Indy's missing

I had planned to take Indy for his vaccination after I brought Pole and Cleo back, and I saw him under the neighbour's car when I left the house.  After I came home this morning, until now, I have not been able to find Indy at all.  I have walked up and down the road and looked into drains, he is no where to be found.

It's been many hours now.  Indy normally sleeps on top of the car in the porch. 

I'm really worried.

Indy, please come home.  I promise I will not take you to the vet's.

Taking Karuna for a morning walk

Karuna seem to be much better now.  The vets are very happy with her progress.

The vets were preparing to do a heartworm test on her and if possible, they might even spay her today (or tomorrow).  Her lesions are healing very well.

The vet said I could take her for a walk first.

So, off we went.

 She's very well-behaved and happy.

Always happy for a walk.

Her fur is also growing back now.

I know it's a very long shot, but Karuna is up for adoption.  If interested, please contact me at chankahyein@gmail.com.  

Karuna was rescued by a friend, Chong, from the temple playground after she was badly attacked and bitten by a pack of wild dogs. She was a stray and now has no home. She cannot be returned to the playground as she is very old and another attack by the pack might just prove to be fatal for her. 

Her medical treatment is sponsored by us.  

Pole and Cleo to the vet's

I failed to give Pole and Cleo their dewormer so it's off to the vet's today.

Cleo was happily lounging upstairs.  I had to take her and put her into the carrier.  So sorry, Cleo. Cow (who is Cleo's uncle) watches closely.

Then, I went out to call for Pole. Cow and Bunny had driven their sister, Pole, out of the house shortly after she had given birth and her kittens had weaned off.  The vets say these things happen because Pole's scent may have changed and they no longer know it's her.  Since then, Pole had lived as a community cat. She lounges at several neighbour's porches and comes back about 5 times a day for food.  When it rains, she always comes back.  

 Cleo in the carrier....whining.

 Pole came running out of the neighbour's porch.  Sorry, Pole, I have to take you to the vet's for your deworming.  Pole hissed at Cleo in the carrier.  Pole has always hissed at Cleo (her daughter) ever since she started rejecting her kittens after about four months.  But all these years, Cleo has always followed Pole everywhere, especially whenever Pole comes home for food. It seems to us laypeople that Cleo has a bond with Pole, but not vice versa.  Don't quite understand why, though.  

Cleo whined non-stop in the car.  Even Josh Groban could not drown her whining.  It was only a ten minute drive, but it felt like an hour.   

 Cleo weighs 3.6kg.  A good weight, the vet said.  

I asked if it would be okay to vaccinate Cleo and Pole since they are all related to Bunny (who is FIV+).  The vet said it was okay. Those who are confirmed FIV+ like Bunny and Tiger, we'd have to think twice.  Being from the same family, there is a chance that Cow, Pole and Cleo could be FIV+ as well.  Bunny was only discovered to be FIV+ at a later age when I offered him to be a blood donor. They have all grown up together, so there isn't much anyone can do about that. 

Another vet told me most cases of FIV+ is transmitted from mother to child. The incidence of contracting FIV from bites and scratches, according to this other vet (not our panel vet) is pretty low. The most recent research done on the bites-and-scratches theory was in 2002. That's just what I was told. This vet is from overseas.  She told me the bites-scratches theory is outdated.         

Dewormed, vaccinated, and Cleo runs into a cupboard in the clinic to hide.

Now it is Pole's turn. 

Pole weighed 3.4kg and was also dewormed and vaccinated. Both mother-and-daughter was difficult to pill; they swung their heads real fast to throw out the pill.  

I had thought Pole and Cleo would be so angry I had caught them only to take them to the vet's, they'd stay away from home for a few hours or even a few days.  Both are such sensitive cats.  Cleo left my room for two years when Vixey was here.  She is so possessive of my husband that if my husband so much as touches another cat, she would get angry and run out of the house.  That's a Calico princess for you.  

 My fears were unfounded because Pole actually followed me back into the house and she has been home all day now.  Here's giving Pole a reward of Fussie Cat.

Cleo didn't want to come in yet.  She lounged in the driveway.

I was supposed to take Indy to the vet's after this, but I could not find him at all.  He was right there, under a car when I left with Pole and Cleo.  I searched everywhere all morning but could not find him at all.  

A historic moment in time....

Today is the day for the Round 28 of Cow's antibiotics.  That would be 14 days of two pills per day.  This morning's was the LAST pill!!

 There it is....that last half pill....the No.28th pill.

 No need carrier, okay, Cow?  We'll take our medicine like a big boy, ok?

I did not use the carrier.  Just tilted Cow's head and popped the pill in...and he swallowed!

 Yay!!!  

 Is it really the last pill?  Pinch me, someone!  I'm not dreaming, am I?

 Bunny, you have to take your medicine too.  Why don't we do it like Cow's, okay?

No carrier also....pop! The pill went in.

 Yay for Bunny!

(Each pill-popping ceremony concludes with a reward of Fussie Cat in a generous helping!)

Can I have a bit more, please? 

