CNY Post, Part 2

Hello again!

I'm recovering from a bad bout of food poisoning, which gives me a convenient excuse for a late post. :p Hehehehe. I'll be honest here, it's getting harder to find new material to blog about, but I shall persevere!

This week, I'll try to complete last week's post, but mostly I guess it'll be a photo spam of sorts as the creative juices simply are not flowing (insert inappropriate toilet humour here *snicker*).

Part of the Chinese New Year custom was to visit friends and family. As such, I took kitty with me down to my JB home, where she was very happy to be let out of the stuffy cage, even if it was named the kitty "condo".

Freedom!

*roll roll*

As I had business to attend to, I had to leave kitty alone at home pretty often. At least she had ample space to wander around...

Being a furkid, she was very skilled in the art of guilt tripping, and I frequently left home to the sight of this:

Why you leave me here?

I also returned to this:

Where did you go?

I think we were both glad when visiting season was over and we finally got to return home. Kitty, Fiona and I made a quick pitstop at grandfather's (that's when Maxie met Rere in my previous post), and proceeded back to KL.

Once back in KL, Maxie got to model a CNY outfit that Fiona generously gifted her. We were expecting yowls of protest and death stares, but surprisingly, kitty submitted to playing dress up with much equanimity. Perhaps she was glad to be home, or perhaps she actually likes being a fashionista? Hmmm, who knows?

Glad to be home!

Cheongsams are made for ladies and kitties!

Trying to sit appropriately in a cheongsam

 

CNY 2015, Part 1

Looks like I'm still in time to wish everyone a Happy Goat Year, as tomorrow is day 15 of the Chinese New Year and consequently, the last day of festivities.

The cat and I had a frenetic CNY celebration, tougher on her than on me as she was forcibly uprooted from her comfort zone and (as far as she's concerned) kept locked up in a prison in an unfamiliar place.

Back in her kitty condo

Upon arrival at my grandfather's place, Maxie was relegated into her kitty condo and kept safe in a room. This is both to avoid her freaking out and running into the open (we live in the countryside) and to prevent cat fights from occurring.

Maxie pretty much stayed in her room and I would periodically let her out of the cage to wander within the confines of the room, while confining myself with her during these periods. As far as Maxie's concerned, the least said about this episode of her life, the better. I shall accede to her wishes in this and introduce you to some of my grandfather's/uncle's (uncle's family lives with granddad) cats.

First, the two elder statesmen, the elder brothers of the colony:

Juju: ragdoll lookalike, extremely fluffy but shy of newcomers

Jaja: Juju's slightly smaller (not necessarily younger) brother, also fluffy and loves lap naps

 

Jaja the lapcat

Then came the second litter of the currently adolescent kittens, Do, Re and Mi:

Do is Juju's favourite

Re follows in Jaja's footsteps of being a human lover

Including human's shoes

Mi: the sole female of the colony (mummy just passed away recently), anti-social like her mum

Both litters originated from the same mum, who sadly, passed away soon before these pictures were taken. She was an awesome huntress and climber, and none of our cats have ever needed to be rescued from the tree or wooden poles.

Juju and Jaja came from the same litter, and Juju was the dominant one, often edging Jaja out of the way in his pursuit of food. Both were extremely docile and human friendly, until for some unknown reason Juju suddenly became freaked out by new humans and would run away and hide for days on end, until he was hungry or the visitors left, whichever occurred sooner. When unafraid, Juju would allow anybody to pick him up and play with him, but he wouldn't linger long.

Jaja is the quintessential lap cat. He would let you do anything you wanted to him when he's sleepy. Pick him up and settle him on your lap, in whatever position you want, and he'll continue his doze. If he was wide awake, it depends on his mood. Never shy or aggressive, he'd just hop off your lap if he wasn't in the mood for cuddles or settle down nudging your palm to ask for chin tickles. He is also very curious and would be the first to investigate any newcomers to the home.

Do, or Dodo, is the only kitten from the second litter to inherit the fluffy gene. He is nowhere near as friendly as Jaja or the pre-freak out Juju, but would consent to be petted and picked up in exchange for treats. The moment you run out of treats, you run out of Dodo.

Re/Rere is the cuddliest among the kitten. Unlike Jaja, who'd let you pick him up, Rere is more forthcoming. He would twirl himself around your foot a few times, and if you petted him in the approved manner, he'd put his front paws on your lap and meow. If no objections were put forth, he'd invite himself onto your lap and just lay there, surveying the rest of the cats from his perch. Head rubs and chin tickles are all welcomed languidly.

