The End of 2010, A start of 2011

Ah, been a while since I wrote again in this blog. Thank you for the kind comments in the Salem's 1st Cat Show thread, I didn't realize I would get some comment (laughs sheepishly). With the ending of the year, I wonder what new things I can see next year (which is just a few hours away). This year has given me a taste of cat show as a participant. I think I'm hooked on it. A recap of this year for me has been good and bad.

Earlier this year, I lost a dear cat. My dear, dear Neko-chan pass away due to liver failure. Her liver was badly poisoned and the proper procedure wasn't taken. It was a hard lesson learned by me and made me realize how precious life can be. It was a big loss but I know she will be in a better place.

There is also a lot of new, happy experience for me and my cats. Sherbet and Salem grew bigger and healthier. Sherbet though is a somewhat proud cat which only come for petting session when his mood strike. Other than that, he will swipe any hands trying to touch him. Sensitive guy, that's all I can say.

Salem on the other hand is quite close to me (and my family). The older he got, the more attention he demands. Still the same old black banshee. But he is a very smart boy. When he wants to play his toy, he would come and mew at me. I would ask him, "What do you want, Salem?" He would blink his eyes, look at me and then turn his head towards the toys hanging by the door. I would ask him a few times and his response would be the same. Then I would stand by the toys and ask him, "Which one do you want, Salem?" he would stand on his hind leg, all stretched out leaning on the wall and point his paws at his favorite this red thread tied to a stick. Whenever Salem wants to use his bathroom (if I close the door to the kitty room), he would mew and roll around in front of the door. If he really, really has to go.. he would paw and dig on my bed as last warning. Smart boy, I say. Every time I talk on the phone, he would come nearby and stare. Probably trying to eavesdrop on the latest gossip (laughs).

Early October, I adopt another kitten to my household. I wanted a female kitten and Kak June gave me one she had rescued before. My bf and I named her Shirahime but we just call her "Shishi". We're still trying to adjust and adapt to each other. Although I wonder if I should have named her "Saru" or monkey in japanese (giggles). She is so active it's frightening. The good part about her is that she can play by herself, anything is toy to her. But the bad part is that when she's playing, she tends to go into hyper mode. This makes stuff falls down, she and the other two cats slamming into chairs and walls, spilled water and such. It also erupts into small fight sometime. So, when she gets into hyper mode I cage her in a carrier. When she calms down, I let her out. She is cute, and loves to climb.. a person's body. She also loves to come cuddle up especially with my sister. But Shishi is very possessive of her toys, she will hiss at other cats near her toys. It will take a bit more time to get along with everyone but at least my other cats isn't lonely. Sherbet run around to play more now and Salem mew for attention lesser than before.

When 2011 comes, I hope for good health for all my cats and myself. I want to join more cat shows if I could and expose my cat to crowds. I also love to make costume for my cat now. I wonder what costume I will make next. Granted my costume is not perfect (hehe) but I try my best. With the coming of the new year, I wonder what I get to see from my cats. More cuteness? More sauciness? More demands? Maybe even smarter cats (Hope my fridge will be safe..haha). There's always something new everyday, something to make me laugh and smile. Something that I can write about.. I wonder....

Lets welcome the new year and hope for the best everyone! :D

Salem's 1st Cat Show

The ribbons / rosette Salem won. He got 2nd place on the 2nd ring and 5th place on the 3rd ring.

Salem and his rosette.

Me and Salem in his costume, haha.

Salem in his cage at the cat show.

Salem relaxing in the cage at the cat show.

It was a balmy and slightly drizzled Sunday morning. It was the debut of Salem in a cat show. I registered him for a cat show a few months earlier out of curiosity. He is the most well behaved at home (albeit the occasional mewing for attention and bad habit of eating unwanted things..). I carried him on the soft carrier which I had been using for more than a year now, equipped with a black cover to reduce his anxiety. I suspected Salem has motion sickness and it's a lot worse in a car. Riding on a motorbike isn't as bad (gauging from the sound of his mewing).

We arrived at 8.10am at The Mall, KL and took off to the 4th floor for the checking in. I found a familiar face, Pakcu at the cat show and it calmed me down. It's good to have at least a familiar face to reduce your own anxiousness. Everything went well, then vetting in was a bit hectic. Salem was scared and clings to me. I blame myself for not exposing him to crowds.

After the initial check-up and vet check, bf and I set up his cage (pretty bare to me >.< ) with a nice doormat and a small cat nip pillow. I sprayed some Feliway on the doormat to make Salem calmer. When the judging starts at around 11am, I was quite relived to see the judges go for longhairs and kittens at start. Plenty of time for Salem to 'warm up' and soak everything in. When his category came, he was the first to be judge (oh, the horror). Salem is placed under the Neuter Open Shorthair category and I see a lot of good competitors around. Oh my, there were so many shorthair tabbies it was daunting. Ah, I don't foresee Salem winning anything but it is a good experience. To have a certified judge hold and examine my cat is an accomplishment by itself. To show people my beautiful cat is an enormous satisfaction. The judge compliments Salem's shiny black coat but commented that Salem molted a lot. I told the judge Salem was too scared. Judge told me I should brush Salem a lot. I take in the comment and agrees on what the judge says. I do brush him daily, it's so nice to brush Salem's coat since he likes it and doesn't wiggle about like Sherbet.

After the second ring judging session, I put Salem back in the cage and sat at one corner of the huge hall with my bf. A few minutes later, my sister came by and we chat about the cat show. Ah, so many beautiful cats. I love admiring them. I envy all the owner of the longhair cats. They groomed their cats thoroughly, combing the fur and powdered the pets. Oh my, and their tails.. it was so enticing. The long, bushy tail swaying back and forth. Some of the kittens was so huge it's a feast to my eyes.

