FIVE CATS BLOG

Christmas Cards for Cats

2011-11-08T00:25:00.002+08:00

The following is a paid review:

We haven't done cat Christmas cards for a long long time. Probably since the FiveCatsKids were born.

Anyone who tells you that having human kids will not make a difference in your relationship with your cats is lying. Indeed we are one example and another cat lover friend of mine who just had a baby too, also laments the same.

It doesn't mean we love our kitties any less, but that the sheer vulnerability of a tiny human for such an extended period of time means that its mother needs to be at its side pretty much 24/7.

Our kitties when born are helpless for some 2 weeks and then they are walking and eating and toilet trained so incredibly fast in retrospect.

In the many years I have blogged, we have made so many friends with other kitty parents. If you, like me, have dropped off the radar after having children (human ones), this year it would simply awesome to send our friends a cat Christmas card to remind them we are still alive. :)

ChristmasPhotoCards.com has a great selection of cat cards. Real cards, not online cards. I miss receiving real cards and hanging them up. Back at Mom's we always received many cards and Mom loved to hang them all up.

The online template is really easy to use and very fast to load and save. The best part is you use your own photos. I was very impressed that it had an option for a UV glossy coat (which I have not seen anywhere online or offline). For about $0.58 a card, it is a great price for a personalized card. They even have a live estimated time of delivery. Well, it is now early November. The best time to start sending Christmas cards so we can hang them up all December.

Sam and Kaku Lazing

2011-07-10T23:59:00.002+08:00

The Cats Are Alright

2011-07-05T00:48:00.003+08:00

After much debate, we finally let the cats in! The condition, which they vehemently ignore but have to adhere since they can't break the door down, is that they are not allowed in the bedroom when we are not in there. (This was due to some issues with pillows which shall not be repeated here!) I have put a nice tall lady palm, small teddy bear palms, and some money plants to filter the air since the room will be closed more than usual. The air did smell slightly salty today when we came home after 2 hours but that's another story.

Anyway, on Friday night, very energized after a McCafe Iced Latte, I hosed down the cat room. I swear there were hairballs the size of a grown cat in there! Cat room cleaned, I collapsed till the next day and hosed the place down with vinegar this time, removed the cardboard boxes and rugs and hosed the place down again. FiveCatsDad gently hauled each cat for a flea bath and a good scrub and I rubbed them all down.

And just like that, they now have free reign of the house.

Buffy showed much gratitude by following me around all Sunday as I pleaded with her not to mark the house. Today there's a corner with some delicate pee or marking smell already but I can't quite pinpoint the spot. Never mind. My Mom's not reading this blog. She loves the rug under my desk and spent the last 2 nights there. It is lovely to have a kitty nearby.

Tux claimed FiveCatsKid's secret hideout, which rather displeased him but since he only uses it at night, the Kid agreed on the timeshare. He howled some last night and I had to shoo him. He found a comfy spot on the couch to sleep. So far no one has tried to oust him yet.

FiveCatsBaby was thrilled by the prospect of tiger-sized (in her perspective) kitties running around the house. She delightedly pets each kitty who is in her path and says, "Tuxie!" or "Buffy!" when they are nearby. She adores them so much!

Sam and Kaku are quite happy to stay in the kitchen if at all. There was a skirmish between Buffy and Sam last night but I shooed them off, hoping they wouldn't wake the kids, which they didn't. Sam actually came to lie down beside Tux and Buffy earlier in a show of camaraderie. He has grown so fat that he is easily the largest cat now. Kaku is also an adorable ball of fur, but she hasn't ventured to look for me yet.

Now that I am sort of ready to deal with potential marking... they are in the house to stay. :) Plus, hopefully soon the FiveCatsKids will start helping with feeding and cleaning.

Tux and 5CatsBaby

2010-06-27T00:59:00.002+08:00

Tux and FiveCatsBaby bonding.

Lazy Sunday

2010-06-21T01:33:00.002+08:00

We opened the gate but no one wanted to come in. They were busy dozing. Kaku was out cold, enjoying the blazing hot sun. (Pics have gone missing. Cats must have eaten them.)

Free Run Cats

2010-06-19T20:24:00.000+08:00

The cats got a bath today and free run of the house! Except for the bedroom of course.

Jade adores Tuxie and pats him a lot! Here is he meowing his appreciation.

Letting the Cats in again

2010-06-15T15:01:00.000+08:00

Hubby said to me last night, we should let the cats in again. I agreed but the last 2 attempts resulted in pee on our pillows - probably some kind of protest. Still I told him I was ready. We would keep the bedroom door closed. Let us see how it goes. This weekend, we agreed. As if to signal his hearty approval, Tuxie howled.

Allergic to Cats Again

2010-04-12T11:02:00.000+08:00

Yesterday Tux and Buffy came out for some quality time and by the end of the hour FiveCatsDad and I were sniffing.

He speculates it could be mites from Buffy's leg but could be just their fur in a closed environment.

The children were ok though. Their immune systems are stronger and with each exposure they'll be stronger.

FiveCatsBaby is very thrilled with them and rushes to pet them, much gently this time.

Tux looks more interested in something else than the dinosaur book I put beside him as a prop. :)

Send Cat to Emergency

2010-04-02T12:58:00.001+08:00

If you see it spasming and semi-conscious and maybe even foaming in the mouth. If I hadn't waited an hour, maybe Boy would still be alive today.

There are so many ifs but nothing now can bring him back.

Don't be unprepared like me. If your cat shows any of those symptoms, drop everything, hold your cat and bring him straight to the animal hospital, phoning them you are on your way.

It's almost been a year since my darling Boy died and I still replay that night, sometimes even dream that I made it on time.

Boy

2010-02-11T04:28:00.000+08:00

I choked up while showing Jade a photo of Boy today. I can't believe it has been 9 months since he died. I miss him so much.

My Baby Girl

2010-01-26T18:54:00.001+08:00

Shy Kaku agrees to be photographed on Saturday.

Tux and FiveCatsBaby

2010-01-19T18:51:00.001+08:00

Showing FiveCatsBaby how to pet Tux gently. The sweet boy didn't even flinch when she grabbed his fur but she soon learnt to be gentle.

Tuxie Today

2010-01-03T21:59:00.001+08:00

Thinking of food and Sam...

Cleaning Up After The Cats

2009-10-10T13:26:00.005+08:00

Now that the cats get supervised playtime (okay, not supervised but they wander when we are home), I find cat fur has re-entered our lives with a vengeance. I remember telling my mother when it was just Boy and us that finding cat hair in our food was a blessing. She obviously felt otherwise.

There's cat fur in my clothes, apple pie (on, not in), the bed, my sofa, all over the floor. I even found golden fur on the living room couch - Sam had been sleeping out there. I have no qualms about my kids touching cat fur but when I start feeling like I have cat fur in my throat, it's time to find a solution.

Before I gave birth, I thought of getting a Robotic vacuum. A robotic vacuum looks like a round trilobite on wheels which vacuums as it traverses your home.

The best one I considered is the Karcher. It is awesome and does not need to be cleaned every time you use it. More like once in a few months, which is the point of automating a vacuum.

Of course it costs S$2500 and FiveCatsDad has totally vetoed it. Guess I'll be eating cat fur as part of my staple now. :p

Relearning Everything

2009-09-10T04:35:00.000+08:00

So the other night I brought FiveCatsKid to get reacquainted with the cats. He's always loved cats (his fave stuffed animals are cats) but too much time away from them has created a sense of disconnectedness which has made him susceptible to other people's anti-cat sentiments.

Just like before when he was much younger, we sat by the grille door, opened, with cat treats in our hands and fed Tux, Buffy, and Sam. No Boy this time.

I feel a twinge of sadness writing this. We could have had more time with him, if only I tried harder. But it is now past and there is nothing I can do to bring him back.

We sat there as the three came round, first Tux and Buffy. Tux devoured the biscuits quickly then left to explore the kitchen - technically it is new territory to him, or at least old but reclaimable.

Buffy stayed round, sniffing for more treats. It seems like she is more the one needing the attention than Tux, who I suspect howls more to hear his own voice, that vain clever boy.

Sam darted quickly across the room to the laundry area as he always does. I'm sad that he and Kaku are still so shy. Our fault for letting Buffy and Tux raise them.

It was hot and stuffy but The Kid and I had a good time petting the kids and treating them. It was like old times. He's always so keen to feed them but it takes 10x more time plus supervision so his Daddy usually says no.

When the kids are older, I kept telling myself but for Boy, it was far too late.

Rename Five Cats Blog?

2009-08-19T18:19:00.003+08:00

It feels odd right now when I talk about this blog. Is it still about 5 cats, even though one is now gone? Should I rename the blog?

That picture above is of Boy when he was a baby, not long after he came to join our family. One of the saddest things is that my daughter will never meet him.

Jack is glad he had 3 years with him. He often tells me, "I love Boy, Mom". I reply, "I know. So do I."

Still Missing Boy

2009-08-11T02:10:00.002+08:00

Every time I think of Boy and how he is gone, all the air is the room feels sucked out and I can't breathe. I miss him so much that I have to avert my thoughts or I'll end up crying. What do you do when the feline love of your your life is gone forever?

Breaking News! Tux and Sam Are Back Together!

2009-07-28T01:24:00.005+08:00

They didn't know they were observed. Even Kaku was sitting out of sight of them. But a casual passerby snapped this shot of Tux and Sam and told this reporter that the cats were canoodling like a romantic couple. The grooming, the nuzzling, the licking, the looks of absolute bliss (see Sam). Oh they're definitely back!

What could have brought this pair back? Just last year they were fighting like cats and dogs, never in each other's company. They were broken up for sure after a loving 4 year relationship. Was it the sadness of Boy's sudden passing that drew them back together? Perhaps. But whatever the reason, we are happy they're together again.

Reintegrating Cats Into the Home

2009-07-19T19:44:00.003+08:00

Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but I can't seem to find any information on this topic.

Basically, the cats who had free run of the home have been living in our courtyard and their own room for the last 3 years. Attempts to have them come in supervised for the weekend have led to Tuxie and Buffy howling to be let in full-time and worse, the last outing led to marking on my (or was it hubby's pillow). So we had to put in place a strict no-entry rule. Amazingly, after 3 years they still remember "the good life" indoors, sleeping on our couches and beds.

Boy's death changed me. For a long time I blamed myself for the events that led to him being put outside with the rest (outside, meaning the courtyard, not outside outside). As the 3 Naughties fought a lot, he got stressed and maybe that was what caused his heart attack.

Then I realised I missed all the cats so much. Yearned to pet them and hug them in this fugue of exhaustion from looking after 2 kids. I can barely bend down to pick stuff up let alone bend down to pet a cat (there is nowhere to sit in the cat room or courtyard) while carrying the baby and watching a very active toddler now.

Boy still got petted at night when he lived in the kitchen. It was our special time. But since I got pregnant the second time, the kids had only got a cursory pet while I fed them. And now with another child, it is even harder to go out just to pet them. Hubby still plays with them some but he's tired from work and helping out with the kids. So really, the best way to spend time with them is to have them in the home too.

So the last few weeks, on and off, I have been researching ways of letting them in again so that they won't mark the place (as they did when Jack turned 4 months and started crying a lot more) but haven't found any specific information for reintegrating cats into a previously lived home, plus handling their indignation (trust me, Tuxie has a lot).

Any advice out there?

Missing Boy

2009-07-10T14:30:00.003+08:00

When will it pass? Even with the stress of a new baby and a perpetually restless toddler, I miss my Boy so much.

Healthy Pure Food

2009-07-10T13:55:00.002+08:00

I'm always about feeding my family about pure organic food, how synthetic hormones and certain chemicals are bad for our bodies, but the food options for our feline family have been rather limited. I've stuck to brands which contain no by-products but true holistic cat food as well as holistic dog food is pretty hard to find at your neighbourhood pet store or downtown pet store chain. Some people make their own pet food but to be honest, most folk don't have the time, and even those who do, worry about the cons of feeding raw food (but there are many pros too).

