Happy New Year Everyone

                               We give thanks today for many things.

We give thanks for a healthy family and that we can find help for ourselves when we need to. We give thanks for our blogger friends who had purred for us when we were ill and unwell. We are thankful that we have Fern and Laura who can tell san what is going on with us and so san can get us help as well and we know that not many pets have this type of help. We miss our Rainbow brothers but we know that they are happy at the Bridge and they come to see us when they need to. 

We are even thankful for that spammer who had posted something in our post of 2007 as san went to see the post and saw this marvelous picture of our Rainbow brother Totoro. 

This was taken in 2007 during Hari Raya when Toro had a rest in between guests. If it was not for the spammer, we would not had remembered this picture at all. We take it to mean that our Rainbow brother Toro wanted to wish every one of us a Happy New Year as well. 

San feels that we should put a picture of our Rainbow brother Megat as well and one from a very long ago - Bujang and Akira when we were only two cats. 

So from everyone here, we wish everybody a good 2014 ahead. 

Mad Monday

Not for me thanks. I don't have to go to work.

                

Be careful at work today san. I will think of you from home. Yes. Grandma says I can sleep on this bed for as long as I want.

Easy Peasy Sunday

                                  

                      Hello. It's rather chilly this morning and I like a soft blanket to nap under. 

     

I like sleeping on something softer especially on Sunday. No one disturbs me here except san and the clicky box. 

     

   On Sunday there is nothing nicer than a soft blanket on a rattan chair, especially after breakfast. 

                                   

San says its the last Sunday of 2013. A whole year has nearly passed and so may things had happened, some very sad things and also some very good things. We are thinking of our new year resolutions but san says she already has a few for us. 

Bujang: Courage. To have courage to face new things like the osteopath and trimming nails. 

Akira: Joy. To believe that I can help my brother Tanaka to enjoy being with me and me to enjoy his company as well. 

Tanaka: Peace. To create peace around me with san's help and to know that san loves me as much as she loves Bujang and Akira. 

San: Action. To get on with the clicker training!!

I think those resolutions are good but maybe you are too ambitious san. Lets sleep on it for a bit. 

Saturday Easy

                      

This morning I went for my morning walk. It was quiet and I was very happy outside just sitting along the corridor. Then I heard some strange sounds upstairs but san said I should not go up as it sounds like a birdie in a cage. I asked san how she would know something like that. san said the sound sounded the same and the loudness is the same as well. san's cousin used to keep song birds so she would know about something like that. san said the people who have the caved birdies might be upset to see a cat on their floor. Anyway we spent about an hour outside, me walking and sitting and san reading her book until its time to go home. 

                         

When I got home, I saw something from across our flat. They were pigeons sitting on the parapet of the flats. I wonder how they got so high. 

                        

But I know they must have had lessons from their moms like we have from san. Maybe I should ask san for lessons like those birds. By the way, san's clicker book and clicker came in the mail yesterday. So perhaps she would start clicker treat training. We will have to see as san's break ends next week and she has to go back to work on the 2nd of January 2014. 

   

San said she would let me have the whole post today as I have Ben behaving very well indeed for the whole week. I have played nicely with Tanaka. Well I had to discipline him only once and yes, his fur certainly flew all over the bedroom but we made up after that. I had been quiet for 4 nights in a row and did not meow at all at night. I had waited my turn to play with the neko fly and played with Akira as well. I think my talk with Laura has helped me a lot to be more steady. 

  

 Ok san. You can show my newly trimmed nails in close-up. I am waiting for them to grow and until then, enjoy them:) 

TGIF

                                

                                             Friday is always good for a nice nap.

Thursday Thots

      

Today we are just resting. Here I am resting in front of my house when san took me for my morning walk. It was very quiet today unlike yesterday when I could hear a lot of shouting and people walking about. I like it better today as it is quiet and good for the spirit. 

The Amigos on Family and Friends

Today being Christmas, we thought we should post about our bestest Christmas present ever. Our Rainbow Bridge brothers Totoro and Megat spoke to Laura, who just happens to be the bestest animal communicator we know, and told us some things that we needed to know. 

    

This is an older picture of me but san said since I looked so well here, she would put it up again. All the pictures here may be ones that you have seen already but san said it would be ok since it would be the same for our bridge brothers as well. Of course san will post about us and what we think as we are five  cats, three here and two at the bridge. 

Today's post is all about family and how family is important to think about and how to make relationships better as well. We hope that when you read our thoughts about family, you would smile kindly on us and wish us well. We hope that today, more than any other, that every one has kind thoughts about their own family and for people and animals who have yet to find a family. Merry Christmas everybody. 

