Kim-Xin-Bon-Chang

3rd Year Anniversary Today

2011-06-14T10:53:00.003+08:00

Today is our 3rd year anniversary. XX is still doing well. Running, eating and playing well. Hopefully no more scares from now on.

Furry Chang Chang

2011-01-04T10:01:00.003+08:00

In the end, I did not apply anything on Chang Chang to keep off the mites. Miraculously, he has stopped his constant licking and his fur has started to grow back since 2 weeks back. And the wax in his ears are starting to slowly clear up too.

I am not sure what we did right but these are the 3 things we changed in the household in the past month or so:

We gave him a bath with flea and tick shampoo every 3 weeks since the beginning of Nov.
We changed our regular washing detergent (Attack from Kao) to Breeze powder.
He started rejecting his regular Wellness wet food and so we had no choice but to feed him Science Diet wet food. The ingredient list of Science Diet does not look as good as the Wellness list but he seems to be doing okay on it. And when we feed him Wellness occasionally, he seems to itch a little more. Or is it just our imagination?

Well, if the 3 things above seem to work for him, I think we will stick with it until it falls apart again.

I am currently contemplating giving the gang a raw diet (beef, chicken, pork, innards mix) in the evenings but I don't think it will succeed. I tried feeding them steamed chicken and pork before and everyone rejected it except for Chang Chang who gobbled up everything. Two cat owners I know had started their cats on a raw diet and it is doing well for all 4 cats.

Well, if I don't try, I will never know.

What is good for mites: Revolution vs Frontline?

2010-11-21T14:33:00.003+08:00

Gave them a flea & tick shampoo bath yesterday and they had since been scratching around the neck area. The Wife thinks mites are causing the itch as the vet did detect a mite egg on YY when she last went for her annual check up. No fleas were detected though.

We are considering the application of either Revolution or Frontline. Based on internet literature, Frontline only kills fleas and ticks while Revolution is 2-up, adding on ear mites and heartworm to the list. Revolution is almost 2x the cost of Frontline at ~$90+ for 6 applications for 6 cats.

So what would be a better solution for us? Revolution or Frontline?

New litter box odour control mechanism

2010-11-20T21:45:00.004+08:00

I learnt this last week after a chat with a friend who has just recently got his third cat. To eliminate any foul odour from the litter boxes besides the usual diligent clearing and cleaning of the litter boxes, he places a small tub of coffee grind next to the 3 litter boxes. It seems to work quite well as I did not detect any foul smell within 1m of the boxes. I did a little research on the internet and apparently, coffee beans absorb any smell in its vicinity and can help in odour control.Therefore, I have collected some spent coffe grind from the office coffee machine and have placed it in a mid size flower pot (the bigger the opening the better). The pot has a heavy base and will hopefully prevent May May, the nosiest parker of them all, from toppling it over. I have also covered the pot with an old stocking of the Wife to prevent them from digging up the grind and also to prevent spillage should MM manage to topple it over.

And now, fingers crossed. Maybe the coffee grind will really work wonders. If it does, it is really recycling since the coffee grind is destined to be thrown away anyway. As the grind is damp, fungus will probably start growing in it in a week or two. Then that will have to be thrown out and refilled.

Add-on on 21 Nov 10, Sun morning: The coffee grind worked. I checked out the litter box area this morning and there was no smell even though they did their business in the boxes during the night. There was a faint coffee smell around the area though. And they did not topple the pot at all.

Expensive precription medication

2010-11-09T09:21:00.004+08:00

Xin Xin had been on Fortekor daily since she was diagnosed with kidney failure and HCM in Jul 08. As of now, we can afford the medication but the price has been increasing this couple of years.

Lately, I found a UK online site which sells this prescribed medication at a cheaper price and because of the huge depreciation of the British pound against the SGD, it is almost 50% cheaper than when I purchase it from the vet.

The purchase process is a little complicated though. As it is a prescription medication, I needed my vet to fill out the site's prescription form and have it mailed to them in the UK. They do not ship overseas at the moment (vs what is mentioned on their site FAQ) so the only way is to either use VPost or some other similar sites. Or you can have it sent to a friend who lives in the UK who can then bring it over when he/she visits or vice versa.

And your vet must be licensed to practise in the UK. From what I can gather from the web, if your vet has the BVSc (bachelor degree for vetinerary medicine taught in the UK and some other countries) and MRCVS (accreditation to practise in the UK) titles after his/her name, it should be no problem.

I bought 8 months worth of medication. Hopefully, I will have the fortune to buy another few batches of this which means Xin Xin will still be with us for the next few years.

Mesh

2010-09-20T12:34:00.004+08:00

Fat Eric has passed

2010-08-20T09:46:00.005+08:00

What sad news. My favorite English cat has gone to the Bridge on 18 Aug 2010.

I have always been a fan of Fat Eric. He seems to be such a nice big floffy fellow, always ready for a cuddle and a pat on the head. Well, at least he did not suffer much on his last leg.

Day 13 to 18 (13 to 18 Jul 10) - All is well? Fingers crossed

2010-07-18T23:09:00.004+08:00

12 Jul 10 (Mon) was the last time we sub-Qed her. For the rest of the days this week, she remained well hydrated. However, I had still stocked up 10 packs of sub-Q supplies just in case. Anytime she gets dehydrated and unwell, I will sub-Q her until we can get her to the vet.

She was alert and bright the whole week. She had started eating her Waltham's renal dry food again although we still make sure she is syringe-fed her Science Diet k/d wet food at least twice a day until her hydration levels stays at a good manageable level.

Slowly, we are letting her spend more time with the rest of the gang. And for some reason, she had actually stopped hissing and chasing MM after the hospitalization. She had used to harass MM at least once or twice a day before her relapse. I am not sure of the reason at all since XX looks and behaves as if she has fully recovered. Let's hope that this will continue.

I am not sure if this is the end of the relapse episode. Hopefully it is and there will be no further relapse for the next few years.

Day 11 & 12 (11 & 12 Jul 10) - First sub-Q after 2 years

2010-07-12T22:18:00.004+08:00

Day 11 (11 Jul 10)
She remained very hydrated throughout the whole day after yesterday's sub-Q at the vet. She was bright and alert and was very co-operative when we syringe-fed her. Even though she was well hydrated, she drank quite a lot on her own and we offered her fresh water a few times a day to tempt her to drink more.

By evening, she was approximately 1% dehydrated. After 2 long years of no sub-Q at home, I finally did my home sub-Q treatment again. And in went 200ml smoothly while my wild pumping heart slowed down to the normal rate. My "first" time went well. Lucky me.

Day 12 ( 12 Jul 10)
Her condition is similar to yesterday. Alert and bright though she spent a lot of time resting in her carrier. She even ate some dry food on her own.

Although she is well hydrated even by 10pm, we decided to sub-Q her 100ml, just in case she gets dehydrated tomorrow when we are not around.

The Wife fell sick last night, vomiting violently into the toilet bowl. She was diagnosed to be suffering the after effects of the tremendous stress built up since the start of the month. The only good thing to come out of it is that she had 1 day MC and was able to spend the day monitoring XX's condition.

Day 9 & 10 (9 & 10 Jul 10) - Another re-learning experience

2010-07-10T21:41:00.004+08:00

Day 9 (9 Jul 10)
She looked alright and alert in the morning with no sign of dehydration. Although she was breathing fast while resting, it was regular and not ragged.

We still had to syringe feed her and from today onwards, we had split her 2 meals to 4 smaller meals. It worked. She did not vomit anymore.

Day 10 (10 Jul 10)
She did not look well in the morning. She was about 2% dehydrated. After her early morning feed, she looked slightly better but appeared lethargic again by mid morning. She looked worse than when she was discharged 4 days ago.

We scheduled another visit to the vet in the afternoon. One thing we knew for sure was that she requires a sub-Q for her dehydration. We also wanted to make sure that the vet checked her to rule out other issues. When we checked our sub-Q supplies, we realized those we had bought in Jul 08 had all expired.

We saw another vet at the practice as XX's regular vet was not in. He injected 200ml of solution into her. XX looked refresh almost immediately after the sub-Q. When we syringe her again half an hour at home, she even had the strength to struggle. And soon after that, she was walking around the house again while before that, she was so tired that she was just hiding in a dark corner.

I had to re-learn the whole sub-Q process again as I had forgotten the procedures I had learned 2 years ago. I really don't look forward to that as I remember how stressful it was for XX and me at the precise moment the needle breaks the skin. I can almost hear her meowing softly in pain.

What is my lesson re-learned? Hydration is very important for a kidney patient cat. It must always be well hydrated to function normally. Whether I like it or not, I will always have to be ready to give her a sub-Q even before she becomes dehydrated.

Day 7 & 8 (7 & 8 Jul 10): Re-learning experience

2010-07-09T08:51:00.002+08:00

Day 7 (7 Jul 10)
It was generally an ok day for both XX and us. She ate dry food on her own and walked around the house when she was not resting.

Day 8 (8 Jul 10)
We syringe fed her almost half a can of blended Sc Diet k/d before we left for work as she only had a handful of dry Renal food. When I came back to check up on her during lunch, she had vomited all the food, including the morning's medication. Luckily, she was not dehydrated. She looked tired and rested after eating some dry food.

She spent the whole afternoon resting until I gave her some favorite non-kidney food which she devoured in less than 1 min. That showed that she was hungry, but was not willing to eat her kidney food.

We syringed fed her twice during the night, small portions both times. The Wife had reminded me that XX did vomit for almost 1 week when she first came home from hospitalisation 2 years ago. We checked out her old health and food records and indeed she was right. I had forgotten about it totally.

This is a lesson I had to totally re-learn. To feed XX in small portions throughout the day until she is well enough to eat 3 biggers meals.

2nd Year Anniversay

2010-07-06T20:51:00.010+08:00

14 Jun 2010 came and passed. It was Xin Xin's 2nd year anniversary since she was diagnosed with CRF and HCM in 2008. We were very glad she passed that milestone as the vet had mentioned that cats with such conditions rarely live past another 2 years. Various literature on the web had also mentioned the same 2 year milestone.

Last Thur (1 Jul), I had noticed there was vomit when I reached home. I did not think anything of it as Chang Chang has a rather weak stomach and often vomits his food. All 6 f them were eating, playing and behaving normally. We thought nothing of it.

When we reached home on Fri (2 Jul), we noted that Xin Xin did not greet us at the door. We became worried immediately as she will always be the first one to squeeze her head past the opening door to greet us. We found vomit again and this time we found undigested medicine. The vomit could only be hers as she is the only one on daily medication.

Xin Xin was hiding in the cat tree situated in their room. This was highly unusual as she had seldom been seen in that area. When we tried to scoop her out, she ran out to the kitchen, her stomach almost touching the ground.

And from that point, her condition deteriorated throughout the whole night. She went from being fully hydrated to dehydrated. We kept her in our room with us so that we could monitor her. We awoke several times during the night as she called out in agony, cries so untypical of her.

3 Jul 10, Sat
We sent her to the vet first thing in the morning. The blood test confirmed our worst fear. She had suffered a relapse. Her creatinine and BUN levels shot through the roof.

BUN (10 - 30 normal): Off the chart (Sat 14 Jun 08); 180 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 70 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 25 (Sun 6 Jul 08). It was 13.8 on Sat, 3 Jul 10. According to a website, we need to bring it down to 60 - 80 for a kidney patient.
Creatinine (0.3 - 2.0 normal): 19 (Sat 14 Jun 08); 10.9 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 3.3 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 2.2 (Sun 6 Jul 08). It was 149 on Sat, 3 Jul 10.
Phosporous (3.4 - 8.5 normal): 8.7 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 6.1 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 5.9 (Sun 6 Jul 08). It was 6.2 on Sat, 3 Jul 10.
Calcium (8.0 - 11.8 normal): 12.0 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 11.9 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 11.5 (Sun 6 Jul 08). It was 8.8 on Sat, 3 Jul 10.

She was hospitalized immediately and put on a drip with Ringer solution. The vet told us she had suffered an acute kidney failure again, is slightly dehydrated and has a heartbeat of 240 (compared to her normal vet visits which were in the region of between 180 to 210). Her weight had dropped to 3.95kg from the normal 4.2kg.

Our hearts went down to the pits. Although her numbers were better than that in Jun 08, she was on medication now and somehow, the medication does not seem to be supporting her organs from failing. When we visited her in the evening, she looked slightly better though she was still not eating. Her breathing had become less ragged.

4 Jul 10, Sun
We visited her in the afternoon. This time, she looked much better. She ate some 20 kibbles from our hands willingly and was able to pace around the vet's table unaided. Her breathing had also improved.

Our hopes went up a little.

5 Jul 10, Mon
We visited her in the evening. She looked alert and bright. She walked around the vet table, stretched and groomed, all with the drip stuck to her front leg. Her breathing had improved a little. She ate 20 another kibbles from our hands willingly though we still syringe fed her half a can of k/d wet food as we knew she may not have eaten much on her own. Although the vet assistants tried, we knew that they were not very successful in syringe feeding her as well. Xin Xin has always been a stubborn little girl and will only yield in our hands.

Our hopes went up a little again.

6 Jul 10, Tue
As I was blending the k/d wet food at home to bring to the vet, Dr Miles called. He said he had good news. A miracle he said. He conducted a blood test on Xin Xin in the afternoon and all the critical indicators were within the normal healthy range. He wanted us to bring her back home that same evening as he felt that she would be less stressed than at the vet.

BUN (10 - 30 normal):

Off the chart (Sat 14 Jun 08);
180 (Wed 18 Jun 08);
70 (Mon 23 Jun 08);
25 (Sun 6 Jul 08);
149 (Sat, 3 Jul 10);
18 (Tue, 6 Jul 10)
According to a website, we need to bring it down to 60 - 80 for a kidney patient.

Creatinine (0.3 - 2.0 normal):

19 (Sat 14 Jun 08);
10.9 (Wed 18 Jun 08);
3.3 (Mon 23 Jun 08);
2.2 (Sun 6 Jul 08);
13.9 (Sat, 3 Jul 10);
1.9 (Tue, 6 Jul 10)

Phosporous (3.4 - 8.5 normal):

8.7 (Wed 18 Jun 08);
6.1 (Mon 23 Jun 08);
5.9 (Sun 6 Jul 08).
6.2 (Sat, 3 Jul 10);
5.8 (Tue, 6 Jul 10)

Calcium (8.0 - 11.8 normal):

12.0 (Wed 18 Jun 08);
11.9 (Mon 23 Jun 08);
11.5 (Sun 6 Jul 08);
8.8 (Sat, 3 Jul 10);
11.6 (Tue, 6 Jul 10)

She's home again finally. She is now weighing 3.9kg, losing 50g in those few days. Her eyes look bright and alert. Her breathing is now back to that of her pre-hospitalization days.

She went around the whole house, sniffing and rubbing scent. She has a very confident stance. Her strides look strong and purposeful. She could even jump up to the bed though we do not want her to.

The gang was a little hesitant as she smells so much different. However, they are slowly accepting her back.

The vet was not able to confirm what triggered her relapse, if you can even call it a relapse. There was no poisoning from the results of the blood test. He said the only logical explanation may be that it is accumulated stress etc which made the heart pump less efficiently, thereby depriving the kidneys of the much required blood which in turn caused the kidneys not to function normally in processing the urine in her.

We are not sure of the exact cause either. It could be added stress since she is not really fond of May May which joined us this Apr. She views MM as direct competition for our affection and time. XX can be a very jealous girl.

