goodbye Lemon

Yesterday morning i lost Lemon.. It was as if she just waited for me to wake up because she knows that i will go straight to her and check on her which i do everyday. I hold on to her and she did not even struggle, no biting, no chirps. She was just so weak to do that. I noticed how thin she was under those orange and and yellow feathers. I gently dipped her beak to her water bowl and she sipped a little. I began to worry because she feels cold. I wrapped her in both of my palms to give her warmth but i know her end is near. I decided to take some photos because i know i may never see her again…

As i was taking photos, she slowly faded away, looked at me and closed her eyes one last time. And there i was, i couldn’t stop it from happening, i was trembling and i was crying watching her fade.

Lemon and Lime were given to us way back 2009. If they were a year old at that time, Lemon is about 9 years old.

I will miss her. I will miss her noisy happy chirps and her PENCHANT of crunchy vegetable stalks. Oh boy, she loved them. (Lime loved vegetable stalks too). I used to watch her biting at the stalks and make little threads out of them which she would then tuck in her feathers to bring it to her nest.

Goodbye Lemon. Fly free little one… Lime is at the rainbow bridge to welcome you. I could almost imagine how happy you are with Lime now… perched on a tree and singing happy chirps while kissing beak to beak.

my lemon

Lemon is my African lovebird. She used to have a mate named Lime that sadly crossed the rainbow bridge last November 2016. They used to be very loud but i am happy hearing their happy chirps. When Lime passed, i seldom hear Lemon chirps. Over the years, they never had any chicks but i often see eggs thrown out of the nest.

The birdies were given to us around 2009. It’s been a long time. It breaks my heart and is so painful to watch Lemon now struggling to go to its nest and i sometimes give her a little push so she could get inside her cozy home. She used to bite but these days she welcomes my help and doesn’t struggle anymore. Maybe it is because of old age but i’m sure she is not sick. Yesterday i made a ramp to help her navigate.

For now, i will just take it one day at a time and will continue caring for Lemon. I want to be hopeful and wait for her to be better but i know it has been 8 years and she is looking old. I feel sad watching her.

Here’s a photo of Lemon and Lime from a post i made about them in 2012. Click here if you want to read the post.

The Daily Post Daily Prompt: SYMPATHY and Weekly Photo Challenge: WAITING

priceless things i could afford

A Hermes Birkin designer bag is priceless for an ordinary person like me. I couldn’t buy an island nor have my own jet.  But the rich and the famous could afford them and they don’t seem to be that priceless. Lucky me, i do have priceless things that i really could afford.

Time. Yes, i could afford to live every moment of time. With so many bad decisions in the past i need to be really careful now in the choices that i make. What’s done is done and i cannot turn back the time.

Happiness. The key to achieving happiness depends upon one’s outlook in life. I may have endured a lot of challenges and problems because of a failed relationship but the power to be happy rests on me alone. I choose to be happy in spite of everything. As they say, happiness should not depend on things that we don’t have but appreciate and be happy on things that we have.

Family. I am thankful for having a wonderful family. It is a busy world and we all have our own lives to live but we do make it a point to celebrate every occasions together.

Nature. The gift of seeing nature is priceless whether it is just a pocket garden of flowers or just a tree in the yard. I love watching the birds that occasionally visit my one and only citrus tree. I love butterflies that hover from one flower to another. I love the bees that make stopovers from one flower to the next. I love watching the sky on a clear night. I love to watch the phases of the moon. Just yesterday i managed to take a photo of the sky and saw that the moon is almost full. Maybe tonight it would be.

Oh wait, i almost forgot… My cat Star is PRICELESS too.

Goldie is my number 7

When i had my first cat Star i really planned it out that i would adopt another cat so she would have a playmate and a sibling. I am so happy with two cats and now within a span of 5 years they are 7.

