Jon Jon did.

Charlie was quite territorial - I'd seen the way he attacked and chased the younger cats away. Yet he's a manja lap cat when it comes to human beans. Charlie once shared the same territory as Sugar and Jackie-O (who now lives at the pet shop). As the Chinese saying goes: 一山不能藏二虎, i.e. a mountain can't have two tigers, so how can there even be three, and worst, all are territorial and male cats? Cat fights and injuries were common in those days.

Our condolences also go to the KSN household, whose dear Lincoln passed away.
Rest in peace, Lincoln. You will be dearly missed by mommy.

Shiny update

2008-09-18T23:18:00.013+08:00

Update on Sat, 20 Sept '08: Shiny's 3rd eyelid on her left eye has receded a little bit more, and the swelling on her right eye looks a little smaller (or was it my wishful imagination?). Anyway, the left eye definitely looks better, which is a little bit comforting for me.

I'm hoping to increase her weight a bit within this 3 to 4 weeks before we travel. L (who's concerned about Shiny) will also be travelling, and she's asked her neighbour C to feed Shiny during our absence, which is great (must remember to pass some RC dry food to them). I'm worried that Shiny may not be getting regular meals from her usual household as the domestic helper has gone on leave, or Shiny may get chased away by the ginger pair of Humm Humm & Jambala (that's what the domestic helper told me).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Almost 2 weeks have passed since we started giving Shiny the eye drops treatment, twice a day (except for the first two days).

She seems weak at times, and unable to eat much dry food, which kind of tickles her throat and makes her cough. I've started to give her dry food softened with water and less canned food, hoping that she can gain weight with the intake of more dry food, but sometimes, she seems so hungry that I give in and feed her one whole small can, which she eats enthusiastically.

While her left eye looks clear (although still has 3rd eyelid), the swell in her right eye seems to have stopped improving, so we've decided to stop the eye drops today and will keep observing her.

The Indian cleaner in the area, who'd once lectured me about clearing up many months ago (when I didn't even litter) has gotten used to our feeding Shiny and has never bothered us with her lecture again.

Whether she likes it or not, I have started to tell the other lady feeder (who's concerned about Shiny) that if she does feed, she has to please ensure that she clears up afterwards. On a couple of occasions, we've had to clear her leftovers the next day, which by then had attracted hordes of ants and several roaches. I worry that Shiny may get bitten by the ants and I sure don't want the cat-tolerant residents there to start complaining of the litter left at their doorstep. Even I would not like that, no matter how tolerant I may be of community cats.

I would say the residents and even the two Indian cleaners are cat-tolerant, because so far, no one has removed the small plastic bowl of water which I have left there for Shiny for about a week. I change the water twice a day, and change the bowl to a different one everyday, so that they know the water is fresh and won't have to worry about mosquitoes breeding.

The Roundest Moon

2008-09-16T21:18:00.006+08:00

The roundest moon of the year did not fall on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month (the day of the mooncake festival), but on the 16th (i.e. 15 Aug 2008), according to met. reports from overseas.

This was also the night that one could see the rare natural sight of the sun, earth and moon forming a straight line, if you're lucky.

At home...we saw a moon, a sun and the earth...we must be quite lucky. We even got to eat them!

They didn't quite form a straight line, but I guess that could be arranged, except that we've run out of earth...the yummiest flavour. Only half of earth is left, due to the effects of tummy warming and human mass destruction. >_<"

Four Digits

2008-09-15T22:52:00.001+08:00

No, I'm not talking about 4D.

Pardon the blur photo, but Coco's hind paw...only has 4 digits???

Like that one meh?
Not 5 digits meh? *scratch head*

It's Shana & Lingham again

2008-09-14T19:18:00.004+08:00

More shananigan from HRH...

Coco getting very excited at what's outside...

Very busybody there

Was there a lizard or insect somewhere?

Last week, we came back home to find this!

I showed Coco the chewed up paper and straightaway, she knew what she did wrong and ran away...

...into the pet carrier. So there she goes for her 15-min lock-up as punishment.

The 1st time she was locked up, she kept meowing to be let out. The 2nd time, I think she quite enjoyed her stay inside~! *Roll eyes*

And why was there a cockroach leg buried inside the litter? >_<"

Coco sniffing at the smell of antiseptic deodorant after her 2nd pee accident just beside the bin. She likes to pee near the wall of the litter bin, and occasionally, she forgets to squat low enough... >_<"

Surprise, surprise! She didn't finish her favourite Fussiecat two nights ago, and didn't even touch the wet food last night (shocking!). I wonder if there was anything wrong with the can of tuna salmon? Anyway, I'm not giving her any wet food tonight, since she didn't clamour for it. It may even be more convenient for the cat-sitter to skip the wet food when we go away for a vacation next month.

Community cats update

2008-09-13T22:18:00.002+08:00

Shooting the breeze with Sugar last Sunday (7 Sep).

I thought he looked very good and guessed the caregiver Ms A must have done something.

It turned out that Sugar had spent several days recuperating at the animal hospital and being administered with antibiotics, after having had a few teeth pulled out! Ah well, he hasn't looked this good for a long while, and I hope he can maintain his current healthy state.

His vet & hospitalisation fees came up to about $400. My contribution to the expenses, plus my personal expenses means more output than input this poor month. :-(

Shiny as we saw her this evening:

Fed and watered

Shiny ate half a can of wet food and some kibbles, which means she must have been fed earlier on; am gradually giving her more dry food than wet, so that she will get the necessary nutrients.

Post-dinner grooming

Her happy scratch board - the SO says she looks so cute when she does that, and that she walks/trots like Scooby-Doo...!?!