Yes, of course, Cow.  You can have a double scoop today!

Good boy, Cow....good boy.

Cow came this evening, wondering why he did not need any medicine anymore!

Twenty-eight rounds of total victory goes to Cow!!

(for being good and taking his medicine)

YAY!!

Phew.....

Read this, and you'll know why: http://www.myanimalcare.org/2011/07/how-to-give-cat-pill.html

ha ha....

An S.O.S. trip to the hospital for Bunny

After Indy came home and all the hustle and bustle in feeding him medicine and trying to deworm the rest, we noticed the Bunny was unusually quiet.  


It was after dinner that we felt his body and it felt really warm.  He was also sleeping and not looking too good.  The previous two days, he had been making a lot of mischief.  


But he is definitely unwell now....


Oh dear...tomorrow is Sunday and Bunny's regular vet is closed.  Why do pets usually choose to fall sick on Saturday night?  


So, I called the hospital in PJ with the 24-hour call back service.  I know they open on Sundays.  


I was told the doctors only start coming in at 10.30am on Sundays.  


That would be more than 12 hours away....nope, don't take the risk with Bunny since he is FIV+.  Just go now and get him treated.  

 Bunny in the car.  Compared to Indy, he was not as stressed.

 The 30-min wait.

The vet came and examined Bunny.  Bunny definitely felt very warm to the touch, but upon checking his temperature, it was normal (38.5 degrees).  The vet said perhaps the warm feeling was due to the scratches on his body.  

A few scratch marks were detected. Bunny's fur was shaven so that an antibiotic cream could be applied to the scratches.  Nothing very serious, luckily.  But the vet warns that sometimes, abscesses could still occur after 1-2 days.  Yes, I know.  Bunny has had two lancing procedures done before due to scratches that led to abscesses.  

Just to be on the safe side, Bunny is given a mild antibiotic for the scratches.  Knowing how prone he is to falling ill, it is better to be safe than sorry.  

Bunny also has a very mild ear infection. From the scratches inside the ear, it looked like they could be self-inflicted.  That means, maybe it was itchy, so Bunny scratched himself until it got sore and it is now infected.  

 Some scratches on his head.

On the leg.

One across the hip.

A little battle-scarred, but otherwise, okay.

At least I won't be so worried tonight, and I can man the booth tomorrow.

Now, off to pack the tshirts for tomorrow's sales. 

See you at the SS19 One Carnival?

Indy goes to the vet's

I've always been concerned that Indy drinks a wee bit too much water.  He only drinks from the running tap and no where else.  He would call us (yes, he CALLS us) to go into the kitchen and turn on the tap for him.  Then, he licks the running tap water.  


And it has always seemed to be me that he licks a bit too long.  Cats are not supposed to drink a lot of water.  


So, I thought I should bring him for a check-up, especially after just visiting the kidney failure cat and the vet told us that IF the cat had come in three months earlier, perhaps more things could have been done to prevent it from coming to its present state.  


Better late than never.  


So, I came home from the clinic and looked for Indy.  He was no where to be found.  


All the other cats "helped" by accompanying me, and we finally found him under a car.  I called him out (he normally comes when called).  This time, he decided he wasn't going to come out.  


I spent a long time kneeling on the tar road coaxing him to come out, but he simply wouldn't budge.  


A cat will always do what it wants.  He's not obliged to listen to you.  


So, I brought a bowl of Fussie Cat out to entice him.  


Uh-uh...nope, not fooled by it.


A neighbour suggested I use the water hose.  I thought that might be too traumatic for poor Indy, so, I finally had no choice but to gently nudge him with a broom.  He finally moved to the side of the car and I dragged him out.  He did not fight.  


Good boy, Indy.  


In he went into the carrier and off we drove to the vet's, but gosh....what a racket he made in the car!  Indy is always completely stressed when travelling in the car.  


He continued making his cries even at the vet's.  

 I had noticed a scar on his back yesterday, and now, the vet says there were two, so it's definitely a bite mark.  Gosh, who bit you, Indy?  

 Indy also has a slight fever, but this could be due to the bite.  

We had a long discussion about his condition, including a brief description of his medical history ever since I got him from the drain more than three years ago (someone rescued and gave him to me, supposed to be for fostering, but he ended up living with me!).  

The vet checked and Indy's kidneys appear to be fine.  The right kidney is normal while the left is slightly hardened, which actually indicates dehydration.  But it's not a major concern for now.  Other than that, the vet did not find any cause for worry.  Indy was dewormed and he took the tablet so nicely.  "So easy to give him a pill!", the vet said.  

 Indy is given iodine for his bite wounds and a 3-day Amoxy antibiotic for the fever.  After five days, I could bring him for his vaccination.  I don't do vaccinations yearly.  

Since all my other cats had to be dewormed as well, I thought I might as well get the tablets for everyone.  And there I was, so confident that I could pill them all, thinking my vertical-carrier trick would definitely work.  

WRONG!!  WRONG!!  WRONG!!

