MARATHON SLEEPER

Hat slept all the way until 6pm, so that was 8 hours of beauty sleep. He was not asleep all the time, but he stayed in bed anyway. Only after I opened a can of cat food then he walked out of bed.

When I came back, he was playing with BH2 at the carpark. He is having his biscuits now, later he will join Kiki and Mayo on the corridor. Kiki is still upset about something. Poor cat.

KIKI IS DEPRESSED

Kiki was here just now. He was clean but looked a bit glum. Hat was sleeping in the basket. Kiki thought he was dead, so he didn't want to come in. Only after we moved the basket to the shoe cabinet did Kiki recover. He seemed out of sorts today, not his usual cheerful self.

Too many people trooping in and out of the house, so Hat woke up. I put him back to the basket, so now he is getting ready for Part II of his nap.

Mayo just sneaked in. Spencer growled at him from the bookshelves, Mayo scampered away. He is getting quite stout.

DUM DEE DUM

No sign of grey kitten today.

Spencer was complaining bitterly and loudly because we forgot to set out the litter bin and biscuits for her last night. She did went on a bit, until 10am. Basically just saying how heartless we were to have forgotten her basic needs. Anyway, she has calmed down now, and is resting after we applied the skin medications.

Mera was basking in the sun, as it was unusually mild. He didn't want food. Hat had eaten and was in two minds about stepping into his basket. I placed him in it and tucked his toys around. He is asleep now. BH2 was limping, again. Looks like the back leg.

EVICTED!

This is the grey kitten that was thrown out of Myanmar's house this morning at 9am. So I was right afterall.

Granted, he is rather cute, and not so noisy. Maybe he had been fed. He tried all means and ways to come into the house. I left a dish of food outside for him.

Mera had already scowled at him but normally tomcats give in to kittens so Mera left after his breakfast, in a huff. Hat was nicer to him, until the kitten started to smell Hat for milk, so Hat jumped onto the corridor and pretended to look at scenery. Spencer parked herself at the entrance, and made threatening noises each time the kitten came near. The kitten puffed up and jumped about, but Spencer stood firm. She was very upset. I was told the kitten eventually fell asleep outside, and managed to sneak in later for biscuits, so he was placed downstairs immediately. I presumed things went back to normal, as Hat had slept in his basket.

Spencer went to the vet for her bald patch. The vet said it is bacterial, and gave some antiseptic wash and cream containing antibiotics, antifungal and steroids. We were told not to use floor cleaner as it may irritate the skin. If she chews the area, the vet will give her some hormone injections to calm her nerves (??!).

Spencer is OK, seemed to have survived the trip to the vet. She had relaxed visibly, and is asleep now in her basket.

Kiki was here for a while for his dinner.

NEWCOMER

Kiki had eaten and was lying 4 paws up on the floor as his stomach was too full. He had a dreamy look on his face.

The kitten came back at 11pm. He was calling outside, I thought it was Kiki so I opened the door and a grey thing shot out, so I quickly shut the door again. He continued to call for a while, but I didn't bring out any food. I think Hat told him food is available from our place.

Ended up the Myanmar neighbour adopted him, and damn excited about it too. Spencer was aware of the new cat, and was unable to sleep. Actually I found her sitting on top of shoe cabinet peering at the going-ons outside. I don't really think the neighbour would be responsible owner, and I fear the grey kitty will ended up at our place eventually. Knowing Spencer's sensitive nature, she will be disturbed by the new arrival next door. The new cat may even have fleas! Or some obnoxious diseases. Or he may pee everywhere and other neighbours may blame Mera and Hat.

Stressful days ahead.

BACK TO NORMAL

Things are getting back to normal. Spencer should be glad. Actually tonight she looked more upbeat and active. She is now washing herself happily and her appetite has come back.

Hat was sitting on the table and his long tail hung down, swinging. Spencer thought it was some insect so she tried to swipe it. Hat quickly changed his position to protect his precious tail.