After a while, Salem's number was called yet again and I quickly took him out of the cage and put him in the judging cage. I wondered why he was called again and then the judge announce that the 10 cats around him is the top 5 cats for open neuter shorthair and longhair. Oh my, I was so proud to see Salem in the top 5. For a first timer, it was such a shock and joy. I came expecting a door gift and maybe a certificate of participation but not a placement for the top 5 in a category. It pleased me even more, Salem got second place. It was more than enough for me. I admit he has temperament problem (he's not used to huge crowds) but I was so happy when the judge compliment his lustrous shiny coat. I guess his sleek and lean body (with no flabby fat) is also a plus. I don't need to mention his diet consist of chewed slippers and plastic though (facepalm). The judge, Mr. Rick Low recommends giving Salem lean meat to have a better coat and muscular body but I don't think I can afford that. I hardly even eat red meat these days. In Salem's defense, I think the multivitamin for shiny coat helps a lot. Salem loves eating those multivitamin and I gave him 2 tablet everyday. Congratulations for winning the second place, Salem. You make me so proud.

We didn't get any placing on the first ring, Salem was somehow even more scared at this time. But he got the fifth place on the third ring. We got some more gifts and went back happy. I was suppose to join the cat fashion show but sadly it was cancelled due to not enough time. The cat judging took almost 9 hours and then there was the choosing for the best of the best. It was a nice cat show (albeit only for Household Cats) and it gave me a new experience. It was so exhilarating to be a participants, hearing the judges comment and getting a placement in the category contested. Though to me, winning is not everything. I love the scene, the sights and sound and the meeting of cat lovers. Everyone looks like they love their cats. From the colorful and many design of the carriers, to the grooming equipment the bring and use to the way the clap and shout happily when their cat got a placing. I understand now the exhilarating rush from joining a cat show and how people that once join, will always want to join again. Even my bf who was quite skeptical at start (when I registered Salem), felt the exhilaration and fun of joining a cat show. He too, agrees Salem need more 'crowd' exposure and was commenting that next in line should be training my latest baby, Shirahime aka Shishi. Haha, I wonder if I have time for that. It was, all in all, a wonderful experience. Congrats to all the winners, participants and organizer. It was so much fun to me, I think a lot of other people feel the same too. To be perfectly honest I was kinda glad we didn't win first place. The gifts were quite huge and plenty that we almost ran out of room on our motorbike. Good thing I brought with me a bagpack.

Sadly my bf, my sister and I kept forgetting to take pictures of Salem while he was being judged. I guess we were too anxious to see Salem's reaction on the judging table that we forget to snap a picture. Talk about being a novice, haha. Congrats again my black banshee.

Shirahime is spayed now..

Yesterday at 9.26am, I send Shirahime to Klinik Kembiri Setapak for spaying. Seems there was a lot of female cats going to be spayed that day. I left her at the clinic and waited patiently for the phone call. At 1.45pm, I got the phone call that says she's done and ready to go home.

At 2.30pm I arrived at the clinic and took her back to my home. She was slightly groggy but already trying to stand on her own feet. I kept her in cage until now and she has gotten much better now. I saw her stitches it looks very clean, tidy and dying out nicely. I will keep her under surveillance and caged for a week. This is the time for her to relax :)

Shirahime's Pictures

Shirahime in a costume I made (haha)

Shirahime, when she arrived in my home

Shirahime and her beautiful blue eyes.

Shirahime the cutie pie.

Shirahime - The White Princess

Ah, the white princess. Although she is not entirely white *laughs*, it was a name I came up with my bf since all my cats have name starting with the letter "S". Sherbet, from Orange Sherbet (since he is a red /orange tabby cat).. Salem, from the show "Sabrina, the teenage witch" who has a black cat named Salem. My family and I just love that show, and of course the black cat. So feisty!

Shirahime comes from an anime I watched a few years back. I knew the cat was white but was never sure the actual color when it grow up. The anime was "Angelic Layer" and one of the characters have a doll name "Shirahime", a female doll wearing white kimono. It was the perfect name for my new kitten. Shirahime means "White Princess" in Japanese. Although Shirahime was somewhat of a seal lynx point, I think the name suits her well. But don't be deceived, although The White Princess seems like a very feminine and delicate name my kitten though is not *laughs*. She is small in stature, weighing 2.5kg at almost 6 months and she is fearless. She doesn't hesitate to pounce or hamstring her two elder brother who is twice, almost triple her size. She is a bit high strung, posses Salem's curiosity nature but Sherbet's cowardice facing new things. She is easily scared by any weird noise, any new things she hasn't seen and quite "scary" play time. She would pick one thing as her toy (a piece of felt cloth), a catnip toy, a tennis ball, etc and drag it around with her. She would pounce like mad on the toy she picks without caring about her surrounding. Sometimes I had to lock her up in a carrier or cage at night time because she likes to play near my bed and injured me (she scratched my eyelid once when I was sleeping). At the moment she is recovering from ear mites infection and things are looking really good. I plan to neuter her maybe end of this month, once her ear mites clear out.

On the other hand, Shirahime or Shishi has her cute side. She is affectionate and loves to cuddle. She doesn't squirm around when I carry her in my arms or put her in my lap. She also doesn't claw her way when people carry her (well, so far only my bf and I carry her around). She's not a very demanding cat, she likes to play on her own and hardly ever mew (unless she's really scared). Another thing I find funny is her ability to balance perfectly on my body. She likes to climb atop my body when I lie down on my bed. She would walk gracefully up and down, never once does her claw protrude. She would put her wet nose on my cheek and purrs loudly. It does make a good wake up call *laughs*. I even tried to put her on my bf's shoulder, and she stands on four legs gracefully. Such agility and balance. For now, I'm watching Shishi's development happily. Another good addition to my family. I just have to say having a female cat is different than male cat. They are more affectionate. Still, I love all my furkids.

New addition to the family

Hurray!

I adopted another cat early last month. It was a cat rescued by my friend, Kak June and fostered temporarily with Suhaimy (both from PF forum). I thank you both of them greatly for rescuing and taking care of my newest family.

After the death of Neko-chan, I felt the house was too manly *laughs*. I have two healthy and active male cats but I still miss Neko-chan, the only female cat I ever had. She was more affectionate compared to my two boys and I thought about adopting a female cat after Slim was let go. After a suggestion from Kak June, I decided to adopt the kitten that she rescued after it's fully weaned.

