Vixey and Mac - be free!

James Kho came to collect Vixey's ashes today.  Vixey always had flowers attached to her baskets.   

Flowers for Mac as well.

James will scatter Vixey and Mac's ashes off the Port Klang jetty this afternoon.

Be free, and be happy!

The other side of Cow

Cow may be the alpha of the household, and he may be at odds with my husband (the two just cannot get along, somehow - both are alphas?), but there is another side of Cow which many might not see.

Cow is compassionate and caring, when it matters.

We will always remember, when Cow was barely one month old, he would walk all the way from the kitchen (where the three of them stayed) to the living room and nudge us to tell us they were hungry. 

Cow, Bunny and Pole were picked up from the roadside at 2 days old.  Dumped by....humans.  They were my first-ever experience with cats and kittens. 

Anyway, here's Cow, doing his part, to be a comforting friend to Bobby...

He came in specially to see Bobby.

Hey, Bobby old boy...I'm here.

I'll be your friend.

No words are needed now...

What a life!

These are scenes in my house, after breakfast....

Tiger, sleeping in a very relaxed position.  I cage him for a while after breakfast before letting him go to the neighbour's.

Bobby fast asleep, too.

Bunny-bun-buns...in his classic "after meal" pose.

Cow was awaken by the clicking sounds of the camera.

But someone is not asleep.  She is scavenging the remains of the other people's food bowls.

The rest of the cats have all gone out for the morning nap.  Only the alphas remain - Cow and Bunny....and Suki (she is fast establishing her position as the female "alphie" in the house!) 

At the break of dawn

For the past two weeks or so, the first thing I do every morning after feeding the cats would be to attend to Mac.  I had to handfeed him his AD, syringe in his liquid spirulina, then feed him his medicines - the liver supplement, the nerve supplement, his antibiotics and painkillers, and mouthwash. 

When doing it, I would always think that it is no different from looking after an elderly family member who needs nursing care.  I looked upon it as an opportunity to serve someone in need.   

Today, I don't have this privilege anymore. 

But I am comforted in knowing Mac no longer has to suffer the pain of all his degenerative diseases now. 

He is whole again now, somewhere else.  He is happy. 

This is one of my favourite photos of Baby Mac, taken 13 years ago.  He was such a fluffy ball of fur! 

Ming-Yi and I would like to thank everyone who sent us messages of condolences during our bereavement yesterday.  We are very touched by your very kind and compassionate gesture.  

 

Mac and his Circle of Life

My daughter, Ming-Yi, just finished making this video clip in memory of Mac.  Most of the photos were taken from old photos in our albums, hence, they may not be very clear (reflection of the plastic cover).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jRFHSPoaME

It seems like just yesterday when we brought Mac and Bobby home.  And my children were so small then...

You'll see how tiny Bobby was when we first brought them back.  I remember Mac used to bully Bobby for the first few months.  Then, Bobby had a plan - he would eat like crazy till he grew bigger, and then....bully Mac back!  The plan worked, he ate, and ate, and ate....and that is how Bobby, who was supposed to be a toy poodle, grew so big!! 


How time flies...

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round


It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

Mac's final journey

Mac's final journey and last rites:

Mac riding in the front seat, with Ming-Yi.

We brought Bobby along, too.

At the crematorium, we say our final goodbyes.

Best friends and sparring partners of 13 years.

My husband and Mac.

My father and Mac.

My mum whispers something to Mac. 

Just think, some humans don't even have the privilege of having family around them in their last journey...

James places Mac on a trolley, and wheels him into the furnace.  We all say our goodbyes as we watch the ignition and the door closes.

For Vixey's cremation, we went home after this point and James brought her ashes over the next day. 

Today, we stayed on because Ming-Yi had decided she wanted Mac's ashes to be scattered in the sea.  So we would wait till the cremation is complete.  James will do the final scatter off Pulau Ketam, in the same place as human ashes are scattered.  He hires a boat out for this purpose. 

We also decided we would let him scatter Vixey's ashes as well.  It has already been one-and-a-half months, and it is time to let go now.  James will pick up Vixey's ashes tomorrow from me, and scatter them together with Mac's. 

This is the waiting area.  James has set up a very, very nice and serene place for his clients to wait. 