Hence many people have started looking online. One great option is www.HealthyPetFoodToYourDoor.com, which not only sells a range of holistic pet foods, primarily Life's Abundance, but also gives you a home based pet food opportunity for you to start out in the pet food business.

I remember when Boy was exclusively fed commercial dry biscuits. Despite him being a voracious drinker of water, he still got kidney troubles at the young age of 6. Right after, we switched him to Science Diet, which improved his condition some, but it was only after we switched to more holistic brands which did not include by-products and corn, plus added natural canned cat food, did he improve.

From gently lifting up the skin around his neck, we could ascertain he was well-hydrated and his skin tone stayed this way till the day he died. The food certainly was a factor.

Farewell To My First Baby

2009-04-25T03:27:00.000+08:00

Boy ~ 28 January 1992 - 24 April 2009

My sweet baby Boy passed away tonight at 2345h from what appeared to be a cat version of a heart attack. The vet valiantly tried to resuscitate him as his gasping ceased but failed.

He had been eating well at dinner time and seemed his usual self till loud crashes and strange howls from the back around 2240h led me to go investigate.

I found him lying on his side in a pool of spilt water and urine and he was gasping and howling in a voice that terrified me. I carried him to his favourite rug and he foamed slightly at the mouth. He seemed in distress and pain and was shaking. I stroked his fur. He did not flinch.

I tried looking online but found nothing. My Cornell's Vet book was missing. I phoned the hubby to hurry home. Then I looked for an emergency animal clinic. The nurse took down what happened and told me she'd call the vet.

When she phoned back, hubby was home and getting a box and towel ready for Boy. He said it looks like a stroke and I'd better come along. I burst into tears. For the first time I realised he could die.

I kept telling him as he lay in that box that I was here and I love him. His howling had ceased and he was just gasping.

The nurse was waiting for us downstairs. We hurried up. The vet shaved his paw and gave him a plug. They injected some meds in him and I thought he'd be ok till she put a tube down his throat and the nurse started pressing on his chest and asked us to sit outside.

I knew it was bad then but still held out hope. Tears just burst and I sat while Jack looked at me quizzically. Later he kept asking me where is Boy and all I could say was he is gone forever.

The vet came out and said, he's gone. I rushed to the room and looked at him. His eyes were open and he merely looked dazed, not dead. One of his eyes had thickened already. I stroked his fur, his perfect soft fur.

It was over but I needed answers. It was too late for a blood test but an xray showed no blockage in his throat nor lungs nor unusual in his heart. Most likely she said, it was his heart, not something he ate.

I let them clean him up and put him in another room for me to say my goodbyes. I stroked him and held him for the longest time, knowing I'd never be able to do that again. Tomorrow he'd be cold from refrigeration. He'd be stiff.

The nurse was kind, promised to wrap him in his towel before putting him on ice. Tomorrow we'd take him to my aunt's garden to bury him. I won't have him burnt in some furnace. I held him tight, kissed him, and told him that I loved him before saying goodbye.

He was my first baby and for all of my life, I will never forget him.

Boy Blogs: Banished to the Cat Room

2009-03-19T01:15:00.003+08:00

It wasn't my fault. Those contractors stressed me out, traipsing all over my poo area with their funny smelling boots and making such a ruckus, not to add the dust. I had to show them... poo on the tiles and make my stance.

Unfortunately Dad wasn't amused.

Now that Mom is pregnant with FiveCatsKid2, she can't change the poo pans nor pick up after us, the messes (yeah yeah, so I remarked the spot a few times) were left for tired old Dad to clean up.

But hey, a cat's gotta protect his space or there'll be none left.

Anyway, Dad got so mad that he put me in the cat room with the rest of the other cats. Now that I am bigger than all of them (not having to share food for some time now), no one bugged me and I even claimed the nice rug as my own.

Tux was mad and howled for a while but I just ignored him. Now that Tux and Sam's relationship seems to be over and they seem to be more rivals than friends, they no longer stalk me, which is good. :D

Mom looks at me plaintively sometimes when she comes to feed us, pets me some, but hey, now I'm king of the hill. It is not so bad. :) One day she'll miss me so much she'll beg Dad to let me back into the rest of the house. I know she will. :p

Aunty Carol's Good Deed for the Day

2009-03-19T00:55:00.003+08:00

Mom came back with this interesting story to tell us. She'd taken the Kid out for lunch with Aunty Carol and her human boys this afternoon after feeding us a scrumptious lunch of course.

Aunty Carol had been in Hong Kong and while dining in a restaurant, saw a spiky shelled turtle in a tank. She couldn't bear that it might be cooked and promptly negotiated to buy it from the restaurant.

The restaurant was reluctant to let it go but agreed to sell it to her at market price, which turned out to be S$600 (around US$400)! But she figured turtles live a long time and the critter was probably only 20 so she'd be giving it another 80 years at least.

The lovely Aunty then took a cab with turtle in plastic bag (lousy restaurant didn't even have a box to give her) to the nearest shore and met a diver there who told her that this was a fresh water turtle!

Relieved Aunty told the nice cab driver to take her to the nearest fresh water body, which happened to be some sort of reservoir with fish in them, and she released the grateful turtle there.

Although it cost her most of her arm and two legs, Aunty Carol was happy that she gave the turtle a new lease of life. Now that is what we cats call, a hero.

FiveCatsKid Feeds The Cats

2008-11-04T00:19:00.002+08:00

Lately FiveCatsKid has taken to feeding the cats. He'll say, "May I feed the cats please?" and I pass him the cat food. He dishes out exactly 2 scoops each and then adds another 2 for good measure and the cats go eat, except Kaku who is still a little wary of him. (When I feed them, she will come up to eat and let me pet her.)

First step: feeding cats.

Next: change poo pan.

Yay! I have delegated. :D

Boy Blogs: Elderly Cats Need Much Love

2008-10-07T23:53:00.002+08:00

It was a pleasant surprise when Mom came to pet me while FiveCatsKid was napping today. I was having a cat nap myself when I felt Mom's warm hand stroke my fur. I woke up with a startle. It was a nice dream I was having about eating fish.

I followed Mom to the bedroom where the little critter was sleeping and as she curled on the bed to read a book, I hopped over to in front of her and curled up next to her. She petted me while she read Axis, although I think she was really paying more attention to grooming me than the book!

When the Kid woke, she moved over to nurse him and I popped over near them both so she could continue petting me! Elderly cats need much love. It was very calming lying there next to the two of them resting and I didn't stop purring from the moment I jumped onto the bed.

Turns out the Kid had woken for good and despite nursing, decided to pet me too. He's very gentle, even when he stroked my tummy. Finally he sat up and groomed me proper. It was a lovely afternoon siesta time with Mom and FiveCatsKid! I'm glad I have them all to myself. =:D

Costumes for the Kids!

2008-09-06T03:09:00.010+08:00

Now that FiveCatsKid started the ball rolling with putting stuff on our cats (well actually only Boy), I was thinking how the kids might like to play dress up this Halloween too. We could have our own trick or treat at home with salmon snacks and cat biscuits. I mean, hey we're a family of 9 (cats and humans) already so why the heck not?

We could order a whole bunch of halloween costumes for the kids and hey, they even have pet costumes so we don't just have to rent the infant-sized ones and hope they don't notice the fur when we return them.

I mean, can you imagine Tuxie wearing this costume? :D Oh actually you don't have to. I just Photoshopped him in! :D And now imagine all 5 cats wearing costumes. :D Ah what a Kodak moment!

Stuff on my Cat

2008-08-25T03:10:00.002+08:00

FiveCatsKid placed his Humpty friend on Boy. Humpty seemed to enjoy lying on the furry cat but Boy didn't look very amused. Still, he left Humpty on till FiveCatsKid picked it up again a while later. :D

Exercise for a Five Cat Household

2008-08-14T21:46:00.004+08:00

1. Use an interactive toy with feathers on the end. Move it like a bird to encourage your cat to leap and stretch.

FiveCatsMom: We have this, but really should use it more!

2. Slither snakelike toys up and down stairs. These toys are also great for going up and over the tops of sofas.

FiveCatsMom: This we will try!

3. Set up boxes, bags and soft-sided tunnels to create an obstacle course for your interactive exercise session. If you can't find the soft-sided tunnels, make tunnels of your own by turning boxes upside down and cutting entrance and exit holes.

FiveCatsMom: We tried but the weight of the cats jumping squished the boxes in no time. Will try to think of another build...

4. A small ball in a box works as a mini racquetball court.

FiveCatsMom: This sounds fun. FiveCatsKid can even help to make this!

5. Use your interactive toy around a tall, sturdy scratching post to encourage your cat to scratch. This causes a full stretch, which helps tone the muscles in the shoulders and back.

FiveCatsMom: They have this, but it doesn't last more than a day so I stopped buying them.

6. Invest in a multi-tiered cat tree so your cat can jump from one perch to the other during play. This exercise improves balance and coordination.

FiveCatsMom: This probably works only for light cats and very sturdy cat trees. Look for those with strong bases. Our third tier never lasts long!

7. Plastic caps from milk jugs make great hockey pucks. Drop one on the kitchen floor to work on your cat's speed and coordination.

FiveCatsMom: Oh! We will totally do this. Since we don't drink milk in the house, other jar caps will do too.

8. Don't forget to laugh. It will do wonders for you emotionally and physically. Your cat will pick up on your good mood, and everyone will have a good time.

FiveCatsMom: :D

(Source: Cat Channel)

FiveCats Hearts FiveCatsKid

2008-08-02T01:12:00.003+08:00

It has been over 2 years and finally I caught sight of Kaku standing just one foot from FiveCatsKid, door open mind you, and just looking at him. This was the little girl who fled whenever she heard him come into the kitchen and now she was ready to make friends. :)

Lately I've been making more of an effort to spend more time with the kids. It is a task that requires constant supervision. Sam and sometimes Buffy and Tux love to take swipes at Boy whenever I am not looking, so on days when I am tired, the kids stay outside within view and Boy and us humans just on the other side of the glass.

Sam is now the same size as Tux! The relationship between them seems to have changed some. Less a fawning doe is our Sam but more of an equal partner to Tux. He's still a little scaredy cat sometimes and scoots when we come in but other times he holds his own to Buf.

Buffy has become thin and lean. It's her daily patrolling vertical and horizonal that keeps her in shape. No other cat moves as much as she does. Every day when I open the door to feed them, she's clambering down the grille to get food. Fortunately she's given up her howling. Tuxie hasn't given up his "please let me in" howl though.

Boy's doing well on Fortecor and looks very spritely for an old cat of 16. He even chases cockroaches when he's in the mood and calmly allows FiveCatsKid to pet him. The Kid knows to be gentle so cat and boy are happy to be together. It is a serene sight to behold.

Boy Blogs: Wild Salmon Treat

2008-07-12T23:10:00.003+08:00

What a lovely surprise today. As usual I drooled like crazy (ok, not literally) when Mom was cooking lunch for the humans today but not too long after, she brought in the plates and beckoned me.

"Come Boy, Mom has salmon for you," she said.

Turns out Mom couldn't finish her block of wild caught Alaskan salmon - this is the type that is lower in pesticides and had lived wild and free till caught and not the farmed sort that live in stressed, overcrowded, and polluted conditions.

This was a generous portion. Probably the size of 8 of my paws. She shredded the block, making sure there were no bones and gave the bits to me, a few pieces at a time, probably afraid I couldn't finish them.

Are you kidding? I am the connoisseur of good fish! Unlike Tuxie and Buffy who lives on scraps in a school canteen for the first 3 months of their lives. Now they can happily live on junk food.

