Keeping the Balance - Stressed Mom, Cats Not!

So as our big move comes closer each day, I'm becoming more and more stressed with different concerns. It's funny to think I'm more stressed with my cats than myself, moving to a different continent. I seem to not care about what's life there is for me where we are moving, how I'm going to adapt to the weather and the new culture. I don't care much anymore how I'm going to move my life there. What I keep on thinking is the transport of my 6 cats - wanting everything to go smoothly, with the least possible stress for both them and me. I'm so paranoid of 10 different things I could hardly sleep....

Meanwhile, the cats did not show any form of concern whatsoever.

Sleepy Van and her beautiful black face.

Nishi, why so sleepy?

Pansker contemplating - about food.

This Lotto guy doesn't care at all for as long as you don't wake him up from his precious nap.

Of course, Sylvia has to look mysterious and pretty all at once.

Pan and Patty both with sleepy eyes.

My Turn for Blood Test

Today was my schedule to get a blood test. I have this skin condition that keeps on coming back that my doctor requested for a CBC and Fasting Blood Sugar test to eliminate the possibility that I'm diabetic. I was dreading this day. I know that the needle wouldn't hurt as much as needle poking on my pores whenever I go for a facial cleaning. But the thought of a needle drawing my blood's just a nightmare. I have this phobia since childhood that I have never outgrown, no matter how hard I try to convince myself that it doesn't hurt. I kept telling myself, if my cats can do it, so can I. But it didn't quite help.

 As soon as I sat down with the med tech, my tears just involuntarily flowed and I couldn't stop crying. My face was so wet and one of the nurses in the room approached the booth because she was afraid I might faint. I'm so embarrassed that I was crying like a child and all i could tell them was I'm so sorry, I'm just so afraid. I pulled one of the nurses and ask her to hold my hand. And then they drew blood. I was crying the whole time.

It was ridiculous, but i need to get it done. So that I can know what's causing these skin problems, and so my family and some of my friends would stop blaming it on my cats. I'm 100% sure i didn't get these nasty things from them. I had them for years and I never had issues like this. I clean them all the time, clean the house and sanitize everything every single day. So it's just me, I am sick! I'm trying to get some rest now with Lottie who seems to feel my stress after the blood test. I think Nishi is secretly laughing at me and thinks karma finally got me from taking her for blood tests. Wish me luck for the results!

Sylvia's Business in The Extended Balcony

I really hate it when Sylvia escapes to the extended balcony. But if this is all she does, I'll probably reconsider.

Munching on my poor flowering plant that I stole got from my trip to Sonya's Garden earlier this year.

She seem to enjoy the leaves so much.

Beautiful Girl!

After the beautiful moment, I had to kill the fun and carried her back inside. Then thinking she's really out there for the plants, I put my pretty parsley plant inside in case she needs some vegetable fix. Like I expected, she ignored it and escaped once more.

She later came home with a cockroach in her mouth that she caught from the neighbors. Mystery solved! I thought my house was the one infested with roach. Apparently, Sylvia does the hunting outside and take it in for the cat family's pleasure.

I bet she did the same when I found a dead bird one morning.

The Green Monster Encounter

Green monster drink found at http://lekkericious.blogspot.com.

The Best $1.99 Purchase I've Ever Made

... well, second to my Guitar Tuner app.

For years I have learned to adjust for my cats specially on work time. They are always on my desk either chasing my hand when I move my mouse or chasing the cursor on screen. So since this appeared to be their greatest form of high-tech entertainment (other than crumpled paper, paper towels, tissue boxes and plastic bags) why don't I just give them what they want and maybe, just maybe, they'll leave me alone. So there, I looked for a cat entertainment application in the itunes store and made my very first cat entertainment purchase - and by far, the cats are still crazy about it! I am crazy about it!

Paint For Cats, you are awesome!



The only problem now is they try to dig under the ipad to check if the mouse is hiding there.

A Feeling of Contentment with My Baby Cats

Surely I miss my husband so much. But I'm grateful to have my cats with me. Without them I'd probably sulk on sadness for a very long time and lose weight again. They keep me entertained, extremely busy, and comforted.

I do have a lots of things I'd like to do, and things that I'd like to have. But every day spent taking care of them, playing with them, waking up with them, gives me this feeling of contentment. Everyday when I wake up on bed and I see all 6 surrounding me in our queen size bed, I feel like saying "this is life". Even though it seems that all they do is to sleep and eat, run around, mess up the house, bother me when I'm working, I could feel their love for me. How often do you see cats kissing humans? How often do you see cats try to get your attention in funny ways when you are stressed and burned out? How often do you see cats comfort you when you are crying in bed? My cats do this all to me.

