Feline wars and other tales

If you remember, sometime last week, I noticed a new cat on the block. He looked exactly like Bosco in terms of size and markings, the only difference being the fact that Bosco had Bunny-coloured markings while this new cat has ginger markings on white. He's been around and just the other day, he was resting on Rosie's favourite table in our compound and I managed to identify him as a male. His face resembles Bosco when Bosco first came - he has that sharp face and is rather thin. Exactly like Bosco.

A photo of the new cat taken a few days ago.

No more "B" names, a reader said, I've lost 4 furry friends with names starting with "B" this year - Baloo, Baggy, Bobby and Bosco. Not that I am superstitious with letters or numbers, but I don't mind paying heed to such observations as "there are more things on heaven and earth that is dreamt of in our philosophy", as the Bard would say. I wouldn't foolishly challenge things that I do not know enough about.

So I need a name, and James Bond comes to mind. I had in the past named two dogs after James Bond's actors, ie. Sean (survived distemper and is thriving under Charlie's care now) and Roger (an old black dog who surprisingly got adopted by a couple in Klang), both Klang Pound rescues. So we've used Sean Connery and Roger Moore, and next would either be Pierce Brosnan or Timothy Dalton. I know there's a new James Bond now, but I cannot for the life of me remember his name or his face (Sorry! Me cavewoman from ancient times...).

Timmy it shall be. No "B"s even in the surname. "B" is taboo for this year.

This afternoon, there was a terrifying war cry in the porch. I went out to check and it was Timmy growling at poor Rosie. Rosie was scared, but stood her ground. After all, the porch belongs to Rosie now. When I went out, Timmy ran away. And Timmy has found a way into our compound - he broke the netting on our gate. My husband says Timmy (or any cat for that matter) cannot possibly break the netting which he had fastened. Hmm...

No photos of Timmy because everything happened too fast...

But there are photos of Rosie and Ginger, though.

 Here's Rosie having her dinner yesterday.

 Rosie is very considerate as she would keep looking back for Ginger to come join her.

 They both LOVE, LOVE, LOVE raw meat.

But they are very big eaters, so after raw meat, it's kibbles.

 Brother and sister would even share from the same bowl. Aww...

My brood - no way you'll ever see that happening. Everyone's an alpha.

Snow White's been coming back. I guess she has delivered (yes, we heard the mewing of baby kittens sometime last week - it's probably in her house, so it should be fine). Looks like the owner has released her again. Oh dear....not a good idea as Snow White has a tendency to enter people's houses and some neighbours don't like that.

 This evening, there was a HUGE war going on at the Stargate. It was between Cow and Ginger. Ginger has been coming to the Stargate to make friends, but Cow would hear nothing of the sort.

Cow was so angry, he skipped dinner. Even that bowl of food (you see in the photo) failed to cool him down. He was so angry, he was quivering all over.

 Bunny came over to help his brother in the fight, of course.

And Tiger? Er, what are you doing there, Tiger? It's a war, Tiger.

Maybe Tiger came to share some Gandhi philosophy to make peace?

As you can see, Ginger is absolutely unperturbed.

I'm worried about Bunny, though, because when he gets himself worked up, he will get a fever. Then, I'll be the one panicking.

By the way, you see the green netting in the photo above? That was where Raven came through at midnight, many weeks ago! We had to wire-net it that night because she had mange and she kept coming in. The rest, of course, is history.

And while this war was going on...

 Cleo was having her raw meat dinner.

Cleo always eats last as she wants to dine alone and away from everyone else. Cleo is a loner and is quite anti-social.

 By now, the war cry was so bad, I heard a neighbour slamming his/her door many times. Ok, I understand, so water gun to the rescue. Bunny and Tiger ran away when I shot the water gun at the threesome, but Cow did not move an inch. Gosh, talk about persistence...

 The water gunned ones.

 The KPC.

 The taking-a-stroll-after-her-private-dinner-and-kindly-do-not-disturb-me Calico princess.

 Wars have nothing to do with me.
My silly brothers...they never learn.

 I'll be safe here, I'm near my Ma.

 The other way to stop the fight was to feed Ginger, so I did that.

It's raw meat with wheatgrass.

 This is Rosie's dinner, but she did not come tonight. I wonder where she is. She was here all afternoon. Maybe she was frightened off by the war cries.

 I must show off (ahem!) my latest pride and joy.

I learnt a trick too - you must place a thin layer of soil over the wheatberries - it grows better this way.
This is my 3rd pot.

 After Bunny got shot, he came inside the took it out on the two tabbies.

Poor Tiger and Tabs.

 Naughty Buns.

Yes, you. You with the Bunny-face.

 This is where Indy would always be - next to me.

Indy is more of a dog than a cat. I think it's because he remembers two near-death experiences where I stayed with him and nursed him. Once, when he was first rescued from the drain with eye-ear-bladder infection and where the vet exclaimed, "Oh no...this is BAD!". Second, when we almost lost him last year and I camped out with him at the hospital. We still do not know, until today, what was wrong with him. The vet decided to classify it as "unexplained".

