Monthly Bucket List August 2015

The last two months have been so very hard, with the loss of two of my beloved feline children. I want to continue doing my Monthly Bucket List for August to remember the good as well as the bad, but all I can think of is how much I miss my Chloe and what a big part of my life and my schedule caring for her had become. Each day is filled both with my hopes for a better life for myself and my remaining cats in the Wee Green Flat, and at the same time the grief and sorrow that comes with the realisation that both Shadow and Chloe got to spend so little time in the Wee Green Flat, and that they are no more with us. I took care of them to the best of my means and ability, and I miss them very much. I have set up a fund to help with the vet bills of other animals in need in loving memory of Shadow and Chloe, but at the moment finances are tight, and I cannot afford to give more than RM100-200 a month to other rescuers in need of funds and assistance.

1. Make a new friend

During the course of doing the 30-Day Minimalism Challenge on Facebook with Nick and his friends, I found that I share many values and interests in common with his friends in Leicester -- Linda, Divita, Anna and Viv. We added each other on Facebook and have had a great time communicating with each other ever since. These women continue to inspire me online each day.

During our Green Living Turtle Volunteer Programme 2015, I got to know several new volunteers, including two from Klebang, Melaka -- Charmaine and Karen. We remained in touch after the Programme and they had sought my assistance in planning future volunteering trips to the Turtle Conservation and Information Centre, as they live minutes away. I gladly assisted and I know the Turtle Centre would be happy to have volunteers as giving and dedicated as them.

2. Help a stranger.

For some time now, I have engaged the children I tutor at Beacon of Hope to write postcards to children in rural hospitals. A few months ago, I learned about Love for the Elderly, a non-profit organisation set up by a teenager in the USA, Jacob Cramer, to send snailmail to senior citizens in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I found it to be a brilliant idea and shared the cause on the Postcrossing page. I don't know if any other Postcrossers sent them cards, but I started sending 5 cards to Love for the Elderly with every 5 cards that I send for Postcrossing. I hope my cards bring the elderly some cheer.

One of the things I started to do regularly to ensure that I am able and ready to do a Random Act of Kindness each time the opportunity arises is keep a pocketful of small change ready to help someone out with. Usually I hand coins to people who do not have the right amount or denomination of coins for parking meters. In August, I gave out coins to those who needed it for parking machines and shopping trolleys. My favourite 'give' of the month was a little girl at the SPCA who had gone there with her family to adopt a puppy. She kept asking her mother for change for the SPCA coin box, but her mother didn't have any coins to spare and was busy filling up the adoption papers. I gave the generous child a handful of coins, which she happily fed into the slot. She seemed overjoyed that she managed to 'feed the doggie and kitty', and I felt glad I got to do a good turn for this kind family who had come to adopt one of our shelter dogs.

Wikipedia made one of its periodic requests for donations to keep the site running, and I didn't hesitate in making a donation by PayPal. Helping one another is what keeps our society strong and smart.

One of my friends, Sherrina, is the founder of an animal rescue organisation called the Independent Pet Rescuers. Sherrina and I had our differences in the past, but this does not stop us from working together for a common cause. When she appealed for funds to pay the vet bills of a rescued kitten called Joy, I pledged RM100 but was not able to bank it in to her until a later date due to many other financial commitments. I didn't forget, however, and Joy remained at the back of my mind like a nagging worry, so I was glad when I finally got paid for some work I did and banked the pledged sum in to Sherrina. The donation is from The Shadow and Chloe Fund for Animals In Need. I hope Joy will grow up strong and healthy and find a good family.

I have been teaching at Beacon since January and have become very invested in my students' well-being. When I found out that some of them would be sitting for their UPSR exams without appropriate pencils and school supplies, I bought boxes of exam-grade 2B pencils and erasers to give out to them.

As mentioned previously, Green Living conducted its annual Turtle Volunteer Programme in late August, and two of our volunteers, Charmaine and Karen, were very keen to bring their friends to the centre/hatchery to volunteer as well, but were not familiar with the volunteer application procedure. I was happy to help them out and draft them a set of bilingual letters, and offer to be their translator as they are unable to speak Malay and the turtle centre staff are unable to speak any English. This should be fun!

3. Eat something/at someplace new to me.

On the occasion of CovertDad's 72nd birthday, I took both parents out to afternoon tea at the Majestic Hotel's Orchid Conservatory. It was a memorable and beautiful tea party, and my parents loved being surrounded by beautiful flowers. I think this outing might warrant its own post, depending on my time and inclination. It's going to be difficult for me to top this next year.

