Photo spam ~ Conversations with my cat.

The princess hasn't been very forthcoming with providing input on the blog this past week...and when I nudged her about it, she just gave me a lazy look and said, "Oh bother, I just want to be lazy. I can't always be entertaining your readers, you know, daddy? Besides, they should just worship me cos I'm cute and awesome!"

Hmmm, you know what, that IS food for thought. I've always liked cats cos I think they are cute and awesome! They seem to preserve the natural lovability that is inherent in the young (think kittens, puppies and babies) and carry it forward in their lives to pop up at you at random times.

For example, what IS it with cats and small enclosed spaces?

My bag!

My bag too

No, you may not have it.

Mine, but of course!

And then, they have this besottment with boxes, rectangular containers, or baskets...

Kitty nap time, do not disturb!

This box is comfy!

HUGE BOX!!!

What are you staring at?

And I remember an episode back in the old apartment:

Hmm..I wonder if I can fit in this...

Just needs a bit of finesse

Ah...there we go

*snooze*

So I asked Maxie, who opened an eye graciously, what's with her (and cats) and small spaces like boxes and such.

"What's there not to like? It keeps the sun out, it hides me, and I don't have to look at you," she said, quite matter-of-factly without any rancor, taking the sting from the words.

I was still digesting this when she added, "Besides, that look on your face when you thought I had ran away was priceless!"

Ah yes, I remember THAT episode...she hid somewhere I didn't notice and refused to answer me when I called. I panicked and looked all over the house before seeing something move...probably convulsing in kitty laughter:

I don't recall my bed being quite so lumpy...

"Anyway, I like to make you feel guilty when you leave for the weekend without me!" she continued, warming up to the conversation now, both eyes open. "Not, that I like to go traveling all that much anyway. Stuck in the travel carrier for hours on end," she sniffed disdainfully.

 

Bag inspector kitty

Maxie likes to hop into my travel bag as I'm packing

"And most importantly, daddy, is that you can't resist me when I'm stuck in somewhere small and I love it when you go softy-melty and coo at me and give me treats cos I'm cute," she confessed.

Peekaboo, daddy!

Mrowl?

"Heh, well you know I'm a sucker for you, my princess," I admitted. "Who taught you all these acts anyway? How do you know how to steal human hearts this way?" I persisted.

Maxie waved a paw airily. "It's in our genes!"

You know what, I think she's right! Look at my uncle's kittens and how naturally they took to looking cute in a small enclosed space. :Þ

I wanna sit somewhere and look cute!

Come join me.

But, there's no space!

Use the other one, silly!

And thus concludes a lesson in kitty lore, by Madame Maxie...

You're welcome, humans.

Encounter with the Om Nom Nom Nom Monster

I have recently obtained a vacuum cleaner machine from my mum (thanks mum!) so I could actually clean up the place properly as the usual sweep and mop routine was soundly defeated by "somebody's" cat fur. It is incredibly frustrating to spend half an hour sweeping up the place only to find that there's TONNES of fur leftover when you're mopping.

So anyway, having gotten the tools necessary to clean up the place, I submitted it to Her Highness's inspection:

Hmmm...new addition to the house...

Box!

What's inside?

Open!!!

What ish this?

"Daddy, you got me a new toy! Hurry and open it!" cried the kitty. Of course, I could do nothing but oblige...

This doesn't look very fun...

*sniff sniff*

"Uhm...what is this, daddy?" asked the cat, while batting at the machine to elicit a response.

"It's a vacuum cleaner, Maxie. I'm warning you, it's going to be very loud and maybe you would like to perch in your cat tree while I clean the house," I responded, before lifting her up into said cat tree.

My advice, however, went unheeded. As I assembled the various tubings and such for the vacuum, the curious kitty poked her nose into the procedure and unabashedly supervised the whole process.

"Daddy, that tube doesn't go there! It sticks to the other one!"

"Daddy, you're using the wrong head for that tube!"

"Daddy, you're not supposed to open that!"

Between the two of us, I got the vacuum cleaner set up and gave her a final warning. Predictably, she ignored me and even showed her disdain by acting cute.

I ain't afraid of no vacuum!

"Alright, suit yourself, baby," I shrugged...and turned the machine on.

A flash of black and brown whizzed past me, upending some of the stuff I left on the floor. Unable to help myself, I grinned while straightening the mess she left in the wake of her impersonation of the Flash.

