Cats who teach me to fly…

Healthy. Before this photo was taken on August 2016, Healthy was all bony and skinny. She didn’t look healthy at all, that’s explained why she was named Healthy. After providing her with regular meals, she put on weight eventually.

Healthy went missing for more than a week. When she returned, she was all bony again. Mel and I had decided to send her to the vet. After the ultrasound, we were told that her liver and bile duct were terribly inflamed and the pancreas may look like it was in the process of turning into a cancerous body. There was also obstruction in the bile duct that was preventing it from doing its job. So we had to make a decision immediately as to whether we should do a surgery. And there was also high risk involved and we may have to put Healthy to sleep on the surgical table.

After discussing the pros and cons with Mel, we decided to go ahead with the surgery. The surgery was done on the same day when we sent Healthy to the clinic two days ago.

Sadly, it didn’t go well. There were cancerous bodies on Healthy’s liver, pancreas and bile duct which the surgeon cannot divert the bile duct to her intestine. And we had to put Healthy down on the table.

As a buddhist, we pretty knew well that we are not supposed to kill. I wouldn’t find excuses for myself by saying that I have no choice but to put her down. I do have a choice, which was to sew her up, allowing her bile duct to explode and rupture, leaving her cancerous cells to spread further but not for long. I wouldn’t want or need to talk about the pain she had to go through and the same thing we all have to go through eventually… I decided to let her go with the understanding of cause and effect which I am willing to take upon myself.

It was with a heavy heart when I had to pick Healthy up the next day. The final thing we could do for her was to wrap her with a cloth that has mantra written on it and to scatter mandala sand on her body and stick some onto her crown. To chant a mantra and blow on Healthy’s body… Mel explained to her the reason why we made such a choice. Healthy was cremated yesterday and I am waiting for her ash to be delivered to us today.

This photo was taken before she went missing. The first time we saw Healthy, we suspected that she was one of Gorgeous’ siblings. Gorgeous was brought home by us when she was four-months- old. Four tortiseshell kittens were found locked in a cage outside someone’s corridor with minimal food and water four years ago. They were later released. Gorgeous was one of them whom I first saw roaming around my feeding area. Next was Healthy…

We will continue to dedicate the merits that we have created in the past, present and future to her.

May Healthy have a favourable rebirth, so as to be able to have the right conditions to meet the three jewels, practise the authentic Dharma and meet good and wise teachers and be enlightened like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Just like Bliss, Tissa was with us for three months. He departed on 5th of June. Tissa taught me how to give subcut fluid. He never once complains and always lying quietly for me to finish giving him fluid. He was such a good boy that I never want to miss a day giving him fluid.

I am glad that I had him with me. Always remembering his patience. After him, I no longer afraid of giving subcutaneous fluid to even an impatient cat.

Our rescue work continues. Seven cats were trapped and brought home by me. We fed them around a school and the school decided to trap them. One was actually trapped by a pest control. After preaching and nagging from me, the school decided to surrender the cat to me. I was told that one cat was trapped and was put to sleep. However, I believe that wasn’t true because all the cats are safe with me. None went missing.

Specky, we spent $150 to get her to the cage.

Specky’s kitty, Tara, she is as fierce as her mummy.

Tom, suspected to be Tara’s daddy. Shortly Tom was caught, he vomited blood and we found tapeworms swimming in the pool of blood that Tom had vomited.

We sent him to ARVC, as Tom is a feral cat, handling him wasn’t easy. Beside infested by tapeworms, Tom has neurological issue too. Tom was discharged more than a month ago. All went well with him. I am giving him good wet and dry food everyday and supplements to help with his neuro issue.

Brave. He appeared when I thought I will never going to see him again. Gosh.. he went missing for more than five days and finally appeared. Glad that he is home.

Tux, a never ‘welcome’ cat in CJC!. Perhaps just because he is s black.

