5 Months After

I just realized that it's been five months since the cat distribution system gave us two kittens, Bailey Boo and Anakin.

Bailey came to us originally a week after he was born. His Mama, Kaley Boo, brought him together with 3 other litter mates. They stayed for 3 weeks and then disappeared. Kaley Boo brought the brood elsewhere. We just prayed someone was helping take care of them.

Kaley would still visit us to eat, but towards the end of May, she started bringing a white kitten with her. We knew it was one of her kittens. After two weeks the kitten refused to leave with Kaley and he would hide and ignore his Mama's calls. It took awhile, but eventually he allowed us to pet him. That's thanks to the clingy kitten who just came and stayed.

That kitten is Anakin. He just came inside our gate, kept meowing and refused to leave. We have no idea where he came from and since he became fast friends with Bailey we just let them stay.

We already had Brimsley, her 4 kittens (Mando Laura, Grogu, Eevee and Pikachu) living on our property. Then there was Grey (Papa Cat) and Kaley who'd come just to eat. We knew adding two more kittens was crazy, but they charmed us. How can you resist kittens who were more affectionate? 

Fast forward five months later, Bailey Boo and Anakin have grown a lot. They're both healthy and have been neutered. We love them to bits and refused when someone wanted to adopt them. Nope, sorry, they're part of our family now.

We think the cat distribution system sent them because it's been a month since we last saw Kaley Boo. Grey has been missing too the past two weeks. We hope wherever they are they are being cared for by someone. Hugs to these two cats who brought us the kittens we all love.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Kaley and Her Kittens Moved Out

Woke up to the sad news that Kaley and her kittens moved out. Sweetie was surprised to see the nest empty early this morning. Gary, one of the workers, said he saw her with the last kitten leaving.

The house was strangely quiet save for the hammering of the tiles. No cute kittens meowing. There was also a lot of leftover food since Kaley didn't eat her share.

 

We know it's normal for Mama cats to move her kittens if she doesn't feel safe. We had a lot of people coming the past few days for house works, so maybe she felt it was time to move. She's a feral cat and they really like hiding.

We miss the kittens already. They gave us two weeks of additional joy. We still have six cats, Brimsley, Mando, Grogu, Eevee, Pikachu and Meredith. I'm sure we'll eventually see Kaley and her kittens again. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

How We Became Pawrents of 8

We never planned to become pawrents to cats. They just came to us and adopted us. I was thinking about this last week after I watched a video saying that cats are like angels sent to you. We were apprehensive about having cats since none of us had experience. My doctor also forbade me from having pets. 

Looking back we were actually eased in to become pawrents. Grey came and started hanging out in our laundry area. We suspect he's been hanging out there way before we noticed him sleeping there. We had no clue how to take care of cats so we started with giving him a bed, then water, then some food. He was very skittish and would run away whenever we came close. Eventually he became comfortable with us and he started recognizing his name. 

Then came Kaley Boo the calico cat. She'd only visit for snacks. Sometimes she'd come with other calico cats, Sandra and Cheyenne. Cheyenne was the first cat who'd allow some petting. Sandra though is very fierce and would always fight with everyone else to get some food. Among the three calico cats, Kaley is the only one who comes everyday. She knows her name too, but still doesn't allow to be touched. Nose bumps only. 

It was around May-June last year when Grey brought it Brimsley. She was still quite small then and we thought she was male (we obviously don't know much about cats). She would hide in the boxes in the garage. Little did we know she was pregnant. We were just surprised one day when she disappeared. I asked Miggy to look for her and he found her inside a box with a kitten. Whoops! We panicked a bit since we don't have any experience with cats giving birth. We got up to speed by watching YouTube videos on how best to take care of new cat moms. Since Brimsley is a feral cat, she knew what to do. We just had to create a safe space for her and the two kittens, Mando and Grogu. 

We intended to get Brimsley spayed a few weeks after she gave birth. There was a risk if we had her spayed immediately because her bloodwork showed some issues. We had to give her medication before she got spayed. Unfortunately, she got pregnant again and had two more kittens, Eevee and Pikachu. She and Mando got spayed at the same time. We were scared that Mando might become a teenage mom like her mother. In time Eevee and Pikachu will be neutered and spayed too. 