A Kapiti Ice Cream bar opened for business next door to pub and had a 10-day buy-one-scoop-and-get-another-free promotion. I had a grand time trying out new ice cream flavours. I sampled Lemongrass and Ginger on the first day and gave the second cone to Michelle, our barmaid. I had initially planned to visit more often during the 10-day promo, however, after Chloe fell ill, my priority was to stay with her and care for her.

Earlier in the month, I visited RGB and The Bean Hive with Aravind and utilised a KindMeal voucher in order to write a review for KindMeal.

In mid-August, I had to go to Penang for work and ate at Gemini Cafe, Penang International Airport...

... As well as Purrfect Cat Cafe in George Town, which I wrote a review for.

4. Go someplace I've never been.

As listed above, in August 2015, I visited at least 3 places new to me:

Hotel Majestic's Orchid Conservatory;

RGB and The Bean Hive at Jalan Damai;

and Purrfect Cat Cafe in George Town.

Apart from that, I attended a meeting at Menara KWSP in Penang, and ended up exploring other parts of George Town and Penang Island on foot. I got to spend time at the Lighthouse Thrift Store near Cititel in George Town,

... and spotted this awesome Mondrian-inspired building on my way to the Bayan Lepas International Airport.

I've been exploring a lot of Kota Damansara on my bike as well, but it took place in the final few days of August after Chloe's passing. I needed to ride my bike to clear my mind and assure myself that I have done the best I could for my beloved Chloe, and nothing more could have prolonged her life without compromising her quality of life.

5. Learn something new.

In August 2015:

(i) I learned a new route to work that bypasses the traffic jam; (It took me almost 2 months to discover it, since I don't use Waze or a GPS, so I guess I am not that smart after all)

(ii) I attended talk by Dr Lee Grismer on herpetofauna of Malaysian karst formations on 13th August and learned about critically endangered reptile and amphibian populations; and

(iii) I attended talk on marine plastics and learned about nurdles, and anti-litter organisations such as Litterati and International Pellet Watch.

6. Declutter and cull 100 items.

I decluttered my desks both at home and at work and removed a whole stack of diaries, journals, folders and notebooks to be handed out to my students at Beacon of Hope to be used as exercise books.

Spring cleaning my desk at parental home resulted in large amounts of paper being decluttered for recycling. Three stacks of papers, magazines, newsletters and folders were removed -- one stack for recycling, one stack of magazines and books for donation, and one stack to keep.

7. Give up something for a month.

In August, I gave up trying to live with the cracked plaster skim in the kitchen, despite promising myself that I would take a break from DIY and home improvement. I cleaned it up and repainted it in just one night.

Remarkably, in August 2015, I also managed to almost completely give up drinking Red Bull. I drank only one can the entire month. I'm not sure if my health improved after giving up all that sugar and caffeine, but I certainly slept earlier and better.

8. Letter to the Editor

Upon receiving the report that the Selangor State Government would proceed with the construction of the EKVE highway through the Ampang Forest Reserve and Selangor State Park, I drafted a letter in the capacity of the Coordinator of Green Living, and it was published in The Malaysian Insider and The Star.

________________________________________________________________________________

It's been a very difficult two months for me. I hope I never have to say goodbye to another cherished feline or canine child ever again. It really is the heart that feels the pain.

KindMeal Food Review: Purrfect Cat Café, George Town, Penang.

This is an impromptu review resulting from an impromptu trip to Purrfect Cat Café , Lebuh Muntri, George Town, Penang. I made the spontaneous decision to download the KindMeal voucher only upon touching down at the Bayan Lepas International Airport for a business day trip. I shall henceforth stifle the temptation to write a review that reads entirely like this: "Meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow. Meow meow."

 

 

I had only a couple of hours to spare before my flight back to KL, but I knew Lebuh Muntri to be within walking distance from where I had just attended a meeting. There is always so much to see in George Town, and every street is filled with delightful gems like these to be spotted by the observant:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In retrospect, it would seem odd that I would pay to visit a cat café. Every mealtime in my home is a veritable cat café experience -- laps occupied and kneaded while you wait, small whiskered faces investigating the contents of every plate and mug. But I am a Crazy Cat Lady, and I do Crazy Cat Lady-ish things.