"Whaza matter, Maxie? I thought you weren't scared of some noise?" I teased her.

OMG OMG OMG the monster is coming!

Don't you dare bring that closer to me!

"Mrowll! It's eating everything!" she complained, trying to preserve her composure as she watched me sweep across the floor with the vacuum cleaner.

"WHY IS IT EATING MY FUR?!" came the surprised exclamation, as it dawned on her that the machine was sucking up all the stray bits of fur that's littered the apartment ever since we moved in.

I turned it off in order to switch into the room...and kitty gingerly prodded the vacuum cleaner and ran into hiding as if afraid it would chomp on her for her audacity.

Hiding in the closet

Giving me her wide-eyed sympathy-inducing look, she meowed, "Daddy, does this thing eat...*gulp*...cats?"

I refused to reassure her, wanting to see where this would lead...and cruelly turned the machine on again (of course, not with her standing right next to it, I'm not THAT mean!). Maxie shot out of the room and cowered in her new favourite "bag".

Help! It's a cat-eating machine!

Done with the cleanup, I opened the waste tray and dumped all the collected waste, 90% of which was compressed cat fur, and showed it to the kitty.

"See the amount of cat fur you litter the house with?" I said, in mock severity.

Maxie slunk away, still tentative even though the machine was safely packed up in its box again; taking mincing steps as though afraid of being ambushed at any time.

Finding a safe haven

"Daddy, I promise not to boss you around again. Please don't let it eat me!" she meowed, pitifully, begging for reassurance.

Finally giving in to sympathy, I gave her treats and much pettings and told her that of course I wouldn't let the machine eat her...for now...mwuahahahaha!

Sensing my irreverence, the little princess stalked off and proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the night. :p

~Genesis of a Tsundere Cat~

I've always been a sucker for cats a cat person. I think it's because they were the very first pet animals I came into association with at my maternal grandmother's place (sorry, readers..but fish just don't cut it for me). My first pet(s) though, wasn't a cat, I've had budgerigars when I was younger, but I've always wanted a cat.

So two years ago, while I was picking up the pieces of my life following a long overdue breakup from the wicked witch of Malaysia  a very crazy ex-girlfriend, I decided that I wanted a feline companion. As I was renting a room at that point, I asked my landlord if it was okay for me to keep a cat. I got the permission I sought and started making plans.

Since I have never had a cat before, I thought I'd skip getting a kitten and instead, adopt an adult cat from the SPCA or other shelters with cats, as their attitudes would be more settled and would be less frenetic compared to the kitten versions. I also selfishly (and naively) thought that an adult or senior cat would serve very well in getting my feet wet and after it has passed I can get on to obtaining my dream pure-breed cat: a ragdoll. Things didn't quite turn out the way I expected. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.... :P

Therefore, having obtained permission to get a cat, I started surveying various places for cheap kitty equipment: toys, beds, litter boxes, litter, food, cages, etc. I got everything planned out, so all that was left to do was to get said equipment, and get a cat. I was purring at the thought of finally getting one.

There were many stray cats at the parking lot of my apartment, and never did it cross my mind that I could adopt one of them as they were mostly crusty adults and rather mangy...not to mention I was worried they wouldn't take kindly to my desire to hug my own pet cat...

One evening, not too long after completing my survey, I was just going about my daily routine when I saw this little kitten in the parking lot, ambling around. As was my wont, I hurried back upstairs to grab some cat food for it (yes, even then, I was "that" crazy old cat man).

Our first meeting

Om nom nom nom

I fed the kitten, and petted it a bit. A little Malay girl came over and started hugging it. I asked the girl if the kitten was hers and she said no, her mum didn't allow her to keep one. Awww...

Well, I guess this is will have to be yet another stray that I'll be feeding downstairs.

I went on my business, and bumped into the kitten again a few days later. Again I fed it, and went on my way. I started talking about the kitten with my godsister, Rainbow, and she started urging me to take this kitten. I refused her steadfastly, insisting I wanted an adult cat and that a kitten was  simply "too much work". We nearly had an argument cos I said she was pushing me, and she respected my wishes. The idea, however, took root...

The third time I saw the kitten, it had wandered nearer to my staircase (my apartment building had many staircases leading to different units) and I told it jokingly that if I saw it again when I came back, it's coming home with me. I got back, made a half-hearted attempt to find the kitten but couldn't see it. I saw a stray male that I fed regularly and asked him (in English, mind you) if he saw my kitten. The little striped furball appeared, as though out of thin air, and gambolled over to me. The male made as if to attack the kitten and before I knew it, the little furball was in my arms and 5 flights of stairs later, in my room.

