As I made my way across the busy road towards Funan Centre to pay some bills, I saw a very thin cat in front of me. He was walking at a very casual pace and his nose seemed to be busy hunting for something.
I knew that this poor thing must be starving. So I picked up my cellphone and called my Mum. She happened to be in my office today. I asked her to help me bring down the Kitty Emergency Food Pack that The Flyer and I always have ready for situations like this. We have one such pack at home and another in my office so that we'll always be ready to launch a kitty hunger rescue.
This was one lucky kitty to have an unlucky me stuck in the office on a fine Saturday like today.
I decided to make a quick dash to pay my bills (ie. my Internet bill so that I can blog) at an automated machine. Just as I was done with my payment, I saw my Mum walking hurriedly towards me. "I saw a cat walk up the overhead bridge," she said with my kitty food pack slung over her arm. So off we flew towards the direction of the bridge.
As we approached the overhead bridge, I saw a thin but handsome cat with his face stuck out from halfway up the steps of the bridge. When I reached him, he was flat on his belly playing with some twigs. He was looking up fascinated at the trees when he finally saw me.
"Kitty! Kitty!" I called out to him. I half-expected the cat to scuttle away scared, but instead he boldly made his way towards me and rubbed himself all over my legs.
"Awww..." my Mum said, "He's so tame. Someone here must be feeding him sometimes."
Very quickly, I laid out a paper bowl (The Flyer and I have a stash of about 150 paper bowls that we folded ourselves... yes, yes... we have no life) and a small plastic tray. I took another look at the cat to decide if he should have the canned tuna or biscuits. He looked terribly thin and undernourished. "Tuna it is," I mumbled to myself and proceeded to pour out the deliciously smelly contents into the paper bowl.
The cat needed no invitation to dinner. Before I was even halfway through pouring water into the plastic tray, the cat's nose was completely buried in tuna. Not once did he look up from his food as I clicked noisily on my camera just inches from his face.
He ate so much so fast that he came down with the hiccups and had to stop eating for a while.
I'm really glad I bumped into this fellow and managed to give him a meal. I'll keep my eyes open for him from now on. I doubt anyone is caring for this cat properly as he hasn't been sterilised and he clearly hasn't been fed in a while. But he certainly is very comfy with people so maybe there is someone who is a part-time feeder to him.
Here are some photos of today's chanced encounter.
"Look who won the lottery today! ME!!! I've got tuna!"
"Chomp-chomp-slurp-chomp-chew"
"Nothing will distract me from my dinner"
He will not be swayed, he will not be distracted
His singular objective, his only focus is to E-A-T
"Oooh... the tuna is scrrrumptious!"
"I can feel my belly filling up very nicely"
"Gee... is SHE still going on with that clicky thing?"
"I'm finally full! Thank you for buying dinner"
"Hic!"
"I think I better take a short recess. Hic!"
"Oops! Did I get some tuna on my nose?"
"Did I get it off?"
"No? I'll try again"
"What? I've got more on my left cheek?"
"Think I got them all now. That sure was strenuous on the tongue!"
"I have such a nice warm feeling in my belly now"
"Now that I CAN be distracted, I'll be happy to pose for you"
"Here are my white whiskers, pink lips and fearsome fangs"
"Do I look like a cactus from this angle?"
"How about a porcupine now?"
"I'm gonna stop with the posing now because I need to rest my belly for better digestion, ok?"
"Aaahh... that's better"
"Sorry, I don't do dishes. YOU will have to"
"How about a li'l back-rub now?"
"Throw in a belly-rub too!"
"Awww... you're leaving already?"
"And just as I was getting comfy too"
"Hope to see you around some time. It has been a pleasure"
"Here's one more pose for the road"
~5-Cat Style
27 comments:
thank you for taking such good care of this fellow. you can see his appreciation in his eyes!
love
--suz
ps will you provide instructions on how to make the paper bowls?
Hi Suzanne,
I'll be happy to give you an illustrated example on how to fold your own paper bowls.
This will be especially useless to community cat feeders and party-throwers who need a little something to hold unwanted peanut shells and sweet wrappers.
So that shall be the topic of my next blog entry -- Folding your own paper bowls!
~5-Cat Style
He is a handsoem fellow.
Thank you and aunty for feeding him. He looks really happy after the meal
That cat's a born model - and has such lovely markings!
I was really happy reading about how you gave him a good meal.
What a handsome fellow! You are very kind and wonderful to have given him a meal. I hope that someone rescues him and he finds a wonderful Forever Home. He looks like a lovely kitty and it is sad that he is out on the streets. He is very lucky that he had you to give him a meal!
Thank you for feeding that beautiful kitty! I've seen the security guards at adelphi feeding some strays but I dread about its fate from the heavy traffic in that area.
That cat is absolutely gorgeous. I love his beautiful eyes and markings. Thanks ever so much for giving him a good meal. You are so nice. And I can see that he appreciated it. I wish he could find himself a home.
Hi Anonymous,
My sister and I used to feed the cats at Adelphi (one mother and her two kittens) every day. But the mother left the 2 kittens one day and never came back for them.
