Pierre may lose his eye…

… but it won’t be the end of the world as NIC, left in pic with best pal Jurgen, a doubly blind old bear rescued from the cruel bear bile farms of China show. Both NIC and Jurgen are of course in the safekeeping of animalsasia

It does seem that, in a month’s time, Pierre will most likely lose his right eye:

Vet Visit on 10 April 2010

Bui Bui has been to Dr Heng this afternoon. We were happy to hear that his left eye’s water pressure is under control. Unfortunately, the eyesight from his right is not looking good. He could be blind in the right eye. Dr Heng has kept trying to test his response from his right eye, but sad to know that there is no response at all. Dr Heng has decided to give him a final chance before removing his right eye. Bui Bui has been given some eye drops for a month. His right eye will need to be removed if there is still no response at the next visit which is one month away.

A gentle reminder that Pierre (and his friends in the existing colony of 8, especially Pumpkin) needs help and would still like to have a home:

Appeal for Homeless Pierre: going blind and needing a home

Remember Pierre, tec honorary clan member in Area3?

He has been in foster care since early March in a home in Area2. A, his caregiver from Area 2, is spearheading the efforts to care for him.

The sad thing for Pierre is that he is going blind and his home is being destroyed. So he needs medical help and he needs a forever home. While they are trying their best, A and her friends who are kitty caregivers in area2 are struggling to keep up with the financial cost of supporting him – they need help with his medical bills as their individual financial situations are not fantastic, and they still have the resident colony of 8 to care for.

Us minions have helped to set up and start a blog to help appeal for help and to highlight Pierre’s need for a home, and to assist with managing his blog and his online appeal. (Not much else we can do to help as we’re also strapped, what with the slackers’ lengthening string of medical bills since last year and the ongoing upkeep of our lot at Foster Mum’s.)

Please go to Pierre the Singapore homeless cat needs help, blog url: http://keepingpierresafe.blogspot.com/ to read about his story and his current status. Please do help Pierre by spreading the word on his need. Thank you very much!

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Pierre’s adoption notice submitted to the Cat Welfare Society’s adoption board on 12 Apr 10.

Pierre is the sweetest homeless cat ever! He behaves as if he’s been a homecat who has only known TLC all his life. But he is now really in need of a home as he is losing his sight. He is about 8 years old and is otherwise healthy. His caregivers are valiantly trying to give him the medical attention and love he needs, but their finances are limited and they still have a colony of 8 to care for. So they are appealing for a loving and accommodating family to adopt Pierre. Pierre’s new family will have to take over both his daily needs and his medical requirements as well. Genuine adopters willing to accommodate the special needs of sight-impaired cats who may potentially go blind only please. Please visit Pierre’s blog at http://keepingpierresafe.blogspot.com/ to read his story and know him better.

(Must read: Cat care refs.)

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Click here to see other home-seeking kitties.

Area3: Pierre, honorary clan member

Meet Pierre.

He is a community cat whose home range abuts Marty and Henna’s tuft. Like them, he’s been around since before or during SARS.

His home consists of a plaza where members of the public sit and chat. He’s actually a very popular fixture and often sits quietly by chatting couples or groups of friends in the evening. As they chat, people who stroke or pet him, and he enjoys the attention, though he won’t demand it. He’s friendliness and politeness personified. Still we believe that he did not survive this long by being oblivious. He’s hardly ever sighted in the daytime and we notice that once he’s had food, he will hide in the bushes that line the plaza perimeter.

Because of the very high traffic volume of his home, we don’t stick around, to avoid attracting the wrong type of attention to him. So we do not have photos of him, until this encounter when we had a camera good enough to take some viewable pictures.

There used to be another 2 or 3 other cats sharing his home, likely his family as they are tabby white like him. They are all sterilised (but not by us minions). But we’ve not sighted them for a long time. The most recent news we heard from A is that a resident, a very cute and dainty tabby female was found dead nearby, either because of road accident or pesticide.

We don’t feed Pierrie as he’s obviously got his supply line down pat. As it turns out, one of his supplier is A from Area2.

