Thursday with Rezki

We have been trying to remind Rez that calmness and peace are good things to have in a family and he has been learning this quite well. He has taken to telling stories to the 2 boys which all of them enjoy. Yesterday he sat with both grandma and Cousin R.

Then he decided to give me some of his attention as well.

Fern about Rezki: He also said thank you for the ride (I brought all 4 of them out last Saturday morning). He's proud that you saw them all be nice and calm together. He said he talked to Tanaka again about his adventures in the old day. (I am glad he realises that he is in a better situation and its a different life that he has now). Bujang also enjoyed the story. SO I asked him to do this again as it bonds them togather. He said some parts that Poppy overheard him and she said he was exaggerating. 

Saturday Easy

This is the best place away from the white kitty. My Saturday will be easier here. 

I have not found a good place to rest for today. Why did the white cat fight with me yesterday? I was just hanging out minding my own business at the door. I thought we all have to share san?

This is the safest place in the house. I plan to be here today. 

I seem to get into trouble quite a lot here. 

For the week she had run after Tanaka twice, once well into the bedroom. Yesterday for no reason that I could see ( but she may have perfectly good reasons) she flew at Bujang and fought with her claws! It was not something I have ever seen in the house with even Megat ( who was a comcat as well). So she got time out but I think it's best we try from the beginning and not allow her to roam about the house so soon. So she slept in her cage under a blanket like the first time she was here. She complained a lot and Bujang actually came to sit near me when he heard her. She spent the night in her cage as well instead of the kitchen. She will have to stay in the kitchen like before until everyone ( especially me) calms down for a bit. On Sunday Fern will talk to everyone to see the new situation. But of course if Bujang does not mind being  near the kitchen to eat, that means he is trying again to be her friend and so at least she will have one friend here. 

Tuesday Thots

Putih loves sitting here just watching the goings-on outside, not that there is much. But we have a few birds or the breeze flutters the leaves and the chimes will sound. She gets very cross if any one of the amigos should try to stop her from sitting here and just this afternoon had run after Tanaka to teach him a lesson about respect and personal space. She did not hurt him as Fern had spoken with her several times about what she needs to do with house cats. I had reprimanded them both about what had happened though and had closed the kitchen door for time out. Tanaka also had a time out in the bedroom. 

She sleeps on the carpet at night and does not move when I move about the kitchen. She would open her eyes but will stay put. She has an option of sleeping in her cage but prefers the kitchen space. She has her own litter but she also uses the amigo's litter in the kitchen but will only eat from her own plate and drink from her own water bowl. I have put some homepathy drops for her kidneys but have yet to give her any medication. A very good friend of ours had offered us Azodyl, which is horribly expensive, for free and we will take her up on it although I have yet to figure out how to give it to her. We have to move really slowly with this. Even with 2.4 creatinine, the vet said we could take a little more time to decide if she needs special food or medication. I read that I can sprinkle the Azodyl on her food so maybe we will try that first.

                                       

Another view of this long narrow space. She is protected by the cage and table, the counters and the washing machine. I guess she feels protected here and can move about freely. 

I thought it would be nice to hear what she had to say last Sunday when Fern finally asked her if she would like to stay and why.We had also agreed that we should tell her to think about the good points of the amigos and when she feels stressed, it would be good to think about that. I felt that if she thinks positively about them, they would do the same about her.

Fern: i told her of each of yr kitties' good traits. and that she also has good qualities in her like intelligence, wisdom, bravery etc. So let's focus on the good points of one another and live together as a family.

She is interested. Then I asked her not to scare, chase, hiss or anything that is not friendly to the other 3 kitties if she wants to stay here. Actually I opened up with "would you like to stay here with this family?" She said yes.So i asked why this time you wanted to stay? She said she had enough of the outdoors, she rather settle at your nice loving home and she wants to rest and eat without being scared or running or hiding.

