Petra Cats

Posted by Kanga.

You knew it would happen, right? A post about stray cats during our vacation is traditional.

We saw this tom three times on our trips up and down the siq (canyon). He clearly has a territory that is his niche. There is a patch of bamboo and a large crack going away from the path area, so there is probably a whole ecosystem that provides for his needs.

Since we were walking out on the second day, we could stop to have a little chat with him.

He was very sweet and very clean (except for his dusty paws). It would appear that he has a pretty cushy life just sitting around, licking himself, and watching the tourists go by.

The cats in this region aren’t Arabian Maus, like our own Oliver and Bert. These cats have shorter legs, shorter spines, and rounder faces. They are very nicely proportioned, medium sized cats.

He even made himself right at home on DaddyBird’s shoulders.

We tore ourselves away and went further up the trail. This little female came running with her tail in the air when she saw us.

She also was happy to get some attention.

Until the dog came…

And she had to take defensive measures.

All the stray cats we’ve encountered in town have been very skittish and defensive. It was nice to encounter these two, who have it pretty good and can afford to be friendly.

If you would like to see all the pictures from our second day at Petra (222 of them) click here.

Passive Aggressive Cat

Posted by Kanga.

Bert is generally a normal cat, but he has a few quirks. One is that he comes into the bedroom anytime from 3:30 to 5:30 a.m. to insist on getting under the bedcovers. It would be okay, if he just got under the covers, curled up and went to sleep. Instead he insists on being between DaddyBird and I, which means I have to roll over to make room for him. He then dilly dallies about getting under the covers and fusses about being positioned just right. He often goes in, curls up, waits a beat, and then exits just to turn around and want back in. Even if he does curl up quickly and settle in, then he wants to bite any hand or elbow that might be within reach. If he can’t bite, he’ll settle for kneading and clawing human flesh.

I’m skilled at sleeping, but cannot sleep through all of this. He manages to fuss around long enough to make sure I am completely awake and will not get back to sleep before the alarm goes off.

Thursday evening I had a little chat with Bert. I told him he was free to come in at any time and fuss around all he wanted about getting under the covers, because I was going to be able to go back to sleep no matter how long it took as this is the weekend.

Magically, Bert did not come at all. I’m sure he’ll be back around 3:30 am Sunday morning to ensure that I am sleep deprived for the beginning of my work week.

Groceries, Always So Fun

Posted by Kanga.

Apparently, this is sauce you can put on everything.

We had more grocery bags than we could carry in one trip, so DaddyBird went back down to the parking lot to get the rest. The cats sat patiently and watched for his return.

When DaddyBird did return, Oliver smelled something delicious and began to freak out. It was the celery.

Even Bert had to get in on the celery snacking.

Stroll Down Memory Lane

Posted by Kanga.

While in California, we spent an afternoon with friends on their ranch. DaddyBird lived on this ranch in the 90′s.

We provided lap services to Cooper and Abbey, which meant there was no lap space for Rowdy and Bigfoot, the Bengal cats.

The outdoor cat (whose name I don’t remember) was incredibly loving and enjoyed being petted.

It was a pleasant afternoon with good friends. Animals and countryside are always good, too.

Hilton Cat Update Two

Posted by Kanga.

Stray Cat’s stay with us came to an end on Tuesday. She has gone to a new home where she will be settling in with Griffin, another tabby. She will be greatly loved.

We will miss her because she was the second best cat we have ever had, second only to Saint Earl.

Oliver and Bert have relaxed. It was amazing just how quickly Bert figured out that Stray Cat was gone. He was quickly on our laps, making up for lost time and getting love and affection. The “boys” have forgiven us and gotten back to life as usual.

Hilton Cat Update

Posted by Kanga.

The third treatment for Stray Cat’s eye infection was done yesterday. Her eyes had cleared up enough that the vet could see that she has a scratch on her right cornea. That will heal, but only with time. So, we’ll go back to the vet for a follow up in a week or two, unless we find a permanent home for her before then.

Here is my continuing sales pitch: She is a patient and mild mannered kitten. She rides well in a cat carrier in the car. She purrs and wags her tail when she is happy. She likes to be petted and to curl up on your lap. She “talks,” but not incessantly and only when she has something to say. If you give her something yummy, she says “thank you.”

Hilton Cat

Posted by Kanga.

After work today, I went down to the Hilton Hotel to meet up with DaddyBird and our friend Wildpeeta, who happened to be in town. While sitting peacefully by the beach and enjoying ourselves, a stray kitten came by to see if we had any food to share. This is normal as there are several strays who find the hotel area to be a good source of food. She was quite friendly and not skittish in any way. She happily ate the remains of my chicken wing snack plate. However, I noticed that her eyes were both infected and she was not exactly in top health. If a stray cat loses their eyesight, that’s a death sentence, so I decided that we should help her out.

So, when we left, the kitten came, too. She didn’t much like being carried. She probably hasn’t had anyone impinging on her personal freedom that way so far in her short life. She began to meow, louder and louder as we walked through the Hilton lobby. Quite the drama queen. Once we got in the car and I gave her a little more freedom as long as she stayed on my lap, she clammed up and settled in.

