CatDonna's Cats

Pomeranian Adopted

My colleague and I picked up an abandoned Pomeranian bitch near our office some time ago [you can read a bit about it and see her lovely pic HERE].

After a couple weeks of intensive treatment for her skin and ear infection, the Pom is recovering and has been adopted by my colleague's younger sister. Yay.

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Supplier's Kitten on Road to Recovery

Early last week I mentioned S's latest rescue kitten that was suffering from panleukopenia aka FIE aka Feline Distemper [read about what happened HERE].

I went back last Friday to get collect an order and saw the kitten. S did a fantastic job of turning his health around. When I first saw the kitten, he could barely move. Now he looked much better, and could walk around and eat and drink.

Photos taken with my colleague's camera phone, so the resolution is somewhat grainy. A big thank you to MARK R for the pics, okay I've named you here, now you must read my blog. Heh.


Let me out, I'm telling you, I'm better already

The secret for his miraculous improvement - besides aggressive support therapy, a sterile environment, and a lot of loving - is apparently this very special [and very expensive] feline health supplement blend. Good God, I've already forgotten its name, but I'm sure she'll be promoting it from now on.

His name is Sunshine, and S is keeping him. Shared adversity is a powerful bond. They are so in love with each other.


Giving us a handsome Sunshine Smile

I'll have to call S again tomorrow to place a special dog food order [my dogs live with my parents 'cause I haven't any space for bull terriers in my apartment]. I'll probably ask how Sunshine's doing. And I think Sunshine's going to be even better. Woot!

Oh happy me.


CatDonna

We'd been waiting a long time for our turn to have fun, and we found it tonight. You see, the man and the woman decided to change their bedsheets.

One thing you may like to know is that Pip LOVES to go under the bedsheets, blankets, whatever. So long as you place a cloth thingy over another thingy and you ask Pip to sleep there, we bet you five biscuits she'll go burrowing under IMMEDIATELY, like a stupid rabbit or weasel [which we call her behind her back, btw].

She says it's because she needs to go "undercover" as Inspector Pip or something, but we really know it's because she's a baby and a suck-up and a scaredy cat.

So the humans made their bed and found Pip under the bedsheets sniggering quietly to herself, this lump in the middle of the bed.

Finally, our time to ATTACK!!!!

First we tried to get Teddy to sit on her 'cause he's the heaviest, but Teddy didn't understand why. He just kept saying "But I don't see Pip! And that's just a bump", while playing with his little stuffed bunny toy.


Sit on Pip? Where???

We decided to leave Teddy alone, or else he could get depressed and/or hysterical if we made him think too hard. So we got Chocolate to take incriminating photos with the digicam, while Doe and Polly practised their wrestling moves on Pip.

What fun! Pip was screaming and yelling and crying while Doe and Polly took turns to try out Full Body Slams,



Twisting Clawing Jumps,



and Deathly Ninja Bites.

At one point we were asked to join in, but we felt that our skills weren't quite up to it yet so we just stepped on her head a bit. That's not too difficult.

Finally the people decided we'd bullied Pip enough [but not nearly enough, there is never "enough"] and let her out. She sped out the bedroom at the speed of light to hide somewhere, yowling death threats all the way. We think she's more embarrassed than anything, actually.

Then the people put us to bed. It was all very fun. We, Lucie and Boonie, conclude this report in the way we are taught to write, in our kitten school essays on holiday trips and excursions:



"We went to bed, tired but happy".


Done by:
Lucie Luckystar & Boonie Blackbear - SECRETARIAT
JamCreamDoeNut & Polly Pocket - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chocolate Tigress - PHOTOGRAPHER
Teddy - VILLAGE IDIOT

[Note: We had to put Teddy's name down in the report or else he would cry. Thank goodness the ONLY WORD he can read by himself is his name. Hahaha!!!]


Sighhhhhhhh.............

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!


Or, Yet Another Suggestion Re: How To Annoy the Heck Out of The Humans.

I know the woman's been bragging about how well she cooks cat food and all that. Well, we figured since she's so happy about it we may as well make her EVEN HAPPIER.

So this morning, the woman woke up to the glorious cacophony of Cats Complaining about the Empty Food Bowl.

She got up happily enough, and went to the kitchen to pour out the biscuits.

