One girl, too many animals..

Foster Pooch

2012-02-03T16:01:00.008+08:00

My darling foster pooch has a lot of names. She has been named by everyone she's met. Her name is Puppy Cola, Falkor, Falkora, Goma, Felly, Bada, Ume, and Westie. I just call her Puppy or Pupsilly. This little girl is one of 19 white toy dogs dumped outside a shelter by cruel backyard breeders who no longer had a use for them. 9 of the dogs are poodle terrier mixes, 10 of them are maltese terrier mixes. Puppy is one of the latter. 17 of the 19 dogs are female. None of the dogs were neutered, all past prime breeding age, and every single one cruelly debarked. Because there is no cctv outside this particular shelter, no one has any idea who dumped all 19 pooches. Needless to say someone had made their money and was done exploiting these dogs so they were tossed out like yesterday's garbage. I guess we can only be glad that the people who used them for their own financial gain had the "heart"(if you could call it that) not to kill them. Lots of people have stepped up to foster or adopt them all through Cherish Life Home and KL Pooch Rescue with Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better sponsoring neutering costs.

I met Puppy at the home of the great ladies of KL Pooch Rescue. When I went there i saw around 10 little white dogs all running around. It was a very surreal moment. I couldn't pick who I wanted to foster. How could I? They all needed fostering. But it was ok because eventually Pupsilly picked me :) I was squatting on the ground holding out my hand and trying to make friends with the dogs but they were mostly fearful or indifferent. That's when Pups tentatively crept up to my hand and sniffed it then licked it. That was that. I knew we were gonna be fine :) Puppy is super duper sweet. At first she was timid, fearful, flinched and cowered every time I pet her or went near her. She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. She acted as if she was used to being hit and expected it :( She's much better now and runs around having fun in my apartment. She's been sleeping in my bed and she's so comfy she loves it. She can't bark but makes a weird little sound when she's excited. She's not toilet-trained but I'm trying to paper-train her. So far we're not progressing in that sense. I've bought two different housebreaking aid products and they're not really helping. Puppy has been with me about 2 weeks now and was spayed this past Monday. She's gaining weight and looking healthier. I'm trying to find her a home but will be very very sad when she leaves me. I hope she goes to a good friend or a relative so I can see her sometimes.

Puppy when she just arrived at my home.

Puppy and her Chinese New Year toy.

Puppy after her first bath. She was very upset about that.

Puppy meets Knutella

Charlie Tux avoiding Puppy

Tamago ignoring Puppy

Meeting Fatfat

Do I have to get out of bed mum?

Recovering from spay surgery :(

Enjoying a jerky treat with Tamago

With Knutella

Feeling much better two days after spay surgery :)

Enjoying the good life for the first time.

Wow! Beds are awesome!

Hanging with Fatfat

Charlie Tux and Knutella news

2012-02-03T14:24:00.006+08:00

Charlie Tux went to her new home last Saturday. She now lives with a really nice lady and another little ginger kitten. These are the last photos I took of her. While she was with me she had developed the habit of perching on my shoulder and nibbling my ears. Funny girl. She is missed!

Knut has also been adopted! She met her adopter last night and will be going to her new home next week.

Goodbye Coco

2012-01-30T12:07:00.005+08:00

I hope you're having fun over there across the rainbow bridge. Maybe you're reunited with Tony and Molly.. But I have a feeling your heaven is a cat only place... No dogs allowed. I know how annoying you thought the dogs were. I hope you've found the comfiest of all human laps over there! So you can finally curl up in peace instead of constantly doing the kneading dough, baking cookies thing! I forgive you for taking a crap in my laundry basket all those times, peeing in my handbag twice, and peeing on my flip-flops all the time. I know you did those things as revenge... since they seemed to happen after you were scolded. You could be mean but sometimes you were the sweetest most affectionate kitty. You were definitely different from all other cats I have met in my life. One in a million. A force to be reckoned with. A no-nonsense kitty that did what she liked when she liked. A mini diva, skinny kitty with big hair, big attitude in a tiny package. Rest in peace dear girl.