Russell, a russian blue with a bob tail. They are aggressive out of fear. Except for Tux and Brave. The rest are feral. Russell had flu the day I got him. He is still on doxycycline paste. I am not sure if it’s a chronic thing. I hope not cos he is still young. Giving him lysine everyday too. I believe he will get well.

The cat behind Tara is BB. He is always hiding. Tara, Russell and BB are less than a year old. I find it hard to train them to be friendly. Once they were all brought home, I stopped feeding. And another feeding area closed!

Six black cats and a grey and there are more rescues…

Looking old, skinny and weak, Tissa, was found loitering on the second level at one of the block at Jalan Tenteram. I can’t bear the sight of him sleeping and resting next to the elevator everyday and everytime I saw him, I decided to bring him home and take care of him. We took him in on 2 March.

Tissa, looks unfriendly and fierce with deep dark eye liner:). I remember someone told me this, if a cat has eye liner, it must be from a malay family. I cannot stop laughing at such theory. But who knows it may be true.

Tissa is a FIV carrier. He is suffering from kidney disease. He was given subcut and supplements everyday. Tissa settled himself fast. He is easy to take care. Doesn’t move around when I am doing subcut nor struggle when I feed him supplement.

Big round eyes that scare me sometimes:).

Everything changes moment by moment… Nothing stays permanently. Miracle, Hope, George and Deds and the rest and what’s new?

The death of George closed up my first feeding area. George was always waiting for me at the first floor of the carpark and we would always walk down the slope side by side to his feeding area which is at the corner of the basement carpark.

Whenever he was walking beside me, I would sing him “George of the carpark” song. It goes like that “George, George, George of the carpark(repeated a many times)” till we reached the feeding area.

I don’t know what was the cause of his death. Someone texted me yesterday, telling me George was beaten by a drunken Indian man. After the whole conversation, I find his statement was not reliable. The thought of bashing the drunken Indian man did come to my mind. I don’t know what would I do if I am to meet this drunken man. I believe it will not be a polite one.

I didn’t like the thought of not seeing George waiting for me. Therefore, I choose to walk away and did a closing. There are other feeders as well and I told them about my decision. They are alright with taking care of the rest of the cats and I trust that they would.

George looks fierce but is a soft and gentle boy. I believe he wasn’t dead when SPCA was there. I don’t know why SPCA exist. When the killing rate is so very much higher than the lives that were being saved, it’s best that they get out of SG. Our animals do not need them! And SPCA is misusing the public donation.

Whatever had happened to George had exhausted his negative karma. Everything has its cause and effect. May George have a favourable rebirth with all the right conditions so to meet the three jewels and practise the authentic Dharma. May George once again be the cause for me to keep the light of compassion burning and may George also be the cause to ignite the fire of compassion in my heart. And may we help each other again life after life until all of us are liberated from samsara.

I brought Deds home last October. He was losing weight and kept vomiting. I can’t bear to see him falling ill on the street. So, I brought him home one afternoon. It took me quite some time to find him. But I didn’t give up.

A complete blood count was done and it showed that Deds was perfectly healthy and we didnt know what causes him to keep vomiting.

ARVC extracted his teeth and Deds ate with confidence and put on weight, however, a month later, Deds began to vomit again. Deds was a FIV carrier. The last time I got him tested and his red blood count was low.

Somehow, I regretted not spending time with him when I brought him home until I realised that his conditions got worsen and it didn’t seem to improve and I began to worry…

This was taken in 2016. It has been more than five years that we had been feeding him…

Above was taken in 2015 and it is my favourite. I love the way he laid down.

I miss him more when I am doing my feeding at Hougang.

On those early days when I was feeding him in 2014, there was a kitten that was less than six month old and we named him Baby. Deds would bring Baby to us and we would prepare meal and serve them. Deds would give his meal to Baby and stand aside. We saw Deds intention and we prepared another portion for Deds. We were actually expecting Deds to share the food with Baby but he did not. Instead, he let Baby have his food. I can never forget his generosity towards Baby. Not many humans can or will do that. And his action stays in my heart forever…

How I wish Deds could stay a little longer with me…