Mera was sleeping at the staircase this morning, looking miserable. I took him back and examined his stomach, which seemed OK. Maybe he strained his abdominal muscle. He ate some, but seemed reluctant to jump on to the table for drinking water. After that he preferred to go down to the garden.

BH2 was sleeping at the power station but I didn't have any food with me. He heard me tidying up the newpapers so he rushed out. I went back upstairs to get him food, he must have thought I had left, so he went back to sleep again. He is drooling, should be some dental problem.

Kiki was here too. He enjoyed his breakfast very much. He is such a funny cat, enjoying life to the full. I wonder if he is an angel or a fool.

Hat was waiting at the postbox, not daring to approach, as Mera was prowling about. After breakfast, he went to his basket and fell asleep. Apparently he slept from 9am to 6pm. In between he was interrupted by Mera entering to have afternoon tea, and they almost came to blows. Hat put up a good fight verbally hiding in the cubbyhole, and Mera didn't beat him as there was someone else at home.

I heard there was a grey kitten hanging about, I think he is from the shop up the road. I saw him the other night, playing with a towel.

Auntycat was waiting at the garden at night. She knows I check the mailbox, but tonight I forgot my keys, so she didn't hear me.Only when I called her then she looked up in surprise.

SICK KITTY

I had to get out of the house early today so all the cats had to have breakfast by 8am. Luckily they were all organised and cooperative, but all looked sleepy when they appeared. BH2 was back at the power station.

Mera had some biscuits and when I was preparing food for the strays, he looked interested so I gave him some. He had half a can of smelly fish. Later I saw Wendy hugging him before going to work. Wendy left him some food.

Spencer seemed to have recovered a little. Last night she was sulking and looking at Hat sleeping, so I put her to my bed. She fell asleep rather fast.

Later at night Wendy messaged me that Mera had vomitted his biscuits and some mucus. When she touched his stomach, he cried in pain. When I saw him, he was sleeping already and I noticed that the abdomen is swollen and tender. He didn't like us touching it, and used his hind legs to keep us away. He is also lethargic. If the vomitting continues, I will have to bring him to the vet tomorrow morning.

This is just gonna add on to the existing mental stress.

Kiki was here. Ate one can, had a leak, played with catnip, konked out at the kitchen and ate another can. Mayo was here too, but Spencer snarled at him, so he sprinted away. Kiki had his share of fun and is now sitting outside with Mayo.

Auntycat was hungry too, and followed me around while I checked the mail. Hat ran all the way upstairs with me, but didn't stay. I think he had an appointment with BH2.

Spencer vomitted again, just gastric juice. She is under stress as well.

SAME OLD SAME OLD

I reached home late, about 9pm. Hat was waiting but he didn't seem too hungry so I let him be. He took 20 minutes to reach our place. He was a bit surprised that I didn't fawn over him. As usual, he waited on top of the shoe cabinet and finished one can.

After dinner, he washed himself outside and burrowed among the laundry drying on the corridor, then he came in and rest in the basket, putting his head on the toy puppy. He fell asleep very soon and is now 4 paws up.

It is good to see that no matter what happens, cats just stick to their routines.

Spencer complained a bit at night, still jumpy, and went out to sit at the corridor for a long time.

RECUPERATING

Spencer has been well behaved. She didn't wake me up at 7am but stayed in her basket until I woke up, then she ate last night's leftover. She still stayed out at the corridor, looking and looking. Then she came in and sat at a corner, looking glum. She was still jumpy.

Mera came at 9am, even though it wasn't raining. He was polite enough to sit outside and only came in after I called him and opened the door. He ate and went to bed on top of the wardrobe, with his catnip. I thought maybe the wound was making him sick and feverish.

Hat came too and decided to stay in after breakfast. It was just as well, at least they could keep Spencer company, though I doubt two snoring tom cats are going to cheer her up very much.

Apparently when mum arrived, the three cats were still around, Mera had woken after hearing noises but the other two were still in bed. Kiki was hanging around and was frustrated he couldn't come in as mum was locking the door. Apparently he knocked on the door with his paws. Mum let him in and hoped that the cats don't have a four way fight. Kiki would have been disappointed to find no food left in the house afterall!