Update on current foster monsters Knutella & Charlie Tux

2012-01-16T15:17:00.009+08:00

I was wrong about both kittens. Neither of them are male. They are both female. Charlie Tux is still with me but has been adopted! Her adopter came over and the interview went really well! I really like the lady. She will go to her new home this Saturday morning. Her adopter is cat-proofing her apartment and buying all the feline necessities. I'll miss Charlie but I also hope I never see her again! You know what I mean :) I hope the adoption goes well and lasts forever.

Knut is officially Knutella and she is doing great. She's healthy and actually looks like a cat now. Fully weaned, fully litter-box trained. She's having a little problem with ringworm right now but we're fixing that with anti-fungal cream and sebolyse. She's a little punk now and has been wrestling with Charlie who is about twice her size. She's so cute. I think I'll cry when she's adopted. The hand-reared ones always break my heart when they leave me.

So far, 2012 is off to a good start for my rescued animals!! Let's hope it stays that way.

Knutella - Still tiny but so grown up already.

One paw on my leg and looking at me as if to say "Are you my mummy?"

Steady enough to play ball :)

Snack-sized Knutella.

Knutella enjoys having teeth and chowing down on kibble.

Watching Charlie Tux steal her food...

Charlie loves attacking Fatfat's tail.

Fatfat losing his patience with the little tail-attacking turd.

Finally, just hanging out.

Waiting our turn at the vet.

Charlie was vaccinated and Knutella was diagnosed with ringworm. Ewww....

Shelter dogs & Nicole's Foster Kittens - Munchkin, Morrisey, Morgan

2012-01-04T14:58:00.006+08:00

My dear friend NT is ridiculously busy with her new job! She works 15 hour days and still manages to care for her cats and dogs and her foster furkids! All of her friends are worried that she will burn out and we don't think she should foster as much as she used to.. or at least if she rescues, she should pass the critters to us for fostering. Anyway here are her three current foster kittens. She found them at her place of work! Apparently the area is swarming with strays :( No doubt she will be rescuing more. These guys are about 2 and a half months old now. At the time of rescue the little tykes were barely weaned and they were starving. Help us rehome NT's kittens! Interested parties can get in touch by emailing lynielime@gmail.com

Morrisey & Morgan

The three siblings.

Munchkin

Munchkin & Morgan

Morgan

Morrisey

Also, some dogs I met at the shelter on Monday afternoon. All these guys have so much love to give. You can see it in their eyes. Please adopt from a shelter. There is so much loneliness and longing there. And don't just think of adopting puppies. Adopt an older dog, an adult dog. These guys have been through so much loss and pain of abandonment. I promise you will be bringing home a friend for life. Someone who will love you more than any human ever could or will. I would love to have these guys but I just can't afford their care now :( Remember, don't breed and buy while shelter animals die. Spay/neuter your pets! Prevent pet overpopulation that leads to homelessness and suffering.

"I am lonely and afraid. Please take me with you."

"I'm old and tired and want to live out my days loving you and being surrounded by your love."

"I will love you unconditionally! That's a promise!"

"Why have we been abandoned? What did we do wrong?"

"I'll be loyal and protect you."

"Can I go home with you? Please? I promise to be good!"

Merry Christmas & update on my fosters & The Parking Lot Colony

2011-12-27T15:33:00.016+08:00

Hola mis amigos!!
I haven't posted in agesssss and a good friend texted and said i shouldn't stop :) Thanks Eileen! I actually have tons to update on and that's kinda why I haven't... You know when you procrastinate until there's so much to do you don't know how to start tackling it? This is one of those things. I won't go into major details and verbal diarrhea like I usually do. Quick summary of everything alright peeps? Here we go.

Charlie is a 3 month old tuxedo kitten. He was rescued by a friend who found him while walking his dog. Charlie was tiny then, perhaps 6-7 weeks old and he had been tossed out in a shoe box. Luckily the dog sniffed him out and Charlie was rescued. He was very ill with a virus similar to Coccidia and Parvo but has since recovered after two weeks on two kinds of antibiotics. Charlie is ready for immediate adoption. So far, 5 separate parties have inquired about adopting him. Hopefully one of them will be awesome and Charlie can go to his forever home. Charlie is playful, affectionate, mischievous, and of course Uncle Fat Fat loves him and has been giving him lots of parental love.

