30 November 2010

Tommy Collared and Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK hatted

EJ had trouble digitally camouflaging Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK's missing right eye globe and asked for help from blogger friend Sammy and Andy. Their mom did it wonderfully. Our Captain look so very sauve and dashing, doesn't he? The Captain is also featured in Sammy and Andy's blog http://samandy007.blogspot.com

To EJ's horror, a number of sores suddenly appeared on Tommy on Sunday morning but could not go to the vet as an appointment was made to visit an elder relative.

Journey to the clinic was yesterday, Monday, and as usual Tommy wailed all the way there and back. Tommy meowed so loud that he could be heard through the wound-up car windows. Traffic was smooth. It was only while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green that drivers of vans and lorries would grin and meowed back at Tommy.

His vet checked him and found that the possible cause could be environmental allergy. A course of antibiotics for two weeks and topical cream was prescribed. Cleaning of the wounds and application of the cream must be done three times a day.

Now it is Tommy's turn to wear that E-collar to prevent him from scratching and licking.

The pink arrows shows those wounds where the cream has been applied.

Tommy being checked out by his roommates.

He tried hard to remove the E-collar.

Angered by having to wear the E-collar, Tommy transformed into a stegosaurus - a mini albino stegosaurus. Can you see the wound on his leg?

A very unhappy Tommy.

PS: To see whether it helps, EJ stopped using floor cleaner and is now using just plain water to clean floor.

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

28 November 2010

Visit

It's Sunday!

On such a day with fine weather, less traffic on the road, a leisurely drive to visit old friends and elderly relatives is most fitting.


26 November 2010

Curtain Calls

EJ never bothered with curtains till the new neighbour did major renovations to the house from front to back and top to bottom. 

With all foreign workers working and staying in, EJ felt a little insecure and decided that it was time to put up curtains on the two front windows.

Lugging this borrowed old drill that weighed like 16 tons to EJ up the low ladder on creaky knees wasn't easy. Holding the heavy drill above eye level, drilling was not exactly accurate. EJ took many tea breaks. Frequent climbing up and down lugging that ancient drill was tiring. It was a vicious cycle.

Putting up these curtains up probably take a couple of hours for professionals; EJ took days. 

Soon the weight of the curtains and the rod took its toll on that amateurish drilled part. The whole curtain threatened to fall.

Down came the curtain and the rod and up went EJ again on the ladder. This time EJ took the easy way out. All EJ did was stuff white cement at where the screw was and hope it would hold after the cement dried.

So far so good and hope it stays that way.

23 November 2010

Labour Over Box

Wanting to make sweet corn pudding in cute teddy bear shapes for the grandniece's belated birthday, EJ had to go to the supermarket to get the ingredients.

It was a Saturday. And imposed on every Saturday in Selangor state is "No Plastic Day". Free plastic bags will not be provided to customers by participating shopping centres and retailers. This is to educate and encourage shoppers to bring their own bags and change their habit of excessive use of plastic bags which are environmentally harmful.

EJ clean forgot about this "No Plastic Day" but was pleasantly surprised when a free cardboard box was offered at the payment counter to contain the stuff bought.

On reaching home, this free cardboard box became the cats' property. This was what happened.

Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK peeked with his one good eye from the box.

Tommy came along and decided that the best way to conquer the box was to just pounce on it with Captain Jack still inside. He's that dark patch just below Tommy's belly.

The minute Captain Jack jumped out, Tommy guarded the entrance.

Not giving up easily, Captain Jack made a turnaround and confronted Tommy. A staring contest ensued. Tommy stood his ground, more of sat his ground, till the fur on his spine spiked up like a dinosaur (stegosaurus). Those spikey furs did its job well.

In the foreground is Kenggy who did a perfect timing of shoving her butt at the camera just as EJ clicked.

Just as written on the box, Tommy laboured and enjoyed an all stretched-out relax.

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

21 November 2010

Games Watch

It's Sunday!


Cinders plonked herself in front of the TV with EJ to watch the 16th Asian Games live.
EJ was impressed the opening ceremony held in the middle of the Pearl River on Haixinsha Island and can't wait to see the closing ceremony on 27 November.

19 November 2010

Neighbourhood Meet

EJ opened the front door early one morning and was greeted with this sight - a neighbourhood meet.

Can you see four cats? 

These cats belong to various neighbours. EJ believes they concregate here to escape the rough handling and disturbance by their owners including children. These cats are not neutered nor spayed and EJ doubt they were not even brought to a vet.

Since these cats are not exactly healthy, EJ would not touch them for fear of bringing parasites and diseases into the house and then transmitting them to the indoor house cats. It is sad that their meals are not exactly regular and EJ has seen these cats drinking from puddles on the road.

On seeing EJ, they moved on. One went up the roof. They roamed everywhere.

This little fellow rested on the pot of plant placed by the neighbour on top of the shared common wall.  EJ recognises this plant as ZZ plant.

Please do take note of this plant especially pet lovers as it is poisonous.

