The Teacher Has Kitties in His House, Yay!

By popular demand, I am including some pictures of my cats, currently residing together in the store cum catroom. I had several species of pets before this, yet cats seems to last way longer than the rest.

 Above is Artemis Kikuraides II or 'Kiki'. Yes, there WAS an Artemis Kikuraides before her, but he was male (Artemis is an ambiguous name). The first Artemis (a big, ginger tomcat) was killed by stray dogs several years ago....and I did exact my revenge by sling-shooting them with ball bearings.

I found Kiki a few months later, in a small petstore in the city. She was fluffy and very very affectionate (and still is!). You can see Kiki as a kitten in this video.  and also this video. Kiki is now almost 7 years old.

Kiki is a domestic long haired cat. Tricoloured, or calico. Her colouring is considered very lucky in the Orient, thus giving fuel to the rise of maneki nekos, the popular waving cats of Japan / China.  

Kiki is mild mannered, and always seek attention. She will come to me everytime I call her name.  

 This black cat is not really mine, even though I pay for her kibbles and litter. She belongs to my housemate, who suddenly thinks he need a pet cat.

This cat has no fancy name, and is called Tamtam (or for you English speaking people 'Tum-tum'). Her name simply describes her colour. Like we call a cat 'Blackie'. Tamtam is less than a year old, and is very very very very active. She also screams and yowl at unholy hours, making me scream back in reply to shut her up.  

Some people considered black cats to be unlucky.... but heck, I don't care. Although Tamtam is extra loud and hyper, I love her as well.

(This is the catroom, my housemate cleans it every week).

And this picture explains their behavior. See older Kiki lounging on the carpet watching her much much younger sister, Tamtam playing by herself.

The two pics above is of younger Kiki.She had a collar with bells then. Tamtam is almost impossible to take a decent picture of because she is constantly moving!

p.s. - I also had two females I gave away as presents to friends. I don't know why, but I always liked and got female cats....

The Tale of Two Kitties

 

This is Artemis II Kikuraides or Kiki, my female cat which was featured a few times in my blog and Facebook account. She is a big and lazy cat, but easily startled and is very fond of the 'catch-me-if-you-can' game. When I ignored her during the game, she would return to have her tummy tickled, or fur brushed. As for today, she is three years, three months and six day old (there is a reminder of her age here in my blog, below right). I got her since she was about a month old.

 

And this is a new addition to the family. Introducing Nymphadora Tuttenkha Rhapsody or shortly called 'Tutti'. I got her from a family who is willing for her adoption last week. It has been for some time that I have the idea to find Kiki a companion, another female cat for her to socialize with. I was told that Tutti is only six months old, not that young, yet she is very affectionate. She still have some problem being handled, but with frequent touch, she will be ok soon :)

Both cats live in the same room, though for now Tutti still stays in a cage. I will let her roam free with Kiki sometimes next week. Time is a bit short for now as I am busy with school these few weeks, but I will not let these two (and the other three ferrets) play alone for long. :P   

Day Off With Cat

I was spending the afternoon today with my cat. She has grown very fat, a result of good diet and not much exercise I guess. My cat, Artemis II Kikuraides (or Kiki in short) is 2 years, 7 months and 4 days old today. I bought her from a pet shop which mainly specialize in tropical fish and exotic animals. I fell in love with her in an instant because she was a fluffy and playful calico cat. (Calico cats are considered bringers of good luck in Japan and China. Thus the popularity on Maneki Nekos @ Lucky cats transpired).

Anyway, this post is not about the history of feline or anything... Kiki spent the afternoon running around me, as I sat on the carpet watching tv (I prefer to sit on the floor, not because my sofas are uncomfortable... I just prefer the floor. Thus I bought a heavy Japanese low table to sit at). I played laser tag with her last night (she chased the red laser point around, great fun!) but I think she still had fun running after invisible mice around the house.

And frequently she would return and pawed my legs, and sometimes my chest. I think this is an indication; 'Hey, look at me. I love you.' Sometimes I had to shoo her away, that clingy cat  :)

But one time, as I was checking her back paws for matted fur, Kiki bit my hand suddenly. It wasn't hard and rather playfully, but I was surprised and slapped her in the face in reflex. She meowed in surprise and raced to the kitchen to hide. I am quite ashamed because I knew she didn't mean to hurt me. She is a happy and active cat after all.