PS: for the curious, he was named Pierre as us minions were going on to names starting with P for the new males appearing in Area 3 at the time. Pierre seemed to suit him as he had an air of an elegant romantic despite being the constant pain in Marty’s side during pasar malams. He has always loved people and was such a gentleman with humans even though he and Marty probably would love to kick the other one 10,000 miles from the area.

Area2: Robby

This is the nearest to a viewable picture I managed of Robby, the cat we first encountered while trying to get Brina’s family de-mojoed.

We’ve not sighted him since. The probable reason is he’s a free-ranging virile male just like Stanley was. But I’m tagging him as an area2 cat for convenience. We expect he’ll make guest appearances until we can pin down his schedule and his mojo thereafter.

We named him Robby due to his striking resemblance to Bobby, down to the white diamond adorning the nose of their tabby-masked faces.

Area2: Jet the semi pet cat

Meet Jet, whom we mentioned here, he whose mojo was removed by his owners who took the perpetrator of Area’s disappointing state of things seriously.

These were taken in Brina’s tuft in January, when his mojo was still newly robbed. We’ve sighted him far from home, for a sterilised cat, a few times since. But in the last month, he seemed to have settled down and no longer haunts Brina’s tuft. Yay for sterilisation!

Area2: New cat of the week

This happened on 1 Apr… unfortunately it’s no joke.

A alerted btmao that a new cat was sighted around the territory of Brina’s family. The next night it seemed she was sighted around Saba’s home. The new girl was apparently running after people and meowing frantically.. She was also walloped by the now de-mojoed Saba, after which she was spotted running across the road to Area1 after Saba’s attack.

Apparently, Sue, Saba’s part-time owner told A the new girl may be a child of Saba’s that she had given away. Oh, the cheek!

For btmao and me, we’ve no luck sighting the poor girl, either in Area1 or Area2. The frustration is sometimes unbearable.

Last week it was Jenny, this week it’s a child of Saba. I hope it doesn’t get to be a trend.

Area2: Update on Jenny

A has brought Jenny home for temporary fostering until more permanent arrangements can be made for her, as Brina and her sons seemed ready to run her off, and she instinctively wants to return to the carpark, where Benji’s feeder has seen her last night too. A can’t foster her for long as her home is not cat-proofed.

A and D also met the RC committee member we got to know on the night of the now MIA Brielle’s trapping. He told them he saw a Chinese couple loitering around late night on Monday with a carrier like he had seen us do. D mentioned when she first saw Jenny last night, she also noticed food scattered around.

Were the couple trying to find a lost pet or were they pet dumpers trying to redeem themselves after the fact? We may never know that, but what’s for sure is that Jenny feels absolutely nothing for people but affectionate and trust.

Area2: New Cat! Erm… foster, anyone?

Bradley has barely turned putty tat, and we’ve already got a new kitty on the block.

We sighted her as we passed by the Area2 carpark. She was resting against the windscreen of a car, cool as you please. Knowing the penchant of car owners to blame cats for scratches on their car, we decided to try to get her down and away from the minefield.

She perked up at our approach. And instead of needing to be coaxed down from her perch, she came forward, purringly, and allowed btmao to lift her onto the ground.

Green-eyed beauty… her soul windows look yellow here due to the flash. (Her left ear spots the tip)

After a few failed attempts to get a decent shot, I lifted her again and carried her out of the carpark, about 10 metres or so. She was non-resistant and purring the whole way. Definitely a home cat, or ex-home cat.

It’s not clear from this photo, but despite being much smaller in size and build, and her having a 1/3 tail compared to his stumpy excuse for one, the first thought that crossed our minds was her resemblance to Jerry. Her tabby markings, her longer than shorthair but shorter than midlength fur, and her friendly nature are Jerry hallmarks. So we decided to name her Jenny.

As I continued to try taking pics of Jenny, an auntie walked by. She seemed a bit suspicious. Then she revealed something shocking: some time back, she couldn’t recall exactly when, someone had discarded a pair of badly beaten up cat carcasses by the exit of the carpark! A police report was made and there was quite a commotion.