None of us touched the stuff. Not even Teddy [they were warned beforehand by the I.]

No, we just kept circling her like little furry sharks around a sleepy whale. [No reference to her size, I mean. Absolutely none at all. Ha ha ha!!!]

Then on my cue, we started WHINING. Myself especially loud and leading the chorus:

"NO woman, woman you're not doing your job right, we're not eating lousy biscuits, THE RICE, where is THE RICE, C'MON!!!!!"

That was when she screamed in irritation and went to bang her head against the wall. Mission accomplished!

[Of course we'll eat the biscuits later. Just not when she's looking.]

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!! It was SO FUNNY!!!!!!!


Pipperina "Punk'd" Princess: Portrait of a Pussycat's Pleasure

So funny that I just had to post the pic of me laughing. Again!!!

I now invite all my kitty comrades to plan, implement and share your pranks with us. We need to build a library of this stuff. Word.


"Punk'd" Pip

[Note: Long overdue post - I started this on Monday before I went over to the pet supplier, in case you're wondering about the strange inversion of events ie previous post.]

We FORGOT to replenish the cat food over the weekend, and were totally out by this morning. I called my pet food supplier and she said that her stocks for what I wanted were coming in only tomorrow. And she's based in the East Coast, which is quite far from mine humble domicile.

So I decided not to go over till tomorrow. For today, I had to come up with something for a bunch of rowdy gluttonous kitties, some of which are not only greedy but picky as well.

I decided to cook something safe and nutritious, ie my Homestyle Diarrhoea Control Recipe of Beef Mince and Carrot in Brown Rice Mash. [It works, really. Good for kitty's sore little intestines.]

1.

I chucked the brown rice in the cooker and it's off to Ye Olde Supermarket. Dang. No beef mince?! The closest I could get to a viable meat source was chicken breast fillets.

Pah! I spit on you, stupid Shop 'N' Save! But beggars can't be choosers. Bought 500 grams of breasty meat. Ran home, chased seven hungry kitties out the kitchen. Rushed like crazy to get the food going while seven raspy screechy yowling banshees urged me on from outside the kitchen.

2.

The next mistake I made was chopping instead of grating the carrot. Wah lau stupid! Carrot chop so big now can mash meh? So simple lidat your mudder nair teach you issit!*

[*Translation: Goodness gracious, what an unintelligent decision to make. Have you not considered that chopped carrot is relatively harder to mash than grated? Surely your maternal parent would have taught you such simple skills - or hasn't she!]

NEVERMIND!!!!!!

3.

Finally I was happily cooking. La la la la la. I could smell chicken, rice and carrot. And burning paper. Mmmm.

??!!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!

Just in time, I grabbed this huge Japanese biscuit box wrapper from the flame before it could burn up and poison me until I died-ed!




I took a quick look at the wrapper - it read How about taking this cake at your tea time?

In my flustered state I mumbled Oh yeah?! Well how about you getting outta my way when I'm cooking here!

Yup. I had hit the wall of Impending Insanity. I was conversing with paper products.

[The tiny text at the bottom of the wrapper is the actual reason why I kept it. It reads:
"This cake burning politely one by one is soft and fresh. It is a luxurious rarity. Enjoy disposition of confectionerry craftsman. It sends deliciousness to you. It becomes all the more delicious in cooling it in a refrigerator." Wahahahhahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

4.



*mashmashmash by hand with wooden spoon to achieve thick porridge-like consistency*

At last, the food was ready. Actually it took only about 20 minutes but with the wailing outside the door, it felt like forevAR.



The kitties seem to like it... at least they had a go at the stuff.
I've made enough for at least four large meals per kitty from this early evening till tomorrow afternoon, so they shouldn't be complaining or writing strongly-worded letters to SPCA Singapore and/or Amnesty International.

Obviously it's been a long time since I cooked a proper meal, or for that matter had a normal family life. I wish I had the time and energy. To cut a long story short, today's experience has definitely confirmed a major career decision I'm going to make in a few months' time. :)

Today has also renewed my admiration for them clever folks at Avoderm and Natural Balance. They make feeding cats look so easy.


Teddy sends his compliments to the chef

[Update: The cats finished all the chicken-carrot-rice-mash in 36 hours; now they're bulldozing through beef-mince-carrot-rice-mash with biscuits on the side.]