BIG HEADACHE

The recent upheaval at home is making Spencer upset. She kept talking, jumping about and looking out to the corridor. Poor kitty!

I reached home late tonight, about 10pm. Kiki was loitering outside our place and was overjoyed to see me. Spencer was already waiting but Mera just woke up. He had a tuft of fur hanging out from his face, and after examining, it was a puncture wound on his cheek. I put some antibiotics ointment on him, of course he was not happy about it at all. He did eat some biscuits while Kiki polished off 2 cans.
Then his owner came to claim him so it was just as well.

I went down with Mera and BH2, Hat and Auntycat were all waiting for my attention. They each got their food and I brought Mera to the 5th floor but he didn't want to go in, so I just told him to be a good boy and let him be.

Now I have to get ready for tomorrow and also to pacify Spencer.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

It started to rain at 4.30am with strong wind. I closed the window because Spencer hated the whipping curtains. And it was cold.

At 7am some cat was calling outside. I assumed it was Hat so I opened the door. The calling stopped but no cat appeared, so I went back to bed leaving the door ajar.

When I woke up again, Hat was in his basket, looking very cold. After some breakfast and bed readjustment, he was cosy again. Apparently he was sitting outside Jut's window, on the ledge, looking at the rain. He did it before at the kitchen window, here and 5th floor. Looked very scary but cats have a fine sence of balance. As long as they are slim and not startled, they can stay still on a thin ledge many floors high. Kiki used to do it too, with Mayo, but now he is too stout.

Rain made Spencer hungry too. She still refused to go near the table fan, as it still smell of her own vomit.

BUSINESS AS USUAL

People had told me that Auntycat looked very pitiful in a previous photo, hence this corrected version. She is surviving alright, as I feed her twice a day, and she does have a regular home to go back to. She is facing life with spirits and courage.

It was drizzling when I reached home. The 8 strays at Blk 703 were huddled together and craning their necks for their regular feeder.

When I reached home, Mera just woke up and was stretching and yawning. He ate a huge amount of biscuits and we went down together. I brought him to 5th floor but he came back down again, and appeared at the house 30 minutes later. By then Hat had eaten, explored, and fallen asleep in the basket. After a second serving of biscuits, Mera was a bit cheesed off with the sight of Hat fast asleep and wanted to punch him. I stepped in between them, and Mera left eventually, refusing my peace offering of catnip pillow.

BH2 was prowling around at the garden and was very happy to see me.

Spencer vomitted again last night, around the table fan. Just when we thought the frequency has reduced to once a month, she is at it again, to 3 times a week.

NUCLEAR PUSS

Mera was here at about 7am. I heard his bell aNd Jut let him in eventually. He ate and left.

BH2 was loitering at the carpark as the construction work around the power station must have bothered him. He still didn't want me to stay and watch him eat.

Hat is having his breakfast, wet and dry type. He is really getting very dirty. I wonder why he started to put on weight only after he left 5th floor.

Is it the nutrients that he had accumulated over the years have reached a critical mass?

POO POO

Spencer is doing her "business" next to the bathroom.

Her litter bin is actually an aluminium baking tray covered with newpapers and litter. I find the conventional litter tray too small for most cats and would only put it out when there are cat visitors.

Spencer adopts a strange posture when peeing. Her two front paws would be placed at the edge of the tray, unlike other cats who place all fours in the tray. I guess she just doesn't want to get her paws dirty. When pooing, she looks like other cats, the classic "bomb dropping" posture.

Spencer can only use the granite type of litter eg Cat's Pride and Tidy Cat. The smaller crystals type drove her mad, and the wood pellets type was not adsorbent enough. Of course she leaves the litter all over the house, especially when she sweeps the litter around at the beginning, then the granite gets trapped in her paws or stuck to her butt.

After she finishes, I would wipe her butt and paws with baby wet wipes, to avoid messing the floor. Also she tends to scoot after pooing, so it would leave an unsightly stain. As a result, Spencer has this habit of waiting for us to notice her before going to the litter bin, and she expects us to clean up the mess IMMEDIATELY. If we are in bed already, she would attempt to cover up the mess by hitting at the newpapers repeatedly until the noise wakes us. She did get a smack for that, if it is 3am. I think she cannot stand the smell either.