My wish is for Shiny's eyes to heal completely, and for her to gain weight to her normal (slim) size. :)

Shiny keeps us busy

2008-09-13T13:52:00.003+08:00

We've been seeing Shiny twice a day for the past week - once in the morning and once in the evening. The current S.O.P. are now like this everyday, with slight modification for the weekends:

a) Upon waking up in the morning, take out bottle of antibiotic eye drops from fridge to warm up (Shiny hates cold eye drops)

b) Carry 2 cans of FussieCat, plus feeding apparatus and dry Sanabelle in work bag; Shiny's current preferred dry food is the adult Sanabelle, which comes in small kibbles, so easier to crunch down

c) If we find Shiny, wipe her eyes/face of discharge, administer eye drops, then feed wet food, followed by dry food

d) Upon reaching office, put eye drops and leftover clean canned food (if any) in office fridge

e) Before leaving office, remove eye drops and leftover canned food from office fridge and keep in my work bag; to ensure I don't forget (d) and (e), I have set reminder alarms on my hp to cue me twice a day

f) Meet up with the SO in the evening and repeat (c); if he has to work late or if I go out after work, we will just do it later; Shiny will not be starving as she (confirmed it's a 'she' now) will still go to her usual cat-friendly household to wait for food, but will still eat at least half a can of FussieCat from us.

Shiny in late-Feb 2008, with less than shining eyes

Her eyes have improved somewhat, although very slowly. Her left eye now looks brighter (like her right eye in the Feb photo), and her right eye still has a slight swelling on the upper lid, and less on the lower lid. Overall, she is less weak, can meow (in her slight coarse voice) and can even chase after us at times.

The nice thing that's happened is that we've met another lady (a self-declared "dog person" and not Shiny's feeder) who's been concerned about Shiny and trying to feed her, medicate her with flu medicine and take her to the vet too (but without success too). When she has to travel for work, she asks her friend to help out, so we've met her friend too. And being the small world that this is, all three of us happen to have a common friend~!

Jon Jon is missing

2008-09-10T17:50:00.005+08:00

On her way back from the market, Ms A saw Jon Jon and planned to take him to the vet in the late-morning. Later, despite circling the area a couple of times, JJ was nowhere to be found.

JJ was diagnosed with kidney failure more than a year ago (since Dec 2006). He's had repeated episodes of "fasting" or anorexia, whereby he would refused food of any kind for many days on end. If not for the persistence and dedication of caregiver Ms A, JJ would have died last year, or even earlier. It has taken Ms A much time, energy, costs and many tears (I'm sure) that JJ is still living.

We will try to find him this evening. The main thing now is to get him to the vet and see how things go from there.

(Jon Jon, 5 July 2008)

Update at 10pm:
JJ was found early this evening and taken to the vet. As expected, the prognosis was bad. His kidneys had failed and his eyes were glazed. He was put to sleep to relieve him of his suffering. JJ passed on peacefully, after Ms A spent some quiet time alone with him. He will be cremated in a new cat bed that Ms A bought for him.

Rest in peace, Jon Jon. You have been loved. May you be reborn into your next life as a kind human being, who will show the same loving kindness and compassion that Ms A had shown you all these years.

(Jon Jon, RIP 10 September 2008)

Jon Jon

2008-09-09T22:22:00.007+08:00

Ms A the caregiver called. She said she will take Jon Jon to the vet tomorrow morning, and asked in her tearful voice, if we wanted to see him.

I have seen Jon Jon last night - he was just sitting there, huddled and barely moved, except to take a drink. He seemed in a daze and took a long time to lick the water, then stopped as if he had fallen asleep midway.

The SO and I went down to see Jon Jon, who was huddled in the same manner. As we stroked him and talked to him quietly, he laid down in a relaxed manner and just let us. JJ's body felt lukewarm, his tummy is very sunken and he smelled bad. It's that familiar smell that I have experienced with another community cat in the past... the smell that stayed on my hands and which took 3 washes to get rid of.

Ms A said she'd called us since we're fond of Jon Jon. She asked us to pray for him, then left us alone...I guess partly because she couldn't really talk and partly coz she didn't want us to see her cry. I wanted to share with her about something, but by then, I too, could not speak. Later, we left Jon Jon in a safe corner and left. I'd used up my only piece of tissue, and my nose was still dripping like a tap... but I did not cry.

Jon Jon, photo taken on 14 Aug 2008

Despite Ms A's effort to cook/prepare his favourite food, Jon Jon had not eaten for a week.

Catty Bom Bom

2008-09-08T22:15:00.002+08:00

The cunning cat tail door stopper

A new kopi stall at Bedok interchange

The old stall which made very nice teh-c and kopi-c served in the traditional kopitiam cups was no longer there, and in its place is this Kopi Meow stall. The chatty owner told us he didn't want yet another "Ah Seng" or "Ah Heng" name for his stall, so he came up with something different and even took some pains to get the logo designed to his satisfaction. He took the name from the "cat poop coffee" aka Luwak coffee which comes from the excrement of civet cats and touted to be one of the bestest coffee!

I asked the owner: "So, do you like cats?"
He said he is kind to all animals, which I gathered means he is probably neutral. :)

BTW, the kopi-c is not bad for $1, or less. It was fragrant and does not leave a bitter aftertaste, but the teh-c can be improved.

Community cats update

2008-09-07T15:45:00.005+08:00

On my way back from marketing, I was happy to bump into Sugar, whom I hadn't seen for a week. He looks well, with a cheerful expression, which he hasn't had for quite some time. I wonder what Ms A (caregiver) had done to make him look less ill. He followed me to the bench, and I sat with him, stroked him and talked to him. He always seem to enjoy having our company, or keeping us company, so it's the least I can do for him, since there was nothing I can do to ease his pain on days when he's ill. After 20 mins, I left him to look for other cats to give the opened canned food, which Sugar had declined.