1st October 2010, I pick her up from Suhaimy and took her into my home. She was somewhat scrawny but active. I named her "Shirahime" or White Princess. I took her for medical check-up the next day and she is negative on both FeLv and FIV. That is a relief, but sadly she was diagnosed for ringworm. For the next two weeks I had to put her under ringworm medication and then she was also diagnosed with ear mites. We're still in the process of clearing that but it looks very promising.

She is a funny and cute kitten. Always curious and fearless, she never hesitate to pounce her two elder brother despite her size. Another cute characteristic of Shirahime is that she likes to climb on my body when I sleep. She would walk up and down my body, balancing herself perfectly. She also doesn't wiggle away when I put her in my lap or cuddle her close. Loud purrs always accompany her but she is somewhat high strung. Easily frightened by anything new. I love seeing her blue eyes. I've always wanted a cat with blue eyes. Thank you for letting me adopt her. *smile*

She also doesn't demand a lot of attention from me. Everyday she would pick something as her toy. Some day a tennis ball, another day a plastic ball with a bell in it, sometimes a piece of felt cloth that fell off from the cat tree and another time, a small cat face plushie. She would play and pounce on it for hours, then carry it around with her around the house. She is so cute and adorable. I'll post her picture some day. Oh my, I've written a lot. I shall continue again some other day.. For now, I'm gonna watch Shirahime (or Shishi for short) and her cute antics.

Oh dear..

Ahaha... *slaps forehead* I was so distracted I forgot to write on my kitty blog.. Shame on me. I can't believe last time I wrote was in May.. really? May? Oh dear, where has the time gone?

Anyway sometimes I don't feel like writing. Why? Nothing interesting happens. Well, granted my kitties behavior are cute but nothing out of the ordinary. Same old thing I guess.

Can't really say I was so busy with life I forgot to write here, not really. Sometimes you just find that your time passes so fast you don't even have time or feel like writing it down.

Does anyone follow my kitty blog? *laugh sheepishly*

To people who are follower, I thank you again. Of course, apologies are in order for my forgetfulness. I shall endeavor to write more of my kitty quirkiness and behavior. Let share all the fun moments shall we?

Kitty Journal 51 - Goodbye Slim

I had just finished cleaning the kitty room. Sad moment, but I had no choice after all. Earlier, I made the hardest decision ever in my life. I released Slim into the streets. After much contemplating and discussion, I decided to let him go. He is a handsome boy, all muscle and active but regretfully he can't get along with my cats. Seeing Sherbet cower in fear whenever I let Slim out of the cage breaks my heart. Seeing the friendly Salem tiptoeing around Slim makes me sad. I wonder if Slim could ever get along with any cats, maybe a young kitten somewhere.

Slim was miserable in his cage, he wanted out and he wanted food anytime of the day and consume any food he sees. I can't let him out of the cage since he always gets aggressive towards Sherbet and initiates a fight. I don't think integration will ever work. Two months of seeing and smelling each others face and scent but still can't get along, I'm thinking they never were meant to get along. I've had enough of Slim's caterwauling and at my mother's suggestion, decided to let him go. She was worried Slim might have escaped from his cage and attacked Sherbet while I was sleeping or out.

With heavy heart I took a bowl of kibble and lure him to the nearby staircase and left him there. He came back twice but I closed the door and ignored him. I think he would make a great cat from first timer cat owners or anyone with no other pets but not me. He was so affectionate with me, my bf and my family. Sadly, he never liked my furry family. I bid him farewell and wish him well but I still open his adoption to anyone that is interested. He would make a great cat for any cat lover out there, granted they have a sweet kitten or non alpha pets. I will feed him daily as usual but alas, he cannot step into my house ever again. The last time he fought with Sherbet, I had migraine for days. Do I regret taking him in? Not really. He is a great cat, all muscle and soft fur. Loud purring and beautiful bushy tail. But sometimes we cannot save everything. I had done my duty by giving him medical treatment, food, shelter and neuter. I hope someone will see his charm and take him in. I have to say sorry to Slim, he is a great cat but Sherbet is my priority. Goodbye Slim, have a great life!

Kitty Journal 50 - Slim the dominator

Sighs, that's all I can do these days. On the second day of integration, everything looks okay. At one time, they slept near each other. They seemed to tolerate each other though I still see Sherbet staying away from Slim most of the time. Salem just run away from Slim whenever he tried to pounce him. I thought maybe my cats need time to adjust with the new cat but I was naive.

On the third night, I left them by themselves for a few minutes while cleaning their litter box. I was shocked to hear them fighting and I know which of my three cats were fighting. When I opened the door I was truly shocked to see Sherbet and Slim neck to neck in an all out fight. This is no mere cat fight, this was totally battle of dominance. Slim was challenging Sherbet, who is the house's alpha male. Sherbet, knowing his rank in the house didn't stand down and put out a fight. I tried using spray bottle but it was useless, they chased each other and fought like mad. I was screaming like mad myself. It was frightening but I know approaching them might be hazardous for me. I soon realized Slim was doing most of the chasing while Sherbet defended himself and tried to get away. In desperation I threw a shoe at them, it didn't work. Eventually I got so angry, I took a huge amount of water and splash them. They eventually broke apart and I direct Slim into the nearest carrier and Sherbet into the other one.

I had never had such experience and it was frightening. Poor Salem stood watching anxiously from far. I surveyed my home, luckily I was never the type to collect breakable mementos. Half of my house was wet, some of my door mats were soggy. I found out Sherbet even defecates in one of the spot they fought earlier. He had some feces still stuck on his behind, I took him into the bathroom and clean him up. At some spot, he even urinated but I think it was due to stress. I called my bf over to help me settle back those two cats. As we were putting in Slim into his cage, Sherbet came into the room and immediately Slim went aggressive and tried to dash for Sherbet. I was lucky my bf had good reflex and stuck his foot on the cage door. Sherbet was so scared that for the next 12 hours, he slept by my feet and didn't even dare to go into the kitty room (where Slim is in his cage and the cat's litter box are).