CatNigella

When you walk into your pet food supplier's shop and the first thing the Supplier's Assistant [SA] says is "Watch out for the little cat at the back. It's in a bad way."

When you walk over to the little room at the back and you see your Supplier [S] sitting on the floor, looking like she's been crying.

You've been keeping your eyes peeled; but no cat. So you ask, and S informs you that she'd rescued two kittens, three weeks ago - the first one died this morning after vomiting copious amounts of blood. And the second one was displaying similar symptoms.

Then the cat appears: ginger and white, about 6 months, medium-length coat, a perfect tail. S gives details and you realise that you've never heard the symptoms before:

• High fever [40 degrees Celsius]
• Ulcerated mouth
• Blood tests indicate very low white-, red-blood cell AND platelet counts
• FIP, FELV etc tested negative [so this is not one of the usual suspects]
• Short time period from onset of initial symptoms to death [kitten #1 went from healthy to dead in 5 days]
• The kitten is clearly in great pain. It WHIMPERS EACH TIME IT BREATHES

S took the kittens to TWO vets and both of them, I'm sorry to say, had no clue what it was. They simply gave drips and recommended supportive therapy.

I offered to take kitten #2 to a third vet and S said she and the kitten couldn't take further trauma, No I cannot let him go, I won't let him suffer while I'm not around, I hope you understand.

I can understand.

When I left I called two vets I knew and trusted. Heck, I was going to keep looking for answers or at least something to keep S afloat. Because sometimes even when we sense the worst, it hurts a bit less when we know exactly what is going on.

My second call struck gold. Dr L had treated a kitten with similar symptoms last week, and sadly the kitty didn't make it. It's called PANLEUKOPENIA, or Feline Distemper.

I did a bit of research, called S back and explained some bits I thought she needed to know - especially the parts that mentioned how contagious the virus was and how unvaccinated cats were at risk.

I could hear the strength pouring back into her soul when she said "Oh shit. I gotta disinfect the place." She hung up almost immediately to bleach the entire shop and check on her other rescue cats, some of which had their shots long overdue.

All best, S and kitten #2.

Lessons I've learnt today:

• Keep up with animal vaccinations, routine disinfections etc
• Get third, fourth, nth opinions - QUESTION EXPERT AUTHORITY if necessary
• Do own research

The quality of our life and health is a deeply personal responsibility.

Because at the end of the day, we stand to lose those we love - not just animals but family members and friends - if we don't stand up for them.

CatDonna

I like to check out cat_aunty's blog and gawk at the pics of her cats. Recently an abandoned Persian called Max has come into her life, and she managed to get him adopted. Happy endings for all.

[Dammit why does no one want Lucie and Boonie? StoopidstoopidSTOOPID. Aww shuddup.]

For weeks, while I ogled at pics of a shaven Max [his fur was terribly matted when he first came along], I kept thinking he looked awfully familiar.

Then it hit me while I was taking a shower! Thankfully Pip "Princess of Perverts" wasn't around STARING INTENSELY AT MY SOAPY PRIVATE BITS or I would have been too distracted to remember this hilarious internet urban legend. Here goes.

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"My sister-in law is from Oklahoma and has a slight accent. She has cats and when she lived in the south she would take them to the groomers and have what is called a Line Cut. To her a line cut is when all of the fur hanging down below the cat's tummy is taken off (because it gets matted or snarled).

"When she moved to Chicago with my brother, one of the cats fur got all tangled up during the move so she took it in for a line cut. She was quite surprised when she heard the price as it was twice as much as it was down south. She confirmed with the groomer that he understood what a line cut was and he said "yes, I know what a LION cut is." It seems her accent came out sounding like LION not LINE and this is how her cat was returned to her.

"She cried for a week . . . but not as much as the cat. It was November in Chicago and the cat needed all the fur it had."

• Gas in car to go to groomers - $4.50
• Cat car carrier - $32.99
• Grooming fee - $80.00
• Getting the look from one seriously pissed off cat - Priceless!

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When I first saw these pics I laughed so hard I cried. Enjoy.

CatDonna

Here's when I cobble little bits and pieces over the past few days into a semi-coherent post. Let's get this going!