If she manages to eacape before I can wipe her, the floor which she sits on would smell of pee and she would swipe at the spot obsessively.

Mera is the only cat who covers his mess neatly, stamping down the newspapers carefully in a petal-like design.

After changing to IAMS, her poo is not as deadly as before, and she is less inclined to constipate. She did have bouts of severe diarrhoea when she was young, and two episodes of urinary tract infections when she was trying to hold her pee or she didn't drink enough water. It was a distressing time for us as she cried each time she pee, and there was blood on the litter.

YUM YUM

These are the cats' favorite treats, crab stick slices from Cattyman, Japan. Now they also come out with new prawn and fish flavors. The kindly neighbour introduced this brand to me years ago, and it was a sure fire hit. The cats just couldn't get enough of it. Miao Miao ate up one packet in the middle of the night, and Mera was seen running away with one packet in his mouth when no one noticed. Hat could be lured back to the house with just a slice being waved in the air. Spencer is only allowed a small slice each time, on account of her weight problem.

This brand was out of stock for a while and we had been trooping in and out of various pet shops all over the island locating the remaining stocks. Now shipment is back to normal, so all cats are happy again.

SPENCER'S TREASURE CHEST

Every Sunday I will replendish Spencer's pantry in the kitchen.

The excess, medications and bulkier stuffs like litter and dry biscuits are kept at the store room, together with the strays' supplies. Hat is on Frisian Cat's Choice Plus ( 5 flavors, all fish ). Auntycat prefers fish also once in a while, and BH2 eats just about anything. Pretender didn't like anything fancy, just good old smelly fish would do for him.

The drawer contains Spencer's food ( wet / dry ) and grooming aids. She has a choice of 13 flavors of Fancy Feast at one time, but she prefers turkey and chicken. She is partial to fish occasionally. Kiki also takes Fancy Feast. Mera hardly eats wet food nowadays. The bottle contains gravy to be poured onto food, but most cats treat it with suspicion. The empty plastic containers are for Mera and Auntycat's breakfast biscuits.

Of course Spencer had tried other brands of cat food before, those from Thailand and Japan, but she got sick of them eventually. And one brand containing liver gave her diarrhoea for one month.

There are 3 types of biscuits but Spencer is only allowed the "lite" variety. The first can contains cat treats; the second one is the original Friskies for Mera and other cats; the third one is ANF Lite which no cats like; fourth one is Spencer's IAMS Lite, and the begging strips are for the neighbour's dog DoDo, when she starts to get depressed or grouchy.

One packet of IAMS Lite 3kg lasts approximately one month. And we go through one bag of Friskies 1.5kg every one and half week, and 6 to 8 cans of wet food per day. It is more economical to use the 400g can if I have more than 2 strays. If not, I just give 85g can as one serving, topped up with biscuits.

I get the local pet shop to deliver once a month, making payment at the store. I used to employ the service of another pet shop online or via fax, but they needed someone to be at home to accept the goods. At one stage a friend opened a pet shop and he helped me to deliver on weekends. After the store folded one year later, I found the current pet shop who can leave the goods outside my door. The goods were not stolen, but at one time, they sent to the wrong address and I had to carry the goods back, cartons by cartons.

???

Hat was washing himself on the corridor after breakfast. Neighbour sneezed, so Hat was startled.

Mera was here 11am for early lunch but he decided not to nap indoors today. He is with Miao Miao now at the garden. Hat is just getting ready for bed.

Spencer screamed at 9am today because she had finished her biscuits, not a pellet left. And there was no leftovers from last night. As for her bald patch, we think it has spread. So even though she will hate it, we will bring Spencer to the vet sometime this week.

VISITOR FROM SPACE

The local TV channel will be showing ET on Sunday night. I was looking at ET waddling across the screen, and realised the alien looks like Auntycat.

