Tell Me Honestly

Do I look FAT? :|

-- Qish

I have the biggest appetite lately.  That makes momma happy, and I don't understand why!  You see, I would like to maintain my lean figure because I am a Siamese.  But I just couldn't help  it.  That boiled chicken breast is really yummy, and Natural Balance from Bow & Wow, too!

I can still remember a few months ago when I was stick thin, and I heard momma ranted about it HERE and HERE.  Seems like the prayer PAWer worked, because here I am, fat and healthy!  Yay!

But let me tell you a secret.  I used to eat just one type of food, because that is the only thing that appeals to me -- Natural Balance Venison.  I had momma panic last December because we were about to run out of stocks at home, and Bow & Wow still didn't have it in their stores!  Thankfully, they reserved a whole lot for me when the stocks arrived, just in time when I only had a can left.  Ms. Amie Tan was so kind to bring it to Bow & Wow Shangri-la ahead of their usual delivery, so that we can get it right away.  And so momma bought two cases, everything Bow & Wow got for that particular shipment -- that's 48 cans of Natural Balance Venison, enough to feed me until February!

Okay, here's the thing.  I just thought I should change my diet as soon as the cans arrived.  Variety is the key, you see.  So I decided to eat all food EXCEPT Natural Balance Venison.  Teehee.  I think momma was a bit mad, because we have just stocked up on food that I don't want!  Good thing Rue loves it.  She eats it with so much gusto, and keeps on asking for more!

But I think I'm making my momma happy now that she can't feel my bones anymore.  Even my favorite vet, Dr. Riza of Vets in Practice is so proud of me!  Yay! :)

   

Save-the-Dog Mission: Accomplished!

-- Hooman Momma

Imagine your leg getting caught in a trap meant to kill wild boars.  You are in the forest, and you are helpless.  Six days later, you were able to free yourself from the trap -- at the expense of your foot.  Your flesh is cut, your bones exposed, and you have to hike down from the mountains.  Worse, you don't get any medical treatment for two weeks.  Unimaginable pain, yes?

Well, this is the story of Manny (despite being a female dog, she was named as such after Manny Pacquiao), the dog that I met at the jump-off point of Mt. Pico de Loro last weekend.  I wrote about her a few days ago.

As soon as I saw her, I was touched by her story, and how she has tried to live and enjoy her life for two weeks despite her injury.  She limps her way to greet the hikers who register at the base, nudging their packs as if to ask for some treats.  Or a pat on the head.  I saw in her the will to fight for her life, despite suffering from a painful injury.

I swore to myself that I will do my best to help her.  Luckily, the angelic vets of my cats expressed their willingness to help when I told them Manny's story -- Dr. Riza Zunio, Dr. Melay Pelayo, Dr. Alison Saile and Dr. Dan Hiceta.  And so we decided to spend a whole day just to help her.

When we got to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) compound where Manny lives, we were surprised not to see her there.  Thinking that something bad happened, I asked the caretaker where she is.  Who would believe that this injured, limping dog joined a group of hikers the day before to spend the night in the mountains?!  You gotta admire this girl's passion to enjoy life!

When Manny finally arrived with the hikers, Dr. Riza started to work on her.  But this dog has so much energy, he led the vets to the mountains because he didn't want to receive an anesthesia injection!  After about 15 minutes of chasing him, he finally gave in.  For about 30 minutes, the vets worked to fix her leg.

Chasing Manny in the mountain

Sedating Manny

Flushing/cleaning the wound

Dr. Riza (seated), Dr. Dan (red shirt), Dr. Ali (left, standing) and Dr. Melay (right, standing) working on Manny

Bandaging Manny's leg

DONE!

And while we were there, the vets also spayed their two cats, with the permission of the caretaker.

Contented kitteh frolicking in her sunbeam.  We originally thought that she is pregnant, but upon checking her, we found out that she is just...fat :)

Mother & Daughter -- they both got spayed!

Working on Momma cat 

Daughter cat 

We decided not to take Manny with us anymore, even if a friend already volunteered to adopt her.  We saw how happy she is being close to the mountains, and we didn't want to take that away from her.  Manny and the other animals are actually well cared for and loved by the caretakers.  It was just unfortunate that this accident happened to Manny, and the caretakers don't have the knowledge nor the resources to treat her.

Manny starting to wake up.

Mother & Daugther -- SPAYED!