I was aghast. What have I done? I brought a KITTEN home! Where will I put it? I haven't even bought anything yet! OMG OMG OMG..... 

*toss kitten into a box* 

*take box into car* 

*drive to the hypermarket* (for non-Malaysians, that's like a Wal-mart or Safeway)

I went to the hypermarket and bought litter sand, kitten food and a kitty carrier for the little furball. Still frantic, and cursing Rainbow for planting the idea in my head, I walked around checking if I got everything I needed for the first night. The kitten wasn't quite sure what was happening, but wasn't too noisy, thankfully.

Home. for now...

First night

The kitten settled in the carrier for the first night. I wasn't letting it out unsupervised, nor was I hugging it til it's clean....Poor kitty wasn't used to caged at all, and when i woke up the bedding I gave it was wet and it didn't stink of pee...so somehow...it managed to get everything wet and I was starting to wonder if cats actually sweat... (they don't).

Next morning, I let it out and started letting it explore, and gave it a temporary litter box and some food...Also tried to take pictures of its ass and showing Rainbow and my other cat advisor, Katie, to help me sex the kitten. The general consensus was that it's a male...Not knowing what to name it, I went on Facebook and asked for suggestions, we settled on Max. I'll fast forward just for a bit here: The following week I sent Max to the vet and discovered that he is actually a she. Thanks to a conveniently placed dark patch of fur, she managed to fool everyone into thinking she's a he! Sneaky kitty! Well, since I'm already used to Max, she became Maxie instead.

Exploring

I'll give this a try

Blegh, dry!

Kitten still preferred wet food

mmmm fresh sand

Didn't even need to litter-train my kitten. Schmart!

Hiding...

After settling "his" toilet, I locked Maxie up in the small carrier again, and went out sans cat to buy the stuff I've been surveying.

I don't believe in small cages for cats

Home, with a real litter bo and scratch pad

It took me 3 hours and 5 rearrangements of the kitty condo's steps and platforms before I found a configuration that Maxie liked. Yes, even then she was already acting the princess!

I tried to make some sort of cat bed for Maxie, and thought (still think) that cats were super adorable in boxes.

Maxie's first box

In an obvious attempt to snub my cat bed, Maxie showed she preferred hanging out in the litter box than my box.

When out of the cage and not playing, I noticed she started gravitating towards this, which was left on my floor from my shopping earlier...

And so begins Maxie's love affair with canvas "recycle" bags

Bemused, I decided that since she loved that canvas bag so much, it can be her bed in the cage.

"Who needs a box when I can have a canvas bag?" says Go-Green Kitty.

DIY "sock punching bag" toy

I also got some kitty shampoo and toys. I will spare her the indignity of pictures from her very first bath. Suffice to say neither of us left it unscathed. I survived with physical scars of clawmarks on my back, and Maxie survived with a deep abiding hatred of the sight of me in my swimming trunks...

Yes, I was stupid enough to attempt bathing a cat without a long sleeved shirt on :p

Maxie's very first toy

Comes with two "mice" that kitty can bat around

And a tunnel where Daddy can role a ball around for kitty

I missed the early signs of her potential as Kung Fu Kitty

It was an interesting week for the both of us. I got used to having a kitten who produced very stinky cat poo that Rainbow teased me would last through kittenhood. Boy was I glad to find that she was just exaggerating things to make fun of me cos it stopped stinking after a week. Maxie got used to being told "no" to a lot of things, especially wire chewing. I got to learn that not all cats are like my grandmother's....i.e. they do not all like to be hugged, or petted, or sit in laps, or want to show love to their humans...and she got to learn that waking up Daddy in the middle of the night results in being caged.

Kitty likes boxes

And plastic bags...she got yelled at for this one. Didn't want her suffocating

And paper bags

And of course, all of daddy's bags are belong to me!

It took us at least half a year before I trusted her enough to let her out of the cage while I slept. We had issues, my daughter and I, but we got through them together. I still love her now, more than ever; and she...well I think she loves me, but who knows? My cute little tsundere kitten who grew up to be a tsundere cat...

PS: Thank you, Rainbow, for making me keep Maxie. :)

Informablog post! ~How to welcome a new cat~

Hello again, people!

