2016 - a tough, rough year

Although this blog is mainly used to record the life of the cats in our family, I’m going to make this one an exception. 2016 is a rough and tough year with loads of harsh challenges, which mostly resulted in satisfactory ending after arduous efforts and attention.

"  Daddy, we miss you and we love you forever! As always, your selflessness reflects your care and love for us in its own subtle way. By the grace of God, on 4^th December 2016 you chose to quietly and peacefully leave us while in your sleep. Your last sight gives us a sense of serenity and peacefulness whenever we think of you, and lends a strong hand in helping us to continue life anew.

Yes, physically life will never be the same now, while psychologically, the difference is more indistinct. You are still warmly and safely tugged in a special place in our heart, and we thank you for having us walk under your shadow of life. We will continue to seize on every opportunity to learn, improve and prosper; to strive for one’s best; to be modest and economical; and above all to have a warm and loving heart.

Daddy, I think you would be happy and proud with the thrive in bonding, respect and love amongst each family member, especially during time of sorrow and pain. So, Daddy, please have a good rest. Please do not worry about us, as we will take good care of ourselves, especially mummy, who is also an iron lady.

Bye for the time being, till the day we meet again.

                                                                                I remain, your loving daughter  "

  

As for Goldie, she had a rough year. Don’t know the exact cause, there is a self inflicted wound in her left arm and after 3 weeks of medication, the improvement was minimal. So vet decided to operate on it and took the skin sample for lab test. Thank God, the lab result only indicated that it was an infection. However, Goldie continues to lick that area, and she has to wear a protective glove for some time.

 

 

 

 

Just when the skin issue got settled, she got Horner’s Syndrome. Slowly, her left eye is now back to normal.

 

 

In late autumn, for an unknown cause, Betty got high fever for over 3 days. Fortunately she recovered after 2 weeks of medication, but the cause of sickness was unknown.

 

 

 

The only happy incident is Felix coming to our life in July. He is smart and adorable. Don’t know whether its his sex which makes his behavior different from the sisters. Felix likes to play dash, play with shadow and butterfly and loves donkey ride. He is a rascal, always wants to be the first when it comes to food. He likes to tease Goldie, who either piss back or just ignore him.  The beauty, is that he gets along well with Betty and managed to transform her from a cool 港女 into a cat who likes to be near people, and doesn’t lose her temper so easily.

 

 

 

 

Wishing all our readers a Joyous, Healthy and Successful 2017!

 

6th October, anything special?

6th October is just an ordinary day for many, but for us, this is a very special day, especially at 5.30pm --- a moment with mixed feelings for which we will never forget.

Three years ago this day, it was the last time we were able to feel Kitty's warmth and loveliness. Though we are physically apart, the memories are still very lively and clear. Tears might no longer be shed, but the heartache remains, especially during moments when we read of parents who lost their child.

Despite the change in our livelihood, Kitty's spirit can still find a space in our hearts, and it blends in well with the 3 other children we have. We strongly believe that each kid is a gift from God, with their own uniqueness, charm and is irreplaceable. Though their mission and time with us could vary, we are determined to stand firmly behind them to ensure that they can achieve their goals with flying colors.

Kitty, our dear, our love for you never fades!

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Lately, Goldie, Betty and Felix went to church to celebrate Saint Francis Xavier's Day....

 

 

 

 



Someone Special?

 

 

 

After serious thoughts, we have decided to take on an additional cat, mainly as playmate for Betty and hopefully would be a relief for Goldie. He is called Felix, a chocolate color British Shorthair. He joined us on 30th July when he was 4 months old.

 

The first few days of his arrival were nightmare to us. Initially,  we deeply regretted taking Felix, as Betty  was extremely depressed. She hid herself, whimpering at all times and was pretty defensive.  Our hearts tanked. We didn't realise she was so deeply hurt. On the other hand, Goldie appeared very relaxed, and accepted the baby brother very quickly.

