Update

Leia turned 7 on October 2. It coincided with my travelling and I swore she showed me attitude that day - she refused to eat. I am sure now that Leia loves her meat... when i gave her meat, she ate with such joy. She took longer, than Timmy, to the new diet. Lately, she must be handfed by me and not anybody else, before she can be expected to finish her food.

There is definitely competition between Timmy and Leia. Leia will walk away in the face of competition, Timmy will assert himself.

It is wonderful how they respond to my call.

Leia is now with me for more than a year - 16 months to be exact; and Timmy is with me for a little less than a year - 10 months to be exact.

Changing Diet II

I am happy to report... my cats are eating. i am surprised by Leia... she is taking to the new diet better than Timmy. Perhaps because he is recovering....

Changing Diet

I am trying to harden my heart... be a little cruel and change the diet... i leave the food... even if they do not eat... and decide to go hungry... the theory is, when they are hungry enough, they will eat.... I feel bad... but I was told that this will good for them in the long run...

As if he saw a ghost....

I woke up on Friday... and only Leia greeted me in front of my bed room door. I found Timmy in the middle of the living room... ...eyes closed, tensed and still... he had not reaction to my touch... he did not pur.... so i was worried. In fact, when i carried him, he was howling... Words cannot explain...

My first reaction - why was he reacting that way... he was the most affectionate cat i know before I slept... i woke up and there he was, almost a different cat.

He refused to eat....

I observed him for two hours, 6 to 8 a.m. by 7.30 a.m., i had called the vet's emergency line... by 8.50 a.m. i was at the vet's... the Vet came about 5 minutes later...

He found that Timmy had a temperature... he suspected that Timmy was bitten by Leia after hearing how Timmy was reacting. He feared an infection... so he gave Timmy a shot. Timmy is now on anti-biotics.

I was also scolded by the vet for not feeding my cat commercial food... he said that even he could not come up with the recipe to ensure the correct balance for a cat's diet... he said, cats are more complicated than dogs... he said i needed to be cruel... according to him.... cats can live without eating for a fortnight....

So i mixed their meat now with commercial food... one of the cats have been vomitting the past two days... it is getting lesser though....Let's see whether I have enough strength to change their diet now....

Finally collars for them

The vain and unreasonable side of me always wanted to put a collar and tag my cats... but reasons usually prevail - I did not want to cause discomfort.

In NY, I felt the need to spend on my cats... there was an attractive cat in the shop with a cool collar... so I succumbed to temptation... well, there was still reason, as I did not get them the cool collars which would necessarily cause my cat discomfort... I bought them a plain, rather elastic collar... but with a bell.

When I came back and put the collars on them, I realised, except for the bell, the collar was lost within the fir... it did not make any difference... but at least i can here them now when they come to heed my call....

Photos, As promised

Princess Leia, simply known as Leia or Lei, Lei Lei (her Chinese name), Lulu (French), Leia Bidara or Leia Longgok or Leia Lenggok (Malay names)






Timothy, simply known as Timmy. Okay I have not gone international with his name. I have called him Tim-Tim, Timmy Tobbs or Timmy Tubs or Tim Tam!








Both respond to Sayang!

The Cat Owner's Manual

I got this from the New Paper, if you've got a cat, you may be able to identify:

"There is no snooze button on a cat which wants breakfast."

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this."

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow."

"In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats."

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later."

"People who hate cats will come back as mice in their next life."

Amorous Cats

I was late for work this morning observing my cats. Usually Leia would sprawl herself in the middle of the door as if preventing me from leaving, but today, Leia and Timmy were sitting together and Leia was licking Timmy affectionately.

I was of course amuse... but slightly worried. Leia had in the past, after sniffing Timmy, slapped him with her paw...So I observed.... almost for five minutes, Leia continued licking Timmy's face, and Timmy was enjoying it.... I reasoned that five minutes was a little too long for a prelude to a slap. So I decided I could leave, it was probably affection rather than rivalry.

Have I accomplished what was difficult... the two cats loving each other? Perhaps... I walked out of my house, happy!