In fact Tuxie likes chewing on plastic bags and Mom gets all upset - both worried about plastic in his stomach and of plastic entering out water system. Hey I drink from there too.

Well, I can speak for Tux that he just gnaws on it hoping to find some snacks inside. Then he spits it out. Always hopeful, that cat.

Now Kaku would have enjoyed the salmon but she was too scared to come out. Too bad. I ate it all, to Mom's surprise. :D

Later, FiveCatsKid played in his inflatable water tub next to my rug. It was entertaining watching a small human enjoy playing in water. Eww... I had to walk AROUND the tub to use my portaloo.

All in all, a nice relaxing day with Mom and FiveCatsKid.

My Sweet Kaku

2008-07-03T02:32:00.004+08:00

As shy as Kaku is, I sometimes catch her watching me when the grille and glass doors are closed. Just sitting there, looking at me with her adorable big eyes in curiosity, and sometimes wonderment. I'd coo to her, hey Kaku, hey Mei Mei (little sister in Chinese) and she'd come closer. To the door even. But the moment I open the door to let her in, she runs away to hide.

I remember the old days when the cats had free run of the place and late at night when everyone was asleep, Kaku would visit me when I was in the loo and roll over many times, inviting me to pet her.

I often wonder if she'd be more adventurous if she were an only cat or if it were just she and Boy. The other 3 are so rowdy I notice her sitting a distance away watching them rather than joining in. I know she feels out of place with them but she does have endearing relationships with Tuxie and Sam. They still lie together and groom each other.

Perhaps that is why I could never bear separate them. Because she is still my baby and they love her.

The Love Of My Life

2008-06-16T01:20:00.005+08:00

For eons now, I have been trying to tell Boy that if he wants to hang with me in the bedroom after FiveCatsKid sleeps, he has to be quiet. Previously he had howled his way in and I had gently pushed him outside with a no, shh.

Tonight, he meowed once and came in, quiet. Lay on the rug staring at me with adoration and blinked many times. I petted him while I read my book. Thrice he got up to chew on my Boston Fern, which is non-toxic to cats (sez here, here, and here) and really good at removing formaldehyde from the air.

I indicated to him that he could come and lie beside me but he hesitated several times. Finally he decided it was okay and jumped up, lay beside me at the foot of the bed and curled beside me, purred while I groomed him with my hand.

After a while, he jumped down, lay on the rug again and watched me adoringly, as cats do. That's when I realised every cat I loved is him. From Kaku (a mini-me of him) to Gray, the cat I made for Jack. Gray's face is exactly his, from the O expression to the wide eyes and gray nose. Oh, I love this cat so much.

Finally, his Dad came into the room and shooed him out. But there's always tomorrow. :)

Sam Blogs: Nuzzling Tuxie's Fur

2008-06-04T03:03:00.005+08:00

Note: This is an R-rated post. Not for kittens under 8 weeks.

Some days I love to nuzzle Tuxie's fur. He smells so cattish. It makes me feel loved and comfy. Actually every day I love to nuzzle Tuxie's fur. That's only when he is not howling to go into the house.

I don't understand why he wants to go in. :( I am out here in the courtyard. :( Boy is inside and he is jealous of Boy.

I only don't want to nuzzle Tuxie when Aunty Nancy is here and is in our cat room and she always vacuums for pet hair. Our hair is nice and nuzzly. Especially Tuxie's.

Sometimes Grandma comes to visit and grumbles a lot about our pet hair. So she too, vacuums for cat fur. They are so funny, these older human females. Why do they like to vacuum so much? Kaku and I get scared and Tuxie goes far from me. :(

Mom never bothers. She likes our fur. Sometimes she rolls the furballs and tosses them at Boy playfully. I do that with Tuxie too. :) When he isn't howling. :( Why does he howl so much? I am here... Sigh...

Pay Attention to your Cat!

2008-05-29T00:55:00.005+08:00

I was wondering why Boy kept meowing at me today, but rather preoccupied with chores i figured he was still peckish. Usually in the day he eats, sleeps, and occasionally peeks at me with one eye while snoring. Today it was stalkerazzi!

Immediately I was concerned it was something medical but he looked well. A quick rub down produced no odd bumps in his skin. He had fresh water and was just fed. Since he's an old cat I figured he just wanted some attention.

In the evening I found out why. It had rained all day and his poo pan was all sodden. Kinda yucky and smelly for him to use, so he peed on the rug. I didn't blame him. He was trying to tell me something but I ignored him. Sorry, baby. :(

I told him gently I was sorry and that it wasn't his fault and poured some Nature's Miracle (an enzyme cleaner that seems to work - if in Singapore, you can get it from Brown Rice Paradise, the only place I've seen it so far) on it and hung it out so that the rain can wash it tomorrow (since it seems to rain everyday), and some on the ground under the rug.

This incident reminded me how we really should pay attention to the things our pets are telling us, before they use more extreme forms of communication. :p

Boy Blogs: A Pleasant Surprise

2008-05-25T23:36:00.004+08:00

I was just dozing earlier when FiveCatsKid suddenly appeared and petted me gently. Mom was standing by the fridge watching us. I think she was looking for a snack.

Then she smiled, encouraging The Kid to continue petting me gently. She walked over, sat on my chair and stroked me too, especially under my chin. Usually Mom is putting FiveCatsKid to bed around this time. So it was a lovely surprise!

A while later, Mom and The Kid said Goodnight and I got up to go drink some water. Now, if only they gave me a midnight snack too! :D

Boy Blogs: Lost a Pet?

2008-05-03T00:18:00.005+08:00

When you get as old as I am (despite my handsome youthful appearance - ahem!), you'll understand why some things are the way they are.

The outside just isn't safe for pets anymore. With so many different smells and unpleasant humans, things can go very wrong for pets who are allowed to wander outdoors.

Sure, you'll say, it's fun and a great adventure for my pet. But as a "pet" (I prefer "boss of the house") I can tell you, all I enjoy these days are for the Naughties to NOT disturb me, for Mom to keep the food coming, for my water bowl to be clean and not have Tuxie's spittle in it, for my poo pan to be clean and not have Tuxie's pee inside, and have a nice rug to laze around on. Oh yes, and for Mom to pet me once in a while.

The young 'uns, when they first arrived, just didn't get it. They kept trying to escape. Now they know. They're safe from other cats, don't have to worry about their territory being overrun, and now, Mom's got a whole nice cat garden all for them to enjoy. I get the ferns and wheat grass to gnaw on so I'm not complaining.

Still, should you have been unenlightened, and have gotten your pet lost, get the details of your lost dog, lost cat, or worse (!), lost pets to the police, SPCA, or a missing pets service like FindToto.com to get word out there that your pet(s) is/are lost. The latter sends an APB out on your pet, so if someone has a found dog or cat or whatever pet you have, the missing pets service is more likely to find it faster than an animal shelter or the SPCA.

Of course, you could avoid all this trouble by keeping your pets safe at home. With lots of food. And a clean poo pan. And a nice rug. :)

An Unexpected Thread

2008-04-27T23:10:00.005+08:00

This evening I went to the kitchen to investigate a loud crash. Boy was darting around the island like a bat out of hell. And a piece of fragrant poo sat innocently on the ground.

Ah. From experience, I knew the poor chap had some unfinished business in his bum.

I cleaned the poo and scooped the old chap up, talked to him in a soothing voice, hugged him, and checked his bum.

True enough a poo-laden thread stuck out of his bum. I took hold of it firmly and yanked it out. Boy protested with a meow and I let him go.

I took it into the light, curious how he could have ingested it. It certainly wasn't a hair.

During my bath, I found out what it was. It was a thread from the long piece of fabric we hung over the door as a makeshift door.

I'll never know what possessed him to eat it - perhaps it looked like grass. Either case it is gone now.

Be careful of hanging threads from fabrics. Your cat might see them as tasty.

Tux Blogs: Cats and Dogs!

2008-04-23T22:06:00.011+08:00

Dad and Mom actually let me out the other day! I hid and acted nonchalant when Dad closed the door and they let me stay! It was a delightful hour where I chased Boy and explored the kitchen goodies. That dang egg carton had to fall and the tray too when I explored the counter top.

Then Mom came rushing out of the shower and shooed me out. Ah well...

This whole species thing has gotten me in a loop. I overheard Mom telling Grandma that tuxedo cats are naughtier than other types of cats. Hello? Out of a case study of three? Benji, my predecessor, whose naughty tales I regaled in when Grandma told Mom the other day. RIP old guy. And Maggie, my stepbrother, who is apparently as naughty as me. Hmm... maybe admitting it isn't so good.

Anyway, I've been flipping through with my paw one of these cat encyclopaedias Dad has in the cat room and there was no mention of tuxedo cats! Can you believe that? We're not even a breed or a genus or any of those category word things! We're not a breed. Yes. How sad. Mom did comfort me later to say cats of mixed breeding have stronger immune systems and are smarter. Maybe she knew just what to say to comfort me... What a diplomat, that Mom.

What did catch my eye in that book was this cat you see in the picture there on the right. Siamese Cats! They look like Kaku when she was a baby. Of all the cat breeds, they're supposed to be the most intelligent, social, vocal, and affectionate to humans.

Hmm... sounds like a cat I'd love to meet and groom. :D Oops Sam wouldn't like to hear that!

For a bit of history about Siamese kittens, CatChannel.com has a great wealth of resources. You can find out more about Siamese cats, for example, how to care for them (they are more verbose than tux cats - ahem, as well as a link to many many Siamese Cat pictures from their very own fan club. Hey, where's the Tuxie fan club? Where's the love? :(. <- No that's not a cat pimple.

On another note, there's been talk about getting a dog! I know Mom and Dad would love to adopt a golden retriever. But me and the other cats, we'd like a cute tiny fluffy white dog we can boss around. After all, dogs are a cat's best friend!

Boy Blogs on Clean Air

2008-04-15T02:40:00.006+08:00

It has been a while since I have written now that I am no longer under the tyranny of the 3 Naughties. I get to use the lavatory whenever I want and it is all mine. My Mom is all mine too, well I do have to share her with FiveCatsKid but that is fine.

Lately the other cats have been marking the door. I don't know who. Usually it is when I am sleeping. To my sensitive cat nose, it smells. Even Mom and Dad says it smells. Dad pours vinegar on the spot and we get on. Sadly vinegar annoys my nose too but I can't seem to get Mom to pay attention.

What I have done is to distract Mom before she turns off the main from her HEPA air purifier in the kitchen. It was donated by Grandma to filter away our cat smell. Hahaha... So on the days she forgets, I jump onto the on button and I lie next to the deliciously fresh high efficiency particulate air (that's HEPA for those of you who didn't know) that comes out.

I remember on the first day Grandma brought one over for FiveCatsKid, she turned it on and I went and lay next to it. The air smelt great. It's not true that we cause allergies by the way. FiveCatsKid has nuzzled and kissed me and he's fine. Plus I keep myself tip top groomed.

Mom uses theirs to filter out EMRs. She's not a 100% sure about it but she secretly likes the white noise effect on the kid. :)

Nice Review from Whimsical Reasoning

2008-04-12T15:44:00.005+08:00

FiveCatsMom has the afternoon off today after a tiring week as FiveCatsDad takes FiveCatsKid to Toys R Us today. Unbeknownst to the kids, Mom had ordered some neat catnip and cat grass plants with cute planters from The Animal Rescue Site store for them. Yummeh...

Anyway, as she was editing the Technorati tags in her blog today, Mom noticed that Five Cats Blog received a lovely review from the nice human at Whimsical Reasoning. Here's what she said:

This blog, comming from our own Blogspot, was about five cats and their family. This was not however as obbsessive as that creepy dog blog, with the countless pictures. What made this blog stand out more than the others I looked at, was the way in which it was written. The cats were all refered to by name, while the humans were FiveCatsChild, or FiveCatsMom. I think thats exactly how the cats would have wanted it to be written too. I would say 'lol' right not, but since I'm supposed to be speaking proper english, I'll just tell at this point to imagine me laughing. You got it? Good. The blog goes on to describe the daily lives of the five cats, own with their destinct personality. It reminded me of my own cats, my babies, truely. Cougar and Wallflower are my constant companions, and I love them very much, despite the fact that they sometimes pee on my favorite shirts.