After discussing with my bf, we decided to put him up for adoption. Although to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure anyone would adopt him. Granted his fur is soft, he has beautiful markings and has beautiful bushy tail but temperament-wise, he won't get along with other cats unless they submit to him. Him being a stray cat for quite some time (the vet told me he's between 1-2 years of age) made him quite a survivalist but that makes him wary of human and other cats too. The somewhat high adoption fee might also deter potential adopters, at RM200. It wasn't a price I put for fun or profit but rather the cost of his treatments, vaccinations, neuter and feLv/FIP test. Sad to see him go but I think I was too naive to think I could tame a stray cat like that. My mere 1 year plus cat experience was not good enough for me to mellow him down. To be honest, I am somewhat scared of Slim now. He is hard to read and change mood quite swiftly.

After much contemplation, I decided to give Slim a month to integrate and accept my other cats. While waiting for adoption, I will give him a chance to get along with my cats and help improve his socialization. I found a website that teaches procedures to integrate cats and I'm following as close as I can. I think I should have passed the 'scent familiarization' since they are mostly in the same room, only separated by a cage. Alas, I was wrong. The cloth with Sherbet's scent was totally rubbed off by Slim. When I took out the cloth to rub more of Sherbet's scent into it, he ran away frightened (body crouch low) and hid in his safe spot. While the cloth with Slim's scent was ignored by the food bowl (which means my two cat doesn't care about his scent) and my two cats ate as usual from their food bowl. Next, I tried swapping area. I took Slim and Sherbet into separate carriers and put Sherbet in Slim's cage while Slim was let free in the kitty room. Sherbet sat on one spot and didn't move much. From his body language, Sherbet looks alert but not too comfortable (his eyes were erect, but his whiskers were somewhat close to his face) and my observations says he was not in a relaxed pose. Slim on the other hand, just started rubbing his face and body all over the room and then just sat at one corner. I tried to crack open the cage door a bit (they can smell and look at each other but their head won't pass through), Sherbet tried to get out but Slim came to the door and immediately got irritated. His tail was swishing back and forth faster, I even heard a low hiss coming from Slim. I closed the cage door and touched Slim's back to tell him to back up, he immediately tried to pounce my hand. His tail was still swishing irritatedly and I showed him his carrier. He ignored me and lay down at a corner, watching me. After a while, his tail stopped swishing vigorously and I picked him up by his scruff and put him in the carrier. Conclusion : he still hates Sherbet and wants to pick a fight with him. I let Sherbet out of the room and put back Slim inside.

I called my bf and told him what happened and decided to give Slim until the end of the month. If he still can't get along and no one adopts him, I have to let him go out as a stray. It's sad and a cruel decision but I have no choice. But at least I've done my best and tried my hardest. I hope and pray Slim will change and live in harmony with my other cats but I have my worries. An alpha male stray which reigns over my apartment block for more or almost a year has lived as a tough street cat and a survivalist. When he fought, he will fought for his life and probably till his death. If I let him and Sherbet battle it out for one of them to stand down, I am sure one of them will be scarred for life. If I let him live his whole life in a cage, I think he will go mad or die eventually. Cats have to have their freedom, confining them in small space forever is such a cruel fate. For now I can only sighs. Tomorrow is another training day for him and me.

Kitty Journal 49 - Sherbet, Salem & Slim

Oh my, I haven't written anything in quite awhile. It's been weeks since I last typed something in here. Oh well, let's recap what has happen in my household since mid April. After Slim got better from his neuter surgery, I still kept him in the cage separately. I still worry about feLv and FIP that he could have carried as a stray. Though he still makes a lot of noises (especially early in the morning), I endured it all for the sake of my two other boys. I have to say Slim is still the stinky boy in the house, phew his poo and pee could make my nose fall off (laughs).

One nice morning, I was boggled-eyed to see Slim running around with my two cats. I practically woke up and caught him and put him back into the cage. Male cats are so energetic, he even manages to open the cage door ..

Another same situation happened while I was preparing canned food for them, suddenly there were three cats by my feet mewing for food. I was taken aback for awhile and laughs later on. Seems somewhat harmless since all of them were eying the plates of wet food in my hands. After handing everyone their meals, I put Slim back into his cage.

April 28th, I took Sherbet for his 2nd vaccination and Salem the next day for his annual booster. It all went well, but the next day Sherbet had watery eyes. I thought that maybe something got into his eyes but after some examination, nothing was there and his eye kept on oozing clear liquid. On Saturday, I brought Slim and Sherbet to our vet for checkup and 2 in 1 (feLv & FIP test). The good new is that Slim is negative on for both disease and Sherbet had a mild case of fever (suspected from the side-effect of vaccination). Bad news was, it sure burned a deep hole in my pocket! (smile sheepishly). Upon the good news, I decided to let Slim out of his cage and mingle with the crowd at home.

At first they avoided each other but when I whip out the dangling toy, Slim and Salem forgets about everything else and played to their hearts content. Though I noticed Sherbet shying away every time Slim pounces the toy near him. After awhile, I had to go out with my family and decided to leave all of them in the cat room. Less than 5 minutes, the cats broke into a fight. The sound was almost alien in my house it took me a few seconds to realize it was coming from the room. I quickly open the door to the kitty room while my family stood aghast. Salem ran out, disoriented and fur standing on all ends. Sherbet was engaged in an all out battle with Slim, wrapped in each other ignoring everything else. I armed myself with my trusty fly swatter and a spray bottle. A squirt at them and they broke apart, Sherbet ran under the bed in my bedroom while Slim hissed madly and bared his fangs at me. I closed the kitty room door and braced myself for a showdown. Slim was spitting mad, from his body language I can see he was aggressive defensive. Touch him and he will swipe at me. I hit the fly swatter on the floor to scare him and after awhile, sprayed water on him at an angle. He dashed into the cage and I put in his litter box and close the cage door. Let him calm down.

