Amigos Monday

Toro resting on the sofa...

Once we got him to take his antibiotics, Toro was very relaxed and spent the rest of the time laying about in the living room. He is only nervous before the event. I guess he anticipates it and therefore the anxiety. But he has only one more week to go and then it would be time to give him the dental flakes. One thing at a time.

You can't trick me...

Toro staring down at me...

Just because he is the most dizzy of the 5, it doesn't mean he does not have brief flashes of brilliance. Toro has taken to not wanting to eat dinner with the rest as he knows he has to eat his pill afterwards. Yesterday I gave him his pill after breakfast so he was rather surprised. But this evening he decided to have some dinner but on top of the book case so I would not be able to catch him for his pill :) Although I would like him to be bale to retain this illusion, it is inevitable that I get him down for his antibiotics. He does get a treat after that but I gues for some cats, it would take much more than just salmon treats. Poor Kitty! But he only has just 6 more days left.

Look how you've grown Bujang!

Bujang at 4 weeks...

Bujang at 5 years old...

Dear Bujang

I am very glad you are living with us and I hope we will have many many good years together :)

Happy Purrsday Bujang

Cousin R and Sister N gave Bujang a nice cheery purrsday card

Bujang was very pleased and looked at it closely...

He even sniffed at the beans' doughnut celebration...

"You can't have doughnuts Bujang! Cats just eat kibble!"

I got Bujang a nice collar for his birthday...in christmas colours :)

He waited for more guests to arrive and we finally had some salmon treats for him...

He looks purty handsome to me and the salmon treats helped too..:)

Bujang is 5 years old...May he live to be a 100!
We had a nice small celebration...just family :)

Goodnight Sunday

Bujang spent much of Sunday napping on the new couch. I had bought him his own mattress as he does not like the boys' mattress. I can't have been scratching the new sofa too and by and large he has been very good at sleeping on it. Of course sometimes Megat sleeps on it too but Megat always knows whose mattress it actually is. :)

Is it still sunday?

Toro resting on top of the bookcase in the computer room...

Now that he had figured out how to jump onto the top of the book case, he can be found here several times a day. Ms Akira does not seem to mind his presence in her room at all...which is a blessing as her scream can give anyone the jitters for a week.

Sunday is full of afternoon quiet and naps for everyone in the house. It is very hot outside.

Tales of the Kaypoh Cat

Toro scrutinizing Megat when he was in his cage after the shark suppository...

Hmmm...I fink a closer look is better...

Toro and Megat snififng noses..and then...

"POW"! Megat gave him a good one but as Megat was behind the cage, Toro was not very afraid...

Toro, being very kaypoh (curious) has taken to sitting right in front of Megat's cage to scrutinise him, as though he is at the zoo. He would sit in front of megat for about a quarter of an hour, just looking at Megat in the cage. Grandma thinks Toro is taking the opportunity to really take a good look as Megat would inevitably slap him if he so much as looks in his direction otherwise. I noticed this change in Toro's behaviour last week as before he would just ignore Megat after the usual treats :)

I can go!

Toro resting near open corridor window..

And that is true. Toro is now having no problems with peeing and has taken to hiding strategically after dinner. He knows that now, it would be dinner, then pill and then a treat. He is also getting very good at actually pretending to swallow the pill and then getting off our laps only to spit it out later!

I did not get him toothpaste at the vet but got Plaque-Off. I can just put on scoop into his food and it would take care of the plaque. The thing now is to persuade Toro that it is good to eat. It smells like Japanese seaweed. I guess a few flakes at a time should do it until he can tolerate the taste.

Tuesday calm

Where are the beans Toro?

Its all over Tanaka. Beans have all gone back to work so they can buy us stuff to eats...
THAT is what they should have been doing instead of coming here and disturbing the peace!

Its all calm and serenity today. The kitties are all minding their own business and the beans are not so harrassed :) Life is going on as per normal.

But what is not going on as normal is that on the 20th Oct, Dr L would not be in for Megat's vincristine and the nurses told me that Dr Sh has left the practice. *sigh* This can sometime be a very 'harrassing' practice although they are all very kind to the animals and the beans alike.

The Pill Popper...

A fuzzy pic of the pill at the end of the popper...

The whole contraption...

I got this pill popper from the vet's. I was supposed to use it for Megat's Leukeran but it was not practical so I had to put 1/4 Leukeran in his salmon treats. But I use this pill popper for Toro and his Marbocyl. It is my life saver and will continue to be so for the 20 days that I have to give Toro his antibiotics. :) Thanks to the blogger who told me about it.

Toro is no longer vomitting from the antibiotics and it did stop spontaneously after 2 days :)

After HR we all ...

sat about...

and ...

chilled out...

It was a great relief to rest from our host duties and just be ourselves today...
zzzzzzzzzz....

