Mochi Tried to Escape Again

I was working from home on Wednesday. I had to move a lamp that I was giving away to the ground floor for collection and decided to leave the house with the metal gate closed but door opened. It took less than 5 mins. 

When I came back up, I saw a cat that looks like Mochi at the 6th floor lift landing. Of course that was Mochi and of course the metal gate was still closed. I have no idea how he managed to escape. He jumped over the mesh that we have put up on the metal gate? That is already waist height. We have to mesh some more? 

For the rest of the day, I kept the door closed, in case he tried to escape again while I was busy and distracted by work. Later in the evening, he showed me exactly how he escaped. Mochi didn’t jump, he climbed. He climbed until the end of the mesh, then he wriggled his way to the other side of the gate. 

Nana said that we should mesh higher but Mochi can climb until the top do the metal gate. He has done that and didn’t hesitate to show us that the very night. He climbed right to the top of the gate, wriggled his head out and got stuck for a while, until he decided that he would jump back down where he started. It was a big jump and we were glad that he didn’t hurt himself. 

I haven’t decided what to do. Meanwhile, when we leave the door opened, I am constantly peeping to see that we didn’t lose the cat. Zzzzz..

Mummy Lim

Mochi’s Nemesis

It was one of the afternoons where both Nana and I were home. I was in the service yard sorting the laundry. 

I heard Mochi meowed and was asking him if he needed something. When I lifted my head, I saw Mochi OUTSIDE of the service yard, on one of the aircon condensers. Yes, right there, 6 floors above ground!

We always leave the toilets’ window opened for ventilation and have told the kids times and again to close the toilet door. Who was the culprit? Ya, Nana. 

I had to capture Mochi’s attention while calmly instructed Nana to go to the toilet. The good thing about Nana is that she can be very firm with Mochi when needed. That was the time. She grabbed him, he struggled but she pulled him back to safely. Thankfully! As usual, Nana was all apologetic to Mochi and was hugging and kissing him thereafter. Zzzzz. 

Now that I recalled, the multiple times that Mochi escaped/ lost/ in dangerous situations, 85% of the time, Nana is the creator. She is his nemesis. Poor Mochi. 

Sometimes, it is Mochi himself though. One other morning, I was doing my usual vacuuming. When I was at the door, I saw Mochi-lookalike outside our metal gate. It took me a while to register; the Mochi dupe is in Teck Whye and the Rio community cat is a ginger cat. Yes, that was Mochi and he had managed to jump over the mesh that we have put up at the gate. I also upped my game and built the mesh higher. It is now waist high. 

That still didn’t stop Mochi when provoked, I was told that one other day, Nana decided to bring the community cat to our 6th floor lobby. She said that the community cat was the one who followed her into the lift. Mochi saw the cat and jumped over the newly increased height mesh. Zzzz..

He has also learned how to climb the metal gate. I have seen him climbing to the top of the metal gate a few times before jumping down again. I don’t know why he did that. 

At this rate, I do hope that Mochi will be able to live to a wipe old age. Hohoho.

Mummy Lim

Mochi’s Vaccination

Mochi turned 3 in June. We adopted him from SPCA back in September 2022 when he was about 5 months old. We don’t know his exact birthday and decided that it would be 6 June. So convenient. Hoho. 

We were told by SPCA that he needed some check ups and then some jabs. We followed as told. We also brought him for his annual vaccination. His last one was in October 2023 and then he came down with this really bad cat flu 2 weeks after the vaccination. I think the cat flu wasn’t from the jab but he might have gotten the virus while in the clinic. 

There is another school of thoughts that indoor cats don’t have interactions with other (foreign) cats and thus no need for annual vaccination. True? I didn’t know but am very ready to believe given the saga after the vaccination. Moreover, Mochi gets uber stress every time we have to bring him out. Thus, we conveniently skipped last year’s vaccination. 

This year, we decided to vaccinate Mochi after SS, one of Mochi’s sitter advised us so. She was supposed to sit Mochi in June but rejected us at the last minute bcos some of her cats fell violently ill. Her cats were all indoor cats and not all of them vaccinated. They fell ill even though being indoor. We heeded her advice. 

In the midst of house shifting and traveling for leisure and work, we finally got an appointment for Mochi yday evening at the usual clinic (not the one that gave him cat flu). Mochi was very traumatised. He barely made any meows on the way to the clinic and back. 