My bf who came over helped me calm Sherbet down and called him from under the bed. The rest of my family was laughing at cute Salem with his fur standing on all ends, going back on forth in front of the room. Seems like he can't make up his mind either to help big bro Sherbet or ran for his life. We all agreed Salem is always the cute one. After thinking for awhile, I realized Slim has to go through a series of rehab. He has been on the street for quite awhile and god knows how his last owner treats him. I decided I will let him out of the cage on days I am free, to watch them mingle and accept each other. But Slim will definitely be in his cage when I am not around the house or sleeping. It will take weeks or months for them to accept each other but it's the only way. My bf asks me if I want to give away Slim but I told him firmly if Slim is unsociable, giving away is useless. He might get aggressive with new owner, their household, other pets, gets thrown away or send back to me. It's better for him to stay with me so I can train him and care for him.

Today is the 3rd day I let him out of his cage. He seems to mingle well with Salem, they chased each other around the house and tag each other. I don't see any aggressive behavior between those two so far. No hissing or standing fur or even wide swishing tail. Salem is a very friendly cat and always looks for a new friend. Sherbet is somewhat reluctant. I figured he would be tough to accept new cat in the house since he's the first cat in my home, and he knows it. Although I'm not sure whether he sees Slim as a prey or a predator. Slim would try to get closer to him but he'd run away of growl (I heard it once). I'm guessing Sherbet would need sometime to realize Slim is another friend and family. It will take some more time for them to accept each other. Integrating an adult cat to another adult cat is not an easy task in my opinion. They can be somewhat territorial and defensive. I guess it will take some patience and love to make the integration smooth. I wish them well and I hope this will wield a positive result in the end.

Oh yes, these are the latest picture of Slim. Though he's no longer 'Slim', he's actually a bottomless pit. I had to hide all the kibbles from him whenever I let him out of the cage. He'd eat any food he sees..

Slim drinking from their water bowl

Slim's face (looks so healthy now)

Slim stretched out .. he never stay put for a snapshot

Only time he's stays put.. while stuffing his face..

Kitty Journal 48 - Hot Weather

Well, these few weeks the weather has been somewhat hot. From my observation, Sherbet is highly effected by the hot weather and is molting more than usual. Salem is the same usual cute and naughty boy. Slim is always lounging in his cage and sometime mewing loudly at me for food.

Another thing I've discovered is they drink a lot these days. Which is good, gotta keep hydrated in this hot weather (cant' say the same to me since I prefer flavored drinks rather than plain water >.> ). Their activity level drops down a few notches lately, especially during the day. I assume the hot weather is making them lazier (I always see Sherbet sleeping around during day time and Salem sleeping spread eagle too). Sadly, I have no air conditioning to help them cool down. We'll just have to make do with the fans I have at my home.

Sherbet had his vaccination but the sad part is that he have to re-do his vaccination because I delayed his annual booster more than a month. It was done due to the fact he had liver toxicity since early February. So, he's due for the 2nd booster end of April. Same thing for Slim too especially since this is his first vaccination. His poo smells better after deworming, though his pee still smell more pungent than Sherbet or Salem. The funny thing is that Sherbet and Salem is due for vaccination on the same day with Slim's second vaccination a week after that. Phew, it'll be such a busy month for me.

Though after more than a month having Slim in the house, I haven't made up my mind to keep him or put him up for adoption. Plenty of time anyway, I have nothing to rush. I still haven't let him out of his cage to interact with my two other cats and haven't seen his real personality. I've heard he's somewhat fierce, but seems very fond and affectionate towards me so far. His fur has gotten really soft and silky (thanks to a month of Blackwood consumption), his face looks so much better than when I first took him into my house. Now I have to slowly manage my funds and see if I can do feLv test on Slim sometime soon. His neuter stitches has healed completely and I look forward to the day he can be free in my home. Gambatte Slim!

Kitty Journal 47 - Slim Post-Neuter

After some contemplation, I took the next step to cat rearing... I send Slim for neutering. I called Klinik Kembiri last Wednesday and got an appointment on Sunday. Luckily enough, my parent came to visit last weekend and having a car around is much more easier than riding on motorbike with a cat.

After following the usual procedure of fasting the cat, I send him to the neuter clinic at 9.30am. Slim was the 12th cat to be neutered that day. I left him at the clinic and took Sherbet for his liver test at another vet. After a month, I am confident that Sherbet's liver has gone back to normal.

At 11.30am, the neuter clinic called me to inform Slim is all done and can be taken home. I rushed off and picked him up at the clinic. I was somewhat surprised to see the cost of neutering has raised up to RM20 since last year. Last year, neutering male cats only costs RM40 but it's RM60 now. Oh well, at least the waiting period is shorter and still cheaper compared to private vets. I was quite surprised to hear the assistant saying Slim was somewhat fierce in the surgery room. I was like "Huh, really?", he was never fierce before to me or my bf (though I'm guessing feeding him on and off since February made him more friendly to us ). My mom did say Slim hissed at her when she went open the cat's room to let out Salem and Sherbet. Hmm, the only way is to wait and see how Slim reacts to the vet when I bring him in for vaccinations (probably next week, after his stitches dried up).

Slim was more active than my other cats, awake and was steady on his feet when I brought him into the house. Whereas my other cats (Sherbet, Salem & the late Neko-chan) took almost all night to really be awake and steady on their feet. Maybe it's the anesthetics that they used? Maybe it's the fact that Slim is older than the others for neutering (Sherbet, Salem & the late Neko-chan was neutered at 6 months old and I think Slim is more than a year old). I'm looking forward to a better and healthier Slim. He weights around 4.5kg I was told (by the assistant at the neuter clinic) and looks better than the first week I took him into the house. Lets all wish Slim better health!

Kitty Journal 46 - Slim's Update

Oh my, I haven't written my kitty journal for quite awhile now. Why is that? *ponders* I guess I was busy taking care Stinky Slim and nothing much to write about my cats.

