Unleash Me!

Must catch that..I simply must!

Bujang caught sight of a beetle in the park today and immediately gave chase. As usual, he was distracted at one point by a bird chirping (frantically) in a cage above us. That pet bird must be truly afraid (and I am rather sorry about that).

The beetle crawled into the drain via a hole near the drain covers. Bujang thought he too can do the disappearing act.

We spent 5 minutes here. Him, trying to get at the beetle and me trying to persaude him that it was a lost cause.

Poor Kitty! :(

 

Bujang on wheels

Bujang and I going to the park. He is in his carrier

An aside

Her highness Akira decided on a nap on a lap near the computer. She woke up when she heard the hand phone but decided to stay still for me to take her pic :)) I managed to cut her nails as grandma said that it was painful for her when Akira kneads on her side in the mornings :)) I am glad Akira does not protest when her nails were cut. she merely looked on the operation as though she has no part in it. :)

Note: Its time to get the groomers to cut Bujang's nails too. This time I don't think he needs the whole bath routine as he was so very angry the last time. Maybe just the nails and I would clean him with the wet pet towels that are just as good as a bath. As Toro does not knead, his nails hurt no one so he is safe this time round. :)

Thursday Snapshots

It is quite amazing how many things you can do with freed-up time. Of course I could just have done more work at home, watched TV or read a book. But I thought the amigos could do with a break in their usual afternoon routine as could I. So we spent some quality time together just chilling out along the quiet corridor on a Thursday afternoon. :) I am glad we did it and I'm sure they are too.

What we did this afternoon

Today I got home early and decided to hang out with the amigos along the corridor. It is usually quiet in the afternoons and there being no construction work going on today, I thought it would be an ideal time for all the four of us to be out together.

So I harnessed Bujang and gave him a longer lead so he could walk along much further but he decided to just stay close to home and play with me before resting and chilling out.

Toro was not in the mood to walk today but I harnessed him anyway. I had not put him in his harness for some time :( and I think he needs re-training so that he would walk the corridor again. I must remember to set aside time for that. But these few weeks, the hours at work would be long and so I have to postpone the training sessions to weekends.


Nevertheless Toro wanted to join the rest of the gang and came out to sit with us, looking at the various goings on and of course he was quite interested in the birds. I must say he is looking more and more handsome and even with the harness, he was quite able to make it to the door. So for that at least I am grateful. :) He is an extremely healthy cat. Ok, he is rather fat, just like the nursery rhyme on my blog :))


Ms Akira decided to just examine the flower pots and the general greenery outside. She sniffed at the pots of fern and chewed some curry leaves, much to grandma's horror. So I told Akira that she can only sniff at the curry leaves. She ignored me of course. I expected no less from Her Highness :))

All in all, it was an enjoyable afternoon for all of us amigos in this house. :))

Last note

As I was colouring this picture of Toro I was thinking of how lucky I am that I still have the cat that is in this picture, that I can look at his silly antics and laugh, that I have Bujang and Akira who love each other and as time pass, Toro would be included in their inner circle. Toro and Bujang are right this minute sitting at the door of my computer room waiting for me to complete this last blog entry and sleeping close to each other.

I was at 5-Cat Style and the Flyer and read the horror that Melissa and her sister had to come home to. I cannot imagine such horror and do not ever want to experience such a thing...ever. I was at work and read about D Hooi and yet another dead kitten, its picture splashed for all to see. How can anyone see or read about such things and not wonder at what is happening to all of us?

I am glad that I have 3 cats to hug and a cat on my lap right now who is resting on and purring at me. I have cramps but will persevere until Miss Akira decides to wake up and move off.

I can only sympathise with Melissa and her sister and say a prayer for Tiffy and the nameless dead cat who had to be put down because D Hooi decided a cat's life is worth nothing.

I am thankful that I still have my 3 cats tonight and they are safe with me. Grandma may grumble sometimes but she loves them just as much and they love her. I cannot ask for anything more for myself I think... but for Tiffy and the nameless kitten... I hope they are in a better place than this.

Ohoh Bujang is calling so I have to go.