The only other change was that we introduced a new wet food to XX last Wed night. She liked it and ate everything given. We are not sure if it could be that new food which induced the vomiting which in turn made her throw up her undigested medicine which made her kidneys work so much harder. The vet does not think that missing one or two medication is the cause. We are not too sure ourselves but whatever it is, that wet food will no longer be fed to the whole gang.

They say cats have 9 lives. I think XX is now well into her 3rd life. Hopefully, she will still have another 6 to go. Fingers crossed.

Spayed

2010-05-10T09:21:00.004+08:00

MM went for her spaying yesterday. We dropped her off at the vet early in the morning before picking her up again at 4pm. By then, she was already pacing around the carrier. She looked a little dazed then but by the time she was home, she was almost like 100% recovered.

The vet had warned that she may not have any appetite but MM finished 1.5 table spoon of dry food and drank copious amount of water the moment she was let out of her carrier. She was obviously very hungry since she had not had a bite since midnight the night before.

Overall, she is recovering very quickly as she was already jumping around a few hours since she reached home. Her recovery speed is second to that of YY, who was jumping and running almost the moment she reached home from her spay operation almost 5 years ago. Both of them have very strong community cat instincts.

Whenever we send any one of them for any operation, I will feel very uneasy. I will keep thinking about them almost every minute until I receive the call from the vet telling me the operation had went well and they are currently recovering and under observation. This time round however, I did not feel anything at all. The Wife still did but it was not so intense as before. I believe it was because I had not spent much time with MM ever since we took her in 2 weeks ago. I had spent a week overseas during that period and it was the Wife who was managing the gang. But perhaps because we had not yet bonded so much, we don't feel the anxiety as much. Perhaps our bond will take more time to grow then.

Still, who is interested to adopt MM? She is ready to go to a new home in a week or so once we are very sure her stitches are healing well. Anyone?

May May's update

2010-05-01T23:57:00.003+08:00

kxbc:

It's been one week since she has been with the household. She has integrated such successfully with the rest of the gang though KK or XX will still hiss, especially if she walks too near them. We know XX is a little jealous of the little thing as MM seeks our attention every chance we've got. XX has always been like this with every new cat who demands more of our attention than that given to her. It happened when we adopted BB and CC, and now, MM. But we know it will subside with time although XX will still smack them once in a while to assert her special place with us.

MM came into heat on the second day with us and was yowling her head (and ours) off every 10 minutes. We were so afraid it will affect our neighbours that we shut all the doors and windows. Luckily, her heat is coming to the end as we speak. Her neutering is due next Sun and hopefully with that done, she will no longer be yowling.

For such a small little thing, she has a very hearty appetite. She can easily finish 2 big spoonful of dry food in less than 3 minutes in the morning and evening. And in between, she will look out the other plates for untouched food before devouring them as well. We think it is her community cat instinct still very prevalent in her system and hopefully, she will outgrow it when she realises that she will always have sufficient food in our household. We are glad to note that she is slowly putting on weight and muscles from all the food and daily play. She now looks like a well fed house pet than the scrawny thing we picked up 1 week ago.

We have managed to litterbox train her so now we do not have to let her visit the bathroom twice a day to do her big and small business.

She is also less bitey now as we will walk away when she starts biting.

Slowly, she is learning the ground rules we have in the household though she will still break them every now and then. Hopefully in another few weeks, she will be as well behaved as the rest of them.

Any serious cat lovers looking for an active and affectionate 1 year old kitten to adopt?

Hello, my name is ...

2010-04-25T23:33:00.009+08:00

妹妹, or you can call me May May.

I am a brown tabby with a shiny lustrous coat. I wear a white tuxedo and white socks on all four legs and have a long full tail. I have big button brown eyes and a matching brown nose.

Mummy saw me on Fri night after her late dinner and somehow, she spent quite a lot of time playing with me. I think she sort of fell in love with me more than Daddy because the next morning, she came looking for me with another packet of food. Hmm... I wonder if that is because I reminded her of Chang Chang.

Luckily I was still sleeping behind the flower pots and upon seeing that pack of food, I rushed out and devoured everything. Before I knew it, I was scooped up and rushed into the lift. And then a metal door opened and closed. A wooden door opened and out peeped a black/white head welcoming Daddy and Mummy home. It will only be later that I realised that the head is that of Xin Xin, Daddy and Mummy's favorite little girl.

I spent the night in the big cage, looking at 5 cats peering and then snarling at me every time they passed by. And in the morning, I was whisked into a small little box before emerging in a big white room with this Caucasian man peering at me, checking my bottom, pressing my tummy before I let all I have accumulated the day before all out. Hahaha... But he got his revenge when he stuck 2 needles into me. Ouch... but I am a brave little girl. I did not cry. Instead I was once again my frisky little self, exploring the stainless steel table before I was bundled back into the small little box.

I spent the rest of the day at home playing and eating, playing and eating. Mummy still would not let me meet the other 5 cats. Maybe tomorrow or the day after next? She said something about some deworming tablet. Sounds yucky!

kxbc:
MM has adjusted rather well into the household though she has yet to officially meet the rest of the gang given that she has not yet been dewormed.

The health check at the vet today was good. Estimated to be around 1 year old, she is in good health. She has been tested negative for FeLV and FIV and had her first vaccination today. No visible ticks, mites or fleas were found and I suspect she does not have any since I have not been scratching even though I have carried her more than a couple of times these 2 days. Anyway, we had bathed her with flea shampoo when we first brought her home.

From the state of her teats, she has probably given birth before or she may be pregnant now. The vet has not been able to confirm it but whatever the case, we have scheduled her neutering 2 weeks from now.

Although she is around 1 year old, her behaviour and sense of curiosity is more like a kitten. She is a frisky little thing with boundless energy and matching vocals. A little bitey during play but we should be able to train her to break the habit. She loves chasing after a string and a toy mouse. She likes nothing more than to snuggle up against your ankles and lay her head on your foot as she purrs like a little motor bike. She can be an angel I think in the future like what Xin Xin had become with the right training. She meows at the very sight of Wife and I as if we are her long lost parents.

Although she has access to a clean litter box all day, she did not use it at all which worried us a little until we realised that she is toilet trained but not litter box trained. We will have to start litter box training tomorrow then.

Given her too human trusting nature, the Wife and I had discussed this even before we cat-napped her and it was decided that May May will be adopted out to a serious/experienced cat lover either in a single/multiple cat household. If left at the neighbourhood common areas where she was found, her human trusting nature will make her too vulnerable a target to cat haters.

If there is any reader who is interested in adopting MM, please leave me a comment and an e-mail address so that I am able to contact you. We will screen you as we want to be sure that you are serious in providing her a loving and good home for the rest of her life which may be for another 15 years.

How? How? How?

2010-04-18T22:59:00.002+08:00

I was doing my usual stretching and warm down exercises at my void deck after my run when I heard a very loud wail.

I thought it sounded like a cat. But there was no other void deck cat except for Fluffy who is not very vocal and she was sleeping about 10m from me. Maybe it was a little kid wailing. We know how little kids sometimes sound like cats yowling.

And then it appeared. A skinny scruffy looking little cat. Trotting towards me. I thought it looked like Chang Chang. What was it doing downstairs? I thought I had made sure all of them were home when I closed the door an hour before.

I looked again. It was indeed a CC look-alike but a much smaller version.

It ran towards me and curled around my legs, circling me. Mini-CC from top of the head to tip of the tail but it has white socks and a bit of white chest hair.

She was yowling non-stop. She is young, approximately 7 to 8 months old. Her coat is fairly clean. She likes humans. Either she has run off from home or she is abandoned. And then I saw her teats. They were swollen. But she is not pregnant. So the only other logical explanation is that she had just given birth. No tipped ear. Worst fears come through. It is highly likely she is abandoned.

I stroked her. She liked it but kept yowling non stop. She started pacing and led me to another part of the void deck. Good. I was hoping she would lead me to her kittens. But no. There were no kittens around.

I rushed up and scoped up some food. She ate all hastily and stopped her yowling after that. She must be famished. After that, she took me onto a wild goose chase from void deck to the 2nd and 3rd floor. I thought she was going home. But no, she was just another curious kitten.

I kept her company before I finally left her at the void deck when she finally settled down. I know the uncle who comes around later will feed her again.

I was in a dilemma. I had so wanted to bring her home, give her a good bath and settle her in. She can be CC's little sister!

But I needed to seek the Wife's consent and she will not be home till tomorrow morning. She had said no to another cat many times already. I know her reasons and I agree with her too on those points. But little CC tugged at my heartstrings. She is so friendly. Not the prettiest cat in the world but I don't really care because I have looked past that many many years already (though not for the female human species yet. Haha...).

How now?

Cat Ladders

2009-09-10T15:48:00.002+08:00

This site is fantastic!

It is giving me so many ideas on how to improve our current set up, which is purely 2 staggered planks bought from Ikea. Only XX, CC and YY use it. Not for play but to escape from us when we have to catch them for pilling, bath etc.

I think I will be spending the next few weekends in Ikea. :)

Old men and cats

2009-08-29T22:39:00.002+08:00

Bon Bon rests her precious butt in the most unusual locations at home. It is only during one day that I realise that those locations capture the most delightful breeze, even when it is a stuffy day.

And similarly, you will notice that those old men who gather around the void decks, will actually have the best seats as that is the area which is the breeziest.

So old men are similar to cats? :)

This has got to be the cutest kitten video on Youtube!

2009-08-06T19:56:00.002+08:00

I like the black one. No. I think I'll take all 4.

Xin Xin's latest photos

2009-07-17T22:15:00.005+08:00

Lazy Xin Xin taking a rest on our bed. Something she always does when she has access to our bedroom.

The cat who ruled my roost

2009-06-22T23:41:00.004+08:00

I read this article on The Sunday Times, 21 Jun 09. It is an article about a cat's life, reprinted from the Los Angeles Times. I quite enjoyed reading it, the charmed life of this cat which had probably enriched the life of the author and his family. There is no doubt the cat was loved by the family and memories of it will forever be etched in the family's memories.

By Jerry Zezima

“Connecticut – No man who has a cat can ever claim to be king of his castle. No man who has a wife and children can ever make that claim, either, but that’s another story.

I found this out in 1989, when my wife, Sue, and I moved with our young daughters, Katie and Lauren, from an apartment to a condominium in Stamford, Connecticut.

The girls, who longed for a “real pet”, had grown tired of goldfish whose life expectancy was approximately as long as the Super Bowl half-time show.

They wanted something that could return their affection, that had some semblance of intelligence, that would respond to their every command. True, they already had me. Bu they wanted more; they wanted a cat.

So, on an overcast Saturday, we went to the Humane Society and saw lots of cats of every conceivable make and model. Asking not one child but two children, ages nine and seven, to pick out the pet of their dream borders on cruelty, not necessarily to the children, who would gladly devote their lives to such an endeavour, or to the cat, but most definitely to the parents.

Ultimately, the decision was in my hands. Or, more accurately, on my feet. That’s because one little kitten, a black-and-white cutie of almost unimaginable softness, climbed out of her box, scampered over to me and began to rub up against my size 11 sneakers. When I picked her up, she snuggled against my cotton shirt and purred contentedly.

It would be years before she showed me such affection again.

Of course, I wouldn’t have known that. But it was late, the girls were hopelessly confused and I was hooked, so I announced: “This is the one.”

Katie named her Ramona, after Ramona Quimby, the title character in a series of books by children’s author Beverly Cleary. It was a monumental misnomer: Ramona, the fictional eight-year-old girl, was charming, lively and smart; Ramona, the real-life eight-week-old cat, was grumpy, boring and stupid.

But the girls were happy. Sue and I were, too, because, for all her mental deficiencies, Ramona quickly learnt how to use the litter box. I like to think she followed my example because, of course, O already was house-broken.

Ramona’s cushy lifestyle as a pampered princess who rarely deigned to associate with commoners ended in 1995 with the arrival of the newest member of the family, a puppy named Lizzie.

Sensing competition, Ramona finally began warming up to us.

Her miraculous transformation into an affectionate sweetheart continued in 1998, when we moved to Long Island, New York, and got another cat, Kitty, who then had her own kitties, Bernice and Henry, all of whom ignored Ramona, who was only too happy to reciprocate and focus her attention on us.

Just before her Sweet 16th birthday party, Ramona began emitting a series of loud, strange, agonizing cries that sounded a lot like me when I get out of bed in the morning. Sue didn’t help matters when she shook her head sadly and said, “It’s her time.”

I rushed to Jefferson Animal Hospital with Ramona, who sat calmly as Dr Jeff Rose checked her teeth and, at the other end, took her temperature. Then he listened to her heart and began feeling her stomach. “Have you watched her when she uses the litter box?” he asked.

“I don’t make a habit of it,” I replied. “Why?”

“Because,” Dr Rose announced, “she’s constipated.”

“You mean I worried myself sick over this stupid animal, thinking she was at death’s door, and the only thing wrong with her is that she can’t have a bowel movement?” I asked incredulously.

“I’m afraid so,” said Dr Rose.

The bill: US$165.10. The prescription: a stool softener.

Our first “real pet” enjoyed good health for four more years, until about three weeks ago, just a few days before the end. She was two months shy of her 20th birthday.

For two decade, Ramona had us all wrapped around her little paw.

She lived on her own terms and was loved unconditionally.

I guess she was pretty smart after all.”

It's been 365 days already

2009-06-14T14:57:00.004+08:00

Last time this year, we brought Xin Xin to the vet as she was refusing food and was lethargic. We expected her to just have a simple flu or something similar but instead, the vet told us she had acute renal failure and had to be hospitalised immediately.

The next 10 days were a blur and an emotional roller coaster for us as she was subjected to blood tests, injections and IV drip. Her condition went from bad to worse as she was further diagnosed with cardiomyopathy (heart disease) and the general feeling was that she would not make it.

We spent at least 4 hours a day at the vet with her. Forcing her to eat, singing to her, coaxing her to pee and poop, and generally just be by her side. It was only on the 10th day the vet allowed her to take her home, perhaps feeling that there was not much they could do for her.

She was very weak when she reached home. She was refusing food but needed the nourishment badly. She had to be medicated 3 times a day. I cannot remember how we passed those 2 months after that but it was the Wife waking up extra early in the morning, trying to syringe feed her while I will rush home during lunch to do the same thing. There was no OT for us during that time. When it strikes 6pm, we would rush home to begin the whole process again. Office work had to wait till 9 or 10pm before we would actually settle down for a breather. The worst was actually injecting her everyday to combat her dehydration.

Xin Xin was a fighter though. Time was not up for her. She fought a good fight; she put on weight; she began drinking herself; she started fighting with the gang again.

One year from then, she does not seem to be that sick cat anymore. Not for the past 9 months. She passed her quarterly vet examinations except that her heart is still beating at 180bpm compared to a regular 140bpm.

Everyday now is a routine.7am will be 60 kibbles of renal food gobbled up in 10 min. Then she will lounged around waiting to be stroked while we feed the rest and prepare breakfast. At around 7.50am, she will voluntarily stroll into the kitchen and sit there while I wash the breakfast plates. She knows it's time for her morning pilling. So kitchen door closed and in 2 minutes or less, either the Wife or myself would have succeeded pilling her 7 pills. And finally, the magic tuna and tuna water for her as her reward for being so cooperative.

Back home before 9pm, she will gobble up another 60 kibbles of renal food and then another round of pilling. But no tuna or tuna water this time. She does not really mind if we substitute it with some time devoted to stroking her or playing with her on the bed.