He was also very well behaved at the clinic. He simply sat there and didn’t attempt to move. 

The vet gave him a general checkup and while his overall health is ok, she said that he has conjunctivitis, thus the teary eyes. What? We had seen the vet (a different one) in this same clinic months ago for the same ailment but weren’t told that it was conjunctivitis. Blocked ducts and allergies were suspected but both turned out -ve. We simply live with his teary eyes, that can get quite bad on some days. 

We were given eye drops and the vet demonstrated on a very tamed Mochi. He is obviously very different at home and wouldn’t sit there, tile his chin for the eyedrop. I think it is a 3-person job to give him eyedrop. 

The vet also said that Mochi has tartar on his teeth and asked if we brush his teeth. Zzzzzz.. just cutting his nails is a quest on its own. At least we feed him snacks that are supposed to improve his oral health. Can? Hoho. 

I hope the next 2 weeks will pass quickly. I think Mochi had been stressed with the disappearing furniture and the “strange” people who come to the house to either move the furniture or to view the house. When we move to Rio, he would be stressed again. Poor Mochi. 

Oh, we did manage to give Mochi eyedrop. It was a 2-person job. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim

Mochi is Becoming Botak

Probably about more than a month’s back, we spotted red angry spots on Mochi in a small area at his lower torso. They must be itchy bcos he ended up grooming that spot a lot and there was a tiny bald batch. We got some spray from the pet shop and it helped. The bald spot soon recovered. 

After that episode, Nana commented that Mochi seems to be grooming a lot more. Over grooming is not a good sign. We then saw new bald spots that are rough to touch and suspected ringworm or fleas. FYI, ringworm is a type of fungi infection and not actual worms. To eliminate flea (or to kill them if really fleas), we have been faithful with the monthly medication. The over grooming persisted and the bald spots continued to grow. 

After our attempts failed to curb the disease problem/symptoms, we reckoned that it is time to bring him to the vet. Daddy Lim had the honor to bring Mochi alone bcos I was stuck at a work event, 

They came home with a couple of creams and sprays, costing us $157. Zzzzzz. The doctor said that it *may* not be ringworm bcos ringworm glows under UV light but his doesn’t. If it is fleas, the medication that we gave him would have killed them. It could be allergies (again? To what?) or stress?!!! I duno why is Mochi stressed, we didn’t change anything drastic to his routine, he doesn’t go to work or school and not taking the O levels. Lol. 

In other words, his botak condition is just as mysterious as his leaking eyes, which still persist today but fortunately more good than bad days. Why did I think that it is easier with cats than dogs? Zzzz. We joked about how resilience the strays in the neighbourhood are and maybe we should send Mochi downstairs to learn from the strays for a few months. 

The doctor had suggested that we do more to relieve Mochi’s stress, like increasing his hiding spots, or this diffuser that is supposed to calm cats. Ok, shopping time. Some articles said that all cats like boxes but not Mochi leh. 

Anyway, maybe Mochi is really stressed, we found him hiding under the table, away from us, a lot more. 

When I scratched him this morning, he wasn’t purring too. Then he continued to over groom. 

I bought him a collar, but he hated it so much and managed to wiggle out. Maybe it will add on to his stress and so I didn’t insist that he wears it.  

We found a new big bald red patch yday, on his tummy. 

Poor Mochi, poor us. It will take time. Maybe bcos we haven’t been spending enough time with him recently and he is revenging against us. Sob.

Mummy Lim

Mochi, the Cockroach Hunter

Yes, there are cockroaches in our current place. I don’t know where they come from or hide or why they stayed in our place when we don’t cook and thus not much food. I generally attribute them to the place being this old and the only thing I can do is to stick a few more cockroach poison.

Last night, I arrived home to a full laundry basket of dirty clothes. Why am I not surprised? The load that I had washed and hung on Monday evening (before I flew) was still hanging. I am again not surprised. 

At almost midnight, when the laundry was done, I was carrying the clean and dried laundry to the respective rooms, to make space so as to hang the newly washed load. Mochi followed me into Zaky’s room. 

The moment Mochi entered the room, he jumped onto Zaky’s study table and started meowing at the wall. This is not a good sign. The next moment, I sort of saw something black on the wall, near to the ceiling. Oh Shit! 

I was right, it was a full grown, big ass cockroach. Armed with an insecticide, I turned on the light and tried to wake Zaky, hoping that he would be brave enough to kill the cockroach. In my head, I was still thinking how to grab Mochi out of the way in this insecticide vs cockroach war. 

