Good Night Peppermint

Each night when I get home I am greeted by the front door by a horde of cats and as expected, in front of them will be this small black and white tuxedo kitten. Sometimes, he would be so impatient, that when I open the door he would go out and we will have this chase in the garage.

I have been with Peppermint from the moment he was born. He was the second of three kittens. At first he was a bit aloof. As time passed, he became confident and started showing his true personality.

How do I start describing this wonderful kitten, thinking about him brings a lump to my throat and at the same time, a smile on my face. Peppermint loved human contact, there was this time that I was grumpy because the cable guy arrived at a time I was resting from a long flight. Whenever he would bend down, Peppermint would jump on his back. I couldn't stop laughing. The cable guy told me I had such friendly cats but I could see in his face he was a bit apprehensive. There was no reason to be, but of course he would not have known that.

And no matter how many cats are sleeping on my lap, he would make a straight line for me and make a place for himself among the others until he would be the only one left. Then he would touch my face with his paw as if to say "thank you". He also likes to jump on us, we have to be quick to catch him or he would be left dangling on our clothes, ouch. Then he would slither up our shoulders and look like a kitty scarf before we can put him down.

Peppermint was so affectionate that when one morning he was just lying on the table, we became worried. He showed no symptoms and the night before we were taking pictures together. This was the time one of my cats, Godiva was confined in the hospital. He was brought to the hospital together with Maxx. They were both confined and they found that he had a fever.

To my shock, the hospital called the next night to tell us that my Peppermint had passed away. I was waiting for traffic to get better before going to visit him, so I was too late to see him and be with him in his last breath. As we hugged him at the clinic, I couldn't believe that my beautiful kitten was gone! The vet talked to us and told us what happened. Peppermint had pneumonia. I was asking her questions and she seemed to have read what was on my mind..."how could I have not known?!". She told us that cats are very secretive, they will not show their weakness. She even said that they don't want their humans to worry. This even made me cry more.

When I get home, I still expect to see Peppermint come running to greet me. I think of all the times he made me laugh and took away some of my worries just by being Peppermint. I miss him terribly and I will always be grateful that this beautiful cat was a part of my life.

Mommy will love you always Peppermint and will never forget you! Sleep tight my baby boy...

Street Cats No More - Coco and Butterscotch

It is a never ending cycle, people throwing away kittens because they don't want to deal with them. These are such helpless creatures, sometimes just a few days old, with no chance of surviving alone.

This is the case with 2 tiny kittens my Mom found in a large garbage can. Good thing she saw them in time, before they fell to the bottom of the garbage.

One was male and the other female and they still needed to be bottle fed. Sadly, the male kitten passed away. The female, who now answers to the name Coco is doing well. At first, it was touch and go, she didn't want to take anything.

Then one day, along came this orange and white kitten who kept on meowing in the street. We don't know if he got lost or if somebody intentionally placed him there. It seems he liked living on the wild side, he liked sleeping in the middle of the street. So in he goes, together with Coco. We call him Butterscotch. He has sad, droopy eyes and a very sweet disposition. Coco, the smaller one, likes to bully him and he just lets her. However, when she gets a little too rough, he stands his ground and Coco quiets down.

It's always a joy to watch kittens with all their antics. During playtime, Butterscotch would have fun exploring but Coco seems intent on just going after him, looking for attention. It's funny to watch him trying to get away from her. She's come a long way from that tiny, frightened and dirty kitten.

During their vet visit last week, we were expecting just a normal ride to the hospital. But Coco decided to poop on the way so the two were given a bath when we got there. Made us a little dizzy, too. When the staff was trying to get them dry I could see the bottles on the table flying everywhere, it was so funny.

When they are ready, we hope to have them adopted but as a pair. They have grown too attached to each other and it would be too stressful for them to be apart. This is the hard part, growing attached to them as well. But if a good home can be found for them, where they will be loved and cared for, then it would mean more space and resources for us to help other cats who are struggling out there. One thing is for sure, they will never be back in the streets again.

