Friday, November 30, 2012

Rosie, Ginger and mummy Daffodil's morning sojourn

Every morning, Rosie and Ginger meet up with their mum, Daffodil, at the playground. All three will have breakfast at the pavilion and later, chill out together.


Lately, there had been some construction work at our playground and they have not cleaned it up yet.


It's quite an ugly sight, actually, but the people in charge have promised to clean it up.



 While the human residents have lodged a complaint, the cat residents take advantage of the "mess" and revel in it!



Rosie looks exactly like her mum except for the tail.



 Daffodil, the mum.



 Doesn't Rosie look like her? (the difference is only the short tail)


These pictures were taken this morning. It's such a pleasant and heartwarming sight each morning, to see the family getting together.


And now, it's almost dinner time for Rosie and Ginger, so I have to go out and feed them....raw meat.


With wheatgrass, wetfood and kibbles, of course!


Semua mahu, semua taruh.

Oh no...was it Indy! Titan No.4?

When the big triple-clash happened that day, I thought the aggressor was Bunny (as usual). But I did have an inkling that maybe, just maybe Indy had started the fight. Indy is known to act cranky at "certain times of the month", which may coincide with the new moon or full moon, am not really sure.

And anyway, I was told that black and white cats are a little "strange".

So, I had been watching and observing and today, I caught Indy red-handed...

He was trying to terrorise....


 ....Cow!!


Poor Cow was terrified!



 I had to intervene before a fight actually broke out.


And coincidentally a reader had left a comment about the old belief that feeding animals raw meat could lead them to be aggressive. Of course the BARFers would scoff at this, but well, you'll never know, right? I asked a few friends who are BARFers and they said, yes, their grandmothers told them that too, but they have not noticed any change in the behaviour of their pets who are on raw food.


My raw-meat eaters are Bunny and Cleo; Tabs is acquiring a taste for it now, but it's just a few pieces each time. The rest don't really like it anymore, so they only get about 2 pieces in their wetfood 3 times a week. Cleo absolutely loves raw meat and she is not at all aggressive. Bunny is just a bully, that's all. For the record, Rosie loves raw meat too. Sweet Rosie? Yes, sweet Rosie.



 But what about Indy?


What does Indy like best?


Indy loves (and I mean, L-O-V-E-S) raw liver. Only liver. Not the meat. Just liver. And he LOVES licking up the blood.


He had always LOVED raw liver with the blood, but I  only give it to him 2 times a week, and not much too.
Only if I have it.


And each time, he will lick the bowl CLEAN.


Every drop of blood will be licked CLEAN.



 Yes, slurp, slurp, slurp...yes.


Two times a week is enough...slurp...slurp...



Research proposal: Are vampires, by any chance, afraid of wheatgrass?


Meanwhile...



Tabs: I will protect you, Bunny.



We shall see..., We shall see...



The "blood" brothers (pun intended!)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

It grows! It grows! (my wheatgrass trials continue...)

After investing in two packs of wheatgrass from the online shop, I decided to buy the wheatberries from the organic shop.

The last time, I did, but I made the mistake of soaking the wheatberries and everything turned quite ugly and fermented. Nothing grew.

So I went to my regular organic shop and asked the proprietor to help me choose the freshest wheatberries in his shop. He said he had tried expired wheatberries and it doesn't grow.


 Among the packs, we chose this.



 He said it should be of a lighter colour, large in size and of uniform size. That shows it's still fresh.


So I used the same procedure - wet the soil, put a layer of wheatberries, then cover it with a thin layer of soil again. Cover overnight with a wet tissue paper, and the next day, it started to sprout!


That was 3 days ago...



 Here's my new pot!


Now, the cats get a generous dose of wheatgrass every day. They love it. Even Rosie and Ginger like it.


I also chew on wheatgrass daily...!


Source: http://www.all-about-juicing.com/Wheatgrass-for-pets.html



Here are some of the wheatgrass benefits for pets

  • Nutritionally complete food

  • Studies by scientists have shown it to never be toxic in animals or humans

  • Gives energy & stamina

  • Reverses illness

  • Protection of toxins- including aging and combats free radicals

  • Rejuvenates blood

  • Helps shed pounds by detoxifying the body

  • DNA repair

  • Blood cleansing and building abilities of chlorophyll

  • Builds blood and stimulates circulation

  • Stimulates and regenerates the liver

  • Deodorizes body


Wheatgrass is absolutely safe for pets. All pets. This includes dogs, cats, hamsters, etc. In fact, because it has so many nutrients and a high concentration of chlorophyll it will do nothing but good for them. Cats and dogs can digest the wheatgrass fiber well, unlike humans, which bodies do better with wheatgrass juice.

