Cat Culling

Someone just highlighted to me the East Coast TC cat culling exercise that I've heard about before. Cats really do get captured by pest control. And I wonder how it is that the average man on the street can pretend not to know, not know about this, or not be bothered to know. How lives are lost simply because of complaints. How cats sit uneasily on the pest dichotomy, and if we can do something to stop this mindless culling (be it by telling people about the act, or other alternatives like sterilisation, or being a responsible owner), then please do it. I recently got to know how cat trapping by pest control is done. Apparently they use a gunny sack with some bread that's got tuna to lure the cat in.

I've not seen culling being done and don't wish to see culling happening before my eyes. But I know that this happens day in day out... as long as cats are labelled as 'pests'. And I always wonder what gets transported in pest control vans. Some pet taxis also transport cats to be surrendered. I'm glad though, to work with Vincent, who does not surrender cats, either to the SPCA or AVA.

Another flu cat

I missed out on the action this week with Audrey and Vincent due to exams. They trapped 5 cats this week, and one has flu. This poor cat was down with flu and was sent to the vet for treatment. His fur is standing up either due to fear or sickness :(

Kitties Sunday

Xia Mi turning into a fatty bom-bom cat

Yo... What's up?

Xiami used to be a fearful cat with eye infection that made her eyes look blue. Hence, when we brought her back for her eyes to nurse her eyes, we named her 瞎 "xia1" - blind）米 (mi3), much like the chinese pronounciation of "shrimp" (虾米）. She used to always give warning sounds like ambulance sirens when we wanted to touch her, but after she got diarrhoea and we sent her to the vet, she became a sweet ginger girl much less fearful of people. Maybe something to do with the therapy there.

Well, actually she is not blind, just that her eye infection was quite bad that it made her almost blind. Today she has adjusted to living with other cats like DDxiong and Ah-Gueh. She will rub against me to wake me up in the morning and is always hungry for food. She likes to hide into nooks and crannies to sleep, such as under my cupboard. I always thought that she looks more like a mouse than a cat :)

He He and Xian Xian

Kittens always have that playful innocent 'look'!

Xian Xian the little lamb

He He's flying act... Hehe!

Ouch! That must be so painful.

He He (pronounced "Her Her") and Xian Xian were brought back into my house last Saturday after they were abandoned by their mother when someone touched these kittens. They are only about 3 weeks old and still feeding on milk. Slowly they have adjusted to drinking from a milk bottle to drinking from a small syringe. (The milk bottle head kept getting chewed off by these kittens.) They might be small, but their apetitie is BIG!He He and Xian Xian like to be near each other and He He will cry when he does not see Xian Xian who is more shy. He He also likes to follow people around although he is only 3 weeks old. Read more about them here in my sister blog.

Their future fate is still unknown, as the place they were picked up from is not conducive for cats to live. Perhaps someone would like to give them a loving home?

Kitties Sunday

Brownie - Do I look like a little fox?

Coco - Charming as always!

Ma Ling Shu - Caught in the act

Another successful trapping this week

This week, we trapped another 6 cats. 5 were for sterilisation while this Siamese-X kitten was sent in to the vet for flu treatment. (That is my fat hand holding her up for a photoshoot!) Five cats were from a different area that we haven't been to before while one is a Calico. At first I thought that the cats cannot come out of that area that has got cats... but it turns out that boundaries are nothing to cats, as you might have guessed! If you wish to make a contribution for these cats, please leave a comment or email me at kucingcoast@gmail.com Thank you!

A lazy afternoon nap...

Kitten Updates

Posted by Nicole, Wed 18 April 07, 12:02am

Exams are around the corner. Besides actively mugging, also been taking care of these 2 lil kids at home.

I think Dabao is starting to warm up to the environment. I find myself connecting more with Dabao as the day goes by. It really reminds me of the time when Iffy first came into my household. =) It's also very receptive to touch. Xiaobao is currently happily playing with a doll which I've thrown into the cage, hahaha~ but for a little "her" she's pretty tough and rough creature! Very violent as well, I think it's just a facade to try to protect herself. =X

To protect my subwoofer, I've decided to cover it up with a plastic bag just in case they run loose during feeding time and decide to play around with my wires. I'm thinking of making a scratch post near the leg of my table so that xiaobao can have something to scratch with. When I've time I guess, after completing some chapters tmr I guess.

Still thinking of whether to litter train them. It might be a little hard because most of the time they're in their cat carriers and I'm not around in my room. =S

Dabao is getting better from loose stools. It's not as runny as yesterday anymore but to be safe, it has to endure a bit more diaherea meds. But otherwise still quite ok. Right eye still runny. Dunno why only one eye keeps tearing.

My mother just came up and played with them for a little while. I think she likes Dabao. keke~

Suddenly, I think of Iffy. Dunno why also. I just find it very farnie that it hadn't discovered the two little kittens in my room YET. hahahaa~ And no flu symptoms yet, so all is very wonderful now. =) hehehe~

Been praying for the 2 kittens. Pray that God will heal them. I believe in healing miracles.

