Taking Cow to the vet's

We noticed this red spot on Cow's paw this morning.

Knowing how prone he is to paw wounds and how badly affected he would be, we wasted no time in taking him to the vet's for a check-up. Furthermore, when we tried to "check", he got all defensive and he "almost killed us"! Cow, as you know, is extremely fierce...with us.

 So, armed with a towel, I managed to put him into the carrier.

Timmy came to send him off to the car...

It was just a short ride, and Cow only made small mewing noises in the car.

 I was quick to warn the vets that Cow "is a fierce cat and may bite".

But as always, Cow was a total pussy at the vet's. He let them flip him over, examine his paw, press on his paw, and there was absolutely no reaction at all from him. That's the thing with Cow. His pain threshold is so high, it's hard to tell if he is in pain or not. The vet concluded that there was nothing wrong with his paw. It was just a little red, that's all. The vet even examined some of the skin under the microscope and it was all clear.

"Nothing's wrong with your cat", the vet said.

By the way, Cow weighed 6.5kg and one of the vets was impressed with his green eyes!

Heh heh...so it was a false alarm, I guess, but I never take chances when it comes to a pet's health. Better be safe than sorry, and never delay. A stitch in time saves nine, so they say.

So we came home.

And Tabs wanted to know what had gone on, so she examined the carrier.

 A full report ready, Tabs?

 Tiger wanted to know as well.

I guess they can tell a lot by sniffing the carrier. All the "WH" (what, where, when, why, how) questions would be answered.

 Cow seems okay, so we hope it's really nothing.

Happiness is...

It's been one month since the Sabah incursion escalated into a frightening and worrying state, especially for those of us who have loved ones over there in the "special security zone".

We've been keeping up with the daily news; whatever the media and alternative media could provide, as well as direct news from my daughter, Ming-Yi, who is serving in Hospital Kunak.

This weekend, being a long weekend for Sabah (Good Friday), Ming-Yi was able to come back.

 Cow Mau is always happiest when Ming-Yi comes back.

They share a special bond.

 The seniors.

 With Cleo.

 Cow Mau celebrating the day...with Baskin Robbins!

 Snack time!

 And furminating time!

Indy on the (l)edge!

When all seemed well and we are no longer on the alert, our masked hero strikes again.

This time, he tries the ledge...

Indy!! Why are you up there?

 Nobody questions the masked hero. I'm Indy Jones a.k.a. Spider-Cat!

 Elsewhere, Bunny intimidates Tiger.

 Intruder alert, intruder alert!!

Ohh...there is an intruder up there!

Could it be Mr G?

 It's Bushy Calico...I can see the brown and black. It's not Mr G.

Bushy Calico comes from Mr G's house.

By the way, Mr G's owner came over the other day and says she would like to do up her back garden like mine so that her cats would be confined too. There are neighbours who do not like cats around here. Sigh...

Indy is adamant. He refuses to come down.

 This calls for the...water-gun!

The other two are broken, so we got this new one. It's from Toys"R"us and it's real good.

Aim..shoot!

 Indy jumps down in one single leap, but is determined to go back up...

He went up again in no time.

Shoot again!

 The camera missed the shot and only got the tip of his tail (see above).

 It won't be long before he goes up again.

 Chairperson of the Feline Peace Corps.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join (me).
And the world will live as one.

 Outside, Willy is nearby. He comes for food daily, but stays outside the gate.

Well, in the afternoons, he sneaks into the porch (as long as Starry does not know).

The other day, my contractor came to take some measurements to put in the final touches to the polycarbonate fence and we were outside discussing ways to cover the outlet of the drainhole. As we were discussing, a HUGE rat scuttled past inside the drain that runs parallel to our house. Yikes! "Larian tikus" = "Larian ular".

Meanwhile, Cleo takes over the task.

After all, the intruder is a calico, right? A calico shall confront the calico.

Come down, Cleo!

 Me not interested.

 Been there, done that. 

zzzz...

Home tales

Comrade-in-arms.

The day begins with reconnaissance work...stalking the Patio Family.

 Blissfully not involved.