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Polly went to the vet a couple days ago for a check-up; she's started this habit of sitting alone on the couch and meowing very loudly [although she's already sterilised].

This is my cat with the congenitally damaged liver. Lucie and Boonie are half her age, but BIGGER and HEAVIER than her.

Four months ago she'd gone for a blood test that indicated her ALT [I dunno what this means, but it's a measure for toxicity] was 469 units. The upper limit for normal readings is 100.

Polly was immediately put on a regime of liver supplements + digestive enzymes. Apparently they are working: two days ago her ALT result was 223 units. Still some way to go but we are definitely getting there. I'm glad.


Polly being cooperative. For once!

The funny part was when the vet told me to watch out for indications of excessive toxicity, which include impaired functions [meaning the poison's attacking the central nervous system] and "abnormal behaviour", ie she's gone totally off her rocker.

Man, that's hilarious. Polly's always been somewhat mad. She behaves so abnormally, they should have fitted her out for her straitjacket when she was born.

**********

Pip and Doe seem to be on the warpath with almost everyone. Keeping an eye out, but not worried: They've always been the Moody Twins.

I can hear Polly snarling and beating the crap out of a wailing Doe right now. You don't want to antagonise the resident loony, my boy.

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This comes a bit late, but Celeste has lost a dear little cat. She's been rather sad, but she's getting better.

Tango is finally at peace. We at CatDonna's Cats wish you well.

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Cat of the House of Chaos is having a great time UTTERLY DESTROYING the myth that cat ladies have no life. GO CAT GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I won't link to that blog, but I've just read an account of a young female [non-cat] blogger who just got into a car accident. She was shady about the details, but from what I can infer, it seems drink driving was involved. She'd just got her licence, she mentioned that she's learnt not to mix drinks and medication, and she promised to "take better care of [her]self from now on".

While reading about her experience, the thought crossed my mind that irresponsible people deserve everything they get.

Five years ago, I was involved in an accident with a drunk driver. My car was totalled. No one was injured.

But if my reaction had been a couple of seconds slower, I would have been hit directly by the oncoming drunk driver's car. I could have been severely injured. I could have died.

I'm not wasting my time reading her blog anymore.

**********



So what's our girl doing up there, you think?

Answer: Pip's onto a new hobby - watching me shower. She climbs onto the top of the shower partition. If she had opposable thumbs I swear she would bring popcorn.


Hurry up with the show already, woman

There are eerie comparisons I could make with a certain movie where a woman is stabbed to death in the shower by a *ahem*Psycho*COUGH*. But I won't go there.

Today's Thursday, which is neither here nor there, but we're almost at the end of the week! Happy planning for the weekend!


CatDonna

Continued from Inspector C. Pip's report:
I brought the grovelling gangster back to the police headquarters to educate him on the finer points of interrogation.

However, just as Boonie was about to reveal the deadly truth about the murdered Bad Badtz Maru, a flash of lightning kaboomied the interrogation room!

[Police Chief Teddy: But there's no such word as "kaboomied"!
Inspector Pip: Yes there is. Check the dictionary! Unless *wicked grin* you can't read...
P. C. Teddy: *awkwardly shuffles through the dictionary, stops at "N", squints uncertainly* Umm, why yes, you're right. Here it is. Sorry.]

Where was I... a flash of lightning! Using her special kungfu skills, Lucie "Lightning" Luckystar appeared in the room! Tearfully she embraced her sniffling brother and cried, "Spare him! I'll tell you everything!"


Inspector Pip's gamble flushes out the REAL criminal!
[The left, Chief. Not the right.]

And this was Lucie's account of events...

**********

"Lately, the Penguin had been getting on some nerves in the underworld. Various assassins were dispatched to end Maru's miserable life. However, the blood prize of ten thousand cans of sardines proved too much for the assassins' greed.


Catfight for sardine!

"The assassins began to kill each other off, and this mayhem ended with the victory of the V.I.P.E.R. Death Squad. Drunk Hobo Doe was a casualty in this battle; actually he was a freelance assassin and his street name was DoeDoe, as in 'dead as a dodo'.


Dead as a DoeDoe, indeed

"The V.I.P.E.R.'s then proceeded with PROJECT KILL [The One With A] BILL, which, unfortunately for the penguin, was gruesome and very much a success. That's all."