We've been seeing Jon Jon and he too, is losing weight and doesn't eat much of our food. Well, he's always been a fussy cat! I suspect he waits for someone at our block to feed him the kind of food that he likes.

All the other community cats - Blackie, Timmy, Tortie Gal Mimi, Tabby2 & Kiddy are well and are still chubby.

Community cats from the other area:

Last Thursday, Shiny's eyes suddenly turned for the worst. The 3rd eyelids were showing in both eyes, leaving a small "black hole" on his right eye, while the left eye was half covered. I was alarmed and went to get antibiotic eyedrops from the vet for him. We managed to apply it on his eyes on Fri and Sat morning, as we had no success of finding him on both evenings, even though we went to hunt from him at different timings.

Found him this morning and fed him; the swelling on his eyes have receded somewhat, and we can see more of his eyeballs. *Phew!* Shiny's upper right eyelid still has a swelling, while the 3rd eyelid is partially showing in his left eye (about one-third). Hope we can find him in the evenings so intensify the eye-drop treatment, and feed him some yummy FussieCat and better quality dry food (so he won't have to eat the F brand from the feeder's domestic helper).

Saw Humm Humm last Friday night while hunting for Shiny. While at the vet, I also bought a bottle of antibiotic powder, if only HH would agree to be my friend and let me apply it on him. Thankfully, his open wound seems to have dried up and all I could catch sight of was a bit of "crumpled" skin, but no sight of his wound. So HH will be ok. He's a big-head tom, but I think once he's sterilised and got used to the human touch, he will also become a friendly, affectionate cat.

Jambala is well, and so is BT, both of whom we meet every now and then. We suspect BT's presence is creating a sort of in-equilibrium among the community cats in this area. HH and Jambala will both stay away from BT; Shiny stays away from HH, but could not care less about BT. And BT just kind of bulldozes his way into us, demanding to be fed! Very 霸道, behaving like a ruffian. :P

Will update with their photos later.

Blanket season

2008-09-06T15:15:00.005+08:00

It's been raining on and off everyday, and the nights can get cold when you're staying on a high floor, so it's blanket season.

For the humans

And for cat... *Grrr!!*

I just don't know what to do with her

Except, surrender...

Sigh! :-(

Special cat

2008-08-31T11:38:00.000+08:00

I met this young cat yesterday.

From his face, I think he's a boy cat.

Though wary of me, he rolled over when he saw me, and allowed me to stroke his head for a while.

I could see his two "ding dongs", almost ripe to be conferred eunuch-hood (to quote Chinky, heh!)

Then, he flipped over and that's when I saw them...

...his orange patches...which makes him a calico / tricolour cat!

A male calico cat!

Wow...maybe I should have bought 4D yesterday leh. :p

Other area's community cats - update

2008-08-31T11:25:00.002+08:00

Since the deworming mission, I went back the next day to check on Shiny. I was afraid I might have inadvertently overdosed him a little on the deworming tablet.

During the deworming, I had to carry him to the mosaic bench so that I could cut the tablet into smaller pieces, and I'd only realised how light he is after I'd came back and carried Coco. Shiny was lighter than Coco!

I was glad that that he seemed well. Shiny was waiting at the doorstep of the feeder, who hadn't yet fed him, as evidenced by the presence of the Sunday papers sitting on their gate in the typical Singaporean HDB style. Shiny ate a small can of wet food, plus some dry food.

Jambala came by to wait for her breakfast - that's my chance to deworm her!

I had one more deworming tablet, but I didn't have my knife with me... squatted in one corner and tried to break the tablet into quarters with my fingers (with partial success), then hid the tablet into the wet food and gave it to Jambala. The gal is smart - she must have bitten on the half-tablet, found it distasteful, and refused to eat any more of the wet food. Can't fool her. ;)

Attracted by the smell, the noisy Humm Humm came by in the midst and very loudly demanded for a piece of the action!

I gave him the leftover half can of wet food, with a quarter of the leftover deworming tablet. So at least Jambala had three-quarters, which was probably insufficient for her weight.

I walked over to the blocks across to try to find a dustbin, met this guy who came over to sniff the empty can, and started clamouring for some too. Aiya, no more already!

I'd seen him before years' ago, and thought he belonged to the Malay residents of that home (can see the dish of dry cat food beside the dustbin). I gave him some dry food, which he ate in an extremely noisy "nom, nom, nom, ngow, ngow, chomp, chomp" fashion...very amusing! I turned around and understood why...

BT was standing stealthily right behind me. The empty wet food can was a cat magnet!

BT is really quite chubby now. I brought him further away, gave him some dry food, and went on my way.

Disproportionate

2008-08-30T21:37:00.001+08:00

What big tongue you have, for a small-sized cat!

Special package

2008-08-30T21:30:00.004+08:00

All packed...

Ready to be DHL-ed to the house of kxbcy. ;P

Then perhaps Sugar can visit our home again. The poor boy has started to follow me all the way to the lift door lately. I think he misses the visits to our home...

Cattyman cat treats

2008-08-30T21:20:00.002+08:00

They are back, after a long absence!

It comes as packets of fish bream, shrimp or crab slices.

Our friend can't wait to try it!

MP speaks up for community cats

2008-08-27T23:05:00.002+08:00

I think it's a breakthrough for the social and moral progress of Singapore, even by just a little bit!

Only the brave with the most sincerest heart to serve would dare do this in parliament. It takes real courage to speak up for something that's always been considered mundane and unworthy of any attention by the authorities.