Scratch the Rat

This must be the very first scratch thingee that I had bought. It was for Bujang when he first began biting and scratching furniture. We used to have a yellow sofa with a cloth cover that Bujang loved to bite and claw. So I bought this in the hope that he would transfer his natural tendencies here. :) Of course he did but the yellow sofa became his sofa. He would sleep on it, play on it, bite it and of course tear the covers. Then Akira came along and it truly became the cat's playground. This scratch mat has seen some good days and is now well-worn and used.

I wanted to get them another so I could place it in another part of the house in case they feel like scratching on something but could not find another just like this. I was at cat-aunty's site and saw the scratch mat she bought for her cats. It was the one that I thought I would buy but now I think no more since her cats don't like it all that much.

The amigos now have 2 scratching posts and of course the cat trees all have sisal for them to train their claws :) No wonder their clawas are all tip-top. :)

They have begun to show much interest in my green couch and the underside (of cloth) is all tattered and I can see more than a few scratches on the headrest and sides.

My mother used to be much bothered by all this but I told her my cats are much more important than my furniture, which I can always replace. Now she is much more relaxed about it and so are the amigos. All we need to do is issue a warning 'EHHH!" and they will stop and pretend that they were not really thinking of doing the furniture harm. they would take one sniff at it and walk away. Pretend only!

The Secret of the Fountain of Water

Toro is one very curious cat. While the other two merely drink the water from this fountain, he examines it. I have noticed him clawing at the wires and pawing at the base - maybe just to figure out where the water is coming from. He never fails to run to be the first to drink from the fountain after I clean it. He will firstly lap the water that is running from the top, then after he has had his fill, he will closely scrutinise the fountain, looking closely at the top from where the water will run over the top of the dome into the well. You can see him doing the from-the-corner-of-my-eye scrutiny, which he always does when he is either anxious or anticipating the unexpected. Then he would spend some time just sitting by the fountain in contemplation. :))

I refill the fountain once every two days and Toro will drink the running water from the dome. Akira likes the well and Bujang just drinks everwhere :))

Shopping for my cats

This is the pet snug I got for Bujang. I was afraid I would roll over in bed and crush my cat. I got it online from a woman who makes them in Brisbane. The lucky thing was, her husband was travelling to Singapore and so he brought it with him so no need to pay for freight or postage etc.
Bujang took only one week to get used to sleeping in here. She told me that I had to wait until Bujang was asleep, then I would have to put him in the snug. Once he is in it, he would enjoy the experience. So I did this once or twice, then he actually made a choice of sleeping in this all by himself. He was about 8 months when I got this and now he is well on the way to being 2 yrs old in September and this has become his bed. None of the others sleep in here at al. They don't even walk around in it. :)) At most they wuld sniff it and then quickly make their way to some other place.

Pretty collars

I got a little tired of cat collars I see in the pet stores and decided to see what else I can get for the amigos. One of the earliest collars I bought for them were the Beastie bands. They have velcro and you can actually cut the length to fit your cat. They have ao many pretty collars I had a hard time just buying a few, so I bought more than a few. :) So the amigos could have new collars to celebrate all the holidays. :)

The first 2 pics are collars I bought supposedly italian leather. Akira looks nice in the black and Bujang of course would have the red one. :) [the red is the same one that you can see from Chaos in the House of Cats]

The 2nd row of pics apart from the beastie band are collars made from ribbons. They're really nice and I got them for Miss Akira. The middle pic in the last row are also collars that I got for Akira. :))

Finally in the 1st pic of the last row- the one in yellow is for Toro as he has longer fur and the other collars are just much too fussy. He has one in blue also, which he is presently using.

A lot of people ask me why on earth I need so many collars when I have only 3 cats. I tell them because I just like them and it makes my cats look furry furry purty. :)

Isn't this just purtty?

Let your “indoor” pet enjoy the outdoors too, and take him for a stroll in this Pet Stroller!

Clad in water-resistant fabric and open-air netting, this classic-looking pet stroller will turn heads as you enjoy an outing with your cat, older dog, or smaller dog who has to work hard to keep up with you! Removable, 26”x14”x17”-tall carrier folds for travel and storage. Stroller includes rear safety brake; independently turning, 4-1⁄2” plastic front wheels; washable 1⁄2”-thick padding; 13”x14” privacy “parlor”; rear pockets. For pets up to 25 lbs. Measures 37-1⁄2” tall from ground to handle.