So for the past 9 months, it has been like this day after day. We have all fallen into a routine. No more overseas holiday for us since then as one of us has to be home on any day to feed and pill her.

I wish for many of such days. At least for another 10 years.

I have finally stopped itching. Yay!

2008-10-30T13:23:00.001+08:00

Chang Chang:

I gave Mommy and Daddy a scare in August when I started rejecting food and my skin condition had seemed to get worse. They even took me the vet for a battery of tests which turned out negative.

It is a great relief to them now that I have actually stopped itching although my fur is growing back very very slowly. I have also started eating my NB Ducky dry food again and due to Xin Xin's condition, all of us now have at least 1 meal of wet food a day compared to early this year when it was only a twice a week treat. The growth on my outer lip has retreated completely and even my waxy ears are clearing up though it is still rather unsightly compared to Xin Xin's ears.

They think that it could perhaps really be linked to stress. They had removed the Feliway diffuser and with its removal, I started recovering almost immediately. Maybe Feliway really does not agree with me.

I have regained the sparkle in my eyes again. Now I can look big big into Mommy and Daddy’s eyes whenever I lay on their chests.

Day 137 Home 127 - Xin Xin is well; and some thoughts on her

2008-10-28T21:48:00.005+08:00

I had sent Xin Xin to the vet for her monthly check up on 20 Oct. Her vitals are okay except that her heartbeat is now approximately 220bpm. That is a concern as it had increased from last month's 180. But there is nothing we can do right now except making sure she gets her heart medication on time (so far all on time without missing a single dose). We had also increased her heart medication dosage as advised by the vet as she has gained another 100g this month. So as not to overstrain her heart, we have been advised not to play with her although she can play on her own if she wants.

She had been happy this past month. She had found herself a new toy, ie, the Wife's cloth hairband, and had been batting it around the room whenever she sees it. Sometimes she will also meow non stop while carrying it in her mouth. We have no idea what that means at all as this is the first time she is exhibiting this type of behavior.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
(='_'=) (='_'=) (='_'=)

And on the topic of Xin Xin, a close couple friend of ours asked us over dinner the other night why we did not consider putting Xin Xin to sleep. We were quite astounded over the question as we thought they would understand.

They are close friends. We are close enough to go on 3 long overseas trips and 2 sea cruises together in the past decade. We meet at least once or twice a month for chit chat and updates. They are also childless by choice, like us. We knew each other in school, were in the same course and graduated together more than 10 years ago. Even our job scopes are somewhat similar although mine has changed a little 3 years ago.

But what is different is that they do not have any cats or dogs like us. They had wanted to keep a dog a few years ago but the thought of taking it for a walk daily sort of put them off. They do have a tank of tropical fishes though.

On the other hand, our family grew from having Kim Kim as the sole cat to now having the 5 of them with us. We treat them like family, like our kids. Their welfare has on the top of our mind, especially now that Xin Xin has heart and kidney problems.

Our answer to them was that Xin Xin was never in pain all this while and if she had been in constant pain without a cure in sight, we would have considered easing her pain. Even when she was hospitalised, the vet had told us that she was probably feeling a dull ache in her and that she was feeling poorly. Although the chances of her surviving was very poor, we opted to fight with her until it is very apparent to us that she will never make it through another day. We were very fortunate she pulled through without suffering much excpet for the uncomfortable drip and daily sub-Q injection for the first month.

It was a given to us that at least one of us must be at home on any particular day to give her her twice daily medication until she leaves us. That means we have to forgo our annual overseas trip as there is no way we can get help to medicate her twice a day and also coax her to eat her renal food, usually by hand. Both the Wife and myself did not even discuss about Xin Xin. We had the understanding that we will do the best to make sure she is well and does not suffer.

Maybe it is because we treat her and the others like family. We worry when they have poor appetite. We worry when they are sick. We worry when they eat too much and become a walking bowling ball like our Kim Kim. But we are happy when they do well, when they chase each other around the house, when they come to us for chin rubs and head butts, when they clamour around our feet for their food. Yeah, I think it is because they are our family and that's why we have never considered not fighting together with Xin Xin. But we will willingly let her go if she is in constant pain with no chance of recovery.

I guess it is difficult for an outsider to understand the bond and attachment we have with them. To some people, it is difficult to comprehend why we are willing to spend so much money and effort on Xin Xin's treatment. Xin Xin - a cat, a longkang cat picked up from the street. Not our human child. But she is our child nonetheless, though with a little more hair all over her body and who will forever rely on us to provide her love, warmth, food and shelter.

But she gives us so much more in return. More love. Much more love than we could have ever given her.

I am not sure if they understand our reply. We hope they do. Because we will not be able to go for another overseas holiday with them again until Xin Xin moves on. But we are willing to sacrifice those holidays for another year with her.

Day 93 Home 83

2008-09-15T23:33:00.003+08:00

This entry is a day late.

Yesterday was the 3rd month since Xin Xin had been diagnosed with CRF and cardiomyopathy.

The first 2 months were very stressful days when we had to keep force feeding her at least 4 times daily to help her gain weight and hydrate her via daily IV injections. She stabilised in the 3rd month and I no longer had to rush home during lunchtime to feed her medicine and food. We had not injected her with fluid since 6 Aug 08.

We sent her to the vet for her monthly checkup yesterday. The vet was happy she looked bright and alert. Although her heartbeat was still fast at 192 (vs last month 185 vs a normal rate of 140), it was still manageable and the vet did not recommend a higher dosage of the heart medication. We did however notice that her chest area is still bigger than the rest of the gang which is probably due to her enlarged heart which needs to pump harder and faster to get blood into her system. The consolation is that she still play, jump and run every night. Lately, she has been fighting a little more with Kim Kim, just like when she was 1 to 2 year old.

We are keeping our fingers crossed. We will never know when her condition will start deteriorating again. Hopefully it will be a long time, like 10 years from now. For now, we once again enjoy her company, laugh at her silly antics, marvel at her acrobatic movements, sweet talk to her and snuggle together on the bed before our bedtime every night.

Xin Xin, 加油.

Just when they thought they could relax a little...

2008-08-21T20:14:00.006+08:00

Chang Chang:

They say I had been very 倒蛋 because just when Xin Xin's condition had stabilised, I had to present them with another set of problem.

For the whole of last week, I had been rejecting their offer of wet food mixed with crushed dry kibbles. So they had no choice but to just feed me wet food every meal. Hahaha......

Then I got pickier and rejected my usual Natural Balance Ducky wet food and they had no choice but to feed me Fancy Feast Tender Liver. But I deliberately ate less than 2 small cans a day until I started losing weight. And because I had not been seen drinking, I got a little dehydrated.

On top of that, I slept more often though I am still racing around the house every 2 nights.

They became worried as I had just been given my 2nd steroid injection late Jul for my itchy skin, constant licking and a sore on my lips. The 1st injection in late May managed to reduce the sore and reduced my itchiness but it wore off after 1.5 months before the sore erupted again.

Suspecting that there was something wrong with me after the bad experience with Xin Xin, they packed me up and sent me to the vet last night. My 4th visit in 3 months!

The vet stuck something up my butt, looked at my mouth, pressed my tummy, checked my heartbeat but could not find anything wrong. Then he drew some blood from me and ran tests for thyroid, diabetes and renal failure. He told them that at my young age of 4 1/2 years, the chances of contracting these diseases should be low. And he was right. There was nothing wrong with my blood tests at all. Daddy was happy with the test results but the vet was disappointed though. He kept using the phrase "unfortunately, we do not find abnormalies in the test results so we can't be sure what he has contracted and therefore cannot administer the right treatment."

And then he said he wanted my 大便 and 小便. I don't know what he sprayed near my rear region but my 小弟弟 went numb. OMG! Really scared me! And he tried to push something into my bladder to try extracting 小便 but of course I put up a good fight and he gave up after 5 min. Now Daddy and Mummy would have to collect those at home. :)

Before we left, they even injected some fluid under my skin to reduce my dehydration. I had seen them doing it to Xin Xin before but I never expected that I would be on the receiving end one day.

I was a good boy at home and immediately gave Mummy my 大便 sample. The fecal float test was negative. There was no parasite in me. Now it seems that only the 小便 test can confirm if there is anything medically wrong with me.

I have had this itchy skin condition since I was 1 year old. The condition only got worse in the last 3 months. Over the past 3 years, Daddy and Mummy had tested me for fleas and mites, changed my regular food to low allergen formulas, changed my shampoo to a mild hypoallergenic one, washed all my beddings weekly, experimented with different types of litter, experimented with various household detergents thinking those could be the culprit but none worked. The only thing which briefly worked for 6 months or so was the wheatgerm/evening primrose oil they fed me daily. It sped up my fur molding period but after some time, it stopped working again.

Do you have any suggestions how I can actually heal so that I won't cause them anymore worries? They suspect that my skin condition is the main cause of all my problems and if they can find out that main cause, I will never be itchy again. And when I am not itchy, I will have more appetite and therefore gain weight.

I only got itchy after the ginger furball Yuan Yuan joined the gang in Mar/Apr 05. Maybe it's her? Maybe I am allergic to her. Is that even possible?

Kitties for adoption or fostering

2008-08-20T13:35:00.004+08:00

There are a few kitties with their mummy up for fostering/adoption. Currently they are straying around the NUS Science canteen.

This is a pic of them. Cute right?
I infer that they should be rather intelligent and will probably in 3 months time, be able to recite the Newton's laws and also e=mc2 to you. In a year or two, they may also in between naps and head butts with you, design a gadget which will make you listen to their every command.

Come to think of it, my kxbc gang should be rather intelligent too since they have already trained us to revolve our lives around all their needs like scratches, head butts, fetch food, refill water bowls, clean blankets, clear litter boxes........

Day 54 Home 54 - To give or not to give?

2008-08-06T09:22:00.002+08:00

We last gave her a sub-cut of 150ml last Fri, 1 Aug, early morning. Since then, we have not given her any and it has been 5 full days. She is still quite hydrated and at no point in time was she dehydrated. Perhaps 1 - 3% at times but she will make up for it later by drinking.

The vet mentioned that no sub-cut is necessary as long as she is hydrated.

Should we then give her another sub-cut of 150ml tonight even though she does not seem to need it?

Day 50 Home 40 - She's heavier now

2008-08-02T21:29:00.005+08:00

We sent her to the vet for a monthly checkup this afternoon. Her last visit was on 6 Jul.

She weighs 3.95kg now, 400g heavier than when she first came home on 23 Jun. She used to weigh at around 4.2kg before her illness. The vet was surprised by her weight gain though we are not really since we have been weighing her almost daily and have been monitoring her weight gain closely.

We still syringe feed her 4 times a day with the "horrible tasting" Hill's k/d wet food mixed with a bit of Royal Canin Indoor 27 for flavour. And during our sleeping hours, she finally gets what she desire: Natural Balance Ocean Fish formula mixed with a bit of Royal Canin. That's almost like 1 1/2 can of wet food a day. The only bad thing is that both the RC and NB food are not really suitable for renal/heart patients. She hates her Hill's k/d dry formula and we are now left with a big bag of food. It seems like the whole of Singapore has run out of Waltham's Renal dry formula and the next shipment will only arrive mid/late this month. Waltham also has the renal wet formula but it is not available here.

We knew from our experiences of feeding Chang Chang solely wet food that although the cat will feel full, it will not gain bulk and weight. But when we started replacing some of the wet food with grinded dry food, this formula will assist in weight gain. And sometimes this weight gain is necessary as they need some buffer weight to lose when they fall ill, something like us humans.

If you remember the time when Lee Hsien Loong was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo chemo treatment, he actually added some weight first so that his health will not suffer as much when he starts chemo treatment which may cause him to lose his appetite. I am applying the same theory to Xin Xin in case she falls sick again in the future. Too much weight loss will mean a lesser fighting chance for her.

The vet is glad that she has gained weight, her heartbeat has dropped from 240 to 180 though she still has the murmur (normal range is between 110 to 140) and is now able to jump, run and even fight with the rest of the gang. For the past 3 days, she has even gone back to her bad habit of pooing just outside the litter box. But I am glad for that as I take it as a sign that she is back to almost normal doing normal things.

She has also been drinking more on her own and for the past week or so, we only gave her sub-cuts twice every 3 days at 150ml each time. She still remains pretty well hydrated and the vet told us that we only need to give her the sub-cut when we find her dehydrated. Her Frusimide intake can also be slowly reduced from 1/8 tablet twice a day to 1/8 tablet once a day. That was good news for us as it means all 3 of us will suffer less from the stress of the sub-cut operation.

This was taken in Jan 08 when she was super healthy.

This was taken when she was hospitalised. Her breathing was very ragged then. Her heart pumped furiously. She was weak. She was not eating or drinking. We thought we would lose her that day.

This picture was taken when she first came home after the hospitalisation. She was still weak and sickly.

This was taken just an hour ago. She looks and feels better now.

Xin Xin is fighting back

2008-07-23T18:06:00.001+08:00

Go away, CRF! Go away, cardiomyopathy! I will win you one.

Day 37 Home 27 - It gets more difficult injecting her

2008-07-20T17:30:00.003+08:00

I am not sure if it is the formation of scar tissue arising from daily injection or she has grown bigger thus stretching her skin more, but it has been getting more difficult to inject her with sub-cut fluid everyday. I have a harder time finding a new spot to inject her.

Last Fri, we made 5 unsuccessful attempts to inject her. She was squirming her way all over the bed, refusing to be co-operative at all. The needles went in but came out again 5 times and we did not manage to get a single drop of liquid into her. And because she became so stressed out from the whole procedure, we just abandoned the idea of injecting her that day. But luckily for us, she was co-operative on Sat and today, allowing us to get 300ml of liquid into her.

I will be flying again tomorrow. Hopefully the Wife will not have an issue on Tue evening.

Day 33 Home 23 - She can jump much higher now

2008-07-16T23:46:00.002+08:00

I got home at 8+pm tonight as there was a company event that I needed to attend.

I opened the bedroom door expecting her to be meowing incessantly for food and a few pats on her head. There was none. I searched the whole bedroom but could not find her until I heard her meows - from outside the window.

A couple of years ago when we had just moved back home after a major renovation, we had not meshed up our bedroom window as they were never allowed in there unless we were home. And when we were home, we would always close that window to prevent them from jumping. However there was one time we forgot and Xin Xin jumped through. Luckily, there was a wide ledge around 1.5m whereby she could land and move about safely. If not for the ledge, she would have fallen 10 floors. She was stuck there for an hour or so before we noticed her missing. To cut a story short, I had to jump out onto the ledge as well and scoop her back to safety.

From then on, that window was meshed up with my specially designed acrylic panel. These same panels are used in their room and the living room where they are allowed full access 24 hours a day. It allows for maximum light into the house while still allowing the breeze to blow through. For over 3 years, these panels had functioned as planned beautifully. None of them even ever attempted to squeeze through the holes even though they were within easy reach. The holes were just too narrow to slip through. Perhaps only a 6 month old kitten could do it and the gang was generally much bigger in size than a kitten.

She was out on the ledge again. And she was panicky. I had to jump out onto the ledge and scooped her back to safety, moving more than 20m without any safety equipment, just hanging on to the gently sloped ledge with my bare feet. The image of her losing her footing and falling 10 floors kept flashing in my mind as I climb the window and stepped onto the ledge.