From left:  Dr. Melay, myself, Dr. Ali, Dr. Dan with the spayed cats

From left:  Dr. Melay, Dr. Riza with Manny, Dr. Ali, myself

If you are planning to climb Mt. Pico de Loro, please make sure to bring some treats for Manny!  Who knows, maybe she'll even hike with you if you give her nice things :)

   

Doggie Needs Help :(

-- Hooman Momma

I went away last weekend to spend a night in the mountains (away from the naughty kitties!).  While I enjoyed climbing and camping with friends, this baby bothered me.  I promised to myself that I will help him.

WARNING:  Graphic image.  I am not posting extra large photos as usual. Just click on the photo to enlarge it.

This poor boy is at the jump off point to Mt. Pico de Loro, in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) compound in Ternate, Cavite, Philippines (about two hours away from Manila).  When I spoke to the caretaker, she said that the dog chased a monkey to the mountains, and didn't return until 6 days later.  When he did, a portion of his front paw was missing, and the claws (or bones?) are exposed.  Apparently, he got caught in a trap for wild boars and in the process of freeing himself, his flesh probably got snatched by the trap.  This happened on Jan. 10.

I have sent a message to my cats' vets in Vets in Practice, and they responded positively.  I know how compassionate they are, and I am happy that they will be helping this dog.  Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) is also lending a hand.  Hopefully, we will be able to do something as soon as possible before massive infection sets in.

Despite suffering for about two weeks, this little guy keeps on doing his job of greeting and mingling with the hikers.  Limping, he wags his tail and pokes his nose on the packs of the hikers, hoping to get a pat on the head.  I hope we will be able to save him.  

I will give an update within the week.

   

Momma Left Us!

-- Rue

Momma chose the mountain over spending the weekend with us!  What a shame, really.  First, she brought friends for a sleepover on Friday night.  Not that I mind, because I actually enjoy getting attention from other people.  They can't get their hands off me -- petting, cooing, and pinching my cheeks!  But then the next morning, I was surprised to see her with a backpack!  And she said she won't be coming home that night!

We panicked, of course.  Who wouldn't?  We didn't want to starve to death!  But at around 6:00pm, someone came at the door.  And guess what, momma got us a catsitter!

She came over to play with us, and more importantly, to feed us!  Don't tell momma, but we actually like her better because she gave us more food than what we were supposed to have!  Teehee.  She came back again in the morning, to do the same thing.  Thank you Aunt MJ!

Now that momma is back, she shared with us this amazing photo.  How I wish I was there!  I heard it's extremely cold on top, I wonder if I'll like it there?

Mt. Pico de Loro, Cavite, Philippines

  

Nippin'

-- RUE


Our Grandma Wowa Nhengphi gave us shopping money.  Must. Spend. In. Bow & Wow.

So we went to our favorite store, and guess what we got for ourselves:  some 'nip and grass!

Qish went crazy as soon as he got a whiff of the 'nip!  He was the one who pulled it out of the plastic, and just went cross-eyed (as most Siamese cats are) and totally crazy!  He even salivated on the box, ewwww!  Momma immediately put some on our scratching post, and everything went blurry from there.   I remember being soooo happy, I thought I was in cat heaven!

Momma hasn't opened the grass yet, so it hasn't started growing.  She promised to do it this weekend when she has the time to read the instructions.  We'll post photos of the grass once it starts growing, and before we munch on it!  In the meantime, I'll have to say goodbye.  I'm bound to go to cat heaven again in 3, 2...

Manicure, Please!

-- RUE


Anyone?

Hmnn.  I think I has the biggest feets.  Maybe I'm a tiger?

We Hope This Baby Found Her Forever Home!

-- Qish and Rue

We were in Ayala Triangle Park on Christmas day, and we found this cute little baby hobbling and meowing!  She was full of energy, and turned out to be really sweet, too!  We couldn't take her home, as momma is only allowed to have one pet (and we are two!) where we live, but we made sure she was stuffed when we left!

A week later, we were at the park again but we didn't find her anymore.  We really hope she has her forever home by now!  We made this little video for her.  God bless, little baby!

Happy New Year!

-- Rue

Okay, okay, I was too lazy to blog after the holidays.  Who wouldn't, I was sooo stuffed with treats from momma!  The best thing about it is that I had momma all to myself, without her work getting in the way.  Ooops, I still had to share her with Qish, but I know I'm her favorite, sssshh!  Teehee :)

Meet my big cat momma.  Do we pass as look-alikes?  I think I am way cuter than her!  What do you say? :)

Powerplant, Rockwell