Incredibly neat, tidy and simple.  I wish my house was this neat and "empty".

This is the columbarium.  Some people choose to place their pets' ashes here, while others place it only for a certain period before they opt for burial and other means of disposal.

Newspaper articles about James and his work.

A Chinese article.

From the English tabloids.

James gave up a bank career to start this memorial service when he realised there is a lack of such services for the community. 

I highly recommend everyone to support him simply because he is so very, very sincere in what he does.  He also does burial in unmarked graves (in the oil palm estate).  What he provides may not have the poshness and luxury of the more expensive (read: commercialised) services, but James' services is simple, dignified and elegant.  And he is very honest.  While my personal preference is simplicity and this suits me well, I am most impressed with his sincerity and compassion, most of all.   

Please support James Kho's compassionate work:

http://www.petmemorial.com.my/

There is soft music, magazines and drinks while we wait.

Bobby finally settles down and waits with us.

After an hour, the cremation was done.  James wheeled Mac's bones and ashes out for us to see.  They were very white and neat. 

Mac's ashes will be scattered in the sea, along with Vixey's.

Coincidentally, the moment we finished viewing Mac's ashes, the sky suddenly broke and there was very heavy rain.  The Malays like to call this "hujan rahmat" (blessed rain), and it often happens after a significant event. 

For Mac, it wouldn't be "rest in peace" because knowing him, he is already up and about, running around, barking non-stop in another part of the universe.

So, bark on, Mac!  But don't drive your new neighbours up the wall, please!

May you be well, happy and cheerful, Mac!

Mac's "grandparents" pay last respects

My parents live in Bukit Rimau and we drove them over since they wanted to pay their last respects to Mac before his cremation. 

In the last 13 years, whenever we went on overseas holidays, we would send Mac and Bobby (that's before the cats came) back to Ipoh to my parents' place for babysitting.  I moved my parents down nearer to me only recently. 

My parents love Mac and Bobby like their own grandchildren.  Indeed, they are more pampered there than at home!

Bobby still trying very hard to wake Mac up by licking him vigorously.  He even tried to pull Mac out of the basket, and kept trying to wake him up by pawing him. 

My father with Mac, while my mum looks on.

My mum with Mac.  Suki is also there.

Bobby licking Mac again.

Bobby telling my mum something...and my mum is consoling him.

Bobby was near all the time.

Tiger say goodbye.

Soon, James Kho of Pet Memorial Services, whom I had contacted this morning to make arrangements for Mac's cremation, called to say we could bring Mac on his final journey.

Mac passes away

Mac passed away peacefully early this morning after fighting on for about 2 weeks.  He fought till the very end, and even had a good meal last night.  He finally finished the can of AD he had been eating since he became sick. 

In the past few days, he regained his energy and could bark.  He would bark each time he wanted to urinate so that we knew. 

As Dr Susanna said, when pets still have their energy, they can choose when they wish to go. 

Mac chose to wait for my daughter, Ming-Yi, to finish her exams so that she could come back and look after him in his last days.  Ming-Yi looked after Mac for 5 days.

He chose to go this morning, after a brave struggle with degenerative diseases.

Mac is already reborn now.  He spent his final days surrounded by family and friends, in peace and with lots of love. 

I am going to have a hard time saying, "I have one dog now".  Mac spent 13 years with us.  He was such a spunky little guy, with tremendous "lung-power" (his non-stop barking irritated the neighbours till no end, they put in TWO complaints to the authorities!), and he was also incredibly sharp in his senses. 

We will definitely miss him.

He was still warm this morning, when I discovered he had passed away, at about 7.30am.  Ming-Yi said he did gasp for breath a few times, at about 5-6am this morning. 

Ming-Yi and Mac, with Bobby, his long-time companion (and sparring partner) of 13 years.

Suki is curious.  She won't know what is going on.

Bobby licked Mac's eyes for a long time, cleaning both sides.

Long-time compatriot cleaning his friend's eyes.  Bobby put his paws on Mac and tried to wake him up.  "Get up and fight, friend, come on...".  I had to take Bobby away.  At this point in time, Bobby is still trying very hard to wake Mac up.  I guess he does not understand what death is.     