I clapped my hand and called her name 'Kiki! Kiki!' and she returned back to me running. As she pawed my legs, with her luminous eyes in mine, a revelation was upon me. "Even a cat can forgive and forget, so why can't I be a bit more forgiving?"

I apologized to the cat. Cradled her in my arms (this always have her looking bewildered) and tickled her tummy.

I'll buy her a new collar soon, after pay day  :P

What My Pets Told Me

Boss is KING!! - Kaos

Artemis II Kikuraides @ 'Kiki' the female domestic long hair calico cat.

Life is boring and you are not interesting enough for me to come whenever you call. Even though sometimes I come and paw you, it does not mean I totally dig you - I am just plain bored. You only function to feed me and change my litter. You are beneath me and nothing you can do amuses me. Because I am CAT and you shalt obey.

Kaos the sable male ferret (neutered).

Boss is great and me worship Boss! Boss is always interesting and me like to lick Boss! Boss give yummy food and me love walkies! Boss tickle me and me bite Boss! Me cage is bigger than Kiki! Boss clean me poop and pee! Me and Boss hate Kiki! Boss is GREAT!

Rosy the Chilean Rose female tarantula.

.... when are you going to feed me you sadistic mammal?

And the many many tropical fish in the aquarium.

Swim. Swim. Bump (against the glass). Swim. Bump. Bump. Swim. Eat. Eat. Poop.

Adventures of Kiki and Kaos 3

"Oi Kiki, look at me on the cover of teh book Boss read!"

"That's not you. It's another ferret."

"Jealous. Just jealous."

"Would you like me to bury my claws in your back like last time?" Kiki unsheathing her claws for show.

"Bring it on sister! Bring it!" Kaos starts his war-dance.

"Hoy you two! Keep it down or I'll throw you both in jail (cage)."

The Adventures of Kiki and Kaos 2

"Oi Boss! Me cannot get to pummel Kiki with teh leash on-lah" Kaos tugging the leash in futile.

"Why you want to beat her up? She did nothing bad to you," I answered sleepily, it was a rather hot afternoon.

"Stay away from me, you smelly and impolite animal!" hissed Kiki from under the sofa.

"Oi Boss! There she do again. She say me smelly and impolite."

"But you ARE smelly and impolite."

There was a chuckle from under the sofa.

"You hurt my feeling Boss," Kaos laid flat on the carpet, pedalling his body with his hind legs.

"Oh just grow up already you two. And Kiki, you don't smell like a bouquet of roses either."

"That was uncalled for," sniffed the cat from under the sofa.  

Adventures of Kiki and Kaos 1

"Oi Boss. How come you got me in this harness and not teh durn cat?" my ferret Pandemonium @ Pandy asked me while I was busy electrocuting myself on the couch (for health sake). "Do you love her more than me, ah?!"

"Nope."

"Then why?" jinggling his bell on the harness by jumping up and down.

"Because I am not a destructive animal like you, and plus, I am litter trained," murmured Kiki from under a couch.

"Oi it's only a bit of poo! Not like teh Boss cannot clean up after me, eh? And have you thunk me a new name yet? You promised me you know," those cute ferretty eyes boring into mine.

"How about Kaos? The original Fifth Horsemen. He left before they became famous and got the Apocalypse gig. Very few people knew about this."

"Wow. Me like teh name very much. Oi Kiki, now you call me Kaos, ok?" the ferret-formerly-known-as-Pandemonium addressed the couch.

"Whateveeeeer."

My ferret Kaos being curious all over my stuff. He is a blur!

The Adventures of Kiki and Pandy 1

"Oi, me don like teh name u gave. It got 'Demon' in teh middle," Pandemonium told me as I was filling his food dish.

"But I like that name. A very macho name for a very manly ferret."

"Sheesh youse guys. Nobody in this age is named Pandemonium. It is a name for a place in Hell," Kiki the educated cat yawned behind me. She and Pandy shared kibbles and she hates it.

"See! See! Me don wanna go to hell! Gimme a new name," my ferret nosed the expensive kibble I poured for him.

"Okay. We'll see what I can think of.... would you like your old name back? Lawrence?"

"OH PLEAZEEEEEEEE! Me sound like a sissy civet with a name like that."

"I think I am going to throw up a hairball hearing all this machismo," Kiki left the room.

                                                  Kiki playing dead and bored under the couch.

Oops!

I broke Pandemonium's water bottle as I was moving his cage out for cleaning this afternoon.