Mi/Mimi is the anti-social kitty of the colony. Even with treats, it would be difficult to lure her into the open. She would submit to forced displays of affection if you were quick enough to catch her, but the moment there is a lull in your attention, she'd go poof before you could say "awww".

When we first arrived, none of the colony cats were to be seen. So, as soon as I set up Maxie's cage I pushed it (with her) into the room and forgot to close the door. Very quickly, loud caterwauling could be heard and I hurried to the room to be greeted by the sight of a curious Jaja encountering a furious Maxie.

"Hi there, pretty lass. What's a posh city girl like you doing in a place like this?" he seemed to say, open curiosity upon his face.

"Mrowlllll.....go away. I don't talk to strange cats. You smell weird and you look filthy. Leave me alone!" growled my kitty.

It was tempting to let them interact with each other but any savvy cat owner would let you know that putting two strange cats together form the get go was a recipe for disaster...so I shut the door. From time to time I'd go check in on Maxie (yeah, I suffer from furparent anxiety, so sue me), only to find her new suitor waiting outside for a glimpse of the new cat on the block.

Where's that city lass, James?

Won't you let me in?

It was comical the way he kept trying to get in, and I had to be extra vigilant to not accidentally let him in when I set Maxie out of the cage. Loud caterwauling interrupted the family picture session as I forgot to close the door and Jaja let himself in. It was a funny session, for sure, and I reckon if I had stayed longer I could let the two actually interact with each other after the 4th or 5th day (the amount of time it took for her to warm up to Garfield previously).

After all the visiting was done and I was ready to leave granddad's, I put Maxie in her travel crate and left it on the al fresco table for a few minutes while I finished loading up the car. Jaja's protege decided to pop in for a quick peek...

What's this contraption?

There's a cat in there!

So you're the girl my brother's gone all gaga over?

Surprisingly, Maxie did not show an ounce of aggression towards Rere. I wonder if she fancies herself a cougar and likes them young, or if her maternal instincts came to the fore for the newly-orphaned kitten. Hmmm....food for thought.

 

Vet Visit

Hello, again!

We (Fiona and I) brought Maxie to the vet for her annual vaccination recently. As you may have guessed, it took a bit of an effort to get kitty into her carrier bag. It's almost as though she knew this wasn't a drive to mum's place or somewhere else, but that it was to the vet.

Nevertheless, despite her protests, we managed to bundle the kitty cat into her carrier and into the car. Having decided to change vets this time, Maxie wasn't too sure what to expect. We arrived in due course and without much ado (wow, NO waiting time!), we were ushered into the treatment room.

Different vet, different clinic, same cold stainless steel counter. Maxie was lifted protestingly onto the counter top to await veterinary attention.

I dislike stainless steel countertops!

First came the weighing scale...

Why am I here?

Take me away please, daddy.

"Why are we here, daddy? Why are you weighing me? I don't like this, I wanna go home!" kitty wailed.

Then the vet came in.

"Hullo there!" came the friendly greeting.

"Eep! Who are you? Get away from me!" cried my cat.

Unhand me, you beast!

The vet was experienced in the escaping routines of cats, it would seem, as he had her in a firm grip faster than you can say, "Anchovies!" Maxie submitted with ill-grace to his manhandling, er, examination of her body.

We got through the usual question and answer session about her eating, her toilet, etc.

I haven't eaten today, stop digging for food!

Don't touch me, daddy, I hate you!

"I can't believe you're doing this to me. I'll never forgive you!" hissed Maxie when the vet left the room to grab the vaccine and dewormer.

Ouch! That hurts! Daddy, it hurts...

The jab went in without much fuss, as the vet was pretty quick (well worth the extra cost compared to the hassle we went through at a cheaper vet last year). Next, came the deworming pill...

"Be a good kitty, you need to eat this or you can't leave the room," cajoled the vet.

Grrrrrrrrrr

In popped the pill, up went Maxie's mouth, clamp went the vet's thumb as he stroked her throat until she swallowed.

"Let's just make sure you haven't tricked me," said the vet while he checked her mouth again to see if the pill was secreted in some nook of her cheek. Believe me, Maxie can pretend to be a hamster in an expert fashion when it comes to pills, speaking from personal experience.

The vet and I had a little chat about cat health, and it would appear that I've been overly generous with the tuna. So, kitty will be dieting soon. :X

Throughout my conversation with the vet, kitty was clinging to me in a manner not befitting her princess rank (for the first time in my life too, for that matter).

Whatever I've done, I'm sorry, Please take me home.

