Good news for kittendom

Good news for the kittens of the tortoiseshell cat at work. My colleague told me that she was interested in adopting the kitten but I asked her if she could adopt both of them so they could be safe together. They are both grey tabby. This morning, she told me that she has spoken with her sister and her sister is trying to come up with names for both of them. She had adopted a little kitten who is now called Moo cos he is tuxedo. Actually he is Bujang's little brother and looks like Bujang down to the little black spot on the chin. Anyway this is good news as 2 little kittens will have homes soon and as soon she has has weaned her kittens, we would get her neutered. I hope her sister would still be agreeable to the idea once the kittens are weaned. Hurrah!

And more waiting...

Bujang came to give me some company tonight. He may not be outwardly affectionate and does not sit on laps but he is quite fond of me I think.

Or maybe he just wants to be away from Toro :)

Whatever it is, my cat Bujang is prepared for a long wait. :)

Conspiracy

"At last we have a few moments. What are we going to do with that no good TunaBelly?"

"There is only ONE thing to do. Come closer...psst...psssst..then we will...uhuh..."

"Okay. He's outside. Pretend we're only hanging out here. Look normal..."

Err...does it bite?

Toro examining a strange , hairy object and giving it his 100% attention, as usual. He scrutinised it keenly and finally decided it was harmless and not half as interesting as his water fountain.

Goodnight Sweethearts Goodnight

We are saying goodnight to all this nice lazy Sunday...

Bujang dreaming of the time where he was an only cat in this home, without a worry in the world...

Toro dreaming of the time when he could be Topcat without having to fight for it every day of his life...

Akira dreaming of the time when she could have all the blankets and the fluffy pillows that she wants...

It's too hot

I came home from TM and found Bujang in his windy basket as the day was hot. There was some breeze from the window and he did not come down from his bough to greet me at the door. Toro and akira came out from their hiding places and sniffed at the shopping bags. I gave Akira some tuna treats from friskies. She ate every one. Bujang came from his perch for his share of the treats and ate them greedily as did Toro.

The people at the pet store gave me some cat biscuits for the community cats - Nutro adult and salmon. It was very nice of them to give them to me. they said it is better to give the cats than to throw it away after the expiry date. The food packets have two more weeks to go so I guess the kitties would at least have some nice biscuits which I will mix with their canned food tomorrow.

I wanted to buy frontline for the ShoutAloud - the black cat but I read that I had to spray it all over his body. I don't think this would work as he may bolt and then not eat his food. So I bought another brand that allows me to put it behind his neck when he is eating. I think this is more manageable. I wanted to give them to the old feeder but I think she may be confused about it so I will administer it myself tomorrow.

I also made more pet tags for them and these will be ready in 3 days. The calico still has her pink collar. This I think is the prettiest one, all the way from the UK :)) I will put the old leopard collar for the calico mom but will wait for the new tags to come.

"What is the world coming to," asks Ms Akira

Ms Akira is looking around to see the weather and of course the little butterfly that flitted briefly in our space. If she had tried to catch it, I would understand why she did it. She is a predator eventhough she looks very pretty and gentle.

I think if she knows the sentence for the Old airport killer - only 8 weeks, she would despair about the state humankind is in. 8 weeks for swinging a cat against walls and decapitating them. I am glad she is always indoors and never out unless supervised. :(

Maybe Ms Akira has it right after all. It's pretty unsafe to be out in the world.

Possibilities

I don't know what sunday will bring but I know there will be many naps. :) That is always good and of course treaties. I don't like cattyman but those chicken ones from friskies are delicious.

Cat People

I have just finished reading Cat People by Michael and Margaret Korda. It's great with little stories about their cats - cats who found them. The illustrations are priceless too. They have what they call the 'Korda Cat' which means a big body (fat) and a small head. All thier cats, no matter how thin they were to start with, became a Korda cat in the end. Sounds like my cats. :)

YinYang

The kitties taking solace together against the BOSS. I guess they were friends before and will always be friends although she sometimes does try to bully Bujang. This morning she tried to fight for space on the bed (not that she wants it as she always sits on the bookshelf) but he pushed her off. :) Bujang will sometimes groom her if she insists and she grooms him when he allows her to do it.They both stand united against Totoro. Life is lonely at the top. :)

My job is done

There are many sides to Totoro and he has grown from strength to strength. When he first came, he was so horrified that there were other cats, he ran from room to room to escape them. He was like a phantom cat. One blicnk and he's disappeared. In this picture, Totoro shows his vulnerable side and the fact that he thinks he can fit his whole frame into the small space.