The murder in an abandoned warehouse...


The disposal on a remote hill

**********

I pondered this a while. The V.I.P.E.R. Death Squad was a formidable force to deal with, but there was one burning question I needed to ask.

"Lu, I'll let you off if you can tell me honestly... who killed DoeDoe the freelance assassin?"

"I can't say because even I am afraid of her. But Poison is her name and poison is her game..." And with that, Lucie grabbed Boonie and they both kungfu-whooshed out of the room.

[C. P. Teddy: But there's no such word...
Insp. Pip: Calm down, chief. Here's some canned possum and peas in jelly.
C. P. Teddy: Thank you, that's very kind. Mmmm.]

I thought very long and hard. Then the answer came, and the tears sprung to my eyes. For Doe was actually an undercover agent and a sweet brother of mine.


Doe's fatal assignment: tailing Polly, head of the V.I.P.E.R's

He had been killed by a perverse poisoner whose name was synonymous with a substance highly lethal to cats and dogs... By a vainglorious vamp who then went on to kill Maru and split 10,000 cans of cold hard sardine... His murderer, my enemy... is CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!


"Bite me, Inspector!"

I have solved the case but that's not enough!
ONE DAY I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE!!! I'LL RIP CHOC'S PERFECT TAIL OUT AND MAKE HER EAT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RRROOOAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspector C. Pip [C is for CLEVER]

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And thus concludes yet another exciting tale from Inspector C. Pip's Archives, or Yet Another Reason Why Pip Hates Chocolate. Well actually they don't hate each other, I'm just making all this up. I think.

As many of you lovely readers are aware, Bad Badtz Maru is a well-loved cartoon character from the Sanrio series, which is famous also for its other creations such as the Ultimate Curse Upon Catkind, aka the Mouthless Wonder Hello Kitty.

Bad Badtz Maru is a penguin with an attitude and a sweet little white seal-girlfriend. I'm fond enough of him to the extent that I've made the woman buy almost all the merchandise we can find, including the water-bottle, utensils and cutlery, clothes etc. What's not to like? Looks and personality wise, we're quite similar if I say so.

So imagine my shock when I saw this!


Before: in fine condition


After: beak ripped out. Likely cause of death - suffocation

Round up the usual suspects!!! Witnesses, come forward!!!

Drunk Hobo Doe offers information, but before I could interview him...


*Hic* I... fink can helllp... ooh, wotta kick... this Shirazzzzz... *dead*

He collapses and dies! His Shiraz was POISONED!!!

Reporting back to the office. In the midst of filing confidential documents and awaiting phone calls by Russian strangers code-named "Yellow Submarine", the Police Chief is NOT amused.


I must say I'm disappointed, Inspector. Even I could keep a hobo alive, and make him talk to boot!

Back to the dangerous streets... on a hunch I speak to the city's celebrated courtesan, Chocolate [the] Tart. She owes me a favour, so she gladly gives information.


You only heard it from a little bird in a tree, okay?

Then we grab the BROTHER OF THE SUSPECT and give him a good beating!!! This is my favourite part!!! Hwoarrr!!!



"Stop! Stop! I'll tell you everything!!!" The petty gangster known as "Little Blackbear" squealed after the nth swipe to his ribs.

You'll come with me into custody and I'll BEAT the truth outta ya, Boonster!

Later.


Inspector C. Pip [C stands for COOL]

This news is about a week late but whatever!

Someone called me [or did I call her first] and announced that her 12-year-old tortoise laid three eggs in the morning! Is that cool or what!

So OF COURSE I went over to investigate. Heh heh heh.


The tortoise is very protective of her eggies. How sweet.


And all these years we thought "she" was a "he"!

Apparently after I left the tortie laid two more but stepped on one by accident, so now there are four. Ah well. She's a first-timer so we'll let her off on that one.

The owner knows someone who might have a male [subject to ahem, close scrutiny] so we'll see how we go next time. :)


CatDonna

Warning: long post ahead.

Was bumming around in the study a few days ago while the cats were doing their thing.

Pip, Boonie and Doe [the attention seekers] were nudging and shoving each other over rights to my lap. Chocolate [resident sleeping beauty] was asleep on a nearby desk. Lucie ["silent killer"] was gleefully wrestling a Bad Badtz-Maru stuffed toy on the carpet. Teddy [our greedyguts] was in the kitchen chowing down and Polly [The Loner] was probably being nasty and weird somewhere quiet.