Kitty was subdued on the way back, and went slinking to a corner to recover her dignity. Thankfully, there were no unpleasant aftermaths and she was back to her usual standoffish self again within hours. Until next year.... heh heh heh.

PS: I may be taking a writing break over the Chinese New Year period, so I reckon I'll see you again next "year"!

Of Redocarations and Cats

The flu took longer than expected to leave me lucid-minded, and I figured I might as well just start afresh on a new week.

Part of my preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year included replacing my dish-drying rack with a newer and cleaner model. Figuring I might as well replace it early instead of waiting til CNY proper, I propped up the box in the living room and prepped myself for some dish transferring work.

"Mrowl, Daddy. What's that? Did you get me a new toy?" asked a hopeful Maxie.

"Hahaha. No, baby. This isn't a kitty toy. You have enough of those already! This is for Daddy's kitchen," I replied jauntily.

"Pfft, kitchen! You only use that to make me my dinner anyway," scoffed my kitty while pawing at the box.

"Pfft yourself! I do use it for non-cat related stuff, thankyouverymuch," I said, indignant at her glossing over my own meals. At this point, I had just finished putting away the dishes from my old dish rack, and it was time to unveil my new chrome-plated purchase.

Smells weird...

Is that a new mouse trap?

I assembled the rack without much fanfare and stood back to admire my handiwork. Before throwing out the old though, something caught my eye and put into mind another substitution that could be made in the house.

Remember this box?

Maxie's little shoebox bed was getting a tad worn at the edges. As my old dish rack had a water collection tray that was still clean, I opted to get rid of her box and recycle the collection tray as a new bed instead.

The old dish rack, note the unwashable stains

Et voila! Kitty's new bed!

I opted to keep her bedraggled canvas "recycle" bag around just so she wouldn't freak out by my removing all her beds from the living room.

"Maxie, come check out what Daddy got for you!" I cried. Silence greeted me. Perhaps rashly removing her box wasn't such a smart idea.

In cold sweat, fearful that I had annoyed Ms High-and-Mighty, I looked around for kitty in all her usual hiding spots. Nothing. I called and couldn't hear her collar's bell's ring.

A little nonplussed, I bent to retrieve the box that housed my new dish rack from the floor to put it away.

 

Much to my shock, a disembodied challenge came from within. "En garde, human!"

Meep!

"Maxie, is that you?" I asked, somewhat stupidly. In response, the paw shifted and a bemused face came into view.

"Duh, who else?"

"Were you expecting the fish fairy, Daddy? Honestly, what were you thinking?" she said waspishly.

 

"Seriously, Daddy, I'm trying to play with my new toy here."

I lifted the flap of the box and gave her a sheepish grin. "I thought you were avoiding me cos you were in a huff  cos I substituted your box with a new bed."

"New bed?"

"You WHAT?" she snapped and came bounding out of the box to stare in aghast at her unwilling new procurement.

"I can't believe you did that without asking me!" she complained, before stalking to the bedroom all miffed up.

"It was getting worn down! You need a new bed for the new year anyway!" I objected, desperately trying to score some logic points.

In vain, I watched as she curled herself up under my bed and refused to come out. I decided to leave my angry kitty to sulk by herself and settled down for a read. Soon, somnolence overtook me and before I knew it, I was dreaming of a world where Maxie enjoyed my hugs and random displays of affection.

Alas! All good things come to an end, as I woke from my siesta and walked into the living room, bleary-eyed. A surprising sight greeted me.

"Well, I suppose it would have to do."

Maxie had somehow pushed her new bed to the right and got her recycle bag onto it as further padding.

"B-b-but I thought you didn't like it?" I asked, still in shock.

"It's no box, but I guess it'll have to do. Besides, you might regret getting me this bed some day," came the enigmatic reply before I was dismissed from Her Highness's attention.

I'm still waiting to see what she meant by that, but as you know, nobody can ever tell what a cat will do next!

Couch Potato Laundry Guardian

Ola, readers! I apologise for the absence, but I figured taking a few weeks off might help jolt my writer's senses back on again. I'll start modestly and we'll see where this goes, alright? :) Thank you for your support!

The gf left for home a few weeks back, and there was a noticeable lack of presence at home. Kitty and I trudged along our days and things slowly returned to our old routine. I was pretty sure that Maxie was also caught in the funk of missing Fiona, as she didn't see fit to do anything out of the ordinary (other than sleeping in the bed more, anyway).

Things finally perked up after I lazily dumped my laundry on the couch and promptly forgot all about it. It took her a few days, but Maxie finally caught on to the fact that...THERE WAS LAUNDRY IN THE OPEN!