Face Off #01. Totoro shows his very aggressive side, hunking towards Ms Akira. This is how he treats her in the house at meal times, just to show who's BOSS.

Face Off #02. Here Totoro reminds me of that Giger creature in Alien or a hunting dinosaur in Jurassic park with Bujang trying to disappear from his path. His piercing blue eys and alert ears tell of the horror that awaits any cat who crosses him.

Totoro relaxes after his job is done. Everyone knows he is the BOSS around these here parts and he smells the plants leisurely. But he is still my little cat..although I'm sure he would not be pleased if he knows this is how I think of him. A good use of a Saturday evening in the corridor.

Guess Who?

He thinks he can hide in plain sight. Hahaha

Another cat? Not here thanks

I was trying to see if there was another collar that I can use for the calico mom and chanced upon this one that I had used on the calico kitty in my void deck. Toro, the Grand KPO came by and started to sniff at it, all around the band. I think he is already planning an assault on any new comer - if any. :)

Windy basket case

As the day wore on and the afternoon got hotter, Bujang decided to sit in his windy basket. The breeze was surprisingly obedient and blew on Bujang sotfly. But he seemed to say, "Don't think I'm sleeping. I still have claws so watch it... you!"

Bujang's claws that I dare not trim. He is a very strong cat so I usually go to the groomer for his claws. Unfortunatly there is no spot for him today or tomorrow as the groomer is full. I think next week would have to be it as the nails are already curling fiercely.

"Just a nail trim and the ears, thank you." I'm sure the groomers will be relieved that I am not sending him to be bathed as he is an apartment cat and is therefore very clean. I will just wipe him down with those cat wipes we have. They smell of tea tree. :)

Saturday morning look-out

Here I think Bujang is looking quite handsome. He was staring at some commotion in another flat. Some workers were busy renovating and sand-grinding the balcony of the flat opposite ours. I am glad that even after Toro's Topcat moves, he still looks calm and collected or maybe that is just the way cats are.

I read the 'cat attack' story in the Straits Times and sent in a reply that I hope there would be no call to exterminate cats from hdb flat but instead we must all use our 'heartware' to work together to ensure safety of children, cats and other animals and pets and families as a sympathetic community. I do not know if they will print it as I did not check my addy and had left the unit number out :) Of course people may write back (if they did print it) to say that I am quite unsympathetic to the safety of children as I am asking for people to help the cats rather than send them to their deaths.

But I look at this picture of my cat Bujang again and he has grown into such a lovely cat and it would have been a pity if someone had decided a long time ago to get rid of all cats in residential or school areas.

2 cats at the window

This is a most idyllic picture of 2 cats looking at the world, placid and interested. The truth however is far from idyllic with Toro bullying Bujang and preventing him from sleeping on the bed at night, not that To ro was interested in sleeping on the bed either. It's just that he doesn't allow Bujang any rest. He tries to prevent Bujang from going to kitvhen for dinner first and of course Bujang must never get anywhere near his grandma. Aiyoh! a gangster with an angel face!

Ms Akira's time in the sun

Akira also stretched in the sun and warmth of the cement. If only I was this flexible myself..:)

Akira turning a little nervous when she saw Toro coming towards her. the hair on her spine rose a little...grrrrr
She relaxed when she saw Toro sniffing the plants and he was in no way interested in harrassing her as usual.

We're out!

Toro, to my surprise, luxuriated in the warmth of the cement. He stretched his whole length and yawned widely. I guess it's because he didn't get to go out for a whole week.

Turned left ......

Rolled over....

and spent the rest of the time inspecting plants and hiding in the drainage... :)

Fatboy(FB) and then some...

I gave Fatboy (FB) another of Bujang's old collars. I neatened up the edges and put an old tag that I had made for the calico on him so the number of the block was different but the two cats hang out in adjacent blocks so I think the tag would serve him just as well. The calico mom has also lost her nice red collar. :(

This afternoon I saw the old feeder at FB's block but she wa gone by the time I got out of the cab. I could have sworn she saw me but then I could be wrong. :) When I was feeding Fatboy, a girl came to talk to me about him. She said her friend and her had decided to call him Tiger, as he is so big. :) She also told me that she had met the old feeder and she was afraid of her. When I asked her why. She told me the old feeder was very insistent that she feeds the cats as she lives in a nearby block. Wah!! I told her the old feeder was very concerned about the cats and she is very intense so she might have misunderstood. But she was very certain that the old feeder was very angry with her for refusing. (I am a pushover lah) But she also said that she feeds Fatboy in the playground, which is nearer to her house. I am quite glad that she spoke to me as now I know FB has another champion. He is very friendly but his size frightens a lot of people.