There’s Star, adopted Tiger to be Star’s playmate, fostered Boots when his humans left for Dubai to work, rescued a teeny-weeny Ashton almost 2 years ago, rescued Kuting when i found him beaten up with his tail almost severed, adopted Puti an all white deaf kitty from my mother and… then Goldie who showed up on my terrace about 6 months ago, very thin, begging for food, love and attention. Click here to see how he looks like when i first saw him.

 

GOLDIE, you are my number 7.

what 3 months of TLC (tender love and care) can do

Several months ago as i open the sliding door leading to the terrace, i was surprised to see a thin small cat by the door meowing for attention and food. I knew he was hungry as he was meowing nonstop. I hurriedly gave him food and water and he gobbled up as soon as i put down the bowl.

I tried petting him as he ate and did not hiss. As i stroked him, i noticed he was thin as i could feel every bone under his thin fur. He had a lot of bald patches, lots of scars, some open wounds and lots of cat lice eggs that look like white dots on the strands of his fur. I knew this kitty needed help. He looks like he had a rough time in trying to SURVIVE out of his own fending for himself. So, I just let him get settled at the terrace and by late afternoon i noticed he was still there. He made the terrace his home. After several days when i felt that he was comfortable enough to trust me, I brought him to the vet for a much needed exam. He was vaccinated, dewormed and given anti-lice treatment. After 2 weeks i took him to the vet again for anti-rabies shot.

These days he is rounder and definitely gained a lot of weight. And as i stroke his fur now, it is evident how thick it has grown. In just a short time, he transformed from an ugly thin and sick looking cat to a beautiful black panther with bright golden eyes… truly a GOLDIE.

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: EVANESCENT

Update: Goldie got neutered and finally an indoor cat. He is my number 7.

cute cat videos

I am so tired of doing house chores today. No worries, Tiger is here to the rescue. As soon as i lay down on the sofa he would come by my side and give mommy a soothing back massage. He’s such a sweet and lovable cat.

Do you want to see him in action? All four paws doing a back massage. Read here if you want to read Tiger’s adoption story.

Here’s another video showing Ashton and Kuting grooming each other. Read their rescue and adoption story here.

I am quite happy that it is raining today. The summer heat has been so terrible and rain provides a lot of relief. So, what to do on a cool and rainy day… warm cuddles with the kitties.

The Daily Post: Daily Prompt IMPRESSION

marwind loves to eat sawdust

Before anyone freaks out and associate sawdust as the powdery particles of wood, it is also a term for bits and pieces of meat falling off the cutting machine when meat and bones are sliced. It may be a combination of pork, beef and lamb bits.

My sawdust recipe is very simple. Boil sawdust with a little water, a little salt and vinegar. I drain the fatty liquid out and then i add in diced pork liver and diced carrots. Boil until done and it smells really delicious. I usually make a large batch and chill it in the fridge. During feeding time I just spoon some and heat it in the microwave to be added to their usual dog food kibbles. Marwind loves it.

I love this photo of Marwind. He’s looking up at me while i took his photo from the terrace. He is about 38.5 kilos now based on our last vet visit two months ago for his yearly shots. He is the guardian of the house. He’s quite fierce looking whenever he’s at his realm but outside of his territory he is a sweetheart and anyone could pet him. He is also very behaved when he’s at the vet and stands still while the vet does his job of opening his mouth, checking his teeth, checking his ears, etc. But at home he is really on his guard mode duties and barks on passersby or anyone whom he perceives as a threat to his territory. He’s a little over two years old and still a puppy at heart. He is the reason why i don’t have potted plants anymore because he destroyed them all haha.. But i love him anyway.

I hope everyone is having an awesome Sunday.

star at play

I’ve been hibernating for too long… and to make up for that, here’s a collage of photos of my cat princess at play to make you smile.

Star had so much fun playing with fur balls. What to do after so much playing? Sleep and be a big fur ball.

In case you’re wondering what those fur balls are. They are actually Star’s own fur.