How is Slim (or sometimes I called him Stinky Slim)? He is getting healthier and last week, thankfully his ringworm cleared up. No more bumpy, scaly bumps on his face or body and no more mites. Hurray for Slim! I combed him for mites and thank goodness none was around. Yay for Frontline! The annoying thing at the moment is Slim's contant mewing. He is a sexually matured male adult cat (I assumed he's adult) hence he spend most of his time answering mating calls. Usually in the wee hours of the morning *groans out loud*. After some contemplating, I decided to send him for neutering this weekend. Hopefully the neutering will also reduce the strong urine odor that he discharged. He is somewhat a gluttonous eater and eats anything I put in his bowl instantly. I guess living as a stray, barely having any food is still ingrained in his mind. It will take months of feeding for him to realize food will always be there here in my home. At the moment, I constrict his food intake since I saw him getting diarrhea last week. After withholding food for a day, his poo was back to normal. I decided since he can't control his eating habits, I'd better control it for him for now until he gets better.

It took some effort for me to balance out cat's funding and my personal expenditures. I'm glad everything is within limit and are as I expected. The good news is that my two cats and Slim seems to tolerate each other very well. I never heard any hissing so far and that is a very good sign. According to my calculations, Slim would get his vaccinations finished by early May and then get a feLv test soon after. The result of the feLv test will see whether he will be confined for quite awhile or free to roam my home. I hope it is the latter and I can't wait to see Slim free and lounging happily in my home. Although I am somewhat worried about Slim's litter box manners. I caught him pooing outside his litter box yesterday while I took his litter box out of the cage for cleaning. I still wonder if his action were intentional or accidental. It will be a hard habit to break in my opinion, since he is used to defecate anywhere on the floor when he was still a stray. All in all, I look forward to Slim's recovery. In my eyes, he's doing better everyday. Lets wish Slim good health and see how he goes! *Thumbs up*

Kitty Journal 45 - Another Rescue Effort

Opps, I did it again. Reminds me of Britney Spear's song and I have to admit it, I did it again. I rescued another cat. This time it's the black tabby dslh that has been hanging around my corridor. He looked beautiful at first, and I thought he belongs to someone but I was wrong (dead wrong to be exact).

After seeing him on and off these past 2 months (and feeding him whenever he comes to my door), I decided to cat nab him. I don't care if he was someone's cat, since he was looking worse each time he came to my door. I can see him so hungry, and patches of ringworm starting to be more visible on his head and scruff.

I took him in and gave him a bath (anti flea / mite shampoo of course). While bathing, I checked his claws and it was not as sharp as I thought it was. He was so skinny, practically skin and bones and his ringworm was a lot worse than I anticipated. I called my bf and decided to bring him to the vet the next morning.

At the vet, they gave him ringworm shot and a dose of Frontline, to curb the mites running around on his skin. We asked the vet to give anti-fungal cream to be applied on his skin. The vet told me the ear drop I bought months before can be used to cure ringworm too. But to be on the safe side, I asked for the cream (I wasn't sure if the ear drop is enough, I used it quite frequently to clean my other cats' ears).

Thus begin the extra careful, cleaning days of my life (it reminds me of the days I brought in the late Neko-chan into the household). Everyday I have to put anti-fungal cream on the cat and maintain a strict disinfecting routine. I cleaned the area outside the cage and the equipment I used since ringworm can spread easily to human (or other animals). Phew, I sure feels like a microbiology student *sweat*..all these sterilization and whatnot. Hopefully the black tabby (Oh yes, we named him 'Slim' since he's so skinny and it goes well with my other cats name i.e Sherbet and Salem) will get better in a week or two. Last time I treated the late Neko-chan, she got better after a week. Good luck to me and Slim now! *thumbs up*



Hello, my name is Slim










I may look healthy but I am quite sick :(

Kitty Journal 44 - Picky Cats *Sighs*

Arghh.. this week I want to rant about my picky cats. I have Sherbet who needs to take his liver supplements daily who is somewhat a picky eater. He's suppose to take his supplements with wet food BUT he prefers dry kibbles and most of the time refuses to eat the wet food mixed with supplement *groan out loud*. I even try fasting him, but still Mr-Picky-Eater refuses to finish his food (even though I only put a spoonful of wet food so that he will finish the food). On the other hand, Salem is the lover of wet food. He prefers wet food over dry food but when there's no other choice, he would still eat the dry kibble.

At this moment I have to separate Salem and Sherbet when feeding wet food and usually have to confined Sherbet in the cat room until he finishes his food.

On a side note, I found this article about stray cats in Japan and I find it somewhat cute
It's A Cat's World
Here is more about Tama-chan, the famous cat Super Station Master.. isn't he cute?
Cat In Hat Can't Quit































Picture courtesy of Lets Japan, Cats Eye Stationmaster Posts

Kitty Journal 43 - A Very Good News

After two weeks of eating liver supplements, I send Sherbet for another blood test today. As usual, he's scared witless going to the vet. Mewing loudly and restless in the carrier I brought him in. He was trembling but it went well. Vet weight him and if I remembers correctly, he gained 0.06kg the last two weeks. My red tabby is now at a whopping 5.56kg. He's gaining weight and this is a good thing to me, it's a sign that his appetite is back. Though the vet caution me not to feed Sherbet too much else he'd get too fat and can easily get heat stroke. I'll try to reduce his portions now.

Every cloud has a silver lining and after a month of being worried and anxious, my silver lining has shown itself. A month after Neko-chan passed away and more than three weeks after Sherbet was diagnosed with liver toxicity, I was granted a good news today. At 3.06pm, the vet called me regarding the blood test. The liver parameter has shown normal results. I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally after weeks of going back and forth to the vet and making sure Sherbet finishes the supplement vet gave me, his liver is back to normal. Thank god for his recovery. The vet told me to continue Sherbet's liver supplement diet and then come in next week for another blood test. If it's still within the normal range, then he is clear and can stop taking the liver supplements. I gave my thanks to the vet and smile happily. My naughty boy is finally getting better and I feel so relieved.

I didn't want to think how much I have paid for his recovery but I am so glad he's getting better. No one is to blame for the cost except myself for endangering my cat's life. I'm glad I figured out the problem and took care of it before another life is lost. Thank god for everything and thank god I have given another chance to be with my beloved cats much longer. Today is a good day..

Kitty Journal 42 - Hello March!

Ah, how time flies, it's already March 2010. Where did the time go?

Let me list out the timetable for Sherbet. What Sherbet does most of the day..