Selamat Hari Lebaran

Toro was very shy the whole 1st day of Hari Raya. He kept to himself and kept hiding with every noise that he heard and there was a lot of noise. He only came out in the evening for dinner and then later on at about 9 pm. Almost all the guests asked after him and I had to tell them that he was shy and didn't like crowds...which is true. He hid behind my vanity, behind the curtains and in the sink. I was a little anxious as I thought he would be too stressed to pee but I was glad to see that the noise and guests didn't deter him :)

"Ooohhh what a pretty kitty, " was the refrain from everyone when they saw Tanaka who sometimes deign to visit with the guests. He very good-naturedly and obligingly stopped for pictures :) But it was too much even for Tanaka as he had to escape quite often to rest .

Bujang, as usual did his host duty very well and actually allowed some of the guests to pet him and to take his pictures. Sister S had to warn the guests repeatedly that Bujang was a little temperamental and might bite so they had to be very careful with showing interest. Once we had a whole mob of people - more than 20 at one time (and its from one family!). Even Bujang had to escape and I had to rescue him from the mob.

Ms Diva Akira did not make an appearance the whole day :) She sat in her room and meditated on the noise. She was calm and collected and came out to play only when the guests went home and the boys in their rooms :)

The greatest surprise to all of us was Megat. He very suddenly decided that he would take over Bujang's duty as the Host with The Most :) and spent his time in the midst of the crowd all the time. When he got tired of the attention he would go away, only to reappear minutes later. He sat with the guests and even kept quiet when two of them put him on their laps and petted him! When he was not sitting amidst the guests , he would be sitting under the table in between the guests. WAHHH... he truly enjoyed himself yesterday. I thought I should allow him to rest from his usual meds (but not his compulsory ones like aranesp) but today he would have to be back on with everything. I am glad he had such a good time with everyone yesterday.

Congrats Toro

for not vomitting this morning...
I hope the vomitting phase has passed or like the site says 'spontaneously' stopped *cross fingers*

Oahhh the vomitting san...

san is making me visit Dr TH today fur my vomitting. I am fine san, FINE...F_I_N_E

I made an appointment today at 4.30 pm to see Dr TH as Toro had been vomitting for 2 days - once a clear liquid and this morning some undigested food. Then I came home and read up on the side effects and it seems that vomitting and soft stools are 2 of the side effects that may occur but it is not nec to stop the protocol. Vomitting may stop spontaneously also.

So I cancelled our appointment as I do not want Toro to be so stressed out at the hospital unnecessarily. I think I will see how he does first. Anyway it is now raining very hard here and this would add to our stress as we have to travel some distance to Balestier. If he should continue to vomit, then I would have to bring him on Sunday, HR notwithstanding. It seems that Saturday would be busy at the hospital and its already full. I would be a walk-in. Aiyoh! I do not want to repeat my experience last Tuesday. I was not even a walk-in then!

September is Senior Cats Month

It should be every month san...After all we senior cats deserve it...

I really need that "Home Spa" thing...

Also from Fanny Syufy : Provide a "Home Spa" for your senior kitty.

Imagine yourself living at a luxurious spa, where you'd receive regular manicures, facials, exercise, massage, and food designed to keep you fit. This is exactly the kind of treatment you'll want to give your senior cat, for both his physical and psychic well-being

My favourite:

Quality Together Time

Don't forget to give your senior cat plenty of petting and gentle massage. It will not only help him relax, but can help in preventing muscle atrophy cause by lack of exercise. And, of course, you'll want to spend as much quality time with him as possible in this stage of his life.

Aging is inevitable for all of us, but with loving care and close monitoring of your kitty's condition and his comfort level, you can both enjoy his golden years for many years to come.

Megat loves to be brushed and would ask for it many times during the day and night. He would also wait patiently for Toro to be brushed and when Toro is distracted, he would quickly cut in. Of course he has been smacked by Toro many times for this but he does not seem to care.

How to brush your cat's teeth...

You must be kidding me...

I was reading the Fanny Syufy article Clean Your Cat's Teeth and thought it would be better to reproduce it here for my reference as I know I would need to read it several times over.

Dental health is every bit as important to cats as it is to humans. A regular program of teeth cleaning will ensure your cat will enjoy his senior years with all his teeth intact

Difficulty: Average (Hmmm..maybe for me not so average but not insurmountable)
Time Required: 5 minutes (plus 20 - first to persuade Toro that he can trust me, to get him to open his mouth long enough for the whole operation, to cope with his struggles as he is rather strong and can be stubborn)

Here's How:

Assemble supplies: sterile gauze, scissors, cat toothpaste (available at pet stores) or a weak sterile solution recommended by your veterinarian.

Directions:

1. Wrap a strip of gauze around the index finger of your dominant hand and either dip it in the sterile solution, or apply a small amount of toothpaste to your fingertip.