Another thing, remember in a previous blog I said that Timmy's ulcers were back... well, I am still observing him but as it stands right now... these two weeks that I am back, his condition has improved... perhaps, my presence does calm him down.

More photos soon!

Unconditional Love

I was tired. I was sleepy. But Timmy and Leia were hungry.... Leia was making a lot of noise... I could not go on sleeping. I had to feed them... they ate from out of my hands. They ate slowly. Timmy made things more difficult by running out half way through. I ran after him to make sure he ate.. Leia ran after me, asking me to feed her. She had finished her food and wanted to eat some more.... because Timmy was still eating. There will always be rivalry between the two.

Later both of them were on each of my side, I was combing their hair... both lying down... helpless in my hands...

I realise, they do not have a choice but to depend on me. They have no choice but to trust that I meet their needs. They are helpless. I realise that faced with such a situation, I do not have the heart to be mean... I can only respond to meet their needs and wants.

I learn to love and be loved.

The Trap of the Shallow Mindset

"Growing old with only cats"... Always I have simply put it aside with a smile. Nobody wants to grow old only with cats... I agree.

I think what really upsets me is when someone sees me, and if he/she especially knows me and my lifestyle, and comes to the conclusion that I will grow old only with cats!

I am growing older (we all are!) and I have cats and I love my cats. But that does not mean that I am growing old only with cats, just because I have no significant man in my life!

Think about it:
- with my travelling, my bug bear is I do not have time for my cats, I need to pay my groomers to take care of my cats when I am away;
- my cats are not a substitute for human companionship - I did not adopt them because I was lonely and I still have a social life when I am in Singapore!
- my cats are teaching me ways to love and be selfless, which can only help me to be more receptive to love other fellow humans.

Having a significant other does not guarantee happiness, neither satisfaction nor love. It is not guaranteed that just because a person is married with kids, that she would have a more fulfilled life than I do with my cats...

We each have our own stories. We make or break with what we have. In the end, we are beholden to only ourselves... we write our own stories, we define our own happiness and laugh or cry with what we decide...

The next time when you give me your sympathies, .... think again, you may just be trapped in the shallow mindset!

My friends' cats

Amongst me and my Japanese gang, Tomoko was the first to get a cat. Here is a photo of Seibei, her Persian cat, she has 2 others now. I was next.




Then Toshiki came to Singapore, fell in love with Leia (Timmy was not here yet). She went back to Paris and got Barnaby!



Only Mariko is without a cat.... can't imagine her with a cat... but then again she may be ahead of us and have babies instead!

My delicate Princess

From Palembang I called home - my parents were house and cat sitting for me. The helper said that Leia had cried... because she probably missed me. I missed her and Timmy too.

As usual, when I come home, Leia and Timmy makes it difficult for me, Leia especially...

We ran out of fresh beef and it was too late to buy from the market, so i got some frozen minced beef from the supermarket... and what do you know, my delicate little princess, though hungry, refused to eat!

Timmy eats almost anything... His ulcers are starting again. I have to take him to the doctors next week when I am not travelling.

My Cats' Hygiene

I was worried why my cats were not defaecating for a few days. So I was observing quite closely and counting the days...then came the day when I changed the cats' litter... Leia went first and Timmy not too long after...

and that's when I found out that they were holding it in until they got a cleaner litter...

The Welcome HOme

I arrived home and sure enough the two of them were at the door. They sat side by side looking up at me. I opened the door, balancing my bags. I put my document bag and luggage down and stoop to caress them. I decided to sit.... and before I knew it I was lying down on the carpet in the living room with my cats around me. Timmy came around and stood right on top of my head and then kissed my forehead. He then went to kiss my cheeks. Leia was kissing my finger tips all the while.

I think they missed me!

Timmy Turns 9 Today!!!!

Timmy is 9!
Nothing has changed other than the fact that he is increasingly affectionate to me. Compared to Leia, he is the manja one who follows me around.
Both Timmy and Leia was on the bed with me this morning. At one point, Timmy just stayed near my foot and Leia at my shoulders. Then Timmy when up closer to my right - so I have Leia on one side and Timmy on the other side. It was lovely - we were at peace. Both the cats lay there... with their complete trust in me, seeking my attention.
Both behaved wonderfully before I left. It is amazing how they always seem to know when I am going away.....