We would like to thank the following friends for their messages of condolences:

From Terry Saw: He fought till the very end, a tiny fella with a big soul.  Mac is probably causing havoc right now in some other part of the universe!  May he be well and happy.

From Mun Yee:  May Mac be in a better existence now.  I will try to come for his cremation. 

From Mary Yap: My condolence to you and family on the passing of Mac.  May he be reborn in a higher realm. 

Thank you, Mary, for coming over to give Mac "Dhamma pills" from your Guru Rinpoche on Monday night.  I gave Mac a pill that night itself.  I'm sure it has helped him regain his wellbeing and be more at peace. 

From Dr Susanna Brida: Although I feel (and feel with you) your sadness having lost a sweet and loyal companion.  It is Mac's peaceful passing away that gives comfort.  He had lived his life gracefully until the end.  What a truly beautiful soul!  He shall never be forgotten, together with his many friends.  I will be with you in my heart.  I truly feel with you the great loss of a wonderful companion.  But my guess is that while we mourn our loss, Mac is happily united with friends, able to move freely and full of energy once again!

Yes, dear Dr, Mac is happily prancing (and barking non-stop!) in "Rainbow Bridge" with Vixey looking on, and Kimba as well. 

Mac's cremation will be in Puchong Perdana this afternoon, at 12.30pm.  

As Terry said, Mac is probably somewhere in the universe now, full of energy and creating havoc (disturbing some other neighbour!).  

May you be well and happy, Mac!

After the first acupuncture session

This is what I've noticed about Tiger after the first acupuncture session yesterday.

A very much better appetite!

Sleeps much better and more relaxed.\

As I've said earlier, he also seems more confident than before and is more willing to come home when I go looking for him.

I spoke to the vet this afternoon, about Tiger's earlier blood test results.  There seems to be no alarming results except for an increase in the globulins, which indicates possible kidney problems.  I was told to give him kidney protectors like Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils. 

But the vet says there is no immediate hurry to buy him these supplements. 

One day at a time, I suppose. 

And how is Tiger doing?

I spent the morning hunting around for as many types of better quality canned food as I could, for Tiger.  Dr Susanna had said that I should let Tiger eat what he likes, as long as it is good food. 

So I came back today, armed with no less than 8 types of different canned food for Tiger to try. 

The things we do for our pets!!

This morning, he did NOT like the two flavours of Addiction that Cathy had given me.  Goodness gracious, Addiction is an expensive brand, mind you, and he said, "No, I don't like it!" and that's that.

I finally thought he might like this one...

Hah!  And how aptly named too - Fussie Cat!!

He did!  He loved it to bits!  Well, it's tuna and salmon plus some veges.  I gave him kibbles first, then tried out the Fussie Cat and he lapped it all up, went for seconds, thirds and fourths!  And left the remaining kibbles. 

You have no idea how relieved I am to have found a type of food that he likes!  Otherwise, the only thing he liked was sardines.  And I know our canned sardines has too much salt. 

Tiger has his meals inside my room, away from the gang, because he feels so intimidated by everyone else. 

I went out to change his water, and when I came back inside, Tiger was sitting on my chair!

If he dares sit on my chair, it's a good sign.  Being the timid person that he is, this is an achievement!

But look at him up there - you can see he's afraid and not sure if he has done something wrong.  Poor little thing....

You can almost hear him say, "Oh, oh...have I done anything wrong?"

You can sit there, Tiger.  It is alright.

So, we shared the chair.  50% space each.

Later, Tiger went back to his cage all by himself and is now sleeping soundly.  This is another achievement - the fact that he goes back to his cage all by himself.  It means he no longer perceives the cage as "punishment". 

Whew!  I'm happy....

Also, this evening, when I went to the neighbour's to bring him back (as I do every evening ever since he got sick), he was waiting for me on the neighbour's porch.  Normally, I would have to call for about 10 minutes or more before he came out (from nowhere), but today, he was waiting for me right there!

Another small achievement.  I hope this means he does not mind coming home anymore, and does not view it as a punishment (eating medicines and being caged for the night).  Or, perhaps he feels much better and is therefore, more confident? 

I certainly hope so...

Tiger's first acupuncture session with Dr Susanna Brida

After I contacted Dr Susanna Brida early this morning to make an appointment for Tiger, she sent me a long email, with 32 preliminary personalised questions so that she may know Tiger's background better.  I was very impressed with the meticulous and caring way she approaches each patient, and answered as best I could, providing all the information that I knew.