I inspected the window and panel mesh again after that. The panel was still in place. The glass window was in the same position as it was for many many weeks, sealing off any other holes. The window sill was 1.1m above the ground. And there was no intermediary object she could use to propel herself forward except for a wobbly clothes hanging apparatus, which had remained intact and in the same position ever since we moved back home.

I still cannot fathom how she could jump 1.1m (she could easily do that before she was ill but not anymore now) and actually squeeze through a hole less than 6cm wide. Her bone structure is definitely bigger than the size of the hole. Has she become that much stronger than she can jump 1.1m effortlessly?

Until I can seal up the loophole this weekend, that window will be shut. The room will be a little stuffy especially during the day but she will have to bear with it for a few more days.

Daily sub cuts

2008-07-15T22:14:00.005+08:00

The Wife is traveling today. She will be back this Fri.

I was traveling the past 2 weeks for 3 days each time. I will need to fly again next week. And probably for the next few weeks.

My job requires me to fly at least once a month for a minimum of 5 day at a stretch. It was not an issue for us before Xin Xin's sickness but now it is posing a very big challenge, logistically and emotionally.

In the first 3 weeks when Xin Xin was back home, her condition is mostly good but sometimes bad. And the bad portion always seem to occur when I am not around. She will either be having breathing difficulties, diarrhoea or some other issues. The Wife will then get a little panicky and all I could do was ask her to get her to the vet asap.

The last 2 weeks were also the time when we start giving her sub-cuts at home. It was not such a problem when both of us were around as the Wife would hold her while I do the injection. However, when I was not around, she needed another pair of hands to help. There was nofirm pair of hands available and so she had to rush back from work and send Xin Xin to the vet for the sub-cut before the practice closes at 8pm.

We thought her mother could perhaps help to hold Xin Xin while the Wife did the injection but her mother freaked out at the sight of the needle. So no go again and she had to rush to the vet again.

Then we started training her sister to do the holding last week in anticipation that she will be traveling this week. I am pleased to announce that it was a smooth operation tonight. Her sister managed to hold Xin Xin down and pacify her while I injected her with 200ml of Ringer's solution. I hope it will be smooth sailing tomorrow as well.

And next week, the Wife will have to do the injection while I am overseas. Hopefully, she will not flinch since it has been some time since she last did a sub-cut.

Day 32 Home 22 - She's alert

2008-07-15T10:31:00.002+08:00

It's been slightly over a month since she was diagnosed with acute renal failure, then chronic renal failure and finally hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

For the last 4 weeks, it has been a big roller coaster ride with bad days, especially in the first week or so and better days, like now.

We have finally gotten down to a routine after 4 weeks.

The Wife will do the early morning feed while I will do the lunch feed since I can reach home easier. Evening feed is dependent on who gets home early enough from work. We will then share the night feed depending on who is not as tired. Feeding her each time is a half hour job as she refuses to eat her wet k/d food and has to be syring fed. She will only eat her Fancy Feast Ocean Feast formula willingly but we know that is not the food she should be taking. We are currently trying to get her to eat the Waltham Renal rf 23 dry food (thank you San). She took to it enthusiastically last Sat but has since lost interest in it. We will need to try harder.

Feeding medication 3 times a day is getting easier now as we become more adept at pilling her. But then she shows that she has a trick or two up her sleeve too. She can actually spit out the pill after 5 minutes so we have to closely monitor her after pilling.

The worst routine of the day must be the daily sub-cut injection, especially if one of us is traveling. It is probably the only thing we do not want to do but know that it is a life saver and has to be done. It is a very emotionally draining affair and I always heave a big sigh of relief whenever I can finally pull out the needle.

Alert but not as energetic as 2 months ago, she is now weighing in at around 3.6kg. We are still hoping that she will gain weight since she is eating the recommended amount of food but it has been an uphill affair. The only good thing is that she is not losing any weight. Wet food does not seem to have the weight gain impact like dry food. We have also seen that in Chang Chang when he was solely on wet food during his medication period.

The gang has slowly got used to the idea that she is Xin Xin, once part of the gang. There are less hisses now though Yuan Yuan is still not acknowledging her adopted Mummy. I think Xin Xin feels it and is a little sad about it.

Her meows are sounding stronger every day and she can now jump up the bed without the need of the stool. Her heart is pumping fast and we can see visually that it has expanded as her chest bulges out a little.

I know she is resting now on the bed and waiting to see me return home in an hour's time.

Day 23 Home 13 - Blood Test

2008-07-06T13:45:00.003+08:00

She was at the vet today for a follow-up blood test. Results were encouraging. All major factors are within the normal range. Her medications are taking effect.

BUN (10 - 30 normal): Off the chart (Sat 14 Jun 08); 180 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 70 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 25 (Sun 6 Jul 08). There has been quite an improvement in this area. According to a website, we need to bring it down to 60 - 80 for a kidney patient.
Creatinine (0.3 - 2.0 normal): 19 (Sat 14 Jun 08); 10.9 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 3.3 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 2.2 (Sun 6 Jul 08).
Phosporous (3.4 - 8.5 normal): 8.7 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 6.1 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 5.9 (Sun 6 Jul 08).
Calcium (8.0 - 11.8 normal): 12.0 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 11.9 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 11.5 (Sun 6 Jul 08).

As long as we keep her hydrated everyday and she takes her kidney medicine, she should be do ok. But we can expect good days and bad days for the rest of her remaining life.

She has a heart murmur and will have it forever. Her heart beat is still fast at 200 to 240. In medical terms, she has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), something similar to what those supposedly healthy young men who drooped dead while they were jogging.

Research indicates hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may have a genetic component and can affect cats at any age. However, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most common in young cats more than one year old and in middle-aged cats. It bears repeating, though, this disease can strike any cat at any age. That is a sickening thought, isn't it?

Symptoms can be extremely variable:

lack of appetite
gagging
difficulty breathing
increased respiratory rate
reluctance to move around
pain or paralysis to the hind legs when blood clots gets stuck in the distal aorta back in the back limb where the aorta splits. In human terms, it is something like DVT (deep vein thrombosis)

Once pain or paralysis sets in, there is going to be no cure. We will then have to let her go peacefully so that she will not suffer anymore. Our vet's cat suffered a blood clot a month ago as well and he could only reduce its pain by letting it go. I think that may be the most humane solution. We would not want to have her suffer any unnecessary pain.

Prognosis for HCM is not good. Patients typically last 3 to 6 months, though there are cases whereby some lasted 2 years with diligent medication and a stress free environment.

We'll just have to take each day as it comes.

Day 21 Home 11

2008-07-04T23:22:00.004+08:00

Over the past week or so, she has gained a lot more strength but she is still weak, skinny and not yet out of the danger zone. What was heartening was that she has still maintained the weight when she was discharged. She is eating almost 1 can of k/d daily but the loss of muscle mass around her limbs especially meant that it is going to be difficult to put on weight.

She ate a few mouthful of food herself yesterday. This is the first time she had fed herself. But she lost interest after a few mouths so we had to syringe feed her again.

Yesterday was also the day we first injected her with a subcut at home, unsupervised by the vet. I am not sure what it was but it sure was harder at home than at the vet. She flinched and meowed when the needle went into her skin. It could either be less loose skin since she is slightly more hydrated nowadays, our nerves or the fact she is more relaxed at home than at the vet. It was probably a combination of all factors.

We don't look forward to the subcut at all. Neither does she. We will be injecting her again once I complete this entry.

She is relaxing in the wardrobe now. I hope she will be cooperative tonight.

Day 13 Home 3

2008-06-26T22:09:00.002+08:00

Today is the first time I gave her fluid under the skin myself, under supervision of course. The feeling of the needle going into her flesh is something I do not enjoy but I know that I need to get the procedure right so that I can administer this at home daily from perhaps the next week onwards. She does not seem to feel the pain of the needle going in and that is a big relief to me.

No weight loss today though her appetite is now much better. Hopefully she will be 500g heavier tomorrow as I am increasing her food intake by 10% every day.

Today is our 10th ROM anniversary and I had clean forgotten about it due to Xin Xin's illness until last night. I thought the Wife would have forgotten it too since we have been so focused on getting her back on her feet these 13 days until I receive a SMS from her this morning wishing us a happy anniversary. But what touched me was the sentence she added below.

"Just glad our family of seven is still intact this year." I completely agree.

Day 12 Home 2

2008-06-25T22:29:00.002+08:00

She looks slightly better today. Still slightly dehydrated. We will need to syring her more water after each feeding since she is not drinking enough on her own.

Her appetite is slightly better. I managed to syringe her some k/d wet food in one seating without much fuss. As her weight is still only 3.5kg, a loss of 10% before she was ill, getting food into her system is important. We will have to feed her more to assist in her weight gain.

We finally let her meet the rest of the gang today after the vet visit this evening. Kim Kim and Bon Bon hissed at her. It must be because she smells quite different. As she has not been grooming this past week, she smells more like the vet office than the familiar Xin Xin they used to know. There was no reaction from Yuan Yuan though she was a little cautious around her. We'll continue with this nightly until she is strong enough to be around them without supervision. For the time being, she'll have the luxury of sleeping on our bed at night and during the day.

Day 11 Home 1

2008-06-24T23:52:00.002+08:00

I think she was really glad to come home. Her posture is now more relaxed as she is sleeping in all sorts of funnt positions again. She has also gone back to her old habits of wanting to be on my lap whenever I am working on the computer table and sniffing the Colgate in our breath every morning. She is less tensed and hopefully, this will aid in her recovery.

She is still not eating. The vet has explained that because of her high BUN level, it is causing her brain to sense food as urea or ammonia thus diminishing her appetite. We are still syringe feeding her 4 times a day, hoping that small and more meals will let her body absorb more nutrients. The good news was that she is still attempting to drink water on her own though there is still some hesitation.

We brought her back to the vet for fluid injection in the evening. This will probably go on for another week or so until she is stronger and we have an alternative solution.

Day 10 - Xin Xin's home

2008-06-23T22:40:00.003+08:00

She's finally home. :)

She is now sleeping on our bed, her favorite place for lounging and resting at home. We are letting her rest before we let the gang meet her tomorrow morning. I think they know she is back as they, especially BB and YY, are crowding in front of the bedroom door sniffing away.

She is very weak as she has not been eating or drinking on her own. So it was a small sigh of relief when I see her walk to the water bowl and proceeded to have a few sips of the water despite hesitating for a while. She's not interested in food yet as we had just syring fed her at 8pm.

And despite being away for so long, she still know the litter box is the place for peeing. Her last pee before she came home was at the vet when we were visiting her. There was not much as she has been off the drip for a few days. It was clear urine, meaning that it will still be time before her kidneys can fully function.

They did a blood test on her tonight. It showed improvement which even astonished the vet.

BUN (10 - 30 normal): Off the chart (Sat 14 Jun 08); 180 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 70 (Mon 23 Jun 08). There is quite a lot of improvement but it is overall still high. According to a website, we need to bring it down to 60 - 80 for a kidney patient.
Creatinine (0.3 - 2.0 normal): 19 (Sat 14 Jun 08); 10.9 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 3.3 (Mon 23 Jun 08). There is vast improvement and hopefully she can bring it lower.
Phosporous (3.4 - 8.5 normal): 8.7 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 6.1 (Mon 23 Jun 08). It has dropped to the normal range.
Calcium (8.0 - 11.8 normal): 12.0 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 11.9 (Mon 23 Jun 08). Slight improvement here.

She now weighs 3.65kg, down from 4.0kg when she was admitted last Sat on 14 Jun. Her whole stomach has sunk in as she is not taking in enough food. We will try to handfeed her again before we retire for the night but I hope she will eat on her own soon. I had rushed to buy some rice and minced chicken just now so that we can cook some chicken porridge for her tomorrow as suggested by Katie (thank you). Hopefully the refined carbo + the limited protein will give her some strength and put on some much needed weight.

The vet had told us that although her kidneys have seemed to improve and the amount of water in her chest cavity have been reduced, her heart is still giving her a lot of problems. The prognosis for cats with such an ailment is not good, usually only 3 to 12 months with a minority of cats lasting 2 years.

Food intake, weight gain and dehydration are major issues. To combat dehydration, we'll be sending her to the vet every evening to get some fluid under her skin at least for the next week. After that, we'll have to see what happens as going to the vet on a long term basis is not a solution.

I never would have guessed our atheletic Xin Xin would actually be a heart patient one day and when she is still so young. It's heart breaking to see her so weak but it comforts us that at least she is now at home and resting, definitely less stressed than at the vet. Hopefully, she will continue to grow stronger and beat all odds to stay alive for another few years.

Ouch! My tail!

2008-06-22T16:12:00.002+08:00

As our attention was all focused on Xin Xin this past week, we did not really pay a lot of attention to the rest of the gang.

On Thur night, I had noted that Chang Chang was sitting funny. His butt would hang in the air when he should have placed it down on the floor. I thought it was some crazy stunt from him again as his behavior has changed a little ever since Xin Xin was hospitalised.

It was only last night we understand why he was sitting funny. We were serving wet food and as usual, he ran into the kitchen begging for it. However, his long tail was not fully straight up like previously. Instead, it was hanging a little listlessly downwards. And when we touched the base of his tail, he growled in pain and refused to let us touch it.

The vet told us it could be a broken tail (unlikely as he can still move the end of his tail) or a very bad bruise/sprain caused eith er by trauma (eg a door slammed into his tail which is impossible since all doors were closed and locked), kids pulling it too hard (no kids at home) or through a fight where he was bitten hard on the tail.

We thought the last option could be a reason as ever since we introduced Feliway latel last month, Kim Kim had actually regained some of her aggression when she was younger. When Chang Chang had turned adult, he had been gradually nipping away her power base. But in these 2 weeks, Kim Kim has actually turned more aggressive in asserting her position in the household by hissing at Chang Chang very so often when their paths crossed. She had taken over some of his favourite sleeping spots too.

Although clinical studies have shown that Feliway will either have no effect or a positive impact on making cats less stressful, it seems the opposite has happened on Kim Kim. Perhaps it is not Feliway at all as the vet had mentioned but something else which we have not put our finger on.

Either way, it seems that Kim Kim could have bitten on chang Chang's tail very hard during a fight. The vet could take an X-ray now but even if it reveals a fracture, there would be nothing he could do except let it mend on its own. And therefore he had advised us to monitor for another few weeks. If it is a bad bruise, it would probably take a couple of weeks to heal on its own.

I don't understand why all the bad things are happening at the same time.

Day 9

2008-06-22T16:06:00.002+08:00

She looked ok this morning. She had been given a sub-cut and force fed a little. I think she defecated last night as there was a lingering smell of poo on her coat.

Her breathing was not as bad as yesterday. It is still a little laboured and ragged but she seems more at ease now. Perhaps some water has started clearing from her lungs.

We had to force feed her almost 15ml of a/d wet food as the clinic will close at 2pm and then there will be no more people to feed her. Hopefully she will eat on her own tonight.

Day 8

2008-06-21T21:45:00.002+08:00

She was taken off the drip last night after we left and given an injection to help purge water from her lungs. A sub-cut was also given this morning to help her fight dehydration.

The vets took another X-ray of her lungs and heart this morning. There was water surrounding her lungs, causing them not to be able to expand fully. Her heart had also grown abnormally larger so as to pump more blood through her body.

The prognosis was not good. It could be her heart defect which caused the kidneys to fail and also ultimately the water in her lungs. And because the kidneys begin to fail, her heart had to work harder. It is just a big circular reference with no real solution in sight.