Knut/Knutella is a 3-4 week old pure white kitten. Not sure if he's male or female hence the name options.. hahaha.. The little booger is named after Knut the hand-reared polar bear that passed away and also my favorite hazelnut spread Nutella :) I found him the Thursday before christmas in my condo parking lot. I suspect he may be one of The Parking Lot Colony Tortie's kittens since my neighbor MK and I have been unsuccessful at trapping and spaying her. The Tortie was pregnant and then I did not see her around for a week or two. When I found Knut he was under a car parked two spaces down from mine, all alone. He was extremely filthy, dehydrated, covered head to toe in fleas and had an eye infection although his eyes had not even opened yet. I hate fleas. They are such bastards and there were hundreds of them feasting on this little guy's body. *SHUDDER* soooo gross. they were even crawling all over his face and eyes. I itch now just thinking about them. It was touch and go the first couple of days. He refused bottle feeding and syringe feeding and you know how much i HATE hand-rearing. I wasn't sure Knut would make it. His appetite was shitty and he was weak. But the last couple of days he has started drinking more formula and his teeth have come in so I have started him on very soft mushy food as well. His eyes have cleared up and they are bright blue. I am pretty confident now that he will be ok and adoptable in about 2 months. The pictures below were taken the day I found him. He looks much better now!

Below, Knut on Christmas Day. The crud around his eyes is dried up discharge stuck in his fur. I didn't want to injure the little baby's eyes so just left crud there but you can see his blue eyes are clear and healthy :)

The Parking Lot Colony continues to be an epic meow-filled soap drama. The Ginger Tom is still scary, The Tortie is still scared of everyone and everything, Carpark Cat is back and in decent condition but still scared of the Ginger Tom and Mr CrankyPants. There is a new resident in the colony, I'll call her The Calico. Another female. ARGHHHHH!!!!!!! I hope she doesn't breed!!!!! She's a scaredy cat like The Tortie. Why are the females so hard to trap and spay? They are the ones MK and I reallyyyyy want to catch. No more kittens please :( I wonder where Knut's siblings are :((( Mr CrankyPants got the shit kicked out of him again while I was out of town. Much worse this time. Luckily for him his other mummy MK was around and took him to the vet. He had to stay there for a couple of nights and the wound was infected and required draining. After he was discharged from the vet, he stayed with MK for a couple of weeks at her apartment. His whole neck and chest area were raw, totally furless, and there was a huge puncture like a gaping hole in his neck going through to his shoulder. We don't know what happened. All the other cats in the colony are totally unscathed so it doesn't seem likely he fought with any of them. Anyway Cranks is the alpha male and the rest run at the sight of him, not stay and fight! Plus he was neutered after his last fight recently so I thought he'd be staying out of trouble... Below, a photo MK took him immediately after rescue. All that pink and red mess is exposed raw flesh :(

Bye my Miko and be a good girl!

2011-11-03T16:45:00.004+08:00

Miko was adopted last Sunday and I am sooooooooo super sad. Lots of people called me about her after seeing her adoption profile on petfinder.my but it was easy to choose the family I wanted her to go to. Her new mummy rescued her first kittens when she was just 14 years old. Miko will now have a cockapoo pooch to run around with and two little girls aged 4 and 6 who adore kittens. When Miko's adopter came over to meet Miko for the first time, she brought her 6 year old and I was really impressed by how gentle the little girl was, cradling Miko like a little precious baby in her arms. Major "Awwwwww" moment. My heart melted. The little girl informed me that she was going to take such good care of Miko and that they were going to be so happy together :) She then insisted on carrying the carrier (with Miko inside) to the car. I heard Miko's new mummy tell her little girl that she had to learn boundaries with Miko, that kitties want to play but not all the time and that sometimes you have to leave them alone because they want space. I know my Miko is in really good hands. I wish them all a long and happy future together.
Miko snoozing on my arm as i lay reading in bed. Our last nap together before she was adopted the next day.