CHICK'S MAGNET

Aren't I the most handsome cat on the block?

GOTTA GET ' EM ALL!

Spencer with her classic Pokemon face.

SAY CHEESE!

Hat was having a breather after breakfast.He looked like he is smiling. Even if when he was in bed.

A quiet evening, no cats visited. Hat didn't eat much. BH2 was waiting at the same spot and when I went down again with more food, he had eaten up and disappeared.

BUSY MORNING

Kiki came to the house at 9am. He ate 2 cans with relish and was a bit bored so we threw him the catnip pillow. He played for a while and was falling asleep. That was Hat coming through the kitchen at the background.

Apparently when I left the house Hat left also but came back later to have morning tea, then he went to bed. Mera also came, as it was going to rain, according to his whiskers.

THE REIGNING QUEEN

Miao Miao belongs to the kindly neighbour. She is about 5 years old, same age with Mera but a few months older, and neutered. Miao Miao is camera shy so we could not see her face. She has unusual snake like whorls as her markings. She has a stumpy tail.

Miao Miao was found at a fruit&veg market and the owner's husband picked her because she came to him and touched his foot. She was meant to be a mice-catching cat, but ended up as a pet.

She is the queen of the block as she had been roaming downstairs since young, and it was only the last 2 years that she prefers the indoors. Now she likes to raom about the corridors at different floors and would scream very loudly when she wants to go home. Whoever heard her would phone her owner to come and collect her.

Miao Miao is actually very shy, so she gets easily agitated and defensive. She likes being petted, but only up to a certain extent, or she would kick-bite you.

I heard from her owner that she is a very loyal and intelligent cat, and likes to be hand-fed. Her favorite treats are steamed chicken wing, fried fish and Magnolia fresh milk. She has no problem taking medications, and is choosy of her cat food flavors. She sleeps with her owner every night.

Being an semi-outdoor cat, Miao Miao has her fair share of illness eg diarrhoea, fleas, burnt nose, broken claws, injured paw pads and fungus in between her paws.

Miao Miao has a sister Mimi, whom we saved from the dump 3 years ago. Miao Miao doesn't like Mimi at all, and even until now, the two cats cannot see face to face without getting into a huge fight. Her owner has worked out a fine routine to separate the two cats now, but it was nerve wrecking in the beginning, and she was in tears alomost daily.

Miao Miao is a loner, and she can only tolerate Mera. They used to play and explore together when they were kittens, but now they just sit side by side at the garden. And Miao Miao was the only cat on the block not afraid of BH1. And Miao Miao visited us once, many years ago, and almost fought with Spencer, so there is no love lost between them.

CAT DANCE

I came back from bookshop and found Hat asleep in this state.Once he realised there was someone at home, he reverted to a more cat-like pose. It is raining now and rather chilly, so we gave him an extra blanket.

THE CAT, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

After dinner, Hat didn't leave immediately but went about exploring the house.

My wardrobe was wide opened and before I could stop him, or take a photo, he had already crept into the bottom drawer and disappeared to the back of the wardrobe.

After failing to locate the land of Narnia, he crawled out and try the actual wardrobe itself. I don't think he find Mr Tummus either, but I am sure he will try again.

NOCTURNAL CATS

Spencer wanted to stay outside tonight, so Kiki accompanied her. Spencer didn't do much, just staring at the staircase. Kiki kept looking at the neighbour's window because there were movements inside the room and sneezing noises. Later someone walked up and both of them ran home very quickly and Kiki kept lloking behind him, so that person must be very scary looking. Kiki played with stick for a while and left, I heard his owner calling him.

Saw BH2 spraying in the bush. He came forward when I called him, not limping anymore. He knows to wait at one particular spot in the evening so I can find him. But he still wanted me to leave so he could eat in peace.Auntycat was fed too. I gave her some fish, just in case she was very hungry.

Mera came too at 11pm but he just ate and decided not to stay. I think he went to the garden to do what tomcats do best. It was nice that he showed appreciation whenever I presented food to him.