The appointment was set at 2pm, and Dr Susanna arrived on time.

The good doctor spoke at length, explaining the principles of TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine).  The more she explained, the more it made sense to me.  Being more inclined towards natural and holistic healing, what she said fitted in very well with my own beliefs and preferences on healing and health.  And what I like most of all is that she has had so much experience in her own practice that what she shared was experiential knowledge, not merely book knowledge. 

A lot of the book knowledge is pretty much out of date, she told me, and this, I must agree.  Just take a look at the secondary science book - so much of what is taught to our children IS absolutely...ancient!

Dr Susanna spent some time getting to know Tiger first.  I could see that she loves animals very much.  Tiger was quite ok and did not show any signs of unfriendliness at all. 

After assessing Tiger's condition (by asking me a series of questions), we were ready to begin Tiger's first acupuncture session. 

Dr Susanna explained that Tiger has a "wind" problem, in Chinese traditional medicine terms.  He also has a lot of "yin" (dampness or "water") in him.  But she is glad I am addressing the problem at an early stage when Tiger still has a lot of energy in him and is not weakened yet.  When there is energy in the animal, this energy can be moved, and recovery is possible. 

Let's start, shall we?

Although the needles are so incredibly fine and the "pain" (if any) is only one-tenth of a mosquito bite, Tiger was angry.  I guess he was just frightened, not in pain.

Soon, Tiger got really angry (first time in his entire life!), and I got bitten.  Ouch, ouch!  I couldn't handle him anymore, so Dr Susanna had to do it by herself. 

These are the pressure points for the kidneys.

The most important point for Tiger's ailment - behind the ears.

There...that's the point.

There, there, good boy.  Now, we wait...for 20 minutes or so.

After Dr Susanna got all the needles in, we had to wait 20 minutes.  Tiger was surprisingly calm.  However, a few of the needles had already fallen out in the process of the insertion of needles due to Tiger's struggle and his tensed muscles.  Dr Susanna said it was alright because it's the stimulation that matters. 

I learnt so much from Dr Susanna today, about holistic health and nutrition for animals.  It made me realise I've been doing certain things wrong.  I'm definitely going to correct these errors!

As for Tiger's FIV, Dr Susanna explained that it is actually VERY difficult for a cat to spread FIV to other cats.  Even with bites, there is no certainty that it will spread.  There's just too much fear and ignorance about FIV that has caused these FIV+ cats to be discriminated upon.  I'm so glad to learn this, and now I know what I can do for Tiger - actually, pretty much the same for my other cats. 

And, I'm most happy to know I can continue giving (read: bribing) Tiger with sardines.  And along with the tomato sauce too!  Now, this is a great relief.  And I learnt about natural nutrition and what's good for cats.  For the first time in my life, a vet is telling that canned food is much better than kibbles.  Dr Susanna reasons (and it does make sense) that kibbles have been baked to 220 degrees, it is already so de-natured and most of the nutrients are gone.  Give them home-cooked food, if you can.  If you can't, then canned food isn't so bad, after all.

I told her that Bobby has completely stopped eating his dry senior kibbles, and to this, Dr Susanna said, "Bobby is smart.  The kibbles would kill him!".  So, I'm ok with giving Bobby his Pyramid Hill wet canned food, or just natural food that I can cook for him. 

Tiger, quite happy, after the session.  Dr Susanna gave him some treats!

Dr Susanna also explained (and I agree) that Tiger should be allowed to keep his habit of going to the neighbour's every day if he is happy that way.  No point caging him at all since this would just stress him out. 

I'm really so, so happy with Tiger's first session (despite getting bitten!) and very grateful I've learnt so much about caring for animals the natural way. 

Thank you, Dr Susanna.  Tiger's next session will be next Monday, same time.  I'm also arranging for Dr Susanna to take a look at Mac, hopefully on Thursday.

Fo those of you who are interested in trying out natural therapy for your pets with acute or chronic diseases, especially terminal cases, you may want to consult Dr Susanna. 

She is easily one of the most caring, compassionate and knowledgeable vets I have ever met.  She really cares very much for her patients. 

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