Cow, Bunny and Tiger - all of them fought!  It was BattleSCAR Catlactica!  They fought tooth and claw while inside the carrier.  But I still managed.  Cleo?  No hope.  The girls are so fierce, I gave up.  I did not even dare try with Pole after Cleo fought me off.  I'll bring them to the vet's for the "pilling" session next week.  

Even Indy, good old mild-mannered Indy Jones, fought when I gave him his antibiotics.  

I'm definitely losing it....

By the way, I thank all who have written in with suggestions on how to give Cow his pills.  The blending-the-pill-and-mix-it-with-wet-food does not work with any of them.  Have tried...and failed. They would sniff it out and won't even touch the food.  

For Cow, it's just three more days of "pilling", then I can declare victory for 28 rounds!  (14 days of antibiotics).  I'm counting the hours.  But in all fairness, I must share the victory with Cow because he really cooperated by humouring me and letting me win.  If he had wanted to fight, he would have won hands down.  How can any human fight a cat and win?  We only have two hands.  They have four legs and a jaw.  There's no way we can win unless they let us.  

 And here's Indy after the pilling session.  

Wish me luck in pilling him for 5 more rounds.  

Only five.  Phew!!

We have a small shrine room upstairs and somehow, our cats always go and sit there whenever they are sick. This reminds me of what I've just read yesterday when searching for materials on Kindness to Animals in Religions. Apparently, the Muslims believe that animals pray to the same God. So, perhaps, just like us, they also pray when they need help.  

Karuna's old age problems

Yesterday the vet called me in the evening.  Apparently, one of Karuna's lesions had ruptured and needed either dressing with antiseptic, or surgery under sedation.  The vet was concerned about putting Karuna under sedation because of her age.


This afternoon, there was another swelling on the side of her body.  The vet decided not to use sedation and just try lancing to drain off the swelling.  


Karuna, surprisingly, did not put up a fuss at all.  She allowed the vets to do the procedure, so sedation was not required.  Thankfully too, the liquid inside was not pus but fluids (there is a big name for this fluid, I don't know what it is, but it's not as bad as pus).  

Here's Karuna after the procedure.

Karuna, you're supposed to be discharged next week.  Get well soon!

Taking Karuna for a walk

I decided to take Karuna for a walk this morning, with the permission of the vets.  The vet's assistant told me Karuna would get all excited, but only for two reasons - walk and food.  Since she had already been fed, I decided I would take her for a walk.

 Okay, girl.  Enough of showing that sad face.  You're going for a walk.

 Here we go.  She's so happy and she's not even limping.

 The wounds are healing very well.

 She has got these lumps all over her body.  They are adenomas (benign tumours, which may become malignant later?  We won't know.)

She's curious and happy, sniffing everywhere, and walking quite fast too. 

 All dogs love various kinds of smells!

 You see all the adenomas?  They are everywhere....it's may be also due to old age.

 That's quite a big one there, underneath.

Back from three rounds up and down the corridor (the rain had just stopped and the vet didn't want the paws all wet).  Karuna pooped too and it was a very healthy colour.  

She is friendly, and allows us all to pat her.  

She can already be discharged but the fosterer or adopter would have to learn how to clean her wounds.  

I came home and rang Chong, the one who rescued her and brought her to our vet.  Chong said the temple  Exco has agreed to let Karuna stay in the temple temporarily until an adopter is found.  Well, that's good news!

But here's even better news, I just had a call from my friend, and she says she would like to consider adopting Karuna!!

Are we lucky or what?  

Pray, folks, pray.....

She's going to visit Karuna at the vet's today.......pray, folks!

(I have been praying like crazy that someone would adopt Karuna.....)

The Cow and Mr Squirrel

Mr Squirrel (the tree shrew) has been frequenting my room these days, and I did wonder why.  In the past two days, he even brought his friend along.  It was quite a relief to me because I had not seen his friend for a long time ever since the renovation work started at the back.  I'm glad his friend is safe.  

 It is not easy to take photos of Mr Squirrel, so this is a real treat.

 Hi, Mr Squirrel!

 Er...what are you up to? 

(Sometimes humans are so stupid....)

 Why are you going behind the pack of food?

Oh, I see....this is why....

Cow and Bobby watch him as he goes about his business every day.

They don't disturb him.

Live and let live, right?  Mr Squirrel needs to eat, too.

These tree shrews have come to live amongst us as a result of our deforestation.  

It's only fair that we feed them now.

And how is Cow?

Cow has been doing quite well, but getting a wee bit reluctant to take his medicine (he throws out the pill about 3-4 times before I can "pill" him successfully).

 But when it's time for his medicine, he actually comes and calls me.  

My guess is the stomach and brain wants the Fussie Cat!

 And he is very happy after the eat-medicine-inside-carrier session.

Yes, he sure is happy....

Cow's urine was absolutely clear on the very night after I brought him home from the vet's.  I wonder if it was the work of the Placebo Effect.  After all, Cow IS a hypochondriac.  

They say that even for humans, 80% or more of the healing is due to the Placebo Effect (you believe you will heal, and you will, ie. mind over matter and positive-thinking).  Maybe it works for cows too!