In fact, we think Indy could be blind in one eye (it doesn't reflect light) due to that childhood infection or maybe even deaf in one ear. He cannot hear very well too. The vet also thinks he's a kidney case. Dr S says Indy's pulse is so faint he almost has no pulse.

Never mind, we shall cope...one day at a time.

 Good ol' Indy!

More food stories...

 This is my second batch of wheatgrass. So far, so good.

 I purchase it online: https://www.facebook.com/petgrass

Ever since adding wheatgrass into every meal, I don't see a hairball problem in my cats anymore. And the best thing is, wheatgrass is a source of nutrition and they love it! - yes, all 7 of them too.

 And, everyone is eating raw meat now. I would mix raw meat (with the skin), liver, wheatgrass and cooked veges first...

Then add either...

 Natural Balance, or...

 Monge.

After persevering for several weeks, I have got everyone eating this concoction. Considering what fusspots I have, this is quite an achievement, if I may say so. At least, everyone is eating a bit of raw meat now, plus wheatgrass and veges. Raw meat, on its own - only Bunny and Cleo would eat. Indy, being a little "weird", only eats liver. Er, Indy, you cannot only eat liver, you know. The rest won't touch purely raw meat, so, I decided to make this concoction for everyone.

Once in a while, when I am not in a rush, Bunny and Cleo get their 100% raw meat meals. That would be a real treat for them as they simply love it!

 Bunny eats anything, actually.

 The liver-eating cat, Indy.

 Ms Fusspot No.1.

 Pole has to eat in the condo, as even the slightest noise puts her on red alert.

 When they get tired of the same thing, it's Halo's Liv-a-Littles to the rescue!

You cannot get this in Malaysia, unfortunately. Given once in a while, they go ga-ga over it.

Since it is not easy to get this precious commodity, one can use it thriftily by crushing it into powder and sprinkling it on top of the concoction. But, they still prefer it whole, of course. It all depends on what you use it for - as a treat or as an enticement to eat their food.

It's all thanks to Reena who got her mum to get these two jars from the U.S. Thanks, Reena!

 But if one cat gets Halo, everybody comes...

What about us? 

So, everybody gets it too.

 My cats have decided they prefer to use this patch of soil as a toilet.

 I have four litter boxes prepared. Some still use it, though. They did not like it when I shifted two boxes to a more open space, so I've relocated all four boxes back here. All are cleaned several times a day.

Yet, some still prefer to do it on the soil. Guess the natural way is still preferred.

 And, my heavyweights destroyed the cat-tree this morning!

Bunny, was it you?

Our disclaimer holds.

Greetings from Raven!!

Here are photos from DT:

 Hello Mommy KY, how are you? I'm doing very well and happy with my new friends and home.
Mommy DT took me for my vaccination on the 16th and all is well!  Love, Raven.

 Here, I'm having dinner with my friends, Emon, Bagheera, Miracle and Whisper!

 And here, I'm lounging all by myself..."chilling out".

I'm having a great time, so don't you worry about me!

Miss you, Rave, but glad you are so happy in your new home.
Thank you so much, DT!!

Hello there, Wii!!

Wii and Vixey were my rescues way back in 2008. Vixey, a lovely black kitten, was a pygmy (in other words, she was retarded) and had brain degeneration. She lived for two years only. After Vixey passed away, the Cow & Bunny pair chased poor Wii out of the house (into the back alley). Wii lived there quite happily with Tiger as his only friend. Tiger would be in the backyard to accompany him.

Wii was okay until he started mewing whenever he came home for food, and this angered a neighbour tremendously (the whole family did not like the sound of barking or mewing). The neighbour (and his family) shouted obscenities at Wii and even threw things at him.

With a heavy heart, I had to rehome Wii. I tried bringing Wii back into the house, but he was terrified of the Cow & Bunny combo.

Roselin was so kind, she took over Wii from me.

Once Wii entered Roselin's household, a transformation came over him. From the timid, over-bullied cat that he was in my household, Wii became the new "taikor" at Roselin's and started being a big bully. Poor Roselin had a hard time (close to one year) helping Wii adjust. After a few months, Roselin even tried Wii in a new home, but that did not work out, so she took Wii back.

Finally, Wii made friends with an equally crazy dog that Roselin was looking after and the two became the best of friends - a cat who could not get along with other cats and a dog who could not get along with other dogs. An odd couple, so to speak.

It's more than 2 years now, and Wii is doing fine, is well-adjusted and still plays the taikor role in Roselin's community but does not bully anymore. In fact, he calls for breakfast and gets everyone treats! So, he is a "good taikor" now!

Yes, I sit at the breakfast table.

 And yes, I get treats too!

Have a great life, Wii! We'll always think of you fondly. I do miss you muchly!

Thank you so much, Roselin!