Zaky refused to wake up, even in the threat of a huge cockroach and kept telling me to “call Pappy” (to catch the cockroach). Without another choice, I turned my option to the man of the family instead. 

Daddy Lim was super blur and took a while to understand the “mission”. Just then, we heard what sounded like Mochi knocking off something. Oh yes, somehow, he had pounced and caught the cockroach off the wall, near to the ceiling. He must have made a great big leap from the study table. 

Mochi exited the room triumphantly, with the cockroach in his mouth. The “mission” has now changed from killing the cockroach to snatching the cockroach from Mochi. At least the cockroach is dead, the only scary thing is Mochi throwing the dead cockroach at us. Hoho.

I was happily hiding in the kitchen, with the glass door closed, hanging laundry, while Daddy Lim chased him around the house and trying to snatch the dead cockroach that Mochi will place intermittently on the floor. The question here is whether he is fast enough before Mochi either swipes it away or snatch it back. Dead or not, it is not fun fighting with your cat at midnight over a cockroach. 

Daddy Lim eventually got it. Mochi was very sad and meowed at us when Daddy Lim threw the cockroach down the rubbish chute. Hoho. 

This morning, I had to remind Nana that she is probably kissing part of the dead cockroach if she attempts to kiss Mochi. Hoho. Mochi is not only the cockroach hunter but also the nemesis for grasshopper and lizard. Hohoho. 

Dont play play ah. 

Mummy Lim

Mochi Dupe

A few days ago, we lost Mochi again. I duno who but somebody didn’t fully latch the gate. I was already lying on the bed, swiping hp when Daddy Lim called for me. He said that he cannot find Mochi in the house, the gate was opened and Mochi probably escaped again. 

We started Mochi Rescue Mission. IG reel said that cats have the tendency to climb upwards if one ever escaped from home. Armed with a pack of his snacks, I headed onto the 20th floor, rattling the snack bag and calling for him. So many of the neighbours had things stored in the corridor and were perfect hiding spots for Mochi. Zzzz. 

Daddy Lim and ah yee went downstairs. By the time, I was at the highest 25th floor, I still had no sight of Mochi, and was thinking what should we do if we really lose him. I was just about to backtrack with the rattling again when Daddy Lim came out of the lift and said that they had found Mochi. He was on the 18th floor, trying to head to the unit right below us. IG bluff people.

Does Mochi recognise our house? I don’t think so. I even doubt if he recognises us. Daddy Lim said that when they approached him, he was shying away and then grabbed the neighbour’s gate when they attempted to bring him home. Silly cat. 

Yday morning was even funnier. I was about to get out of the house with my bike for my morning ride. I am always very careful when exiting the house, looking several times to make sure that Mochi doesn’t escape. I did the same and opened the door. Just when I was sure that Mochi was somewhere in the house, I opened the door and saw Mochi looking at me from outside the house!!???

It took me a second. Hey, that was not Mochi but the stray downstairs that looks like him. We call him Mochi Dupe. 

This is Michi, looks the alike right? 

Mochi Dupe was meowing away and Mochi was drawn to the gate. I had 2 cats, one inside and one outside checking out each other out and I was stuck in the house. Lol. I had to wake Daddy Lim to help me, to make sure that Mochi doesn’t escape and Mochi Dupe didn’t try to enter the house. Yes, all at 5.20am. 

Nope, Mochi Dupe didn’t try to come in. He was still in the corridor when I entered the lift. I have no idea how he got to the 19th floor. Morning exercise? The lift? This is the 2nd time that I saw Mochi Dupe on the 19th floor. The last, he was on his way to the 20th floor. He is the normal cat that climbs upwards, not like our Mochi.

Mochi ah, Mochi, pls stop escaping. 你又不认识路，又不会回家. If we lose you, we will just bring Mochi Dupe home. Same, same.

Mummy Lim

Mochi Updates

Updates:

The remain of his 2 upper canines. So much of them were still stuck in his gum! Good riddance. 

++++++++++++

The antihistamine and eye drop didn’t seem to help Mochi. Still, there were good and bad days and we have no idea what made it good or bad. The last review, we decided that we should still send Mochi to have his eye ducts flushed. It is a GA procedure and he had to stay in the clinic for the entire day. 