Christmas Presents

Except for the babies, Bitty is the only cat I have who is not neutered. Since he is blind, I am extra paranoid about having him separated from familiar surroundings. He also gets stressed out when he is held by strangers. The only time I was forced to leave him at the hospital was the time he was ill and dehydrated. He would hiss at the nurses and they would be afraid to go near him. Incidentally, I became the mayor of Animal House in Foursquare because of the amount of time I spent there, falling asleep with Bitty on my lap so that he won't be too agitated. Anyway, now that he is 11 years old I am not comfortable with him undergoing any surgery unless it is imperative.

Late last year, Cupcake, one of my female cats came into heat. She had to undergo blood tests and then be scheduled for spaying. She's quite small, so we didn't think she'd be in heat so soon. Bitty and Cupcake didn't interact, with Bitty being the snob that he is. And I was also thinking, he's blind, chances of him getting her pregnant were small. Well, I will never underestimate you again, Bitty!

We welcomed 3 beautiful babies last January 5, 2011. I was at work when my Mom called and told me "You have to get home right away, Cupcake's about to give birth".  I was so excited to see Bitty and Cupcake's babies. When I got home, Bitty's miniature version was already born. During the intervals, we got clean cloths, a bigger box for Cupcake, some sterilized scissors and a small dropper. Cupcake didn't have any problems with the two other babies, but the fourth one was breeched. She must have been exhausted at this point so we had to rush to the hospital. Sadly the fourth one didn't make it.

We named them Toffeenut, Peppermint and Macchiato. They are all boys and all welcome addition. As they are growing up each are showing their distinct characteristic, Toffeenut is the wild child, Peppermint is the sweet-always-in your face-kitten and Macchiato is the big and quiet type.

Cupcake has been spayed after the 3 kittens were weaned. But her mother instincts are still there, the other cats better beware when they play rough with her babies. Mommy Cupcake just comes out of nowhere to defend her babies even if they are bigger than her now.

It is a delight to watch these three kittens grow up. Whenever I get home, seeing all of them happy and healthy just makes it all worthwhile :).

Peppermint

Toffeenut aka Bitty Junior

Macchiato

A New Life for 2 Former Stray Kittens

When people ask me the breed of my cats, I proudly tell them domestic shorthair. It's not that I have anything against purebreeds, in fact, I love cats of all shapes, sizes, purebred or not. It's just that there are so many homeless native cats (as they are called here) struggling to survive in the streets.

We have numerous stray cats coming to the house for meals and every so often there will be a kitten who will pop up looking for food and shelter. It is so sad to see them looking from the outside where all my fat cats are playing or just lounging around. And it is so difficult to have cats adopted out. People usually prefer dogs or those with breeds. 

Bee was such a kitten, nobody knew where he came from. He was very friendly and it wasn't hard to fall in love with the little guy. I was constantly worried about him especially when I heard cars coming at high speeds. He wouldn't last out there. We took him in but had to separate him because of skin problems. Before long he was healthy and clean. At that time, my sister's friend was looking for a cat to adopt. We got in touch with them and Bee was welcomed into his new home.

Not long after, on the way home from work, there was a little orange kitten lying on the road. I thought it was dead and I went out of the car to place it on the side as it didn't seem right for the body to get run over into bits. To my surprise, it let out a meow and looked at me when I picked it up. So when I got home, I had this smile on my face and my Mom said "let me guess, you brought home a cat". A few minutes later, she was bottle feeding the kitten.

As a rule, we separate new found kittens or cats from the rest of the brood for health reasons. She stayed in my brother's room, which has now become sort of a nursery. He named her Jelly, short for Jellyfish.

She was so tiny, but very curious and adventurous. At this time, we were told that there was someone looking for a kitten as a companion. But since she was so small and still bottle feeding, we asked them to wait for a bit longer. By the time she was big enough, the person had already adopted a kitten. It was okay with us as it was a chance for the stray kitten for a good home. And then I ran into the couple who adopted Bee. They were looking for another kitten who would be his companion. In the next few days, Jelly was in her new home and best of all, she was with Bee.

