Colo the ginormous

Meet Colo, a three-year old female Calico with a bob tail. She is also a heavyweight. I was busy typing out a story one afternoon when I glanced to my right to find her sleeping on the chair next to me. She looks so much at peace, which is a rare moment for her because she doesn't get along well with any of my cats, her siblings included. Wherever she is, a kerfuffle with other cats is very likely to ensue.

As a result of this I become her only friend. She adores me, really. She's usually not content to just have me around, she has to be facing me. She would often jump in bed and flop herself wherever I am facing. If I turn away from her she will quickly move in my new direction. She often stares at me. I think the only time she stops staring is when she finally sees me sleeping or when she finds me too absorbed with a book or a computer like I was this afternoon.

Her complete name is Baby Colorrific because, except for her unique tail, she looks exactly like her father Colorrific, who sadly died over a year ago. She's really fat now and it makes her hard to carry. She's very stubborn and could be mean. But I KNOW that buried in those layers of fat is a sweet cat. :)

10+10+10=1 Mochi Ball

In the evening of October 10, 2010 my queen cat delivered yet another batch of litter, which really surprised me because she just birthed three others four months and five days ago. It was a record for me as far as my experience with mommy cats.

At 11:30 p.m, I saw there were two new babies, but one was crying more than it should, I thought. I left the crib to give the mother some space and because I thought she wasn't done emptying her womb. At 12 midnight, I checked on them again to sadly find the crying kitten dead. I inspected it and found what looked like tiny intestines hanging out from where the umbilical cord was torn off by the mother. She must have pulled harder than necessary and, in the process, tugged the intestines out. I would have had a baker's dozen now had that kitten survived.

I thought a nursing cat wouldn't be on heat for awhile and be pregnant. My mistake. Now, I'll be more vigilant. I still have one male cat unneutered because he is just four months old, but in two months he would visit the vet for the procedure. 

As for the lone surviving kitten, I named it Mochi (Ball) for being born in the roundest date (10-10-10). I hope he brings me luck!!!

Balinese my cat!

Of all the unique cat breeds in the world, I find the Siamese the handsomest. Brown being my favorite color may have something to do with my top cat pick, but it also helps that Siamese have these tantalizing blue eyes that speak to you. Those eyes are also naturally cross-eyed and that makes the Siamese extra adorable.

I had my first Siamese years ago. His name was Kiko and I love him bar none. After Kiko passed away five years ago, I refused to take a Siamese replacement. But that changed when I had to adopt a Siamese pair who also have deep blue eyes but with bushier tails and longer fur.

(Left photo shows my Balinese, right photo shows my Siamese)

The difference prompted a Wikipedia search where I happily discovered that what I have adopted are probably Balinese cats, cousins of Siamese.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the traditional Balinese cat combines the unique personality and intelligence, robust body type, pointed coloring and the minimal shedding of the traditional Siamese. They are also referred to as "Applehead" Balinese because of their round heads.

I also read somewhere that Siamese cats are the Einstein among small cats so I was not surprised that the Balinese are also considered to be extremely intelligent as well as curious and loving. The Balinese are also noted for being fiercely loyal by always keeping tab of their master's whereabouts and sleeping outside their bedroom doors like a guard dog would. Like the Siamese, they too meow-talk. It takes a sensitive master to interpret those cat-words though.

This pure breed was not from Bali as many of us would think, but also from Siam. They were just named Balinese because their grace equal that of Balinese dancers, Wikipedia said. But if you ask Chong, he thinks he came from Garfield :)

Meanwhile, breeders later disturbed the natural order of things that resulted in the modern version of Balinese with a shorter coat on its body but longer hair on its tail. The traditional Balinese still exists, but "the pointed cat you find in a shelter, though it may look Balinese, is probably not a traditional Balinese", the Wikipedia entry warned. The interbreeding with Siamese and the really long-hair Himalayan breed, confused the gene pool, so to speak.

So do I really have a Balinese? Let's see..

Round head, check!
Smarts, check!
Curious, check!
Loving, check!
Meow-talks, check!
Graceful, check!
Plumy tail, check!
Sleeps and waits outside my door, major check!

Also, my cats love to play footsies and that, I think, give them more than enough "brownie points" to be confirmed as Balinese.

The two that changed my life

People and events can change one's life which applies to me, with the addition of a third factor: cats. Specifically, these two cats in the photo. The calico one at the forefront answers to a curious name: Colorrific. Next to him is his pretty and sassy sister Stella.

