Our little boy, Chang Chang

Fight on!

While everyone was celebrating the turn of a new year with hopes that 2021 will be the year when everything will return to normal, our little boy was spending the last days of 2020 fighting for his life. Admitted to hospital for pancreatitis and liver test results which were out of scale, he was critically in need of IV drip and medical care. This would be the second time Chang Chang had to be hospitalised and sadly his last. Having given us a glimpse of hope on 27 December,  he deteriorated in the days after. He was getting annoyed and stressed out at the vet so we decided to bring him home on 30 December.  I was full of anxiety the night before and couldn't wait to bring him back. Told myself I need to sleep so tomorrow would come and we could have him home.

Chang Chang seemed happy to be back home. Protesting gently (probably because he was weak) when we syringe fed him and gave him his medication,  he also had to deal with blocked nasal passage from sinusitis caught during his stay at the vet. Seeing him struggling with his every breath broke our hearts.

Despite all these, our little boy remembered he should always go to the litter box 10m away to do his business. He didn't like the box we placed next to his bed. Every step he took was a mammoth effort and he had to take a few breaks before reaching the box. He also had to muster enough strength just to sit up to pee.

But it was all too much for him and he lost his fight. On 2 January 2021, Chang Chang took his last breath at home with his beloved daddy and mummy by his side. He was 16 years 9 months and 1 day old.

Our little boy

Chang Chang was named for his long tail.  I found him and his sister as neonatal kittens on 1 April 2004 at the top of a book shelf outside my office. Abandoned. Some heartless person had left them there to die. Chang Chang and his sister were mewing loudly which caught my attention.  Their eyes were shut tight and their umbilical cords still attached.  They were probably born on 31 March or wee hours of 1 April. 

We were greenhorns at hand raising kittens. There was little information on the internet since this was in 2004. We did what we thought was best but unfortunately, Duan Duan (named for her short tail) passed away after 10 days. 

We tripled our efforts to keep Chang Chang alive. H and I took turns to feed him - H taking the 3am and lunchtime while I, the breakfast,  dinner and midnight feed.  We started a log to track his food intake, bowel movements, weight and overall condition.  He had fits in the middle of the nights,  requiring desperate calls to the vet for advice.

He was so tiny he fitted into a small paper bag, with room to spare, which I would use to bring him to the vet. As he got stronger, he tried peeking out of the bag on our bus ride to the vet, meowing and causing bus passengers to look around suspiciously for a cat.

Our efforts paid off and the last record on his log was 16 May 2004. Chang Chang was well enough to eat on his own, use the litter box and had gained substantial weight. He was now too big and strong for the plastic box and graduated to the pet carrier.

Do you remember in your schooling days where you might have a classmate whom everyone avoids? He turns up late in class a little scruffy and smelly, his school uniform a little unkempt? He is a loner in school, avoiding everyone. And everyone avoiding him because he might occasionally have a tantrum and probably smack you in the head for starring at him.

That's our Chang Chang. Our little boy.

Late Nov 2020, lounging with Mei Mei

He would lounge and sleep all day. He would drool when he slept (probably because his mouth couldn't close tight after using oversized nipples when he was bottled fed as a kitten). He would play a little before he quickly got disinterested in the games. He would break into a run only when chasing the other cats. He was fast and strong in his fights, only second to Kim Kim. He would remind us of the male lion in a pride who gets fed by the lioness and walks majestically only to survey his territory.

But he was never any trouble. He was our little boy.

Chang Chang loved us. He saw us as his parents. Demanding for naps on our chests almost daily, he was the only cat who would look straight and deep into our eyes for minutes as if telling us he loves us. Staring back into those big black eyes is enough reward for us for the trouble we had to deal with his itchy skin, ear polyps and anal sac ruptures. The heat from his body warmed our hearts.  His purrs resonated in our chests. His complete trust in us and his love for us continued till his last breath.

Chang Chang will always remain our best little boy in the world.