Our little ginger furball, our little pocket torpedo

Yuan Yuan

November 2004 to 10 October 2019

14 years & 11 months old

We read stories about people who had been inseparable all their lives and when one party dies, the surviving one gets so heartbroken he/she will also soon move on.

We never thought this would happen to us.

Our Yuan Yuan moved on last week, 8 months after her beloved adopted mummy, Xin Xin, left us.

Yuan Yuan had always been a cat-cat, only close to Xin Xin. Ever since we picked her off the street as a 3- month old kitten, she had stuck close to Xin Xin, following her mummy around whenever she can.

Xin Xin never showed much maternal actions towards Yuan Yuan but deep down, we think she really cared for her adopted daughter. Whenever Yuan Yuan hollered during her bath time, Xin Xin would be pacing and meowing outside the bathroom to make sure Yuan Yuan is okay.

Since Xin Xin left us, Yuan Yuan could not find a new emotional support to lean on. She left heartbroken and depressed, her tiny body further wrecked by failing kidneys.

Our little pocket torpedo

Yuan Yuan was our little pocket torpedo. She had never liked to be held or cuddled and would find the earliest opportunity to struggle out from our embrace.

Just 3 weeks earlier, she would still meow out loud her protests when we grab her for her daily sub-cut. If she find that we were taking too long with the sub-cut, she would burst away from our grasps violently, sometimes taking the whole drip along with her. Sometimes, she might even turn back and give us a little hiss, telling us how much she disliked it.

Yuan Yuan was the only one in the household who would never come voluntarily to us for a scratch or a pet. We always had to approach her, sitting silently beside her and gently touching her. She would tolerate it for a minute or two before she walked away.

No matter what, we had always loved her, an important member of our family.

Catching the breeze

Yuan Yuan liked the outdoors. Below the row of plants, she would rest in the balcony where she would catch the breeze. This was her sanctuary where she would rest, sleep and lounge.

When she was younger, she would seek the rays of sunlight which shone on parts of the balcony, sometimes moving together with the rays as the sun raced across the sky. She would roll on her back happily, sleeping with her belly exposed.

Whenever she could, she would spend her whole day there, coming in only when the sun set.

Xin Xin, her adopted mummy

When we found Yuan Yuan as a 3-month old, she was alone in a Simei estate void deck. We walked past a small drain and she was hiding in there. We would not have noticed her if she had not hissed at us for allegedly encroaching into her space.

Over the next few days, we would seek her out as often as we could. She was always alone though there were several other older community cats living in the same void deck. But she was a loner and would never come to us like other kittens.

Her playmate was this domesticated young male cat from a household in the same block. We remembered her play-chasing after him, sprinting across grass patches. As she hurdled over the shrubs, her 4 short legs would spread wide open like a flying squirrel.

Her antics, cute face and short kinked tail won us over and we took her home one of those nights.

We named her 圆圆 to pay homage to her rotund figure.

For some magical reasons, she latched onto Xin Xin as her adopted mummy even though Xin Xin never paid her much attention. She would follow her mummy around the house, sometimes trying to get her attention by meowing loudly. If she was lucky, Xin Xin might groom her a little and I think Yuan Yuan must have been so happy with that.

It was very much a one-sided love affair most of the time. And it had a devastating impact on Yuan Yuan after Xin Xin left us unexpectedly earlier this year. She became moodier and spent more time alone. She tried seeking another mummy figure in Kim Kim, calling out to her whenever she walked past but Kim Kim is old and did not respond.

Her last stretch

We detected she had diabetes mid 2017 and chronic renal failure mid 2018. We managed to sustain her condition for many months with daily insulin injections and sub-cut. She continued to be fairly active with a healthy appetite till she started to deteriorate quickly beginning of Oct.

We decided that she should not suffer anymore and with a heavy heart, we let her go.

Goodbye our little pocket torpedo. We hope that you had a good life with us though we had never asked if you would like to be part of our household. We are glad you had Xin Xin as your mummy.

Go find Xin Xin and Bon Bon at the Rainbow Bridge. You had brought us so many happy moments. When we look at the balcony, we will forever find you there. You will always be in our hearts.

2nd anniversary - Bon Bon

Our dearest Bon Bon,

Today marks the day you have left us for 2 years.

The pain is still there but it has diminished much.

But we still miss you lots.

Grandma Kim Kim has got much older this past year. She has diabetes and CRF but she is coping well like a grand old lady. She'll be 18 soon, you know. 

Your Xin Xin big sister is going strong. She's still mad you know. I think she misses you running after her when she goes crazy daily. Mei Mei does not do as good a job as you.