These two would knock on my bedroom door every morning as if to wake me and get me ready for the day. I stood up for these two and their kittens against people who saw them as garbage. It led to a chain of events that made me a stronger person although it was not easy. But who best to know how karma works than the creature said to have nine lives? Taking their furry side I never regretted because I really feel they gifted me with good karma.

Sushi my odd-eye cat

This is Sushi. An odd-eye all-white kitten I rescued from the Marikina city pound the day I was claiming my dog. I found her just outside the cage of a big boa constrictor that the pound people retrieved from a grassy area in my village.

I hate the pound people. But why I hate them I'll reserve for another post/s. Needless to say, their carelessness to leave a small kitten near the big boa constrictor just made me despise them even more.

I think the word aghast was written all over my face that the pound people suggested that I keep the kitten if I could. I love white kittens, and this one had one green eye and the other blue. What a shame if it becomes a snack of the boa constrictor.

Although I know my mother would protest, I took the kitten home. Luckily, mother didn't seem to mind. She must have pitied the kitten, too, because of the boa story I told her.

I named her Sushi which, I think, sounded sassy for this kitty with beautiful eyes. And cats generally love fish, so the name sushi was a shoo-in. Sushi got along really well with my two existing cats -- Angel, a big muscular all-white male cat with the disposition of an angel (hence the name), and Kiko, my deep-blue eyed male Siamese cat with a quiet demeanor and who I love to bits.

As far as I could remember, Sushi gave birth to several kittens before she disappeared one day...never to return. If it's any consolation, I still have some of her pictures like this one that reminds me how fantastic she looked. Sushi's my only cat with such unique eyes, which I later learned is a kind of condition that affects all-white cats. The odd-eyed coloring happens when melanin fails to reach the other eye during development because the cat's dominant white gene is, well, very dominant.


I don't think it's ugly at all. The Turks think so, too. According to Wikipedia, Turkey considers Turkish Angora cats with blue and amber eyes as national treasure. This information makes me happy for these cats. I wonder if it's a crime in Turkey to dump, hurt or run over these cats. They are just pretty just like my dear Sushi who I treasured, too.

Milky cats

Cats love milk. But most of my cats don't like milk. Except this Siamese family which can lap up all milk from a small carton box every morning. The mother cat still occasionally breastfeeds her kittens though. I give them Bear Brand Sterilized Milk in the morning when I have little time to prepare their solid meal. It's also the fastest way to shut them up even just for a while or until the last drop of milk is gone. :)

Flip-flop cat

I snapped this photo of one of my Siamese kittens (this is Maki, again) during one of her afternoon playtime. I didn't think much of it until I studied the photo. She's still not quite as tall as my 6" flip-flops that have seen better days. But she and my slippers share one thing in common. Can you see it? Maki's eyes are as blue as the flip-flops. And though she has no use for flip-flops, she and her siblings are natural when it comes to flipping and flopping everywhere around the house. :)

Hanging cat

This is Maki, a two-month old Siamese who loves to play in the garden during afternoons. I had new pots that are still empty hanging by a low tree and I thought of putting Maki there to see how she'd manage. She did fine for several minutes inside this "basket" which were all I needed to snap some photos. I want to shop for real cat baskets though for my dirty dozen (I have 12 cats, but they're not at all dirty), as the one I have is now all worn out. But pet stores price their cat baskets way too high. I can try making one, but I think my time is worth more than what a basket would cost. Maki seemed at first to be happy to sit in the hanging pot, but soon she wanted to go down to play with her siblings in the grass.

Cream but not sweet

People, meet Cream. He is Puff's brother. He is not a lap cat. He hates being carried around. He is not the typical sweet domestic cat.

However, Cream takes good care of his sister by always being at her side to fend off attacking cats. He doesn't go out of his way to pick fights with older and younger cats in the house. He seems to follow the motto "live and let live" and he is simply content to play with his sister and his cotton mouse. Most people won't like him, but I try very hard to see the best in him. I admit he is not one of my favorites, but I'm fair enough to give him his own solo entry in this blog.

Cream is one of those cats who walk by himself, a "cold" trait that somehow helps him to standout in a house full of needy cats. :)

A kitten's smile

I LOVE YOU AMO!

Cat collars

I need a quick way to identify my cats, especially those that have the same color and patterns. A collar or leash is the perfect ID but the smallest ones available in pet shops are usually designed for toy dogs. The ones that they say are really for cats are quite tough and long. In short, I don't really like what's available in stores, but with too many cats in the house, they need to be tagged!