And my ferret said,"Why did you do that for?" (so CUTE!!!!)

Sorry sorry sorry 10 000 times. And I stole my cat, Kiki's food and water dispenser and put it into Pandy's cage.

"Hoi! That's MINE!!!" Kiki screamed and hissed her displeasure.

Ok ok, don't lose your fur yet. So I grudgingly took out the big brand new water and food dispenser (I saved for my new house) and put the gadget inside Kiki's cage.

All the while....

"Ooooo... lookie! I have a small swimming pool!" said Pandy, who never had a water dish before.

If he snorkels in there tonight, I'll buy him a proper water bottle tomorrow...

Star Trekking and "15 kg Iam's Premium Cat Food for RM 193!!"

Oh ok I don't need to shout my pet's purchase aloud but it is really a bargain. My cat, Kiki and her distant cousin, Pandemonium (ferret) literally live on kibble, so I say why not buy their food in bulk (ok, a HUGE bulk). And Kiki is copiously shedding her fur and I am afraid she might not be eating right. Anyway, my Pandy has no objection and eat everything I plunk in his bowl. Buying a superior quality food is an investment I can afford. After all, it's for the two lovely furballs who made me happy on a daily basis.

Ok, enough about cat food... I watched Star Trek with a friend today and it wasn't that awesome, just good (meaning you can watch it and do not feel cheated afterwards). I was not a fan of the series but I did watch the previous movies (on Dvds) and this latest film is much much better. Expect a lot of space explosion and warping ships. USS Enterprise is indeed a wonderful ship, eventhough some scenes on the ship were OBVIOUSLY shot in some renovated warehouses. And I never knew the Vulcan, Spock has feelings for women!!

After the movie and a meal of chicken rice broth (because I was still feeling poorly) I visited my friend's home to check on Keru. Yes, Araphone I Kakeru @ Keru, the American Curl cat I gave my friend to take care when Pandemonium (ferret) newly arrived last April. Hope you guys still remember her. And I was mightily surprised to see that former cat of mine.

She was HUGE and BEAUTIFUL!!! I accused my friend for feeding her expensive kibble but my friend said he got not enough money like me (pointedly reminding me about the 15 kg premium cat food in my car boot). "Over my dead body," my friend told me when I expressed the desire to get Keru back. Well, at least I try. And she is even bigger than Kiki now. Look at her.

Glad she found someone who cares for her as well as I do. *sniff*

This is Going To Be A Very Tough Week....

I was finishing my Physics class at 12.40 pm when one of the girls said; "Sir, what are we going to do for this afternoon tuition class?"

And I said,"WHAT???!!!"

Bloody hell! I have forgotten about the extended class after school for Fifth Formers. I was hoping to go back earlier and take a nap.

Tomorrow I have a meeting for a rocket launching competition this coming Saturday. Ok ok,  not real ballistic missiles, just water propelled rockets. It's a Physics thing.

I hate meetings. It would take too much time and I will lose my nap, AGAIN!

Next week, we will having our 'Science & Maths Week'. Our Head of Department is asking left and right about the preparation, wanting everything to be ready and perfect. I dislike perfectionist. Such people will not leave room for creativity.

I am in charge of photography, the Physics exhibition and 'The A-Math-Zing Race' (NOT my idea,  I think it sounds silly).

p.s. - Well, at least I returned back and had my late nap finally. Pandy is so cute, I am so glad I have him even though he's messy about pooping! Kiki is toying with a cockroach now. I hope she is not planning to eat the poor insect.

The Search Is Over. I Got A Ferret!!!!

Been looking for one for almost 2 and a half years. None was sold in Malacca and the ferrets I saw in KL were either sickly or extravagantly priced (one grand and above). So I amused myself by getting tarantulas, guinea pigs and finally, cats. (Snakes are so slimy and... still. Boring).

So two weeks ago I encountered an adoption advert in Mudah.my and I was pleasantly surprised that the advertisement came from Malacca. I text messaged the person involved and we exchanged messages until I realized that the person and his ferret were in fact in Damansara, more than 200 km away from me. He put the adverts by hoping the ferret will be adopted by somebody from his homestate, when he returns back this Labor's Day, 1st May.

I wanted the ferret. And was very willing to pay the deposit (so he can take the advert off!).

That was two weeks ago.