 

 

It didn't take me long to find the café, housed in a heritage shophouse painted white. It was, I read, officially opened for business in January 2014 and has even received a visit from the Honourable Chief Minister of Penang, who I admire greatly and had not realised was a cat person. But then again, all great people are cat-and-dog persons. Dictators like only dogs because they hope to be worshipped and obeyed unconditionally. Introverts, recluses and existential poets like only cats because the gregarious nature of puppies and dogs scares them. But truly great people love cats, dogs and all animals and embrace the diversity of appearance and personality of all animals (* This is a tongue-in-cheek assessment, mind, so please don't start accusing me of sweeping generalisations and bullshit pop psychology. On the other hand, you can start offering me vast sums of money to write absolute rubbish for Popsugar and Elite Daily).

 

 

Cakes and other goodies gleamed invitingly from illuminated glass dessert display cabinets. Bold hipsterish typography announced "Purrfect" and "Meow". Cat-themed artwork and vignettes adorned shelves and walls. I purred and squinted my eyes in appreciation.

 

 

As you can see, this place is an Instagrammer’s dream. Guests also get to leave their mark – not by way of rubbing their cheek pheromones all over the furniture, fortunately – but by leaving messages on neon post-it notes on a cat-shaped cutout on the wall. I declined to do this in the interest of conserving resources and trees. A blogpost would suffice.

 

 

I informed the affable, bright-eyed young staff that I would like to redeem my KindMeal voucher and they offered me a selection of sweets and savouries to choose from. The cakes look delectable, but as I am making my best effort to go fully vegan, I had to forgo the cakes and opt for air-fried fries and a fruit soda instead.

 

 

 

 

A variety of cakes, most of them bearing an edible Hello Kitty cutout on each slice, were available as part of the KindMeal deal. I don't know if it is just me, but I find it hard to reconcile a love for Hello Kitty with a love of real cats. People love Hello Kitty because she is cute, feminine, subservient and anthropomorphised. She is like an inoffensive puff of marshmallow with cat ears and a ribbon, and therefore presents no threat to human dominance. Heck, she doesn't even have a mouth to argue  out of. Real-life cats, on the other hand, have strong, clever personalities and will let you know very clearly and audibly if they are displeased about something. Real-life cats would shred ribbons and aprons and pretty clothes to confetti. Real-life cats make badassery an art form. And that is why I love them. But I digress. As I am wont to do.

 

 

The original price of the drink+snack set is in the range of RM19.00, and with the Kindmeal 10% discount voucher, the price is discounted to RM17.70. I was informed of the very reasonable House Rules ("No picking up cats, no feeding human food to cats, no food and drink in the cat area, no taking cats out of the cat area, no flash photography, no harassment of cats, no unkind behaviour") and then guided upstairs to the dining and cat area.

 

 

My food arrived soon after. There isn't much I have to say about it. Fries are fries. I usually call them 'chips' but this confuses many people who call 'crisps' chips, so fries they will have to be for this review. These fries were air-fried and therefore crispy and not greasy. There was a lot of it, heaped into an attractive bowl. Ketchup was served to me in a fish-shaped ramekin, which amused and delighted me. It was a nice touch. My passionfruit soda consisted of a flavoured syrup topped up with soda water. Italian soda, yum! Very refreshing and not overly sweet.

 

 

However, everyone knows that you don't go to a cat café for the food, or to talk about whether it was value-for-money to pay RM17.70 for fries and a soda. You are paying not merely for the food or the experience, but also for the cost of maintaining the hygiene, health, safety and comfort standards required of operating a cat café. You are essentially chipping in for the cats' food, vet and grooming bills, and paying for someone to clean the cat litter regularly and keep an air ioniser and purifier running so that you won’t end up eating Pommes Frites à la Cat Poo.

To complain about paying more for a cat café experience would be like going to Carcosa Seri Negara or Majestic Hotel for afternoon tea and then moaning that you could get better kuih at Mak Jah Corner for RM3.

 

 

 

 

I munched persistently through my heap of fries, while staring wistfully at the dozing cats in the cat area, like a child who had been told that she couldn’t go out to play until she has cleared her plate. Still, even the dining area is very tastefully decorated, with low coffee tables and floor-level seating, and cat face-themed cushions in an orderly row. The cat-shaped placard holders and other cat-themed artwork added to the charm and whimsy of this café.