How i made a fur ball? So easy… here’s how. Just have enough fur on your palm, roll it with both palms, slowly and gently at first. And if you notice that it is becoming to be a ball then gently apply a little bit of pressure while rolling it with your palms. Keep rolling until it’s firm. Too little fur will result to a very small ball so eyeball the amount of the fur you will roll to come up with a desirable size for your own liking.

Anyway, i had fun making fur balls. Hmm… not yet sure on what i would do with those but i found a tutorial on the web on how to make them into bracelets or necklace. I think i would make them into a necklace for Star but i would experiment on dyeing the fur balls with different colors so when Star wears it, the necklace would really stand out. To avoid using artificial food colors, I am planning to use real food coloring instead like juice of carrots to make it orange, beets for red or pink, spinach for green and turmeric for yellow. I would keep you updated on this experiment.

Today weather is so hot. It is supposed to be the start of the rainy season. Thermometer reading is at 32 degrees C. Too hot even for the fur babes. My german shepherd Marwind enjoys water sprays from the hose. I wet him regularly and give him lots and lots of water to drink to prevent heat stroke. The kitties sleep under the sofa or cabinet where it is a bit cooler but Puti prefers to hang out at the cat condo.

a conversation with a stupid neighbor

While in the kitchen, i was alarmed by a succession of pellet gunshots coming from a neighbor’s house. I could see that he was targeting the wifi antenna on the roof of another neighbor whose house is just adjacent to mine. From my kitchen window, i could see that he is really hitting it because of the sound that it created upon hitting a metal object. He had the guts to aim at the wifi antenna because he knows that the house is vacated. And from the corner of my garage i could see him firing his pellet gun just everywhere hitting cans, rocks and plants. It looks like a machine gun with a big cartridge. I became so worried that he might hit someone or any of the pets or other stray animals in the street. Of course i have to do something. I went out and talked to this stupid neighbor. Here’s a TRANSCRIPT of our conversation.

Me: Is that a pellet gun? (i pretended i didn’t know)

Stupid neighbor: Yes. (he is totally avoiding seeing me eye to eye)

Me: Can you please stop firing it cause it may cause harm especially to cats. You see, i suspected that one of my outside cats got hit by a pellet gun.

Stupid neighbor: No, i just fire at one black cat because he jumps on my car and poo in my yard. The nerve!! What a stupid idiot!!! And i thought, i have a black cat that i regularly feed and luckily never stray away and never left my terrace since he walked in.

Me: Can you just shoo the cats away instead of firing at them with a pellet gun. It is very dangerous. 

Stupid neighbor: It wouldn’t kill the cat, this is just a pellet gun. Oh my gosh, he is so airy, conceited, arrogant, stupid and an idiot. Pellet guns could kill. He doesn’t even have a drop of common sense. What a stupid idiot!!! The stupid neighbor doesn’t have any respect for animals. I wonder how he treats his family. I could really feel my blood boiling but i tried to keep my cool.

Me: Please, don’t shoot at cats. It could really hurt and kill them. 

After our conversation, i’ve never heard of any pellet gunshots anymore today and i am hoping i would not hear it again forever. That stupid neighbor just made me very angry… boiling angry.

Upon arriving home i cuddled up with Tiger. Among all the kitties, he has the softest fur. Slowly, i could feel i am getting relaxed and Tiger is also getting relaxed as he really loves being cuddled.

Cats are really wonderful and magnificent creatures. They help in lowering the anxiety level. They calm the nerves, lower stress and soothe one’s feeling. Which by the way the stupid neighbor doesn’t know and see. Okay, forget about the stupid neighbor… hey Tiger, more cuddle time please. Mommy needs more… 

In response to The Daily Post daily prompt: UNSEEN.

 

only a cat parent would understand

I am TEMPTED to wake him up. But i can’t. I could see Boots feeling so relaxed with his eyes closed and his paw on my laptop. I need to use my laptop sweetie but it’s okay, i could wait.

I am TEMPTED to wake her up. But i can’t. I could see that Puti is having a nice nap on my bag. But honey, i need to get something from my bag. Oh well, i could wait for a while.