I still miss those two, but I am happy for them and very grateful because I know the people who adopted them will give them the love and care they need.

Maxx and Godiva

We could never turn away a cat in need, and these 2 kittens were placed in a plastic bag and thrown in the street like garbage. They were only a few weeks old and still nursing. They had to be bottle fed regularly. They stayed in my brother's room and bless his heart, he took turns with us feeding them and cleaning them.

It's not easy caring for kittens this young so our family took turns based on our schedules. We named the female, Godiva and the male kitten, Maxx. We were so glad that these two took to the feeding bottle like pros! We were sure then that they were going to make it.

Maxx and Godiva became inseparable, they played together and got into mischief together. Maxx has now outgrown Godiva. But he is such a gentle soul, other than scratching the kitchen door to death, he's very laid back and very sweet. Godiva, on the other hand, although still small likes to get her way. She's quite a feisty girl.
So whoever decided to treat them like trash didn't know that he was throwing away someone else's treasure.

Inseparable

I received an email about 2 kittens near my office who were in danger of getting run over. When I went to the post office near our area to look for them it was raining and some guys were kind enough to look for them in the elevated garden where somebody had placed them. They were placed in the box I took with me. When I got home, I took them out and found two very cute and very sweet kittens. We called the male gray tabby Falafel and the tricolored female Baba Ganush.

They were a joy to have and we had grown to love them in the short time we knew them.

A few weeks ago, the two had suddenly grown lethargic and were hot to the touch. They were both running a fever over 40C. They were anemic and were hospitalized for a week. When they were discharged they were back to their normal, boisterous selves. It was a good thing they were sent home as Falafel would poke the butt of the patient dog in the adjacent cage. When I would visit and open their cages, they would come flying out, they were so funny.

Last Tuesday, Falafel vomited and wouldn't eat the whole day. He was brought back to the hospital. I couldn't get off work early and had missed my little baby. I was thinking I'll visit him tomorrow and spend a longer time so we could bond. Little did I know that he would be gone. I received the dreaded message from the hospital at 3AM.

The vet suggested we segregate Baba for two weeks as it may be corona virus, which is in the same family of that hateful disease FIP. FIP killed 7 of my cats a few years back one after the other. It's a nightmare I hope never to experience again. Poor Baba, confused and angry at being separated, won't eat and would just cry. My Mom force fed her today. She plays when she thinks nobody is watching.We have disinfected all the litter boxes and beddings just to be sure.

She may be wondering why Falafel is nowhere to be seen. The last time they were together, when Falafel was sick, she lay beside him and hugged him while they slept. I miss Falafel and feel bad for Baba. I hope and pray too that all my kitties inside the house will be spared of any infection. They are all taking vitamin C to boost their immune system.

Goodbye, my dear little Falafel, I had hoped to see you grow into a handsome young cat. We'll take care of Baba Ganush, don't you worry.

Uni and Chili Have Been Spayed and Neutered

Brother and sister Uni and Chili have been spayed and neutered last Wednesday. Chili was supposed to have been neutered weeks ago together with brother Mochi but his blood tests showed elevated liver enzymes. We had to give him a liver supplement first. But since Chili is so laid back and gentle, giving him medication has never been a problem.

The weather has been so hot here that a lot of animals have gone sick, mostly with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. A week after his blood test he became ill. His temperature was high and he stayed in the hospital for 3 nights. At the same time sister Jelly Bean also had diarrhea. We gave her Yakult, then Benebac and when she was still sick, the doctor prescribed her antibiotics.

Uni had her blood tests last Sunday and results were normal. Uni is the smallest of the four siblings and thankfully she has never been sick. She and Chili are now doing well. They came home with their satellite dish around their necks. Chili ate right away but Uni preferred to be alone for awhile. We didn't force her and yesterday she ate on her own and used the litter box.

Jelly Bean is already doing fine and I've scheduled her blood tests to be taken tomorrow. Hopefully, like Uni, her results will be normal. I get paranoid with these 4 kittens as their Mommy had kidney problems and left us too soon.