The day has come. To prep his GA, we had to fast him from 10pm last night and no water from 8am this morning. Fortunately, Mochi jumped into his cage this morning (duno why) after meowing for his bfast and we locked him in the cage. This is so that he doesn’t bite us bcos we cannot give him bfast.

I had to send Mochi to the clinic at 9.30am and I was able to do so bcos this is the beauty of working from home. Hoho. Zaky has HBL and was able to help me catch Mochi and put him in the carrier. He was so quiet that the Tada driver didn’t even realise that he existed in the car. 

I wonder how come the clinic is never on time. I was slightly early and had thought that I would drop and go. I had to wait… for duno what, until I asked. The doctor will have to examine Mochi and explained the procedures and also highlighted the cost. He needs to undergo a GA and then have his tear ducts flushed. Since we are putting him down, we thought to do his dental work as well and figured out what happened to his missing canines. The doctor actually mentioned that his teeth look ok and maybe we can put off the scaling and polishing. Sure, it would help our pockets.

The doctor also said that if the canines are indeed broken off, then part of them may still be embedded and should be removed to prevent future problems. The estimated cost without the extraction amounts to $600ish. Zzzzz.. per extraction cost is depended on how complicated the procedure is. Ok lor. 

The clinic called at about 11am to inform that the canines are indeed broken off. Part of the top 2 canines look in worse shape and the vet suggested to remove those 2. The bottom one looks clean and she suggested to keep as it is and for the body to repair and do the needful. 

Then, the clinic called again at 1ish. The vet was very nice to give an update of what had happened and the findings. The flushing took place but other than a little resistance on the right eye, the left eye was totally smooth. So, it is unlikely to be blockage. What??????? This teary eye thing started like a few months ago and I have no recollection of what has changed to result in his condition. The doctor has no suggestion as well - if it is allergies, the antihistamines would have helped. In fact, his eyes were still very bad that particular week of giving him antihistamine but recently were much better. Why ah? The doctor can only suggest that we monitor and do the cleaning and to put on the soft cone on really bad days. Poor Mochi. 

As for the canines, again, nobody knows what happened. Mochi doesn’t bite on hard stuff; he only bites us. Other than kibbles, we also don’t give him hard food. The vet also said that from the full mouth x-ray, while the other teeth looks intact on the outside, she observed that there are some degeneration on the teeth in the gum and mentioned that the lower jaw bone looks more brittle than normal. Zzzzzz. It is time for us to look for multi-vitamins and calcium. Otherwise, there is nothing much we can do for now. 

The doctor also said that they did the scaling and polishing bcos the extractions were easier than expected. She said that they did the scaling and polishing procedure as the overall cost was within the budget that she had earlier quoted/ told me. Huh? Can like that? 算了, might as well since he was on GA. 

The clinic called again at 3ish to inform that Mochi was awake and I could bring him home if I wanted. I had a whole afternoon of meetings and Daddy Lim had the honor to collect Mochi. 

Mochi was so quiet on the car ride home. He was still groggy when he was left out of the carrier and was wobbly in his steps. 

What he did remember is that he is hungry. We didn’t give him bfast this morning and I don’t think the clinic fed him too. Even if the clinic did, Mochi would probably be too stressed to eat. 

Mochi is now on stealth mode bcos he is so quiet. He was hiding beside our bed in the dark earlier. I put him on our bed and then he fell when he tried to jump off. Poor thing! 

Total damage: almost $1k. Ouch! 

Mummy Lim

Mochi the Escapee

We almost lost Mochi 2x in the recent few weeks. Once, Daddy Lim didn’t close the gate properly. When I figured out that the Mochi was not visible and the gate was opened, it was properly a good 10 mins. Nana and I ran out and found him trying to creep up to the 20th floor. Heng ah. 

Another time, Zaky rushed home to poop while Daddy Lim parked. We came home to Mochi locked outside the door.. Zzzzz. Mochi ah, you looked like any strays downstairs ah. Pls don’t try anything stupid 

We have completed the course of antihistamines last Wednesday. 

We were given 7 days of dosage and I think we managed to give him about 5 days worth of medication. We stopped the eye lotion after the initial days bcos it seems to make the area around his eyes worse with the constant moisture.

At some point, I thought he was better. Then, I think not. Haiz. 

We have made an appointment for coming Friday. I don’t think we needed to rush for the appointment; his condition isn’t life threatening. I think the next treatment plan for Mochi may be that procedure to flash out his probably blocked tear ducts. 