They are all sleek, strong and healthy; unless genetically hardwired otherwise [ie Pip and Polly, who are slim and petite], the cats are pleasantly plump. Some even have little love handles that jiggle slightly as they run [Teddy, that's you].

It's really cool when I think that these cats came to me as tiny kittens from less-than-desirable circumstances. I have 7 cats currently; 5 required bottle-feeding, most have faced a medical emergency at one time or another. I have watched them as they curled up to sleep on my hand after a feed and potty-trip, comforted by the warmth of my palm; now I can't fit two onto my lap [you can take turns Doe, stop biting Boonie now!].

I'm not even counting the ones that died.

Let's recap, folks. It's short, as in very short story time:

• Pip, Doe and Teddy were trashbag kittens, tied up and dumped. They were not yet weaned. Pip and Doe were very sick and possibly blind; Teddy had a severe ringworm infection.
• Lucie and Boonie were newborn strays, part of a litter of four with their stray mother, in a box outside a restaurant. The restaurant owner mentioned dumping or drowning them; the mother panicked and disappeared during the rescue; the other two newborns died soon after.
• Chocolate was a stray, picked up from a dingy old coffeeshop while begging for scraps. After a couple of months her sister, a grey tabby version of Chocs and equally beautiful, was sighted at the same coffeeshop. However, it was too late to save Choc's sister from the huge abdominal abscess/tumour that finally killed her.
• Polly was a stray, part of a litter of ten [this may explain her diminutive size], the sole survivor of an AVA culling behind a restaurant near the Fullerton. She is the only cat in this house that I didn't rescue directly; someone called Fiona did and I adopted her from a foster, Phyllis.

And now:

• Pip and Doe are hamming it up as the bona fide rulers of this little kingdom - they were the first two to actually live here and so THEY OWN THIS PLACE. Bullying humans, rabbits and other cats into grovelling submission. Running out the house to eat the neighbour's plants. Throwing up. Watching the humans shower. What fun!
• Teddy is really enjoying the free-flow buffet here, y'all. Man, he's fat. And when the bowl's empty he literally comes over to us, meowing loudly and leading us towards the kitchen. "Refills, where are the refills, c'mon!!!" Spends the rest of his time chasing the other cats [tummy fat rippling as he runs] and getting beaten up by Doe.
• Polly spends her time napping in quiet sunny places, eating a lot, mouth-molesting the teddy bear in my bedroom [see previous post] and getting chased mercilessly by a rotund, hopelessly daft ginger lardball [Teddy]. She spits and hisses but somehow, I think she enjoys the company.
• Chocolate's making up for lost time when she was a stray kitten and had to keep her wits about her. Now she's asleep in the best spots most of the day, and spends her waking moments cuddling Lucie and Boonie [mostly Boonie... cradle-snatcher].
• Lucie and Boonie may be litter siblings, but they're very different. Lucie enjoys stuffed-toy boxing, bra-destroying and sleeping in the bathroom. Boonie likes to steal human food, and is borderline pathological in his competitive pursuit of attention, laps, cuddling etc. I predict a hierarchical dispute between him, Pip and Doe soon. But that doesn't have to happen. Adoptions, anyone?

I guess my point is that these kittens have come a long way. Life is good for them; humans are servants and companions, not enemies. They "fight" [if that's what you call it] for sun-spots, not survival. I'm very sure they've forgotten their traumatic, painful pasts.

I'm just as sure that I mustn't.

I'm no saint, just a person who stopped when the trashbag started whining. A person who couldn't walk away from the newborns in a box on a cold, wet October night. A person who set up a blog to make a difference, no matter how small, in getting help for abandoned animals or strays in danger.

And I'm glad I'm not the only one who's stepped forward in the virtual world. Check out the links on the side and you'll realise how cool the cool cats in Singapore and elsewhere really are. Yeah. You guys rock. ;) Which reminds me. There are so many great blogs and other sites out there! I need to expand my blogroll... if you wanna recommend any site [yours included] please drop a line.

Ok that was a long post. The woman being reflective and slightly sentimental about her monsters?! Incredible.

