29 June 2010

Tolerant Cinders

EJ wonders if advancing age has something to do with being more tolerant?

This was taken a few years' ago when all were still in EJ's mom's house.

As usual Cinders was resting on her favourite mat when EJ, niece and nephew decided to have some fun.

A cardboard roll was carefully placed and balanced on Cinders' head between her ears.


Unfazed and unperturbed by it, she held her head unmoving till the cardboard roll slowly fell off, with more than enough time for EJ to get the camera to get this shot.

EJ is not sure whether it was Cinders' indifference attitude or tolerance due to her advancing age.


For more cat stories, please visit http://gattinamycats.blogspot.com here

25 June 2010

Little House for Tommy

During those days when Tommy and Tanya used to pay daily visits to EJ (they had an owner then), they slept anywhere in the porch where they thought was comfortable. Those were the days when EJ was a 'squatter' in mother's house.

Sometimes Tommy and Tanya would spend the whole afternoon at the porch. When it became too often and long, EJ decided to make a little house to shelter them from the sun and rain. It was one of the first few little projects EJ made for the cats.

This was it!

It was recycled from an unwanted cardboard box. The side that faced the front gate where the sun shines and the rain comes in was covered with plastic garbage bag held in place and taped down with masking tape, the only tape available in the house that time.

A tiny window was created by using one of mom's knives from the kitchen to cut a big 'U' and folded up as a shade for sun and rain. As you can see it was held up with lots and lots of tape!

The entrance, of course, was at the other end facing the house.

A slit on the side was purposedly made for extra ventilation and light.

Everytime EJ, mom or siblings came home and if Tommy was in his little cardboard-box house, Tommy would stick his nose, mouth and eyes out of that little window to greet and welcome them home with a meow. He cannot stick his ears out as his face was too broad for that window. Everyone was pleased, both human and cat!

This little house was much loved and constantly occupied. When it became worn out as well as when other strays started using it, constantly depriving both Tommy and Tanya of resting in it, EJ had to destroy it.

Since it proved so much loved and appreciated, it encouraged EJ to bigger and more ambitious projects later.

To see how Tommy and Tanya looked like those days before they adopted EJ, please click here for Tommy and here for Tanya.

22 June 2010

Glassy Eyed?

Winnie is the cat that is seldom talked about.

It is because she is quiet, not vocal but will talk when necessary. She is agile and always move out of your way unlike her big fat-blob comrades who will plop down blocking your path on purpose!

But most of all, she is a very timid cat and will scoot off to hide at the slightest strange noise.

Her body may be relaxed but her eyes are always on the alert with her pupils dilated. And she looks rather comical at that.


Rather clownish, don't you think?


For more cat stories, please visit http://gattinamycats.blogspot.com here

18 June 2010

Prevention is Always Better

Anticipating the new neighbours, being young bachelors, may not keep their surroundings as clean as EJ would like them to be, EJ decided to take action a few months ago before they shifted in.

There was a gap at the lower part of the dividing chainlink fence between EJ's and neighbour's porches where dead leaves and carelessly discarded stuff can move across when the wind blows.

Luckily EJ did not discard the remnants of the plastic mesh (considered junk) used to cover all windows and grills in the house to deter the cats from sneaking out. These remnants were used to line and cover that gap along the dividing chainlink fence.

The work was pretty fast. It only took only one whole morning to put together using plastic cable ties.

Less dead leaves and other stuff migrated to EJ's porch now. Dead leaves are still on the neighbour's porch on the right while there are none on EJ's on the left.

EJ is pleased as nothing was wasted. All remnants were made use of as well as less sweeping and cleaning of the porch.

15 June 2010

Toying Tails? The Long and Short of it!

It is good that One-Eyed (psst, please do not let him know that we call him that behind him) is so named Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK as he is handsome and has that air of sauveness just like that human in the movie.

EJ is glad he was not named after the notorious Captain Hook though his short tail is like a hook!

He has a fascination for tails and since his is short, he plays with his buddies' usually Kenggy's.

Luckily Kenggy has a long tail. With her two shortened front limbs and without paws, Kenggy uses her long tail as a stabilizing anchor to stand upright exactly like a kangaroo. And she could stand up like that for a considerable long time.

So here below, EJ managed to capture those precious playing moments of toying tails between Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK and Kenggy. The best part was Kenggy obliged and kept swishing her long tail for Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK to paw. And you can see that complete tolerance in Kenggy's eyes.





The long and short of it is the cats in EJ's home accept each other, share even their food bowls and live together in spite of their many differences.