We begin with our bridge brother Totoro who went to the bridge 2 years ago but is with us everyday. 

                 

I want to tell my mom she did a beautiful job of helping me to heaven and helping me when I was alive. I want her to know that I was comforted by her. I knew that my life was coming to an end because I kept feeling pulled out of my body. Even way before I died I kept feeling this pulling sensation. 

There is a granny up here in heaven that needed me. She has beautiful skin and beaded necklaces. She has necklaces that are long. She takes care of me and I help her with her processing. Cause sometimes she has to look at her life and it is scary so I keep her company. I let her pet me all over and I lie on her lap and knead her knees. 

       

I want to tell my family that it is beautiful up here and that there are outsides with big red flowers that drape over beautiful green stems. And there is always gravy for cats. Big bowls of gravy for cats and there are also love blankets and cushions that smell like my family on earth. So whenever I want to be with them I go and lie on the love blankets and cushions. 

(We do have red flowers that drape over green stems in our own corridor garden. I had them because I thought it would attract birds for kitty TV. Toro went to the bridge one week after his kidney operation. He had to be resuscitated once the day before he passed.)

                    

Our bridge brother Megat went to the bridge in October this year. He would have been 18 on 13 December.  

I didn't think heaven would be anything special cause life at home is really special. It's like this beautiful mystery up here. Sometimes I just want to sleep and I sleep in the feeling and noises of home. I see my family walking around me and I sleep in the beauty of it and then I think of a mouse and go chase it. I can also become a shadow and chase my friends on earth or relax over them so they can feel me vibrating. 

       

Tell my family that their love helped me fly to heaven with the beauty of an upside down raindrop in the sun. 

It's true. I had such a great family on earth that I am able to be here and enjoy myself. I have seen Totoro and he tells me to live as free pulsating energy so that is what I do when I come to them. 

      

I want them to know that my life was healthy. It didn't always seem healthy but it was healthy and I want them to know that I love them a great deal. I love them more than anything. I love you family. 

(On the day that I had to help him to the bridge I remembered that he once asked Laura what would happen to his body when he went to meet Toro and whether a spirit would enter his body when he was no longer there. Laura then told him that nothing would enter his body and bodies sometimes get sick but the spirit is healthy and free. So on that day I told him that his body was too sick to carry him and he would have to leave it behind. When the doctor comes to help him I wanted him to run fast and fly high. When Dr Ly came to help him I kept whispering that he should run fast and fly high. I guess he heard me)

  

Tanaka: After I heard about heaven I think family should be pulsating love and cuddle time. It should be where everyone was smart and no one feels smarter than the other one cause everyone has a different mind and they use it differently and every member knows themselves and knows each other. (I am glad he remembered what Bujang told him about the way Akira's mind works and now they should give each other space) 

                    

Family should also be a good trip to safety, security and comfort. Yes, I realize Akira is part of my family. 

   

Akira: I feel like family should be proud. Proud of themselves and proud of each other and proud of the connections. I like to feel proud cause it makes me feel healthier. 

    

Family should be quiet and a sense of knowing that you are safe. Family should be good communicators  and a feeling of self worth. I feel good about myself. I hope that for everyone. 

                      

Bujang: I feel like family should be education and a place to learn and feel that learning is safe and fun. I feel family should help each other be better. I tell what I know and they tell what they know. We help each other. Family should be like mom. We should be mom. Thanks mom. 

(I think he is referring to what Tanaka and Akira had told him about the vet and what Akira had told him about Adrian, her osteopath. I would post about what she said of Adrian later that persuaded Bujang that going to see an osteopath may be a good thing. Bujang was also very wise and had tried to tell Tanaka about the difference between girl cats and boy cats or rather the difference between how Tanaka thinks and Akira thinks)

                    

One last word from Bujang: Can you ask my mom a question for me? When we sing together does she understand that I enjoy it? Well I have to say that sometimes I feel calm and my body is fine and other times I feel like walking and meowing and it comes on fast and leaves fast. When mom is playing the songs for me, it leaves faster. 

(I had asked Laura to ask him why he meows loudly at night and why he keeps walking around the bedroom meowing. I didn't tell Laura about the songs that I sing to him to calm him down though. It was a surprise to me that she spoke about them or Bujang spoke about them. I will post a out Bujang and his dislike for people touching him in a later post)

      

We leave you with a picture of our family. This was taken during leash training and when Megat was still with us. Notice that Bujang had put himself in between Akira and Tanaka. He is very protective of her and would try to be around for comfort. 

 Once again, we wish everyone a good Christmas with family and with friends.