8pm-4am
Nap and then occasionally wakes up to snack on kibbles.
Sometimes I climb onto the chair or the shelf beside Mama to nap.
Sometimes I climb onto Mama's computer table and naps on Mama's hand. It's so warm and nice.

4am-7am
Walks around the apartment and mew at mama, wanting snacks (snacks are hidden).
Sometimes comes to sleeping mama and begs for food.
Sometimes comes to cuddle with mama.
If mama is on computer, I jump up to the computer table and ask for petting. I like staring at the colorful picture on the computer *stares*. Mama gets angry sometimes because I made the computer do beep beep sounds.
Naps here and there. It is so hot, I like to take naps.


7am-11am
I mew at mama and begs for food. Mama says no, but I make a cute, sad face for mama to give me snacks. Mama laughs at me but still says no to snacks.
I play chase with Salem and we fight around. I like pouncing with Salem, he doesn't back down or get frightened. We are like brothers!
Sometimes I climb the cat tree Mama made and stare at the scenery. Many people and animal outside, I like looking at them. Oh look! There's a yummy bird flying by. *Stares*

11am-11.15am
Mama take out the dangling toy. I like it when Mama take out that toy. I chase it up and down, across the room. Sometimes the red toy ran away, I like pouncing on it.

11.30am
Mama takes out yummy food for me and Salem. Oh, the smell is so good! Hurry hurry Mama, I want to eat it fast! It's so delicious.



12pm-3pm
Finish eating, groom myself and laze around. Ah, my tummy is so full.
I like taking a nap near the front door on the blue carpet. The wind from outside is cooling.

3pm-8pm
I walk around the house, climb the cat tree and pounce Salem. We play and chase each other till Mama tells us to slow down. It was so much fun! Sometime I follow Mama around and stalks her. Mama loves playing hunter and prey with me.
Sometimes I hear noises outside our door, it frightens me. I hide under Mama's table.
Sometimes I snack on kibble Mama put out. I like the kibble, it's yummy.

Kitty Journal 41 - Bath for Sherbet!

Today, I decided to give Sherbet a bath. Why? Because he hasn't bathe in three weeks. Salem already had his bath last week so he was exempted. I boiled water, pour it into a pail and mixed with cold water. At the right temperature (slightly warmer than to my liking), I pour some into a basin and mixed in Earthbath Cat Shampoo. Ahh, love the smell. Then I grab the struggling Sherbet and in he go into the basin. I'm guessing the temperature is perfect for him since he didn't mew at all. He was just busy trying to get out of the basin. After a few minutes of scrubbing, another few minutes of rinsing and another few minutes of wiping his face with a wet cloth, he's all done. Smelling good and totally wet. I wrapped him up in a thick towel, then rubs him as much as I can and voila, into the cage till he's not dripping wet. I don't use hair dryer on him since he's terrified of the sound. Let him dry out on his own.

Here is the semi-wet Sherbet, after a bath.

I gave him wetfood mixed with his liver supplement and after a few hours, Sherbet is back to his fluffy but smelling good self. After having a nice bath and eating good food, he's down for his usual nap.

Kitty Journal 40 - D.I.Y Cat Toy and My Cats Video

I modified a dangling cat toy that I made a few months back. I used a wire hanger, fishing thread, a bit of yarn and a small bell.

Voila, a homemade dangling cat toy

Look at how my cats played with it


Another trait my cats have is licking each other, but mostly Sherbet demands grooming session from other cats namely Salem and my late Neko-chan. Here is a video of how thorough Salem is grooming his "brother's" face. Though they are not blood related at all.


P/S: Sorry if the quality is not very good, it was taken via mobile phone camera and I don't have video editing software. XD

Kitty Journal 39 - Hello There

These past few days, a sort of black tabby stray kept coming to my front door asking for food. He looks beautiful, a bit on the skinny side but his tail is beautiful. I didn't dare touch him since my Sherbet is still under precaution due to liver problem, so I just watched him from the door. My bf came over and helped me feed the cat, we call him Kelabu (Gray). He is somewhat fierce and territorial, which I think is typical for an intact male cat. Sometimes I see him engaged in cat fights at night time downstairs. I wondered if he's a stray or someone's pet, but I guess I'll never know. He could probably be the typical outdoor pet, some so-called owner feed him but let him roam and defecate wherever it pleases. The typical mindset of some cat owners I think.

He will be gone during the morning and then appears at noon till night near the front of my door to beg for food. To be honest, I would have taken him in as one my own if I could but at the moment I am somewhat tight with a cat that is sick and I already have two adult male cats. Having another adult male cat in the house will be somewhat difficult, especially with Sherbet being very territorial. I am somewhat glad I put up netting on my front door, so I can keep my indoor cats and Kelabu apart. Even so, Sherbet doesn't hesitate to hiss and spat at Kelabu when he comes to beg for food.

I wish Kelabu the best and ponders his fate. If I were not this tight with money now, and he is confirmed a stray, I would take him in a heartbeat. Keep him caged, neuters and put him up for adoption. That's the right thing to do. Alas, I can only smile, feed him and greets him. The timing is so wrong..

P/S: His expression reminds me of my late Neko-chan, that fierce piercing eyes.

Kitty Journal 38 - Another Day At Home (Pics)

This morning I snapped a few pictures of my sleeping cats. They looked so adorable together, reminds me of the days when they were so much younger. I don't feel like writing anything much today, just post pictures to feast your eyes on. Behold! The cuteness of the ultimate cuteness! :D

1 year ago

Yesterday

Sherbet, the computer technician?

Salem, hanging out on the D.I.Y cage

Naptime!

Sherbet's napping expression (looks somewhat like an old man hehe)























Salem's sleeping expression (looks very kitten-like hehe)

Kitty Journal 37 - Post Second Bloodtest

Today is the 3rd day I gave Sherbet his supplements. He looks normal, same affectionate and active cat. He plays around and slept together with Salem. Watching them sleep together is so cute. To be really honest, I'm glad the liver problem was detected quite early. From what I'm seeing, the supplements is helping Sherbet's liver flush out the toxins by itself. But I should not be too relaxed, I should practice more vigilance! Everyday I took the time to groom Sherbet and peek into his ears, watch the skin coloring and watched their pee clump and poo. Noting if there's any different in the color, amount and frequency. So far nothing out of the ordinary.