 

Training the Cow Mau not to spray....(but can it even be done?)

Plan A was to use the air filter. The filter is good, but it could not remove all the smells.

Plan B was to paint the room. That did not quite work too. I think the urine had already seeped into the walls (in places which I failed to spot, or failed to wipe off immediately).

Plan C was to tile the room, and that has helped a lot as wiping the Cow Mau's spray spots is made easier now. Hopefully, it's cleaner too for surely his urine cannot possibly seep INTO the tiles, right? The day the room was tiled, my son checked (he is the only one who can smell anything as he isn't at home every day) and said, for once, there was "no more smell"!! 100% smell-free, he said. Hooray!

Plan C is now further reinforced by a Feliway diffuser too (thank you, Megaa).  Megaa said it might take a month or two for it to work, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Cow Mau can be subdued by Feliway's happy hormones.

Meanwhile, tiling has proved to be a great idea.

 I also have a new table with stainless steel legs now. The top is just laminated plywood, nothing fantastic. It's the legs that are important.

We asked for a deeper (non-standard sized) table so that there is space for the cats to sleep on while I do my work.

This old mat is for Indy as he likes to sleep in the middle of the room so that I am within sight. It's been cold lately, so the mat is good for them too.

 Here are the stainless steel legs of the table.

Cow Mau is sniffing at them. And yes, on the first day it arrived, he sprayed on one of the legs. But I managed to wipe it off quickly. The contractor had assured me that "should your cats make the legs rusty", he will be able to change the legs for me. He said he could not "cat-proof" the legs. This is just ordinary stainless steel, he said. No worries, I understand.

 I've put boxes to block off the favourite spray spots.

 This deeper table is really good for the cats. Three cats can sleep on it at a time, with enough personal space. As you know, my cats are all alphas (except for Tiger). They won't share their personal space with anyone.

Don't worry, be happy?

Doesn't he look innocent here?

This wooden door is Cow Mau's biggest "victim". He sprays on this poor door like nobody's business. Sometimes, as much as ten times a day (am not exaggerating). There was once when I was at my table, and within 5 minutes, Cow sprayed five times on this door). So now I put a box in front of it, but he sprays a bit higher so it hits the door and streams down onto the floor. Or, he sprays onto the box. Cow Mau has a personal vendetta against this door, I guess.

Hmm...how to make him not do it? After all, he is a cat. A cat has to do what he has to do.

The water gun!

I resorted to using it, and Cow got water-shot for a few days whenever he got into position or even approached the vicinity of the box or the door. After a few days, hey...the spraying stopped. But I'm not celebrating yet...The water gun must be always available and always in good working order.

Maybe it's the water-gun, or maybe the Feliway is working - I shall keep using both.

 The rest seemed ok. The shelf is popular again. It's their apartments again and everyone shares.

 Mother and daughter (Pole/Cleo) have found their old spots again.

 The seniors are all comfortable.

It is only poor Tabs who seems to be always lost now. She tries to run out of the room whenever we open the grille as Bunny has targeted her as his victim. Bunny picks a fight with Tabs as and when he feels like bullying someone. After all, who else can he bully?

Cow bullies Bunny, so Bunny cannot bully Cow.

The mother-and-daughter pair (Pole/Cleo) is so fierce even we are afraid of them.

Indy is kind of left alone because Indy is..."a little weird". I heard black-and-white cats are "a little weird".

In a way, Tiger cannot be bullied because he doesn't react to anything. He just closes his eyes and "Gandhi-s" you away. What fun is bullying such a person, right? For all your know, in cat language, Tiger says: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I come in peace and mean you no harm. May all beings be well and happy. So, who would want to keep hearing that, right?  It's just no fun.

Who does that leave? Poor little Tabs. I guess Bunny finds it "fun" to bully her because she reacts. She is afraid and she runs.

Lesson to be learnt: When people irritate you, do not react. (excerpts from Tiger Wisdom)

Poor little Tabs.

There is always this pattern with my senior cats. They don't mind the presence of kittens, but the moment you are "old enough" to be a threat to them, they chase you out. Bunny is doing that to Tabs now, and if Tabs were not confined, she might have run away from home or migrated out to be a community cat. I guess our role now is to find Tabs her own space in Bunny's Place. We know the penthouse on top of the condo is still hers, so that's still good.

 Dear old Indy. He's happy anywhere, as long as he is near me.

And how are things outside?

Ginger's favourite place.

Rosie's.

Another new kid on the block? I think this cat is from Mr G's house. I caught Ginger and this new cat "quarreling" on the wall.

The Bunnyphant is his Jabba-the-Hut pose! Look at that cute little face...but this cute little face is a big bully.

 My box (plus water-gun) trick seems to be working well...and it doubles up as a sentry post as well.

Even sentries need their rest, sometimes.

Oh, it's not resting, it's guarding the water-gun.

 This sentry guards me.

Sentry duty can be in various positions.
Observe how tail wraps around laptop to ensure no one steals laptop?