 

Ms Akira's Two Cents

So we continue with Akira's and Tanaka's stories and why they think they are having such troubles.

Akira: I need to tell you that I am thinking a lot about what Bujang said and mom's calming signals (licking the lips, yawning, looking at and looking away, stretching when they feel stressed) would help me to be more calm. Is there a calming herb? Like something I can eat that makes my body less reactive. I feel like my body reacts before my mind does. I need to know if I am safe and sometimes I don't know for a while. Tell Tanaka , "If you try harder, I will try harder." My eyes and his will sometimes make it worse. I have noticed that.If my eye shift too much he gets worse. I shift because I am scared.

san: Its true that Akira's eyes take a large part of her face :) In our last conversation, my cat Megat (who is now at the bridge) told Laura that he can feel Akira's eyes in the dark and they scare him. That was also the reason why Megat used to chase her as well.

Akira: I think he has the potential to be nice to me cause we have moments where he is kind and just sits near me and my fear drifts. yes my fear drifts. (I asked Laura to ask her when these moments are as I thought I could try to make sure that they both get more of these moments) 

Akira: We are separate.  It is either one - me outside 

or him outside

and even when mom does leash work I feel better. I like leash work cause I feel like he is enjoying my presence and that makes me feel good.

(At this point, Laura decided to tell Tanaka to just try to let it go and stop chasing her. Just release everything.)

Tanaka: The idea is good and I think maybe I won't chase her. maybe I won't chase her anymore and I have to say "Bujang, I get it that you are calmer than her. I understand." So I should follow him. I should follow him.

(I also told Laura at this time that I had been thinking of just taking him off his leash and harness and allow them both outside just to see what he would do as he has been doing very well with the leash training. Akira started to meow very loudly and Laura asked who it was that was meowing so much. She decided to ask Akira why she was meowing) 

Akira: This is too much about him and too little about me. I want to say that no way! Do not let him off the leash and also I want to say I am not skittish and really scaredy. I am smart and my body knows how to move. I stretch too. I need to tell you that I need love time.

The time where my body and soul have this refreshing breath of fresh air. I need to do this with my mom everyday.

I like to sleep with my mom and have love refreshing time. I love that time.

(She will only sit on my lap if when I am at the computer and it could be like this for quite some time. So now I am smarter and I have put both chairs closer so there is no gap under my knees. Its much better that way. I have not done this for some time as I try to play with her so she could do more stretching but after this I will do this a lot more and see how she could get some play time as well. I asked her how her body feels and whether she enjoys going to see Adrian, our osteopath)

Akira: My body does feel better. I stretch better and when he massages me I feel a release of everything. I am much happier and more confident and I want to say something mom. Mommy you are the best mommy ever :)). I feel like you do a lot for us and I understand it when you talk to me and it helps me. My doctor (Adrian Lalani) said I am a nice cat. (which he does every time he sees her).

Akira: Can I have treat training? I want treat training for the calming signals and also for jumping on things. Tell me to jump and then I jump. My paws are sometimes sensitive. And my food sometimes make s me more anxious after I eat. I hate that. I like to have treats. My wish for our family is that we all get along and mom feels good about our relationships and she feels that harmony is something she created.

Akira: Tanaka is not all that bad. He just has a problem that he needs to work out.

san: I think it was a good session for both Tanaka and Akira to talk and for me to know what is happening with them  Apart from their troubles, I was also wondering how the osteopath treatments are going for them and indeed Akira is more confident and more assertive. She behaves very differently from 2 years ago and she has made great strides in this. She sees Adrian, our osteopath now 4 times a year only. She had also given Bujang advice about Adrian and I would post that later on.

I had discussed with Laura how I needed to go on with the leash training and she advised me that just like Akira said, I should not release Tanaka from his harness and leash outside with Akira before doing more exercises. We discussed the exercises, like walking around the house with her outside or walking up and down. Now I also have to train Ms Akira :)) Thank goodness Bujang did not ask for any training. he just wanted me to sing more:)) They are very funny kitties! 

But tomorrow being Christmas, I would post about our precious Rainbow bridge brothers and what the cats say about family :)) 

Tanaka and Bujang on friendship and girls

For visitors who are here by accident: I had asked Laura Stinchfield, the animal communicator, to talk to my cats as we are having some trouble with 2 of them, Tanaka and Akira. Tanaka has been chasing her non-stop for many years and this had unsettled her and contributed to her over- grooming and stress. Laura had spoken to them 2 years ago and since then I had found osteopath help for Akira as part of the trouble was physical as well.