Also known as the Aroid Palm, the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is a tropical perennial plant that originated from the eastern portions of Africa. Other names include Zanzibar Gem, fat boy, eternity plant and Jin Qian Shu.

All parts of the ZZ plant are poisonous. The ZZ plant is part of the Araceae family and contains insoluble calcium oxalates, which are toxic when high levels are consumed.

In pets, insoluble calcium oxalates can cause varying degrees of toxicity. Some pets may experience mild oral irritation while others can require hospitalization or in rare cases when extreme levels of the plant are consumed, die.

Source: http://www.ehow.com

16 November 2010

Warm Compromise

In difficult unpleasant situations, cats instinctively know how to resolve them with warm results. 

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

14 November 2010

Meal Bonding

It's Sunday!

Having a hearty meal together is a pleasant way to strengthen family and relatives' ties as well as friendship bonds.

12 November 2010

Driveling Yowls

Yesterday was the scheduled day for Tanya's stitches to be removed.

As soon as Tanya was placed in the cage and strapped down with the safety belt to prevent the cage from sliding, Tanya started to howl.

During the journey, she showed signs of stress, started panting and drooling. Her two long drools stretched unbroken from her mouth to her feet and she was sitting up.

Rain started in mid-journey and soon became a torrential storm. Tanya continued yowling.

With decreased visibility and that home-made onboard sign up, EJ drove slowly.

There were stretches on the road where even motorbikes overtook EJ but EJ was not concerned as safety on a wet road is more important than showing off. EJ just kept at that tortoise pace on the slow lane.

On reaching the clinic, EJ was delighted that the heavy rain became a light drizzle and right in front of the clinic was an empty parking lot. It was good timing.

After Tanya had the stitches removed, heavy rain started again.

While waiting for the rain to ease, EJ had biscuits and a hot drink with compliments from the friendly vets and staff in the clinic.

Miraculously, Tanya slept quietly during the long drive home though traffic was a little heavy as it was still drizzling.

Last night Tanya still had her 'bonnet' on to prevent her from licking the antiseptics sprayed on the stitches' wounds.

The 'bonnet' came off this morning. Tanya is now sleeping on EJ's Mickey Mouse shorts, obviously tired from yesterday's ordeal.

And she snored too.

09 November 2010

Tanya is Better

The stitches are healing beautifully. Even the fur at the shaved area has started growing.

Tanya has now accepted that E-collar and this is how she sleeps with it.

She has gotten so used to it that she is getting rather naughty prancing about racing round the house.

Here Tanya disturbed Cinders' beauty sleep and received a threatening piercing glare which promptly sent Tanya off.

Then she was caught trying to pry open the cupboard door.

This was the look of a guilty face after EJ gave her a telling off...

...and she went to the front door to sulk.



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

07 November 2010

Adoring Love

It's Sunday!

Pebble says, 'I gave up my spot on the chair so that my big brother Tommy could rest stretched out on both chairs.

These plastic chairs are children's size which EJ sometimes sit on and those tiles are one-foot sized tiles.

05 November 2010

Quaint Adjustments

Tanya would like to thank you all for the comforting and healing purrs. She is recovering well.

To separate Tanya from the rest of the cats, Tanya is allowed to roam the entire house while the other cats are confined to the meowroom and meowyard. This is to prevent other cats from licking her stitches and as well playing games like 'catch me if you can'.

This will be the arrangement till end of next week when the stitches are scheduled to be removed.

Tanya is adjusting well to the translucent E-collar with funny results. 

EJ laughs each time Tanya walks slowly, swaying slightly and crouching lower than normal which resulted in her floppy belly almost touching the floor. Each time Tanya tries to lick clean herself, she ends up cleaning her E-collar. The pictures are blur because of her bobbing up and down movement.

Somehow the E-collar makes Tanya look like she is wearing a violet-coloured bonnet. And looks rather cute, don't you think?

03 November 2010

A Mood Most Foul

All the cats had a slightly later than usual breakfast yesterday because Tanya must not eat. It was when Tanya was placed in the cage just before the start of a long drive to the clinic that EJ fed the hungry cats.

My roommates are always lucky. All three doctors attended to Tanya's surgery in removing that offensive wire.

As the norm, EJ do not board the cats but prefers to look after them personally. By the time Tanya woke up, it was way past lunch time.

Tanya had to wear an E-collar to prevent her from licking the stitches. Though still groggy, as soon as the E-collar was on, her character changed. Her mood became most foul. She growled. She hated it and constantly tried to remove it.

During the drive home, Tanya maintained that most foul mood, growling non-stop and kept thrashing about in the cage like a crocodile thrashing in shallow water. EJ was afraid that Tanya may hurt herself so had one eye on Tanya with the other on the road. The drive home was not as smooth as normal and was erratic at times. Luckily traffic was light that late afternoon.

Now EJ is thinking perhaps it would be good idea to warn fellow drivers by adding these words to the home-made onboard sign.

CAUTION 
POSSIBLY ERRATIC

Tanya trying to eat.

Her fur covered the view of the stitches but a thread is visible. The stitches will be removed next week.

The culprit which the doctor gave EJ as souvenir.