Your little nephew Chang Chang has got rid of his itchy skin problem. Yay!

Yuan Yuan also has mild diabetes since Jul 17. She has lost some weight and muscle but overall, she is good. Do you know she is now a lot friendlier and receptive to us stroking her? Did you whisper this to her? I think you did. Thank you, BB.

And your little sidekick Mei Mei has slimmed down a bit this last 12 months. She's doing well on her new diet. She remains your little spunky niece.

We miss you. Come back from time to time to visit, ok? We are having your favorite KFC tonight. We'll leave some for you.

2016 reflections

2016 has not been kind to us.

Bon Bon and Mei Mei

We started 2016 with Bon Bon diagnosed with oral cancer on 27 Dec 2015. We fought the disease valiantly together with her for 2½ months, hoping for a miracle. It was not meant to be and we had to ease her pain and let her go in mid Mar.

In that same quarter, we noticed the Mei Mei had some blood in her pee. The vet found a bladder stone and had to operate to remove the stone. Luckily for us, a combination of early detection, Mei Mei’s relatively young age and the skill of the vet meant that she bounced back to health within 2 weeks.

We grieved the passing of Bon Bon in the next few months as the remaining 5 of them re-positioned their ranking within the family. Some routines changed. Mei Mei replaced Bon Bon and started to shadow Xin Xin around the house. Yuan Yuan became slightly more vocal. And every night when we reach home from work, we will find the 3 of them right at the door, welcoming us without Bon Bon tagging behind Xin Xin.

Kim Kim, Xin Xin and Chang Chang

In the middle of the year, we sent Kim Kim, Xin Xin and Chang Chang for teeth scaling procedures. With them being more advanced in age, especially Kim Kim, we were worried, not knowing how they will react to the anesthesia given. This was especially so for Xin Xin since she has a known heart and kidney issue and has a higher risk of not waking up from the anesthesia. Luckily for us, all 3 of them came through unscathed.

Chang Chang

Right when we thought things were smooth sailing again, Chang Chang ruptured his anal sac during the night in Nov. In just 6 hours while we slept, he aggravated the injury through aggressive licking of the wound area, creating a massive 2cm wide by 1cm deep wound right beside his anus. We were horrified when we saw his wound in the morning. It was so raw and bloody. We could not imagine the pain he was experiencing.

The vet could only clean the wound area and let the body heal on its own. There was no sufficient skin and flesh to stitch the wound. So in the next 5 weeks, we had to disinfect and clean his wound twice a day. He would sometimes yowled in pain when the disinfectant stunk the wound. With an E-collar though those weeks, he was miserable as it made eating and drinking difficult and grooming impossible. Gradually, the wound did indeed healed on its own, filling up the deep hole with extra tissue growth. It would be difficult to spot the wound area on him today.

Kim Kim

Kim Kim celebrated her 16^th birthday in Apr and is our oldest cat. In human years, she is already close to 80 years old.

We have been keeping a close watch on her health for many months. Her movement have slowed down much and she rests a bit more compared to a year or two ago. Recently, we noticed that she has been drinking and also peeing a lot more. Fearing that she might have contracted kidney issues, we brought her for a blood test in early Dec. Her SDMA test showed her kidneys were still alright though the results were at the high end of the normal range. However, her glucose levels were high. She was diagnosed with a diabetic condition.

But because she was not eating well due to her herpes flare up, we had to get her to eat regularly first before we can have her hospitalized to determine how much insulin to give her. We syringe fed her twice daily. The medicine given did not seem to improve her condition. She was lethargic and spent most of the time under the sofa. As she continued to pee a lot, she became dehydrated and we had to give her daily sub-cuts.

Her condition got worse just before Christmas. She became weaker and was unable to crawl into the litter box. Uncharacteristically of her, she peed outside the box for days in a row. The vet ran another blood test on her on Boxing Day. Her ALT levels were 10X the normal level – it was within the normal range mid Dec. Her liver was not functioning properly and was immediately hospitalized.

Fortunately, she responded well to the aggressive treatment over the next few days and was finally able to eat on her own on 29 Dec. When we brought her back home yesterday, we were delighted that though not as strong as before, she still had the strength to walk around the house. Her appetite returned though we still have to coax her to eat.

Today marks the date we will have to add Kim Kim’s insulin injection to our daily routine of pilling Xin Xin. As I type this entry, she is resting in her bed next to me, grooming after her evening feed.

Our family ends 2016 on an even note, with no more highs and lows. I hope 2017 will be a better year for all 5 of them.