This time (19 Dec 2013), I had asked Laura to get all of them to speak together so everyone knows what the other one feels about the issues of friendship, family, behaviour, calming signals and training. There are many other things as well and I thought this being the last week of 2013, I would write about our conversations. 

(Laura and I) asked Tanaka why he makes Akira upset and why he chases her all the time. 

                           

Tanaka: I have been upset also. I have been thinking about Akira and how we have lessons (leash training) and I wonder if Akira thinks it is fun. I have been upset that she is in our house cause I feel she is mom's favorite. Sometimes I feel she makes my mom happy and I make my mom mad. 

You don't think I know how to be friends. If I don't know how to be friends then how do I become friends or know that?

(Laura asked me what she should tell Tanaka and we decided that we should tell him that he should behave like he bahaves with Bujang - sitting calmly together, eating together, leaving each other alone, calming signals and giving each other space)

Bujang is different cause he doesn't get upset and feisty in his body. He doesn't get anxious with his body. I have to say that if I ask her a question she usually doesn't answer. If I say take your time, what do I do then?

(At this point in the conversation Bujang decided to interrupt and to give Tanaka advice)

                            

Bujang: I have to say something. What would help him is to realize that she is female and we are male. He doesn't understand that females think differently. Females are more like ....they have more energy to them and complexity. She thinks a lot. She is always thinking and we don't think that much and so the thinking makes Tanaka nervous but he should just wait and let her think things out and then deal with it. I am really calm and when he puts pressure on me I don't move a lot and she moves a lot and that causes problems with him cause that makes him nervous. I think he just needs to realize he is him and she is her and they just need to let that be without getting wrapped up in each other. 

(At this point Laura told him that Akira is just a little scared of him and as family they should take care of one another. She also told him that Akira is family)

Tanaka: She is not a bad cat? She doesn't hate me?

Bujang Annual Vet Check-Up

Bujang went for his annual checkup yesterday. He goes to the vet once a year only. Usually this time would be very stressful for him and for me. It was fortunate that Laura had spoken with him on Thursday morning and explained the whole process. 

His first question was "If I do not like it there, can I come home?" We had to assure him that it would only take at most 30 minutes and he would be home after that. I guess he had seen what went on when he had to give blood 2 years ago to Toro and of course Megat had to go to the hospital quite a lot. 

I bought him a new carrier that has rollers as I did not think I would be able to carry him to the vet's and back using his old carrier.  He is now 7.8 kg!! The vet said that I have a "fat" cat. Well it is true that he is fat but he has lost some weight from last year and maybe we can put in a more exercise next year as well. 

     

     

I was afraid it was too small (it was the biggest they had) and allowed him to sit in it whenever he wanted. I was thinking that if it was uncomfortable, then I would really have to use his old carrier but he spent a some time sitting in it so I decided it was ok. I was glad I bought this as it was a breeze to pull him behind me. It was a little wobbly at first but it got better in the end.

                    

                       It was not so bad. I came home and had a whole can of chicken!

It was a great success. Bujang growled once or twice and even let the vet examine his body, his ears and teeth. He has some tartar but the vet said it was not bad at all and we could still way for another year to clean his teeth as he would have to be sedated for this. Then he had all his nails trimmed. YAAY!! I told the vet that he had not had his nails trimmed for 2 years but it seemed his nails were ok. I guess it was all that scratching on the scratch posts that helped him. But now, for a few weeks at least, I do not have to worry about him using his nails to stop Tanaka from bothering him or accidentally scratching grandma. 

We had done 3 different blood tests as he is already 11 years old and its good to know what's going on with him. We had the comprehensive profile and the Haematology test as well. They found that his phosphorus was a little low and so he had a Thyroid profile as well. His results were all very good. His PVC is 47%. Another YAAY!! for Bujang. He did tell Laura that he does not  feel more thirsty than normal, only a little bit. His TP is 9.0. So he is a little dehydrated.

Bujang told Laura about his body when we asked him about going to the vet. 

"My teeth feel fine. I am meowing a lot because I feel a rush through my body. I get rushes through my body. My body is strong and my back does not hurt. My shoulders are strong. I don't know if I can go to the vet because it frightens me so much to feel trapped. I want to tell my mom that if I try to go to the vet's and I don't like it, can I come home. I don't need to stay".

So we told him he is going to come home and that both Akira and Tanaka had gone to the vet and Laura asked them to talk to him about it. Bujang said, "We'll, if they can go, I can go cause it is my job to be good for people. I can do that."

And he did and I am glad everything is good in his body. Good job Bujang. 

Now all I need to do is to take him to the osteopath for the rushes in his body and the fact that he has pins and needles on his feet sometimes. 

