Oh, behave!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

No, we are not imagining things but it does seem that Milo is even more frisky after his de-mojo-ing! Maybe he's making up for lost time, heh ...


Milo: I have my rights as a frisky kitten! That includes hogging toys!

Milo gets on the nerves of Kootoo Monster ...


Kootoo: Do you think Papa Porky will notice if I wallop Milo? I'll make sure he doesn't lose too much fur ... at least not where it is most obvious.

... and even the Resident Groucho runs helter skelter from the prancing tiger.


Muffin: Why can't he leave me alone? For that matter, why can't everyone leave me ALONE?

Maybe it's time to administer this again?


Milo: Grrrrrrr! I am going to chew this off!

Cat physics:
Law of Obedience Resistance - A cat's resistance varies in proportion to a human's desire for her to do something.

Milo's got balls ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

... to challenge Top Cat Kootoo Boy.



No PEAS? No PEACE!

Cat Physics:
Law of Cat Composition - A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-Matter + It Doesn't Matter.

Happy cats don't need balls ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



... they need TLC, especially after losing their balls :)

Cat physics:
Law of Cat Thermodynamics - Heat flows from a warmer to a cooler body, except in the case of a cat, in which case all heat flows to the cat.

When you gotta go ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

... you gotta go - to the vet, that is.



Milo's scheduled for de-mojo-ing this Friday. He will be 8 months old come Monday, old enough to lose his balls.

Cat physics:
Law of Cat Sleeping - All cats must sleep with people whenever possible, in a position as uncomfortable for the people involved as is possible for the cat.

Trojan kitty!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

The kitties' curiosity piqued by a souvenir from Phuket.


Hmmm, the head does not smell like a kitty ...


... and the hind has a lovely, woody fragrance!


Top Cat Kootoo pronounce the wood block kitty good for sharpening one's claws.

Cat physics:
Law of Cat Disinterest - A cat's interest level will vary in inverse proportion to the amount of effort a human expends in trying to interest him.

The Office

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



Back at work and doing Over Time +_+

I'd rather be home cuddling the cats.

Cat physics:
Law of Refrigerator Observation - If a cat watches a refrigerator long enough, someone will come along and take out something good to eat.

Back to the daily grind

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

We're back from the lovely island of Phuket!

The cats missed us terribly, especially Kootoo Boy.

My sister, who popped by twice a day to look after the trio, said Kootoo was rather subdued and ignored her totally. He even crouched outside our bedroom and howled *_*

I can't imagine what it would be like if we were to take two weeks' vacation!

Here are some vacation pixs taken with my Nokia N73.


Pretty flowers at a spa.


Sunset at Patong beach.


This one really tickled me!! (Katoys = "Lady boys")


Grim reminder of the disaster in 2004.


Chanced upon this while shopping at Tesco. Cat food for 40 baht!! (S$1 approximately 23.3 baht)

Cats physics:
Second Law of Energy Conservation- Cats also know that energy can only be stored by a lot of napping.

Uh-oh ...

GULP!



The Pigs are going away for a short holiday tomorrow!!

I guess being the Top Cat has its responsibilities, eh?

It's time to whip these two boys into shape! [nyeh nyeh nyeh *evil laughter*]


Muffin: Bah! That stripey lardball thinks he can throw his weight around and lord over us when the Pigs are away. He shall have a taste of the Groucho Deadly Bite!


Milo: Ehn? I am just minding my own business ...

Cat Physics:
First Law of Energy Conservation - Cats know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and will, therefore, use as little energy as possible.

5,012

That's the number of cats "humanely destroyed" by the SPCA Singapore in its last FY ending 30 June 06.

Its latest annual report came through the post today, and here are some grim statistics on cats:

No. brought in: 5,568
No. of adoptions: 358
No. claimed/rehomed/released: 138
No. in shelter: 60
No. humanely destroyed: 5,012

90% of the cats brought in to the SPCA are humanely destroyed (I love euphemisms!).

Why? Because SPCA does not have the space nor financial resources to keep all 5,568 of them in the shelter.

Why were these 5,568 cats brought to the SPCA then? Because some of us humans have deemed that cats cannot and should not co-exist with us in our clean, modern urban dwellings. Ergo, these cats are condemned and kaput!

Of course, some of the 5,012 cats HAVE to be put to sleep because they were victims of OUR abuse, and letting them go is the solution to their physical and emotional suffering.

But what about the rest?

Finishing them off with a lethal jab is, of course, the easiest way out to the "overcrowding" situation. But is it really humane? From whose perspective is it humane anyway? When did they become lesser beings?

Indeed, if you look at it from a certain perspective, dying seems to be far better off than living life as a community cat - running away from nasty children, watching out for cruel abusers, suffering from constant hunger and cold, and living in perpetual fear of pest controllers.