I had gotten used to her curling up on her side of the bed while catnapping, so I was a little discomfited to find her not in the bedroom one day. I called and called, and searched. I peered behind the curtains, nope, I looked under the bed, nuh-uh, I checked the closet, nada. Hmmmz.

Pondering this mysterious kitty's disappearance, I walked into the living room and was about to sit on the couch (with laundry) when I heard a meow of protest.

"Please watch where you're sitting, human!"

"MEOW! Hey, watch it buster!" a disembodied protest came from behind me.

"Maxie! What are you doing here?" I asked, somewhat stupidly.

"Duh! I'm lounging on this sofa. What does it look like I'm doing?" came the credible Garfield imitation. To her credit, I did sound a tad Jon-like (for non-fellow Garfield fans, Jon is Garfield's air-headed "owner').

"Well, scoot on over a sec. Daddy needs a seat," I requested.

Grumbling, kitty did as she was told.

"Fine, you can have a seat."

I settled myself next to my little furball, and absently began to stroke her. Disgusted, she stood up haughtily and stalked to the other end of the couch.

"Sheesh, some people. You give them an inch and they take a mile," I could hear her mumble.

No touchy!

"Bah, fine! Don't let me pet you then! See if I care!" I muttered hotly. Kitty then dosed nonchalantly. As expected, I was the one who gave in first and off I went over to her side to give her some noogies.

Maxie immediately turned around to face me, annoyance clearly displayed.

"Which part of no touchy did you NOT understand?"

"Leave me alone! I want to sleep!" complained my tsundere cat.

"Alright, fine, I give up. Be that way! I'll just clear up the laundry and be off on my own business," I conceded, put off by her behaviour.

"Huh? What do you mean clear up the laundry?"

"You leave my bed alone, you bossy human you!" ordered Maxie imperiously. "These are mine! All mine!"

Then, akin to a dragon hoarding its gold, Maxie did an impressive impersonation of Smaug from The Hobbit, which we had watched on the DVD previously.

"These are my gold! My gold! Err..I mean clothes."

In frustration, I raised my hands in defeat and beat a strategic retreat to my bedroom, seeking the comfort of the internet as a balm for my recalcitrant furkid.

Kitty Logic

I'm afraid this will be a short-ish post, as inspiration seems to be a elusive thing to be captured of late.

I stepped out of the bathroom one day to this, and decided to watch quietly as the drama unfolded:

Being given a talking-to

"Maxie, why won't you let jiejie (elder sister) pet you? Jiejie really wants to love you, but you won't even let me touch you. Haven't I given you enough anchovies to warrant some love?" complained Fiona.

"Meow?" came the inquiring reply as Fiona's finger waved entrancingly in front of kitty.

"Yeah, jiejie really likes you. Let jiejie pet, please?" begged the missus.

Hmmm...looks promising?

"Meow, anchovies...." crooned my princess, as she sniffed Fiona's finger, remnants of the scent of the anchovy treat/bribe offered moments ago clinging to it.

"Yes! Come, let jiejie sayang (love) you," squealed Fiona excitedly as she reached out to give a tentative pet.

'nuff said...

Maxie performed the "shrinking cat" routine; ducking her head lower and lower away from Fiona's outstretched finger (yes, just the one!). With head tilting at an angle to keep an eye on the offending limb, chin touching the bottom of the pad and the finger right on the verge of giving that loving stroke, kitty displayed a feat of agility and disappeared from her perch in a blink of an eye, staring up imperiously (yes, it's possible if you're a cat) from the floor.

"Why are you trying to touch me, hooman?" she demanded.

"Why won't you let me touch you?" cried Fiona, clearly irked. She stood up in a huff and stalked out of the room. Kitty stood at the doorway watching her with beady eyes of satisfaction before hopping back on her perch.

I exited the bathroom fully and seated myself upon the missus's vacated chair.

"Maxie," I began.

"Meow?"

"You're a very mean kitty," I chastened her.

"I know right?" she chirruped brightly.

"Can't you not be so mean to Fiona-jiejie?" I demanded.

"Uhm....nope?" she responded, somewhat cattily.

"Whyever not?" I asked, incredulous.

"Cos that would just make her worship me more!"

I was left speechless at this exchange.

"Fine, I'll ask Fiona-jiejie to stop giving you treats then," I finally replied, getting up.

"Huh? Why?" Maxie asked, bemused.

"You know why!"

No more treats? Egad!

It's been Day Two, she still hasn't repented. We shall see...

On that note, it's been a fun 2014, happy new year, dear readers!