Leash Training for Tanaka

I decided that if Tanaka and Akira are going to get along, I can't actually re-introduce them like new cats as they have lived together for 6 years. Tanaka's personality is not going to allow that and Akira is not going to go for it as she has seen through his shenanigans. So I thought leash training may work. I had done it once or twice before but I thought I should use this school vacation to do it in earnest. Of course it is still slow and I have just done a small part of it. Tanaka seems to take it quite well as he will not be locked up in the room and Akira takes it in her stride as she knows he would not be able to chase her as he is on a leash. I am going to introduce the clicker as well as rewards for calming signals should be immediate and by the time I praise him and give him a treat, he would not know what action the reward was for.  

 

   Here Tanaka is quite relaxed looking at her but sometimes he can stare at her wide-eyed and tense.

Usually in the day, Akira and Tanaka would take turns to be outside. Now that Akira is more confident, she wants to be outside for longer periods and she asks to be let out. So once I hear her, I would allow her out and Tanaka would be inside. This has gone on for some months and then I decided that I could make both their lives better. So once Akira goes out and after she has investigated the whole house, I would wait for her to rest. She would usually rest on top of the fridge in the kitchen or on top of the night cages in the living room. The length of the leash is also dependent on where she is. 

Tanaka knows that when I tie the leash to the gate, it's time for leash training. He would sit he until I put him in his purple harness. It's important that the harness is comfortable as he needs to be in it for an extended time. 

It is important that Akira is comfortable and resting easy on top of the cage so she knows she is safe from him. Of course without the leash Tanaka can get here in two leaps but she doesn't have to know that!

Tanaka likes to make a great show of walking about. Here he is not staring at her and I had praised him for it. But he would learn much faster if I had used the clicker to treat him for this action. My conversation with Laura was very educational in this aspect. If he knows this action is a good one, and he gets a treat, he would do it more. On hindsight I was silly not to have thought of such a simple thing. 

I had shown this picture before. He is quite alert and his mind is full of just playing with his ball. So he is not concentrating on her at all :). The fact that they are both outside and they can do this is a joy to know. Yes, he knew that Akira was on top of the cage but he chose to walk about and play instead which is a big thing for him. 

But notice, san did not give me a treat even when I behaved well. She really needs to step up on the treat thing!

                             

He does look at her many times but now he is more relaxed as he knows that he will not be able to chase her but I wanted them both to enjoy being with each other in the same space. Akira sometimes watches him from on top of the cage as well. So he is alert but calm which is a good thing. We have practiced this many times in 2 months.  He knows this is a good thing as he gets a treat. 

If we do the training in the evening, he likes to sit here and relax and sometimes he would nap as well. But this is usually when Akira is in the kitchen and there is nothing to see. The important thing here is that he is not stressed when in harness as he needs to be in training for many months before he could be in the same room as Akira without his harness and leash. 

This moment( last Friday 13 Dec) was a breakthrough as I had already set up this cat toy the week before. Tanaka likes sitting in it. I was sitting close to him reading and I was quite surprised to see Akira on the bookshelf. This was because Tanaka was in the cat toy for some time relaxing although looking up at her. She had told Fern that if Tanaka does not chase her, she would be more friendly to him so I guess she is keeping to her word. 

Tanaka did not move from this position at all. He sat here the whole time. Before he would have jumped at her, even with the harness and leash. 

Here Akira had more courage and came even closer. She sat here for 5 minutes and even groomed. So I gave her a great and of course Tanaka got a treat as well. But after 5 minutes she decided she would go up to the cage again to rest 

So for the first time in 6 years, I had the 3 cats all in the same space. It was very exhilarating to finally be able to make this happen for all of them, even if it was only for about 5 minutes. 

Thank goodness for a less blurry picture but I thought it would be nice to see her getting more and more secure. 

                                    THAT was something wasn't it?

Fern came to see them last Saturday and I had asked her to praise Akira for being brave. Akira said, ' I know '. I guess this shows the level of her confidence. Tanaka only said that he wondered if she was going to come down even nearer. 

He would sometimes sleep here when he is on leash training but I am always about as it is dangerous to leave him alone in his harness and leash. 

This is only a baby step for us. We would be doing more exercises of this kind. At least now I know it can work. All of them talked about the leash training with Laura and so I had detailed it here so that when I write about our conversations it is easier to understand why they said what they did.

I want some treat training as well. Can I have a treat every time I do a calming signal? Yup. 

So I have sent for a book on training dogs so I can try to teach them some tricks as well. Maybe if they learn tricks together, they would feel better being with each other. 

YOU started it san. I don't think you know what you're in for. I would help you but right now I feel like a nap.