There were many people downstairs burning joss sticks and praying, so it was very bright. There was a kid talking to the calico at my void deck. The calico didn't bother talking back though. She just looked at them as though very bored. But of course I had already fed her so I guess she didn't feel like putting on a performance. When I neared her, she didn't complain but asked for a scratch. So I spent 5 minutes with her and then left as the smoke was getting into my eyes. I told her not to eat the dumplings and to leave the pineapple alone.

Fatboy's post-dinner grooming.

Come see my new playground ...

This is the view of a small section of the new park from where I parked the stroller. It's quite a nice park with many open spaces and in the evening, it is quite busy with joggers and footballers. The ground is quite flat although it has a few tall trees and long hedges of ixora. I thought Bujang might like to explore a different park this evening. We had to cross 2 small roads and going home was a bit of a hassle as we had to wait for the buses and cars to pass before we can cross.

Here Bujang is inspecting ixora, as usual.

I sometimes walk a distance away from him so he won't be hassled by my presence :) The flexi-leash is very useful for this.

The new playground

In this park, the ixora grows in long hedges. I guess it is used to divide the joggers from children who might want to play on the grass patches. Bujang investigates his new playground.

Bujang luxuriating in dirt...

A good thorough investigation of the undergrowth is in order...

Pounce...sort of

Bujang peeps from behind clumps of indeterminate bushes at people running in the park. The undergrowth at this ixora hedge is more luxuriant than his previous haunt and so he has quite a good hideaway.

Bujang catches a slight movement in the grass. He prepares to launch himself forward and...

...swoosh...Bujang in mid-pounce....

The little fly flew off and Bujang looks on for another opportunity...

Don't look at me!

This is what Bujang seems to say when I took his pic as he was resting on top of the bookshelf in the computer room. This is probably only his second time sitting here in all his 23 months. I think he has been observing both Akira and Toro sitting on their separate perches when he sits in he computer room with me. At this moment he is sprawled beside my chair as Toro is sleeping on his usual computer perch and Akira had left after giving me two mean scratches. I think something spooked her although I do not know what but some antiseptic cream would remedy the situation. :)

Of cats and human folly

Cat feeding time is getting easier for me as the cats can always be found at their own areas. This is a sure sign that cats are not normadic as it is not in their best interest to be so, especially when food is concerned. I fed the calico a whole tin before some silly kid came home from school and started an loud meowing. This frightened her alot and she became very skittish. She went to look for the source of the noise and I heard some loud foot stamping, followed by a screaming boy. I told him fiercely not to frighten the cat as she had done nothing to him. He got quite a fright as he didn't expect anyone to be feeding the kitty, much less scolding him.

On hindsight, maybe I should not have given in to my irritation and should have explained the silliness of his actions to him. But if I find any more of these pupils scaring the cat, then I think I would write a letter to the Principal of the school to request that he educates the children about these actions.

Anyway Fatboy has lost his collar. I don't know why but I would like to think he lost it himself when he was trying to move about, rather than the fact that people might have stolen it. I guess I would have to get him another one, maybe one of Bujang's older collars that are not so attractive but still serviceable. If the collar is not attractive, then possibly people would not steal it. I would also put 'community cat' on his new tag so its would not be a magnet for people to steal from cats. It's as bad as stealing from orphans but I guess not many people would think of it like this. . The other two calico kitties still have their red collars. I am glad for that.

Park Adventure

We went to the park today as the day was quite fine. We left at about 610 and there was a nice cool breeze too which was a bonus. Bujang wore his new collar and inspected the ixora and ate some grass. Finally at about 640, he decided to explore his palm fronds and saw this little snail. The other one was squashed by either a bike or some people. The shell was crushed on the pavement but this one was quite safe. Bujang was walking past and turned around when he heard me call him and saw the snail :)

He quickly made a quick about turn and inspected the sanil carefully. He sniffed at it but was not quite satisfied. He chirped inquiringly and I told him he's on his own here to do whatever he thinks fit. I don't think I would have allowed him to play with the snail or harm it in any way but I think the snail would survive being smelled by a cat.

He stretched and took several sniffs. I waited and watched carefully in case he opened his mouth to take a bite but he took a couple more sniffs and then decided it was not all that interesting and walked away. We both then went to see if the provison store was opened as grandma wants some milk but it was not. I saw the old feeder going to feed the calico mom but she was too far away and I didn't want Bujang to get stressed out meeting a strange cat nor do I want the calico mom to be upset. So we went home for dinner.