HAT IN A BOX

Mera ran into the house just before 9am, and went straight to hide underneath the bed. I heard his bell and was unlocking the door, he was very eager to come in, and kept looking behind him. I think the grass cutters from the council frightened him. Since his posioning three months ago, Mera is wary of motor noises. It is good that way, it will make him safer. I left food, catnip and water out for him, when he recovers he will come out.

Hat had his breakfast and went into cubby hole again. Spencer saw him from the kitchen table, but she didn't approach today. Hat saw that there was no game so he went to sleep at the basket instead. His toy dog which used to be white has now become sooty.

Last night I forgot to leave biscuits out for Spencer, but she didn't scream this morning. She just ate up last night's leftovers and waited until I woke up.

TUBBY KITTY

Kiki is so fat when he enters through the gate just now, he almost took it off the hinges. And he had the cheek to look back at the gate and with that look :" I think your gate has shrunk!!"

He didnt like the menu today so he played with catnip and the rattan stick. His cubby hole collapsed. He is outside now cooling off.

Hat had eaten dinner heartily and looked at the microwave oven until his head was spinning.

When I was checking the mail box I was pleased to see Auntycat waiting near the staircase. She is well, energetic and wanted her dinner very much. I am glad she is alive and well.

I also saw Pretender tonight. He was waiting with 4 other strays at the carpark and I said hello. He looked at me for a long time then he suddenly realised who I was, so he started to follow me and crying pitifully. I told him I didn't have food with me. At the edge of the block, he stopped following and sat there until I was gone. Rather sad, but I think he would go back to his friends again until the lady with the catfood appears. So it is not true that only dogs have loyalty and elephants have memory.

No BH2 tonight, someone saw him crossing the road to the other block.

Spencer's bald patch, the same, but the fur seems to have grown.

THINGS THAT GO MRREOW IN THE NIGHT

Windy again. BH2 had resumed his post at the power station but third day with no signs of Auntycat, rather worriying.

Bad cat fightings and caterwauling throughout the night, should be Mera's handowork again.

He came towrds me at the garden just now, and Hat was also waiting. Hat didn't see him coming from behind and started to roll on the floor. In order to preserve the feline hierachy in the household, I took Mera upstairs first. Mera didn't want food, just wanted to sleep.

Hat had finished his breakfast, and crept into Kiki's cubby hole. Spencer was stalking him again, a repeat of previous night's game. But this time Hat took the initiative to pounce at Spencer, and this enraged her very much. Mera was woken up as a result, but went back to bed after Hat retreated back into the cubby hole. Mera had a snack and went to sleep on the wardrobe while Hat sunk into his basket. Spencer is still staring at him angrily from the kitchen.

Spencer's bald patch still looks the same.

KITTY WITH A HABIT

Kiki was here to eat and play, and he likes to be near Spencer. But Spencer is wary of every man and cat, and likes to keep her distance.

After that Kiki played with his catnip pillow until he felt drowsy, and he had a short nap on top of his cubby hole, which is collapsing anyday now.

UPDATES

For those who are concerned, I just saw Pretender at Blk 703, under a car. He looked happy, maybe because it was not raining. Anyway, he is alive and well.

Kiki is here, playing with his catnip pillow after 2 days absence. He had eaten his dinner, so did Hat. Hat is downstairs now with BH2.

BH2 should be back to his old self, because he scratched me. I was opening the mail box and he walked towards me, meowing. I approached to check on his paw, which seemed ok, and he wanted to sniff my fingers. I let him sniff for a while, then I stroke his head. He was alright for a while then he started to get angry. When I retreated, he scratched my knee.

AMBUSHED!

As usual I feed the strays in the morning and I always take a tub of biscuits for Mera. If he has his breakfast he would be sleeping somewhere. If not, he would look for me. No sight of him this morning, also no Auntycat and BH2.

When I reached home with Hat, we were surprised to see Mera on the water table. I don't know if he had been in the house all along or I was a bit late this morning so he came up on his own. He had his morning tea and wanted to beat up Hat on the shoe cabinet. I pushed him towards the bedroom and he settled down eventually. Hat finished his food quickly and disappeared.