Some weeks later, the 2 kittens vanished. Everyone we spoke to didn't seem to know what happened to them. And I haven't seen the mother and kittens since. I'm really hoping that someone managed to rehome all of them.
~5-Cat Style
You DO have a life and it is a wonderful one giving of your time to help these kitties!
What a handsome boy this one is and such lovely photos!
I wanted to pick him up & bring him home! How can you resist?
You say you have no life, but as a formerly homeless cat, I know you are just kidding... helping cats who need help is a good way to use your life. Keep up the good work...
Hey, Bombay: Good deed. It's a nice thing feeding him, that you did. Wasn't a bit camera shy. Thanks for you comment on our blog. It's officially Samantha and Tigger's blog now, so I will be writing from time to time. Mom takes so many pictures that I'm sure you'll be seeing me.
"headbutts"
Tigger
He is lovely and so obviously appreciative of your good deed.
DMM
he is so furry handsome, can't you take him home wif you?
We're so glad that you fed this little waif. He looks like he truly appreciated it, and isn't a bit afraid of people!
Luf, Us
:) He is one good looking cat.
How did you make your paper bowls so big? Mine are much smaller (made from A4 size magazine paper).
I hardly make use of these "bowls" now. My block has zero cats now.
Hi Honey P. Sunshine, I do wish I could take him home. He has such a lovely personality. But in just 4 weeks, I'll be moving to Melbourne. So at the moment, I'm not a good candidate as an adopter.
Hi KXBC, I use A4-size magazine tear-outs to make my bowls as well. Is my bowl really that much bigger? Hmmm... maybe it's my method of folding it... or maybe a larger sheet was used for that paricular bowl. I'll show you my origami 'skills' in my next blog entry.
~5-Cat Style
Hi 5-Cat Style,
I'm sure that because you're a cat lover you already know about tuna being deficient in taurine...
That's great that you're going to veterinary school. You're NEVER too old, I am 25 and I'm happy that I went.
What school are you going to?
Congrats and thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. It's nice to know that there are people out there who read it and that all the effort I put into it (to inform others who are interested in vet school) is worth it!
Take Care,
~Lis
He is adorable! His eyes are just gorgeous. I'm certainly glad you always keep your emergency kit near by!
Chase
hey!
did the cat come from the area opp funan centre, a short distance from supreme court? about half a year ago, i saw 3 kittens hanging around the grass patch with their mummy! one was ginger and the other were black and white i think. really cute. just wondering, what should be done in that situation? the kittens were comfy where they were and we couldnt' remove the kittens coz the mum was very wary. - auntie tom
Hi Lis, I'll be doing Foundation in La Trobe Uni for the first 8 months. Then 1 year of Pre-Vet and 4 years of Vet Science in Melbourne Uni.
Hi Auntie Tom, this particular cat could be from the Adelphi area (altho it was Funan where I met him).
I know the cats you are talking about. My sister and I used to feed the mother and her kittens. One kitten, unfortunately, did not survive after a very rainy few days. It was the runt of the litter. The other 2 kittens, however, seemed to be doing well. But one day, all of them just vanished and I haven't seen them since. The mother was VERY pregnant at that time and was about to pop any day.
If you meet cats and kittens on the streets, you can arrange for them to be trapped and taken to the Vet. The mother should be spayed to prevent further pregnancies and if the kittens are goodlooking and friendly enough(meaning they stand a good chance at being adopted out), it would be great if they could be fostered to learn litterbox manners and people skills.
This particular mother cat, however, is extremely skittish and will be a hard one to trap. It will take a lot of time and patience to be successful with her. Her kittens, on the other hand, are so trusting and friendly that you could scoop them right up and whisk them away before they pick up their mother's untrusting habits.
Because the mother cat wasn't spayed, she got pregnant again very quickly. And before the kittens could learn to fend for themselves, she abandoned them.
~5-Cat Style
He doesn't look very big, so is probably young as well as underfed and comfortable with people. But he also looks too "clean" for an outdoor cat so maybe he belongs to someone or has been recently abandoned and not outside very long. Can you get him and turn him in to a shelter?
Bless you for your efforts to take care of so many needing help!
Bless you for feeding the handsome cat. That's a great idea about the bowls, I can't wait for the lesson!
He's a handsome little cat and deserves to find a good home,(as all homeless cats and kittens do) You are very good and kind for feeding the strays.
Kitty Emergency Food Pack? Wow! That is a very good idea. I shall start having that handy too!
Great job! Thank you for taking care of this kitty and all the others that you help. He is gorgeous - I love the ones with the smudgy noses!
Nora
It makes me very sad to see a homeless cat. Lynettea says that wicked humans abandon their pets and it makes her angry. I hope this obviously abandoned pet cat finds a home before too long.
Hey! Bonnie's comment disappeared! Hahahaha! She said sumfin bout this handsome boy lookin a bit like me. An yur foster Mom is furry good to care fur him.
Bombay, I's not fraid of Bonnie at all. She makes lotsa noise, but nefur hurt me. It stings a little when she whap-whap-whap's my nose, but that's all.
Post a Comment