Here are the kitties - Part 6

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...

Here are the kitties - Part 5

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

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

Here are the kitties - Part 3

Cats Snoozing in the Sun

by KXBC

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

Here are the kitties - Part 2

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

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

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

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.

Work work work

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!!!!!!