When we asked Akira about letting Putih stay she said "if Putih is nice to her, then she's ok for Putih to stay. She said she likes Putih when Putih is nice to her. When Putih scared her, she didn't like that. (Putih had scared her twice by chasing after her)

Of course the boys have many things to say about it as well but I will post that later. By the way, we were told by one of the residents living around Putih's old building that there are now 3 feral dogs roaming the territory at night as well. Its a good thing that Putih is with us now.

Community Cat - The Calm after the Storm

There were many things that I had to consider before deciding if I can actually bring home our comcat Putih for the recommended 10 days (hopefully) of recuperation or 14 days. The first thing is how this would affect the amigos. I know that Tanaka would be very upset and might not even consider coming out to the living room at all. This was what had happened before. Bujang might vocalise even more than usual and Akira might overgroom even worse than normal. However, the situation was pretty dire and I had to make a decision before Putih's situation worsened. It was fortunate that we had Fern to help us smoothen the transition. Before we had Fern, I had to wing most of the decisions I have had to make for them. So this post would be the exchange between Fern and the amigos about Putih.

This was Bujang's worried face when he saw Putih in the house.

"I would ask Mummy"

Bujang: Feels worried (that she is gonna be a new member of the family) Jealous a bit. 

Fern told him that it was only temporary but he decided that he would ask me anyway. This was what he did and I had told him that Putih would be at the house only until she recovers and then she would go back. 

Tanaka: Nervous and confused why another girl cat here. He told me (Fern) about Putih before I (Fern) started telling him. I told him to be a gentleman.

Akira: She heard the boys communicating about a new cat in the house (she was in the computer room and so away from the chaos). She was curious at first but later she was calm and understands very well after I explained to her.

san: After the initial sniffing and investigations, the amigos relaxed slightly and just stayed in their happy places. I am pleased to see that Tanaka has not restricted himself to the bedroom only and yesterday had ventured outside into the family living space to relax. There is still an air of anticipation and a lot of curiosity especially when Putih meows loudly from the kitchen but no one is running around crazily at all.

Putih had stayed with us for short periods in the 8 years that I have been taking care of her. She stayed for a week after sterilisation, another week after her false pregnancy and for almost 2 weeks when her leg got bitten due to a cat fight. She could hardly walk then and the vet had to sedate her to lance the pus. This time, I hope it would not be such a long stay as she is not happy to be indoors with 3 strange cats herself.

Let me tell you what I think san

 Let me tell you what I think san. Its time you pay attention.

I noticed lately that my cat Bujang has been bullying Tanaka and even Akira. I was puzzling as to why this was as he has never 'bullied' any of the cats before. He has always been quiet and would sometimes reprimand the kitties when they are too boisterous around him. These two weeks, he had bitten my arm twice and once he bit my ankle when I was brushing my teeth. He has been growling at Akira using a tone that I had never heard him use before and he had been looking at me pointedly every day when I came home from work. I had to use the Bully Remedy on him as well but will have to see if his behaviour changes during the course of this week. So I had to ask Michelle Childerley, the animal communicator to ask him a few questions about his behaviour and why. Although I have some suspicions as to why he is behaving in this puzzling way, it is also useful to know what he may be thinking about. He had asked Fern, our animal communicator friend during a Reiki session if he 'wasn't mummy's favourite cat anymore.'

1. Why is it important that you are my favourite?

Bujang said 'I was here first, recognition and loyalty.'

(This is true and I didn't tell Michelle this at all.)

2. What kind of attention do you want from me?

Bujang said 'Praise, enthusiasm, undivided 1 to 1 - not half and half.'

3. How do you think I should show you that I care for you?

Bujang said 'Appreciation. Like you are there, not somewhere else.'

4. Do you know for sure that I love you?

Bujang said 'Yes I do, pull you closer.'

5. Is it bad to love everyone equally?

Bujang said 'I am not doing anything wrong. I just need a bit more right now.'

6. Why are you upset with Akira and Tanaka?

Bujang said 'Pushing them away, jealous.'

(Fern also told me that he said Tanaka and Akira always have everything they want. But not him)

7. Do you know that I am trying to make sure they don't fight and so am trying to show both of them that they are both important?

