Martia

Back for her portrait
Originally uploaded by Taking5

Something like a month ago, Martia went missing. She had a run-in with the dog next door, and ran off thereafter. We could not find her, we did not know if she was injured or not. But she never came back. So we can only imagine the worst.

She was a shy, sweet cat, who was very much the lowest cat on the rung. The other cats would bully her and try and steal her food (she was always the one who got her food last as a result). On the rare occasions I fed the cats, I would stand above her and protect her whilst she ate.  She trusted so few, it was a privilege indeed that our driveway became her home.  I don't have many photos of Martia, largely because it is difficult to get her to pose (she is scared of the camera).

Ah, Martia. Our only consolation is that apparently she gave the dog a few nasty scratches before my mother and neighbour separated them.

On a more cheerful note, we were temporarily fostering Bonnie (or Sookie as she is now called). We found Bonnie on the roadside, much like little Smudge. But unlike Smudge, she was skittish and it took a few nights to capture her. She got used to us pretty quickly and I managed to find a home for her. Sweet little Bonnie! 

Adorable little Bonnie photos on Flickr.

P.S. It breaks my heart but the day after I put this up, Bianca too went missing.

Cat Update - Good News and Bad News

Ready to go
Originally uploaded by Taking5

It has been a while since I posted an update on the cats. That's not because it has been uneventful; on the contrary there have been many events, most of them sad.

First, Brucie. Brucie was this beautiful brown Siamese-Birman type cat who used to live in the road next to us but moved down a road or two some time back. He used to be a fierce, aggressive cat who actually attacked cats he felt were invading his territory. He was sterilised after injuring a cat belonging to someone living nearby; the owner of the injured animal took him for sterilisation thereafter. But over time, he was relatively friendly and came by for feeding regularly. Over time, however, his condition deteriorated somewhat. Then came the ear injury, which he recovered from. But thereafter he had another jaw injury and couldn't eat. He disappeared for a day or two, by the time we got to him and took him to a vet the prognosis was poor. So we put him down.

Then our dear Casey cat felll ill. She was not eating and was a little feverish. She was taken to the vet but there her true nature emerged as she gave the vet and assistants a hell of a time. She resented the subcutaneous drip, and the antibiotic jab. She ran around the vet's clinic and hid behind his computer. We brought her home after that but she still wasn't eating or drinking so back to the vet she went. This time she stayed for two nights. She came home with a collar around her neck, her long sharp claws clipped and a bandage over her paw when the intravenous saline drip had been inserted. The vet was labelling her a "psychotic, semi-feral cat". That's our Casey for you. Oh, and apparently she jumped and hissed everytime any one passed her cage. What to do? Our sweetie is used to a peaceful, quiet environment where she is an absolute Princess. Not a place where people grab her and poke sharp needles into her, full of antiseptic smells and worst of all, Other Animals. Anyway, she recovered and is fine now but those were a stressful few days (especially for the vet).

The next incident (and this is the good news, the only good news) was the advent of Smudge. Smudge was found on the roadside, by my father. We brought him home and cleaned him up. It is such a pleasure having a kitten around - playful, mischievous little things that they are! Smudge got on well with his big "uncles". They loved playing with him, and he for his part loved wrestling with them, a small little David to these surprisingly gentle Goliaths. I put him up for adoption (via facebook) and was so fortunate that a nice lady fell in love with his adorable little photo. She came by and within the hour had made her decision. She brought Smudge home, took him to the vet and made a monumentous discovery - Smudge was a she! Well, well, well. But Smudge has made a happy home with her.


Finally, Sootie. This is indeed the saddest story of all. We had been looking after Sootie for some time now, probably for slightly more than 3 years. The neighbours a few doors down also loved him, especially the two daughters of the house. Friendly and affectionate, Sootie loved showing us the white flash on his belly. Then one morning, I opened the gate to drive out. As is my normal practice, I did a cat scan (a scan for cats) to ensure that I didn't reverse over an unwitting animal. I saw Sootie lying against the gate. I went to check what he was doing and realised that he was unnaturally still. We picked him up a little and realised that blood was flowing from his mouth. He must have been hit by a car, or run over, but there were no visible wounds. His fur was still beautifully soft and lustrous, his body still a little warm. But that was the end for him. It's been about 6 weeks, but we still miss him very much. That's why his is the first photo at the top of this post.

Orlando joins the family

Camera-shy
Originally uploaded by Taking5

We have a fourth cat in the house!

Just before I went to Siem Reap, my mother found a little orange kitten in the driveway. Rather, she heard it squealing as it got caught between the gate post and the electronically opened gate. She ran out, picked it up, washed it, fed it and then we put it up for adoption.

My friend expressed interest. My mother was quite happy when her landlord said no. Another friend was interested - but her mother gave it the thumbs down. Then my sister's friend expressed interest, and with no obstacles in the way, my mother started coming up up with flimsy excuses.