Living Together

It has been quite sometime since my last update. I have got some new photos of Leia and Timmy - them in the garden and lately, them together.

Thankfully, they are getting along better. There is still rivalry - Timmy is very attention seeking, so if I am with Leia, he will just come in between. Leia tends to walk away and just stares. Lately though, they are quite comfortable just sitting side by side or facing one another.

Another interesting development in the latest photos, Timmy looks bigger than Leia. Actually, Leia is still heavier but Timmy is eating alot, probably more than Leia. Timmy takes to commercial food but not Leia.

Tomorrow is Timmy's birthday but I would have to leave for Sabah... perhaps the week after I come back, I will have a party for him....

A new diet!

It was the first time since I have Timmy that I left Singapore for more than a week. It was heart wrenching.... Leia made me feel so guilty... If you have read my main blog, you would know what I mean.

So one of the things I was really looking forward to was coming back to the cats... frankly if not for the cats, I would have extended my trip to Geneva to go to Lyon...

In the evening, they came back from the groomers all shiny. There has been a new development - they have been put on a new diet. They could eat commercial food. It seemed that Timmy ate more than Leia. So I dutifully bought the food.

Well, they ate... very little. Leia especially! I was worried. Timmy on the other hand ate more....Then I realised the first problem - they ate very little compared to the amount that I gave... I gave too much. So this morning... I gave less and I noticed that Timmy ate... quite encouragingly. I was still worried about Leia... she did not like the new diet. She knew she was home and she could get her usual food.... and yes, she knew I was going to get the beef....

By lunch time, I had the beef ready. Surprisingly, Timmy did not want to eat the beef anymore.... Leia was so happily eating....

Dinner time... only Timmy ate the commercial food... Leia remained hungry! By nine... I gave Leia the beef. Timmy was quite happy to eat the commercial food...

A little Update

As i indicated, many people are touched to see the significant change in Timmy. Leia has a new haircut which shows her face more... but somehow, I prefer her previous look. Here are some new photos when we were foolin around:

All about Timmy....

These are also posts from the blog of the past....

Timmy I

I also adopted Timmy.... Timmy was Leia's mate but Leia became overbearing.... so i am hoping that with the space in my house, they will learn to be together again. Leia does need a friend. Leia is not happy... i think she feels insecure.... So I must reassure her that she is still the diva and she should not feel threatened! Timmy has longer fur than Leia but is much skinnier... so my first objective is to fatten him up. It looks promising.... he loves to drink milk. I will post his photo once he is more adapt to the surroundings...

Torn Between Two Cats

And so I have two cats. It is not easy... not when they are Leia and Timmy.

I was told that Leia was the bully, that she bullied Timmy. Actually, it is not that simple. Yes Leia hissed at Timmy and did everything she could to attract attention away from Timmy. But she was the one who approached Timmy first, sniffed him and molested him. Timmy was scared. With her bigger size and luxurious fur... she is quite a sight... no wonder Timmy is intimidated. So i think this is more a case of awesome and formidable Leia being too aggressive and Timmy simply too intimidated.

Timmy is quite a sight... at the moment, he is quite sad... salivating too much, and too skinny. Leia looks far more luxurious at the moment. But he has got beautiful fur... longer hair than Leia, clearer eyes. Potentially more beautiful... but then again, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

I think he is suffering from gangivitis. I am still awaiting his medical record. When I see Timmy, I feel sad, I cannot wait when he puts on weight, stops salivating so much... and be quite the match for Leia. I think it will be then that they can be compatible... and probably learn to play and keep each other company. At the moment, I keep them separated unless they are both under the watch of my eyes.

Both are different. Leia feels threatened. But she is the definite diva... confident, and always tries all sorts of tricks to get me to her. First, she pretended not to eat... she only ate when I was away... when that did not really work... she would wait for bed time and ran into my room and on my bed first... in fact, she runs more often now... just to attract attention.