What bothers me is this: Why can't we accept these animals on their own terms? Why don't we learn to tolerate them? Afterall, we don't go around rounding up people whom we dislike and finish them off with a gun, do we? (Unless, of course, you are from the mafia.)

I know putting animals to sleep is a nasty job which the SPCA had to do. Because WE allow it to happen. And which is why I have decided NOT to donate to the SPCA. I know it also needs funds for public education and outreach activities and sterilisation of strays etc. SPCA has done a decent job in raising awareness of animal welfare and deserves a pat on the back. But I cannot sign on the dotted line, knowing that part of my donation would go towards the killing of 5,012 cats.

I think my money would be better used in sterilising the community cats in my neighbourhood and allowing them the chance to live out its life as a fellow being.


Kootoo - one of the lucky few put up for adoption at the SPCA in May 2005.

Happiness is ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


... when the most grouchy kitty of them all come to you for snuggles and chin rubs.

Miracles do happen on birthdays :D

Cat quote of the day:
I put down my book, The Meaning of Zen, and see the cat smiling into her fur as she delicately combs it with her rough pink tongue. Cat, I would lend you this book to study but it appears you have already read it. She looks up and gives me her full gaze. Don't be ridiculous, she purrs. I wrote it.
-Dilys Laing

Thank you Papa Porky ...

... for the sweet surprise :)

- Mama Piggy

Cat quote of the day:
Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.
-Colette

Cat It

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

We finally got a Cat It water fountain for the trio.


As usual, Inspector Kootoo is checking on new gadgets for suspicious elements (Papa Porky says Kootoo looks as if he is smoking a shisha ^_^).

While Milo enjoys the cool, oxygenated water, and of course he couldn't resist playing with the cascading water!

Cat quote of the day:
A cat can be trusted to purr when she is pleased, which is more than can be said for human beings.
-William Ralph Inge

Bonding

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Two can play at that game.



Kootoo has the most precious expression while watching the duo playing.



What do you think he seems to be thinking about?

Cat quote of the day:
I love cats. I love their grace and their elegance. I love their independence and their arrogance, and the way they lie and look at you, summing you up, surely to your detriment, with that unnerving, unwinking, appraising stare.
- Joyce Stranger

Booger

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


I cannot fathom why Muffin, for all his fastidious grooming and excellent eatiquette, persist in having yucky stains around his nostrils.



Cat quote of the day:
A cat sees us as the dogs...A cat sees himself as the human.
- Unknown

See through!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



An interesting perspective of Milo from under my dining table.

Cat quote of the day:
Places to look: behind the books in the bookshelf, any cupboard with a gap too small for any cat to squeeze through, the top of anything sheer, under anything too low for a cat to squash under and inside the piano.
- Roseanne Ambrose-Brown

Beware ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

... of the cold/flu (whatever, I still can't tell the difference!) bug that seems to be going around. Now that I have recovered, I notice quite a number of people falling sick, with the same symptoms of sorethroat and cough. Maybe it's the haze?


Kootoo demonstrating the fine art of having a good rest.

Whatever it is, do drink lotsa water, take your medication and most importantly, have plenty of rest!

Cat quote of the day:
In my experience, cats and beds seem to be a natural combination.
- Louis J. Camuti, DVM

Spaced out ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


... thanks to the cough mixture.

The cats have been very sweet, they kept me company even though I was sick and grumpy.

They know which is the hand that gives out yummylicious cat treats, so eat your heart out, Papa Porky!

Cat quote of the day:
Cats are designated friends.
- Norman Corwin

Life is beautiful

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Yes it is.



That's what I have been telling myself, even though I am down with a bad bout of cold/cough for more than a week.

More kitty updates to come, I promise.

Meanwhile, enjoy this dainty lotus pix which was taken by yours truly in Suzhou, China.

Crouching Tiger

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


Starring Milo Poopster. Coming to a screen near you soon!

Cat quote of the day:
He seems the incarnation of everything soft and silky and velvety, without a sharp edge in his composition, a dreamer whose philosophy is sleep and let sleep.
- Saki

Scarred

My bee-ooo-tiful, princely, smoochable face is disfigured!!!

LOOK! Look at that BLOODIED scar under my left nostril!

SOMEBODY'S GOTTA PAY FOR THIS!!

Cat quote of the day:
For me, one of the pleasures of cats' company is their devotion to bodily comfort.
- Sir Compton Mackenzie

The face of a monster

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



Kootoo Monster has been rather naughty lately. He would sidle up to Muffin, growl, snarl and smack Muffin on the head. Many a times I had to break up the fracas before things get really ugly.

I wonder if this tension between the duo is causing Muffin to knead and suckle suddenly.

Cat quote of the day:
A home without a cat, and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat, may be a perfect home, perhaps; but how can it prove its title?
- Mark Twain

I knead to know ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

... when will Muffin outgrow this behaviour?


'Cos it is very ouch when he does it on ME!

