4,543

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

I guess I should be "glad" - the number of cats that were "humanely destroyed" at the SPCA in FY06/07 went down by 9.4%, compared to FY05/06. Still, the thought of 4,543 cats being put to sleep (PTS) just because they were found to be a "nuisance" depresses me -- a lot.


Kootoo: Huh? Who says we are a nuisance? You people who dump your unwanted flyers and mailers at the void deck are the real nuisance! Four legs good, two legs baaaad!

SPCA's latest annual report also showed that cat adoptions went up by 12.5% - 403 lucky cats found homes in FY06/07 compared to 358 in the preceding year.


Muffin: We are a good companion in any home - HDB or otherwise. We are quiet, fastidiously clean and do not caterwaul after being de-mojoed. And hullo, we are DOMESTIC, NOT nomadic!

A quick check of AVA's annual reports also pointed to a "positive" trend - the number of cats impounded (with the vast majority being PTS) by the AVA in the last 3 years has been decreasing steadily. There were 4,790 cats impounded in FY 06/07, a 15% drop compared to FY05/06, and a decrease of 17.6% against the 5,810 reported in FY 04/05.

So what do all these figures mean? I certainly hope the latest statistics show that Singaporeans are now more aware of animal welfare and the proper management of community cats; that more people realise that culling is only an easy way out, an inhumane act which serves no purpose except to achieve a quick-fix "solution" in the short-term.


Milo: Have mercy -- love us, not hurt us!

But I am being rather optimistic here. The road ahead to greater awareness and tolerance is fraught with ceaseless difficulties. When people who cannot see beyond themselves continue to be self-seeking, and bring up a generation of self-serving, selfish children, the hope for a more compassionate and caring society dims.

Reflections

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


Miss Piggy, circa late 1970s.

My mother tried to abort me, not once but twice, when I was a one and a half month old foetus. There were just too many of us. I was the fifth child. Obviously, I clung on to dear life. (Maybe the herbal preparation my mom took was not "powderful" enough to get rid of me. She subsequently went for a jab at the Women's Clinic which didn't do its trick either.)

At age four, I got hit by a pickup truck at my kampong one evening. I had followed my brother across the road to the provision shop, without him knowing. On other days, I would have been too scaredy-cat to cross the road. But that night, I remembered vividly, the lights at the provision shop seemed especially inviting and bright, and it seemed to beckon me to walk over to the other side. BANG! The impact sent me flying some 20 metres across the road. Except for some bad grazes on my limbs and face, I had no other injuries. Amazing, no? But the pickup truck's bumper was badly dented, according to my mom. The poor driver, he must have been frightened out of his wits.

As the saying goes, 大难不死，必有后福. Maybe, as a friend said, good karma had ripen during both instances.

Whatever it is, it is great to have made it to this world. And while I am here, I shall make it a point to help others, to relieve others of their suffering wherever I can, and to not contribute to the suffering of others.

* * * * *

35 years ago on this very evening, a piggy was born to the household of Lee in a kampong called Lorong Halus, off old Tampines Road.

What a difference ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

... two weeks make!

The Fantastic Four have grown so much, and are sooooo adorable!


Darling of the lot - Cappuccino.


Big brother Latte is a classic ginger.


Sweety Tiramisu has a perfect, long tail.


Milk Tea is an imp. Notice his socks?

Must find them good homes soon.

Sigh, am sure it will be tough for my sister to give her 'babies' away ...

Brownie and Scout revisited

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Selamat Hari Raya!

We paid a visit to Senor Achiwawa and his family today, and are pleased to report that Brownie and Scout look very happy!


Brownie has blossomed into a beautiful girl.


Scout has the most gorgeous eyes, complete with kohl eyeliner!

As you might recall, Scout is sick (suspected FIP) and is now on steroids to keep his respiratory problems at bay.



Now (top, taken on 12 Oct 2007) and then (below, taken on 10 March 2007).



He looks small for a nine month old kitty, and is quite bony despite his voracious appetite. We really hope this little boy, or Small Fry, as Senor Achiwawa's mother calls him, gets better with time.

Scout doing an impression of Suckling Pig for the guests.


Frontal view.


Plane view.


Zonked out by the festive celebrations.

Twinkle Fatty Star

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Hats off to Calsifer, who made a lardball out of Twinkle.