Timmy has a gentle soul. He refuses to eat until I have patted him first... Today, he refused to eat until i put the food on my fingers and he licks the food from my fingers. He continuously needs attention and patting... He is a scaredy cat... he reacts at every sound and keeps looking out for Leia's presence... sad chap. But he loves the outdoors... the space. I think with time, he will do fine. As the male cat, he is more nimble and faster than Leia... when he wants too.

I must say it is not easy... I spend about 45mins to one hour each morning to tend to them.... It is the difficult initial period. I hope that soon enough, it will be easier.....

Timmy II

Yesterday I brought Timmy to the vet for a follow up check-up. After 4 days of antibiotics, his temperature was normal, his conjunctivitis had gone down, and his ulcers were not as sore. He is salivating less... Even the groomers noticed. It is a blessing to see some improvement.

Timmy is 75% of Leia's weight and Leia is 133% of Timmy's weight.....

Timmy is so manja. He has to be hand fed. He is so easily disturbed... he has scratched me... quite bad. But it is worth it... I had to feed him the medicine and he was scared. Timmy has China man eyes and the ability to curl his tongue... it is funny and nice at the same time.

Timmy takes time to get used to me, my rapport with Leia is much better. Although Timmy is the more friendly one of the two, Leia has been with me longer.

I understand now how difficult it is to balance my affection.... and these are just cats....

All about Leia...

These are posts from my blog of the past....

LEIA - the first day!

While others are getting married, having babies, ... i decided to adopt a cat. It was not very planned.

Two weeks ago, when I was arranging to send ice-cream to my friend, he asked whether i wanted a cat... my immediate response was "no"... i cannot take care of another living thing... not my current lifestyle. But I still asked what cat it was... (i remembered blackie, the stray that usually came to my house.... it stopped coming when my neighbour decided to send it to another part of Changi.....). When he responded "Persian cat"... well, I had to look.

When I looked, I fell in love with Leia... she is black and orange...with an attitude... she bosses other cats around. She could not live in a household where there are other cats.... so my friend, who had Timmy and Leia... has a very stressed Timmy who gets sick easily...

I definitely wanted Leia... but I was flying to Seoul that night, and I really needed more time to think of the responsibility....

So yesterday I came back from Seoul, today I adopted Leia.

She was definitely scared in her new surrounding... she hid under the cupboard and refused to come out...It has been 8 and half hours now and one meal served... she is purring like a motorboat. I was initially worried... such loud purr... is she alright? I called my friend.... don't worry if she purrs like a motorboat... it means that she loves you.

Confident that she is learning to love me... I scrutnise her ever move...It is amazing how she is reacting to me... I think it is sinking in to her that she will be staying here.

My first commitment to a living thing... my lifestyle will change...

LEIA - one week after




It has been a week that Leia is with me. She has progressed to let me hold her without jumping from my arms. She has also taken to following me around. I guess it takes a little longer for her to jump into my lap.

It has proven to be an expensive affair - $100 was spent on her vitamins yesterday. Today I have sent her for grooming and vaccination.... a few hundreds more!!!

It has proven to be a smelly affair - her pooh and pee....

But notwithstanding it all, she is so adorable. Here are some photos of her before she was taken for her grooming!

Must Love Cats

The night before was one of the dreaded days when I had to break fast whilst in the midst of a meeting - orange juice and keropok! I got home only at about 9 p.m. to feed Leia. Still hungry, notwithstanding chomping the 2 bars of chocolate whilst driving, I went over to my parents for food and some pampering. With my mother's encouragement, I fell asleep... and did not wake up until it was the time to eat before dawn. I came home only at 5ish a.m. this morning, to find Leia waiting forlornly at the door. I felt guilty. I had not spent much time with her.

I fed her and did my prayers. Then I lay on my bed, this time deliberately not closing my bedroom door too tightly, and waited. Within minutes, Leia was inside and up on the bed. I pretended to ignore her... as she moved closer to me. I felt her purr and breath on my shoulders. Her breath was not sweet smelling... but alas what love can do... I turned to welcome her with open arms. For the longest time I resisted allowing Leia to sleep on the bed with me, but this morning, it was such a delight. My little cat, using the palm of my hand as her pillow... Licking my fingers, brushing her teeth on my fore arm. I guess, this was the quality time we needed, Leia and I. I decided that the gym could wait till tonight....