Mom was so thrilled, she had to post this. :D This is quite possibly our very first review!

Meanwhile it is raining here and all the cats are dozing. Even Boy who loves to lift his head to blink at Mom just opened one eye and shut it again. Dad must have fed them a lot for breakfast...

Kaku Moves In

2008-03-24T00:53:00.000+08:00

Curiously, Kaku went missing last night and this morning after changing the poo pans and feeding the kids, I found her scurrying around in the kitchen. She made herself quite comfortable on the left couch head while Boy remained on his right side of the couch and on his rug when it pleased him. So I laid out a bowl of food and water for her so she could eat.

Instead, Boy has taken to eating her food and leaving his alone. They seem quite contented together but I wonder now if the mad scurrying and hiss I heard last night from Boy was actually him chasing her around the kitchen and under the couch, or was it the cockroach I thought I saw?

Anyhow, mission accomplished without me lifting a finger. She must have tired of the other three bullying her and decided to move in or become too alarmed by Buffy's diarrhoea (Kaku had her run last week). Perhaps a combo of both.

While she is still hissy when I get close, when I watched her from the window and blinked at her, she went up close to look at me, roll over on her back for a while, realise I couldn't quite pet her, came closer to the window, repeated the same another two times before she disappeared from my view right under the window.

She doesn't run when I come into the kitchen anymore and she even watched FiveCatsKid when he came in to look for me. She stayed there the whole while when I made dinner and only when I got a metre or so close, she'd hiss. So I have left her be for now.

The two boys were quite happy sunning themselves today, grooming each other but Buffy only appeared at mealtime. I think she is still unwell. Hope it clears soon. It is tiring cleaning diarrhoea every day. I'm even pondering buying the Litter-Robot. Sigh...

For Everyone Who Has Ever Been Owned By a Cat

2008-02-28T03:30:00.002+08:00

(Source: The Worsted Witch)

Happy 16th Birthday Boy!

2008-01-29T03:11:00.000+08:00

16 years have passed since I brought my sweet Boy home from the drain I found him crying for his mom in. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I had to take him home. He charmed everyone and has become an integral part of our family since.

He has given me so much love and companionship over our 16 years together that I cannot imagine a day without looking at his sweet face, of him blinking back at me with a serene look in his face.

He has been gentle and patient with FiveCatsKid and in turn, FiveCatsKid has learnt to be gentle and patient with him. It is a beautiful friendship.

Today he turns 16. FiveCatsKid and I sat on the kitchen floor with him, stroked his fur, and sang Happy Birthday to him. Happy birthday, my sweetheart! May we have many more happy years to come.

Cat Contentment

2008-01-28T20:09:00.000+08:00

It has been some months since Boy has had the kitchen all to himself. He now leisurely eats his meal and leaves plenty after for a snack if need be. We spend some time with him while I make brunch and he hangs around and lets FiveCatsKid stroke him. He's been in good health and I am grateful that I can give him more peaceful years with us. He will be turning 16 tomorrow.

Sam and Kaku are quite content where they are. Kaku sometimes looks at me like she wants me to hug her but runs when I come close. Sam just goes rubbery. :D Tux and Buffy still hope to come in and we let them in once a day. Poor Boy cowers in a corner when this happens but sans Tux, Buffy actually sniffs noses with him.

Tux, I think, is most upset about this arrangement. His Dad blames himself for spoiling him since he was little. He still howls daily about the indignity of living in the back room and not having his Dad hug him for hours on end everyday. Failure to adapt seems an unlikely trait for an intelligent cat as he, so I can only attribute it to our poor cat parenting, with him at least. :(

I still cook chicken for them twice a week and try to give them as many pets as I can. Hopefully that will make up a little for the much less time we spend with them now. No one ever said parenting, either human or cat, is easy. But we do the best we can.

FiveCatsKid and Boy

2007-12-23T01:38:00.000+08:00

A Well-Travelled Cat

2007-12-23T01:07:00.000+08:00

Despite being confined at home these days, I still do enjoy the sun and the fresh air and gentle breeze. The rain frightens me sometimes, but even more so Kaku. Those days I hug her and groom her and tell her it is alright. Tuxie is here.

So during those rainy days holding dear little Kaku, I dream of travelling the world. Pad through the museums in France, climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris, race past the Brandenburge Gates, and attend the beer festivals in Germany and bring back some for Dad who will pet me to no end to get some real lagers.

There is much a small (okay, I am not that small) cat can do. Even dream of visiting Europe. :)

Purrs,
Tux

Christmas for Kitties

2007-12-23T00:51:00.001+08:00

Sadly Christmas is a time when humans don't quite share with their furry critters. They think we have all the toys we need but maybe more face time with Mom and Dad and FiveCatsKid would be great.

Of course, if they *really* want, they can buy us some stuff too, from PetCo or Drs. Foster and Smith, or even some nice beds from Montgomery Ward. Check out all the coupons from CouponChief. Save some money and buy us more treats.

Oh yes, Tux likes chewing on Christmas trees so keep them plastic ones away from his toothiness and we'll save a visit to Dr E.

Merry Xmas everyfurry!

Purrs,
Boy (who got his claws trimmed by Mom today)

Animal Welfare Site Feature: NJAFA

2007-11-14T01:32:00.000+08:00

NJ Aid For Animals is a non-profit group that helps animals in Southern New Jersey, mainly the Camden area. They investigate, uncover, and follow through on the persecution of abuse cases (see their website for details), advocate spay and neuter, and help find homes for strays or abandoned animals.

There's good advice on their website on what you can do when you see an act of cruelty taking place, general (and upbeat) updates on their blog, and they even have a MySpace page.

You don't need to live in NJ to help those animals. You can donate to the NJ Aid for Animals via Paypal or credit card. Thanks for helping!

Treats for the Kids

2007-11-14T01:27:00.000+08:00

At Bukit Timah Plaza today, FiveCatsKid and I stopped by Aquapets and out of guilt I bought the kids a new fishing toy with feathers and a felt carrot, a can of salmon cat treats, and a box of cat grass which I plan to grow (someday). When we got home, FiveCatsKid eagerly started feeding the cats the salmon treats and I played with Tux and Buffy who were very thrilled with the new toy. Boy looked marginally annoyed when I ruffled his fur with the toy but went on eating the treats FiveCatsKid was feeding him. It was a happy and lovely evening with all the children!

FiveCatsMom's Integration Plan v3.0

2007-11-04T02:23:00.000+08:00

And so Boy inherited the kitchen (although not all the food) and there was peace.

For the first time in a year, the poo pans are no longer overflowing and I only have to clean them once a day. I honestly think that the cats had been having a competition of "who can pee the most to make this pan my own".

Poor Boy who suffered days of pooing on his own mat thanks to Buffy and Sam (latter mostly) blocking off the route to the poo pans, has finally found his freedom (and his own pan where I can monitor his movements - so far so good). He also doesn't have to gobble down his food and now he can leave some in the dish for leisurely eating later. He found a nicely hidden spot on the lowest rung of the coat wardrobe to nap in instead of the couch. At least, I thought, he is not rubbing his freedom in the faces of the rest by staying out of sight.

Still after the mattress soiling incident, I hesitated to let him in the room. No doubt he was marking the mattress as his own because he was afraid the other cats would seize it for themselves, despite his newfound freedom, but it was still rather traumatising to have my bedroom marked. So he stays out of the bedroom and remains in the kitchen.

While we would love to have the rest in the home, especially sweet Kaku and Tuxie, Tux is too noisy and demanding to let in, particularly if he wakes up FiveCatsKid after I have spent an hour putting the baby to bed. Buffy's territorial instincts would serve her well in the wild, but not in the house, notably when threatened. Sam has become too aggressive to be left alone with Boy despite still getting lots of love from Tux. Dear sweet Kaku is too attached to be removed from her loving siblings, Tux and Sam. So they stay out for now but enjoy some social time with us once a day.

It was my priority to give Boy free access due to his age - he will be 16 in January - and health. And I want him to live out his old age in comfort and without stress from the younger ones.

The littler (not in size though) still do enjoy their cat home. They bask in the sun and laze around on the various levels and hidey holes I have provided. Only Tuxie craves for human company and I remind his Dad to pet him often since Tuxie had always been the apple of his father's eye. Me? I am just the food provider despite many attempts to impress with steam cooked chicken, pork, and fish along with assorted vegetables. Kaku has been the most appreciative recipient, eagerly licking up the broth before even eating the meat. :D

Christmas Shopping Already

2007-11-04T01:48:00.000+08:00

Just two years of last minute Christmas shopping (yes, even on the 24th after work) were enough to get me planning Christmas presents wayyyyyy in advance. I have already bought a third of the presents online, while looking for the rest both online and offline, especially after calling in my credit card points for Borders vouchers and the like.

I repeat my mantra: when shopping online, always look for coupons first.

For instance, if you shop a lot for pet stuff, search for Petsmart coupons, or else compile a lovely lot of photos for a photo book of your cats for your cats, and search for Snapfish.com coupons.

With coupons, either way you win. Don't pay full price if you don't have to, give the savings to a nice animal welfare organisation this Christmas for the furries. :)

Information is King

2007-09-16T23:53:00.001+08:00

There's so much to learn on cat parenting. Regretfully when most of us responsible cat parents have adopted our cats, it is often too late. Nowhere did I find out that 4-5 is the beginning of the red zone when cats can get stressed living together out of sheer numbers (and not just personality differences).

So far, I am keeping the peace by providing:

1. Plenty of good food
2. Multiple levels
3. Feliway
4. Petting and greeting each cat daily
5. Grooming once a week

But somehow with a baby in the house, it is impossible to spend quality time with each and everyone of them. I completely overestimated my ability to cope with parenting. Sure I am doing well with FiveCatsKid, giving him one-to-one time most of the day, nursing him, reading to him, playing with him, teaching him empathy of others (especially animals) and encouraging his curiosity about our world. But still not yet sleeping through the night and busy all day and night, I am neglecting our furry ones in the family.

I have bought numerous books on how to keep all 5 kids happy. From what you need for your pet to how to manage the stresses of 5 cats living in an enclosed space (I am still figuring that one out), it is a distance learning degree of sorts.

Tuxie is particularly demanding, howling when he feels slighted by neglect, which is several times a day, especially when he sees any human. Boy just looks forlorn and picked on by Sam who is climbing up the ranks, Buffy seems anxious, Kaku is surprisingly more visible now which is the only positive - she eagerly lets me pet her, and Sam is taking advantage of our absence to dominate the cat world (with his Tuxie of course).

I do wish I had more time to spend with them but until FiveCatsKid is a little older, that is the status quo. I would appreciate any advice from any other human-cat parents out there on making more quality time with the kids.

For new human-cat parents out there too, make sure you give them lots of cat toys to keep them mentally and physically stimulated. Make time to groom and bathe them (Boy smelt of pee when I hugged him yesterday making me wonder if he marks his own rug just to keep the rest off it).

On other pets too, stop by ShopWiki for a brief but comprehensive overview on what you'll need for your pet. Plenty of good primers there.

Love lots,
FiveCats "my middle name is Constantly Exhausted" Mom

FiveCatsMom's Integration Plan v2.0

2007-08-27T00:59:00.001+08:00

As you all know, I have been trying to reintegrate the cats into the home. Currently Boy is getting pretty stressed living with the rest in the cat home (evidence: self-mangling of ears) and rushes out to kitchen whenever he can. Kaku has become literally mouse-like although perks up when she sees me. Tuxie is howling ever more, which worries me the most.