Here are some of the ways you can help your pets get wheatgrass into their diets

I believe that most animals instinctively know what’s good for them when presented the choice.

Homemade food: If you make your own cat or dog food, be sure to include wheatgrass in the mix. Add it to your blender, food processor or meat grinder when making the food.

Homemade treats: Include some fiber in your treats to add extra nutrition.

Wounds: If your pet happens to get in a little accident and has some open wounds, then make a poultice with the pulp and juice and apply directly on the wound, secured with a cloth or bandage if possible. If not, use the juice to clean it out as a rinse.

A tray left out for a snack: I prefer to leave a small tray of wheatgrass next to their food bowl whenever I can. This way, they can have a healthy snack anytime of day.

Add it to their water bowl: By adding some fresh wheatgrass juice to thier water, they will get the most benefit. You could even put just a little in a tiny bowl for them, to lick it up.

You’ll want to give them less then .5 oz of juice to start for small animals, and if it’s a big dog, they should be able to handle 1 oz. But be careful, it might give them a lot of energy so you might need to have a shot of juice yourself!

Our disclaimer holds.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The aftermath of the Clash

Ref: http://myanimalcare.org/2012/11/27/clash-of-the-titans-of-the-feline-kind/

The Chinese has a saying that goes like this: Big problem becomes small problem; Small problem becomes no problem. 

Which would be what I hope has happened in my cat clan after yesterday's triple clash of the titans (details in above link).

Indy was traumatised all night and it was only much, much later that I got him to eat something. That was also when I noticed one of his claws had been bitten off (either by himself or by one of the terrorists). I applied some iodine on it, but he licked it all off. There was no bleeding, thank goodness for that.

All night, he slept on my table, hardly moving. Perhaps he was having a slight fever, but since he was eating, I thought it should be okay and did not warrant a trip to the emergency clinic. I fortified him with Vetri DMG, of course.

Then, just before going to bed, I thought it might be wiser to lock the two terrorists out of the room for the night. So the two were "lured" out into the pantry (with food, of course) and I closed the door on them. Sorry fellows, I cannot read cat minds and I certainly cannot risk you fellows launching another attack on poor Indy in the middle of the night.

The five stayed inside. I had a litter box and a bowl of water in the room for the night.

But as always, the heart fell soft for the two terrorists and after about an hour and a half, I decided I'd camp in the room for the night to make sure I was around to take care of things, so the two terrorists were allowed in again. After all, it was a cold night.

All through the night, Indy hardly moved an inch.

But this morning, at about 4.30am, Cleo made the breakfast call. The two terrorists were outside in the pantry. Hmm...they went out by themselves?

As dawn broke, Indy looked much better already.

I prepared their food and Indy had his favourite raw chicken liver. He ate. What a relief!


 Indy looks "normal" again.



 Titan No.1



 Titan No.2



 Titan No.3? In the making?


And Tabs, we said we're on the werewolves' side, so please cut out that Vampire look, okay? It's creepy.



 A non-alligned member.



 The non-alligned member's daughter.


We exist in peace.



 “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” 


UNESCO Constitution, 1945.


 For further enquiries: Consult Tiger.



Eat when hungry,
Drink when thirsty,
Sleep when tired,
And all good things will be yours. 


- Another ancient Chinese saying


Clash of the Titans (of the feline kind)



Yes, sometimes we say it may not be wise for young children to watch too much violence and gore as the impressionable young mind is vulnerable and easily influenced. Hence, we have what is known as censorship and the classification of movies into categories.

Young human minds can be easily influenced by what they watch, but what about feline minds? And do cats even watch movies? I know mine don't.

Today, I had to deal with three "clash of the titans"...of the feline kind.

Well, the first one wasn't quite as "titanic"...

It was between sweet Rosie and...guess who?

How it all began...

It was a hot Tuesday afternoon, and...


 Sweet Rosie was sitting in our porch. When I opened the door, she mewed and wanted to come in.



 So, of course I invited her in and she made herself comfortable in the living room.


I then went to prepare a snack for Rosie, but was careful that I should serve the inside brood first lest jealousy surfaces and this could lead to something unpleasant.


So the inside brood was fed and mind you, it was Monge with wheatgrass, nothing less. Before I could even serve Rosie, someone escaped from the grille as I was getting out and that someone made a dash for poor, poor Rosie.


Who was it?


You have three guesses.


No, wrong, wrong and wrong.


It was....


Miss Tabitha Jane Spencer.


Yes, she had transformed into a terrorist of the worst kind, fluffed herself up, looking larger than life, and turned aggressive on poor Rosie.


Rosie was so frightened, she fled.


