Daily thoughts - Another one bites the dust

The cats in the house are not vaccinated. They are lucky if they live past the age of 3 months. My three cats are lucky because they were vaccinated before we left Singapore. It is part of the requirement before you can export your pet/s out of the country. The fee was expensive in hindsight but now I can really say it was worth the investment. My baby girls are healthy and so far I havent had any problems with them getting sick. I just have to deal with Thumper's bout with horniness every month since she isnt spayed yet.

Thumper in heat

the baby girls ready for bed

Dapper

Marble

When I moved back to the Philippines in June of this year, I noticed that the female cats in the house are not spayed. Also there were just too many of them. From the time I got here, the two female cats Pepper and Pretty have both given birth twice. Pepper had 3 litter in May, whereas Pretty had one kitten. Pretty unusually have only one kitten every litter. Now both of them gave birth again last September. Pepper had 4 kittens again and Pretty had one.

Cats last June 2010:

Pepper

Pretty

Pepper and her kids and also Pretty's kid Alejandro

Pepper, with Maki, Squid, Ebi and Alejandro

Alejandro

Then this September 2010:

Pepper and her four kittens

Piolo, Coco, Enchong and Dingdong

introducing enchong to thumper

note that hostile demeanor

seems like she is about to accept the new kitten

starting to get fond of the new kitty

I guess not! hahaha

Enchong

Dingdong

Enchong and Dingdong

Pretty and her daughter Boomer

From the first set of Pepper's kittens one (Ebi) got adopted. The ones left behind were Maki and Squid:

Maki

Maki

Maki and Squid

Both cats have grown up and luckily seem to be healthy. Pretty's kitten, Alejandro, mysteriously disappeared last August though.

Alejandro

The kittens born last September seem to be healthy for the first few months.

Piolo

Piolo and Coco (hidden)

Coco

Coco and Piolo

Last October 27 also, while I was jogging, I found 2 kittens abandoned by the park. I took it home. One of them got adopted and I chose the one which was apparently sick. The cat had a condition called Pectus excavatum. I was aware that Buco Melon will not live for more than 2-3 months. Just the same, I thought of giving her a chance and improving her quality of life. She was a sweet cat and she loves sleeping on my foot. I would have wanted to take her to the States with me next year but like I said, she was not likely to live long.

Buco Melon passed away a day after my Birthday on November 6 2010. It was sad for me. I cared for that kitten a lot and she was a real sweetheart and likes to follow me around the house and the store. Also, she knows how to use the litter box unlike the other cats at the house that recklessly take a dump anywhere they want.

Coco, one of Pepper's kittens, was adopted by Marcus, the boy next door. He also adopted the sibling of Buco Melon and also gave the cat the same name. Coco is lucky because by November some weird virus struck and all of the cats seem to have a cold or some lung infection. I took one of the kittens in, Piolo, before all the cats started getting sick. Unfortunately, she seems to enjoy her freedom out of the room and does not want to be confined to my room despite the security of having more food and a clean environment.

Piolo sleeping in the box I got from the states

Piolo hanging out at the store

I have been busy the past few days and I just feed them but failed to notice that they were losing weight rapidly. On December 10 I found Piolo lifeless by the steps of the stairs. I was shocked and very sad. Piolo was also one of the sweetest cats in the house. She likes to hang out on my yoga mat when Im doing my stretching after very workout. Like Buco Melon she also likes to sleep on my foot or running shoes when Im wearing one. I was beginning to think, could it be the smell of my foot that killed both cats? Nah, im sure its just a coincidence that both kittens like to sleep there.

I have a feeling that the other cats will suffer the same fate if I dont take them to the vet soon. I can hear them hacking and sneezing and it is apparent that they are all losing weight. The adult cats seem to be just fine but the kittens are all so frail. My dilemma now is I just hope I know where to get the funds to have them get their shots. Im already spending for their food and its not cheap. There are currently 11 cats in the house (Pepper, Pretty, Gibor, Glory, Maki, Squid, Enchong, Dingdong, Dapper, Thumper, Momo) and I also buy dogfood for the 3 dogs. I know its not really my responsibility to feed all of them since they arent mine. But I cant help it. How can I say that I love animals and Im an advocate for cat welfare if I cannot even take care of the animals in my parents' house?

But my husband is also right. I cant save them all. If i spend for all of them, they will bleed me dry. I wont be able to take care of them if I am broke and worrying where to get my money to feed myself.

Just the same Ill do my best. I do wonder though, what's gonna happen when I leave for the States next year? Who will feed the 9 cats and 3 dogs (now five coz one gave birth to two puppies a few days ago) when Im no longer here? I dont even want to ponder on that.