Last closeup of my Munchkin Miko. I'll miss my little kitten. Never ever hand-rearing kittens ever again. I just get so super attached. There's something about bottle-feeding tiny fragile newborns that makes the bond to them sooooooooo strong. I'm happy that she made it but sad for me too. I hope I get to keep one of my own hand-reared ones someday.

The Parking Lot Colony - Update on Mr CrankyPants

2011-10-17T13:42:00.004+08:00

Cranks was released last Tuesday night with very little fanfare. He had calmed down a lot by then and allowed me to stuff him into a cat carrier for transportation from my apartment back to the parking lot. He was pretty freaked out about being stuck in such a small space and cried pitifully. When we got to my car, which is where he usually hangs out, I set the carrier down next to it and scooped a handful of kibble out onto the ground right in front of the carrier door in the hope that this would help him exit calmly. It worked! He stopped meowing immediately. I opened the door and he stepped out and buried his face in the food as if it was any other day. I was afraid he would bolt and never return once released but luckily he still trusts me. Since then we have returned to our usual routine and he is at my car every morning and evening waiting for his meals. He has suddenly decided that he is in love with me and keeps trying to follow me back into the building. This morning he even ignored his food and jumped into my car as I was about to leave for work! What is happening?? Has Mr CrankyPants suddenly become Mr CuddlyPants??? Perhaps be is adoptable after all! Any takers? He is a very handsome grey tabby, neutered and ready to go!

No luck yet with the others in the colony. I have seen and fed The Tortie and The Ginger Tom but there is still no sign of Carpark Cat :( I hope he's ok wherever he is.

The Parking Lot Colony

2011-10-10T17:06:00.001+08:00

Four neurotic felines make up the feral colony in my condo parking lot. Each one is crazy in his/her own unadoptable way. They are fed and looked after by my upstairs neighbor MK who has been feeding them for years and now by me as well after I moved in a year ago. The cats in the colony are Carpark Cat, The Tortie, Mr CrankyPants, and the Ginger Tom.

I have only gotten to know (and photograph) Mr Crankypants and the Ginger Tom. Carpark Cat and The Tortie are super duper scared of all humans except MK. I can't even get near them. If I leave them food, they will not eat until I am out of sight. Mr CrankyPants and the Ginger Tom are tamer but in an aggressive, demanding, bitey, scratchy sort of way. They don't want to be friends but they are not afraid of us. Cranks will yowl at the top of his lungs demanding food, the Ginger Tom will get angry and actually bite us or grab our feet and scratch us if we don't set down his food fast enough for his liking. We keep containers of cat kibble in our cars for them but sometimes we run out and have to go into our apartments to refill. When this happens, the Ginger Tom gets really mad and chases after us and blocks our path furiously. I have scars on my legs from this lunatic. He is a freaking nut. He looks nuts too with all his bald patches and battle scars. Sometimes while he eats I muster up the courage to cautiously stroke his scarred bald head with one tentative finger.

None of the four in the colony get along with each other. The Ginger Tom and Mr C are both alpha males and always pick fights with each other and anyone else. Carpark Cat is also male but much smaller and timid and easily bullied by these two. The Tortie is the only female in the colony and also easily bullied... Poor thing. MK and I try to make sure everyone is regularly fed but more often than not, the bullies eat, and the timid ones are off hiding somewhere. We hope to have everyone neutered to stem the bullying and territorial issues and also to make sure they don't breed. They are extremely difficult to catch :( People who live in the building have been complaining about cats in the compound and also complaining about people feeding cats in the compound (MK and I of course.. hahaha). I don't see why it bothers or affects other people that we feed the cats but well, I guess some people are just petty, arrogant, heartless, and really really stupid with nothing better to do or think about.

Mr CrankyPants and Carpark Cat had a big fight last week. Both ended up pretty badly beat up. I managed to catch Mr C (he went ballistic when trapped) and send him to the vet. He's been patched up and neutered and is staying in a cage in my study until his antibiotics are finished at which point I will release him back into the parking lot. His stay with me has been challenging as he can't stand being confined and became super freaking mean. He makes a huge disgusting mess in the cage everyday. I can hear him "working" very hard at that all the time and yowling his head off. The vet and her assistants had a lot of trouble with him. I had hoped to rehome him but the vet says he's not adoptable. She's right. Carpark Cat is still out there somewhere with his injuries :( MK was out of town when the fight happened and isn't back yet. She's the only one that might be able to catch Carpark Cat and bring him in for treatment and neutering. I haven't seen him since last week.