Bujang said 'And it's taking my time.'

8. What advice can you give me about how I relate to both of them?

Bujang said 'Your actions have a big impact on them. Perseverance and determination.'

9. How should I relate to you?

Bujang said 'Consistently.' 'Competition, looking to hold a position of prestige.'

10. Is there something I should do for you that I have not yet done?

Bujang said 'No.' 'More undistracted time together.'

Michelle: I feel that he is now being a bit more demanding as he has been very patient with all the other cats. He now feels he can have more time with you.

san: I guess he told me!!

Good for you Akira!

Yesterday Akira was a very happy kitty as she could get out of her room in the afternoon. She walked about inspecting everything and everyone and after ensuring that everything is as it should be, she decided to sit here, in this cradle. This is where Bujang is most of the afternoon but seeing that Bujang was sleeping somewhere else, she commandeered this space for a good part of the day. She has not been here for many years because of our bridge brothers and of course because of Tanaka as well.

 When she saw the clicky box, she decided to pose prettily

 "Are you done san?"

                                                                zzz...

For the last 4 days, we had had the CNY break and I had let her out early. Tanaka sits with me in my bedroom, which he likes so he does not become anxious. Later he sits for a short time in the computer room by himself as well. But he also walks along the corridor in the afternoon or evening and later, he gets out of the computer room when Akira sits in the kitchen. Tanaka does not go to the kitchen often or indeed at all these days. At this time, he does not have the harness and so is free to roam about. However, if Akira sits on top of the cage, he has the harness and lead as well.

I think this arrangement works out fine for everyone and so I have to find an equally agreeable solution now since school has started. The spirit essences also seemed to work well and he increasingly has let her alone. Of course last Sunday, he was looking at her closely and Akira yelled and slapped him twice from inside her gate! he was so shocked that he was not able to eat his breakfast. But later, I gave him his breakfast at another place and he ate with great gusto. So I guess they are both re-learning their bounderies.

I had previously asked Craig, a Reiki Practitioner about the both of them. Of Tanaka he says:

I connected quickly and the communication flowed easily. He was a joy to speak to and has such a beautiful vitality to him. I started by asking what he thought of Akira and his response was clear that he did not like her and that the space that they share is his. He explained that it was not that he hated her, but rather that he felt that if he gave up some of his space and allowed her access to it that Akira would get more love than he does. He acknowledged that they are both loved but Akira is 'pretty' and because of this she may get more love if he lets her have more freedom. He was worried that he was not as playful/sweet as she was in her own way and that he could not compete with this and would get less love.

So eventhough he has to be separated from her at these times, I do sit with him and explain to him why as much as I can. 

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 :)) 

My Say Tuesday

Megat has weekly reiki sessions with Fern and has become a more relaxed kitty. I attribute it to a less stressful life as he has the bedrrom to himself for much of the day, Tanaka is also not ambushing him at all cost and he naps much of the time in peace and quiet. I noticed lately that he is more proactive and would tell Tanaka off when he suspects Tanaka is going to be naughty. Before all these sessions he would just have moved away quickly when Tanaka tries to push him around. Of course he is also taking homeopathy for stress and calmness. apart from his asthma, for which he is taking sabutamol, and his sang hwang lingzhi, he has a twice weekly SubQ as well. Lately he has kept quiet and still even for that!

Last night, he had his weekly Reiki with Fern and I thought I would reporduce his update.

From Fern

Hi J. Megat was ok though he said he's tired and felt more drowsy. Other than that he's ok. He said,"what can i say, i'm old". I said no you r not that old, still handsome, clever, n healthy. He said 'don't flatter me." I asked him not to attack A or get too near her. He said "i know but it's tempting n what she did in my room?" I then explained to him the arrangment. he said ok,ok. He was pleasant. He asked me how i was doing too.