I've always enjoyed reading Mr Siew Kum Hong's articles to the press before he became a NMP. Now he can be my hero. :D

http://meowies.multiply.com/journal/item/880/HDB_will_not_build_Cat_Cafes

Coco's Breakfast Dance

2008-08-25T21:28:00.001+08:00

From the moment I got up from bed, she was doing it, starting from the bedroom all the way to the hall.

Maybe she does it to entertain us.

Fireworks from the window

2008-08-24T17:39:00.003+08:00

The Fireworks Festival 2008 was held over two nights on Fri and Sat (luckily no rain). The fireworks show was longer and higher, giving me a chance to capture more footage from the window. :P

Here's a compilation of what I tried to anyhow capture with my hand-held camera, plus lots of distraction from Coco who kept rubbing against me for attention and poking her head out through the window grille to look down! *roll eyes*

Mission de-worming

2008-08-23T13:11:00.002+08:00

Mission: To de-worm Shiny who lives almost a 15-mins walk away.

The domestic helper of the family that feeds him told me Shiny still get fed with his regular bowl of wet and dry food twice a day. Despite that, he always seem to be hungry and would come to us for snacks of dry food whenever we happen to meet him. Though he seems to be eating a lot, he was losing weight and has become rather skinny.

I thought we should try to de-worm him.

Friday night: Getting ready the feeding apparatus, with a couple of extras, just in case we didn't succeed on the first attempt or if he refuses to take the de-worming tablet. If we succeed, we shall try the 2nd tablet on Jambala, if we happen to meet her and if she's not yet been fed by then.

The idea is to get to their location by 7.30am, before the cats get their regular breakfast, so they would be hungry enough to eat our food.

All packed in the cat-feeding bag and ready for the mission.

Saturday morning: Unfortunately, it poured cats and dogs. When the rain abated, we went out but could not find the regular community cats downstairs. Hopefully, they were hiding somewhere dry away from the heavy rain.

At Shiny's location, we first saw Jambala, then Humm-Humm who was scooting away. We realised BT's presence nearby and he was starting to growl at Humm-Humm. We gave BT some dry food, which he agreed to eat only after he's gotten a few strokes on his head from me. *roll eyes*

We turned around and Jambala was gone. There was no sign of Shiny. Anyhow, we went to eat breakfast, after which the SO went back to office to clear work.

I walked back and tried to find Shiny again - he was sitting right at the door step of the feeders' home all alone, probably having missed his morning breakfast call, which was just right for my mission!

I fed Shiny half a small can of wet food, followed by another quarter can, just to hide the little bit of leftover de-worming tablet. He ate them all, but was becoming less enthusiastic with each mouthful of food as he got fuller. Anyway, it was mission accomplished!

On the way home, I saw a resting Jambala, and gave her a few kibbles.

Also met this golden retriever, which of course I could not resist making friends with. :) Like most GRs, she was very sweet, and made me happy with her attention.

Her domestic helper minder was very kind to take off her leash and asked her to sit for this photo. What a charming sweetie!

Coco: Am I skinny?

2008-08-23T00:33:00.001+08:00

Watch the video and judge for yourselves. :)

Kitty Paraphernalia

2008-08-20T21:45:00.003+08:00

Since the night Coco threw up onto her cat bed, I had no choice but to wash the cat bed, which won't do if I throw it into the washing machine. So boh pian, I had to wash it by hand and then figure out a way to hang it for faster drying.

Fortunately, uncle S always have strange paraphernalia around the house.

There are teeth marks and tears on the cat bed, caused by an itchy-mouthed Coco when she was younger.

When dry, the bed had a mild detergent smell, which was enough to deter (pun intended) Coco from sleeping in it. It took about 3 days before Coco finally accepted her bed. This is after all, her favourite cat bed out of the 2 cat beds.

The litter bin was also washed and scrubbed, usually once a month, or whenever I replace all the cat litter.

I think it got the stamp of approval from the bin inspector, the smell of detergent notwithstanding .

I tried something different and surprisingly, Coco does take to this canned food, at least initially.

The salmon cat treats with the kitty packaging, which ran out the other time. The contents are the same as the one with doggy packaging.

More cat grass for HRH.

I'll cut up the older, dried-up grass and pour them (& soil) over the pomergranate soil as fertliser.
Reuse & Recycle!

This is a cute plastic tote bag that I'd bought about 2 years' ago. It's cheap and even comes with a zipper. My mom likes it too, so I'd given it to her. I tried to buy it again, but it wasn't available anymore - the manufacturer seemed to have run out of this particular shade of kitty fabric!

Haiya!

More Cat Shananigan

2008-08-19T22:11:00.001+08:00

Sneaking up onto freshly-washed blanket...my blanket, that is!

I'd left the freshly-laundered blanket on the bed, just nice for Coco.

Very snug and comfy, hor?

And on a Sunday morning...

(Video will be available after processing by YouTube, which is taking unusually long tonight...)

Cat Shananigan

2008-08-18T22:55:00.001+08:00

As San would say, the cat is up to her usual shananigan!

Di diang si Shana and Lingham? Are they your friends?

The bottom "leg" of the sofa had been washed and draped over the chairs for a final bit of air-drying, and of course our furry friend decided to make it her "cave" and took a nap within.

She refuse to budge when I tried to shove her away. She just made some annoying noise (like chiding me for disturbing her) and moved on to the next chair.

Every chance she gets, our wardrobe becomes her playground, perfect for her game of hide-tickle-and-seek.

Then there's the game of pest-busting! Woe betide the naive baby lizard that innocently ran into the flat! The SO managed to catch it and released it outside, but not before it left its tail behind as a souvenir for us.

Nah-nanny-pooh-pooh! You cannot have it!