Sorry about last week's non-post. I tend to get emotionally disturbed when I'm sick (okay sometimes even when I'm not sick lol).

I've recently been caught up with trying to get Garfield adopted (more on him later) but I've noticed during my endeavours that most people have NO clue about how to handle getting ready for a new cat, whether it's a catless household or a home with felines-in-residence (I get questions like "Can I just take the cat and put him in the garden? Or can I feed the cat leftover rice from dinner? Or what do I need to buy for my cat?). As such, the experience served as a prompt for this week's blog post. Perhaps I can even self-promote any future adopters to this particular post in time to come! ;-)

Of course, these guidelines are by no means comprehensive, but it'll at least serve as a guidepost. Additionally, I may update this post as I get new information or suggestions, as it could be useful to others.

A. Questions to ask yourself:

 

So you think you want a new cat. Here's a nifty checklist of questions I've designed to see if you're ready for a feline:

1: Why do you want a(nother) cat?

2: Are you ready to commit the next 10-15 years (or longer!) of your life to caring for your new cat? Follow up questions:

- Do you have time and space for a cat?

- Have you considered accommodations for your cat if you have to travel?

- Have you considered the fees required for veterinary care of your cat (including but not limited to vaccinations and neutering surgery)?

- Are you ready to invest in cat toys and accessories?
- Have you considered on-going expenses for food and litter sand?

3: Do you have any other animals in residence? If so, have you read up on how to introduce new animals to each other?

4:Do you know  a cat's nutritional requirements? <-- Please read up on this BEFORE you get a new cat, or any other animal companion!

- Are you sure what a cat can eat and what it cannot or shouldn't eat?
- Are you willing to allocate the extra budget for the pet's special dietary needs?

- Are you willing to ensure your cat is given a safe food regime, and not just feed it human food?

If you've satisfied yourself with the questions above, then;

B: Getting ready for your new cat (cat-free)

There are plenty of websites to guide you on how to get ready for a new cat, so I'll just cover the bare essentials. I'm going to split this into two parts: cat-free and with felines-in-residence. 

You should already own a cat carrier before any of this. 

Please get your home ready for your new cat BEFORE getting it! Have a spare room, or a bathroom if desperate, allocated for your new cat. Buy a litter box, food and water bowls, a soft towel as a bed and one or two cat toys for the cat and put them in this room. The room should be devoid of things that can hurt a cat, like harmful plants (look up what plans are harmful to cats), wires, stuff hanging from the wall that're easily reached/detachable, etc.

If at all possible, have something of the cat's from its previous place of residence to bring with you into this room, so kitty will have some familiar smells to be at home with.

Right, now you've collected your cat, take it home in a cat carrier, talk to the cat in the car softly and comfortingly. Let it get used to your voice and smell. Once home, put the carrier in the catroom, open the carrier, quietly step out and close the door. This will be the hardest part: BE PATIENT! Do not try to rush the cat to get to know you. Let it feel at home and de-stress from moving to a new place. Remember, cats are creatures of habit and they HATE change.

Let the cat have its peace for a few hours before gently opening the door, being careful not to let it run out (though this should be rare cos a nervous cat will hide and freeze, usually inside the carrier), close the door, and add food and water to the bowl. As an extra incentive, give kitty canned food. The aroma should be more enticing than kibble, unless your cat is weird like mine...

Do NOT try to initiate any physical contact with the cat, unless it does so first. Say hi, bow to it, worship it if you must...but don't touch it unless it touches you first. Step out quietly, bowing to the cat all the way, and close the door.

By the time you reach day 2 or 3, the cat should recognise you as "food provider", so you've been upgraded from worthless slave to a servant tasked with providing munchies. Congratulations! Unless something is seriously wrong, kitty should be coming up to you with meows and giving you a few head rubs or so. Lavish attention upon the kitty. The amount of attention that is tolerated depends upon the cat's temperament. Do not force more than what is wanted. You're building trust.

Once you feel that the kitty is comfortable with your presence, you may let it explore the home. I am a firm advocate of indoor feline ownership (traffic accidents, catnappings, fights, fleas are but some of the reasons why I encourage this),  so before you let kitty out of the catroom, make sure your house is escape-proof and cat-safe. As before, all dangerous plants, wires, harmful appliances, should be kept safely contained when you let your new ruler explore its domain. Keep the door to the catroom open at all times so it can run back if threatened. Ensure all family members eschew loud noises and squeaks of "oooh kitty!". Let kitty get used to everyone before you give in to your need to lose control. This is also a good time to introduce kitty to scratching pads and posts, unless you fancy your furniture to act as such.