My cats are aging

I was watching TV lounging on the sofa last night when Kim Kim climbed up to sit with me. She gave me a silent meow again as she demanded me to pat her. 

I cannot remember for how long this has been happening on a daily basis. It seems like a long time. She will meow. I will pat her, then maybe stop a while and she will meow louder again as she thinks that it is not long enough. Once she has enough, she will sit with her hind legs in front while she suckles her tummy for a few minutes. And then she will fall asleep on the sofa beside me. Occasionally, she might wake up and give another silent meow before she drifts off to sleep again.

She will be 16 and a half this coming Sep. In this past year, we have noticed that her mobility has slowed down and she is sleeping more. Her aging process has accelerated a little more though she remains bright and alert. 

With Bon Bon's death in Mar, we have become more aware that the rest of the gang are also getting on in years. Kim Kim and Xin Xin  are more than 15 years old which is the average age of a house cat. If all goes smoothly, they might have at most another 5 years with us. By then, Chang Chang and Yuan Yuan would also be around 15 to 16 years old. 

My wife and I have talked about their death candidly on many occasions. We have always known this will happen, that we will mourn each of them when they leave us. But we just cannot estimate the impact it will have on us. 

Bon Bon's passing hit us really hard. We continued on with our daily lives but there is so often this huge hole in our hearts. Time heals but it is such a long process.

I can't imagine them leaving us one by one in the next few years. The house will be so empty then, perhaps only left with May May who is 7 this year.

Till then, we will all follow our daily routines. They will bugger us for food and for pats. We'll continue to love them and care for them. If only this continues indefinitely.

I am very jealous! I am so mad!

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.

I think he is confused

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)?

My Little Seal Pup

My little seal pup sleeping on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

They look quite similar, don't they?

5 + 2 = 7

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)

Reply to "Why like this one?"

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?

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.

Best Cat Quote

Love me,
Feed me,
And never leave me.

By Garfield


Isn't this the best cat quote of the century? Daddy got this quote from Garfield: The Movie.

And this is me again, a little Garfield in the making. I want my lasagna!!!

Love from General Yuan Yuan, the orange kitty

Silent members of the Mew-Nited Nation

Now you know why General Yuan Yuan is so bold as to attack the Paper Nation. The officials of the Mew-Nited Nation are all sleeping on the job.

The door-cats who did not sound the bell when General Yuan Yuan launched her attacks.

The Security Council which sleeps on the job.

The happy-go-lucky Foreign aide

The 3 amigos who hold the highest post in the Mew-Nited Nation, with their wooden expression

The Interior Minister with her small sidekick

Voted the most polite official in the Mew-Nited Nation's history

Obviously Stitch is always on the side of disorderliness

The Matriach of the Mew-Nited Nation, always accomodating, always smiling

The Chang Chang look-alike Tigger is always looking forward to a hug

The smiling fracternal twins

Return of General Yuan

▶ Live Report from the Paper Nation

▶ Report by Daddy (2005 winner of the Puleetzer Award, Journalism category)
▶ Photos by Daddy (2003 winner of the World Prezz Photo Award, War category)

The deadly forces of General Yuan “Shi Kai” Yuan had struck again yesterday, a day after she was brought in by Mew-Nited Nation officers to the Very Energetic Tyrant for a medical examination.

It was reported that General Yuan put up a feisty struggle before she was restrained by the strong arms of the law. Even then, she threw her weight around and nearly broke out of prison by repeatedly smashing herself against the cell. The trip to the Very Energetic Tyrant was marked by scorns and vicious threats to the security forces as she cried and wailed.

Unfortunately for the security forces, General Yuan was given a clean bill of health by the Very Energetic Tyrant and had to be released back to her old home.

And on that very same night, as if to scorn the very security forces who had captured her, she launched her deadliest attack on the Paper Nation. No one was spared as she tore through the nation, destroying everything in her way.

Although General Yuan had not claimed responsibility for this act of terror, this reporter had found this irrefutable piece of evidence that General Yuan was behind the carnage.

Other terror factions like the Al-Toilet Paper terrorist organisation and the racist Klee Nex Klan have distanced themselves from General Yuan for fear of incurring the wrath of the Mew-Nited Nations officials.

Top story: Nation torn apart by invasion

▶ Live report from Paper Nation

▶ Additional reporting by Daddy (2005 winner of the Puleetzer Award, Journalism category)
▶ Photos by Daddy (2003 winner of the World Prezz Photo Award, War category)

The residents of the Living Room were jolted out of their beds last night at 3.37am when General Yuan “Shi Kai” Yuan launched an unantagonised surprise attack on the Paper Nation.