Take Iffy for example: Actually it was involved in a car accident early this year. It was knocked down by a car (my sisters witnessed it while on the way to school but couldn't do anything about it as they're rushing to school) and it stood up and walked to the sidewalk to lick its wounds. Thereafter it was missing for a good 3 days before my sisters hunted and found it near the accident area. It couldn't even stand up for a extended period of time. My parents rushed it to the vet's but was given the choice to operate or to put it to sleep. So my parents took it home to try to nurse it back to health. It was housebound for a few weeks. It couldn't even do its biz properly in the kitty litter. It literally struggled to use its toilet and to cover it (my cat is a clean freak).

Just one night, I came home and I decided to just pray for it. So I sat down beside the basket its lying on and laid my hands on its hurting legs (it nearly bit me) and I prayed. I think it knows I'm trying to help him because after a while it quieten down and just let me do what I wanted to do.

After 2 days or so, it started trying to sit straight for an extended period of time. I was really thrilled that God can even hear my tiny prayer. Not just to minister and heal people, but also to the little creatures that He has created when He made the world. So Iffy is now healthy and fighting, roaming around at night, being a pest in the morning and walking properly except for the slightest tinge of limping. I believe that as long as my faith is there, my little cat can also be a witness of the healing powers of Christ.

So I'll continue talking to the kittens and pray that they'll be well soon! And of course... try to force the yellow tablet down their throats. =X They really hate the tablet. Don't blame them, I'd hate it too... =X

Route to Recovery

Da Bao and Xiao Bao went to their foster's home yesterday so that they can recover under a more conducive environment. Thanks Nicole for taking care of them. Here's DDxiong with the sian-sian (tired) look after getting the flu :( May they all recover soon...

The semblance is striking

Da Bao with the "mustache"

Another cat in the same area... Da Bao's father? Same "hairstyle" somemore...

Or-Chui... Nabbed!

Or-Chui (Black mouth), the first female cat I knew, was trapped this week for sterilisation by Uncle. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we did not go trapping this week. But knowing that Or-Chui was trapped at long last was a great relief.

My 'rejected' letter to the ST forum... Is this issue any less important than ministers' pay hike?

Stop everyday acts of animal abuse

I was below my HDB void deck where there were two stray cats near me. Another man was walking in my direction, when he noticed the cats which were near, but not in his path. Suddenly, the man’s behaviour changed. He stamped his feet loudly, not once, twice but thrice in an attempt to scare one cat. Needless to say, this cat was frightened.

I was aghast and confronted him. He then glared at me and walked away. If a child commits such an act, we can attribute it to a lack of education. But as this act was committed by a fully-grown adult, I find such it highly abhorrent.

If one is afraid of the animal, he or she could have just avoided it and walked in another direction. There is no need to incite fear in a helpless being as this is tantamount to abuse where animals are frightened needlessly and deliberately.

Just because we are many times bigger and more powerful than animals do not imply that we are the sole inhabitants of the city. As stray cats live in public space face much insecurity, members of the public who witness such acts should stop the perpetuator immediately. Only then can we claim to have “progressed” as a nation.

Outbreak

When I brought Da Yuan (aka Da Bao) and Xiao Bao home, I thought it would be okay. After all, they have already recovered from their flu and just needed to stay a while because of their loose stools. But a just yesterday, besides these 2 kittens, 3 of my cats started sneezing. I then realised that it is because somehow they have contracted the flu from these w kittens. After speaking to Dr Au, he advised that we quarantine the cats from one another.

But now I'm wondering when you quarantine the cats, do those with more "serious" flu need to be separated from those with less serious flu? We have separated them into rooms for the moment. Hope that they will recover soon.

Any advice for these flu cats and kittens? I seriously need some help in this area. Thank you...

Little Kitten has passed away

Last Tuesday, Audrey and Vincent met a tiny kitten that wasn't moving. According to the uncle there, the kitten had already not eaten for 3 days. They saw that it had only skin and bones and took it to the vet. I wasn't present, so could not see how it looked like. My MMS sending wasn't working, so in my mind, I could only conjure an image of a skinny sick kitten, perhaps brown, grey, tabby, white or a mixture?

Today I went to Dr Au's to get some Vibravet for the two kittens which are now boarded at my house. They should have recovered from their flu and are having loose stool but not sure why of one them started sneezing again. I wanted to visit the kitten but they told me that it had already passed away this morning.

Hope it has crossed the rainbow bridge peacefully. In my mind's eye, this is "kitten-X", a kitten I've never met, but I will get its picture from Audrey soon. May it be re-born into a better next life.

Sleeping Child...

Brownie looks a little zonked out

Coco oblivious to the teasing of Dino

Ma Ling Shu grooming himself before sleeping

Great to meet SL and other cat lovers again today, and even greater to see that our three cats were playing around in the room, chasing each other and other cats around. While some people came to view the cats this afternoon, Coco, Brownie and MLS were visibly in a sleepy mood. They remind me of little kids who had a day out and just needed a rest after that. Hopefully their ‘right’ mama or papa will come for them soon :)