As she is no longer on the drip, she can probably be discharged early next week but she will have to take medication for her heart and kidneys. But dehydration will be an issue. We may have to give her a sub-cut at home.

We are not sure how many more days she will have with us. We know it is a dead end for her. There seems to be no more hope. She is not eating and drinking on her own and this compounds the problem. I hope she can at least get past her 7th birthday which is in 6 months time but I think it is probably just a dream. I am not even sure if she can clear 30 Jun.

But if she is to leave us, I would rather at home in familiar surroundings with the gang and us around her. I think she will feel better this way.

She is not in pain now but as her organs start failing one by one, I know we may have to send her on her way to reduce her suffering. We would never want our little girl to suffer needlessly.

I asked the Wife if she had a good life with us. She said she doesn't know. She could have been adopted by another household and her life may have been very different. She may then not have contracted this illness. Or she may have, if her heart defect is genetic.

I choose to think she had a good life with us. She had been a very energetic and mischievious kitten, often driving the Wife up the wall with her abundance of energy. By the time I manage to reach home after work, she would be worn out and would curl into a little fur ball in my arms.

And as she grew, she became very attached to us and us to her. Because we have 5 cats in the household, she learnt to find snippets of time to have our undivided attention. In the morning when the gang is busy eating their breakfast, she would just have a few kibbles before dashing into the bedroom waiting for the Wife to come out from the bathroom. The Wife will then spend the next half hour or so talking and stroking her while she does her make up and changes into her working clothes.

And when it is my turn to get out of the bathroom, she will already be on the bed, meowing softly away as she waits for her usual pat on her head and a few head butts. It is also the time of the day when I will tell her what a good girl she has been while I change. When we say "Xin Xin, let's go", she knows that is time for her to leave the room and she will obediently walk out without any fuss or objection.

I think she sleeps the day away waiting for our return at night as she will always be the first to greet us. She will push her little head past the door opening waiting for me to pat her before rushing to the main gate to check. I always think she is checking if we had brought home another cat which will mean another competitor to fight for our affection.

I know we will miss her very much.

Day 7 - She meowed at us for the first time

2008-06-20T13:27:00.004+08:00

She finally meowed at us for the first time since she was hospitalised last Sat. Although there was no sound, her mouth opened to form that very familiar round shape whenever she meows for our attention. We take it as a good sign.

The vet assistants fed her this morning so there was no need for us to feed her. Peed last night and again this morning when we visited. Clear diluted urine but it is starting to have that faint ammonia smell again. Fairly hydrated.

Her nose is slightly pinkier than last evening. More alert. 3rd eyelids have retreated a little more. The paw with the drip was a little swollen due to the drip and she has little mobility in that leg but we are massaging it as often as we can to encourage more blood flow.

She slept in the crook of our arms again. And even turned to lay on her flanks so that my arm can act as a pillow. We smiled at that as that is what she always does at home. Somehow she likes to place her little head on our arm or a rolled up towel.

And thank you Katie for the information. She is currently on k/d wet formula which is formulated for kidney patient kitties. The vet informed that she needs to be on this formula for the rest of her life as it has a lower protein content. We'll check with the vet on her diet once she recovers enough to go home.

Update for evening visit:
She peed once in the afternoon and another time when we were there. The clinic fed her some food but that was not enough so we syringe fed her around 10ml of k/d wet food again.

Her breathing was ragged again but not as bad as Tue. Vet confirmed she has water in her lungs again. She had 2 injections on Tue to purge out the water and it worked well as her breathing was ok on Wed. Another injection was given on Thur but water somehow got lodged in her lungs again. She will get another injection tonight. The only problem with these injections is that her kidneys will be working to process these medicine meaning that they will not have enough time to heal. But if water continues to be lodged in her lungs, she may not be able to breath effectively and if the water continues to rise, she will drown.

Her abnormal heartbeat may also complicate matters. Her heart pumps 3 times every beat rather than 2 times for a normal cat. From the time she was young, 2 different vets have told us about her heartbeat during her annual physical checkups, the 2nd time just this Apr. Her heart pumps strongly and as she was young then and has no known illnesses, perhaps the vet did not elaborate and we did not enquire further as well. Xin Xin has always been an active kitten and cat. Before she turned 3, she could play an hour continuously, running and jumping without much rest in between. Between 3 and just a week ago, she still runs and jumps every day even though she can no longer last an hour. She was the most atheletic in the gang and we had thought nothing about her heart especially since it was mentioned that she had a strong beat. However with the kidney failure, this issue is causing additional concern.

It is a dilema now. She needs to be hydrated for her kidneys to heal and her drip is already slow at 1 drop every 3 seconds. But this seems to be causing her lungs some problems. If the drip stops, she will get dehydrated and her kidneys will fail further.

We can only leave the medical decision and work to the vets. And hope that she can recover despite all the odds stacked against her.

The only bright side is that she is still alert though a little tired. She was still seeking our arms for comfort this evening. Xin, you got to continue fighting. We really want you home with us again, no matter how long it takes.

Day 6 - She seems alert, same as yesterday

2008-06-19T13:40:00.004+08:00

She appears alert this morning. She peed during the night again and the vet assistants had to clean her up before we could see her. Not much or no food intake on her own during the night. She is hydrated. Her skin falls back quite smoothly after pinching.

We syringe feed her again today. She is now more cooperative and we manage to get around 1.5 to 2 table spoon of k/d wet formula into her.

She slept in the crook of our arms again. The end of her tail was twirling around softly as we sang and spoke to her. After 2 hours of intermitent feeding and resting, she went back to her kennel to rest more. We'll see you again this evening, our little girl.
Update on evening visit:

She peed in the afternoon and again when we visited. It was a lot and diluted. Looks like the kidneys are still not functioning properly as normal pee is low in quantity and very concentrated.

She did not eat in the afternoon so we syring fed her again. I think we got her to eat at least 10ml of slightly watery k/d wet formula.

She should be feeling better as for the first time these few days, she laid down on her side and placed her head on my forearm before going into a very deep sleep within seconds. Her whiskers started twitching during her REM stage. I believe she was dreaming about running around at home again.

On the home front, we had expected Yuan Yuan to miss Xin Xin's absene the most as she was the one closest to her. However, Yuan Yuan's behavior did not change. It was as if she had never known her adopted mum at all. And surprisingly, Chang Chang's daily routine had changed. He ate less, started snoozing on our bed which Xin Xin had always been very fond of, and had been calling out for no particular reason. We are not sure if he misses Xin Xin even though they had been bitter enemies for our affection since CC was a day old.

Day 5 - There are bad days and there are slightly not as bad days

2008-06-18T13:19:00.005+08:00

She looked slightly better this morning when we visited her. Her ragged breathing has more or less diminshed as she had peed most of the water out of her lungs. She peed once yesterday afternoon and 2 more times when we visited her in the evening. And another time between 8pm last night and 8am this morning.

We were told she ate some of the k/d wet food on her own last night, which was a good sign.

She looked fresher this morning. Her once very pink nose had lost its colour since last Sat but looked slightly better now. A little dehydrated as they reduced the drip yesterday trying to flush the water out of her lungs.

The blood test done this morning showed slightly better results.

BUN (10 - 30 normal): Off the chart (Sat 14 Jun 08); 180 (Wed 18 Jun 08). There was slight improvement but it was overall still very high. According to a website, we need to bring it down to 60 - 80 for a kidney patient.
Creatinine (1.0 - 2.0 normal if I remember correctly): 19 (Sat 14 Jun 08); 10.9 (Wed 18 Jun 08). There was improvement but we still need it to be lower.
Phosporous and calcium: Around 0.2 above the highest number of the normal range. It is not too much of a concern at this time.

The vet mentioned that there has been improvement but there is still a high chance that she might not make it. He will put her on the drip for another few days before doing another blood test. He is looking to treating her kidney failure first before putting her on some special diet to remove the stone. We know deep in our hearts that if Xin Xin ever recovers from this, her lifespan would have been effectively shortened. She would be a CRF cat from now on. But all that is secondary at the moment. We just want her to recover as much as possible and go home with us and spend whatever the number of years she has with us. We miss having her at home. We know she misses being home as well.

She is getting used to the routine of us visiting in the morning and evenings. And in between, we hope that she will rest as much as she can. And together with whatever treatment she is receiving, we really hope her kidneys will continue to heal as much as possible.

And thank you all for the best wishes. We will pass them on to our little girl tonight.

Update on evening visit:
She looked the same as when we left her at around 12 noon. She still has the mild runny nose, probably from a mild cold.

She looked alert. We were told she ate a little in the afternoon on her own but did not pee.

She slept for almost 45 min with her tiny head stuck to the crook of our arm. That was a good sign for us as she often does that at home. When she desires some comfort and sayang, she will seek us out and sleep on our arms with her head tucked into our palms.

And just as we were about to leave at 8.30pm, she stood up and peed. It was a lot of pee, and quite diluted. We will have to check with the vet if this is the desired result.

Day 4 - We want her to get better

2008-06-17T14:39:00.005+08:00

We really want her to but I think we may really have to accept the reality that Xin Xin may not pull through at all.

When we visited her this morning, her breathing was ragged. X-ray showed that there is water in her lungs. It also showed a kidney stone approximately 0.5cm in her kidneys. Surgery does not seem to be an option. There seems to be nothing the vets can do except to hope that the stone will break down and perhaps be flushed out. We really wish that will happen but deep down, we know we are hoping for a miracle.

The drip is painful. Everytime she moves her foreleg, she will meow in pain. It really breaks our hearts. There is just nothing we can do for her at all. We sang to her, we told her that Yuan Yuan is waiting for her back home, we told her to be strong, we told her Chang Chang is waiting to fight her back home, we told her that we want her to still be the first to greet us whenever we reach home.

Our home is suddenly very quiet without her presence. I am not sure if the 4 of them noticed her absence. We do. Very much.

Day 3 - It doesn't look good

2008-06-16T21:34:00.005+08:00

She does not look as well this evening compared to this morning or yesterday. We had to force feed her.

She will be on the drip again tonight after a gap of almost 12 hours. Hopefully this will help her recover.

But we looked at her and what we saw made us cry. Again.

We know she is a fighter. She has to fight this battle alone. Only she can win this battle.

I told her we want her back home with us again. Healthy and forever. I am not sure if she understood me. I hope she does.

Meows of Wisdom 1

2008-06-03T13:26:00.002+08:00

When kittens are born they cannot see.

After about six days they open their eyes,

look around with interest,

then close them for most of their lives.

Our Little Boy is Recovering

2008-05-27T13:27:00.002+08:00

Our little boy is recovering.

The growth on the side of his lips has grown smaller this morning. I would presume that the ulcers/sores in his mouth are also recovering. The injection works very well for him. And he is enjoying his breakfast and dinner now since he is getting his favorite wet food twice a day (and laced with a capsule of anti-biotics).

Chang Chang is sore and I am very pissed

2008-05-26T21:35:00.005+08:00

Chang Chang has had a sore near his lips for the past 3 weeks. For the first 2 weeks, it seemed manageable. It just looked as if he had a bald patch at his lips. His appetite was never affected and he continued to bully the gang as always. But by week 3, it started to spread. We decided to bring him to the vet today even though he seemed fine on the outside.

The prognosis was not good. He had a few ulcers/sores in his mouth and his teeth do not look that good. The vet suspected feline aids as he was a stray before (I believe only for a few hours). Fur near his throat was shaven and blood was drawn for feline aids test. Luckily for us, the test is negative.

The vet thought that perhaps it could be stress related, which could also coincide with his incessant licking. We were not too sure of that since he has been the top cat since he was 2 years old but given that his licking problem started the time we shifted house, we also did not discount the possibility.

An anti-inflammatory injection and antibiotics were given and he would be seeing the vet again this Sat for a follow-up. He would also be going for teeth scaling later on.

For his stress "problem", the vet suggested Feliway. San had bought the diffuser and refill at Pet Lovers ("PLC") and I thought I would give it a try. The Centrepoint outlet did not have it and pointed us to the Holland V outlet. It was not really a problem for us though it was a little out of the way. Chang Chang's health is worth it.

But my shopping experience at the Holland V outlet made my blood boil. If you do not already know, the Pet Lovers Centre membership card entitles the cardholder to a 5% discount if purchases are above $15 and if the item is not on offer. These are stated clearly on the discount card.

So to my surprise, no discount was given for the Feliway diffuser + one refill which cost approximately $61. The illogical reason given was that their computer system did not pick up the discount. I pointed out the fact that this item qualifies for the discount as it was priced above $15 and neither was it promotional item. They refused to honour the discount even though it was clearly a human error which led to to the mistake. The store supervisor, though in the outlet itself, refused to speak to me in person and just spoke to me over the phone. He mentioned that perhaps it was because the profit margin was low and therefore a discount did not apply. I nearly laughed at his face if I had not been so pissed. I told him straight I do not care if the markup is insufficient because they could have easily sold it at a higher price. This kind of frail reasoning is simply crap.

Now, I do not really care for the $3 discount but what really irks me are the attitude of the store staff and their inflexibility to do a manual adjustment for an error which was clearly caused by them. So simply put, they will never earn my money from this point on unless absolutely necessary.

Firstly, their prices are really not competitive. I managed to get my regular pet store to bring in the same product and at a more competitive pricing. So San, if you are reading this post and will require Feliway refill in the near future, drop me a note and I will pass you their contact. Besides the Feliway, the brands of litter and cat food I use for the gang are costlier in PLC (even after the pathetic 5% discount) than at my regular pet shop.

Secondly, I did not enjoy my shopping experience with them. The Feliway episode just simply show how inflexible they can be over their own shop error. Mrs kxbc says that the way they had operated seems to be more like a cheat. I agree to that. I believe there would be customers who would forgo the discount even though they are entitled to it simply because they had no other choice or if they do not know of other shops which sell the same product. However, I would rather not let them earn my money because I know if I search hard enough, I will find it sold at another outlet.

Chang Chang will have to do without the Feliway for today. My regular pet store told me I could pick it up tomorrow after work. Now that is what I call service even though I did not expect them to be able to get hold of a set so quickly. I was more than willing to wait for a week. I know Chang Chang will understand.

Climbing apparatus

2008-05-20T11:33:00.003+08:00

The old cat tree is starting to show its age. The sisal rope is frayed and the top layer is a little wobbly as Chang Chang insisted on laying there for naps despite his heavy body being a strain.

We have been looking around for a good, value-for-money cat tree/gym/condo but the variety in Pet Lovers Centre is not that appealing. Some US sites have pretty good cat trees and the prices are reasonable too. However, shipping is going to cost a bomb at $9/kg and these trees can be as heavy as 50kg when packed.

There are some China companies which manufacture such trees but you need to have a minimum order of 100.

We are looking for sturdy cat trees at least 1.5m in height, with layers of platforms for play, hiding, and sleeping. Will travel around Singapore to assess and purchase. Does anyone have any good recommendation?

A very nice story

2008-03-17T09:29:00.003+08:00

Everyone should read this. It brought tears to my eyes when I finished the last sentence. If I ever live in a landed property, I'll probably have a dog like Stoner.

What the hell, I am still brown!!!! Angry angry...

2008-03-04T12:11:00.005+08:00

Chang Chang:

You know, I was really trying to change my coat colour but Daddy and Mummy had somehow put a stop to it.

For some reason, ever since I was on the new bag of Science Diet z/d, I have had soft stools and they are really stinky. Yucks!

Out of desperation, Mummy bought this ducky formula from Natural Balance and cautiously tried it on me.