Cat quote of the day:
Since each of us is blessed with only one life, why not live it with a cat?
- Robert Stearns

Love is ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



... sharing the coveted throne with your brother.

Cat quote of the day:
Cats do not have to be shown how to have a good time, for they are unfailing ingenious in that respect.
- James Mason

Camouflage?

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


Pix courtesy of kuro.shiro.neko

Kuro.Shiro.Neko says Milo blends into the marble flooring.

What do you think?

Cat quote of the day:
A cat pours his body on the floor like water. It is restful just to see him.
- William Lyon Phelps

Kuro.Shiro.Neko pays a visit

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Kuro.Shiro.Neko came for tea today, she brought treats for the kiddos and Mama Piggy :)


Kuro.Shiro.Neko checking Milo for baaaad breath. Her verdict: "Donch have leh!"

Thank goodness, the kiddos were rather well-behaved as they were a bit stoned, after being interrupted from their usual afternoon nap.



Despite his Don't-Touch-Me cattitude, I think Muffin was Kuro.Shiro.Neko's favourite because of his nice and silky fur.


As for Kootoo, he had to show the guest who's the top cat of the house by chasing Muffin off his favourite Ikea throne. Minus points for unruly behaviour.

Cat quote of the day:
When a cat chooses to be friendly, it's a big deal, because a cat is picky.
- Mike Deupree

Scrapbook for Phyllis

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Am going to make a scrapbook of Muffin's growing up pixs for Phyllis, who fostered him and healed his wounds.

Of course, the scrapbook should contain some classic pixs, like this one:


Muffin: But ... but ... but they told me I'm a girl! Am I too purrrty for my own good?

And this one:


Muffin: Gaaaah! Now that they've decided that I am a boy there's no need for me to behave like a lady.

Vegancat says Phyllis would be thrilled to tears. Heheh ... more likely to be tickled to tears.

Cat quote of the day:
There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat.
- Wesley Bates

Hairy and Hairier

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

You decide who's which :)


Just so that you know which part of Papa Porky's anatomy was shown in the pix ...


Cat quote of the day:
The mathematical probability of a common cat doing exactly as it pleases is the one scientific absolute in the world.
- Lynn M. Osband

Respite

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Thank goodness for the morning shower, albeit a short one.

The heat in the past couple of days has gotten rather unbearable, even for the cats, as demonstrated by Milo. See the cutesy close-up!



Cat quote of the day:
Her function is to sit and be admired.
- Georgina Strickland Gates

Post-lunch portraits

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Typical kitty behaviour after the weekly treat of schtinky wet food ...


Kootoo: Gawd ... think I over-ate again ... *Burp*


Muffin in a horizontal stupor.


Milo: Mumsy's lap is the bestest spot for afternoon snooze.

Cat quote of the day:
There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat.
- Wesley Bates

Apple of my eye

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Who else, but Kootoo? :D

Cat quote of the day:
A cat is a tiger that is fed by hand.
- Vakaoka Genrin

My heart skips a beat ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



... whenever I see Tortie Mummy aka Milo's Mummy at the multi-storey carpark in my estate. And then I give thanks for the fact that she is still well and alive.

I worry for her, because she is such a friendly and approachable community cat -- an easy target for potential abusers and "the authorities".

Also, some feeders in my estate have been leaving food in disposable containers for the cats, and it's a messy sight. I haven't been able to catch them in the act and advise them to clean up.

While I am glad that there are kind souls who care for Tortie Mummy and a couple of other community cats here, I hope they realise that their very action could get the cats into trouble, if they don't clear up the mess.

Already, the Malay uncle who also feeds Tortie Mummy (with dry food) told me the other day that someone from the town council told him to stop feeding the cats. I gave the uncle my mobile number and told him to contact me if the town council guy harangues him again. It also came to my knowledge that earlier on, "the authorities" had sent cat traps to our estate. Surely we can work out a more humane solution instead of a quick-fix that necessitates the loss of innocent feline lives?

As for "the authorities", is it too much of me to ask that you DO NOT round up cats with tipped ears?!? Cats like Tortie Mummy have already been "fixed", now go "fix" something else, like the broken solar-powered lamps at Potong Pasir!

Cat quote of the day:
Cats do not declare their love much; they enact it, by their myriad invocations of our pleasure.
- Vicki Hearne

Cute & Meaningful decal

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


Saw this decal on a car window in Lorong Ah Soo today. Does anyone know how/where I can get one? The website says free copies are available for organisations/groups, so I don't think it will entertain individual requests ...

Thanks in advance!

WWF

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



Yes, the Wonderful Wrestling Felines are at it again.

As you can see, Muffin is back to his old self, save for his shrivelled and shaven pea sacs.

Cat quote of the day:
One reason we admire cats is for their proficiency in one-upmanship. They always seem to come out on top, no matter what they are doing, or pretend they do.
- Barbara Webster