So yesterday morning, me and my two cronies flew in my Kia to fetch my ferret, two weeks in advance, for reasons I do not wish to bore you with. We visited the place and the friendly couple were nice and we witnessed their love about anything ferret! They even accompany us to my ferret's second vaccination at a local vet clinic.

After saying goodbye to the ferret-wise couple, we visited Ikano Power Centre (ooo I am SO SORRY Aizan! Was thinking of you and your killer pillows as I walked past IKEA). Bought a few ferret stuffs (cannot be found anywhere in Malacca) and after that, immediately zoomed back home.

My ferret is male with sable markings. His name was Lawrence, but I decided to rename him Pandemonium or Pandy for short. This is a really fitting name; he managed to escape his cage the first night at home. Very very playful.

So welcome home Pandy!

p.s. - I gave Araphone I Kakeru to a friend on Wednesday as I cannot cope having three large animals to care. Kiki was a bit sulky, losing Keru - his playmate and was giving me the cold shoulder treatment ever since Keru moved away.

My Mom Returns from Mecca

My mom arrived from the airport very early in the morning but decided to return to her late mother's house, some 10 km away from our home. That's my aunt's putty-hued car and my sinister coloured vehicle next to it. (All pictures taken around 6.00 pm)

Kiki on the back of my aunt's car. This is her second visit to the house, traveling inside the new pet carrier I got her. On her first visit, she actually vomited in the older carrier, and I had to bathe her twice to remove the odour.

Kiki yet again. She's so photogenic :) My late grandmother was one traditionalist-style gardener. She just let plants and flowers grow as they like. This would create a wildlife-reservation-like surrounding the old house. My mom seems to share the genes; you would not believe the chaotic plantlife we have around our house. She said it makes her feel just at  home (she means her mother's house - see pic).

See what I mean? The old house got quite a huge grassy lawn and these fruit and coconut trees around it. There used to be huge old trees when I was little, even a small rubber plantation right in front of Granny's house. But those were all gone, cleared away for the wider road construction.

And these are what my mom and brother are up to at Granny's house. My mom, bro, auntie and her husband have their very own goat pen /stable / bungalow / residence (pick your fav) behind the old house. Originally there were four nanny-goats and a huge billy-goat. All Boers, the very huge imported variety. Now there an addition of two kids @ small baby-goats, which were born when my Mom and bro were still in Mecca. My mom and bro are so proud of these smelly animals (they do all the work of getting the grass and food). I have no truck whatsoever with this project, mainly because I hate smelly places. My bro thinks goats are cute. :)

So my Mom got the usual souvenirs for all of us children. Vests, robes, head covers, praying mattreses, dates, water of Zamzam etc etc. And she got me a thing I asked of her a long long time ago - a translation of the Koran in English. Ermmm, because I rarely read in my own language these days other than for the newspapers. 

Repent, o son of mine. :)

Just glad she is back home.   

Are You Against Declawing of Animals?

"Contrary to most people's understanding, declawing consists of amputating not just the claws, but the whole phalanx (up to the joint), including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated." - www.declawing.com - 

Yes, declawing a cat / dog is actually a series of surgery - it's very painful. It is not like clipping the animal's nails, which can regrow.

I might decide to declaw Araphone I Kakeru @ Keru soon (Kiki doesn't need this, she's as sweet as a cat can be). Keru is still timid, though she let me stroke her now, which she never let a month ago. But whenever I let her out to play with Kiki... her claws, her VERY long claws would dig and scratch my mom's furniture! She also scratched my feet to bleed twice when she tried to escape. A very beautiful, scaredy cat with STRONG and SHARP CLAWS.

Tried to clip her nails... it's like a fish riding a bicycle. Impossible.

So I called a vet office to discuss about the declawing procedure, if they let it happen here in free Malaysia. A woman answered;

"May I know if your clinic do cat's declawing?"

"Oh, yes."

"How much for the procedure?"

"It's free. If you buy stuff or have our service."

(I was actually confused) "Excuse me, I am not talking about clipping the cat's nails. I am talking about the surgery. And it is never free."

(Pause)"Yes it is free."

"No it is not."

"Ok, I think you just better bring the cat here."

I put down the phone immediately. I didn't think I was talking to the doctor, maybe one of her ignorant lackeys.   

Lucky Keru. You escaped my tortures for now. Bwa ha ha ha ha! Imagine having your nails ripped off. Defenseless!!! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!! 

Paying the Bills With Blood!