For one thing, I practice better hygiene for my cats now. I throw away kibbles that are exposed for long hours and washes their food and water bowl every few hours. I am also more careful at leaving dirty dishes in the sink. Either I wash them and put the clean dishes away, or I cover them with something so my cats can't have access to dirty dishes. I always kept the garbage bin closed, so that my cats can't ransack the garbage. It was funny how these thing was somewhat insignificant a few months back. Now, it is my duty to keep dangerous things away from my cats.

It was sad losing a cat, but it made me realized a lot of things I haven't realized before. Cleanliness, safety and hygiene from the eyes of cats. On a broader view, the death of Neko-chan made me look at a lot of things more critically. On a side note, the diagnose of Sherbet's liver problem somehow made me forget about my sadness. I was too busy worrying about another of my furkids and somehow it helped me get through the grief. A blessing in disguise of some sort I reckon. As I watch Salem and Sherbet huddled together in a corner, I smiled to myself and think "Oh, how cute". I wish for them to stay like that for years and years to come.

Kitty Journal 36 - Blood Test Result 180210

I waited patiently for my phone to ring yesterday. At around 10am, the vet called me to give report of the blood test. It seems Sherbet still have liver function problem. The result of the tests still shows somewhat high toxicity in the liver. Although the vet told me he can't really compare both the result since it was done at a different machine. For some reason, the vet that took the blood send it to another lab for testing. Hence, it's somewhat difficult to gauge the exact range of toxic in the liver. The platelet count, from what I saw was at the borderline. This is good for me since the last blood test shows the platelet count somewhat in below the normal range.

After some consultation, the vet told me give Sherbet the same liver supplement they gave the week before for seven days. The supplement is called Samylin (for small breeds), 1 sachet per day for seven days.

SAMYLIN®

The liver has an essential role in many body functions, such as metabolism and storage of nutrients. Daily it is exposed to many threats and toxins. SAMYLIN® helps protect the liver via a complex of antioxidants that work synergistically to provide the best possible protection. It contains the antioxidant Glutathione precursor SAMe and thiol donor Silybin, vitamin E and C for management of liver disorders.

-taken from VetPlus uk website

I'm guessing Sherbet is still out of danger, and we're hoping that he will get well by himself gradually. I asked the vet's opinion about Sherbet's condition, whether is is something contagious but he said, from the test everything else looks normal except for his liver function and the borderline platelet count. From his experience, it is probably poison ingestion and not infection of some sort. I raked my brains with my bf on how Sherbet and the late Neko-chan could be poisoned but not Salem. They are all indoor cats, my apartment never had any invasion of rodents and hardly any insects came in (I chase flies like a maniac in my apartment with my fly swatter). What does the two of them have in common that's different from Salem? I asked myself. After talking to my bf, we realized Sherbet and the late Neko-chan loves eating the kibble I bought for them. Neko-chan ate the most, Sherbet was second in line and Salem barely ate the kibble. Salem prefers wetfood than dry kibbles. After awhile we realized it was something in the food. We also realized the amount of kibble they ate had reduced greatly since last November.

In October, 7kg was barely enough to feed them for a month but by November I only needed around 6kg. After each month it was reduced to barely 3kg a month. I thought it was due to the smaller portion I gave them each feeding. My family was commenting Neko-chan looks fat and worried she'd get obese and get sick. So I reduced their feeding portions. How I should have paid more attention. After much discussion, my bf and I realized that in October I bought an automatic air freshener to mask the strong litter box odor at my apartment. Every 28 minutes, the air freshener would spray the perfume and although it was high up the door frame it was close to the cat's food and drink bowl. It dawned to me, that probably the residue of the air freshener seeped into their kibble and they've been ingesting the chemicals for the last 4 months. In other words, the last four months I've been accidentally feeding my cats poisonous kibbles.

Since of all the cats, Neko-chan is the big eater and also easily stressed out she was the one most effected by the poisoning. Sherbet ate a lot of kibble too but he is less stressed out than Neko-chan hence the slower effect. Salem who ate the least kibble and the least stressed, shows no signs of poisoning. I tried to read up on the air freshener but not much information was available but after much consideration, I see no other cause for poisoning. Neko-chan was never a curious cat compared to Salem who was much more curious and naughty, hence the conclusion of the disease plaguing my household. I immediately took out the air freshener and leave it in the no-cat room (which is actually sort of like my dressing room). I mopped the floor, wash and changed their kibble and water. I have a feeling Sherbet will get better eventually, but it will take a lot of effort from me. I think he will also have to take the supplement for awhile before he is deemed healthy. The good news is that Sherbet is free to roam inside the house now. He is happier and less stressed. Though he have liver function problem, Sherbet is still the same naughty and active cat. He run around the house playing with Salem. Pounce on the dangling toy, eat kibble as much as he can and rolls around near me or my bf. Salem looks happier too since he has his playmate back with him now. Now that I have realized where the fault lies, I will put more effort into taking care of them. I shall update my little cat notebook and monitor their health and habits more. This 1 year has taught me some lessons, good ones and bad ones. I shall take everything in and strive to be a better parent to my cats.

It saddens me somewhat when I showed the vet the result of my late Neko-chan's blood test. He says her liver function test is bad, but it is still good. They had a cat warded there that had 1.3K amount of liver toxicity (which is almost triple of the late Neko-chan's result) but that cat fell from the 5th floor and injured it's liver. From the way the vet said it, Neko-chan could probably be saved. But it no use wondering the "If", I made the wrong choice and lived to regret it. Again, this is a bitter lesson I have learned. Now, I have to calm down the somewhat stressed out Sherbet. Being locked up for 8 days is getting to him and the visit to vet (twice in a week period) really scared him. Other than the usual petting session and playing session, I gave him catnip to calm him down. Let's all wish Sherbet, get well soon! Your wishes will surely reach him.