So we thought having 5 full time cats (the Brimsley family) and 2 regular cat visitors (Grey and Kaley) was where it would end. Nope, we were sent one more, Meredith. We think she was abandoned by a neighbor who moved out. The sad thing is Meredith experienced dystocia. She gave birth to a stillborn kitten. Ran across the street with the baby to our garage (we saw it through CCTV footage). Left the baby and disappeared. A day or two later she was back and looked really sick. At that time we thought she had an owner. She could barely eat. Miggy nursed her back to health with cat broth we just made. She survived and has been living with us for about two months now. We just had her spayed since we're afraid she might get pregnant and die. The vet said her uterus had been calcified already. Poor thing. She's so far the sweetest cat in the family and is our full time garage cat resident. 

From one cat to 8 cats in just a year. We see it as a gift since they bring us joy. We accepted the responsibility and that's why we're actively getting them spayed/neutered. Not sure though how we can do that for Grey since he is still very skittish. We'll just make sure Eevee and Pikachu are neutered/spayed at the right time. We've probably hit quota already with 8 cats, haha. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

An Extraordinary Week

We've been puttering around our house a lot more lately. I got to spend a lot more time gardening and cooking last week. My endurance seems to be improving a bit because of pulmo rehab. I think I'm finally starting to enjoy retirement. There were days though that were not good and I missed my second pulmo rehab session. My Fitbit says though I moved much more this week than last week. 

Achievement unlocked!

Cooked four times in the last 7 days. I don't remember the last time I cooked more than once a week. I told my therapist that I'm usually only able to do one major activity a day. I'm usually too tired after and can't do anything else. If it's a major activity, the next day is normally set for rest. Well, I'm happy with the progress I've made. I really want to be able to prepare our meals, so I'm also studying new recipes. 

Gardening

I got to spend three days gardening last week. Spent two days working on reviving the orchids. Then another day organizing my plants. The kittens have been exploring the garden a lot more, so I had to move the veggies to the pocket garden. Sweetie and Miggy helped me since I had a lot of pots to move. 

Kaley Boo gave Birth!

Kaley grew a lot in the past two weeks. We knew she was due already last week since she had become more lethargic, hungrier and selosa. I posted a short video of her sleeping. She seemed really anxious though, so I felt she was about to give birth. I was right because she went MIA the next day and only came back 3 days after. We have no idea where her kittens are since she only visits us during the day. We think Kaley and the other two calico cats (Cheyenne and Sandra) live two houses away. Hopefully the kittens are okay.

Brimsley was pretty stressed out this week. We came home late twice and she didn't like it since her routine was disrupted. Ahh, the cat has been spoilt, haha. We're usually just around and rarely go out. She was so cross she refused to go to the vet! Only the kittens were able to go and get vaccinated. We'll stay home this week to make it up to her (haha). 

Hopefully things get much better! Just believe and pray!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Brought Brimsley and the Kittens to the Vet

The kittens are now two months old. We wanted to bring them earlier, but Brimsley hasn't weaned them away. We arranged though to bring them now since we're also wary that Brimsley might get pregnant again soon. 

Well, we never had cats before so it was our first time to bring cats to a vet. We watched a couple of videos on how to put them in the crate. We followed Jackson Galaxy's advise. Miggy left the crates in their area for a few days so they identify it as a safe space. It worked and Miggy just put some food inside to get them to go inside. He then covered the crate with a towel so they wouldn't get agitated. 

The boys took care of bringing them to the vet. Brimsley and the kittens were well behaved. The vet and her assistant also handled them well. They weren't fussy at all while they got their shots and treatment. The vet said it was common for her to treat feral cats. 

Brimsley though underwent a blood test to determine if it's safe for her to be spayed. Results show she has liver damage and has very low platelet count. We will have to give her supplements and check again in a month if she can be spayed. The vet also said that Brimsley is still a kitten based on her size. The poor kitten is a teenage mom. That's probably why she stayed with us eversince Grey brought her to us. 

Brimsley Marie

The kittens are healthy. They were just treated for ear mites (also Brimsley). The only other cat they so far interact with is Grey (their father). We'll probably get Grogu spayed before Mando since the vet advised to wait for 5 months (or when she reaches 2 kg). 

Grogu

Mando Laura

So far Brimsley stays with the kittens most of the day. She only steps out to go to the toilet and rarely goes out of the premises. She's very protective of the kittens and she still breastfeeds them even though they've been eating solid food already. Her maternal instincts are very strong and she's very territorial. We closed up the side garden to keep the kittens in. Of course, in time they'll probably reach the gate. By that time we hope they complete their shots and de-worming. 

Brimsley and the kittens are still very much feral. They don't behave like domesticated cats. The most Brimsley and the kittens would do is brush up against your leg, but they'd never voluntarily approach you to be petted. What's important is they know they are safe with us. We hope Brimsley's health would improve so she can be with the kittens until they become independent. We'll take care of them as long as they want us to. 