Mummy Lim

Battle Against Mochi

The vet had given us antihistamine for 5 days and also eye drop. It is half a pill each time, once in the morning and once at night, after food. I think nothing of the tablets, it was quite manageable when we had to give Mochi tablets the last time for his cat flu. 

The eye drop sounded scary. The vet said that it would be a team effort. I like how she puts it. Lol. Anyway, she suggested that we burrito Mochi, pried open his eyes and administer the eye drop. I think Mochi will hate us. 

In the end, the eye drop isn’t so bad. One of us just have to hug Mochi very firmly and the other does the eye drop. I don’t think the eye drop stings or makes him uncomfortable. However, Mochi still runs away every time after we finished the eye drop. 

The tablet proved to be the challenging one. On the 1st evening, we tried forcing the half down his throat. He somehow managed to spit it out and started foaming. I think the medicine must be super bitter. We eventually succeeded by hiding it in his snacks. Temptations not resisted. 

There are wins and misses. Daddy Lim and Nana each have some successes in shoving the tablet down his throat. It depends on whether we managed to push the tablet deep enough into his throat. Otherwise, we see Mochi making funny faces and out popped the tiny pill from I duno where and in cases like this, we missed our only chance and it would be impossible to try again. It is ok, I think he will be fine missing some dosages. 

My only successes are when I tried hiding the tablet in his food/ snack. It doesn’t always work. One time, I crushed up and mixed with a little wet food and offered to Mochi during dinner time. I left the rest of his dinner on the kitchen top. Somebody left the kitchen door opened, he didn’t touch the food with the pill but sneaked up and finished his table on the kitchen top. Zzzz. 

Another time, I did the same but this time, add the wet food back into his dinner bowl. He rather skipped his dinner, tried eating the part not “contaminated” by the medicine, then meowed for more food. I gave him kibbles; he rather eat the kibbles than his favorite wet food. 有骨气. 

Yday, after we failed with the wet snacks, I tried sneaking the pill into the snack bowl. He finished the snack and cleverly left the medicine in the bowl. See that yellow speck in the bowl? Zzzzz. 

I duno if the medicine is making him better. 

Some days, he looked really bad, but I am not sure if the medicine is not helping or it is the eye drop that made the eye area even more moist and thus raw. He tends to look better after I clean him with gauze. Can’t afford to be lazy now. Other days, he looked like he had gotten better.

If it is really allergies, then why did he suddenly develop ah? I tried recalling but cannot pinpoint what had been changed to result in an allergy and why one eye 1st? Allergy may be the bigger problem bcos he could be allergic to anything! How to find out ah? Pls do not ask me to feed Mochi medicine for a long time. I cannot. Zzzzz… 

We have another 3 days of antihistamines and will see how it goes. Another thing - we have noticed him sneezing and maybe a little stuffy nose too after the vet visit. Is it the antihistamines? Pls don’t let that be another cat flu. Zzzzz.

Mummy Lim

Poor Orhbakkak Mochi

I don’t know when it started but many months ago, Mochi started tearing. We cannot figure out the reason. It started off with the right eye. Other than tearing, it didn’t look like he Is in any discomfort. Some days, it is ok, some days, bad. Then, his left eye started tearing too.

On bad days, the skin around his eye gets raw and looks painful. I duno if it is the tears burning into the skin (so acidic?) or bcos he paws bcos he is uncomfortable. Since it didn’t quite irritate him, we let it be. 

On his 1st visit to the sitter’s place, SS said that she usually cleans the “tear/ tear stain” with water and gauze. We tried that too, especially on bad days but we are normally lazy. Any grooming is a pain. Hoho. 

During Mochi’s recent stay at SS’ place, she commented that he seems to tear excessively. Why ah? Stress? Anyway, the tearing didn’t let up after he came back. Oh yes, Mochi was also very clear about punishing us for leaving him at SS’ place after his return. He was meowing incessantly on the 1st night. 

A while ago, I told myself that we should bring him to the vet to have the eyes checked out. The time has come. His tearing and the rawness around the eye were so bad on Monday. Poor Mochi.

I tried to find a nearby vet that was opened and would take walk-in but couldn’t. The PH made it impossible. 

We eventually decided that it isn’t a live and death situation. He didn’t look in pain, in great discomfort or blind. I managed to make an appointment for him this evening. We were at the same clinic which seen him when he last kena the cat flu and we were taught how to give him the nasty antibiotics. 