On Saturday we left the kitchen door open and Tuxie howled all the way during his patrol through the hall and living room, and attempted to open the other closed doors. He didn't let poor Boy through and even chased the old chap back to the back. Sam managed to speed in and then speed out again. Buffy peered fearfully and Kaku probably enjoying having the house to herself.

With supervision, I believe it can be achieved. Regular supervised open door sessions. My mistake was doing everything too quickly last time. At least FiveCatsKid is very gentle with the cats. Boy even let him pet his nose! And this is after he let me trim all his front claws.

Our lives are so hectic but making time for the kids really reminds me what life is all about: smelling the roses.

Caring for your Cat

2007-08-27T00:41:00.000+08:00

Considering the potential ailments a cat can get, pet insurance is one thing to consider for your cat.

You can minimise the risk of your furry friend developing kidney disease, cancer, or other life-threatening conditions by:

1. Feeding him (or her) premium food - do read the ingredients - and fresh water daily.
2. Grooming him regularly and checking his body for lumps.
3. Monitoring his litter habits and movements.
4. Sending him to the vet if anything seems unusual.
5. Spending quality time with him and giving him love.
6. Keeping him indoors.
7. Give him a stimulating environment with multiple levels of territory to explore and feel safe in (table, chair, shelf, boxes, especially if you have more than one cat).
8. Neutering your cat.

For peace of mind, get pet insurance for your cat, especially if your pet has been adopted as an older pet or has been an outdoor cat for many years. If very unfortunately your pet contracts kidney failure or cancer, the pet insurance can cover the vet bills.

FiveCatsKid and Boy

2007-07-25T03:43:00.000+08:00

Amazon.com's Cruel Sales

2007-07-24T01:53:00.000+08:00

Amazon.com sells cruel animal fighting magazines

They've lost 5 furry customers and 3 human ones here.

Save the Bears, Save the World

2007-07-13T00:51:00.000+08:00

Join the Save the Bears, Save the World Meme and pledge an action that will help free bears in China from being farmed for their bile.

It is a terrible life for them in cages so tiny they cannot stand or turn. In addition, catheters are permanently stuck in their side to drain bile from them.

Help Animals Asia rescue and rehabilitate these bears. Let them live out their lives with dignity and happiness in a sanctuary.

List yourself and your friends you have tagged here and add their permalinks (optional: and pledges):

1. Victor and Bonnie
2. CatDonna
3. Mini
4. Guttercat
5. Celeste
6. Calsifier
7. FiveCats - tagging our friends

Save the Bears, Save the World

2007-07-07T03:54:00.000+08:00

Now that FiveCatsKid is 1, I have decided to involve him with saving the world, one animal at a time. Since my nickname for him is Bear and I feel passionately about bears, I have sponsored a bear called Freedom who was rescued by the AnimalsAsia Foundation from a life in a cage, catheter stuck in his side to extract his bile for a Chinese "remedy".

Freedom's Profile
Freedom is a female cub. As she stared out of her cage with frightened eyes we were shocked to see that both of her front limbs were missing as a result of traps which had caught her twice.

It took weeks of gentle encouragement before she would come to us from the safety of her new den - but, to see her now as she hops to the front of the queue to lick honey from our fingers, is a wonderful reward. Her den mates seem to sense her disability too and play gently with this sweet, forgiving bear.

Helping others brings a joy that is unparallelled in many other fun but thankless activities like gaming (ahem), clubbing, well... anything hedonistic and temporal. It leaves a glow long after the fire has died. I hope to pass on the love of helping others, in particular animals, to FiveCatsKid.

To befriend a bear or make other kind donations to the MoonBearRescue, visit the AnimalsAsia Foundation. For those with concerns, I have checked their financial statement and with an administrative spending of 6.8%, truly 86.1% of the donations go back to running the programmes. It is a worthy cause.

If you have a child, consider befriending a bear on his or her behalf. It will be a wonderful feeling for your baby to know he or she is helping an animal in need and better yet, possess ownership of that enduring act of kindness.

A Visit from Maggie's Mommy

2007-06-23T00:38:00.000+08:00

This evening Mom and Dad gave a lovely surprise. First they hung out with us for a really long time. FiveCatsKid played chase the kitty but we darted away in time. But he's learning to be gentle. Now if he would only give us some food, then we're in business.

Suddenly Mom disappeared and reappeared with Aunty Mini and Uncle J! Aunty Mini was the kind kind lady who rescued me, Buffy, Sam, and Kaku. She also adopted Maggie, Sam and Kaku's littermate and my half-brother. I hear he is as big and strong as I am. Ahem...

Anyway, we got lots of hugs while Mom and Dad caught up with them and we felt like a whole family again. I even lay next to Boy after he finally came down to lie on the mat by Dad after napping on the washing machine all evening. He got miffed after I nudged him saying he was rather antisocial to do so. He wasn't very happy about that.

Aunty Mini came to say goodbye after the humans retreated to the outside area and I blinked at her, hoping she'll come visit again soon.

~ Tux

Sam fights with Tux

2007-06-10T22:37:00.000+08:00

We never thought we'd see the day! Their Dad reported to me that Sam had been fighting with Tux when Buffy was sick. Today I heard some yelping and a couple of skirmishes. When I turned on the light, I saw Tux looking wide-eyed, Boy backed into a corner as if to say, "keep me out of this", and the rest out of sight.

Tux is now 4 years old, Sam 3.5 years. It's one thing for that scrawny fella to fight for dominance (I am quite proud of him actually!) but it is another for him to fight his lover! All's fair in love and war I guess. Hmm...

False Alarm

2007-06-08T11:40:00.000+08:00

The girls are well and eating today. :D False alarm. Probably the salmon belly was too rich for their tummies. I was worried sick last night.

The Girls are Sick

2007-06-08T00:33:00.000+08:00

I should have noticed something was wrong.

Two days ago someone peed and pooed on my slippers. Then there was poo outside the poo box scattered like discarded dolls in lieu of new ones around the boxes and in the cat house.

Today Buffy and Kaku did not have their supper. Buffy had a slight fever, dry nose, pale pink tongue, and was decidedly listless and in need of comfort as she lay on my chair. Kaku hid from us and hissed when I tried to go near.

Their Dad suspects a flu, but I also worry it could be from food contamination as we have Natural Balance (although we have not fed them the recalled ones - those are put away to be returned) can food or from the salmon and chicken combo I fed them today - too much fat in the salmon?

I checked online but could not find anything definitive. Their Dad couldn't find anything in our copy of Cornell's too. There was no distention in her tummy so it can't be a gassy thing. Both girls are moving fine, so it can't be musculoskeletal. There are some brown spots on the edges of Buffy's ear but then those could have been there before. No runny nose...

We've moved them to the kitchen where I can check on them more often. The boys seem in good spirits, chomping up the extra food I gave them. Buffy refused the kibble, even from my hand, and Kaku just stared at it and ran off to hide.

What could my girls have? Their Dad says we should observe them tomorrow and see how things go.

I have decided, regardless of the potential inconvenience, we will let them back into the house to spend more time with them. Boy is already 15 and although in good shape, has only 5 more years with us according to average lifespan. And things could go downhill very quickly. Buffy and Kaku's bout of illness (well not sure if Kaku is sick or just disturbed because her Dad was talking very loudly on the phone when he went to feed them) also worries me. This way they are close to me and I can see what is happening in their lives too.

Let's hope they are better tomorrow... Can't sleep now though.

Worried Mom

Actress Helps Homeless Cats and Dogs

2007-05-22T15:10:00.000+08:00

Mira Sorvino is in Santa Monica to promote shelter adoptions of dogs and cats. Delightful to see.

(Source: People)

Cat Bath Day again!

2007-04-03T15:47:00.000+08:00

FiveCatsDad decided to bathe all the kids on Sunday. Rather determined in his cause, he managed to catch Boy, Tux, and Buffy in one fell swoop while I cooked their week's food in a batch.

FiveCatsKid watched amusedly as one wet cat exited the bathroom after another.

Sam and Kaku tried to hide but amazingly their Dad managed to lure them out with food and all cats were bathed without much fanfare.

They all smelt so nice that their Dad even let them in his closet for a warm nap.

Gift Basket for Birthday Kitties

2007-03-30T01:43:00.000+08:00

If you wanted to send Tux and Buffy a present but are late. No worries! Since Tux eats anything and Buffy likes everything, just send them a pair of lovely Holiday Gift Baskets, any of them will do.

Indeed with their making some money blogging now, they can pretty much buy anything they want so a nice general present with everything in it would suffice. Let's put it this way, if they don't like anything in the gift basket, the humans can eat them. FiveCatsDad is a known scavenger.

*FiveCatsMom quickly ducks before FiveCatsDad can swat her with his paw*

Happy 4th Birthday Tux and Buffy!

2007-03-26T08:34:00.000+08:00

To my sweet children who came into our lives and brightened it so much 4 years ago. Happy 4th birthday!

Helping China's Animals

2007-03-25T23:36:00.000+08:00

I've had a long think about this issue which has been bothering me for a while.

With so many cases of animal cruelty rising from China lately, it is natural to get angry and upset. But ranting or condemning it certainly will not bring about the desired results. What we need is an effective solution.

China sees the way they kill and consume animals as a norm. While there is much to be said about other countries and their own methods of killing animals for food, for example, France with fois gras, Korea with their brutal battering of dogs to "tenderise" the meat, China raises the most ire because:

1. The Chinese, in general, consume pretty much every animal around, including endangered species; and

2. Their methods of capturing, keeping, and killing the animal are especially brutal (skinning alive, beating to death, ripping off turtle shells while alive, for example).

Face it, China doesn't need any of us. They're one of the largest economies in the world and they produce most of the goods we see in the market today. Simply put, other countries need them. They don't need us.

Hence telling them what to do really wouldn't help. Have they really listened to the advice of the US? Telling them what to do simply reinforces the idea that what they have been doing all this while is right.

Cultural norms can be changed. It will take a lot of time and effort. And it must work from within. Hence what we can do is to help the animal welfare organisations within China itself fight for better rights for their animals. We can lend support, finances, resources, and best practices that may have worked elsewhere.

Animal welfare is still severely lacking all around the world, but the organisations within China (and India) need the most help because so much is at stake. The endangered animals there may not live to exist past another decade.

Resources:
Second Chance Animal Aid - Shanghai, China
Animal Welfare Winning in China

~ FiveCatsMom

Animate Your Signature

2007-03-23T02:44:00.000+08:00

Aha! I found a great way to authenticate my documents. A lot of places don't accept paw prints so it has been difficult signing for anything. I can't open a bank account because they say cats can't have bank accounts. Even Paypal refused me. Their response email was something like, "Sir, please stop pretending to be a cat. It is not funny." But I am a cat!

Anyway, at MyLiveSignature I can add my signature and even have it move like I am signing it: Tux, the great. :D As far as I could see, they didn't stop me from signing up, which means it is open to all species. So humans, cats, dogs, and even turtles can create their own signature. After all, it is a free world on the Internet, isn't it?

Go get your signature already. It's free if you use their wizard, $9.95 if you order a realistic signature from a scanned image, or if you want your own signature animation, it costs $19.95.

Get Your Live Signature Now.

~Tux, the great one

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

New Design for Five Cats Blog

2007-03-23T02:33:00.000+08:00

The kids had been hassling me to redesign their blog for a while and I confess I had been busy with a whole lot of other things. So tonight after FiveCatsKids slept, I worked on changing the template.

Now pleasing all the cats was something else.

Tux wanted to make it look snazzy, Boy wanted it elegant, Kaku wanted it to look like a gamer's den, while Sam wanted it to have Tuxie's pictures all over! Buffy just wanted it to be safe.

