Kitty Journal 29 - Cats post-boarding

I SEND MY CATS FOR BOARDING! You read it correctly, I send them for boarding. I thought long and hard about Hari Raya Aidiladha and decided it's better for them to be send for boarding. Granted it burned a deep hole in my already thin pockets, I calculate carefully and saved money to send them to boarding.

To be completely honest, I was never comfortable sending my cats to other people to take care of. I've known to be very possessive and the thought of other people handling my cats just bothers me. Deep in my mind, nobody takes care of them like I do (granted I don't give them the most expensive food / grooming or vet). But I worry a lot letting them stay with strangers. Weighing facts, pro and cons I decided it was the best choice. I don't really want to trouble my parents by borrowing their car or suffering 3-4 hours of Salem loud mewing in the car. I decided to go with a petshop that provided boarding and they even came to pick up my cats (which is the most important criteria since I only have a motorbike). The cost was affordable for me and I booked a week of boarding for my cats in advanced and counted the days.

A week before they came over to pick up my cats, Sherbet show signs of stress. He was overly affectionate and kept molting. I was surprised to see Sherbet's fur everywhere in the house and whenever I pet him, more fur would fall off. He was even more vocal than usual. I guess he knew I was sending him away (although only for awhile). My other cats seems to go through their days happily without worries.

On the day they came, I can't help but feel worry. It was my first time being away for quite a long time from my furkids. The longest I've been away from them is probably 8 hours. The pick up guys were nice enough, bf & I helped put the cats into the carrier they carried. Salem as usual, loved attention (especially from strangers). Neko-chan was hissing in the carrier (I'm guessing they didn't clean the carrier properly and the smell of other cats before is still there). Sherbet struggled to escape from the carrier and ran off under the chair. I had to coax him out, carry him and assure him it was okay. It kinda break my heart to see him so scared. I gave them instructions, left them a memo in the paperbag which carries the cat food and the multivitamin for Salem & Neko-chan. When they left, the house felt so empty and quiet. It was so weird, I can't believe how lonely I felt. Although I used to live alone before, the loneliness was even more apparent now. I stare at the empty cat room and the toy that littered the floor. It was heart-ranching, I wanted to cry because I've missed them already.

The next day, I went back to my parents and everyday I counted the days I can see them back. I didn't tell anyone how worried I was about my cats. I kept picturing them running away and got hit by a car, scared being with strangers. Maybe the boarding shop caught fire and my cats were trapped.. I kept imagining the worse. But my bf assure me they are all fine and told me to wait patiently for the email or MMS they're sending. On the 6th day, I finally got a MMS from the boarding shop and saw my cats. I was glad to see they all look healthy. They missed Salem's pic and I sms them back, asking for Salem's pic. I was somewhat worried about that little banshee. The next day I got Salem's pic and laughed at Salem's picture. He looks so happy and content, all stretched out on the floor. I said to myself "Salem, you slut! I worry over you for nothing".

My cats came to me all healthy and happy the next day. Sherbet as usual is wary of strangers and ran to hide under the chair. Salem stretched out on the floor as if nothing unusual had happened. Neko-chan ran and hide. I thanked the boarding shop and hugs all my cats. It was good to see them.

After sending them to boarding, I noticed some changes. Salem has become less vocal and demanding. It was a good progress to me since he would always mew loudly for attention and became destructive before. But after sending him for boarding, he hardly ever mew for attention. He even spend his time playing by himself (either chasing scraps of paper, balls, hiding under the rug, etc). Sherbet on the other hand, became more vocal and affectionate. Some might say he's cuter for being so affectionate but I find it somewhat stifling. He would come up to me anytime he wants and mews. If I ignored him he would jump on the computer table, plopped his butt in front of the keyboard and lie down across the table and demands to be pampered. I can barely use my keyboard when he does that. He even used one of my hands as his pillows. All I can say is that, I guess he switched personality with Salem. Oh well.. at least my cats has more character now *smile*

Kitty Journal 28 - The Problematic Salem

Curious what's the picture is all about? Simple, it's Salem doing one of his antics. His new found hobby is scratching on the bathroom door. Sometimes when there's nobody in there (I kept the bathroom / shower door closed so my cats won't be licking or sniffing bleach) and sometimes while I was in there *sighs*. He would scratch and mews at the door till I opened a bit (if I were inside) and then he would stop and just stare at me or sit down quietly in front of the bathroom. Other times he would just scratch on the door and then stare at me when I scold him (even though there we nobody in the bathroom). Granted his behavior is typical to when he was locked up in the cat room or in a cage, it still mind boggles me. In my opinion, he still acts like a kitten when he's practically an adult (at nine months old). My other two cats just stare at him whenever he's throwing tantrums. The good news is that he realized that my fly swatter is a deadly weapon (I smack the ground / carpet real hard in front of my cats to scare them whenever they're up to mischief) and he will run into their room whenever I caught him scratching the bathroom door. Granted it was fun to have Salem follow me around the house, when I'm in the kitchen he will sit nearby. He was always outside the bathroom whenever I shower or use the bathroom. I called him the black stalker or the bodyguard *laughs*.
Last week, I bought a book on cats at a local warehouse used book sale. It was really good, with a lot of illustration on how to take care of cats, first aid and grooming. It also features problematic cats and the remedy for them. I came to realized that Salem is a dependent cat, solely dependent on humans (namely me and my bf). He follows us around, would even try to follow my bf outside the front door whenever he leaves. Follows me all around the house, even sleep beside my feet most of the time (I find that somewhat cute though). But what annoys me is his constant mewing when he demands attention. He would sit on his but, usually on top of the coffee table and mew from the top of his lungs. He would only stop when I reprimand him *loud audible sigh*.

Like these sandals? This is another of Salem's antics.

See the bite marks? It's all Salem's doing, sometimes I wonder if he's a cat or a dog in disguise. He chewed the black shoe off, it's unwearable. I grew tired of scolding him, anytime I take my eyes off him, he will chew the sandals. Once I was shocked to see bits of the shoe stuck to his teeth.. it mind boggles me why he would chew shoes, it's not as if I didn't feed him T_T

It all come down to Salem being too dependent, so I'm guessing he needs a new companion. I'm debating about adopting another cat but it's not a bad idea. ( I love cats anyway, it's just my pocket isn't deep enough to splurge on them *laughs*).

Oh well, it's the trials of a cat owner. I have to learn how to cure this nasty behavior of Salem's and then make him a better cat. ; )