Unless you planned to make the catroom as kitty's permanent demesne, you may feel free to move the litterbox and other kitty paraphernalia from the catroom to wherever you want them. Well done, you have successfully introduced your new cat to your household!

C: Getting ready for your new cat (with felines-in-residence)

Assuming your first kitty was homed successfully somehow and that you now have a second cat destined to rule your home, here's what you can do.

Once again, prepare a catroom. If your first cat still has a designated catroom, you will need to prepare a second room for the newcomer. Again, with the necessary equipment as mentioned in Part B.

Collect your new cat as per normal. Have someone keep your current cat(s) hidden away, or locked up in a room somewhere while you enter your home. Put your new kitty in its catroom and do the same as Part B for the first day.

After the new kitty is used to you and interacting with you within its catroom, you can now take the new kitty's towel and bring it outside to introduce the towel to your resident cats. Similarly, bring something of the cats to your new cat and let it sniff their scent(s). Do this for a few days, and then let the cats meet face-to-face but without contact, as shown in the pictures below:

This way, they can get to know each other without resorting to violence. Some hissing and growling is normal. Do this for yet another few days, until they start to either ignore each other, or just meow at each other without any aggression.

Finally, let the cats meet under your supervision. They should be sufficiently used to each other by now to decide whether or not they hate the newcomer. They will sniff each other and possibly shift into play if all goes well. Be happy even if they ignore each other. Friendship will come. Conduct close supervision for the first week to ensure they don't fight. Keep your new kitty in the catroom when you're not around, or ensure they're otherwise separated. Things will settle after a week.

In rare cases, hate happens, for whatever reason, and you might have no choice but to return your new kitty if you notice any severe bullying occurring. Do NOT under any circumstances, dump the cats out on the streets or worse, put them to sleep for fighting.

Also learn to distinguish playing and fighting. Cat-play often resembles fights, but without the accompanying noises that characterize aggression (hissing, spitting and growling). They will wrestle and take turns to chase each other, and if play gets too rough, the "victim" will yowl and protest. This is all fine. Sometimes they get carried away and a mini-fight ensues where both parties disengage. As long as no prolonged growling at each other occurs, they will very likely resume play after a minute or two with no grudges.

D: Miscellaneous information

After vaccination, your cat(s) will likely feel unwell for a day or two. Isolate them from your other cats so they won't disturb the sick kitty. Do not bring them all for vaccination and/or neutering at the same time, as it will complicate your life and give you a lot of work to do.

Run an internet search on what foods a cat is allowed to eat and what is dangerous for them. Do not make a habit of feeding table scraps to them. Today you might feed them steamed chicken from your plate, which is safe. Next week, after you're in the habit of feeding them from your plate, you might give them a piece of chicken from your tomato-based pasta without thinking, and this is toxic to them. 

Remember that cats are obligate carnivores, which means they MUST have meat. Please do not try to humanise cats and feed them a "vegan" diet. You'll be torturing the animal and chances are your cat will fall ill and die early. In which case, I hope YOU die early too.

Cats do not require baths often, but if you must bath them, do it at most once a week, and keep them dry. Do not blow dry with the "hot" setting on, and do trim their nails before bath time, for your sake.

Some guides recommend the number of litter boxes in your home should be <amount of cats> + 1. I have found that having just one (that you clean regularly) for a solo cat is sufficient. However, if you have more than one cat, there may sometimes arise territorial disputes, and having more than 1 litter box per cat can be advantageous in the event of short cat fights (yes they do happen, think sibling rivalry). Put them in separate areas in the house so the "loser" of the fight has somewhere to slink to for its toilet. So if you have 2 cats, you might want to consider 3 litter boxes, 3 cats to have 4 boxes, etc.

E: Kitty updates

Garfield is currently under the care of a lady who expressed the wish to adopt him. We are still working out the kinks on how to fit him in with her current felines, but with any luck, he'll settle down. If not, yours truly will collect him and try to rehome him again. Please pray for Garfield's happy future!

Garfield with his new foster mummy

 

Maxie seems to have gotten over his loss pretty alright, but she's been used to me taking Garfield away for days in between so hopefully she isn't taking it too hard.

Coming up next week (barring any more meltdowns :X) will be the story of how Maxie and I met nearly 2 years ago, as per the requests of some of the readers!