Finally I chose this template that is both elegant, a little snazzy, written on parchment for gamer lore, I drew the line at Tux's pictures splattered all over, and as for safe, yes Buf, I changed the password again so you guys will have to memorise a new one. :)

FiveCatsReaders: What do you guys think of the new design?

~ FiveCatsMom

Help Humans Too

2007-03-22T08:23:00.000+08:00

Just so we're not perceived as being speciesist (Mom, did I spell this correctly?), we would like to promote helping humans too.

The artist McKenzie who draws nice roses (which has Boy drooling) and knows a lot of famous humans helps humans with her art.

Just as some cats are born on the street and aren't as lucky as us to find a good home, some humans too are unfortunate to be born where there isn't food or help, like in Darfur. McKenzie wants to help. She plans to raise $1 million for charity so visit her and help her do so too.

All you have to do is visit her website (click her name above) and click the links where she asks you to. Companies pay for those clicks and all the money made from there is given to charity.

Boy tells me that McKenzie also helps cats. :D What a lovely lady. Now if she'll only donate her giant painting of the roses to Boy. That would totally make his day.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Boy Blogs on Mom's Cooking

2007-03-22T07:56:00.000+08:00

Mom cooked again for us this morning again. Last night she'd defrosted a wad of chicken breast while Buffy went in a tizzy, and then today she put it in the zap machine (what I call it) and in 2 minutes it was cooked. She sliced it up and put them on our plates.

It has been too long since we had nice cooked chicken. It tastes so much better than the canned food (which is so much better than the dry biscuits although I do enjoy gnawing at them).

Especially with all the pet food recalls, it is safer to feed your cat-children real meat. So any cat-parents out there, cook some chicken for your kids today.

~ Boy, the wise one

Kaku Blogs on MyCoupons ReLaunch

2007-03-22T01:11:00.000+08:00

Oh dear. It is Tuxie and Buffy's birthday on Monday (and Gong Gong's too)! For all the work I have done finding a present, there's been no luck so far. :(

I was surprised when Boy slipped me this url for coupons from MyCoupons. I was so thrilled I quickly went online to find the three gifts I need to get.

The table of coupons helped a lot with the summaries and ratings! There are 12,042 coupon codes, 10 times more than any other coupon site I have found. Gosh there are so many baby coupons too I think Mom will like this site. The great thing is it is free to join – important for unemployed cats like me...

I think I see some coupons for me too! Do you see free pet food? :) *clicks with paw*

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Has Money Blinded All Reason?

2007-03-20T08:04:00.000+08:00

Humanity's cruelty to animals seems to have no bounds. Is it a simple failure to recognise the numerous scientific studies showing that animals can feel pain?

Aside from a handful of groups in China fighting for animal rights, who else will stand up and say, "I will not bow to this cruelty and I will stop eating cats, dogs, shark's fin, or turtles or any so-called cultural delicacies, which were battered to death, shells ripped open while still alive, or fins sheared away and thrown back into the sea."

Until then, we could at least expect the Western world not to succumb to China's widely-criticised lack of animal rights. But Tesco, Carrefour, Metro (German Metro, not the one here), and Walmart have instead jumped onto the bandwagon and are selling live amphibians in their China stores.

Frankly I am disappointed with Carrefour for folding. I won't be shopping at Carrefour anymore. They're more expensive than NTUC anyway, even with the 5% rebate from the POSB card.

*Bolded emphases mine

The Independent 20070127: Tesco under fire for selling live turtles at its first store in China

Tesco opened its first supermarket under its own brand name in China yesterday but animal rights activists say the British chain was guilty of cruelty to amphibians by selling live turtles and frogs at the Hymall Tesco store in Beijing.

Barbara Maas, chief executive of the Care for the Wild International (CWI) charity, said Tesco sells live turtles, frogs and fish at its joint venture stores - as do other Western supermarket chains operating in China, such as Carrefour, Metro and WalMart.

While conceding the plight of turtles and tortoises may not touch the heart of every animal lover, she said millions of the animals are mutilated or boiled alive for food and traditional medicine in China and urged Tesco to stop the barbaric practice.

“Tesco says as justification that it can’t transfer Western standards on to China but why not sell live kittens or dogs in that case? Tesco is unwilling to lose the tiny fraction live turtle and frog sales add to its £33.6bn annual profit,” said Ms Maas.

She said amphibians and reptiles have all the neurological components for pain perception and respond behaviourally to pain, so the animals experience terrible pain when their shell, limbs and entrails are cut away, but they are left alive for hours.

The CWI is likely to run into some serious cultural opposition on the issue. Turtles and tortoises are a regular feature in Chinese cuisine - turtle soup is a delicacy, as are dishes such as braised turtle in soy sauce or roasted turtle. About 20 million turtles are consumed in China each year and they are a luxury food which adds status to the meal. Rare turtles can cost thousands of pounds. The animals are a common sight in supermarkets, tied up and squirming in string bags alongside crabs and frogs.

To a Chinese person, eating turtle is no weirder than a Western person eating cheese. But Ms Maas insists the practice is inhumane.

“Tesco told us that it has commissioned research into the stunning of turtles, with the Chinese Institute of Science and Technology,” she said. “But our research has found dozens of scientific publications that demonstrate that turtles cannot be killed humanely for food.”

While Tesco claims that the turtles sold in its stores are farmed, CWI says conditions on the farms can be horrendous and turtle farming can damage wild populations by spreading disease and also because farming is likely to involve the collection of wild turtles.

Tesco is Europe’s top retailer and the third largest retailer in the world. It bought a 50 per cent stake in Hymall, a leading grocery brand under the Taiwan-based Ting Hsin International Group, in 2004, and increased its stake to 90 per cent last December.

The company has 45 Hymall stores in China, all of which will change their signs to Hymall Tesco.

Hymall Tesco will compete with other major supermarket chains, including France’s Carrefour, the Germany-based retailer Metro and the US giant Wal-Mart as well as the local retailer Jingkelong.

(Source: rain in calsifer’s firepit)

~ FiveCatsMom

Pet Food Recall!

2007-03-19T08:45:00.000+08:00

Another reason to cook your own pet food. The 40 brands were all made from this pet food company. Makes you wonder...

Canadian pet food company, Menu Foods, has recalled dog food sold under 46 brands and cat food sold under 37 brands, after it received complaints from pet owners in the US that their dogs and cats were vomiting and suffering kidney failure after eating its products.

Menu Foods says about 10 pets have died.

The recall covers its "cuts and gravy" style food sold from 3 December 2006 to 6 March 2007.

It is sold in cans and pouches, and includes brands such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.

The full list of affected brands can be found at the website www.menufoods.com/recall.

(Source: ChannelNewsAsia - AVA investigates pet food recall in North America)

~ FiveCatsMom

Open House at FiveCatsHome Week 3

2007-03-18T03:44:00.000+08:00

Mom gave us a lecture two night ago about doing our due diligence on catching roaches when she got shocked by one that very night. Honestly, it isn't very fun anymore and Dad does such a great job zapping them with the green bottle.

Anyway, today at Open House, we all took our usual fave positions, save for Buffy who insisted on sleeping on my couch head. Mom had fed us her beef stew and wheat grass so I didn't bother so much.

FiveCatsKid did come by to chase Tux a little and pat him excitedly. When Mom saw him, she quickly reminded "gentle" and he followed her example of gently stroking instead. Thankfully he remembered to gently pet me too.

Dad fed us the new lovely and yummy Natural Balance dry food. Finally! No more tasteless Felidae. Okay, time for a nap now.

~ Boy, the wise one

Boy Blogs on Funnies

2007-03-16T00:33:00.000+08:00

Tuxie always accuses me of not having a sense of humour. I do! Today I giggled at Dad chasing the bugs around. It's okay if there is just one, but 10 are a bit too many for me. Poor, poor Dad. We all just sat around watching...

Now here's some Funny Stuff, Tux. Look at these funny animals and these even funnier humans. *guffaw*

Many thanks to Funny Pop for sponsoring this post. More kibbles for me and me only. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah.
~ Boy, the funny and witty one

FiveCats Retire From Roach-Hunting Job

2007-03-16T00:28:00.000+08:00

Dad let us out today to catch the 10 roaches that have infested the house. But well, it isn't quite our territory anymore, so we just lay around and watched Dad chase them around with a can of bug spray. :)

Poor Mom and FiveCatsKid hid in the study till Dad caught them all and put them in the bin. They went zz-zz before he zapped them again. Soon after he fed us and gave us a lecture on doing our jobs.

Heh. Well, supper time now! Ta-ta!

~ Tux, on behalf of the 5 Cats

Tux Blogs on Secret Bookmarking

2007-03-13T23:29:00.000+08:00

Mom is getting suspicious of us cats using her old laptop. Just this morning, she caught me lying on it and shooed me away saying I would crush it. No! I am not that heavy, mam!

She almost opened it to check if it was still ok (what is her obsession with non-moving electronic things?) when FiveCatsKid distracted her by crying. (Good one, brother!)

I quickly began searching online on how to hide our tracks. Most importantly, our bookmarks, which are a hassle to remember. I mean, I can remember mine. But who can remember all the other 4 cats'?

I found an online bookmarking site called BookmarkAll. Very neat stuff. Mom will never find them. There's a toolbar on IE and Firefox that gives us quick access to our online bookmarks, we can see other cats and humans' public topics so I don't have to Google everything (good for old peeps like Boy who still don't know what Google is).

Plus the one, which humans call www.BookmarkAll.com, allows us to share our bookmarks with other humans and cats. Kaku can share her online game bookmarks with other cats (and humans if they are interested), Sam his poetry ones, and I don't know what the other two are up to.

If you want to find out more and join me, click here. Just don't tell Mom.
~ Tux, the smart and handsome one

News: Tigers Farmed For Bones and Wine

2007-03-13T08:46:00.000+08:00

The factory farm tigers being turned into wine

Cruel almost beyond belief, this Chinese farm breeds hundreds of tigers in rows of battery cages ... so they can be killed and turned into wine...

King, the Siberian tiger, stares at me through the bars of his cage. His two beautiful, graceful companions pace back and forth across their tiny compound. They look crushingly bored. The most exciting thing they can do is paw mournfully at the dirty pools of rainwater on the floor of their cage.

Although the Xiongsen tiger park, near Guilin in south-east China, appears to be a depressingly typical Third World zoo, with a theme park restaurant and open areas where tigers roam, it actually hides a far more sinister secret: it's a factory farm breeding tigers to be eaten and to be made into wine.

In row upon row of sheds, hundreds of tigers are incarcerated in battery-like cages which they never leave until they are slaughtered.

Visitors to the park can dine on strips of stir-fried tiger with ginger and Chinese vegetables. Also on the menu are tiger soup and a spicy red curry made with tenderised strips of the big cat. Visitors can wash it all down with a glass or two of wine made from Siberian tiger bones.

A waitress at the farm's restaurant tells me proudly: 'The tiger meat is produced here. It's our business. When Government officials come here, we kill a tiger for them so they have fresh meat. Other visitors are given meat from tigers killed in fights. We now have 140 tigers in the freezer.

"We also sell lion meat, bear's paw, crocodile and snake. The bear's paw has to be ordered in advance as it takes a long time to cook."

The waitress clearly does not care that she is selling meat and wine from endangered species. She is not worried that selling them is against Chinese and international law, and helps to fuel the poaching that is driving tigers to extinction.

Tigers and other endangered species are being reared on an industrial scale throughout China, despite international treaties forbidding this. The Mail discovered three factory farms breeding tigers in China. The Guilin farm alone has 1,300 tigers, including the incredibly rare and elusive Siberian sub-species.

It rears and slaughters Bengal, South China and White tigers. More than 300 African lions and 400 Asiatic black bears are also reared here for food and traditional Chinese medicines.