Mr CrankyPants at the vet. He stayed there for a few days because he was too scary and angry for me to treat at home. His wounds needed daily cleaning and he was also neutered during his stay. I was too shit-scared to do any wound cleaning.

Mr C giving me the angry stink-eye. His paw pads were badly torn up. When walking (limping painfully really) he left bloody patches on the ground. His front forelegs also had many deep scratches.

He took of his e-collar and I was too scared to try putting that back on too. Anyway it occurred to me that if it was replaced, I would then have to worry about taking it off as well. Argh. I'm a chicken, I admit it.

The Ginger Tom and his bald, scarred, head.

My poor scary feral friend.

I have a feeling there might be a cuddly kitty in there somewhere... Just don't piss him off :)

Miko - 8 weeks old and fostered by Uncle Fatfat

2011-10-10T15:30:00.001+08:00

One of my favorite things about rescuing and fostering animals in need is watching Fatfat "pay it forward". Once upon a time, he was a tiny helpless infant kitten rescued from the clutches of evil people who were about to throw him away in a plastic bag like yesterday's garbage. Now he is the ultimate fosterer's assistant. He helps me raise the little orphans and teaches them the ways of the world.

Uncle Fatfat shares his pearls of wisdom with Miko.. She is an attentive student.

Well... She was attentive for about two seconds.. Then she decided it was time to be a little shit.

Old cats need more rest while crazy kittens are wide-eyed and bushy-tailed :)

Miko hunts the twitchy end of Uncle Fatfat's tail..

When he's had enough Uncle F decides its time to lay down the law. A firm paw ought to set this little girl straight.

Or maybe not...

Finally Miko's eyes begin to close..

Zzzzzz..

Good night world

Miko - 7 and a half weeks old, and FEMALE. Oops!

2011-09-28T12:19:00.010+08:00

Yes I camera-stalk the little tot. I'm soooo happy to finally have hand-rearing success! Miko is healthy, active, and out of the danger zone of the first few weeks. She knows how to eat and drink on her own. My work is done :)

Miko likes to sit on feet :) No, that is not my leg. I am not an insanely hairy chick.

Miko and Tamago finally share a bed.

The cutest little thing! Hand-reared SUCCESS!! WOOHOO!!! WHO ROCKS?? I SO FREAKING DO!! YESSSSSS!!!!!!! *fist pumps in the air*

Tabatha's been adopted and other updates...

2011-09-12T15:00:00.019+08:00

Its been an interesting couple of weeks in my animal kingdom. Tabatha was adopted last saturday morning by a nice family while she was in the cattery at SPCA Selangor. She is ready for spaying in a couple of weeks so she will be back for that. We all really miss her. She has a larger than life personality and my apartment feels wayyyyy too peaceful now.

Miko is able to do his business on his own now and has a litter box which he diligently uses. He totters around on shaky little legs and invades Tamago's bed. His teeth have grown in and he can eat canned kitten food or moistened kibble although he still prefers his milk bottle. He doesn't know how to drink water so I've had to force him to drink water through a syringe. I hope he will be ready for adoption to a good home in about 6 weeks.

I didn't mention this before but Noel was adopted a few weeks ago. Yay for him! He was adopted by a nice young lady who has another little kitten.

Spike is adjusting to life without Tony Montana. It's only been about 5 weeks since Tony Montana passed away and he is so deeply missed. It is a great comfort to us that he died peacefully at home of natural causes. Spike's dad and I have been showering him with gifts of toys and treats and plenty of loving. He's never been an only dog before and I think he is quite lonely now. Spike and I will have this whole Friday together though because its a public holiday and Spike and I will be working at the SPCA booth at an event in Bangsar. It'll be a nice outing for me and my pooch.
Tony M loved his car rides. He loved watching the world. I miss him.
One of the few pics of me with both Spike and Tony.. Tony was sniffing something.. oh well..
Me and Spike at my last visit.