Luckily for them but not me, I stopped itching and plucking out my fur. Together with the oil supplement, my fur is growing back and therefore I am starting to look brown again. Arghh.....I want to be a black/white cat!!! I don't wanna be a brown cat!!!

I want a new coat colour

2008-02-05T13:05:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang:

I think for the year of the Rat, I want a new coat colour. I don't want to be a brown cat anymore. I think either white or black will suit me better.

That's why since 3 weeks ago, I have been meticulously plucking out fur from my right flank everyday. Now it's almost botak. And now my new coat can now grow full and plush.

But I think Daddy and Mummy are not too happy with my decision to change my coat colour. They still think brown suits me best. They also keep lamenting that their 3 months of effort feeding me "fur growth" oil has gone down the drain.

How? Should I continue to change my coat colour?

It's a new year

2008-01-05T00:14:00.000+08:00

It is the start of a new year again.

2007 had been rather good for the kxbc gang. There had been no major fights. No cat was sick or unwell and in the later part of the year, even Chang Chang the botak cat started to grow fur around his bald flanks, legs and stomach.

Two stray kittens found a loving home with my colleague. Though they were rather weak when they were 1 to 2 months old, they are now a pair of relatively healthy teenage cats waiting for neutering and spaying.

Moving forward, I hope 2008 will continue to be kind to the kxbc gang. Kim Kim is now older and less agile as she approaches her 8th birthday this April. She had gained quite some weight in 2007 and hopefully, she can lose approximately 500g so as to ensure she lives to a ripe old healthy age for at least another decade.

Xin Xin had just turned 6 and she is still in her prime, playing and seeking attention so very often. She is the least of our worries, at least healthwise.

Bon Bon needs to gain some weight. She is just too kaypoh and playful for a coming-to-6-year-old cat. Her metabolism burns up whatever she consumes. The only consolation is she will never have an overweight issue.

Chang Chang, the botak boy, is growing his fur back after a 2-year spell of on-off itchiness. He is on SD z/d low allergen formula and gets 1/4 teaspoon of wheatgerm oil daily. This oily supplement has really worked wonders for him. His fur moulding period is now much faster. Hopefully, he will have a full coat of fur by mid 2008.

The little golden ingot, Yuan Yuan, is our little bundle of joy. At just 3 years old, she still has the boundless energy and innocence of a kitten. Like Xin Xin, she has no health issues known to us and hopefully, she will continue that way and still be around with us until the time I collect my CPF.

I had thought of adding a 6th cat in Nov when I chanced upon a kitten in my camp during reservist. However, given that we barely have enough time for the kxbc gang, I had decided not to bring her back. The kxbc gang will therefore remain at 5 for the next 10 years or so.

2008 should be a good year for the gang. I don't foresee any major change to their environment. I don't foresee any major health issue. No major change to the household. That should be good for the gang.

May 2008 be a good year for you too.

Melly Christmas!

2007-12-20T17:09:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang:

Melly Christmas!!

I am very jealous! I am so mad!

2007-12-07T13:59:00.000+08:00

Yuan Yuan:

Daddy and Mummy have always said that I am the cutest cat in the whole wide world. But yesterday, they said that this stuuuupid kitten is cuter than me.

I am so sad. I am so jealous.

咸鱼

2007-11-04T23:37:00.000+08:00

Bon Bon:

For the last few days, there was a "咸鱼" lying under my block. I'm quite allergic to fish as you know but since it is only salted fish, I don't really mind it.

But what gets on my catty nerves is that their family and relatives play VERY LOUDLY from 8pm to 11pm Teochew opera and Hokkien songs. I mean, the "咸鱼" cannot really hear, right? If it can't hear, what's the point of playing loud music for a few hours everyday? It disturbs the whole neighbourhood. I can't hear Chang Chang creeping up from behind me. And Teochew opera and Hokkien songs aren't on Cat's World Top 40.

If they have to play music, why can't it be The Pussy Cat Dolls

and The Atomic Kittens?

Hey, maybe the "salted fish" can use this? This will help, won't it?

I have a personal website???

2007-08-20T14:31:00.000+08:00

Xin Xin:

You know, I was surfing the web and found that actually I have a lot of fans. They have even created a website using my name. I am sure you will find my beautiful pictures there.

www.xin.sg

Btw, Daddy found this LTA survey on whether we can be taken for rides on the MRT (currently cannot). I want to go for train rides so say yes please. Can?

My 5 Cs

2007-08-10T23:22:00.000+08:00

The property market is booming. The stock market is doing well though there is a little correction these few days. You see new cars appearing on the roads, hear of friends of friends making a small windfall either trading or through the sale of a property.

And then there is this newspaper report which talks about Singaporeans not putting the 5 Cs, i.e., cash, credit card, condominium, car and country club membership, at their top of their priority list anymore. Friends, health and family are more important. Yada yada yada...

I think this is totally wrong. I still want my 5 Cs. But muahahaha (drum row please), I have already achieved my 5 Cs. They are my 5 Cats.

Kim Kim

Xin Xin

Bon Bon

Chang Chang &

Yuan Yuan

My 5 Cs. All safe and sound at home. But I wouldn't mind a little more cash though.

No more world record :(

2007-07-27T14:28:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang:

Every morning and night, Daddy has been pouring some engine lubricant into my ears and now, my hardworking wax machine does not work very well anymore. How? What can I do? What if another cat take over "The waxiest ears in the world" title from me? How? How?

I am very sad...........

Yay! World record!

2007-07-16T21:06:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang:

The V.E.T said I have the waxiest ears in the world! Yay! The waxiest ears in the world! Can you believe it? I may be entered in the Guiness World of Records for having the waxiest ears in the world. So waxy the V.E.T cannot even see my eardrums since my ear wax covered everything up. And that was after my ears were cleaned just 1 day ago. Man, I have a hardworking waxing machine in my ear!

The waxiest ears in the world! Can you believe it? I'm so excited I don't think I can sleep tonight.

Obey me you shall

2007-06-08T14:59:00.000+08:00

Xin Xin:

Obey me you shall. Pat me I say.

Xin Xin I am, lord of Mr & Mrs kxbc. Do what I say you will.

Appear I do in other movies around the world. Famous I am.

http://disney.lovesakura.com/Gallery/Stitch/index.htm

I think he is confused

2007-06-07T14:25:00.000+08:00

Yuan Yuan:

I think Daddy is really a confused man. He was watching "Growing Up Tiger" on Animal Planet and kept commenting that the little tigers cubs on TV looks like me. But just some weeks ago he was watching another documentary on lions and he said I looked like chubby lion cubs.

He just cannot make up his mind. He really has to decide if I look like a Tiger or Lion cub fast. I am having an identity crisis all because of him.

So, do I

look more like this (courtesy of BBC)?

or this (courtesy of jaytorborg.com)?

I think I am safe now

2007-06-03T20:57:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang:

I think I am safe now. I have turned on my "invisible" mode. Haha, no one can find me now.

My Little Seal Pup

2007-06-03T20:52:00.000+08:00

My little seal pup sleeping on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

They look quite similar, don't they?

Zzzzzz...

2007-05-22T13:51:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang:

Imagine me sleeping on Mummy. It's something like this (though I am not as hairy).

We are all inter-connected

2007-04-21T23:51:00.000+08:00

This food recall incident showed how interconnected we all are, didn't it?

Rice grown in China (presumably) and further processed by removing the starch, gives rice protein. Somehow, this was tainted with melamine, either intentionally or otherwise, and sold to US pet food contract manufacturers. And the US factories used these ingredients to make the cat food and sold them via agents all over the world. And of course some packs landed on the shores of Singapore and caused more than a little panic to me and other pet owners.

Thus far, at least I understand from NB via e-mail that the latest pack of NB Venison & Green Pea (expiry date Nov 07) I had fed the kxbc gang is probably not tainted as it was probably produced way before the tainted rice protein made its way into the manufacturing process. NB has been responding to my mails even though I am sure they must have their hands full right now. It's good they recalled their products so quickly (they received calls from concerned pet owners on 12 Apr and started recalling on 16 Apr based on their reply to me) even though it was a big gamble for their reputation.

On the other hand, as of now, our AVA still has not responded to my 2 e-mails to 2 different AVA e-mail addresses (ava_email@ava.gov.sg and ava_importexport_animals@ava.gov.sg) I had sent on 18 and 19 Apr regarding this incident. And to think that I have even left my HP number in my mail so that they can clarify with me if necessary. And neither have they issued any press statement (just checked their website) about this in either their website or The Straits Times. No wonder my vet was so puzzled why I had brought XX and CC for the blood test on Thur evening. Totally hopeless organisation. I wonder if they read their mails at all. If they don't, perhaps they should not list their e-mail addresses in their contact list. To make a note for myself in the future: Do not work for govt service. I don't want to end up like them.

Back to the topic:
RC has also begun to recall some of their products but luckily, Indoor 27 is not on the list. KK, XX and YY are now solely on RC after the NB scare.

SD has also issued a statement that all their SD dry cat food and z/d prescription diet are also not affected. Rice protein is used in the manufacturing of z/d but it is not sourced from China. BB is eating SD Hairball Control and itchy CC is trying out z/d on a 2-month trial period.

NB has also in their 2nd mail to me, mentioned that besides lamb and venison which are to be sourced from New Zealand, all other ingredients were supposed to be sourced from the US. But their supplier sourced the tainted China ingredient instead. I reproduce below NB's reply to me (edited somewhat to remove boring press releases and my name :) ).

[quote]Dear kxbc,

Yes this is worldwide [recall of affected NB products].

Please find the following update regarding this recall. Further, please know that NO other Natural Balance products are affected. [April 17, 2007 press release here]

All of our ingredients are intended to be from the US except the Lamb and Venison (New Zealand). We purchase our raw ingredients from US suppliers who are contracted and paid to provide us with domestic products. We are investigating to find out how this chinese rice protein concentrate made its way into our supply, as our suppliers know we only want US domestic ingredients. We are also looking into changes in our purchasing methods to safeguard against any future errant shipments. We were let down by our supplier, which in turn caused us to let down our customers.

As to the testing procedures, our products are tested at various points from ingredients to completed diets. Because melamine has not in the past been a concern in the US ingredients, it has not been a regular part of the testing procedure. Due to this recall, and the fact that one of our suppliers has let us down, melamine testing is being incorporated into the regular testing.

Once we began looking into the illness reported last week, all of our foods were sent off for additional testing. This testing was performed at UC Davis. All of our products, recalled products aside, have been proven safe and with no contaminants.

Again, thank you for your email. I hope this eases your mind somewhat. This has been a horrible event for pet owners, the pet industry, and for us at Natural Balance.

SIncerely,Cherie Meyers

> >Subject: RE: Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food recall
> >Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:49:21 +0800
> >Thread-Topic: Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food recall
> >Priority: Urgent
> >From: "kxbc" kxbc@kxbc.com
> >To: info@naturalbalanceinc.com

Hi

I would like to understand if your food recall for the contaminated food affects only the US or is it a worldwide recall?

My local agent in Singapore mentioned that the Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea dry food formula sold in Singapore is not affected but I am not sure of his statement. I assume all Natural Balance to be either produced in the US using the same contaminated ingredient or in different factories around the world but still using the same contaminated ingredient due to bulk sourcing arrangements by Natural Balance HQ.

Appreciate if you can kindly clarify via e-mail or a press release urgently. Thank you.

Regards, kxbc
Singapore [unquote]

They bothered to reply to my mail even though they are swarmed with work and PR disaster recovery. And what did we get from our AVA? Nothing. Zilch. Zero. Gon-not. I wonder why they got a pay increase lately.

Journey to the vet

2007-04-20T09:26:00.000+08:00

Office to home: Hardly any conversation as both of us were lost in our own thoughts. I just wanted to get home quick to scoop the both of them to the vet asap. I had butterflies in my stomach, similar to times when I had to send them in for surgery. I think Mrs kxbc had similar feelings.

Home to vet: Reached home, got them into the carriers and off we go. And silence on the way there again. CC and XX were a little anxious, especially XX as she was just at the vet on Sunday for her annual vaccination and checkup.
At the vet: The Dr was not aware of any food contamination issue as there was no word from AVA. I explained the whole thing all over to him again. Blood drawn from the both of them to test for acute renal kidney failure. A negative test result will be good but that does not mean they do not have chronic kidney failure. Only a test on their urine sample can confirm if they do have chronic kidney failure.

Waited around 20 min for the test results at the waiting room. No conversation as well. Both of us were just too anxious for the results, especially that of CC. He is the most likely to contract kidney failure, if at all, as he has been wholly on NB since Dec 06.

A cute "jia you jian gou", aka the bull terrier (I think), was at the vet too. Nosy little thing which was sniffing out all corners of the clinic.

The vet came out bearing CC's results.

NEGATIVE.

Both of us heaved a sigh of relief. We were noticeably feeling better now as we smiled to each other again. We started talking. We were quite sure that if CC is negative, XX should be too.

Another 10 min and the vet was out with XX's result.

NEGATIVE too.

We felt much better now. We will monitor them for chronic kidney failure symptons eg drinking excessively, loss of weight and appetite etc. I will need to read up on this topic this weekend.

The bill came. $241!! Wah piang eh! But it was money well spent. It lifted a heavy load off our minds. I asked Mrs kxbc what would we have done if we know that we could not afford the bill. "We'll have to wait and save cash and at the same time monitor their health. But if we know we can't afford it, we probably would not have the 5 of them. Too many for finances already." I'm glad we still do not have problem supporting the 5 of them today.

Back home: The other 3 welcomed them back home. After their dinner, it was as if nothing had ever happened in the last 2 hours. It's good to have them safe and sound at home.

Update on NB Contamination

2007-04-19T09:40:00.000+08:00

The Wife is frantic about CC who eats NB Venison & Green Pea solely, as he has had diarrhoea/soft stools for the past few days and diarrhoea is one of the symptons of kidney failure. XX has had soft stools too but her latest "release" this morning seems normal and she is still active. But whatever the case, we are bringing them in to the vet for a blood test this evening. I am worried too but I need to keep a clear head to deal with this incident.

Although the other 3 also consumes NB Venison & Green Pea as part of their diet which also includes RC and SD, they are behaving normally and are active. Depending on the diagnosis of CC and XX, we will decide whether there is a need to test KK, BB and YY as well.

Through speaking with the pet shop (and the agent indirectly) and our regular vet, it seems that no one knows of this food contamination issue as AVA has not released any press statement. I have dropped AVA a mail earlier and hopefully we will have some news soon.

Just to let you understand that the NB incident is a contamination of rice protein concentrate and is not related to last month's Menu Foods food recall which was a contamination of wheat gluten used to thicken the gravy in wet food. So if your pet shop tells you that AVA has already issued a statement saying that the food imported into Singapore is okay, tell them it relates to the Menu Foods recall. There is no word from the AVA yet on the NB incident. And from NB's website, NB uses only 2 contract manufacturers for the manufacturing of their food and so the chance that contaminated food are shipped to Singapore are high.

The contaminant for both incidents is similar: melamine. And melamine is used in fertilizers in Asia. I am not sure which food product to trust now. We know how the world is becoming more globalised and with strong competition, every company needs to source for cheaper sources of ingredients to stay competitive. And cheaper ingredients are probably found in Asia where labour costs are generally lower. If you had not realised already, most things are made in China nowadays. Like the US armed forces beret issue which happened a couple of years back. And also the souveniers you had purchased while holidaying in Europe. Turn the souvenier and you would probably see a "Made in China" label. I am not saying all food produce in China is no good but we do have news about Chinese manufacturers taking short cuts in their manufacturing processes eg milk powder incident.