11 June 2010

Ubiquitous Duct Tape

Lately EJ found the toilet dirtied faster than normal and has been scrubbing it a lot.

It got EJ curious why this should be and decide to have a closer look. It was found that after flushing, the water flow did not stop. It flowed continously. It was that small flow which deposited those rusty-looking stains.

With the cistern cover taken off, it was discovered that the water level had exceeded the maximum mark. If the float handle was made of metal, EJ would have to bend it. Unfortunately the whole contraption is plastic which got EJ stumped.

The orange-coloured arrow points to the little knob that controls the inlet water. After several flushes, EJ found that the knob was a bit too far out and needed to be pushed in. EJ tried but could not tighten the plastic screw that probably control how far that knob goes and also feared that the whole plastic thing could break.

So out came the duct tape. EJ cut a small piece and folded it into a tiny two millimetres thick square and taped it to the knob thus pushing the knob in.

Test flushes was done several times and it seemed to work.

But this is a temporary solution. And so far so good.

08 June 2010

To Prod or Not to Prod

This sight caught EJ by surprise and was momentarily stumped for words. What met the eye was a white blob! It certainly did not look like a cat sleeping; it was more of a fat furry something in hibernation.

So deep was Tommy's sleep that even after EJ got hold of the camera, snapped a few shots and with other cats moving around, Tommy did not move a millimetre.


EJ was very tempted to prod the fleshy rump of the fat blob and took a while to deliberate whether to prod or not to prod. It took EJ some effort in resisting that temptation and allowed Tommy in continuing his hibernation.


Cinders is thrilled to be accepted as a member of the Kool Senior Kat Klub, in short KSKK. She would like to thank Sammy, Andy and their human mom in presenting this lovingly created and beautifully designed award.




04 June 2010

Peck or Pound?

New colleagues steal side glances at EJ working on the keyboard. They thought EJ was angry venting all the anger hitting the keyboard hard instead of confronting the cause.
Old colleagues did not give a hoot and continued what they were doing.

When EJ started work in a media company, internet and laptops were not available.

There was this majestic-looking metal machine Underwood typewriter. It was for the secretary to type letters and memos. EJ has typed on this before and loved how the keys 'kick back' when you hit the keys hard enough.

Writers use smaller 'portable' Olympia typewriters. It was considered 'portable' those days and being all metal, it was not exactly light to carry around.

This, too, has almost the same 'kick back' when you hit the keys. Since all were manual, writers have to use carbon papers to make copies. With one copy for the editor, another for the sub and one for your own file plus carbon paper between them totalling up to five sheets, you have to hit the keys really hard for the last copy, yours, to be legible.

To let you know you have reached the right margin end of the page, a sharp bell 'ding' sound will be heard. To go to the next line, you pull the carriage return lever situated on the left of the typewriter to the right which will turn the carriage that consists of a cylindrical platen (the large spool the paper goes around) a notch and move to the left margin. This was not silent. It produced sounds somewhat like 'ding', 'kerek'. Combined with pounding of the keys on five sheets, it would go kachung, kachung, kachung, ding, kerek...kachung, kachung, kachung, ding, kerek...

Imagine this at deadline with 30 or more writers pounding away, not-so-sleek telephones ringing their hooks off and people shouting across the room, it was just as noisy as in the fish market. Or worse. Despite of all the noise, brilliant stories were written and filed on time.

EJ feels this kind of situation is conducive to learn and acquire total concentration.

Nowadays laptop users type silently, softly pecking at the keys.

Habits die hard. Somehow with EJ's habitual pounding on modern flimsy laptop, fragile plastic key cover tops has never flown off.

EJ still loves that majestic antique Underwood typewriter!

03 June 2010

Thank you Happy Lucky

Cinders is frolicking happily today.

She received a HAPPY CAT award and would like to thank Lucky whole-heartedly with her 'octagenarian' heart.

Lucky received this award earlier and can be viewed here on what makes him happy.

Five things which Cinders like are:-

Conversation
Food
Pats on head
Tickles under chin
Laps to sit on

01 June 2010

Sleeping in Style

EJ suddenly realised that some cats were less talked about as they are well-behaved and not as boisterous as the others.

They mind their own business and do not disturb other cats. Usually they eat quietly and then find a comfortable corner to observe the goings-on or sleep.

Cinders and Pebble are two such cats.

Cinders, approaching 16 soon, categorised as senior cat still sleeps like a baby.


Pebble however is not young and EJ believes she will be considered a senior cat soon. She sleeps very prettily.


Well, EJ decided that each cat will take their turn to be posted in future.