On the back of my mind, i have added another criteria in the search for the love of my life... He must love cats!





Lessons Learnt from Leia

One of the things I discovered was that Leia drinks milk... but, only a particular brand of milk. She drinks the japanese brand milk but not the australian one.

Before this I could not tell any difference between the different brands of milk... both fresh milk, the best available in the supermarket. But when Leia made the distinction, I made a conscious effort to taste and identify the difference. True enough...the Japanese one was the creamier and tastier of the two... and the Australian one has a fishy smell about it, thin and comparatively tasteless...

New Photos...

I am happy to report that Timmy is a lot better. He is in fact more active than Leia! Like a typical male, he has a short attention span, and is rather undiscipline in his toilet manners. There are times when he just runs and stops.... He is very very affectionate, loves to be combed... My friends who saw him when he first came remarked that he has definitely put on weight, his fur has become real beautiful and he does not smell anymore... Timmy is indeed a handsome cat!






My beautiful Leia, is more subtle but definitely demanding! She will make me come to her. When I am with Timmy, Leia, just glares, and I feel guilty. She has learnt to live with Timmy... she still wants his food (but now Timmy fights back!)but somehow she does not hiss nor does she bully him...







I think I have got the balance so far... my mother worries that the cats will keep me from having a real family (read husband and kids), I think they are preparing me to be selfless so that I can eventually put up with a husband and kids.... hee!

Teeth Scaling - Update, Timmy's home!

Timmy is home after being hospitalised for 2 nights. He has gone through a lot. The blood test has come back.... The vet thinks that the diet he is on does not provide him with sufficient supplement, so i need to put him on the commercialised cat food!

The good news is that he has put on weight... 4.3 kg (this is the latest... they were looking at the old records yesterday)!

He is next to me now. Still a little weak... well, it is understandable i guess after all that he has gone through!

And yes... it cost quite a bit...!

Timmy - Teeth Scaling, Update

So Timmy had his scaling done. I received a phonecall from the vet who said that it was the worst case she had seen. She had extracted all of his teeth because they were rotten, there were so many ulcers... She could not understand how notwithstanding all the pain, he was still purring...

I went to see him immediately. He was still dazed from the anaesthetic....But I cannot bring him home yet. His mouth is still bloody and the effect of the anaesthetic is just wearing off...

The preliminary tests were good - he has no virus nor anaemia. His kidneys and lungs seem to be working fine. The vet has taken blood and culture samples of his mouth for further testing...

He still weighs only 3.9 kg... well, after this, he should be able to eat better...

Timmy - Teeth Scaling

Timmy has a big problem with his teeth - they are bad. He has gangivitis... and he is constantly in pain with ulcers. I think he has recovered from his flu but in order for him to feel and eat better, he has to have his scaling done.

So today I sent him to the vet, and they will do the procedure tomorrow. I should be able to take him back by tomorrow afternoon. They are doing a few other procedures for him too - like give him his shots, test his blood etc.

Before I left him at the vet... through the cage he was leaning his head towards me. He knows I love him.

I must say, Timmy is really warming up to me. It is going to be two months soon that he is with me. He loves to rub his head against my hands. He loves it when I clean him and comb him, he leans his head towards me. He is still easily agitated and distracted... but I have been hand feeding him... always reassuring him how much i love him. He needs it, to boost his confidence. He has short attention span... so after eating a little, will be walking away and I would have to chase to feed him to ensure that he finishes the food.

Leia is also better with him now. Leia still tries to steal his food.... (she will eat from her bowl, then hides the bowl and tries to eat from Timmy's bowl) but they can now sit together... both of them welcome me home each night.

So as I was saying... I look forward to a better fatter Timmy after tomorrow....

The Basic Facts

TIMMY

Full Name - Timothy
Breed - Persian
Colour - Red
Date of Birth : 18 April 1999
Current Weight: 3.9 kg
Date adopted: 3 December 2006




LEIA

Full Name - Princess Leia
Breed - Persian
Colour - Tortoiseshell (Black/Brown)
Date of Birth : 1 October 2000
Current Weight: 5.2 kg
Date Adopted: May 28 2006