I think it will rain again.

The bald spot on Spencer looks the same.

NOCTURNAL VISITOR

Mera visited us late last night. He was polite enough not to come barging in, but meowing very happily when I brought him biscuits. After that he saw Hat sleeping next to the TV and he was going to punch the daylight out of him when I steered him into the bedroom and gave him a whiff of the catnip. He calmed down and took up position on the wardrobe where he promptly fell asleep.

Hat couldn't sleep very well after that, but he didn't leave. We covered him with a towel and let him be. I don't think there was any catfight early this morning.

SPENCER HAS A SKIN PROBLEM

I found a bald spot on Spencer's tummy, the size of a 5oc piece. It looks pinkish, with some brown spot. The fur looks shaved.

It was scary because it occurs so suddenly, I am sure it happens overnight. Spencer does not suffer any discomfort and she was not seen licking that spot all the time. She was just very quiet last night, like angry with something.

At first we thought someone had shaved off her fur. But then Spencer hardly goes out and she is so wary of humans she would run back quickly, and I doubt any stranger can force her down and shave her tummy. Another possibility is she hurt herself while climbing through the windows. She is so fat the tummy may have been scraped by the panels. She may also have suffered from some stress disorders and the spot was caused by over grooming.

It is all very worrying and Spencer enjoyed much petting and consolations. I have put antibiotics and antifungal ointment on the spot. Hope she recovers soon.

ZZZZZ

Hat is resting next to the TV, with the news going on.

HAT FOUND HIS GROOVE

After all the excitement of the fight in the box, Hat chose to rest in his basket next to the TV while Spencer went for a stroll. He is asleep now, with the TV on just next to him. It is rather nice because that means he is getting comfortable in our presence.

We had to leave the gate open because Spencer would cry to be let in after 1 minute outside and when we open the gate, she would refuse to come in. When we lock the gate, she would simper again. And this would go on a few times until we give up.

SPENCER STRIKES AGAIN!

Hat had finished his dinner on top of the shoe cabinet and wanted to hide in Kiki's cubby hole. He was just sitting in there minding his own business when Spencer detected his presence. She started to move cautiously towards the box, at that time shielded by the curtain. When she finally approached the "prey", she was a bit surprised to see it was Hat. We are not sure who started the scratching, but Spencer jumped on top of the box and started to scratch the cardboard vigorously. Hat retaliated from the inside. The box was groaning after their assaults. After a while, Hat crawled out from the collapsing box and left Spencer having a nap on top.

CATS ARE VERY EFFECTIVE ALARM CLOCK

Spencer was checking out Mera's catnip pillow and she was sniffing the air just to ascertain what that weird smell was.

After that she was exhausted and went to bed, as the weather was cold too. Mera was asleep by 9am after breakfast. The pillow helped too. Hat had a late breakfast because I had to wait until Mera settled down before I could feed him. After that he left almost immediately.

We really can't blame Spencer as she normally wakes up at 4am and waits patiently for any sign of movements from the bedrooms. Once she heard anyone stirs, around 7am, she would scream at the top of her lungs to demand breakfast and to share with the bleary whoever about any goings the night before. By 8am she gets tired again and she would have a nap next to my fan until I wake up and give her morning tea. After that she would hang around until we all leave for work then she can have her daily beauty sleep.

NIPPY MORNING

Spencer was yelling her head off this morning because it was cold and rainy. And she finished her biscuits. She is now sleeping in her basket with a thick towel, cleaned after the weekend because she vomitted in it.

She was attracted to the catnip meant for Mera, which is weird, as she has never shown interest to catnip for the past 6 years. But then Mera had also ignored the catnip until recently. Maybe the potency of the herbs is essential.

No sign of Auntycat and BH2.

Mera was loitering in the garden though I heard he was sleeping under my bed earlier. He was very excited to see me,most likely he was hungry. He is now on my bed playing with the catnip and washing himself.

Hat slept through the night, maybe he had been too tired taking care of BH2. Now I have to sneak him upstairs for breakfast without alerting Mera.