So, out came my box of pet stuff where I unearthed old collars from my previous pets that are now resting in peace. I also took out some of my personal accessories that I no longer want or need and fashioned them into new cat necklaces. It took me one whole afternoon fixing up the collars you see in the picture above because I had to resize them, sew the ends, and refit some of the bells and buckles again. Aside from being an accessory, the bells serve as an early warning device and cat-locator to let me know where my cats are. For my cute kitties, since they are still small, I simply fitted them with rubberized cloth in yellow, red and blue that I use to tie my hair. I really need to give my little dirt-devils some kind of ID to tell them apart because they are like 90 percent identical!

Happy with the result, I immediately dressed up my models as you can see from the pictures below.

Puff the Magic Cat

Meet Puff the magic cat. She's my one-year old adopted female cat. One fine morning, I found her crying outside the gate of my house. This was a few days before the devastating typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila. Minutes after I took her in, I spotted her brother also meowing desperately as he chased a man walking in front of him and was obviously oblivious to his existence. I named Puff's brother Cream. Together they are Cream Puff.

Why did I say Puff the magic cat? I have at least two good reasons to date. First, she managed to hide herself underneath a moving car and managed to stay there until the car brought her back. It was raining like cats and dogs (pun intended) that afternoon when "clues" to her whereabouts became more apparent. To cut the long story short, the driver went back to my place, parked the car and searched for Puff under the car where she was found nestled inside the rear bumper. She must have covered a distance of two kilometers through a hilly drive punctuated by lots of humps. Talk about a cat hitching a ride.

Puff is like a runt. She doesn't grow much. She still looks like a kitten EXCEPT when she wants to keep other cats at bay. Boy could she growl! At first I thought the big cats are the ones making the low and threatening growl. But it was Puff all along, like she swallowed a sub-woofer!! This is why I also now call her Sub-woofy if not Puffy. She's really a very sweet cat, but hates competition to the max.

Puff's favorite food is wet Whiskas. She loves to sleep on top of a black pillow shaped like a cat but not after kneading it like she wants to milk the poor thing. Maybe it reminds her of her mother cat. Or maybe she's just being Puff :)

Cat family

Meet my cat family. One night Chong, the biggest cat in the left side of the photo, decided he wants to be with his sister/wife Chang and their babies, so off he dove right into the brown box. Chang didn't mind at all. They just all slept there. Very adorable. :)

They have grown!

After nearly two months, the three kittens have become three little pigs :)

Because they eat solid food now, the kittens' tummies are rounder and they've become heavier. Unfortunately, the litter box also became busier.

They now have the brown markings unique to Siamese cats. I already named them. The boy is Miki and I fondly call him "Mickey Mouse". The two girls are Maki a.k.a "Maki soup" and Molly which is taken from her real name "Mulan".

Molly, Miki and Maki are now getting pretty rambunctious. Molly, especially.

I could hardly cope now with 11 cats. What to do? What to do? It's against my nature to dump cats and I'll be sad to have the three new arrivals separated. I had a cage made. But, so far, no takers...unless I use coercion. If only they could all get along, then it wouldn't be so hard.

But when Chong caresses my feet, when Peter snuggles next to me, when Julius touches my face, and when the others let me hug them and hug me back, or when we play and when they simply do cute things, it's so easy to see why I keep these little tigers around.

Chang gives birth to 3

Today, I witnessed again the birth of new kittens. This is something I had experienced many times in the past, but today I had a camera to document the beginning of life; nine lives, in fact, if you believe what old lore say about cats. Make that 27 lives for three kittens!

Watching the little "munings" come to life right before my very eyes gave me the best reason to start what I have always been planning to do -- a blog for cats. So, without further ado, let me start.

Meet Chang. She's barely a year old, too young to have kittens, but here she is, birthing three on this august day when the hot summer bade goodbye. I knew it would happen today because Chang was having a hard time walking and her belly looked lumpy.

I have earlier prepared a large box where she could nest until she pops. But she chose to deliver under the bedside table as if she knew it would be easier for me to take videos and photos if she stayed there. I was constantly giving her water and a light massage in between deliveries. She made painful cries several times and panted like a mad dog. She delivered three healthy kittens all in less than an hour, I think. Her brother and hubby, too, visited after she delivered.

Here is a video of Chang's entry to motherhood. Please don't watch if your yuck-tolerance is very, very low. However, if you want extra education in the wonderful world of felines, this video can give you some of that, so watch and learn.