 

 

 

 

 

Once I had finished my tea and washed my hands, it was time to enter the cat area and play with the ten resident cats. They seemed very relaxed and contented, and habituated to human handling. The cat area is what my dream cattery would look like – with lots of places for the cats to climb, play, sit, hide and retire from human contact once they have had enough.

 

 

 

 

 

These shelves are pure genius, although they would probably need daily dusting or wiping down.

 

 

The cats are cuddly and healthy and did not mind taking a ‘wefie’ with me.

 

 

This lovely Bengal-tabby kitty commandeered the Director's Chair for himself.

 

 

 

A scratchy wee couch for this little beauty.

 

 

Asleep in the sun -- every cat's favourite pastime.

 

 

Everything was so clean and comfortable that you couldn’t help but realise that the cats are receiving excellent care. I wonder if the cat café would have room for a rescue cat or two?

I stayed for almost an hour before cabbing it back to the airport for my flight home. From the number of walk-in customers, I foresee that this endearing little place will remain in business for a long, long time. The wide variety of cat-themed merchandise in the lower floor is enough to make any Crazy Cat Lady swoon. I must confess that my minimalist tendencies were temporarily abandoned as I picked up cat-themed merchandise for myself and 3 friends.

Would I recommend a visit to the Purrfect Cat Café in Penang?

 

 

 

If you are an animal/cat lover, by all means, yes. It is a good place to cool down with a well-made Italian soda after exploring George Town in the midday heat, and the cutesiness of the cakes and snacks will offset the fact that the café does not have a very extensive menu. The cats will help you relax and decompress, and leave the heat and bustle of the outside world behind.

Rating:

☆☆☆ 3 stars out of 5 for food.

☆☆☆☆☆ 4.5 stars out of 5 for ambience and service.

Address:

Purrfect Cat Café,

53 Lebuh Muntri, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Tel: 604-261 1197

 

Business Hours: 11.00 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.

 

GPS: 5.419947, 100.335707

 

On Facebook: www.fb.com/penangcatcafe

Farewell, darling Chloe

This is a very difficult post to write, but posting this will give me closure and a sense of finality and completion over Chloe's death.

Chloe was adopted by my former housemate Jake from the SPCA shelter on 9th June, 2004. We were renting an apartment then, and Chloe was his birthday gift to himself. She was a 6-month-old kitten, recently spayed and vaccinated, and full of fun and zest. It didn't take long for me to end up in the role of the primary caregiver. I cleaned the litter, fed Chloe, trimmed nails, gave baths and played with her.

Chloe remained in good health and spirits for most of her life. She was a beautiful, alert and highly intelligent cat. She would watch football with us as a kitten and try to catch the ball on the screen. She could entertain herself for hours, flipping and tossing her toys in the air and catching them with her mouth or paws.

She liked nibbling on lettuce, houseplants and the tips of vegetables. She was formidable at hide-and-seek.

She had agile, nimble paws that could open any drawer or cabinet. She was the only cat I know who will reply with a meow when you call her name and she is not directly in sight. She knew the names of all the other cats, and understood a good deal of human speech. She loved listening to classical music, and being read to.

As the First Cat, she enjoyed certain privileges, including the highest perch in the house, and being served food first. She was given the best care and food we could afford. She mostly ignored the younger cats, although she would occasionally deign to share an armchair with one of them. As neutered, vaccinated, indoor cats, I didn't think I had much to worry about when it comes to their health and safety.

However, in her 9th year, we began to notice hair loss and mouth ulcers that I was unwilling to attribute to stress. I took her to the vet on several occasions and finally, the vet decided it would be prudent to conduct an ELISA test. In April 2013, Chloe was diagnosed as being FIV positive. My world came crumbling down then. How? Why? They are indoor cats, and all my rescues are screened before being fostered indoors. How could it have happened? They are neutered, vaccinated and kept in clean and safe conditions. Plus Chloe is neither a fighter nor a biter. How did she get infected? Was it something that had been dormant in her for a long time, and she is only displaying symptoms now that she is older and her immune system less resilient?

The important thing for me was to keep her healthy, comfortable and safe, and keep the other cats uninfected. I had all of them tested to determine their health status, and thankfully all tested negative on the ELISA test. Chloe kept to herself on her high bookcase perch a lot of the time, and didn't roughhouse with the others, so I knew we could maintain the status quo without endangering the other cats. My former housemate had by then relinquished all responsibility over Chloe, and so I took over her care entirely, taking her to the vet for monthly checkups and putting her on RetroMAD1, a trial drug which had shown promise in managing FIV and FELV.