So we decided to keep him. Here he is, small, orange and extremely curious about black objects with protruding parts being stuck in his face. He is an audacious, confident little kitten! He gets on well with Winky and Dinky, jumping on them, wrestling with them, edging them out of the way when it's time to eat. And they tolerate him doing all these things! Amazing. My sweet tempered boys indeed.

Hey, this is fun

Can't resist uploading another video. Watch how Smee tackles the terrapin. This is fun.

Now my blog has video, too

Hey! Check out cat video of Smee and Tiger Lily with big brother Dinky wandering around.

What fun to have video on my blog. For more kitten videos, go to my Multiply site (see link).

Post-Kitten-Script

My mother watched a TV programme some time ago about feral cats in Rome. The programme showed how a mother cat lost her kittens and spent a few days looking for them. But after a week, when she came across the kittens again, she did not recognise them any more.

The mother of our kittens (a.k.a MC) was certainly a good mother cat. First, she unerringly knew where a safe haven for her kittens would be. Then, she looked after them even through the bars of the cage we put them in. She made sure that the other strays in our garden did not go near. Whenever we tricked her into entering the cage, she patiently nursed and cleaned them. And when the kittens spent more time in the house, she became more persistent in trying to get inside. But now they are gone, she has (I think) more or less forgotten about them.

Which is, of course, more than we have. Sigh. I do miss the sound of little cat feet. But it is good to feel that they are well loved and taken care of where they are.

The Potato Basket is empty

Smee left our happy little cat family and went home with his new family yesterday. Now, the house feels so empty without any little kittens scurrying around.

Smee's adopters actually met him about 4-5 weeks ago, the same period that Jack Sparrow's adopter came by. But at that time, the kittens were still too young to leave their mother. Then the adopters were going for a dance competition in New York. So they could only pick up Smee after they got back from the event, on 11 Sep. But they came to visit him twice in the interim ... talk about devoted. Oh well, at least I can be confident that my baby kitten is in good hands.

Since Saturday (when his mama went for her op) Smee and his sister, Tiger Lily, had been roaming the house (mama needed their cage). They found a comfortable basket to sleep in - it didn't seem to matter that it was full of potatoes at the time. They also spent the time getting to know our fat boys, Winky and Dinky, much better. Winky and Dinky are probably their uncles, or cousins or whatever. Smee is Dinky's Mini Me, or more accurately, his Mini Smee. They have got the same tabby patches and their faces are exactly alike. Watching the big boys and little kits interact provided endless entertainment. The big boys try to bully the little ones and the little ones fight back or sometimes, run off and hide under the sofa where the big ones can't get them. Then they mistake the big boys for mama cat and try to suckle :-) Today, my big boys appreciate the added attention they've been getting. But I suspect they miss their little siblings, as I do.

Cat Burglar

As per normal, it has been a cat-filled weekend. On Saturday, we took M.C. for her sterilisation operation. It was a just-in-the-nick-of-time appointment, as we caught her copulating with Paddy last Saturday (in between going for M's church wedding in the morning and the dinner in the evening).

Then, yesterday evening, we said goodbye to Tiger Lily. After a number of missed connections, she was adopted by two housemates (females) and has gone to stay with them in their apartment. One of them comes from a cat-owning household and misses having one around. I hope she does ok and is not too lonely away from her brother and two "uncles".

Finally, this morning, we were awakened by the sound of the burglar alarm going off. Or at least, I was awakened by it, ran down the stairs and turned off the alarm. Which, I was told, is not the right thing to do as what if there had been a burglar? Anyway, there were some tense moments as we regrouped in my parents' bedroom, just below mine. We checked the time - it was 5.30am. Outside, the newspaper chap was delivering TODAY. Our neighbour was wandering around her front garden. Armed with a small little clothes hanging aide, my father went down the stairs. I followed him with the alarm trigger in my hand. (Ok next time I will bring down a golf club or two.) We had only walked a few steps down the stairs when we saw the miscreant who had triggered the alarm. His little white face peered up at us as he lay on the carpet, somewhat startled by all the fuss. Somehow, Dinky had sneaked into the house whilst my father was doing some midnight chore at the back of the house (don't ask, don't ask).

Thus we started the day.

Davy's Adopted!

Well, another kitten has been adopted. The day after we said good-bye to Jack Sparrow, a new potential adopter came to see Davy. Her old cat, a 10 year old Persian died recently and so they are looking for another kitten to replace him. She just fell in love with him and picked him up the next day. So now we are left with just Tiger Lily and Smee.

In a sense it is a good thing because the cage is getting a little small for 4 growing kittens. Now there is more space for Tiger Lily and Smee. And it is a lot easier to put things in the cage and take them out without having to prevent four little kittens from rushing out. We can also allow them to run around the living room in the evenings - a lot easier to keep one's eyes on two rather than four. But I do miss my dear Davy. He was such a sweet natured kitten.

The challenge now is to get Tiger Lily adopted. She was actually reserved early on but her adopter has now broken her toe and can't take in a kitten at the moment. Smee has been adopted, just that his adopters can't pick him up until after their overseas trip. They are however positively smitten with him. They have visited him to see how he is doing and take photos of him each time. Love cat lovers!