I then called D to alert her to the new cat. And she said that she had already sighted Jenny late last night and thought her one of our “handiwork” due to her tipped ear. D had seen her trying to follow a young couple for a short distance, but the couple gave no sign of acknowledging her.

Anyone willing to adopt or foster Jenny while we try to look for a home for this sweet sweet girl?

Area2: Bradley turning putty tat

I sms’d D and A, asking how’s Bradley and Saba doing.

Saba is now apparently hiding inside the flat, mostly. Doesn’t surprise me, I just hope it lasts.

Bradley, though, Bradley is shedding his complex. In D’s words: “Ahbee (Bradley’s nickname) is doing very well. He seems like a diff cat now. He loves human company. Keep asking people to pat him. He allows all of us to pat him, including B (D’s hubby, at whose sight Bradley turns tail without fail, as recently as on Sunday) and Auntie (Benji’s dedicated feeder who he has never allowed to get near). He kept following us when we wanted to go home last night.”

And we thought it was going to take him months to get over the trauma…. who says mojo-stealing has no value? Us minions, our hearts are broken though. But maybe now Bradley will give us time of time when we see him.

Area2: Bradley and Saba joins the tipped ear moggies

Bradley and Saba came back from their initiation, delivered by V of course. They looked well, and were released back into their home tuft at about 7 this evening.

Bradley was released first, and he scooted off without a thought for the food we laid out before his carrier door. We did get some shots of him before he shot off. It’s not apparent from these shots, but he has grown quite a bit. But his paws still seem a bit oversized for him, which means he has still some room to bloom in, maybe reaching his suspected sire, Stanley’s stature.

Then we moved on to Saba’s “home”. She was a loudmouth, and because she was on heat when she was sent in for her surgery, there was a surcharge on her operation.

To avoid attracting attention, I quickly took a few rather un-well-framed shots before she was released.

Like Bradley, she took off without a glance at the food in front of her.

Since the food was untouched and there wasn’t any cat around, we brought the food back for Ivan. He wasn’t around either. But at this time, D called to say she located Bradley, and didn’t have food. So back we went.

Here are some more pics of Bradley, taken the last time we saw him in the daytime about 1.5 months back.

Drain cat instinct

Typical drain cat dining

He had just found and joined Brina’s family then. At this time, btmao and I have tried to get him once too many times and he wouldn’t let us near him.

But his newly adopted family’s acceptance helped him calm down and settle in.

Plus A, D, and J went out of their way to earn his trust, which is why we could finally nap him for his sterilisation. How much more organic can you get with active citizenry, community building? Kudos to community spirit! One for the meowies.

With Bradley and Saba’s induction into the tipped ear clan, all the known kitties we know and are still around in Areas 1, 2, 3 are sterilised. Let’s hope the status quo keeps for a while.

Area2: Saba’s kittens sequestered

As mentioned, there were five kittens in Saba’s latest litter. Feeder A found out they were born 26 Dec-boxing day. However, they started disappearing within a week of Saba bringing them out of hiding in mid February. By the end of the week, three were permanently gone. They are all super affectionate, as all Saba’s previous babies. We have our suspicions and have raised them with the town council. For the two surviving kittens, I decided to find them a real home. So they are now being fostered.

Area2 update

Quick update: Bradley and Saba have been taken earlier tonight… by V for sterilisation tomorrow. At least the situation is starting to get under control.

Brielle and Brenna however have disappeared since 9 Mar 2009. Scottie has been missing since 11/12 Feb 2009.

Stanley’s got a bad case of the sniffles

We still have yet to sight Stanley since he got back.

However, A has sighted him a few times, and reported that he’s got the sniffles, which seemed to be getting worse every succeeding time – his third-eyelids were clearly seen in her last sighting on 4 Feb. Stanley also seemed to trust A a lot more than he does us, as she said that he will eat in her presence.

So we met her on 5 Feb to pass her some supplements which she can feed him in wet food mush when she sees him. We are not arranging for him to see the vet as he does not appear regularly nor in the same spot, which makes it difficult to get him. Also, his bout of flu is probably brought on by stress from his de-mojo adventure, and we do not want to stress him further. Plus, he is quite the feral one, and it seemed the best course of action to leave him to fight his illness as far as possible. We hope the supplements help him.