Rumour has been brewing for some time now when General Yuan Yuan would be planning to launch the next wave of attack since her last attack in March 2006. Residents have been prepared for the worst but the time lag between the 2 attacks have lulled all into a sense of complacency.

It has been reported that sentries on duty were fast asleep when General Yuan Yuan got into position at 3.21am and inched her way towards the Island of the Brochures resting on top of the coffee table. The first wave of attack came fast and furious as General Yuan Yuan pounded her adversary with continuous artillery rounds of Fo Shan Wu Ying Paws before sending in her well trained infantry division, the Snaring Fangs of Royal Canin, to destroy the last few pockets of resistance. These crack troops have been sent to many countries for various training and are most adept at Search & Destroy missions. They have featured in all of General Yuan Yuan’s attacks and have a much feared 100% success rate.

The Island of Brochures torn beyond recognition

The Island of the Brochures was defeated in 5 minutes before General Yuan Yuan launched a second wave of attack on the mainland of the Paper Nation on top of the dining table. The attack on the Island had alerted the sleepy Paper sentries and citizens tried to flee from the marauding Paws and Fangs. It was a relentless assault as her troops tore apart the whole country. It has been reported that some citizens of the Paper Nation have managed to escape to the neighbouring country of The Kitchen but not before suffering certain injury.

The attack has put all neighbouring countries on high military alert but some weaker countries still appear shaken by the attack.

Bon Bon of Peaceful Nation witnessed the invasion and has been scared speechless by the force of the brutal assault. She has been in hiding despite her nation being spared the massacre.

General Yuan Yuan has justified her attack by adamantly insisting that the Paper Nation has WMDs and that it is planning on invading the Living Room any time soon. Additional investigation and probing by various parties and this reporter have however not found any WMDs possessed by the Paper Nation.

General Yuan Yuan: I’ll say it again. Paper Nation has WMDs.

Quiz revealed

Yuan Yuan:

I always thought that my butt looks cute but I had no idea it looks so cute. If you make it much bigger, it'll look like a flower. No?

Daddy says my butt hole is the cutest. Hehehe... I like...

Quiz

Yuan Yuan:

What do you think this resemble? It's something related to us.

Little lioness

Yuan Yuan:

From this:

To this:

It took Mummy & Daddy an hour to do the lattern and it took me only a few minutes to dismantle it. Aren't I great? hehe... I have even greater achievements like newspapers, bills.

That's why I am also known as 狮子 (sounds like 撕纸).

Do I look like him?

=

The last one (???)

Yuan Yuan:

You know something. Humans still do not understand our language. When we meow, we don’t always mean “Come pet me”. It can also be “Stay where you are and don’t come ka jiao me”. You agree with me?

Obviously my 2 humans are not the intelligent type ‘cos that’s what they did when I meowed them while I was crouching in the drain.

“Ohhhh, it’s so cute and small,” cooed the Man.

“I think it’s ginger, your favourite,” said the Woman, “Don’t know if it is a boy or girl.”

They came by almost every night thereafter for almost a month to check me out. The Man was very happy that I was a little girl. The Woman always say to him, “Ginger, pink nose and girl, win already”. I don’t know why also.

I never really warmed up to them during that time, not that I warm up to anyone. I just like to play, chasing wormies, and playing with my friend from the flat above. He will come down every night and I will just chase him all over the grass field, jump over the bushes, run through the drains and then just rest when we are tired. The Woman would always try to tease me with a string or a twig and I could never catch it and the Man would be laughing at me, saying that I am such a really cute and chubby stray kitten.

They did manage to stroke me a few times during that month but I always managed to squirm away after a few strokes. But then that night they started whispering to each other and the Man disappeared and came back with this box with a metal door. I did not mind exploring it as I saw this twig moving inside. I think I was tricked.

It wasn’t too bad in their place. On that first night, I had 4 pairs of eyes staring at me and Kim Kim & Xin Xin hissing at me. I like living there. I have Chang Chang and Bon Bon to play with and Xin Xin is like the mummy I’d never known. Food is always available and Mummy plays with me every night. But somehow, I still do not like to be stroked or petted. I will tolerate it but I’m not like the rest who will seek out Mummy & Daddy for cuddles. Mummy & Daddy say that I am a cat cat and not a people cat, whatever that means.

Name: Yuan Yuan (圆圆means round round in Chinese cos I was always a chubby thing with big round eyes and a round butt)
Birthday: Mid December 2004
Breed: Ginger DSH with a short stubby kinked tail
Weight: 4kg and growing (Daddy says I am a chunky girl but I think I am just big boned)
Rank: I don’t care about rank. I just want to eat and play.