This be some strong flu medication she's on.

Pics coming up soon. They're very cool.


CatDonna

That thar fine blog has mentioned a subject close to mine heart. As well as the woman's, literally. The suckles. Mmmm, SUCKLING. Whoa yeah.

Kittens taken too early from their biological mother sometimes develop interesting behaviours. Suckling and kneading are very common ways of expressing ourselves. Very comforting if you ask me.

This isn't limited to cats that have been hand-raised from young. Sometimes, even cats with a complete and perfectly happy kittenhood will suckle and knead to show affection towards humans and/or objects.

It all depends on the cat though.

My stupid brother Doe only kneads the humans' laps, and that only when he's in a good mood. Then he really pumps it, like an over-eager trainee masseuse in a Shanghai reflexology parlour. Teddy too.

Chocolate kneads very gently, almost imperceptibly... but I hate her so let's not talk about her. Tramp.

Despite being hand-raised since they were 3 days old, Lucie and Boonie don't suckle, only knead. They've always been strange little things.

POLLY IS A PSYCHO TEDDY BEAR LOVIN' SUCKLE FREAK, and I in my sagacious wisdom have captured it as evidence for posterity. Lookit here!


At first bite, Polly hits nipple

I mean, hello, does Polly actually think her mother was a bear?!?!?!? Crazy hobo!!!!


Love Suck[le]s: A Close-Up

Can I say that again? FREAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!!!!!!


Gleefully sucking "Mommy's" toes, Polly challenges social norms of inter-species love

Let's move on to the best bit, shall we?

The I is always superior. You should see how I have used this endearing suckling tendency of mine to establish my natural dominance over these pitiable humans. I've built up a routine for when the woman comes home, and I stick to it. It works!


Behold the drool spot of my lurrrve!
[Kindly ignore boob at top left corner.]

Here's my advice for all kitties out there who want a comfortable suckling routine, without the fuss of repeating your instructions to the humans or suffering the humiliation of a stuffed-toy substitute [ha HA, midget tortoiseshell FREAK]:

1. When the Sucker comes home circle her, whining loudly. Trust me. They love the attention.
2. Follow her to the bedroom where she will change out of her work clothes.
3. Here's the fun part! You can choose which items of clothing you want your Sucker to wear. If she wears the WRONG clothing! then you can either up the whining by a pitch, or walk away in a markedly offended manner. She'll change, just to please you.
4. Once the Sucker wears the RIGHT clothing you can come back purring happily. Remember to show your positive reaction consistently and immediately, so the humans can see the link between their action and your response. [For me, the RIGHT clothing is this set of cheap old tees and nightgowns the woman wore to bottle-feed me and Doe when she first rescued us. I only suckle on these. Oh happy memories.]
5. Get on and suckle! I usually stand in front of my Sucker [the woman] chirruping happily, before I jump up to her waist and get a good grip on her clothing. She'll cuddle me and sit in front of the computer, where I'll suckle a piece of clothing + knead myself into euphoric oblivion on her lap. It feels so good I purr all the time, and then I fall asleep, and then I wake up and suckle again... Mmmm. Bliss.

If your intended Sucker doesn't get it right the first, second, or tenth time, don't worry. Patience and perseverance, comrades! Humans CAN be trained. All best.



A satisfied customer


Happy Pip!

Wwoooaaarrggghhhhhhhh.

Just woke up. Headache. Exhausted.

Exhausted after 11 hours' sleep. How weird can that be?

Long work days catching up.

Didn't help that I was at a celebratory dinner yesterday and overdid it on the celebrating.

Nope, not alcohol, I'm not 18 anymore.

Stupid chocolate fountain.

Lesson learnt. When there's a choc fountain on the premises DO NOT fill up a bowl and drink. The choc is FOR DIPPING STUFF IN NOT DRINKING. Otherwise it DOES BAD THINGS TO YOUR HEAD the next day.

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There are two events I'm supposed to attend today but I can't! I can't!!!

The first is a potluck event for volunteer counsellors. I help out with the HIV+ and MS [multiple sclerosis] patients at one of our hospitals. But I can't go because I haven't prepped anything and would feel so awful being a freeloader. Hmph.

The second is the Cat Welfare Society's TNRM workshop which i can't go to because i don't even know where and when it is and don't have contact numbers to call and forgot to check the details cos i kept thinking i would do it later argh okay enough.