:P

Community cats update, etc.

2008-08-14T22:32:00.004+08:00

I thought we had sensational weather 2 days' ago, on Tuesday. The whole day was cloudy and I didn't realise there had been a slight drizzle in the late-afternoon, until I stepped outside on my way home.

There was a nice ,cool breeze and the temperature felt like 23 to 34 degrees - it felt like a temperate country! The SO was somewhere else and he too, thought the same.

Shiny from another area, in a photo taken in mid-June. He had lost weight, and lately, is sick and has eye discharge. He is still eating lots though.

I have been missing this boy and last week, was just wondering what had happened to him, when lo and behold, he appeared before us yesterday!

BT has returned! He wasn't in a sociable mood, although he did come to headbutt my legs initially.

He has put on some weight and has a slight bulge at the tummy. Hmm...perhaps someone took him in? His coat doesn't look as smooth as before though... poor food is suspected. I hope he hasn't been thrown out now.

I went to the pet shop to get some canned food for Coco. As usual, Milky the chihuahua now knows how to seek me out, whether by the sound of my voice, my scent, or by whatever means!?!

Pet shop aunty said Milky only does this to 2 of her customers, and one of them is me.

Wow, I'm so honoured! She will make some odd noise until I stroke and carry her, and she will give me her specialty - doggie licks! I love to see her, as she 's so small, round and cute, just like a small roll of honey-baked ham. Best of all, she makes me feel so well-loved. :D

Here's Mimi Tortie Gal, happily being cuddled in the arms of her Singapore Idol... purring away like an engine.

Here's Tabby2 aka Azmi, being held against his/her wishes. All along, we'd thought he's a boy, but recently, we realised he/she really has got totally "no balls", so the SO suspect maybe he's a she!

Haha! Just like we've always thought Shiny was a she (due to the small size), until one day, we realised maybe Shiny is a he! Anyhow, it doesn't matter. We still treat them the same.

Bed-side companion

2008-08-11T22:50:00.003+08:00

My companion at bedtime.

Along with my books for bedtime reading.

Perhaps I am HER bedtime companion, this being the cat room after all. :)

Whenever I open my journal, Coco will be very kay poh and will step all over my journal or sit on it. HRH will also expect me to give her scratches with my pen.

Tsk, tsk.... she IS too much! *Roll eyes*

Cow cat

2008-08-11T21:48:00.000+08:00

We sometimes call Coco the "cow cat".

We think she must have been a cow in her past life, the way she loves to eat cat grass, which she gets every night. Luckily, she doesn't throw up after eating the cat grass, which is a good thing. :)

Cat-sitting

2008-08-07T21:52:00.003+08:00

La la la...

The lucky Spuddies have gone for yet another trip. All have gone (including grandpa) except Spud, who has to contend with my company for a little while.

Flowers at Spud's home

He didn't greet me this evening, although he came to give me several head butts. I think he hasn't yet missed them, or he thinks they'll be coming home later tonight.

He was minding his own business; had his wet food dinner and went to rest and groom on his current favourite sofa, which is a good thing, coz I sure don't want him to throw up his food (which sometimes happens when he goes outside and munch on dunno what rubbish plant/leaf, so said his mom).

And he dozed off soon after, so I left slightly early.

Good night, Spud. See you tomorrow! *Muak*

Uhmm...

2008-08-07T21:45:00.002+08:00

I was feeding Timmy et al this evening, when a woman and her young son of kindergarten age walked by. They must have seen Timmy eating as I overheard their conversation.

Mummy: Do you know why we cannot disturb the cat when it's eating?
Boy: Because....

Oh, what a nice mother to be teaching the son not to disturb the cat, I thought to myself.

No, I am not Timmy. I am Charlie, ok?

Next, she said to the son: Because.... the cat will scratch you! When it gets angry!

Sigh... It's a case of ignorant people teaching rubbish things to the young.
*Grrr... *

Installation Art

2008-08-07T21:26:00.003+08:00

Our household got a little bit artsy one night.
Coco decided to announce to us that she is a closet artist.

Name of artist: Coco MaoMao
Artwork Title: The Zen of Kibbles

:P

Souvenirs from Canada

2008-08-07T21:22:00.000+08:00

An air-mailed package arrived!

I have to share it with Coco though.

Thanks to EJ, I got some interesting Canadian souvenirs, including the "doggie tag" from the Canadian Forces... Hee hee! :)

I also like the collar badge with the maple leaf.

And a sticker for the Canadian Winter Olympics.

Coco can share the sun visors, but she can keep all the catnip mice to herself.
Thanks very much, EJ. :)

Eh... Coco also received a package from Cat Aunty recently. We didn't have to open it to know what it contains, because Coco was screaming away at the package once the envelope came into the flat. I quickly double-sealed it in 2 layers of plastic bags and put it away, so haven't got a chance to take a photo yet.

Exciting morning

2008-08-06T22:03:00.002+08:00

One morning, we were in the kitchen (probably eating) when suddenly, we heard a loud, continuous chirping from outside the window.

Naturally, Coco got more excited than we were.

What?? Where??

It was a yellow-chested sunbird sitting on the neighbour's bamboo plant and singing/calling loudly.

Our furry friend swished her tail very excitedly.

Coco: Ooh...there's my prey!

The bird had a lovely, clear chirping. After a while, it flew away.

I wish it would come build a nest on our plants, which I don't think will happen, as the plants are along a walkway with too much disturbance from the humans.

Who is Garpy?

2008-07-29T22:12:00.002+08:00

Since our dear community cat, Gym-Garfield no longer lives outside the gym, he has been renamed Garpy by Papa Chinky, his fosterer.