Please tell your friends who have pets to stop feeding the contaminated NB products now before it's too late.

I am keeping my fingers crossed about today's vet visit.

Press Release from Natural Balance

2007-04-18T15:12:00.000+08:00

This is the latest press release from Natural Balance (www.naturalbalanceinc.com/press_release.html). To cut a long story short, don't feed NB Venison & Green Pea dry food formula, regardless of production date, for the time being.

I have just called Aquapet if I can get a refund since I had just purchased it last week and opened it only yesterday. I had thrown away the packaging though. $50+ can buy a lot of cat food and SD z/d is so expensive ($40 for 1.8kg) as a replacement.

Do you know what the NB agent told Aquapet? That the contaminated food only affects US market and does not affect the food sold in Singapore. I am not sure if the agent is stupid or if he is just stupid. If all the food are produced in the same plant using the same contaminated ingredients, which I am sure is since the bag specifically states "Made in USA", does it matter where the food are finally shipped to and consumed?

Alert! Alert!

2007-04-17T15:21:00.000+08:00

If you are feeding your babies Natural Balance Venison & Green Peas dry kibbles, please take note that Natural Balance had issued a statement that they had received complaints about their Venison & Green Peas dry kibbles for cats, causing vomitting and kidney problems and they are advising all pet owners to discontinue feeding.

I do not know when this statement was issued and am not sure whether it ties in to the last scare about pet food just a couple of weeks earlier.

And I had just opened a new pack just this morning!!!

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/

An itch I cannot get rid of

2007-04-10T11:07:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang did not itch further after the extreme experiment. So maybe I can conclude that he is not allergic to chicken but some other ingredient used in the manufacturing of kibbles.

Moglee suggested yeast and true enough, Royal Canin lists yeast as an ingredient but not NB Venison & Peas. Chang Chang is however still licking though we feed him NB exclusively. We suspect that he may have eaten a few kibbles of RC here and there while we are not looking. We will however still persevere with NB and see if there is going to be any improvement in the next couple of months.

The idea to give him Nutro Supplement has also been thrown out as yeast is also listed as an ingredient. In the meantime, we are still searching pet shops for a good and easy to apply supplement.

I think somehow, we have to live with the fact that he is going to itch and be hairless for some time. Poor boy.

Extreme Experiment

2007-03-12T12:34:00.000+08:00

Another update on Chang Chang and his itchy skin.

We put him on 50% NB and 50% SD last week after it was confirmed that RC did not work for him. It was no good either. He was still itchy and tore off some fur on his back. So SD is out too and he was back on 100% NB, which he will not willingly eat unless he is really hungry. Actually none of them likes NB at all and is the last resort when they are really famished. Can you imagine it? They rejected the most expensive food. Is it really so yucky to eat?

As the main ingredient for both RC and SD is chicken, we did an extreme experiment on him last night. WE FED HIM 100% BOILED CHICKEN BREAST MEAT!!! He gobbled everything up and licked his mouth. Now we will monitor him for the next few days to see if he will lick excessively again.

The good news is that there was no clumps of fur on the floor this morning when we woke. So, if he is not allergic to chicken, then it must be some other ingredient in SD and RC which is making him itch. But finding that ingredient will not be an easy task.

Update on Chang Chang's skin problem

2007-03-05T15:47:00.000+08:00

This is an update on Chang Chang's skin problem which was also blogged earlier.

The jab which Dr Su gave him lasted around a month or so before he began to get itchy again. But just a little which was rather tolerable for us. He had been on Natural Balance Venison and Green Pea since the vet vist as we needed a single protein source food which should hopefully narrow down the kind of things he is allergic too.

All the kitties took some time to get used to NB and started taking them when they get too hungry but little Yuan Yuan snubbed it completely, preferring her regular Royal Canin. The arrangement did well for all except that both Chang Chang and Xin Xin did not tolerate the food well and had soft stools daily.

Seeing a slight improvement in his skin condition, we added Royal Canin back to their diet last week. And lo and behold, no more soft stool from both CC and XX. So it was NB Venison which was causing their soft watery stool.

However, CC has started itching and is licking excessively again. We have no idea which ingredient in RC is causing him the itch. So from yesterday, CC will no longer have RC in his diet but to counter watery stools, we are trying SD to see if he will continue to itch on a 50% SD 50% NB diet.

If he still continues to itch, I am thinking of feeding him Nupro supplement to see if it can help improve his immune system and digestive tract so that he will not itch anymore. It's like TCM, heal the inside to benefit the outside.

Fingers crossed for now.

Why can't I post comments!

2007-03-04T23:05:00.000+08:00

Eversince I shifted to the new Blogger (forced to, involuntary move), I had been having some many problems posting comments, using different computers.

To Blogger: If you have not fixed the bugs, do so now. You are making me freaking @#$@$ frustrated.

What if…?

2007-03-01T17:33:00.000+08:00

If your cat is a vehicle? What will he/she be?

Kim Kim, being the big fat cat she is, will be a Landrover. Though not the prettiest or the cutest of the lot, she is very dependable (and huge), like a Landrover, and takes charge of the other kitties when we are not around.

Xin Xin, being a lean mean racing machine, will be a street racing motor bike. She zooms in and out of rooms without ever breaking her stride.

Bon Bon, our pretty girl, will be a VW Beetle. She’s just cute and fun to be around with. You just want to cuddle her everytime you see her, just like you would like to take the Beetle out for a drive every chance you get.

Chang Chang will be a mountain scrambler. Though he looks the skinniest and frailest, he is actually the strongest and the only one which can take on Kim Kim in any fight. He’s lazy and lounges around most of the time, but his spurts of powerful sprints are second only to Xin Xin.

And lastly, cutest Yuan Yuan will be the Toyota Yaris (must be the orange one). When she crouches down, she looks exactly like the Yaris with a big head and a big backside. Very cute looking and does not run too fast. In our family, the Yaris has been renamed the Yuan-mobile.

If your cat is a vehicle? What will he/she be?

Another one joins the family!!!!

2007-02-04T23:59:00.000+08:00

Bon Bon:

The day the tooth fairy came to visit Kim Kim, Daddy & Mummy brought home a new occupant to stay and have put her up in our room where the litterboxes and the cage are.

She is big and black. She doesn't speak but sometimes howl or sometimes whisper when her internal organ start turning blue. Most of the time though, she sleeps, only waking up for an hour or so in the morning after Daddy & Mummy get up from bed. But she is more active at night like us, when she spews blue lava from her big mouth and attempts to speak to us. But none of us understand her language and sadly, we are still not friends.

I'm not sure if she wants to make friends with us. I want to but I can't understand her language. So far, I have left her alone, hoping that one day, we will be friends and can perhaps huddle together for a nap or maybe even do some grooming together.

The good thing is that after she has come to join us, our room is so much fresher and cleaner. I am not sure if it is due to her coming to stay with us, but it's a good thing she is now part of the family.

Ohh, before I forget, I should show you a cute photo of her. :)

The tooth fairy came again!

2007-01-25T20:02:00.000+08:00

Kim Kim says:

The tooth fairy came on Mon and took away 2 of my teeth. It's all the V.E.T's fault!!! He said that I have a loose tooth during my annual examination. And now instead of just one, the tooth fairy took away 2 as there was a fairly bad chipped tooth. Now I am a "bo gay" cat like Xin Xin.

Maybe it was my age (I am coming to 7 years old in Apr 07) or maybe it was just me but I was not really feeling myself even after the tooth fairy left. I just lay on my rug for one day and did not have much appetite, nor did I pester Mummy and Daddy for suckles on their laps. I did not want to open my mouth because it was just too painful to swallow food or meow.

Mummy said Xin Xin set a bad example as she was her normal self immediately after the tooth fairy left and even worse, Yuan Yuan was jumping around straight after her spaying operation. Maybe I am just a normal cat and do not recover as quickly as XX and YY.

But I became my usual self a day later and Mummy and Daddy were pretty please to see me eating and meowing for attention again. But Daddy now says I meow too much already. I am a persistent cat. I will meow until they relent and let me suckle on their laps.

Thoughts after the cat show

2007-01-13T14:22:00.000+08:00

Before this cat show, I had only been to 1 cat show at the Singapore Convention Centre many years ago. I saw cats stuck in cages for hours, mostly frightened and stressed by the number of people surrounding their cages, and also their proud owners beside them.

I remember there was this huge fat cat (a DSH weighing maybe 10kg or more) in that cat show which drew so much attention due to its girth. And its owner was so proud of the attention. Hey, Mr/Ms Cat Owner, do the cat a favour and reduce its diet so that it can slim down. I'm sure you don't want it to suffer illnesses resulting from obesity in the future (add on to my to-do list, make sure that chubby Kim Kim loses 450g from her 5.45kg frame within a year from now and maintain it at 5kg).

Anyway, back to the cat show. And the highlight of the whole show was actually my lunch at the make shift hawker centre opposite The Malay Village. Sinful deep fried chicken thigh (smashed by a mallet) with fragrant rice. I think it was called "Ayam cannot remember cannot remember" (this is purely to tempt/di xiao ksn). Well, the chicken was very good and very good it had to be because I queued 30 min for the chicken.

And this cat show was no different from the last I attended. Cats stuffed into small cages, frigthened and stressed, with their proud owners beside them. I did not realise that there are so many people keeping pedigree cats in Singapore. I am not against buying pedigree cats (my Bon Bon is supposedly pedigree BSH as well but adopted) but do they also have DSH at home? I am not sure about that but I only saw less than 5 DSH at the cat show. I remember these DSH being as beautiful as the pedigrees.

The cats are judged on I think, their look and bone structure based on the some cat fancier club guidelines. Why is there no judging based on say, ability to catch a mousie (hunting skill), smashing a lizard off the wall (test jumping ability), manja display(tripping a human by twirling itself between his/her legs when he/she is walking), loudest purring cat? I know there are dog agility contests held worldwide but why are there no cat ability contests?

5 + 2 = 7

2007-01-01T22:51:00.000+08:00

Xin Xin:

This was me 5 years ago in Feb 02 when I had just joined the household. I was so small and scrawny.

This is me now. :)

Yuan Yuan:

I am 2 years old today. I share the same birthday as my Xin Xin mummy. I love her so.

Hippo Birdy Two Ewes
Hippo Birdy Two Ewes
Hippo Birdy Deer Xin Xin & Yuan Yuan

Hippo Birdy Two Ewes

(courtesy of Victor Tabbycat)

Harsh Reality?

2006-12-26T21:54:00.000+08:00

A forumer in another forum posted a question over the weekend asking if a kitten will leave scratch marks on her new laminated flooring as she (I assume so) is considering adopting one. I don't know what came over me but I spent the next half hour replying her (during office hours, haha).

Am I too harsh with my reply? and may have in the meanwhile, scared away a potential adopter who may have given a kitten a good home?

My main concern then was that the cat/kitten will be dumped when the novelty of having a cat dies off, the adopter did not research enough or the adopter did not go through the whole thought process of having to care for an animal. I do not want another cat/kitten to suffer the stress of being adopted and then dumped again in another year or so.

Mrs kxbc thinks my reply is too blunt though the content may be more or less correct. On hindsight, I think so too. Maybe I was really too harsh and direct. Maybe I was just being myself and wanted her to know the seriousness of having a pet.

The question posed by her:
"hihi all cat lovers.. i'm new to this forum and would like to know some things abt adopting a kitten..

first of all, if i do not have a car, is it still ok to adopt a cat? is taxi uncle ok with a cat in a cage cos sometimes we might need to bring him/her to the vet..

second, my house will be laminated flooring with normal classic doors for the bedroom.. will there be prominent scratch marks on these?"

I cut and paste my reply to her below:
"Nothing wrong having a pet cat without a car. Lots of us don't drive.

Done so many times taking public transport with a secured carrier. Bus drivers and taxi drivers have so far not made any noise except for some taxis which will not take pets, even in carriers. If you are booking a cab, remember to tell the operator that you have a cat in a carrier. Also remember never to put your cat + carrier in the boot, no matter what the taxi drivers says. The cat is in your care so would you put your charge in the boot? Take another cab and tell the driver he will not earn your money.

Pets are not allowed to be taken onto the MRT so take note.

When you have a cat, there are definitely going to be scratch marks here and there, on the parquet floor, on the sofa etc when the cat runs and makes a turning. My cats do not scratch the sofa but when they start playing on the sofa, their claws may unintentionally leave some marks on it. But it's fine by me. Sofas and floors can be replaced but not my cats.

And there is going to be cat fur around the house too even with daily grooming and some litter tracking here and there.

If you are one of those who want a spic and span house with gleaming new furniture and without scratches, pets such as dogs and cats will not be for you.

Cats may throw up their food every now and then if for example they eat too fast or if the food does not agree with them, esp if new food is introduced. Laminate, parquet, marble and granite flooring cannot withstanding wet patches for an extended period of time as they are porous. And if they throw up while you are not home, the vomit may already have sunk into the flooring by the time you are back home from work in the evening, leaving at best an irremovable stain or at worst, a popped up laminate.

It is true that cats make good pets and owning one or a few give immense joy. But there are a lot more things to consider before adoption eg:

1. is everyone in the household agreeable to having a cat?

2. will you not abandon the cat later on, esp when you get pregnant and are pressurised by family members to dump it?

3. do you have the extra cash to send the cat for annual vaccination, check ups (vet visits can be expensive especially when they reach old age)?

4. are you willing to mesh up your windows so that your cat will not jump out accidentally and fall to its death esp if you are living in high rise apts? Meshing up your windows will definitely spoil the look of your house unless you invest some money/thought into design and materials.

5. are you prepared to love and take care of the cat till it reaches old age?

6. do you have the time to play and interact with your cat for at least an hour every day?

7. are you willing to let your cat roam all over the house when you are not home? Keeping your cat in a cage is mistreatment.

8. cats are curious animals and they will explore every nook and cranny of your home and in doing so, they may smash some ornaments you place on shelves. Are you willing to reduce your various displays? Are you willing to forgive your cat if it accidentally breaks some precious item in your home?

9. are you prepared to live with your furniture accidentally scratched or scratched before you can fully train the cat to scratch at the appropriate places?

10. will you be the sole provider of food and love for the cat?

11. are you prepared to neuter/spay the cat when it reaches sexual maturity?

There are so many questions to be answered and these are not the only ones I have highlighted. I have not trying to scare you but you will have to consider the above and more, esp if you are a first time owner.

The advantages of having a pet cat outweigh the disadvantages. But can you live with the disadvantages? Best you speak to friends who have pet cats and chat with them first. Read up on cat onwership. There are lots of reference books in the library, especially Orchard Library (under Pets). You can also get some info from CWS http://www.catwelfare.org/ and see if you can speak to a volunteer.

I am not trying to scare you or anything but it seems that there are lots more things to consider before bringing a cat back home."

If you feel that my reply is too harsh, I will have to tone it down a little next time so as not to scare away potential adopters.

Melly Clistmas!

2006-12-22T19:34:00.000+08:00

The kxbc gang of 5 wishes all cats and their peeps

Here are the kitties - Part 6

2006-12-17T13:04:00.000+08:00

Kitten Litter in the Sun

by KXBC

What's a litter of kittens to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Laze around in the courtyard of course...