The Chinese authorities claim that farms like the one at Guilin are a vital part of the country's conservation efforts, and that they will one day release these endangered creatures back into the wild.

But my visit to the Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Mountain Village shows their real intention could not be more different. For the fact is that these animals could never survive in the wild.

Having spent their lives in tiny, battery-style units, they cannot hunt and would be dead within days of being released. Each shed at the tiger farm - and I saw at least 100 - houses between three and five tigers in a space no larger than a typical family living room. In relative terms, they have about as much space as a battery hen.

The animals have all been bred on the farm. The cubs are taken from their mothers at three months and put in a kindergarten. I saw around 30 tiger cubs in this creche, where they stay until they are old enough to be transferred to the battery units.

Many of the youngsters kept leaping at the fencing. The younger ones simply wanted to play like kittens. The older cubs were already showing signs of stress.

Tigers are naturally solitary creatures that roam over dozens of square miles, so it's hardly surprising that life in the cages drives them insane. I saw numerous examples of stress-related repetitive behaviour.

The mature animals paced back and forth across their cages for hours on end - three steps forward, three steps back. Some hurled themselves at the bars of their prison cells, while others simply stared into space.

Over-crowding drives the creatures to attack each other, often resulting in death. Officially it is only the tigers killed in such fights that can be eaten or turned into wine. But it is clear that many of them die as a result of a bullet to the head.

They are not the only animals killed. For entertainment, visitors to the animal park can watch the 'live killing exhibition', a sick spectacle in which animals are 'hunted' and torn to pieces by tigers while onlookers cheer.

I watched in horror as a young cow was stalked and caught by a tiger. Its screams filled the air as it struggled.

A wild tiger would dispatch its prey within moments, but these tigers' natural killing skills have been blunted by years of captivity. The tiger tried to kill - tearing, biting at the cow's body in a pathetic-looking frenzy - but it simply didn't know how. Eventually, the keepers stepped in and put the cow out of its misery.

Virtually all the tigers from the Guilin farm end up at a winery 100 miles to the north, their carcasses dumped in huge vats of rice wine and left to rot for up to nine years.

The Chinese believe that the tiger's strength passes into the wine as its body decomposes. They also believe that it is a powerful medicine that wards off arthritis, strengthens bones and acts as a general tonic.

Smelling like a mixture of methylated spirits, antiseptic and congealed meat, it is difficult to believe that anyone would willingly drink it, and yet people pay up to £100 a pint for it.

The Guilin farm also has its own small winery and acts as a distribution centre across China. The distribution manager showed me around with a Chinese tourist.

A small dingy office acts as the nerve centre of the warehouse. On the wall were charts showing that day's deliveries of tiger wine across China. Six crates were sent to Wuhan and another to Tianjing. Six crates of 'powdered bear' were sent to Shanghai. Numerous other cities and countless deliveries were also listed.

We were led into the warehouse, where I was hit with the disgusting and potent aroma of tiger wine. I was led past countless crates containing the foul-smelling brew. In the corner of the warehouse was a huge brown earthenware vat. It must have held at least 50 gallons, and its contents were probably worth around £12,000.

"We have three ages of wine," said the manager. "Three, six or nine-years old. It helps with arthritis and strengthens old people's bones."

She slid aside the lid of the earthenware vat to reveal a reddish-brown liquid with an overpowering smell of meths. A piece of string was pulled out of the vat. Attached to the end was a tiger's rib cage. Small slivers of dark red flesh could still be seen clinging to the bone, even though it had probably been in the vat for at least three years.

The manager then filled up an old plastic water bottle with a pint of wine and handed it to my fellow tourist. He paid £30 for it.

Whatever westerners think of tiger wine, the Chinese regard it as a potent drink with almost magical qualities. In the past, a Chinese doctor may have prescribed small quantities of wine for a short period of time.

But in recent years, big companies have moved into the market and industrialised all parts of the industry. Now the wine is becoming an essential drink for China's corrupt bureaucrats and the nation's nouveaux riches.

Conservationists say tiger farming is not only barbaric, it could lead to the animal's extinction in the wild.

"It is stimulating demand for meat and wine, and this will inevitably lead to more poaching," says Grace Gabriel, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"It costs £5,000 to raise a tiger from a cub to maturity in one of these farms, while it costs no more than £20 in India to poach one. On the market, a dead tiger can fetch £20,000.

"With such a huge margin, it is inevitable that more people will poach wild tigers if demand increases," she adds. "There are only a few thousand tigers left in the wild, and the last thing they need is increased demand for their body parts."

If present trends continue, tigers could be extinct in the wild within a decade. Three subspecies have already vanished. Chinese tigers are down to a pitiful 20 animals in the wild and are "functionally extinct".

There are only about 450 Siberian tigers left in Russia's Far East. The remaining 3-4,000 are sparsely scattered across India, Nepal and South-East Asia.

The trouble is that, as tigers become rarer in the wild, their 'street value' increases, which in turn encourages even more poaching.

Tigers have already become extinct in India's most famous reserve at Sariska. Numbers have plunged in several other reserves, too.

Most of these tigers will have been sold to traders in China. The Chinese authorities do virtually nothing to clamp down on this illegal trade, and many corrupt bureaucrats and police earn substantial sums from it.

And demand is continuing to increase as ever more bizarre uses for tigers are promoted. Tiger whiskers are used to 'cure' laziness and protect against bullets. Their brains, when mixed with oil and rubbed on the skin, are promoted as a cure for acne. Penises are used as aphrodisiacs, while hearts apparently impart courage, cunning and strength.

Tiger farmers also have their eyes on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. They hope that a huge influx of tourists will lead to increased demand for tiger wine.

Although it is illegal to trade internationally in such tiger products as wine, the Chinese are lobbying hard to get the law relaxed. This June, the Chinese Government is expected to press the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to allow the trade in 'medicines' such as wine produced from farmed tigers.

If agreed, it will lead to a massive increase in tiger farming and tens of thousands of these noble beasts will spend their lives in battery cages.

If the Chinese get their way, then it will almost certainly drive the tigers over the cliff into extinction.

It is almost too late to save this magnificent creature - but not quite.

• For more information about the trade in endangered species see www.ifaw.org

Most certainly there is much cruelty in the world with factory farming et all and we do not need to add to it, but there is no good reason why animals should be kept in captivity all their lives and killed as "delicacies" or "entertainment", especially an intelligent animal that may become extinct in 10 years.

Much of it is likely to be a perception that animals have no feelings and emotions. Until people see that this is erroneous, cruelty will continue. Note that people seem to harm their own species a lot less than the daily cruelty to animals.

For all its terrible cruelty to animals (eating everything, horrific killing methods, etc), absolute disregard for animal welfare whatsoever save for some groups here and there fighting to save the animals, and lax or non-existent laws regarding animal cruelty, I will never visit China until they begin a nation-wide campaign to educate people on animal welfare.

~ FiveCatsMom

Tuxie and Buffy's Birthday

2007-03-13T01:50:00.000+08:00

It's Tuxie and Buffy's 4th Birthday coming up soon on the 26th of March and I am thinking of buying them some nice Birthday Gifts online.

There are so many to choose from at United Kingdom Gifts. The site is easy on my eye, the information clearly laid out and easy to search via Categories and Occasions. Here's what is cool, some of the vendors also ship internationally!

Tux likes food and Buffy likes soft bedding. Hmm... Maybe I should just pick a couple of gifts I like...

This post is kindly sponsored by United Kingdom Gifts.

~ Kaku, the shy one

Mom Cooks for Us!

2007-03-12T08:55:00.000+08:00

Okay, actually, she cooked a week's batch of food for FiveCatsKid and gave us some too. It was quite delicious! There was premium minced beef, carrots, tomatoes, peas, sweet corn, spinach, and pasta. Better than the canned food I daresay and it was warm...

Silly Sam got scared of Grandpa and hid away. We ate his share. :D Buffy, Kaku, and I loved it most. There's something about us tabbies. :)

FiveCatsKid and Boy

2007-03-11T02:36:00.000+08:00

FiveCatsKid wakes from a nap rather disoriented.

He spots Boy docilely napping nearby.

Sits beside his brother for a bit.

Decides he is furry but friendly...

And heads over shyly to say hi. :D

Kaku Blogs on Grokodile

2007-03-11T02:01:00.000+08:00

Mrrow, it seems Mom hasn't been doing much publicity for our blog so I decided to list it in a blog directory. Perhaps more cats can find us now.

According to Tux, our Alexa rating (how important we are in the blogging world) is over 2 million. :( That doesn't sound good.

Maybe these Grokodile humans can help us get the word out. Their site looks easy to use and it is cat-friendly. :)

~ Kaku, the online gaming addict

This post is kindly sponsored by Grokodile.

Open House at FiveCatsHome Again

2007-03-11T00:43:00.000+08:00

Mom let us out this morning again. Yay! We all bounded to freedom and Buffy and Sam spent the rest of the day playing tag. Mom got quite annoyed.

Tux immediately made himself comfortable in the living room. Buffy took the couch head as usual. Me? I lay on the study couch head with Mom and FiveCatsKid as the little one played.

Later when Mom put FiveCatsKid for a nap, I joined them at my favourite spot beside Mom. She petted me as we all dozed for a lazy siesta. Gosh, FiveCatsKid sleeps even more than me! He was out for almost 2 hours.

When he woke, he looked really stoned like Tux when he realises no food is coming. I moved over to Dad's side of the bed and he followed me, patting me on the tummy. Now that wasn't nice and poor Mom kept telling him to be gentle. I grit my teeth till I couldn't take it anymore and left. Old men need their rest.

Still, I joined them (and Tux and Buffy) in the study watching FiveCatsKid play. He is such a curious furless one. Running up and down the weird green mats like doing a relay. Humans are strange. At least Mom doesn't do that!

~ Boy, the wise one

Tux Blogs on Winning!

2007-03-10T01:21:00.000+08:00

I am the alpha cat of the FiveCatsHome (except FiveCatsDad, of course, who is infinitely bigger and reads this blog) and I am used to winning. That's probably why I like Deal or No Deal so much. :D

I just joined Winzy, a cool game site where it is free (important for cats with no income) to play online games and win exciting prizes like the Nintendo Wii and Xboxes so Sam and I can play games together instead of lazing in the sun together.

Deal or No Deal has you open a few cases and each of them has a different amount of money. You keep picking them and the bank will offer you at some point to buy back the original case you picked. So do take the money or not so you can win more? Ooh...

Okay, I'm going back to play now. If you want to join me, head over to Winzy. It's free. Yeahhh.

Tux thanks Winzy for being so kind to sponsor this post and hopes that they will consider giving him the Nintendo.

Kaku Discovers Cafe.com!

2007-03-09T22:27:00.000+08:00

I am safely confirm that I am addicted to online games! Tux showed me another game called Cafe.com where I get to dress up and look like a human, talk to other computer humans (maybe also cats dressed as humans?) and play all sorts of fun games! How bizarre is that?

I didn't know what sort of human to dress up as so Sam suggested I try to look like Mom. So it was black hair in a pony tail, black jeans and a tee shirt.

Then Sam took over and began playing this game called Space Dhoom. When he got excited, his little stub of a tail began to wag. What a strange cat.

Finally Tux wanted Sam to groom his tail and he left me to play by myself again. I played Swordfish, Music Connect, and Ironsides. I didn't even run and hide when Aunty Nancy came to clean the house. My, was she surprised at shy Kaku tapping away at the keyboard!

It wasn't too long before I realised I had played all day and exhausted my free 500 gold coins. I wonder if Tux will buy me some more...

~ Kaku, the game addict

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Boy Blogs on Bulgaria

2007-03-09T00:51:00.000+08:00

I'm an old cat. I must confess. I'm still lithe and soft on my paws but I feel age catching up on me. I would love for Mom to move us somewhere where there's warm hot sun and beach sand under my paws and run for miles, instead of a Cat House and courtyard to sun myself with errant youth glaring at me all the time.