See how much Garpy has bloomed and how well he gets along with the in-house residents . These pictures of Garpy hanging out with Mei Mei are soooo super cute that I've asked his fosterer for permission to post here for posterity. :)

Garpy snuggling up with Mei Mei (Chinky in the background)

Awww.... aren't they a sweet pair of darlings?

(Photos courtesy of Chinky)

A kinder TC?

2008-07-29T21:52:00.004+08:00

After having seen a few TC posters with the anti-littering message which were rather anti-community cats in nature, I thought this one is the kindest. It focuses on the people who commit the littering act, and there seems to be an implicit acceptance of community cats. Yayy!! :)

The message says:
If you want to keep pets, clean up after them.

The Chinese version:
饲养宠物之余，也请保持环境干净。

What a big improvement over those messages sent out by the strictly-follow-the-book, run-of-the-mill TCs, which create the wrong impression about community cats. However, I do note that the poster doesn't say "if you want to feed the strays...". Oh well, one small step at a time. :)

This one is by Bishan-ToaPayoh Town Council.

"Choping" my blanket~!

2008-07-27T13:10:00.001+08:00

Coco does this every night, and still act manja! *Grrr...*

Your blanket? What's that?

Snuggle, snuggle...

Talk to the paw, talk to the paw!

*Purrs... *

Dry cat food

2008-07-27T12:28:00.004+08:00

Two weeks' ago, I bought the Sanabelle offer pack which comprise of a 2kg Adult dry food plus 2 free 400g packs of Sensitive formula (bought before) and Grande formula - all @ $24.90. There's another offer comprising - the 1st 10 kg bag @ $60.90 and the 2nd 10kg bag @ $50.90.

The Grande pack is meant to be for "adult cats, particularly large breeds". When I opened it, I realised why.

The kibble is very large and thick, compared to all other dry cat food I've seen.

Clockwise from top RHS : Royal Canine Fit 32, two Science Diet kibbles, Eagle Pack Holistic (the smallest and thinest) & Sanabelle Grande (biggest and thickest).

After two weeks, Coco seems to still like the Grande, though I hesitate to give the Grande to the community cats, many of whom are older and may not have very good teeth. Hopefully, there's enough stock for my order of the 10kg packs of Adult formula, which I hope the community cats will like. The promo price is still cheaper than the bulk order for RC kibbles.

Chinese translation of my blog - by Google :P

2008-07-25T23:23:00.008+08:00

I found the Chinese version of this blog by accident, and because it was translated by some robot, the translation is not always accurate. :P

Just read the text on the right-hand column, e.g. those on Coco for Adoption and you'll get an idea. You may even have a good laugh like I did. Hahaha!

This para was translated into the Chinese para below:
Coco is a brown-orange tabby-tortiseshell, aged around 22 months (as at April 2008). She's vocal, has a cute, unique purrsonality and loves to snuggle with foster mom when sleeping. Just try not to carry her for too long.

Please leave a comment if you're interested in adopting Coco. :)

The Chinese translation by Google:
椰子是一種棕橙平紋- tortiseshell ，年齡約在22個月內（截至2008年4月）。她的聲樂，有一個可愛的，獨特的purrsonality和愛snuggle寄養媽媽時，睡覺。只是盡量不要進行她的太久。

請留下評論如果您有興趣在通過可可。：）

:PP

Anyhow call "cat town" report

2008-07-25T16:00:00.001+08:00

Kitty debate divides residents in 'cat town'
CARS ALONG JALAN PEMIMPIN SWERVE DANGEROUSLY TO DODGE CATS
By Ho Lian-yi
July 21, 2008

Pizza despatch rider Syed Faizal Mohsen, 25, would like to know, after getting into a crash because of one.

The Ngee Ann Polytechnic student, who works part-time, was riding a company-issued motorcycleon 6 Jul near Bishan, at Jalan Pemimpin, an area he said is 'notorious for cats'.

He was delivering pizza at around 8.50pm when he saw from the corner of his eye a stray white cat dash across the road.

He braked heavily and was thrown off his vehicle.

Mr Syed Faizal, who had cuts and bruises from the accident, said: 'I'm a cat lover so I didn't want to hit the cat.'

Two security guards who work nearby called an ambulance and he was sent to hospital for outpatient treatment.

The two guards told The New Paper on Sunday that Mr Syed Faizal was not the only person who had had mishaps because of the stray cats.

One of the guards, Mr Affendi Ismail, 37, said he had witnessed some of these accidents.

He said: 'The cats, they just cross the road, it's very dangerous. Sometimes, the cars try to avoid the cat and they will swerve. It's dangerous for pedestrians like me.'

His colleague, known only as Das, said: 'Every week, one or two cats will surely be hit by a car.'

Just a day before the pizza despatch rider accident, Mr Affendi said that he saw a car hitting a cat and injuring it.

And the day before that, a cat was killed in another road accident in the area, he added.

Mr Affendi said that there were many cats in the area because someone had been feeding them.

He claimed that one of the feeders, who arrived after Mr Syed Faizal was sent to hospital, had made sure the cat was sent to a vet.

But when told about the despatch rider who was also hurt, she seemed 'expressionless'.

MISSING

On 8 Jul, The New Paper on Sunday met the feeder, an executive secretary in her 40s who wanted to be known only as Ms Ong.

She was petite, bespectacled, and was hefting a backpack.

Ms Ong said that what Mr Affendi said was 'prejudiced'. She claimed that she had told him she was 'concerned for both parties'.

She said she knows that the rider was receiving treatment, but what about the poor cat?

'It is also a life,' she said.

As for the cat population boom cited by the security guard, she said that the number of cats there have actually dwindled by more than half since she first started her nightly feeding at least eight years ago.