Even though I don't go out as often as I used to, and that I have more responsibilities now than ever, and even if at times I really lose my patience with my cats, I still feel blessed and happy that they are around me. I feel a level of contentment with our exchange of love and care for each other.

Lotto, Pan and Van, cuddling on the fresh sofa throw.

Life is tough!

Van's eyes matches the green couch throw.

Sylvia, my escape artist. She dreams of her next escape.

Nishi is emo as usual. My loving baby cat with a twist.

Back with the Pack (or whatever you call it)

I'm home finally after a month long stay in the Netherlands to spend Christmas with Mark's family and to celebrate our wedding, this time, with Mark's family and friends. Ever since I got home, I was just wasting time feeling sorry and regretting the decision to leave our cats and our home under the care of my dear brother. I wrote a long entry about in my personal blog in the hopes that writing about it would lighten up the anger and frustration I felt. But today I'm feeling better. Things are slowly getting back to normal, at least the cat and house state. But me personally, I think I need a little more time.

My cats, including the Nish (who's the biggest bitch btw) are unbelievably extra clingy ever since I got back. They just gather everywhere I'm at. When I'm cleaning, when I'm working, when I'm in the shower, and when I sleep. Pan can't get enough of me. She constantly jumps on my lap, either just hugging me while she falls asleep, or sucking on my shirt. It was also weird that Nishi comes to me now not to bite, but to lick my hand. She comes to me to be pet. Lotto just loves to rub his face against mine every single time. I think they were too scared that I might go away again. I think they really missed me and how I cared for them. I feel a lot better to see them getting back in shape, in the same loving mood, and specially, CLEAN.

I miss Mark terribly. But we have six cats waiting on us. I could have stayed longer with him but I just can't get that peace of mind knowing that our babies are away. Oh well, my cats are good in keeping me entertained and also comforting, enough to keep me happy and positive :).

3 Kittens Health Update

Even if their health progress was super slow, I'm quite happy that slowly they are recovering from various illness they encountered in the past weeks. We are continuously and religiously giving medication and immune system boosting vitamins each day to help them build a stronger immune system so this period of their lives won't ever happen again!

Pan.

Pan is a beautiful girl once again. The skin disease is gone, and she's finally growing her fur back. Her face is back to normal, no more ear mites too. The only issue she have now is the respiratory problem. Her nose is still a bit stuffy and I can still hear her having breathing difficulty. She sticks her tongue out when she can't breathe during her sleep. She's still in antibiotic and there's about 3 days left. I nebulize (is that the right term?) her every day like a baby.

Van.

Good news! Van is not going to go blind like what the eye specialist vet in the Mandaluyong clinic said. We are extremely happy. After being confined in the Animal House for 5 days, she came home to us with still closed eyes, but manageable. The only reason we had her confined was we couldn't administer the medications in her eyes as we are required to force open it - something we aren't qualified to do. Her eyes is way better now, still a little bit swollen, but you can tell it's healing. However, she's still having breathing issues like Pan. You can hear some sort of phlegm build up in her throat, and like Pan, she's under antibiotic for another 3 days + nebulizer everyday.

Kal.

Kal's respiratory issue is almost gone. He hardly sneeze now and his breathing is normal. He's also under antibiotic for another 3 days. The eye infection is almost gone too. But the bad news is, he's going blind. It wasn't Van after all that's in the risk of going blind but him. I feel terrible and sad for this baby boy. The infection left his right eye lens cloudy. It almost looks like glaucoma. I am still hopeful that in a few weeks or so, it will improve and clear up, although the vet has already set our expectations. I still pray that the eye heals. He's still a kitten and most of him is still developing.

The Recovering Lotto

Lotto is extra sweet these days, after he recovered from a 3 day confinement in the vet clinic. It was a roller coaster week for the Lots health-wise, but he's almost fully recovered. So much has happened, but let me explain what's up with the shirt he's wearing.

He have a wound on his back that he just can't help but to lick. It won't heal completely because he keeps on licking it, so instead of giving him the cone of shame (which drives him nuts), we decided to give him a shirt. So I made him a shirt. Yup, I made him a shirt - by hand. I like making dresses for my dolls when I was young, and apparently I haven't forgotten how it's done. Unfortunately, I only have a scrap fabric available, and that fabric's print is just so gay. Now I laugh every time I see him in that shirt, running around, sleeping, or just chilling out with the other cats. He looks like a mother. Sorry Lottie, it's just temporary :).