Mochi was upset to be squeezed into the carrier and to be driven to the vet. He meowed loudly to show us his displeasure. 

We were on time for the 6.30pm appointment but it was still a long wait. Like that, why make appointment ah? 

The vet finally reviewed him at 7ish. She didn’t even open the carrier but simply looked at him. Mochi’s eyes looked ok, as in they are not swollen. His whites are white too and the discharge clear. There is inflammation around the eye, caused by moisture around the area for prolong periods. 

The guess is either allergies and he could be allergic to anything! Otherwise, it could be blocked tear ducts. Nana had blocked tear ducts for many months too when she was a baby and we had to massage around her eye areas for weeks/ months before the blockage cleared. We have to do that for Mochi too? 

Fortunately not but the solution is to put him under GA and have his tear ducts flushed. Ouch! The vet suggested putting some coloured dye into his eyes and see if any flows out through his nose. If it doesn’t, there is a probability that the ducts are blocked but we cannot tell for sure until the actual flushing procedure. The vet said that she was behind her appointments and asked if we were comfortable for her nurse to conduct that test. Errr.. like that got discount? 

The test was done in the back office. Heng ah, I didn’t have to see or my heart will ache. It took about 10 mins and vet came to say that no dye came out from his nose. Nevertheless, we were given antihistamine, in case it is allergies and eye drop to lubricate the eyes. If things don’t improve, then we should consider the GA and the flushing. If we decided on the GA, the vet will also do dental works and checked if his missing canines are fully dropped off or cracked. If latter, the remaining part had to be taken out, if any. For now, the vet said that his teeth aren’t too bad, just a little yellowish.

We were given 5 days of antihistamines. If it is not allergy, then there is no point in prolonging the medication. The vet mentioned that giving the eye drop is a team effort. Lol. That was what we did. Nana was hugging Mochi, Daddy Lim held his head while I pried open his eye and gave him the eye drop. He didn’t seem to hate it but the whole process was so dramatic. We had a harder time trying to feed him the antihistamines. It is half a tablet at a time. We tried to hide it in the wet snack and we failed. We tried to force it down his throat and we failed again and he started foaming instead. Zzzzzz. In the end, we had to give him more snacks and hid it in the snack. 

Mochi was very hesitant. 

He finally succumbed to temptation and finished the snacks. The pill disappeared too. Hopefully it is in his tummy now. The medicine will make him drowsy/ lethargic. I think he will sleep very well tonight. 

Damage: $140

The GA will be even more expensive.

Mummy Lim

Happy 2nd Birthday to Mochi

We duno why exactly Mochi was born. When we adopted him from SPCA back in December 2022, we were told that he was about 6 months old. That is to say, it has to be sometime in June 2022. We took the liberty and decided that it would be 6 June 2022 then. Hoho. 

He was already with us when he turned 1 last June. Unlike other paw-parents, we didn’t treat him anything special and forgot about his bday actually. Lol. 

This time, we at least remembered. Lol. Unfortunately for him, there is still no big celebration. In fact, we have now cut down on his daily snacks, bcos snacks are bad for him. We did give him plenty of hugs and kisses on his bday though. Just that I am not sure if he really likes those. Lol. 

So, happy bday Mochi! Pls stay healthy and live a long time with us. 

Mochi and His “Toys”

I read that cats like all kinds of insects bcos they fly, hop, move, zig zag, whatever. Mochi wasn’t interested in the ants. They were probably too boring for him. 

Bcos we live in an old unit, there are plenty of interesting other insects for Mochi. Occasionally, we found dead cockroaches. Ewwwkkkk.. At least I only need to pick those up and throw them. That day, there was a bee that flew in through the kitchen window when I was trying to hang laundry. In my panic state and Mochi super excited state, he sneaked into the kitchen where the window was left opened (to facilitate the bee’s exit) and I almost locked him there. Then, I had to “rescue” him and had the bee joined us in the living room. I eventually managed to grab Mochi and kept us both safe in the bedroom, much to Mochi’s displeasure, which he show, through his incessant meowing. 

One of the weekdays last week, Daddy Lim told me that Mochi was playing with a huge grasshopper that probably flew in through the kitchen window too.

No escape even when it tried to hide under the cabinet.