Spike and his dad.
Toys can't replace Tony but we hope to distract Spike from his loss.

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of Molly's death. I can't believe its been a year. It still hurts so much. I miss her everyday and I think about how happy she was when we were all still together. One big happy family. Then I think about all she went through and how miserable she was at the end and I feel sick and my heart aches. I feel a tightening in my chest that can only be the pain of loss and guilt. i have to say this, i care, i care a lot about all these animals but i wish i didn't anymore. i don't want to. i can't stand it when things don't work out.

Molly's smile.

Uncle FatFat still fosters kittens.

2011-08-27T16:31:00.003+08:00

Yes even big 6 month old kittens like Tabatha... Its hard for these young ones to grow up when Uncle FatFat is so maternal, patient, and accommodating. Who needs a female foster cat when Uncle FatFat is the best mother of them all :)

Munchkin Miko - Day 15 of Hand-rearing

2011-08-23T21:29:00.002+08:00

New foster tyke-Munchkin Miko

2011-08-17T16:15:00.003+08:00

Hand-raising and bottle-feeding again. Wish us luck.

A tribute to Tony Montana

2011-08-07T13:55:00.007+08:00

My darling dog Tony Montana passed away Friday August 5th 2011 sometime between 10 and 11pm. He was only about 7 years old. The last couple of years were a little tough for my darling. He had hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, tick fever, mummy and daddy broke up and went their separate ways. Tony and Spike left with their daddy whom I'll call A here, and I didn't see them very much anymore. I only saw my darling dogs when I visited them and I always brought lots of toys and treats. I never stopped loving them and I don't think they ever stopped loving me. Tony was especially clingy every time I visited, refusing to leave my side even for a second. He knew I would always leave again. He would lie at my side with his beautiful head leaning on my thigh and look at me with his warm chocolate eyes.

Those eyes were what got me the first time I met Tony Montana. That was about 5 or 6 years ago. His name was Whitey then, he was about 2 years old, and he was one of the dogs for adoption at SPCA Selangor's booth at the Dogathon in BU Central Park. I was one of the volunteers and I spent that day walking around with Whitey trying to get him adopted. We wore a sign that said "Please take me home". Later in the day, Whitey stole my burger right out of my hand. I had never my own dog before and something about this little mini-wolf dog appealed to me very much. I was smitten. My ex A was with me that day and we were both really taken by this sweet pooch. Whitey wasn't adopted that day and he went back to the shelter. I went home and couldn't get him out of my mind. Finally after a few days and discussion with A, we decided that we would adopt him. I called my friend JJ at the shelter and told her not to let Whitey go anywhere, that I was coming to get him! I remember when we went to pick him up. He remembered us. He immediately stood up when he saw us and barked in excitement with his tail wagging furiously. The ride home was eventful too. He rode in my lap and he smelled awful. He was so excited he stood up and stuck his nose in the window panting away at every car that passed us. I opened the window a bit for him and I think he would've flung himself out if i wasn't holding onto him so tightly. We stopped at a pet store in Great Eastern mall and bought him his first leash, collar, bowls, food and toys.

He was an affectionate dog right from the start. Even though he was quite a small dog, he was fiercely loyal and full of devotion. He did have his moments of jealousy and sometimes he was way too territorial but oh how he loved us. Everything he did was for us. He always thought he was protecting us. He didn't want to share us with anyone and I am sorry Tony for not understanding that and scolding you when you were mean to Spike. I know you didn't want to share us with him. I know you felt like he was an intruder. You were the only dog until he came along. You were the alpha dog. My little alpha dog. I know you did what you did out of love.

Tony was so territorial that he peed everywhere. He would even pee on my other foster puppies. When Spike was a puppy, Tony peed on him too. He also peed on all of Spike's things. He peed on people too.. people he liked. When I brought Tony out to shelter events he would pee on the table legs. I brought him to a pet store and he peed on some collars on display. I guess he wanted a new collar. He peed on my car every time we walked past it as we headed out for walks. Tony loved peeing.