2. Holding the cat in your lap, open his mouth

3. Gently rub your 'finger brush' in a circular motion on his teeth, concentrating on the area next to the gums. Gently massage the gums at the same time. It's not necessary to do the back sides of the teeth.

4. Once your cat will tolerate this procedure, you can graduate to a small child's toothbrush.
Give kitty a few loving pats and kind words, along with a little treat to polish off with his shiny clean teeth.

Tips:

• You might want to experiment with flavored toothpaste for cats. There is a fish-flavored one that is quite tasty.
• If you start practicing examining your cats teeth at a very young age, this process will be much easier. See 'How To Gentle a Kitten' for suggestions.
• Bleeding of the gums is a sign your cat needs professional dental scaling by your veterinarian, so attend to that as soon as possible.
  
• What You Need:
  Sterile gauze
  Cat toothpaste / solution
  Opt: small toothbrush
  Scissors
• Suggested Reading
  How to Examine Cat's Teeth
  Dental Health in Cats
  Dental Care Plan for Cats
  Related Articles
  Examine Your Cat's Teeth and Gums
  Dental Care Products for Cats - Start a dental care routine today for your ...
  The Importance of Dental Care For Pets - Veterinary Medicine

I will survive :)

Toro vomitted again this morning at about 5 . I heard him painfully (to my mind) retching. I left him alone to his business. He is smart not to vomit in bed or on his own blanket (we leave that to Bujang) However when Bujang does something like this, he would announce it and insist that someone (usually me) cleans it up immediately.

Then, the business over, he sat further apart and groomed himself, ran about the darkness and then plonked himself on the floor near the bed. I decided by this time to get up to clean up after him and having noticed me moving, he jumped up the bed, head-butted my face and purred a good morning. I did not protest as he was a good kitty for vomitting in the bathroom rug instead of the bed.

It was not undisgested food, rather a clear liquid. I do not know what this means but I don't think its dangerous as he was very cheerful and ate breakfast hungrily. And yes, he did pee in his bins :)

Which leaves me to just give him the rest of his antibiotics with an easy mind and next week, to get the anti-plaque toothpaste. I will deal with the toothbrusing issue then. I am only thankful that it is Toro and not saber-toothed-Bujang or vice-mouthed- Megat.

Somebody..I have a blocked cat here...

Why does the man call me a blocked cat?

I know I am a little slow but please....

I decided to take him to Dr L as he vomitted 3 times in 2 days after the metacam. Dr L saw him and read his stats and said "Hmmm...it could mean many things...why did they diagnose it like this? HUH!!!

He then prodded Toro abdomen. "His kidneys feel a little swollen..." He said that just because the kitty was squatting, it does not always mean bladder infection and he said Toro was a little older than his supposed years. Even young cats can get kidney trouble!

I had to help him and placed my finger on Toro's vein as there was no immediate help available. Toro did not like it and tried to squirm out (but just a little). Another vet came in to help - a Caucasian man (Dr TH) with an accent that I found a little difficult to understand. Dr L told me his name twice but I still can't figure it out. He asked me if Megat and Toro ever fought (No), whether Toro had been tested for FIV/Felv (No) whether Toro had trouble eating and drinking (No) but I founf out that Toro has some plaque(possibly something that I have to deal with later) Then he said the bladder felt a little thick and there is some urine still. he said that we might have to do a urine test but we will see what his hematology test show.

After what seemed a long time, the results show that Toro is fine and there is nothing wrong with him.

His indicators :
BUN 20 (10-30); his CRE 1.7 (0.3-2.1),
his ALB 3.9 (2.2- 4.4); his ALT 15 (20-100)
his GLU 116 (70-150)
his TP 6.8

Dr L then gave us antibiotics instead for 20 days Marbocyl, to be taken after food. I wanted to give Toro his pill after dinner but after he came home from the hospital, he just decided that he was not hungry and preferred to rest. So maybe I would give it to him later after his biscuits because he would be hungry later since he has not eaten anything from 3.00 pm.

I am very glad I listened to my instincts and brought him to the vet. I had changed my mind in the pm and thought maybe he should just rest and I could monitor him but at the last minute I changed my mind as I know I would regret it later.

With Megat, I didn't act on my instincts. Eventhough I knew there might be something wrong, when I felt the hardness against his abdomen, I listened to the vet when she said she could not feel anything hard. Then after 3 months I found out that he had lymphoma!! Once bitten twice shy!

Update on Toro and a small ps

Can you stop following me about?

Like an anxious parent, I kept looking out for Toro every time he goes out of my sight. I think he knows I am following him and had taken into slinking away. I have not managed to witness him peeing but I know that he has managed to pee by the position of the pee clumps as only Toro would pee right at the back of the big litter bin. He has been doing this for the 2 years that he has been with me and so I am much comforted by the sight of several clumps last night and this evening.