 

After careful thoughts, we attributed Betty's behavior to her tender age. Being only 2.5 years old, its natural that her confidence in us is not firm/high as that of Goldie's. We reckoned she is worried that Felix might take up a large part of our time and attention. So, we decided to let her experience for herself that life is as normal, despite having one more cat around. We talked to all 3 children, telling them to love and respect each other, and specifically to Felix that he has to listen to advise from both sisters.

 

With the help of Feliway, the above seems to work, as Betty started to make steady daily progress by the latter part of the first week. Now, with Felix having joined us for a month, not only were Betty and Felix playing dash and wrestling together, Betty sometimes would lick Felix as well.

 

We are thankful to the Lord for this arrangement, and firmly believe that Goldie is highly instrumental in making the transition a success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a follow up on our latest charitable drive - the 19kg of Blackhawk dry cat food was being donated to 癌症Kitty 貓狗屋.

 

 

 

 

Goldie's 12 Years Old Birthday Party

 

Goldie:

I celebrated my 12 year old birthday on 17th July. Thank u all for your love.

This year, my birthday wish is to help spread YOUR love to the needy. I hope you would LIKE the following link (leave your comment and share it as well), so that if both Betty and I happen to win a prize, it could be donated to the less fortunate

https://www.facebook.com/blackhawkhk/posts/558417694342703

Deadline for voting is this Friday – 22th July, midnight HK time

Thank u for your support. God bless

 

 

With the support of all of you, Goldie and Betty were honored to have achieved their mission in flying colors. We will follow up later on with the distribution of our prizes.

 

 

 

 

The poor man's Mercedes

 

We bought two baskets to be put in the balcony for the cats. Guess what are their preferences....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because the children are not used to the height of the pram, Auntie Z removed the frame and turn it into a poor man's Mercedes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who is better?

Who is the better of the two?


Part1

Part2

Some experience to share

Goldie had been licking her left front paw and back leg, resulting in self inflicted wounds.

 

Despite regular thorough cleansing and application of ointment, the wound was never completely healed. Instead the situation worsened. This problem had dragged on for a few months, for which we finally took her to see the family vet.

 

Took extracts of her fur - did a culture, examined under microscope, but couldn't find out the exact cause.

 

She had been given the long lasting anti-biotic injection (effective for 2 weeks). Told to clean the wound twice daily, apply ointment and wear the collar at all times. At the time of the first revisit (2 weeks later), little progress was observed. Goldie, who occassionally took off the collar by herself and licked the wound should be blamed.

 

It was in the midst of such disappointment that we spent time thinking of a way to better reduce chances of her licking the wound. We decided to make a glove for her to wear. As for the material, we chose the face mask for adult -- the material is breathable and could keep the wound dry. We use an elastic band to let her carry it around the shoulder.

 

This arrangement seems to work well, as the vet was happy with her progress during the second revisit (4 weeks since first consultation). Though she was given another dose of anti-biotic injection, the next appointment is now being extended to a month, with hope of getting a clean bill of health thereafter.

 

 

 

 

Another point worth noting is the collar should be made of soft material or else it could scratch her wound when she licks herself.

 

 

 

As an aside, there is still fun at home.....

Just for a change

In late January, Betty entered a competition with the aim to win 2 entrance tickets to the 2016 Pet Accessories Show in the Hong Kong Convention Exhibition Centre. We discovered about this opportunity close to the deadline, and surprisingly, we didn't do too bad either.

We were lucky enough to be able to choose our own prize during the Pet Accessories Show.

 

 

Contrary to our past practices, we decided to let the children keep the balls for their leisure.

 

We also made good use of the opportunity to fill our bags with goodies for the less fortunate children as well.

As an aside, Betty is pretty proficient in taking off her clothes, can she do so with her hat?

A Belated Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Wishing all our friends and their family

Good Luck, Good Health, Great Prosperity & A Joyous

Year of the Monkey!!

 

 

Betty's Two Year Old Birthday Party

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Betty! Wsihing you Good Health, Lots of Joy and Happiness in the years to come!!