Tux says Mom might be able to buy property in Bulgaria. I'm not sure where he got that information from but he waxes lyrical of their beautiful beaches and lovely homes where cats can run free and without fear of extinction.

When I had a look at the website, it seems Tux is really interested in the skiing! He's so tubby that it would be perfect for him. :p He bookmarked this very pretty ski resort and I found that he even emailed them to ask if any instructors would be happy to teach a clever cat to ski.

Perhaps this entertainment is enough enticement for me to stay. :D

Many thanks to Bulgarian Venture who kindly sponsored this post. They however, have declined to allow Tux skiing lessons due to weight limits.

Purrs,
~ Boy, the wise one

Kaku Discovers Syberia 2!

2007-03-08T08:39:00.000+08:00

Since we've moved out to the Cat House, it has been sadly quite boring. I'm so used to playing hide and seek with Sam in Mom's study and my rubber mouse is chewed up to bits. Mom bought me a new one but it got a little drowned and ratty (no pun intended). Basking in the sun is only fun for so long and the birds fly so high and far. Sigh.

Tux's grin gleamed this morning when he passed me a small black object. It was Mom's PDA! He showed me how to use it and he had preinstalled this exclusive English game called Siberia 2. I felt like a kitten again. :D

I don't know how many cats play games on their PDA but this one has really pulled me in. When Mom came to feed me this morning, I didn't even hear her. I had become Kate Walker, adventurer extraordinaire, searching for the fabled Syberian mammoths.

Tux says it has the best graphics for any PDA and it is the sequel to the first award-winning version (he's obviously been using Mom's PDA for a while)! It is so fun! Okay enough blogging. I'm going back to play now.

~ Kaku, the adventurous one

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Tux Blogs on World Domination

2007-03-08T01:05:00.000+08:00

Okay, not really. But look at these kids I have to feed! Mom and Dad work such long hours we only get fed twice a day. Look how thin I have become... :( I am only 9kg and smaller than FiveCatsKid.

Anyway, I have been advised by my new Internet friends that we can make money by hoarding silver. Lots of humans want silver but there is not enough in the world, so humans will pay a lot of money for it.

How do we buy it, you ask me? Well, this company called Monex Deposit Company (MDC) apparently delivers if you pay them for us, and Dad says buying silver for cats is good karma. Why the other day, Mom bought some stuff from The Animal Rescue Site, including a silver cat pendant. That helped some cats.

You can too. Go to the silver site and tell them you want to buy some silver coins and ingots for Tux. They know who I am. Send some to the Cat Welfare Society too. They're nice.

Purrs,
Tux, the smart one

Make Money to Pay for Nicer Grub

2007-03-06T09:09:00.000+08:00

Mom asked us if we can help her promote her AGLOCO network. She says we'll get nicer wet food when that nice company pays us. So hey...

Basically all you have to do is one or both of 2 things:

1. Add a cute bar that sits at the bottom of your screen quietly (like Sam when he is asleep) and just surf normally.

2. Introduce your friends (feline and human) to join.

If you're lazy like us, you can just introduce a few friends and not load the bar and simply have a nap. Or if you are gung ho and always online like Mom, then install the bar (not edible unfortunately) and turn it on when you surf. If you don't like it, you can always turn it off.

Mom says it is cool for cats and humans and contains no nasties like spyware, spam, or pop-ups. The company makes money by selling ad space on the bar while you sleep (I mean surf) and then keeps a 10% agent's fee and pays you 90% back). It's a neat business model. Just create the system and get the advertisers and let us cats do all the work getting friends to join and ~~sleeping~~ surfing on the computer.

Mom's a hardcore skeptic so if she is convinced, we are convinced. After all, all we want is nice smelling kibbles and lovely wet food. If Mom makes enough money, she can stay home and cook for us (or even better, hire Nigella Lawson to cook for us)!

So if you want to check it out and there's really no harm (or dogs there), join Mom's AGLOCO network.

Purrs,
Boy, Tux, Buffy, Sam, and Kaku (mmrow)

A Tribute to 4 Cats' Mom

2007-03-06T01:35:00.000+08:00

Only when I actually looked back at Mini's blog did I find out how she rescued Buffy and Tux over 3 years ago. They had been crying for their mother for 9 hours and she was nowhere to be found. The authorities had been on a cat-hunt since news reports attributed the civet cat to be the cause of SARS. Of course, people naturally but wrongly pointed to cats as a potential killer even when civet cats were actually from the rodent family.

Anyway, they came to us motherless, just as Sam and Kaku did too (but theirs was permanent). I wish I had known the four cats' mother. Mini told me she was brave and clever and a wonderful mother who hid her second brood so carefully no one could find them. I always want to weep when thinking of her.

Dear Buffy's, Tuxie's, Sam's, and Kaku's Mom, your name probably known only in meows, know that your children are loved and adored by a small human family of three, who strive their best to feed them the best they can afford and give them the most comfort they can. RIP.

Disclosure Policy

2007-03-06T00:55:00.000+08:00

This policy is valid from 16 February 2007.

This is a personal blog written and edited by all 5 Cats and FiveCatsMom. It accepts all forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics, or posts made in this blog, which may or may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

While we are compensated to provide reviews on products, services, websites, and various other topics, we will always give my honest opinion, findings, beliefs, and/or experiences on those topics or products.

We will not knowingly endorse products and services that endorses cruelty to any animal or human, such as recreational fishing, fur, fois gras, and bear bile.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely our own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party in question.

Tux Blogs - Nice Feline from Dallas

2007-03-05T09:10:00.000+08:00

It's early and the other cats are still sleeping. I'm surfing Catster and hey, a pretty feline who lives in Dallas (no names mentioned) left me a message calling me a hunk. We chatted all morning about living with other cats, our dreams, and how to get our Moms to feed us more. She's so fluffy and white. I sure would love to groom that fur.

Boy mentioned sending his old girlfriend some flowers from this site called Digital Flowers the other day and let me check it out. *taps paws on keyboard* Ahh they have a Dallas flower delivery service too. Cool. I'll send her some flowers and maybe she'll send me more pictures of her. :D

This post was not possible without the kind sponsorship of Digital Flowers.

~ Tux, the smart one

Tux Blogs - Open Day Again!

2007-03-05T02:03:00.000+08:00

Hey, Dad freed us to roam today and boy, were we good. Mom was sitting on the couch nursing FiveCatsKid and Buffy and I lay next to her quietly. She petted us! It was sweet. :)

When the critter woke up, he was keen to pet my head but I wasn't too ecstatic. Mom kept saying "gentle, gentle" but the kid didn't quite get the memo. Never mind. He isn't scared of me anymore. Mm...

Buffy ate some plastic flower leaves, just like Boy did the other day before Mom stopped him. Both not too bright. Dad wasn't too alarmed. He said they'd poo it out but Mom was quite upset. Buffy and Boy resisted being caught. Frankly they look cheerier after eating the plastic leaves. Don't ask me why.

Dad was quite amused when Buffy decided to chase and harrass Sam. He told Mom, hey, did you know when the kids fight, their tails fluff up? Yes, even Sam's little stub! She was horrified and so was I. That was so rude. :( Poor Sam. Not his fault he is tail-less. Well, virtually.

Anyway, we hung out all afternoon till the humans (sigh... easier to call them that now) decided to go out. Dad lured us outside with some yummy canned food and locked us back in the Cat Home. Sigh... I knew what was coming but how could I resist?

Of course, I protested very loudly but they all ignored me. :( Luckily I still have great grandpop's phone so I can still surf and blog. Anyone sent me that new phone yet?

~ Tux, the smart one

Get Tux a Phone from Wirefly STAT!

2007-03-04T04:39:00.000+08:00

Psst... need a new phone?

You can get a 50 buck rebate on a new phone if you order a new T-mobile plan online of at least $34.99 a month.

The nice humans at Wirefly are selling T-Mobile phones and ooh... *taps paws on keyboard* the Samsung T629 which Sam's been howling about.

Yeah yeah, that's how we've been blogging, but shh don't tell Mom. Right now we're sharing a phone great-grandpop left behind and by chance while chasing Buffy, I stumbled upon the surfing function.

Now we all want to get our own phones! Boy likes the T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl (actually I do too but I won't admit it now that he says he likes it), Buffy likes the Motorola v195 which she says she can carry in her mouth, Sam, as you know, wants the Samsung T629 (I wonder if it is because his name is in the brand name... hmm...), Kaku likes the BlackBerry 8700g, and me... heh. I like the one Boy's having.

Anyway, if you want to buy any of the phones for us (preferably the one for me), you can get this cool rebate deal from now till March 31, 2007. It's my birthday on 26th March! Don't forget!

This post was sponsored by Wirefly. Get ya phones from them today.

~ Tux, the elegant one

Open House at FiveCatsHome

2007-03-03T17:10:00.000+08:00

It's open house today. Yay! The cats delighted scampered out and explored the home, ensuring no one breached their territory. It's amazing how they remember they belong here, even after staying out back for the past few months.

I fed them a can of wet food and later, some deboned salmon I'd cooked for lunch. Buffy, Kaku, and Boy (the three tabbies, I am beginning to call them) gobbled it down, and surprisingly, greedy Tuxie turned his nose at it.

FiveCatsKid happily tried to pet Boy, Tux, and Buffy but they were too distracted by their newfound freedom. They all returned to their old fave spots: Sam in Dad's cupboard, Boy on the study couch head, Buffy on her bedroom perch, Tux just vanished... Kaku stayed at the back.

Wonderfully, FiveCatsKid was so entralled by Buffy on the perch that he let me go off for 1 minute without a sound. In fact he was still happily playing with his toys or looking at Buffy blinking serenely at him when I returned (as promised to him, in a minute). This is unprecedented and a new high. :)

If you didn't follow the chronicles before, the cats were moved to their own Cat Home behind the kitchen after FiveCatsKid hit around 3-4 months old and started crying a lot. The sound alarmed them and some perps began marking the house. Now it seems they are over that and we're considering allowing them free rein of the house again.

It will be lovely. I missed seeing them around all the time so very much.

Now to attend to the mystery of how exactly they are blogging...

Tux Blogs - Issue 2

2007-03-03T13:33:00.000+08:00

Psst... Mom let us out to play with FiveCatsKid today so while she's entertaining the furless one.

Mom is cooking salmon. I can smell it in the oven but that dang thing is so hot that I burnt my paws the last time I tried to grab food from it. :(

It's nice to be out again! So much territory to roam and no need to share it with the others. I feel like a male cat again. Grr...

Okay, Mom will you feed us your salmon already? *whine*

~ Hungry Tux

Boy Blogs About An Old Love

2007-03-03T03:10:00.000+08:00

Ahh that soppy cat. I can't believe he wrote a poem for Tux! It reminds me of my old girlfriend Monday. It must be over 10 years now. Oh no... 14 years since we dated over the Internet. I had my animal welfare site up and she had hers. She was so beautiful and calm. It was love.

I think I'll send her some flowers. She lives in Chicago last I remember and *taps paws on keyboard* here we have a Chicago flower delivery service.

What lovely arrangements they have! I think The FTD® Abundant Rose™ Bouquet is perfect for her (to chew on). Hmm... I think she'll also enjoy a teddy bear to hug and some balloons to pop.

Many thanks to Digital Flowers for sponsoring this post from an old cat and the flowers for his girl.

~ Boy

Sam Blogs - Issue 1

2007-03-03T03:00:00.000+08:00

A Poem for Tux

I love Tuxie.
I really do.
He's my everything
since I first met him
so long ago
when I was sad and blue.
He's the sunshine of my life.
His soft tongue grooms me
and I purr and purr.
I'm never cold when it rains
because Tux is near,
I don't feel bad I have no tail,
because Tuxie loves me so.