Fanks san but I can now do it myself...

When I came home from work, I had cleaned out all the bins and as the only cat that had entered the bedroom was Toro (the rest prefer to be near me as dinner time was near) I know that the 2 pee clumps were his. I think the anti-inflammatory meds are working just fine for him. He knows he needs to take it immediately after dinner and would try to do a bunk but to no avail :) He is much easier to give meds to than Megat as he would open his mouth wide and almost immediately for the meds. Megat needs a pair of pliers :)

We would like to thank everyone who had left us comforting notes and advice. They all helped us quite a lot.

PS Note on 15/09/09 at 6.42 am

This morning at about 5.00 am I heard noises of a cat retching and then heard it vomitting. It was poor Toro who did it. After I had cleaned up the mess, I went back to sleep only to be awakened by another sound of a cat retching and this time, Toro just threw up clear liquid that was a little brownish (from undigested food I guess). So will call the vet to ask what has to be done as this was the instruction given to me last Sunday about the side effects of the Metacam Suspension, which is an anti-inflammatory. If I have to go back, then I would bring him to see Dr L as well because today is Megat's appointment with the vet.

Art and Life

Totoro

thanks cat-aunty for sending us this pic

Cats Under the Sun

Indoor kitty Totoro...
An outdoor kitty Mera from cat_aunty...

May the sun always shine on each and every one of them...and us :)

Toro at the clinic

In our invoice, Dr MS had typed "Totoro is such a handsome boy,"

and of cos he behaved very well too at XRay...

When I came home at 4.30 pm I noticed that Toro had trouble peeing. He clambered into the bin in the kitchen and did not manage to pee. Then he went to the 2 bins in my room and assumed the position but did not manage to pee. I only saw a few drops of pee in one of the bins. Then I saw him trying to pee in my room itself. I did not stop him as I wanted to see if he was really having trouble and indeed he was.

So with alarm bells ringing in my head, I called the ARC in T and got a 5.45 pm appointment to see Dr MS. Dr S explained about FLUTD and checked for his bladder. She could not feel it as he is rather rotund - all 5.35 kg of him. She told me that she would have to do 2 xrays to see if his bladder was swollen. Since he was eating, drinking and playing well she said that it might just be a little irritation.

His xrays were clear and his bladder is small and not at all swollen and there were no crytals. Dr S said that at 4 years old, he may be a likely candidate for crytals. I saw his layers of fat (ohoh) in the xray and Dr S was commented on his very strong back legs. He is really quite a muscular kitty is Totoro! I asked Dr S id Toro should be on diet and she said no as he is not fat :)

So we left with 5 syringes of meloxicam suspension for 5 days to be taken with or after food and I have to monitor his peeing behaviour for 24 hours! If he is still not peeing, I have to bring him to the vet again. Also I have to see that if there is pee, that there is no blood in it and neither can there be any other side effects like diarhhoea, vomitting or black poo.

I was also advised to feed him on a raised platform to increase his confidence as we are a multi-cat household. It seems sometimes cats have trouble peeing as they are afraid someone (always Tanaka) would jump them. So I made sure that he ate on the table as we have no other high platforms. The only other high platform is for Bujang and I do not think I want Bujang to change places. I was also advised to top up his food first, before the other cats. Hmmm I have to think about that as Bujang always gets first top up. She advised me to make sure that he gets alone-time for at least 3-6 hours to chill-out. I am not worried about this as Toro has always been able to get 3-6 hours of chill-out time all by himself. The boys are always very good at keeping out of each other's way. The only cat that Toro has some anxiety about is Megat but Megat always gives him fair warning before slapping him. So maybe I would just ensure the high platform and the twice daily doses of Bach.

She then told me that seeing Toro today actually made her day as he is so handsome and well-behaved :) I really think Toro is a special kitty :) Dr S also knew about Megat as she had heard Dr P calling for him several times at the hospital and I was very impressed that the front desk actually remembered Megat as well and asked after him.

Some good news: Toro actually peed in the litter after I had given him the anti-inflammation meds - a small heap but better than drips of urine. But of course he would still be under close scrutiny.

Update at 12.30 pm

I heard Toro scratching his litter and waited for him to complete his business. then I went to inspect the bin and saw a whole clump of pee. Hurrah for Totoro! I think all will be well...but we will see what tomorrow or later today brings.

I am a Diva..lalala

Oahhhh..new rug..it feels good ....
Can't you stop that? Stop now! Leave me alone you box-popping lightbulb!

No! Don't take my pikshur! I have not groomed properly! Aieee....

Thank goodness that bulb popping lightbulb is gone....
I can rest now and do my own thing!

Well, what can I do? I am a Diva!