Tony and Spike used to have fights. I remember once they had a particularly nasty one. I didn't have time to think so I just ran to them and grabbed a collar in each hand and pulled them apart as hard as I could. The moment I managed to separate them, Tony turned and bit my arm. Not hard enough to really hurt me but hard enough to break the skin, hard enough for me to yell in fright, and hard enough for Tony to realize that he'd done something bad. Ashamed he walked off with his tail between his legs and hid in his crate. He looked at me with apologetic eyes. Such a silly baby.

He was a quirky one. He ate without chewing, devoured his treats without bothering to taste them. I remember the silly boy coughing up a big piece of rawhide. He also hated most people. He nipped, bit, lunged at, growled at everyone that came to the house. Everyone except me and A of course. I think he thought all visitors were evil. No one saw his sweet side. He kept that just for us. I'll miss him lying quietly beside me. We didn't have to be doing anything. Just being together was enough for Tony. I miss him so much already.

What finally killed my baby? He survived hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, he beat tick fever, but this time he couldn't even get up. He stumbled, his legs kept giving way. One vet said he had a slipped disc. Another thought he might have had a stroke. But finally an x-ray revealed a growth on his spine. It was causing him pain and making it hard to walk and stand. The vet also found out that he had an enlarged heart that was pressing on his diaphragm and an irregular heartbeat. They couldn't operate because of his heart. He might not wake up they said. So they gave anti-inflammatories and painkillers to manage poor Tony's condition. He had been staying at this particular clinic for a couple of nights and was finally discharged Friday evening. He went home with his daddy. There he had a few good hours. He ate, drank, he even jumped around a bit and played with A's brother B. Then later A's other brother AA found Tony lying motionless. He was still alive but almost gone. AA sat with Tony and petted him as he died. Spike was there too. They sat with my Tony as his heart stopped and his life left him.

I'm forever grateful that Spike and AA were there with Tony as he left this earth. I'm grateful he died at home and not alone in the clinic. I'm sorry I didn't get to see him. I was always finishing work too late. The clinic always closed at 7pm. I was supposed to visit Tony and Spike the next morning. I had toys and treats for them. Instead when I woke up I saw that A had called me while I was sleeping. I knew it couldn't be good news. He wouldn't have called so late. Sure enough there was also a message informing me of Tony's death. I called A immediately and cried. I was too late. I never got to see my Tony one last time. Never got to tell him that I love him. I wish he had held on just till the next morning so I could have had my last visit with him. I asked A to take care of the burial arrangements. I didn't want to see Tony like that. I didn't want to see his body. Tony loved life. His body was weak but he loved life. He was excited about everything and that's how I want to remember him.

I went over to A's anyway yesterday for my scheduled visit even though Tony was gone. It was strange to see just Spike. Spike was happy to see me but he seemed subdued. I could see sadness in his eyes. He was just trying to be happy for my sake because I was crying behind my sunglasses.

I want to thank A and his family for taking such good care of my boys. I know Tony was happy there.

I love you Tony Montana. You are always in my heart and I will never forget you. You're such a good boy. Goodbye my darling.

New foster monster - Noel

2011-07-28T10:27:00.005+08:00

Noel was rescued by a friend who took pity on the tiny little guy playing with pebbles alone on a busy road. I've been fostering Noel since Friday night and he's doing great now. His first couple of days with me were really challenging. He was feral, terrified, and extremely defensive. He hissed so hard he spat and would freak out and go into battle mode every time he saw me, even if i was far away from him. Now he isn't afraid anymore and has gone back into baby kitten mode, affectionate, always wanting a cuddle and a warm body to sleep on. He lives in a cage that my friend NT lent to me. He's just too small and young to mingle with the others but otherwise healthy. My other foster kitten Tabatha, who is about 3 times bigger, keeps trying to hunt him and beat him up. She seems to enjoy not being the smallest in the household anymore. Man, I hope Tabatha gets adopted soon :) Noel is about 2 months old max. He's a grey striped tabby with a white chest, white socks, and a little nubbin of a tail. Its about an inch long. Noel will be ready for adoption in a couple of weeks.