My Pet Stroller

This is what my cat stroller looks like :) I had ordered it online and it took 3 weeks to get to me. It is easily assembled - no fuss, no muss. I bought this one as I thought I could take both Akira and Bujang on a stroll together.

Bujang took it in his stride as he is used to walking and meeting strangers. He sat quietly and looked at passing scenery calmly. he enjoyed himself tremedously as it sits low and he has a mesh that he could look out of. Also when he did not like someone or something he could just hide under the covered part.

Akira shivered and complained her way throughout the whole experience. She hid behind Bujang and refused to come out from beneath the covers. :) I tried putting Toro in this to take him for a walk but he was so panicky it was pitiful. he tried to claw his way out of the green netting. :(
So finally I decided to let Toro use it to sleep in at night. He likes sleeping on the netting and usually no one disturbs him when he is in this carrier :)

Monday Blues

This morning on my way to work, I left my laptop in the cab!! Monday Blues is costing me a lot of money as I would need to replace the laptop since it belongs to my work place. I spent a frantic morning calling up cab companies.

My friends kept asking me if I have the license plate no (why would I have something like that?), if I have a receipt (since no one was going to reimburse me, why would I have that?), know the name of the driver (huh!!). I know they were just trying to help me remember something but it was frustrating nevertheless. I had to make a report to the cab company (thank goodness I remembered the Co) and to the police. the next thing to do is filling 1000 forms to explain my senility, then I probably have to replace it. All my money flying away from me in a split second of forgetfulness.

The only cheery thing was the amigos who greeted me at the door. I was so tired from all that running about that I did not bring Bujang down to the park although I had told him I would be doing that. So after feeding the community cats, I played with the amigos for a bit.

I saw the old feeder doing her rounds, after I had fed the cats. I wonder why she was about when she was supposed to be at work. But she was too far away and someone was holding the lift for me. Another mystery waiting to be revealed :))

Ohoh! What's coming now?

Toro was very displeased that I was taking his pic yesteday when he was messing about with my stuff. The amigos all sit very stiff as though holding their breath when I take their pic.

In this instance, Toro watched me take his pics from the corner of his eyes. He sometimes watches me in this way, especially when I come anywhere near him with a camera or my nokia.

Sometimes he watches Bujang and Akira this way too when they come anywhere near him.

 

Burning the Midnight Oil

Toro was trying to help me with work on Sunday night to prepare for tomorrow. The sweet thing fell asleep in the middle of it. :) Poetry may be good for the soul but not the head. It makes him and me sleepy. One of the ppoems we read began " Cats sleep fat but walk thin". Toro agreed wholeheartedly when I read it aloud to him. Then he promptly fell asleep. ZZzzzzZZZ.

Attack of the Wild Tabby

Toro decided that the couch was Enemy No 1 and spent a good five minutes trying to subdue it. He raced around it and actually (!!) jumped over it in a great frenzy. I guess this is one of those dashes into madness that he has when no one wants to play with him. Several hours later, Bujang and he had mad dashes after each other. Ms Akira of course was nowhere to be seen in this fray.

I will fight on to my last breath....

"Oh no! Typhoon Akira is coming to get me!"

Akira and Toro in their morning spat. She was waiting for Toro to get out at the other end but he was much smarter and decided to wait her out. She got tired after a bit and went to sit on her cupboard top in the computer room.

Rainy Sunday activities

Totoro taking a well-deserved rest after the spat he had with Akira-Terror-Typhoon. There is nothing better than sleeping on your own personal roost where no one will disturb you.

Toro has comandeered this place for himself and I have yet to see any of the other amigos on it. He can rest quietly without being spat on or displaced. Akira has decided that if she has to get off her cupboard, she would just jump from her roost to the computer table - a longer way certainly but she would not have to wait for Toro to get off his shelf.

Rug it!

Akira trying to hide from the rain under the rug. I suppose as long as her head is under it, she feels safe from Sunday rain. :))

 

Sitting With Grandma

Its Sunday and its raining. You can hear the rain whooshing outside, washing everything. It hits the pane in a clattering of pitter-pats and rat-a-tat-tats.

Bujang was sitting with grandma at the door and welcomed the kids whom he heared walking along the corridor. They walked by giggling and said hello.