Then there were three...

Well, Jack Sparrow has been adopted and left with his adopter today. That's why he gets a big huge collage of his best shots. Why does this sound like some version of a Next Top Kitten Model reality show? Except the one who gets adopted first, wins?

It is not an easy process, putting up kittens for adoption. First, finding the appropriate channels and advertising, then getting in touch with and assessing the potential adopters who approached me, then wondering when and whether they are going to revert - can't really say that the kitten is adopted until it is!

Jack Sparrow's adopter has another cat, Chocolate, who is about 8 years old. He lives in a house with a big garden for kittens to run around in. Jackie looked comfortable and at ease in his big hands. So I feel comfortable too. Only thing is, he came just as we finished bathing all the kittens. One after another, Tiger Lily, Davy and finally Smee did their big business in a corner of the kitchen/in their yellow market basket. Jack did not. So I just hope he did not do it on the way home...

Little Pieces of Heart (2)

Sigh, the little kittens are indeed stealing little pieces of my heart away. They are now about six weeks old and their baby blue eyes are now turning colour and will probably end up a light, clear green like their mother's. I suspect that one of the last few unsterilised males, Paddy, is their father as he too has a bit of a patch over one eye. Indeed, Paddy is a most appropriate pirate king. He saunters around the front yard as though he owns it and mews commandingly for attention and food.

The adoption process has gone fairly well with two kittens positively spoken for, another almost confirmed and someone coming to view the last. They should be picking up the kittens weekend after next - i.e. when we estimate the little pirates to be 8 weeks old.

They have grown considerably - so we have started letting them run in the kitchen every night. They were a bit nervous at first, and still take time to warm up but after that it is go go GO! Full of energy, they play their own version of 'kitten tag' where everyone is the catcher at the same time. They skitter and scamper all over the kitchen floor, weaving their way through chair legs and human legs alike. They hide behind the rubbish bin, and pounce on whichever little kitten next comes by. They can keep going for ages - should have called them the "Energiser Kittens" rather than the pirates. The photos here are of them in a less frentic mood, taken after they were fed and sleeping off their meal during the warmth of the afternoon. To see little pirates in action, check out the videos on my Multiply site (see sidebar for the link).

I must admit, I will miss them when they are gone. But they are still tonnes of work. One of them left a series of little deposits in the corner of the kitchen just now and we had to clean up after. Sigh.

Kittens: Update

Well, the little kittens are growing up adorable. Their enclosure sort of crumbled after the rain, and then their mother started carrying them out of the re-constructed enclosure. So we bought a cage, which they have been very happy in. It has some ledges in it so they have been happily climbing up the walls of the cage. Mama cat, after some apprehension at the start, has also consented to be pushed into the cage to look after the kittens.

Thus far, there have been expressions of interest but no firm takers yet. So do take a look at these cute little faces: don't they melt your heart? We have given them tentative names. Top left, we have Jack Sparrow. He is energetic and playful, and often wrestles with his brother, Davy Jones (at bottom left).

Tiger Lily (top right) is the only female. We originally named her Blackbeard, but then we found out it was a she. She is pretty energetic and a good climber. Smee (bottom left) is adorable, and my personal favourite. Isn't he sweet, stretching out his little paws in this picture?

So what is there to wait for? Adopt them! Email me at feline.fans@yahoo.com.sg if interested. More photos available on my Flickr site (click the flickr zeitgeist to see more).

ANNOUNCEMENT : KITTENS FOR ADOPTION!

Now, this is a serious announcement and appeal: Adopt a Kitten!



My father, as mentioned in many earlier posts, has been regularly feeding the stray cats in the vicinity and they tend to follow him home. Now one of them was a Pregnant Female. One day some three weeks ago she showed up Not Pregnant and we continued to feed her as normal. Then on Wednesday morning, my mother watered the plants and then noticed the emergence of a wet, furry ball from beneath the foliage.

The Mother Cat (MC for short) had brought her kittens one by one. There were 5 altogether, 4 strong healthy ones and 1 underdeveloped little runt. There they were, under the plant pots, when suddenly this torrent of water had descended upon their unsuspecting little heads. My mother dried them down (enduring a scratch from a protective MC in the process) and placed them in a box. We have since made a little enclosure in the corner of the driveway where the MC placed them.

Now, we can't keep them. There are 7 cats regularly in and out of the driveway (Paddy, Martia, Mickey, Mollie, Sootie, Brucie the Bruiser and the Mother Cat herself). The little runt died on Thursday but we really can't have another 4 cats in our garden.

They are a little young to leave their mother as they are still nursing. But in a few weeks, they will have outgrown their enclosure and will start wandering around the driveway. They could even start going onto the heavily used road outside my house. So, dear reader, please look hard at these absolutely adorable little kittens and see if you can find it in your heart to take them into your home. Drop me an email at feline.fans@yahoo.com.sg if interested and I'll respond to you.

More photos of little kittens here.