'Many have gone missing,' she said.

Perhaps pythons have been eating them or residents have been trapping them, she suggested.

Ms Ong admitted that she has had some run-ins with unhappy residents, and said that she has sterilised the cats. She believes that she must have neutered more than 100 cats at the vet in the last eight years.

She agreed to let The New Paper on Sunday follow her on her daily feeding.

Her boyfriend, who lives in the east of Singapore, also joined her.

Pointing to one group of cats, she said: 'There used to be 20 cats here.

'Now only five.'

As for the cats being a traffic hazard, she said that it works both ways. In the last six months, more than 20 cats have disappeared or died, some possibly to vehicle accidents, she said.

'People don't think of cats, they only think of people, and their cars,' she said.

While some people who visited and worked in the area said that the cats did not inconvenience them or pose a traffic hazard, others, such as Madam Ng, 68, a housewife, called them a disturbance.

She said cats sometimes invade her kitchen to get at the food and leave their droppings in her garden.

However, another resident, a pharmaceutical salesperson in her 40s who wanted to be known only as Judy, said that she was surprised that there were complaints, especially about the cats causing traffic accidents.

'You hardly see them,' she said, adding that they appeared only when a feeder was around.
________________________________________________________________

Stray cat problem: Does neutering work?

1. The total number of cats being impounded by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) over the last three years has been falling:
# 2005: 5,518

# 2006: 5,134

# 2007: 3,777

2. Does a trap, neuter and return policy work?

Sterilising a cat helps to prevent procreation. However, sterilised cats can pose other problems, such as when they go into houses and defecate or take food from the premises. It would depend on the community of the estate if they are willing accept a trap, neuter and return scheme.

3. What is AVA's policy when it comes to people who feed cats?

People should not indiscriminately feed cats and litter the area. They should, as far as possible, find homes for the cats, have the cats sterilised, or surrender unwanted cats to the authorities.

4. What can you do if there is a stray-cat problem in the area?

AVA provides loan of cat traps to residents troubled by stray cats. It is a free service. Residents may contact AVA's Centre for Animal Welfare and Control, 75 Pasir Panjang Road, to arrange for a loan of traps. (Tel:1800-4761600)

- Information from Mr Madhavan Kannan, Head of AVA's Centre for Animal Welfare and Control
________________________________________________________________

SHOULD THE FEEDING OF STRAY CATS BE BANNED?

SOME residents at affected housing estates are in favour of making the feeding of stray cats in housing estates an offence because it could cause the population to increase further.

While some people have been fined for feeding wild monkeys, there is no rule against the feeding of stray cats.

Experts have said that feeding monkeys changes their dietary habits and makes them aggressive when they are denied food.

Be they cats or monkeys, Mr Wong Tuan Wah, National Parks Board's (NParks) director of conservation, said: 'We do not allow feeding of stray animals in our parks.' *

Under the Parks and Trees Act, monkey feeders can be fined up to $50,000 and/or jailed up to six months. NParks also increased the composition fine from $250 to $500 in February.

While it is not an offence to feed cats in housing estates, those who do so can be booked for littering if they dirty the surroundings.

Mr Chong Gid Chuan, 38, a manager, said he found the feeding of cats 'very dirty'.

Madam Hau, 55, an assistant general manager, said that she would be fully supportive of a ban. She claimed that one cat that was 'maintained' by a feeder loved to go into her lawn and leave droppings behind, and it was 'very smelly'.

But others were against the idea of a ban. Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said: 'The SPCA objects strongly to the suggestion of banning the feeding of stray cats. It is an extremely shortsighted suggestion, and not humane.'

SPCA has a voucher programme for the sterilisation of strays, which enables members of the public to take a stray animal to a participating veterinary clinic for sterilisation. SPCA pays the cost.

Mr Marcus Loo, 28, a businessman selling pet products, said that as long as feeding was done discreetly and cleaning up was done afterwards, he had no problem with it.

He said: 'If you really take out the majority of cats in the area, in a month's time, other cats will just take over the territory.'

Video editor Farah Iqbal, 26, said that cat-feeding is not comparable to monkey-feeding, since cats do not become aggressive.

A resident in the Jalan Pemimpin area, who wanted to be known only as Judy, said: 'Some cat-feeders are responsible people who sterilise the cats. If the population of cats is under control now, why can't we feed the cats?'

(Source: http://www.tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,171225,00.html)

* I laughed out loud when I read this part... :P

Procreation : Humans & Animals

2008-07-25T14:50:00.001+08:00

I agree with gist of the letter. Like animals, some humans need to be neutered too.

ST Forum, 25 July 2008

IMPROVING BIRTH RATES
Procreation has everything to do with affordability

I REFER to last Saturday's letter by five mothers, each with many children, 'Extend benefits to fifth and subsequent children'.

While the Government should do more to arrest the falling birth rate, I absolutely disagree on extending benefits to bigger families. Contrary to what the five mothers said, procreation has everything to do with affordability. If you ask the Government to contribute, sad to say, you are already in way over your head.

We live in Singapore, a small island with no natural resources, so we can survive only by being pragmatic. How many times have we seen couples struggle to raise a big family reported in the newspapers?

There was a security guard who fed his family of four children with just a packet of rice for lunch - that's one packet of rice shared by six. Then there was a family of criminals whose offences ranged from theft to drug trafficking. The list goes on and on.

When your family grows too big, there are many constraints. First, the attention parents can give to each child becomes limited. Second, each child's development is hindered by its parents' limited financial resources.

I am not saying having many children is bad. It's bad only when you know it's not economically viable. No matter how much you love children, it should not be an excuse to have as many as you like.