Totoro and Akira had a spat and Toro hid inside his tunnel for safety from the Akira Typhoon.

My Catdom in Red and White

Toro sits and waits for his chance to play. This tunnel keeps him safe from Akira and when he gets the toy, he drags it in here so he can play with it ALONE~~~~

Our own Tower Of Pisa - long may it last.

As I lay me down...

Bujang thinks prey must come to him rather than the opposite. Here he lays on the table and swats lazily at Da Bird as it flies close to his face. :)

He had spent the morning sitting with me as I had a great big headache when I woke up this morning so as a reward, I allowed him to sit and swat instead of making him jump after the toy.

It is not often that he sits with me in the living room, preferring his loft. I hope the cat gm won't give way just yet as I haven't figured out how to make it more stable or even if I can do that since Bujang is a cat of considerable weight :))

Run Cat Run!

For a fat cat, Akira is pretty fast on her feet. Here she is trying to catch Da Bird as it moves close to the ground. She prefers to run after her feathered toy rather than jump for it, although she would jump when she is forced to :)

Cat Tails

Many poets have written poems about grander things. But I think Toro's tail deserves sepcial mention too ...:)) He takes care of it very well and spends hours grooming it.

It reminds me of a brush and its light as a feather :))

Eh...who do you think you're lookin at :)

Does he resemble a certain someone in history? What you guys think eh?

See this .

Thanks to wildrun

A last note for Wednesday

This is one cute cat no?

I am reading this cat book from a cat behaviourist. Its quite intersting with little anecdotes about various kitties and their owners. I am hoping to find something about getting Toro and the rascals closer together faster [yah I am optimistic that I can speed up the process]

Toro's quality of life is good with the rascals but I think it can be better once they all accept each other or if the rascals allow him to be with them. When they are togther, I have the feeling that they gang up on him. Although they are not obviously violent, I think there is something going on. But I am not unduly worried as he is young and robust and can take such setbacks. After all he has bounced back several times quite quickly.


I also know this can take a long time as Toro was 1 year old (nearly) when he came to live with us and Akira was only 6 months when I got her from the SPCA. Even Gin, the cat specialist from the SPCA told me that it was better and easier to get a female companion for a male cat.

Akira has just jumped down from her computer cupboard roost so that she doesn't need to wait for Toro to vacate the shelf. One point for Her Highness Akira. Toro was shocked out of his sleep and looked at her askance. But he is not much bothered as he has gone back to slumberland :))

What's with these guys?

Toro was possibly wondering what was going on with me and the two rascals. He prefers the open spaces of the centre of the living room at night whilst the other two prefer roosts.

Possibly its just a matter of personal space. I must be careful not to interpret anything in this alhtough he looks a little lonely. But no matter what I do to encourage him to sit closer to the others, he woud still go back to sitting here. So I will leave him to his business, which is the wisest choice :))

 

Back and Front View

I was very curious to see what Bujang looked like from the front view of this. He enjoys just sitting like this at night when the light throws his shadow on the wall.













And now I know. He just stares at the wall seeing things I don't see :))

 

Safe Me from He-Man Antics!

What's outside ah?

Bujang and Akira doing what cats do best - being very KPO and curious about what is happening at the neighbours. :) They remind me of the nosy neignbour in the re-run of Bewitched that I sometimes watch when I get home from work early.

Its blurry as I had taken this pic from several feet away with my nokia. But I thought if I get up and go nearer, it would be too late.

Bujang and Akira are slowly getting into the swing of becoming friends again and they sometimes do this together. Toro would not be invited to indulge in this. I sometime feel sad for Toro who sometimes look on at them from wherever he is. So I am always glad when Bujang and Toro play together and run helter-skelter all over the house. At least if Akira is not his friend, then he has one (although a trifle impatient) in Bujang, whom he keeps trying to irritate by preventing him from going to the kitchen for dinner- always. Last week, I witnessed Toro head-locking Bujang again when Bujang was trying to walk out of the kitchen. Bujang was so mad that there was a short spat but no one got hurt.

Toro had a time out for 5 minutes. After that Toro was his usual self and I found him at the doorway, asleep with his legs akimbo and Bujang grooming himself in his basket. Akira of course was nowhere near the boys when they have these he-man bouts. She was asleep on top of the cupboard in the computer room. And all was right with the world :)