I went out today to pay my mobile phone bill and car loan at two different places. No shopping, not even browsing and the day cost me almost RM 900. Arghhh! So much money. Erm...

On a brighter note, I took Kiki to her first professional grooming and picked her up after watching the movie 'the Unborn' (which was rather dull, but with the most extensive use of CGI in a horror film I ever seen). The pet-groom showed me a very long welt where Kiki slashed him with her claws (good ol Kiki!) and charged me an extra RM 5 for the damage. Nevermind, at least my cat looks prettier than the ones he had in his shop.

Somebody wished to see my pic. My friend took this picture today at A&W after I had my hair cut. (They are selling fruit shakes now! But the taste was terrible!!!) 

Mauled by Kiki

This always happen whenever I take a nap with the door open. My cat Kiki would wish me to pet her and sometimes she wants to nuzzle my neck! This always end with me taking her back to her cage if I wanted any sleep at all.

p.s. - the whistling sound was made by the fan, which was directly pointed at me.

On kitty litter....

My mom always complain about the smell of the house whenever she returns from kampung. when I was away, she'd push the cats' cage (it was on wheels) outside the house and when I return, I'd push it back inside. Kiki and Keru do not mind the tug-of-war as long as they can have a change of scenery on a daily basis. :)

I used the clay type of cat litter before this and even though it is quite cheap, there are a few problems. My cat, Kiki, trails dust every time she escaped from the cage - to the entire house. The ammonia absorbency of the clay litter is not really good, so the bad smell can be detected still, even though I used the scented clay litter (jasmine). Erm....

So I changed the clay type litter to the more expensive silicone-crystal based. Let's hope the odour problem to be eliminated soon.

p.s. - as I was washing the litter tray... I wondered if dog owners have litter boxes in their house for in-door dogs.

Introducing.....

Kiki was a bit angry when I put the new cat in her cage. (She hissed like a kettle!) I told her to grow up because she's going to have a larger place to roam- my actual room. Kiki is already house trained and does not need to be locked up everynight. I love this cat. 

This is my new American un-curl cat (ha ha ha). A colourpoint with soft downy fur and red eyes. As you people are so lazy to read my blog (*snif*) I have to think up some fantastic names for this female feline of mine.

My first choice was 'Aditi', which was a lioness' name but unfortunately that name did not suit my new cat. She is very very VERY timid. A scaredy cat. Then I remembered a latin name of a particular mouse, 'Araphone' (I had her a year ago). And a Japanese nick name I call myself a long long time ago, Kakeru. So please welcome 'ARAPHONE I KAKERU @ KERU'!!! :)

p.s. - Keru is so timid... if I let her out, she'll go to the nearest corner and sulks. I think the previous owner didn't treat her quite well. Ok then, I'll try my best.

Business After Dark For Kiki The Don

Tonight I will drive my mom and aunt to Subang Jaya, my sister's home very very very far away from Malacca. My cousin is getting married this Sunday. I hate driving long distance, and Kiki will be left unattended for two days. But at least I got something interesting to do tonight...

My first Mudah.my purchase! Kiki's new companion, a female American Curl kitten. Yes yes the ears should be 'curled' but this one aren't, thus the cheaper pricetag. I am a bargain hunter anyway. I tried to upload the picture here, yet the site wont let me copy it! And the pictures of other cats as substitute would not do because I cannot find one with the same coat colour.

Hope Kiki will like her new friend, they will live together in the same cage soon (after the initial introduction). Will upload a picture of both of them if they didn't kill each other first. :)

:) I love cats. (The prettier ones, he he he). 

p.s. - Suggest me some names for the new kitten. Kiki's longer illustrious name is Artemis II Kikuraides. (Artemis I was murdered by dogs last year.... *snif*).

Kiki and Me

This is Artemis II Kikuraides @ Kiki, my calico mix breed cat. She was sitting under the sofa, being bored when I took this (poor quality) picture using my mobile phone.

She is just 4 months old and still love to play hide and seek with me. Sometimes she plays tag, but I don't entertain that game much because she always cheat - running under sofas and beds.

Notice the bell collar. Kiki has no voice, meaning she is incapable to make noises like a normal cat. I do not know what the problem was, and fortunately she is healthy and active. She is so silent outside her cage, thus the bell informs me her whereabouts in the house.

These days she is the only one who accompany me at home. Loneliness is good, even better if we got someone to share it with.