This is the difference between humans and animals. We exercise constraint and use our judgment. That's why we can have family planning but animals cannot.

I agree with the Government: Those who can should have more, but those who cannot should exercise restraint. What is the point of having more children, when you cannot raise them properly? Eventually, the innocent children are the ones who suffer.

Chua Boon Hou

The outing

2008-07-24T22:08:00.000+08:00

I went out one day, you know. I really did, and it wasn't to the v-e-t!

Mommy was going out to pass some... Frontline or backline to the aunty in the next block. Seeing that I had voluntarily gone into the pet carrier, she thought she would take me out to smell the erm... grass outside.

But it wasn't quite a fun thing....especially for mommy. She said it was stressful.

We first went into this small room that moves up and down. I was so terrified that I screamed and screamed non-stop! Mommy asked if I was trying to scream the whole lift shaft down.

Along the way, I screamed some more. Mommy was disappointed and said that I was useless, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to go home!

When we saw a black cat with white socks, mommy put the carrier down and went to call her Timmy, who seemed very disoriented at seeing me and ran away.

After that, mommy put me at a quiet corner and tried to pacify me. We sat and watched a few birds flying past.

Then we left and walked into the small room (again!), where I screamed and screamed non-stop again. Mommy was thankful that we were alone.

I think mommy wasn't happy and didn't give me too many sayangs after that. *sheepish*

More matatabi dancing from Coco (part 1)

2008-07-23T22:28:00.004+08:00

What is matatabi?

"The Sidewalk Beauty - Stray Cats of Singapore" Exhibition

2008-07-23T13:52:00.002+08:00

This photographic exhibition that celebrates the beauty of our own Singaporean "longkang" cats (aka drain cats) is happening on the 25 and 26 July 2008.

Click on the images for bigger view.

Donch forget we are Singapore citizens also, you know!

My scanning sux, and there's supposed to be a website address below, which says "www.straycatsofsingapore.com.sg". I tried and found that it should be www.straycatsofsingapore.com and even then the website will be officially launched only on 25 July.

Anyhow, it might be worth a visit and to buy the photo book if part of the proceeds goes to charity.

Zippee-dee do-dah Day

2008-07-19T11:37:00.004+08:00

Be warned: this is another "eat your heart out" post, ok? :P

Look what I've got, again!

More Temptations treats, which came all the way from Hong Kong, you know! This time, the treats are a present from aunty MightyMouse, who has 3 cats at home.

Can you imagine, a mommy mouse keeping three kitty fur-kids! Do the cats chase the mouse?
Oh, whatever! I don't care as long as the treats keep on coming. Kekeke!!

This is my latest stock-take.

I think these are enough treats to last me till 2009. Yippeee!!

Thank you to all the aunties EJ, Ksn, Cat aunty and MMouse for so sayang me and keeping my tummy well-filled with cat treats. :))

Mucky Eye

2008-07-19T11:11:00.004+08:00

One day, foster mommy saw something floating on my eye...

She said: " Eeee! Your eye got sai sai! "

I'm not sure what that meant, so I continued lying on my warm cushion on the bed.

I think the term sounds familiar, coz mommy likes to use a wet tissue to wipe my behind, saying there is sai sai smell ! I would try to escape whenever she takes out the wet tissue, but if I get caught and gets the wipe, I'll be sure to make a lot of noise and fuss!

Heheheh!

Complain less, appreciate more

2008-07-15T23:25:00.001+08:00

From My Paper, 14 July 2008

( Newspaper clipping kapo-ed from Chinky :P )

Getting life's priorities right

2008-07-14T21:01:00.003+08:00

From My Paper, Wed, Jul 09, 2008

Getting Life's Priorities Right

A PATIENT once told me: "You know what, doctor, when I was told that I have cancer, suddenly all my shares, my properties and my brand-new car have no more meaning."

Yet, the attachment that some Singaporeans have to their cars never fails to amaze me.

When they notice scratches on their vehicles after shooing off a cat resting on them, for example, they would complain to their condominium management or the town council.

These motorists get so angry with the destruction of their "happiness" that they will not rest their case until the cats in the carparks are removed.

In the Housing & Development Board carpark where I park my car, there is a cat which would occasionally rest on car bonnets, including mine.

I have found its paw marks on my windscreen several times, but there are no scratches on my car, just a few small dents that are definitely not caused by a cat.

Whenever I see the cat resting on other cars, I would shoo it off and brush its hair off the vehicles so that the motorists would not complain about the cat's presence.

To me, what is important about a car is that it is functioning well enough to be safe on the road.

So what if it has scratches or dents? Cars are bound to get such marks.

The car does not feel the scratches. Rather, it is our attachment to the car that makes us feel the pain.

The patient who spoke to me became depressed after he was diagnosed with cancer, but his condition improved after he took stock of what was truly important in his life.

When he was near his life's end, I asked him if he was afraid. He said no.

He had done no harm to others, he said, and he remembered the good things that he had done. He also relished the happiness he had brought to others.

He died peacefully.

Dr Tan Chek Wee

Cheery presents

2008-07-13T12:47:00.001+08:00

During the week, we received some presents, I guess for no particular reason.

Addressed to a very lucky Coco!

They were from kind Cat Aunty

The kitty card says "Happy Bath Day!" ...to Coco. Heheh!

There is a Hand Therapy cream from Crabtree & Evelyn, and since Coco does not have hands, I guess it must be for us, the beans.

THANK YOU, Cat Aunty!
While we appreciate the gifts, you really shouldn't have sent them. :)

The beans' favourite toy is this, which tickles us no end. Hee hee hee!!

Coco loves chasing the mouse with a bell, but got rather disturbed when I poke her with the cat paw and ran away! :P