My next project is to have the female cats out front to be spayed as well. I can only have 1 done at a time. We don't have enough space for recuperating as most of the garage is occupied with the babies one of the female cats has left here for us to take care of.

A Tale of 7 Kittens

When there are strays who wander to our house for food, we don't have the heart to turn them away. As a result, we have several cats who regularly come to the house during meal times. There is a lady who cares for some of them but she cannot keep them in her house and because of limited income she cannot bring them to the vet when they get sick. A few weeks ago, one of the cats brought her kitten in our garage and left her there. It was a very small white kitten who was very thin. I tried giving her some food but she wouldn't eat and just lay there. I thought she was already dead but when I picked her up she started moving but was cold to the touch. I brought her to the vet, where she was given a vitamin shot, prescription medication and eye ointment. I told my Mom about her since we are caring for a number of cats already but she was okay with it. She also couldn't turn her back on an animal in need. We named her Sugar.

The next morning my Mom told me to go outside and look at the cage. I was surprised to find that the Mommy cat left another 2 kittens, so now they were 3. This went on for several days until they became 7 kittens.

I bought another cage and we had to put some wire across as some of them could escape because they were so tiny. There was even a morning that the Mommy cat brought a healthy looking kitten which someone was taking care of. We returned that kitten. The babies were on antibiotics and had a viral infection. My Mom patiently gives them milk from a dropper. The Mommy cat, it seemed had been nursing all the kittens even if some of them weren't her own.

We also noticed that they were scratching and had some bald spots. The vet examined them and thankfully it was not scabies but fungal infection. From experience, fungal infection is easier to treat although it is still contagious. They are being treated with Betadine. They are of varied colors and now they all look like brown kittens. 

There is one kitten who is blind in one eye and had grey markings. We called him Molasses. Sadly he passed away last week. 

We are hoping that they will grow up to be healthy kitties. We plan to have them adopted to loving homes when they are big enough and well enough. The sad thing here is that it is hard to have cats adopted out especially if they do not have breeds. 

We have also scheduled the female cats outside for spaying starting next week. It is in a NGO clinic where the spaying fees are much more affordable.

It Must Have Been Fate, Cupcake

Last March 26, I was driving home, when I turned on a street and saw that there was heavy traffic on the usual route I took. I decided to go to the grocery first, in the hopes that traffic would have eased up by the time I went home. Sure enough the street was clear except for this familiar silhouette in the middle of the road. I drove slowly and this kitten looked up but refused to budge from where he was standing.
It looked like he was lost and was looking for something. There were creeks on both sides of the road. I took it to the side where there was a gate, thinking that he may have gone out and got scared. It went under the gate but kept crying. I went back to the car but I didn't go far and was trying to see what the kitten would do next. It ran from under the gate, onto the street to the other side to stand on a low wall where it could plunge onto the creek. Ok, enough was enough, I went out and tried to get the kitten who then decided that he wanted to play catch first. After causing a scene, I was able to get him only to realize I didn't have a carrier or box.

I kept the kitten on my lap to calm him down but he kept trying to escape and was still crying. I sang to him like I do with my babies when they are agitated - and it worked. Its head was slowly getting heavier until I could feel its even breathing. Maybe I bored the poor kitty to sleep, but it worked! We were able to get home safely. 

The kitten turned out to be a she - her name is now Cupcake. She had her first vet visit last Sunday. I was thinking of putting her up for adoption, but we'll see. One thing I am sure though, she will never live in the streets again.

The Benefits of Neutering

Gummy Bear is not the type of kitty who likes to be held. He plays rough and he bites for real. We have accepted this as his natural behavior. But when he reached about 6 months and was old enough to look for a mate, his behavior turned aggressive. We had to wait because one of his testicles had not descended.  He would pick fights with all the other cats and he sprayed everywhere. When it looked like his condition was not going to change, his vet decided to go ahead and do the operation.                                               

He has stopped spraying since then and though we still can't hug him, his behavior has mellowed. He still picks fights but he has chosen only one other cat, Dumpling, to growl and hiss at. He likes playing with the kittens and has become friendlier with his humans. When I would be petting and playing with the kitties, I would see him looking at me. Seems like he is only waiting for an invitation, because when I call him, he would come near me and wait to be petted. 