Area2: Saba, Scottie, Sumie

Follow-up to the juicy gossip, updates provided by A on 5 Feb:

Saba

It has been barely a week since she brought her babies in from the cold. She and her babies were installed outside the family’s flat, as expected, and her litter of 5 cuties are all MIA already. We had just heard her calling for her babies right outside the flat. just before we sighted and took this picture of her. According to A, the kittens defecated at will, often right on the doorstep of the family’s neighbours, a Chinese family which seems to have tolerated the noise and mess so far. But it can only be a matter of time before something happens.

We have worked out a plan with A to get Saba sterilised. Meantime, we will provide A with some of our Wellness canned food to help Saba recuperate, as she is forever ravenous and frequently begs A for food. We also suspect Saba may need to be dewormed, but will wait for a while more to do so as we do not want to risk her kittens’ health should they be still around.

Scottie

Before Saba appeared, we were saying “Hi” to Scottie. He does not behave like a cat who might have learnt his lesson, approaching us immediately.

Scottie still none the wiser

Scottie’s abuse was suffered at the hands of a bunch of Malay girls who were smoking at the benches nearby. Instead of knife cuts as was previously believed, his tail had been burned with cigarette lighters.

Scottie has the softest fur of any cat I’ve known. His fur is longer than his short-haired look leads one to assume. In fact, the closest comparison, both look and feel, is chincilla fur.

His tail, from the top, looks ok now. Despite being abused just weeks ago, and the family’s protestations of care and concern, especially to A, we consistently find him still alone, and unsupervised, often right by the spot where his abuse took place.

Later, Sumie also appeared, patiently waiting for succour from A

Nobody in their minds would think it ok to allow young children out of the home, roaming about unsupervised nor that they beg for food from the neighbours regularly. So it should be with pets, especially in Singapore, and even more so in HDB estates. And yet, here is a family who professes love, L.O.V.E., for the cats they have lured to their flat with the food they keep leaving out or otherwise kitnapped, wilfully allowing all these to continue happening despite events that ought to have taught them better.

On a related note. I may have sounded scornful, begrudging the family’s 2 wall-mounted large LCD TVs, expensive looking wall-mounted sound systems, and Hari Raya renovations. It is not judgmentalism with which we view the state of their spanking new palatial home furnishings. Everyone is entitled to aspire to newer, more or better. In fact, we are also getting our first LCD tv, a replacement for our aging 8 year old Sony Trinition, an old style cathode ray tv you will not find easily anymore.

My issue and frustration is not whether the family is able to afford their new possessions, nor do I care if they’re paying in installments (like we are) or cleared it all in full. The bigger gripe we have is that such possessions take some planning and budgetting to obtain or put in place. Still, it isn’t rocket science. Even simpler and cheaper is planning and budgetting for a cat’s sterilisation, 1 cat. And yet, the family has consistently failed to do what’s in Saba’s best interest for the past 15 or 16 months, despite their promise to us initially and now A, allowing Saba to birth 3 more litters, and everytime the excuse is she’s already pregnant, need to wait for her to give birth, need to wait for her to wean her kittens, can’t find her, no money on hand at the moment, need to wait for husband to have time to send her, she’s already pregnant …

What’s even more infuriating is that they have sent a later addition for sterilisation promptly, totally DIY with no one’s help at that, and at the rather high cost of $100 or more at a “specialist” which required a follow-up one week later. So they are being cavalier with Saba’s sterilisation, probably because she’s not anything ‘special’ like their white cat with a fluffy tail.

Area2: Brielle’s back

Brielle returned last evening, around 5pm, from her de-mojo adventure. Seems like she coped better than we expected. V said that she was actually quite a nice docile kitten, and was easy to manage.

Pre-release – crying for freedom

Closeup

Later that night, A and J found her hanging with her sibs, who have been sterilised along with their Mum earlier, as if she’s been there all along, so it’s good news all around.

(Photos taken by btmao, as I wasn’t on-hand to assist. Goes to show what necessity is able to breed.)