Mochi looked that he was enjoying himself. I had to google and found that grasshopper doesn’t bite, even if it is huge but the hard casing would cause indigestion in cats. I hope Mochi was not hungry. 

When I came out of our room, the grasshopper was nowhere to be found. Daddy Lim only found a leg. Poor grasshopper. 

Later in the day, Nana sent us this. The legless grasshopper.

Did it jumped on Nana? I think not. Mochi probably decided to take it out from somewhere to continue playing with it, even if it was very dead. 

I wonder what we would find the next time… my heart cannot. T.T

Mummy Lim

Mochi to the Sitter

We would be away for 2 weeks to Japan (yes!) at the end of December and needed to look for a sitter/ boarding home for Mochi. 

The original intention was one of the cat hotels, then the possibility of a staycation at Auntie M's (aggro skating friend) house opened up. She has a cat too and we were about to make arrangement to see if Mochi would make friend (or foe) with her Coco. She and her family would also be away and the plan was for the helper to take care of the 2 cats. 

Then, she came back to say that her helper isn't keen to help. T.T We started looking for cat hotels, to realise that many of them are fully booked for end December. 

Interestingly, there are a couple of websites in Singapore to connect pet sitters and owners. I put up a request on PetBacker to either have a sitter come to our place 2x a day or to board Mochi for 2 weeks. The cost of a sitter is much expensive, taking into consideration 2x a day traveling time. While Mochi would be in a familiar environment, the idea of a stranger entering our home while we are not in Singapore isn't the most comfortable. Plus the sitter would visit only 2x a day, what if something happens to Mochi in between? 

We eventually decide on a boarding home for Mochi and made arrangement to visit 2 homes who responded to my request. 

Mochi isn't very happy to be in the carrier, maybe bcos each time he goes to the carrier, he found himself at the vet. Lol. 

The 1st home (in Yishun) said that she would at most board 4 to 5 cats at one time. What she didn't tell us is that she owns and fosters many other cats. I think there were at least 20 cats in her place. She has a simple computer table in the living room and a big bed in her bedroom and then most of the cats roam freely. A few of the cats were in cages, depending on the cat/ owner's preference, while the rest roam freely. The cats were literally everywhere but it doesn't smell.

Other than the times that Mochi was in SPCA,  he has never come into contact with other cats. We were not sure how he would react. We let him out of his carrier and he was obviously very cautious. He didn't quite like interacting with other cats but was happy to sit in one corner and observe. While Mochi had the chance to figure out what was happening to his life, we got the chance to interact with the other cats. We were like in a cat cafe, just without the drinks. Lol. Zaky ended up with stuffy nose when we left the home. 

We had to load a reluctant Mochi into the carrier. I don't think is was bcos he wanted to stay in the house; he simply hated the carrier. 

The 2nd home was in Woodlands. The sitter warned us not to be alarmed as she was boarding several dogs but to head directly to the "cat boarding room". This 2nd home now felt like a dog cafe. Lol. There were at least 10 dogs. It was not only noisy but a little stinky, like how most dog cafes are. 

The cat's room was quiet and smells clean. In fact, it looked like the boarder's kids' room. There is a double bunk bed, wardrobe and shelving. There were 2 other cats. While the sitter must obviously an animal lover (to tolerate all these animals), it does feel like this is more of a job for her that genuinely loving the pets. She said that she would be even busier next month. 

We visited 2 homes at each extreme spectrum. What an experience. We eventually decided on the cat cafe bcos we didn't want to traumatise Mochi anymore for more home visits. Let's hope all good and finger crossed!

Mummy Lim

Last Dose of Antibiotics

Finally! Two full weeks of antibiotics! For the 4 days that I was away, Daddy Lim singlehandedly fed Mochi his antibiotics. There are some misses of course, doses forgotten or the antibiotics ended up on the hand, table, floor, fur, spat out.. whatever but I think we are good and so done. 

This morning was the last dose. Daddy Lim accurately squirted the dose into Mochi's mouth. Bullseye! We celebrated by throwing away the remaining antibiotics and a little dance. 

Our celebration was short-lived; we laughed too early. Just when we were leaving the house, we discovered that Mochi has vomited in his cage, on the litter mat. Zzzzz.. 

We duno why Mochi vomited. Was it bcos the antibiotics was too bitter? Did he eat too fast? The hairball? Or maybe he just wanted to have the last laugh. 

The mess was too gross to clean up and we decided to throw away the mat. Mochi looked fine after that. He seemed to continue with his bfast when we were leaving the house. Mochi 1, we lost.. totally. 