Megat is getting more sassy. Ms Akira did go into the bedroom to drink from the water fountain. She saw that I was there with Megat and so she sauntered in and drank. I actually had to hold Megat as he got up and wanted to get to her. He just watched her and then when she left, he yawned widely and had a nap.

The bedroom door would only be opened when I am home to supervise the interaction. Now Akira is out in the afternoon and late morning to walk about as I think this would lessen her stress level. Tanaka is now in the computer room if Akira is outside. Lately however, she has not ventured outside in the afternoons at all and sleeps in her own room even with the babay gates opened. I wonder why.

Monday Meowings

Last Saturday, I spoke to Laura Stinchfield, of the PetPsychic fame . She has worked with many vets and people who need help with their animals as well. I wanted to get Ms Akira some more help as we had not made much progress with the vets and I do not want her to be on steroids any more than we can help it. I also wanted her to talk with everyone and figure out what went wrong with how everyone sees each other. Of course since I had a lot of positive effects with Fern, I thought maybe Laura can add on to my knowledge of the amigos. We were on Skype and I spoke to her at 3.15 am! So I will be putting what we found out and what the amigos said here, just like what I had done with Fern. It was an eye-opener to say the least and I will be getting Ms Akira some more tangible help with a chiropractor this Friday(Update- Dr Ly is not for a chiropractor as Akira is an extremely shy cat. He recommended an osteopath. We will be looking this one up asap). She gave us some practical ideas of how to work together and of course the amigos had a field day talking to her. She types what the amigos say to her as they say it and then we speak about what it means and what I want to find out. Then she tells me what they say and types as well and we both come up with a  plan to help Ms Akira but along the way, I find out about the boys as well.

Bujang was very mature and sweet. He is actually just a big cat with a soft heart for everyone, with strong teeth (Do you know my mouth is strong? I don't have a hurt jaw and I can really be strong with it). When Laura spoke to him  he said:

You can tell my mom I will help her in any way I can and I love the idea of love and power in our house. I love that idea.

And when we were talking about the three cats, he has this to say:

Yes. I want to add that I am really proud of the other boys. Yeah cos they do sort of live in their own world. Like Tanaka asks me the other day if Akira could escape to the outside with him. He said he wants to wander around at night. And I asked him why Akira and he says Akira is always awake at night and she would have th best sense of danger. You know what. I feel I can help with this. Cause I feel comfortable around everyone. I can help everyone feel safe. I thought maybe I should tell Megat that he can be my friend and I will make sure that no one beats him. Yeah. If someone goes to beat him I will swat their face and tell them to back off. Tell also Megat that I think he is still strong (Megat had told Akira that he had little fight left in him just before this) and powerful and it is ok to get old around me. I will never hurt you. I think he worries about that. I will never hurt you. I will always love you and if you want me to love you from a distance I will do that.

Can you tell my mom that I want balls to play with?

and as to why he chases Ms Akira:

I chase her because she is like prey play. I have fun. If I change my attitude around her will her pain go away? If I become friends with her will she want me to lick her hurt areas? (Ms Akira had spoken about her pain in her lower legs). I wonder if she knows that me knowing that she is in pain is like me understanding why she is such a strange cat. I always thought that maybe she had a spirit in her that makes her look evil.

(Laura then told him that she was in fear and pain and sometimes the feeling can change the face. She is not evil (aggressive). She is just not feeling safe) Fear can look evil? I am willing to learn. Will she play with my toys?

If she plays with my toys I would maybe be happy cause I haven't seen her play. I just seen her flop around but if I knew she was playing maybe I could teach her how to be graceful.

Akira: I think it would be nice if he understood that when I look at him I don't always see him straight on. I see him blurry. I just want him to know that my face is not always me. Me is shy and loving and kind to others.

Tanaka: I kind of believe her and I am not mean. I am just pretending to be mean. Ok I will stop pretending.

This is just a short excerpt of what they said. I thought it would be interesting to put up what Tanaka and Akira said to each other. This Tanaka is funny but now possibly Ms Akira knows why the boys run after her. It also helps the boys to understand why she behaves the way she does so they are not afraid of her.