Help please - Skin problem

2006-12-04T22:13:00.000+08:00

Update on 15 Dec 06:
We took the little boy to ARC Balestier for an appointment with Dr Sulnyi and waited and waited for more than 1 1/2 hours even though we had an appointment. Very bad impression already as the longest we had ever waited at our regular vet (with appointment) was less than 30 minutes and that was because the dog which was treated before us collapsed just outside the building due to some terminal illness. The owner was sobbing uncontrollably as she carried her dog in. It was a very sad scene, something I wish will not happen to us. I wish that if the kxbc gang needs to go, they go peacefully and gently in their sleep.

Anyway, Dr Sulnyi was quite good, listing out all the food and environmental allergens possible, things which our regular vet had also highlighted. It was a confirmation that both vets are correct and knowledgeable in their field of expertise. Little boy Chang Chang is confirmed to have no ear mites or any flea infestation.

As Chang Chang had licked himself sore in one area, he had an injection which will reduce itchiness for a week or so. The injection kicked in a few hours later and hopefully this will break the licking cycle for a while.

So in the meantime, we are taking the Feline Pine out of his litter and staying with Cat's Pride. Dr Sulyni suggested using paper pellets but it simply will not do in a multicat household. We have moved his bedding from the room with the litter box to the living room so that pine sawdust in the air, if any, will not cling on to his body. We have also switched him to a single protein dry food (Natural Balance Venison and it is super expensive for such a small pack; the gang can easily finished one pack in slightly over 1 week) but he does not really like it. So we are hand feeding him at least twice a day, hoping that he will grow to like the smell of the new food. We will also reduce the amount of floor detergent we use and wipe again with clean water even though we do not think that is the problem since we had been using that detergent even before he was borned.

And now, we sit back and try to reduce our stress level, which may pass on to our sensitive boy (so boss, less work lah ok?) and see if these measures will have any effect on his licking problem. Hopefully his fur will start growing back before CNY. Fingers crossed.

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Update on 13 Dec 06:
Bought the Oscar C cream as recommended by Moglee last week and applied on him. I think it did quite well except that he licks even more vigorously after application to get rid of the cream.

Haizzz, no choice already. I had made an appointment with Dr Sulyni of ARC today. I understand she is quite experienced in felines. Hopefully she (I think Dr Soo is a she) has a solution to Chang Chang's skin problem.

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Update on 5 Dec 06:
It got worse last night while we were asleep. He pulled out chunks of his fur and now his flanks are very very patchy. We thought the bath on Mon night had soothed his skin a little bit but we were wrong. We will be paying Pet Lovers tonight to get the recommended creams, shampoo and cleaner. E-collar probably would not work as he gets very agitated easily and will be snapping like a crazy cat and will be terrorising the other 4 non-stop to vent his anger.

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Chang Chang has been having skin problems for almost a year. He is licking excessively around his tail, inner hind leg region and his stomach until they are now totally devoid of fur.

The vet suspected flea/mite infestation and prescribed Frontline and weekly flea bath. We did it consistenly for 2 months and it did not get any better. He was still licking himself. And we did not think that it was flea/mite infestation as the other 4 were not affected at all. Lately, he had become allergic to flea shampoo and Frontline as he would scratch himself excessively whenever we bath him or apply Frontline on him

Suspecting food allergy, we switched from Royal Canin Indoor 27 (major ingredient: poultry) to Science Diet H/B Control (major ingredient: chicken) and now to IAMS Lamb & Rice (read somewhere that lamb will probably not cause food allergy). But still he is not getting better.

It cannot be an environmental allergy as well as we have not switched any household cleaning products or beauty products which he might have come into contact with. His bedding is now cleaned even more often.

Stress is ruled out as the dynamics of the kxbc gang have not changed and he is still the No. 2 cat, if not the Top Cat.

It has been getting worse these week as he has been tearing his fur out in frustration. Clumps of fur on the floor will greet us whenever we come home from work. And he is so itchy and agitated he has lost his appetite, and growing thinner.

I am bringing him to the vet again tomorrow to see what the vet will say but I suspect he will ask me to monitor again. But I don't have the patience already. It pains us to see him licking himself every waking moment.

Have any cat owners/fosters/feeders encountered such a problem with your cats before? If so, what have you done to help your cat recover? Any products you have used which may help? Thank you in advance for your help.

From the very desperate Daddy of the kxbc gang

Reply to "Why like this one?"

2006-12-03T13:48:00.000+08:00

Daddy says:

Little General Yuan Yuan, you are one sweet kitty without a single mean bone in you. Of course we love you very much and would love you even more if you would allow us to cuddle you without you screaming the house down. You should learn this from your mummy Xin Xin who would seek us out for petting and cuddling whenever we are home.

As to the name issue, we never expected to pick you up from the void deck to join our family. I had already used that kxbc name way before you came to join us. And so as to avoid confusion, I have kept to that name and not included your Y into kxbc.

But you should know that you are the baby of the family and we all love you very much, even grandma Kim Kim who may hit you every now and then. You are like what we say, an unexpected big fat surprise package dropped from the sky. And I emphasize the word FAT because you eat way too much, almost double of what the others eat. So don't eat so much from now on, because we want you around for at least another 15 years. Ok?

And to compensate you and to let you know that you have a place in our hearts, this is for our little General Yuan Yuan.

General Yuan Yuan says:

You are forgiven. The kxbc name will remain. But I give no assurance about my growing girth. I know you like me chubby.

Why like this one?

2006-11-25T14:36:00.000+08:00

Yuan Yuan says:

Did you notice the name of this blog is Kim-Xin-Bon-Chang? Where is my name leh? Where is it? Where where where? Why is it not Kim-Xin-Bon-Chang-Yuan? Daddy so 偏心 one, never put my name in the blog. Like I don't belong to the family like that.

If you still don't change the blog name, I will either bite you
or never let you rub my furry tummy ever again.

Hmmm....let you consider again for a few more days. I'm off to my beauty sleep now.

Here are the kitties - Part 5

2006-11-22T09:19:00.000+08:00

Happy Family in the Sun

by KXBC

This happy family (Mum + 4 kittens; 1 ginger kitten was running around and did not want to be in this family photo) was lazing around in the last rays of the evening sun when we stumbled upon them. The 4 kittens were playing happily, chasing bugs and wrestling among themselves while Mum kept a close watch. See how pretty they are. If I can, I would have brought them home, all 5 of them.

I was telling the Mrs that when the kxbc gang passes on in another decade ++ or so, we should perhaps adopt a family of cats, ie, Mum + her kittens. It'll be great to keep the family together and not break them up like what we did when we adopted Xin Xin but not her other siblings. Mrs said "以后再说". End of conversation. Opps.

Here are the kitties - Part 4

2006-11-18T17:06:00.000+08:00

This is a sweet little boy who is very afraid of strangers. But like all kittens, they just cannot resist the temptation of food and in just 20 minutes, he was seeking human companionship after a good hearty meal, courtesy of us. :)

This ginger/white cat was the one who grabbed our attention. If not for her persistent and loud meowing, we would not have found the sweet little boy. She was trying desperately to get in a house but it seems her owner wants her to stay outside. Perhaps she had been a bad kitty the night before.

Photographed in an old idyllic Greek village on the island of Naxos

Li-jer-bit

2006-11-14T22:34:00.000+08:00

Chang Chang says:

Daddy brought out the smelly green things and that ugly black pair of shoes again last week. He seems very happy that he will be missing work for one week. He kept mentioning this word "li-jer-bit" but I have no idea what he is talking about at all.

For the past 2 days, he has been waking up extra early in the morning, sometimes even earlier than the 5 of us. Then he will put on that green green thing and the black shoes before he disappear. And then reappear again in the evening wet and smelly. Really yucky smell. No one wants to go for a pat except for her filial Xin Xin. I think she probably has a blocked nose and can't smell that horrible wet stench.

I don't know how long more I can put up with that terrible smell coming from him before I give him a little bite and tell him he needs a bath.

Here are the kitties - Part 3

2006-10-30T22:22:00.000+08:00

Cats Snoozing in the Sun

by KXBC

What's a cat to do in the hot afternoon sun?

Here are the kitties - Part 2

2006-10-24T21:16:00.000+08:00

This is a very photogenic kitten we met on Fira, capital town of Santorini. She has the sweetest looking face and is quite afraid of human contact. We had to bribe her with some cat food before I could move closer to take her photos. She was kneading the ground the whole time we were there but she just refused to let us touch her. She is the kind of cat you would want to smuggle home though I doubt she is a manja cat.

I forgot to mention this. Greek cats are very vocal. They will meow at you and very loudly too. They meow much louder and more times than the average Singapore stray. Very cutesy characteristic. You will just fall in love with them.

Here are the kitties - Part 1

2006-10-22T16:54:00.001+08:00

No one likes the doggies, so here are the kitties.

Russian Blue look-alike kitten in Oia (pronounced as yee-yah), a picturesque town in Santorini, one of the most famous Greek islands. She is a very tame girl and allows everyone to pat her. One tourist even carried her high up like a baby (you know, hands fully stretched up and above you) and the little "girl" did not even complain. She just went back to her relaxed position after that.

Friends of Cats - Co-existence in harmony

2006-10-17T23:24:00.000+08:00

If the Singapore newspaper reports are anything to go by, let's just say that most Singaporeans are not animal lovers and there are even people who abuse the stray cats and dogs.

It was a refreshing change to see the Greeks, stray cats and dogs living together in harmony. There are many stray dogs and cats living on the streets of Athens and other Greek cities, towns, villages and islands. They are at the corner of almost every street and every turning, waiting for a friendly human to give them a pat or perhaps some food. Most strays I have seen are not dirty and generally well fed. No scrawny strays you sometimes see in Singapore. They do not stray into homes or even restaurants where the smell of food lingers in the air.

A lot of Greeks place food out for these strays and some waiters/restaurants will even feed them with left over food. Though these animals are not owned by any Greeks, I see them being accepted as part of the landscape by Greeks. The non animal lover will simply ignore them but not abuse them. The animal lover and tourist will try to feed them a scrap of food here and there.

I see all the strays there happy and heathly. That was the best part of our holiday, meeting the various dogs and cats on the streets.

And so, now is the time some Greek dogs and cats will greet you.

The dogs first! Of various shapes and sizes. Most are big size mongrels but some are even bigger. But the thing is, all the stray dogs are very friendly.

This big Alsatian joined us in watching the magnificent sunset. Very friendly which just wanted a pat.

They just lay around anywhere on the street, sometimes even in the middle of the pavement. And people will just walk around them without any fuss.

I'm back in business

2006-10-13T19:56:00.000+08:00

I'm baaacckkk..........!!!!!!!! Miss me? Hohoho......

Just arrive back home this afternoon and when we opened the door, the 5 of them took a look at us and ran away. They forgot about us only after 2 weeks. Those ingrates. #!$%^*& But they are back to normal now, seeking headbutts and patting while we unpack and clean up the place.

No time to do the photos yet but here a sneak preview first.

Angelic faces

2006-09-27T08:52:00.000+08:00

I stumbled upon this flickr site. This person, whom I think is Singaporean, has some of the cutest photos of his cats, a very lazy Scottish Fold and a hyper active Muchkin. These 2 cats are very photogenic and really cooperate well with the camera.

I know some readers may have this thing about buying pure breeds rather than adopting a moggie. I have my views too. But let's put that aside for the moment and enjoy the antics of 2 cats, apparently very well taken care of and very loved by the family.

Enjoy!

(3 more working days before I fly. Yipee!!!!!)

Work work work

2006-09-24T18:23:00.000+08:00

Have been so caught up with work that I have no mood to blog at all. And we have been spending so little time at home that the 5 monsters are always hungry for whatever attention we can give them.

But hey, 5 more days of work and deadlines to rush before we get our first break this year. We will be off for a holiday for a week or two to the Islands of Cats. Cats cats cats.....so many cats.....wowee.....

My camera will be working non stop. :) I hope to capture their mood, their habitat, their various expressions. But I know it will never turn out as good as this cat picture book I have found in the library. It's called "Cats in the sun" and there is another called "Kittens in the sun". Both books are by the same photgrapher. And he is truly amazing. I think he spent a few months on the islands to capture those fantastic pictures. I'll be very comforted if my photos turn up half as good.

The bad thing about going for a holiday is leaving the 5 monsters at home. Mother-in-law will be here daily for an hour or so to feed them and clear their litter box. Hopefully, she will be able to give them that companionship they crave for.

Well, the airtickets have been booked. Our backpacks are cleaned. We are cleared to go. To the Islands of the cats!!!!!!

We speak different languages

2006-09-11T22:41:00.000+08:00

Kim Kim says:

Daddy has some overseas friends who are coming over to our place to stay this week. And these friends are thinking maybe their kitties can come along too. Wowwee, the 5 of us + Daddy & Mummy were so excited we were going to have visitors. So Daddy & Mummy cleaned the house, bought lots of food (but none for us *sulks*) and even planted a few pots of cat grass for our kitty friends. And they even bought new litter boxes and extra scratching posts for them. I made Xin Xin, Bon Bon, Chang Chang and Yuan Yuan clean our old toys so that we can show our kitty friends a good time.

But just last week, Daddy's friends said that their kitties do not like to use litter boxes even though they know that litter boxes should be the place our shit should be buried. They even asked if their kitties could use our new sofa as a scratching post.

Hey, we are not even allowed to scratch the sofa! And of course you kitties can't! Rules are rules. It applies to us and all visitor kitties. Daddy and Mummy made it clear to us and them that they had bought the scratching posts for us so that we can sharpen our claws and the sofa is for sitting and lounging, not for scratching. There was a couple of time XX and CC scratched the sofa and Daddy gave them solitary confinement in the cage for half an hour. Now everyone knows the scratching post is where we scratch. We don't want the sofa spoiled too as we know Daddy & Mummy worked very hard and saved a few years before they could afford this new sofa. Plus, I like to lounge on the sofa during the day and YY & BB like to play on it every night.

And about shitting all over the house???? What is wrong with these kitties? There are litter boxes in the bedroom and in the living room and they want to shit all over the house? Isn't it very unhygenic? We want our place clean so that we can roll around all over the floor, playing chase when we feel like it. Imagine stepping into a pile of shit when I am chasing XX. I don't know what these kitties and Daddy's friends are thinking. Do they shit all over their own homes?

Daddy's friends are complaining about these ridiculous rules. But I like what Daddy told them. We welcome you into our house and we will be gracious hosts but don't push your luck on our house rules. We have them so that the 5 of us + Daddy & Mummy can have a good life.

Is my Engrish no gooded?

2006-08-31T17:44:00.000+08:00

Misty is this adorable cat which had spent her kittenhood in the void deck with her sister and brother. The trio was generally wary of strangers except towards this Lady Feeder and us. LF would be feeding them almost daily and we would try to supplement if she was late or absent. When Misty’s sister and brother disappeared mysteriously last year, LF scooped up Misty and kept her as a house pet. That was really good news for Misty as she would now be free from cat haters and psycho nuts who would abuse defenseless animals.

Then there was this Saturday morning a couple of months later when the Wife spotted Misty wandering in the carpark again when she was staring out of our place. We rushed down, picked her up and promptly sent her back to LF’s place. When I advised LF that she should fence up her main gate and windows to prevent Misty from escaping, she replied that would impede the wind flowing into her home. We told her those meshes from DIY shops would help and hoped that she would do something about it.

And last week, we saw Misty sitting in the car park again. When we sent her back to LF’s home, we found the main gate and windows not meshed up again. Is my Engrish no gooded? Cannot understand what I am saying? LF, mesh up your main gate and windows please!!!!