Mummy Lim

Mochi is Much Better - Hooray!

We found a much better and easier way to feed Mochi his pills. Hohoho. 

Bcos it is very small, only a quarter of a small pill, we were hoping that we could hide it in his snacks. It works! But only bcos he is now better and hungry and greedy for snacks. 

Aunty J showed me Marsh's snacks. 

One is good for the heart and the other one is some antioxidant. Mochi's snacks must be nonsense in comparison bcos they are not only cheap but tasty (to Mochi) and as the theory goes, anything that is healthy usually doesn't taste good. Hoho. Daddy Lim once bought Mochi an expensive snacks and 被 Mochi 嫌弃. 

Mochi was already much better since 2 nights ago. How do I know? He chose to lose his freedom for snacks. 

The next morning, he was playful. 

Poor fish. 

He is definitely eating better. 

His little nose seems to have recovered fully. I think we can drop his pills. I didn't mind giving him the pills now that it is so much easier to hide in the snacks and feed him. He also tolerated the antibiotics betetr. Feeding him is still a struggle but not sure why, less foaming and therefore less messy. 

Thank you for recovering!

Mummy Lim

Mochi is Sick Part 2

It is confirmed. I am definitely more stress when Mochi is down with a flu than when the kids do. The kids can tell me what's wrong, be persuaded to eat and they take medicine themselves. Mochi does none of these. Zzzzz.

After we came back from the clinic, Mochi spent the night in our room. He was still lethargic and was sleeping in our bed before bedtime. I thought his breathing sounded much better and was very pleased.

I fell asleep while tucking Zaky to bed and Mochi has taken my space in my bed when I went back at 1+am. By then, his breathing was bad again. He was nice enough to give me back my space; I let him out of the room. I ended up following him with a bowl of steaming hot water, hoping that it would ease his blocked nose. I think I did little help. It took me a long while before I fell back to sleep. Mochi stole my sleep. 

Daddy Lim woke me up early the next morning bcos medicine feeding is not an individual feat. 

The tame Mochi that we saw at the clinic disappeared. He struggled while I held him down and Daddy Lim pryed his mouth opened to pop in the quarter pill. We did it! But the struggled left Mochi breathless and he ended up grasping for air. Not at all a pretty sight or sound to hear. After he was able to breath better, we had to hold him down for round 2 and the antibiotics left plenty of mess. 

We left out his water and bfast. He was totally not interested. He wasn't even interested in his snacks. 

He eyed me with contempt when I tried running after him with his food and water bowl. We also tried hand feeding him. He must be fed up with me that he actually used his paw to push away my hand. Lol. 

Later in the morning, I had to get the kids' help to coax Mochi to eat. I was prepared to bring him back to the vet if he still refuses to eat by the following day. Thankfully, Nana said that he appeared to eat some. 

I even compared the before and after photo to be sure. Ya, I think he ate a little. Aunty J had been a great support over the last few days and said that every little food intake is worth a celebration. I couldn't agree more. Give me the pom pom.

Nana said that Mochi sneezed like over 20x and sprayed his saliva everywhere. 

Ok, I hope that means that the medicine is working to loosen his congestion and he is expelling it. 

When home, I found him curled up in our bed. 

I had to wait for Daddy Lim to be home to feed Mochi medicine. Every single medicine feeding is a struggle. He was still not interested in his food. 

I never thought that I would be so obsessed with my cat eating food. Zzzzzz... 

I saw him approached the food bowl a few times but he merely smelled it (with whatever little sense of smell he is left with) and walked away. Popo hand fed him some snacks before bed. Hooray! Even snacks eating is a celebratory act. 

Interestingly, he "asked" to sleep in his cage. Popo gave him more snacks, which he took. Oh yes, for once, he can have all the snacks that he wanted. 

This morning, Daddy Lim woke me up early for the 3rd round of medicine feeding. Despite being the 3rd time, we still struggle. Zzzzzz... the pills are to be taken until his nose is unblocked, I think we have a few more times to go. We have dosage for up to 8 days. The antibiotics have to be taken for 2 full weeks and we are only on day 2. Zzzzzz.. 

This morning, we heard Mochi meowed. That was so sweet bcos it had been a while. The flu has stolen his meow. Speedy recovery, pls. Why did I agree to a pet? Hmmm....

Mummy Lim