Next stop, the veterinarian’s office. We explained that she was a stray that we found at the Hilton and that we were willing to pay for treatment for her eyes. She was amazingly patient through the whole exam, only vocalizing when the vet was poking his fingers into her abdomen to check her vital organs. She didn’t care much for the thermometer up the butt either. Can’t blame her. Once the poking and prodding was done, she laid up against me and began to purr.

The vet’s assistant kept asking for a name to put on the paperwork and I kept telling her it was “stray cat.” I am determined that we will not be adding a third to our household.

[It was also interesting to have a vet who was relying on his Filipino assistant for English translation. He was trying to find out the right word for the goop around the cat's eyes and we heard him ask the assistant something along the lines of "what was the stuff coming out of the monkey?" and she said "puss." Glad we weren't there for the monkey exam.]

Treatment involved a shot and eye drops. We have to take her back the next two days for more of the same. They will give her wormer as well after she is feeling better . All of this cost us 327 AED ($89.00).

Since we have to take her back twice in the following days, we had to take her home. This is what Oliver and Bert thought of that:

However, Stray Cat was the first to voice her disapproval and gave them an earful. She and Oliver exchanged loud disagreement before we shooed him out of the room. Stray Cat is tucked away in the bathroom with all the food, water, litter box and comfy blanket she could need. After chaperoning her for a while as she got used to her new surroundings, I sneaked out while she was gorging on cat food. I figured she was distracted enough that I could get out. She meowed once when she realized I was gone, but has been quiet since, so I hope she is napping. We forgot to set up a web cam before tucking her in.

So, you might ask if I am adamant that we won’t be adopting her, what is the plan. It would be great to find her another home. If you (in the UAE) are willing or know someone else who could give her a good home, please let us know within the next two days. Otherwise, it is back to the Hilton where she knows the ropes and can fend for herself.

Here’s my sales pitch – She is a lovely light brown tabby. She is sweet with humans (not so much with other cats). She could easily become a lap cat. She purrs easily and is patient. She gave me a couple of love bites, but nothing aggressive. Through all the carrying, handling, and examining, she did not scratch or fight us. She is quite affectionate. She is not overly vocal, as our beloved Oliver the Loud is. (That should be the clincher.)

Adapt or Die

Posted by Kanga.

Our cats can be rascals. Unfortunately, they discovered that the dresser drawers come out AND they discovered that they can open these drawers for themselves. Suddenly the dresser became a playground and their favorite hiding place when strangers come around. This means cat hair all over whatever is in the drawers. Bert decided to kick it up a notch and he pulls clothes out of the drawers onto the floor to make room for himself. I’ve taken to putting anything I don’t want covered in hair or out on the floor into nylon net bags.

I tried putting a stick down through all the drawer handles hoping this would keep them from opening the drawers. However, it only slowed them down, making it so that they had to nudge all four drawers open at the same time.

This would be why DaddyBird is attaching “child locks” to the drawers today. We’ll see if that makes a difference.

Then, Bert discovered the wonderful world of the false ceiling. Most of the ceilings are too high for him to reach and are cement, but the kitchen and bathrooms have ceiling tiles and conceal pipes and air conditioning ducts. Bert has always been a “tree dweller” wanting to be as high up as he can get including jumping up onto the top of the doors. He discovered that if he pushes up against the ceiling tiles he can cross over into the wonderland. However, getting up there is easier than getting down. It is not just a matter of clicking one’s heels three times. The ceiling tile usually falls back down, leaving him stranded up there. He has gone on enough expeditions that we now know for certain that the ceiling areas of the kitchen, entry way, hallway and three bathrooms are all connected.

Having gotten tired of the ceiling rescue routine, here is my un-elegant solution.

The air conditioning workmen had left behind a roll of plastic sheeting. It is now applied to Bert’s favorite access points.

There are still some access points that need to be “sealed.” We’ll see how this tests out first.

It is we who must adapt.

Jigsaw Puzzle Cat

Posted by Kanga.

As I am on vacation, I decided to do a puzzle. Oliver, of course, decided to help. He wasn’t crazy about the fact that I wouldn’t let him chew the puzzle pieces.

It always comes down to the sky pieces, doesn’t it?

Oliver is being very helpful by holding down the puzzle box. Boxes have a powerful cat gravity.

Then he decided to be unhelpful.

But, I finished in spite of his help.

Singapore: Day One

Posted by Kanga.

After checking into our hotel, we were off again to meet up with our friend, Adrianna, in Arab Street.

We had some lovely nachos at this Mexican bar, Piedra Negra.

There is a lovely bar covered in mosaic tile work and a large bird (condor? quetzal? Quetzalcoatl?)

And a nice little lizard clinging to the outside wall.

Then we were off to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, A.B. Ah Meng Kitchen.

Where we had

Salted egg prawn ball – prawn (shrimp) with corn coated in salted egg batter and deep fried. Very tasty!

Deep fried fish skin – just what it sounds like, fish skin lightly battered and fried until crisp. Tasty, but one of those things you know isn’t good for you in the long run. DaddyBird wants to go back for more.

Vegetable with Golden Mushrooms – which is not what I would have guessed by the looks of it. This was tasty also. (Tasty, my overused word of the day.)

And beer with ice cubes.

Here is the first of what will be many cat pictures.

Then we toddled off to our hotel and slept and slept and slept some more.

(Apologies for blurry pictures. My camera was on the wrong setting which has been rectified and the pictures will improve.)