He's BACK!!

It was 14 March 2009, exactly 1 month since IT, my cat went out & didn't return. Mom was still sad but had resigned to the fate that IT is has gone to heaven.

Then she heard a faint cry outside our apartment door. Mom thought it was another hallucination. She had heard cries before & opened the door so many times to find no cat there. This time when she opened the door, our little fellow, all skinny & hungry walked in. In between eating & drinking from his water bowl, he kept 'relating' his experience through wails, cries & rumblings in his huskier than usual voice.

A friend commented that he now has 8 lives left! Yeah, and his eating habit has changed too! He has developed a penchant for beef curry & rice.

A week later, he is back to his old size and rearing to go out again! We kept reminding him - "Big cat chase you", "big dog bite you", "big man chop, chop you up"! But 'boys' will be 'boys'.. he ventures out again but will come back by 12 midnight (or a little after) each night.

IT, where are you?

They say - You need a dog to adore you, and a CAT to ignore you!

We're actually dog people, but a friend begged us take in his cat as he was going back to Sydney. Pom pom (black & white cat) was a gentle, patient cat who was constantly ill as a kitten. When he came to stay with us, he also had to spend time at the vet but he never complained when he had injections & even a catherer - the vet's model patient. It was another sad time when he finally succumbed to his illness.

But we remember him through his numerous photos. He had a penchant for paper bags & baskets - jumping into them & playing hide & seek with us. He also loved to be wheelled around in a trolley. He loved tissue paper & would ripped them to shreds at every chance. But he was the quiet one.

IT, on the other hand can carry on a conversation with us & make his presence known. Each time he comes back from his outing, he will try & tell us about his adventure. If I answer him, he will continue his story. I will say, "Yes, ah - where did you go?" Then he will answer in cat language. I'd ask, "Did anyone chase you?", again he will answer... and it goes on...

Mom found him on the sidewalk & took him in to be a companion for Pom pom. He was under nourished. His head was much bigger than his whole body. I nicknamed him "The Brain", after a cartoon where every night the protagonist plans to take over the world.

IT is intelligent, and capable of critical thinking. When we won't let him into my brother's room, he will circle the place & go to the adjacent wall in our room & try to find another way in. A creature of habit, he will wake us up at 7am & insist mom goes through her morning routine. If mom does not stir, he will go to her ear & bawl, or he will kiss her on the nose.

One day mom forgot to take out the washing from the machine. He made noise. Mom had to play 100 questions with him. You want your food? You want go out? You want water? You want 'cheh cheh' (me) to go out (go to work)? I must vacate my bed by 10am, as it is his turn to nap there. Usually, he would point his head at the direction of what he wanted. Food on the left,

door on the right. But that day he continued making noise & kept going to the kitchen. That's where he normally gets his treat - prawn sashimi (raw prawns)! But we had to stop this addiction as he would throw up each time he ate too much. But i digress. Luckily, mom remembered the clothes & took out the laundry from the machine in the kitchen to hang. Then he was satisfied & duly went to my bed for his morning nap!

He will also stop my mom from doing too much sewing (her hobby). If mom has been sewing for too long, he will jump up & sit at the sewing machine, refusing to budge.

Around midnight, he would sit on the coffee table, facing my mom & close his eyes, gesturing us to go to bed. If mom is half asleep in her chair, he would climb onto her chest & lightly brush my mom's cheek with his paw to wake her up. If I am busy talking to my mom, & he wants something, he will butt in by lightly 'scatching' my mom's arm with his paw (& claw). We tried to teaching him to pull in his claw but to no avail. Pom pom can do it. If i play with him with my fingers, he will reciprocate with claws extended but if I clench my fist & pretend to box with him, he will retract his claws......

(excerpt from an email to a friend)

On Valentine's Day eve, my cat, IT went out and we have not seen him since :(

Pom-pom's companion - IT, the cat

We were worried the Pom-pom would be lonely, so when mom saw a little hungry kitten, darting here & there looking for food & crying, she brought home IT.

I called him IT because he was fascinated by my desktop & was constantly hiding behind the CPU!

In remembrance of POM-POM (ah boy)

We are dog lovers but we were asked to care for a cat. He's owner was leaving the country.

We quickly realised that he was a special cat, a patient cat, one who has been sickly & has gone through alot of vet visits - probing, injections & medication.

This is Pom-Pom :

Dogs throughout my life...

Dogs are a part of my family. They have been there thoughout my life. They will always show unconditional love.. they love us no matter what, they protect us & keep us sane.


1960's Rover (mom's dog, actually)


1970's Scruffy & Cappy (white/brown), Goat (golden brown) & Jaimie Sommers (Black)

Pom-pom @Boy

Grace, the Saluki hound

She appeared on our street one day, out of nowhere. She decided to stay. Everyone along the street loved her. Each household would put out some food for her. She had her own buffet line!

At night, she would sit regally under a streetlight, enjoying the night air, basking in the light. So graceful she looked.

With her long hair, she was slowly getting dirty, so my mom & dad decided to let her in, bathe her & give her a foster home. It was easy. We just opened our gate & put out some yummy food for bait!

She is gentle by character & easily startled! We suspect that she must have been abused. She seemed to understand some basic obedience training steps, like when we bring her out for a walk on a leash, she would halt in attention, whenever we stop. When we begin to run, she would gallop like a horse!

She is also a hit with our many cats. Whenever she lies down for a nap, they would each find a cosy nook within her wide body to snooze too! And when she goes for a walk, the cats would follow in a procession. The neighbours where tickled pink!

But alas, my dear Grace, we had to give you up. Many upsetting things had happened to the family. We could not care for her anymore. I was moving to an apartment. My parents had intended to move back to Penang.

With a heavy heart, gave her up to SPCA, in 1994. But I was so happy to hear recently, that she had been adopted right after arriving at the shelter because she was such a unusual breed. So, Grace .. I wonder, are you still around... we miss you!

The "Duke"

In memory of Duke. He was born 'Phoenix Firecracker', as stated on his birth certificate. He arrived as a puppy from Australia in the '70s. He was the kindest of animals. He is a boxer. They are a gentle breed. Many mistaken him for a bulldog, and so are afraid of him. A perfect protector for the family!

Meet IT, the cat

Don't take anymore photos!

In a pensive mood.. I call him IT - short for Information Technology, as his favourite place used to be a behind my CPU when he was a teen kitten.

Now, he's a grumpy old cat! He constantly wants things done his own way. He will insist we go to bed at a midnight & get up at 7am. He will tell us when to open the door, when to close it and when to open it again for him!