So so sorry everyone. This is very unlike me. I normally am very responsible about these things. *blush in shame*

Stupid. Me. Yes. I think I know already.

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Will blog very soon. Just need to get the pics first. Lotsa new and fascinating things happening all of a sudden. When it rains it pours, heh? This time in a good way I hope. I like rain.

Am currently imbibing 1.5 litres of hot nettle tea. It's supposedly good for detoxing bodies that are tired, overworked, and shlepping way too much cacao bean and crap.

Mmm. I think I feel a little better now.


CatDonna

I've been quiet for a bit, partly because I wanted Lucie and Boonie stuff to be the FIRST THING THE READERS SEE when they stumble and scrape their knees upon this here fine blog. Partly also because some very interesting developments have arisen with me and mine, as I shall presently relate.

First off LUCIE AND BOONIE ARE UP FOR ADOPTION, I hope everyone knows this by now. Yes. I think.

And in other news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Picked up a lost/abandoned Pomeranian outside the office building yesterday just as my colleague and I were going out for a drink and a quick bite.

We're guessing she's been dumped; she's got a skin and ear infection which, despite its high chance of total recovery with rather straightforward treatment, her previous owner probably thought not worth the bother.

Currently she's being fostered by my dear colleague, who's kind-hearted and good with dogs and apparently some weird kind of animal magnet [who else can boast a terrapin hopping out the office pond and following you twice, huh?].

But yesterday my colleague had to stay back late, so guess who got to puppy-sit!!!


A bit too nervous to pose for a pic

I gave the little Pom a bath and fed her while we waited for her foster. She's a sweetie.

I have to say... this Pomeranian is a GREAT dog to adopt. She's very affectionate and well-behaved. She didn't give any problems while the vet checked her and fed her deworming pills. Later, I ate my dinner with her lying/dozing on my lap [she's quite the lap hog, I mean dog.] I mean, there were herb-baked lamb chops within inches of her little face, and obviously she was interested, but too well-mannered to grab my nosh [unlike some cats I know... beasts].

My colleague, her foster, will take care of this little girl for a couple weeks till she shakes off the infection... then she'll be up for adoption officially. But just in case you are seriously interested, let me know. After all, you read it here first.

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One of my rabbits died today: Sash, a plump grey-and-white Dutch. The husband's favourite.


Sash reading with the fighting fish
[adopted out after Doe's nth attempt at sashimi-harvesting]

It was a matter of time, really. Ever since a year ago, after he got off at the losing end of a big fight with another one of my rabbits, Sash never quite recovered. It was as if his immune system just gave up the ghost; one infection after another, and even the vet couldn't explain what was going on.

By the end he was continually soiling himself, which is very unusual [and a sign the end is near] for most mammals.

Sash was an adopted bunny; his previous owner was an expatriate whose contract was up. A bit of Sash trivia: we thought Sash was a girl and sent her for sterilisation. The vet sent him back and explained that his testicles were abnormally small. Har de har har.

We were sad to find him dead and cold in his cage. But I was relieved too - his suffering is over. RIP Sash my boy.

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Stupid and greedy cats deserve to choke for their cupidity.


Double chin's showing, fatso

Boonie snuck out a chicken bone from my dinner earlier. Mmm, bone. He devoured one end of it so quickly he practically INHALED the bone into his little kitten throat, and promptly began to panic.

Mommeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

So here I am, playing Puzzle Bobble on the Internet when a wild-eyed Boonie runs into the study and performs a rapid song-and-dance routine that involves strange drunken staggering and lots of *haaaaaccckkk* *COUGHcoughGASP* *cHoKeWhheeeEeeeZzze*. While I gape at the weirdness of it all, Boonie kind of flings himself forward into a ball and executes a flawless kitty Self-Heimlich manouevre, clever boy. I see bone sticking out of his wide open, gasping mouth and pull out the offending bit. The End.

So Mommy saves the day. And Boonie is a gluttonous idiot.

He [and his sister] are still up for adoption, though. Any takers?

CatDonna
PS - Was just thinking of the little Pom and realised that DogDonna sounds absolutely HORRIBLE. DogDonna's Dogs! Hahahaaaaaa!!!!!!