Been there, done that. Let the young ones do it now.

 Tabby Inc.

Will Tabs be as big as Tiger soon?

The seniors.

 The King has a new box!
Er..I mean, "throne".

The King has a new throne!

Willy may have a home after all?

I went out for a walk this morning and bumped into....Willy!

Hello, Willy!

He was just hanging around in front of this house (we thought the occupants had moved out, but now, it looks like their relatives have moved back in). So I guess Willy is okay and has a home.

 But I offered him some food, all the same.

This afternoon, I found him in our porch.

 I guess Starry was too comfortable to know that Willy was under the car.

 Starry LOVES the shoe rack and the shoes!

 Daffodil is always on the cautious side.

Well, can't blame her. She has survived more than 10 years as a community cat, she would be cautious.

 Rosie Posie.

 Timmy is VERY happy and contented on his chair.

He minds his own business and is friends with all and sundry.

Starry and Ginger, earlier on.

No fight broke out.

The Patio Family live peacefully and harmoniously.

After the fight...

Half an hour after the fight, I went to check on everyone...

Daffodil and Ginger had decided it's much safe to stay on the sofa.

Rosie is independent and not afraid.

 The loving mum grooms her son.

 We had long concluded that Ginger is the younger son and Rosie is the big sister.

He's very, very pampered by his mother and sister. He'll just go to them and they would start grooming him.

 Timmy is happily sitting on his chair.

Starry is no where to be seen.

Maybe he has gone to reconcile with Willy Orange?

We shall see...

Updates: Starry is back. Unscathed. Checked him thoroughly. He's perfectly okay.

A visitor...for Starry??

It's all so coincidental, I was just telling my mother (who dropped in today with a batch of keychains) about Starry and Willy Orange, how they both appeared when a neighbour moved away. And how Willy had just "disappeared into thin air" after appearing with Starry for a few days.

We haven't seen Willy ever since. Of course I hoped he has been adopted by a family nearby.

Then, moments ago, I heard the sound of cats growling at the patio.

It sounded like a cat fight was about to begin and I was very sure it cannot be the Patio Family (they do not fight at all) or even Mr G.

It must be a new cat.

I went to check...

Oh my goodness...I couldn't believe it!

It was Willy Orange!!

He had come back and there was an "encounter" between Starry and him.

 I grabbed my camera...

He looks well, doesn't he?

 But it sure did not look like any happy reunion between them.

It was a close encounter of an aggressive kind.

 Starry appeared to be winning as Willy was moving away.

Timmy, as you can see, decided not to get involved. He's just sitting comfortably on his chair.

Starry gave chase, and Willy began to walk away.

 Indy is watching, as usual.

Poor Willy Orange... It's a "reunion" that did not turn out to be what we hoped it would be.

I went after Willy but could not see him anywhere in the porch.

The Rosie Family also decided not to get involved. Daffodil was just observing from the top of the car.

 I left some kibbles for Willy, just in case he comes back, but of course the other cats got to it first.

 Timmy is a very, very nice cat.

He didn't get involved in the fight but just came to look and gave Starry some moral support by "standing tall" behind Starry.

As you can see above, that's where the fight occurred - you can see saliva and urine stains. Poor Willy must have been so afraid. Starry was clearly the victor.

Luckily it was not a fierce battle. There was no physical contact at all. Just a lot of growling and standing tall (on Starry's side). Poor Willy, as far as I could see, was crouching all the time.

 For once, Starry is the hero today.

Look at him sitting majestically and looking victorious.

When Starry first came, he was bullied by Rosie and the rest.

Tonight...we see a different Starry.

Don't mess with me...I'm a star. 

But Starry...er, isn't he your old friend?

But wait...that's only what we assume, right? Just because they both appeared at the same time does not necessarily mean they both had come from that house. We'll never know...and in any case, the past does not matter. We only have to take care of the present.  

 Everyone came back to the patio...to play it safe.

We're been under siege tonight. We got to stick together and protect our territory.

Starry stays at the helm.

A leader is born.

 Hey, what's going on out there??!!!