You can watch the adventures of Grey the Cat and friends on his channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GreythetabbyCat (lots of super cute shorts!).

#BeKind #StaySafe

Someone to Love

I really miss having a pet. Early this year, a friend offered to give me a puppy. The boys though vetoed it since I wasn't stable, our house was being renovated, and it was just not a good time. There were so many things going on and adding a pet was a huge responsibility. 

At that time we were just getting to know Grey. We noticed he slept a lot in the laundry area. He's a feral cat and he'd run away whenever we got close. We started feeding him, but he still kept his distance. He gave us joy just being there. We realized he adopted us and allowed us to feed him. We were just happy to see him everyday and gave him a box with a rug to sleep on. 

Grey

Then came Kaley. We initially shooed her away, but noticed that Grey would allow her to eat his food. Eventually she also adopted us. One day we noticed she was growing bigger. The three of us had no experience caring for the cats, much less a pregnant one. I told the boys back then that if Kaley gave birth within our property then they were meant to be with us. She's now on her third or fourth pregnancy this year and she's always given birth somewhere else. 

Kaley Boo

It was summer when Brimsley came to us. It was Grey who brought her to us. Brimsley was smaller than the other cats, obviously younger. We thought she was a he originally. We eventually noticed she grew bigger over a span of a few weeks. We didn't think much about it since the other cats would come and go. Brimsley though stuck around.

Brimsley Marie

One night in July, Brimsley disappeared. We got worried because of her condition and she hadn't eaten that day. Late in the evening, just before we moved to our bedrooms I heard a kitten like sound. I told Miggy to try to look for Brimsley and he found her inside a box that was going to be discarded. She had squeezed herself in the box to give birth. In 48 hours, she had two kittens. 

Grogu and Mando

The kittens came when we were all ready. I had just finished a medical review. The house was more or less done (no more workers zipping around). We also did not plan any traveling since it's the rainy season. Brimsley, Mando and Grogu have been a source of joy for us. Miggy is their main fur parent. Sweetie takes the morning shift with them. My role has been to spoil them and make sure they always have food. 

I realized the cats started visiting a lot more when Mom went to heaven. I remember Kaley stayed the whole day outside the craft room until I got better. That was the time Brimsley also stuck around permanently. I know realistically I can't be a full time fur parent, my condition doesn't allow me to handle pets directly. I'm happy though since Papa God sent us some cats who adopted us. They came at the right time when we were ready. 

No need to look far for someone to love. They may be just under your nose. <3

Also, happy 109th birthday to my Mama Lola. Have a blast celebrating up there with Mom and Dad and my titos and Titay. 

Happy Sunday everyone. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Co-Existing with Feral Cats

The only experience I had with cats was when Kuya had a cat named Valentino. Mom explained to me that he was called Valentino because he had a lot of girlfriends. My memory is fuzzy already about him since I was still in grade school then, but I remember he was white and grey. Kuya gave him up because he did something to his pet birds. 

So since then I was not interested in cats. Mom didn't like them also because they'd ruin her plants. It was in Singapore while visiting a friend when I had a really close encounter with her cat. During the visit her cat suddenly sat on my lap. He allowed me to pet him and he hung out for awhile. I actually enjoyed the experience. 

Grey, Kaley, Brimsley and kids

Months after moving to our new home, we noticed a grey tabby cat frequenting our place. It would sleep in the laundry area. We observed it and thought there would be no harm in providing a makeshift bed. Eventually that progressed to buying some cat food. We called the cat "Grey". Then came Kaley and Brimsley and some irregular visitors, Mang Tux, Cheyenne and Sandra. 

We learned though it's hard to get the trust of feral cats. It took more than 6 months before they stopped running away from us when we'd go out to the garage or garden. The older feral cats, Grey and Kaley, don't want to be touched. Brimsley allows Jay and Miggy to pet her when she's busy eating. We realized catching them to bring them to the vet to get spayed is easier said than done. 

As a family, we defined how we'll co-exist with the feral cats. One advantage of having them around is they help protect the house from rats and other pests. Second is they bring us joy. Our goal is to provide a safe space for them when they need it. We also hope we could bring them to the vet so they can be spayed. 

Feral cats are really different from domesticated cats. They have a mind of their own and follow a different code. There are very few videos on how to care for feral cats. One thing we learned is to co-exist with them with respect. The best you can do is to provide what you can and just let them be. 

#BeKind #StaySafe