Tabitha Jane gave chase, all the way out to the porch and I had to forcibly grab her back. She was still fluffed up and quivering. I had never seen her so fierce before. I was instantly reminded of the time I brought her to the vet when she first adopted us. The vet had told me she was an alpha and a VERY "alpha" one at that.


That was Clash No.1.


Then Clash No.1 seemed to have upset the inside equilibrium somehow (there are some things we humans do not quite understand). And in less than half an hour, as I was busy paying subsidy claims online, I heard a most terrifying noise behind me.


I looked back and saw Bunny and Indy (yes, Indy!) locked in fierce battle - the type reminiscent of the adage "till death do us part", so to speak. Bunny and Indy were locked as one entity, and fur was flying all over the room. The sound was most horrifying.


Instinctively, I grabbed the water gun and shot a jet of water at both, but the two were not in the least affected. The fight continued and I was so sure someone would get hurt. So I grabbed a piece of cardboard and managed to break them up, but no sooner than that had happened, Cow came into the picture and attacked poor Indy. I guess it's the brotherhood thing at work here. Cow and Bunny are brothers.


The Cow-Indy fight happened right outside and this was a different battle. It wasn't "locked". They fought and moved. So I took the water hose and sprayed at the moving target.


They fight finally broke up at the corner of the Clubhouse with Cow retreating. I had to continue spraying (but not at them) as Cow wanted to launch a counter attack on Indy. Indy wasn't letting go either. We're talking about huge egos at war here.


That was Clash No.3. But among the three, Clash No.2 was the most frightening one.


After I was sure no further fights would take place, I locked Cow and Bunny inside the room and left Indy out in the Clubhouse. The three cannot meet...not for another few hours. Cow was quivering. Indy looked like he had been hit by something. Indy also looked like he was all ready to attack anyone who came near. The poor boy must have been so, so traumatised by the experience.



 Been there, done that. No big deal. I won the fight...as usual.



 Evidence of the fight - mostly black and white, belonging to Indy. Poor boy...



 I'm not sure if Cow fluffed himself up or it was due to the spraying.



After half an hour of self exile at the corner of the Clubhouse, Indy came back to civilisation.


Everyone was quite shaken. After all, it was a clash of the most titanic kind.



 Peace, brothers, peace...we are all brothers, black, white, grey, why fight? 



We, Pole and Cleo, do solemnly declare that although we are related to Cow & Bunny, we did not inherit their fighting genes and we were not involved in any way in that fight which transpired half an a hour ago. We were also no where near the scene of the crime. Hence, we are innocent. 


 Tabs, I know Twilight-Breaking-Dawn just hit the silver screen and is in fashion, but we can do without the vampire look, please. I'm all for the werewolves, anyway.



 Indy finally comes into the room and everyone is quite concerned.



 Are you okay, Indy? 



 Indy was still too shaken for words, so I let him be.



 More evidence of the big clash.



 Who started the fight, Bunny? Was it you? And why?


You're asking me? And expecting an answer??



 Poor, poor Indy...he looked so battle-scarred, but he's not injured. Thank goodness for that. It's just the water.




 And you? When did you learn to become such a terrorist?



 I learn from my elders...



Tiger-types don't fight. We just play with socks. We're peaceful people.  



Rosie had her food...outside the house.



 I finally managed to get Indy to eat something.


The poor boy was so terrified, he didn't even dare eat his dinner.


Desperate times call for desperate measures - Liv-a-Littles to the rescue!


Meanwhile, the titans have also cooled down (I hope)...


While the vet was certainly dead right about Tabs being "very alpha", he may not have been very right about Cow & Bunny when I first brought them to the clinic for deworming 6 and a half years ago. He told me they would be very small cats because they never had the privilege of having been nursed with mother's milk.



 


 We're looking at about 6.5 kg here, with Bunny topping the scales at 6.85kg!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

On a rainy day, where are the community cats?

It rained this morning in Subang Jaya and I didn't see the community cats eating at the pavilion. I suspect there is a rain shelter somewhere, a "secret" place only for the cats. I hope there is, so that they don't get wet (and fall sick).

I went out to look for Rosie...


 Hmm...where is Rosie?


And there...she came running and meowing!



 For a special treat, she gets Monge Atlantic Tuna with her raw food today.


I saw two fleas on Rosie, but I'm a little freaked out of using chemical defleaing products so I'm hoping good nutrition (raw meat) might help ward off the fleas. Will check in a few days.


Ginger was not around. I guess he is at the rain shelter.


So let's hope all the community cats are safe and dry.


Elsewhere....someone got totally wet....



 Tabs!!!



 Where did you go, Tabs?




 


 I went to play in the rain....it was fun!


It's Vetri DMG for you!!



We don't get into fights.


We never get wet.