Pix courtesy of Calsifer, chieftain of Tipped Ear Clan.

I swear that Twinkle isn't as fatty bom bom in catperson. Time to throw away the Canon S2, Calsifer!! :)

Itsy bitsy

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

The teeny weeny kitties are "behind bars" for the moment. They are too tiny to be left roaming around the house - we might make cat pizzas out of them!

And finally we managed to get some decent pixs of each of them.

Presenting ... The Fantastic Four!

They are slowly being weaned off milk, and are litter-bin trained. We will send them for their first vaccination at two months before putting them up for adoption.

Kitties galore at the cattery

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

There were so many abandoned kittens waiting for a good home at the cattery. Most of them were dumped as families started their festive preparations.



This is one of the Meowsons. She is such a darling, so amenable and cuddly. She's got a gorgeous ginger brother who is very manja, but because he couldn't keep still, there are no nice pixs of him (actually me thinks the photographer is lousy! *Ahem*).

Here are some random pixs of the cats at the big cattery, taken by Papa Porky.





And no, we haven't forgotten our little friend Twinkle, who is still waiting for a good home.


Pix courtesy of Vegancat.

There's something about Kootoo ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



Yes, there is. Just look at the cropped close-up of his face. Surely there is a soul behind those emerald eyes?

The best things in life ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

... are free!



Papa Porky made a toy "house" out of a discarded cardboard box, complete with little cut-out holes here and there.



The kitties had a lot of fun with it, playing hide and seek and ambushing one another.

Fantastic Four

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

We have crawled into Week 4 with the four kitties. They are now a playful bunch and simply cannot keep still! These photos were taken after much difficulty.

Brownie Tortie tends to plays rough with them, so my sister's gotta keep a close watch.

Not enough time to play with new 'toy'!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


Milo: I can has wet food? Pretty please?

I haven't got time to read the user's manual for my new camera!

Out with Nikon Coolpix S7c ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

And in with Canon EOS 400D SLR!

Woohoo, look at these gorgeous sharpies of the KMM gang!

The haunting

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

What could Kootoo Monster possibly be dreaming of??

Bringing up Junior

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



My sister and I have absolutely no experience in bringing up newborn kitties. We've had numerous cats since we were kids, but the kittens were always taken care of by their mother.

So when this bunch of helpless kitties were thrust into our care, we were naturally quite apprehensive.

Thank goodness, the kittens chose to live, perhaps knowing that they have been given a second chance at life.

Mark that ginger boy in the video, he will grow up to melt some hearts.

Nat Geo junkie?

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Why is Muffy so enthralled?


Ahhh, big cats on Planet Carnivore ...


I can ROARRRRRR too!

Sighting!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Kootoo Monster and Gigantus Footus (commonly known as Bigfoot)!

Dumb & Dumber

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Or is it Gong-kia and Chow-bin (Silly & Sullen)?

Cute Attack!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Enjoy :)

I hates you

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



A tender moment it was not to be ...

The milk of human kindness

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


Weighing in at between 120 and 140 grammes, these wee lil' ones can be surprisingly feisty during feed time.



Possibly the runt of the litter, this ginger baby gets fed first.

Baby portraits

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Here's a pix of one of the ginger furballs.


Extreme close-up - look at his tiny claws!


Papa Porky, who is handling newborn kitties for the very first time, is struggling to keep the lil' one from crawling out of his hand! Looks like he could do with more training.


Video and pixs of feeding to come.

All in the family

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

It started with me, and then my sister got into the act. Then mama-mia! My mother decided to do it. Now my second eldest brother found that he couldn't resist the call too.



Yes, he found this litter of kitties dumped in a box next to a rubbish bin, and brought them back to my sister. The three ginger boys (we presume) and tortie girl wouldn't have survived out there for long - their eyes are still closed, and they need to be bottle-fed. We hope they will pull through ...

The person who dumped them ought to be ________________ (fill in your favourite torture method).

Brownie Tortie spayed at 4 months!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Remember Brownie Tortie, the kitten my mother picked up two months ago?



Well, apparently the kitty came into heat at the age of four months!

Despite Brownie's tender age and light weight, the vet found her fit for spaying. Thank goodness she recovered very fast after the op, and her stitch wound healed very well. Guess this is why some vets advocate sterilising cats at five months!

The Purrfect Sunday

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

The house is clean, the kitties fed, and all is quiet ...