Neutering of cats also decreases the urge in males to go out and look for females. This will make them less susceptible to fights and getting run over by cars. And as responsible pet owners, we should also try not to add to the population of homeless cats if we are not willing to take care of the kittens they sire.

I Need My Therapy!

 

There are days when you wish you could divide your body or have as many arms as an octopus, there's just so much to do. Today was such a day. I found it hard to unwind even when I reached home. I just felt high strung and couldn't relax. That was until I sat on the couch to watch Animal Planet and one by one my cats Chester, Kahlua, Munchkin, Milkshake, Taffy, Chili and Honey sat beside me to watch television as well and rub their faces to be petted. They took turns on my lap and cuddled. I started to feel like my normal self again. When I went to my room after dinner, my kitten Uni raced me to the door and Bitty welcomed me inside. We rested for awhile with Uni rubbing her face on mine and made noises like a bird. 

In animal language, rubbing of faces is a sign of affection and I just wallowed in theirs. I read in an article that petting a cat is like taking valium. They sense how their humans feel and could detect if anything's different or wrong. So with 18 cats, that would mean that I don't need to go to the drugstore for a long time to come :-)

Taking Care of Each Other

These four kittens were born last October 2, 2009.

We helped their mother Mallows give birth to them, they are very close to my heart. The firstborn is Mochi, then Uni, followed by Jelly Bean and the last baby was breech and he is Chili. They are now 4 months old and as is expected, very curious of their surroundings. They would often race me to get inside my room and play there and push my things off the table.

Last Jan 18, while I was on a business trip, my Mom sent me an sms that Jelly Bean was not eating and was hot to the touch. Just losing their mother Mallows, I was already paranoid. Jelly Bean was the smallest and to look at her, she was so frail.

Based on her blood tests, she had high liver enzyme values and also had a viral infection. I was quite relieved that it was not kidney failure but it was better for her to stay at the hospital where she can be hydrated and given medication.

Before going to visit her, we noticed that Chili was also lethargic. We could see it in his coat and his face looked different as well. So while visiting his sister, he also had an exam. He didn't have any infection but his liver enzymes were elevated. He was confined next to Jelly Bean.

 

These two would compete for attention when we visited them, so we took turns carrying them while they slept. They would also eat when hand fed which was a good sign. At home, we kept a close watch on Uni and Mochi. Uni was so sweet at this time, as if she was trying to comfort me. Mochi, on the other hand, started sneezing and we took him with us in one of the visits to Jelly Bean and Chili. He was prescribed antibiotics and vitamins for his colds. 

Jelly Bean and Chili were confined for 6 and 5 days respectively. They were given a clean bill of health and were finally able to go home. I think Mallows would be happy with the way things turned out. Maybe because of all the stress, I got sick too and had to stay at home the next day, where the kittens in turn kept me company.

We Miss You Mallows

Mallows came into our lives one day and then left just as quickly. But during this short time, a precious bond was formed between us.

She passed away last January 12 at 12:30 AM. It was so sudden, one day she was doing fine and the next she was gone. She was diagnosed to have acute renal failure. She was vomiting and I brought her to the hospital. They couldn't see anything wrong with her except that she had gas. The next day she wouldn't eat and had grown weak. She was brought back to the hospital and when she was checked, she was already dehydrated and her temperature had dropped. We had her admitted and she was put on IV fluids. In the wee hours of the morning she was gone.

Mallows was a sweet and quiet cat. I have so many good memories of her. She left behind four beautiful kittens. I am happy that I have a part of her with us but I also feed bad when I think that they no longer have their mom. Mallows was such a loving mother. She took care of her babies well. I think they miss her as just today one of her kittens was trying to nurse from Chester, one of our male cats.

We may have had a short time together but I will always treasure these times and though it hurts that she is no longer here, I wouldn't have it any other way.