And so for two years we travelled to the vet every 3-4 weeks, undergoing medical checkups, obtaining the trial drugs, and purchasing other supplements such as Vetri DMG for Chloe's health. It wasn't an imposition for me. I quite enjoyed the time we spent together, although I would of course much rather have a healthy, happy cat than one who is terminally ill. Every few weeks we would visit the vet, get Chloe checked, obtain her medicines, buy her food that she liked and go for lunch at the food court up the street from the vet.

She had good days, and not-so-good days. Her good days were easy on everyone. On her not-so-good days, I would hand-feed Chloe her favourite wet food, Fancy Feast Royale. I would apply coconut oil to her mouth ulcers and gently clean away her drool with warm water. I would play her soothing piano music and stroke her gently and let her know how much I love her and want her to be well.

We moved to the Wee Green Flat in June, and my former housemate did not object when I told him I would be taking Chloe with me. I knew she wouldn't survive a month with him. I'm not even sure he knows what medicine to give her and how much. Chloe loved our new home and like all the other cats, seemed very relaxed, comfortable and confident there. There were lots of surfaces for her to climb and sit on, and cubbies for her to hide in. There were no piles of dusty clutter for her to trip over or fall off. She loved the airy, bright new apartment. She would spend mornings sitting on the window seat, meowing at birds, and evenings by the kitchen sink, drinking from the trickle of cool water from the water filtration system. She ate well, and often had seconds. She gained weight. Her fur grew lustrous again. She inspected and played with all the new toys and scratching posts. The other cats defered to her seniority and never challenged her for the best seats and perches in the house. She was vocal, and queen of the house once more.

Things took a turn for the worse after I returned from my Turtle Volunteer Programme 2 weeks ago. I was away for only one night. My friend Karen came over to feed the cats and reported that Chloe was bleeding from her mouth ulcers again, although she seemed to be eating normally. I fed her only soft foods and Aravind, bless him, promptly assisted me in getting more antibiotics and RetroMAD1 from the vet. It had worked well in the past, and I hoped that it would work again. Chloe's recovery was dubious and very slow. She continued to eat wet food for two days, and then stopped entirely. She was so weak that she fell when she tried to jump up to the kitchen counter. Alarmed, I put her in the big cage that I keep for fosters, to stop her from hurting herself. She did not protest. She looked tired, and her eyes were dull and listless. Her fur looked matted despite regular brushing and all the supplements I have been feeding her. I still had some Royal Canin convalescence formula left over, and started syringe-feeding her several times a day.

The mouth ulcers stopped flaring up thanks to the antibiotics and anti-retroviral medication, but Chloe's overall condition did not improve. I persevered in feeding her regularly, hoping for a miracle, hoping I would still have a few more years with her. She was only 11-and-a-half, and it wasn't unheard of for FIV-positive cats to live 13 or 14 years.

The morning she died, she had difficulty swallowing the formula, and I knew her muscles were starting to fail her. I held her and rocked her and talked to her, but she displayed such evident discomfort that I placed her gently back in her bed. My brave and beautiful Chloe died at 7.00 a.m. on 28th August 2015.

I miss my brilliant Chloe so very much. She was and will always be the smartest cat I know. I am sad she was terminally ill in her final two years, but I am glad we had good memories together -- memories of birthday parties, Valentine's dinners, Christmas presents, games, treats, cuddles, classical music and quality time together. I will remember her first Christmas with us, during which I bought her a train set, which she loved flipping upside down to watch the wheels buzz angrily like a downed insect. I will remember her first pot of wheatgrass, which created such a frenzy of excitement in her that she pulled every blade of grass out by the roots and munched the whole pot bare within an hour. I will remember the 2005 post-Easter earthquake whose aftershock effect in the old apartment so alarmed me that I rushed to the pub with Chloe, and all the other pub patrons made a fuss of her. I will remember how I tried to get her a Season Pass to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra but was unable to do so only because the ticketing officers had concerns that a cat in the music hall might trigger adverse reactions in those with allergies.

Chloe, you are whole and healthy again now at the Rainbow Bridge. You reign as Queen once more. No more syringes, no more needles, no more ulcers, no more pain. I hope you remember me enough that we can be reunited one day. I will always be your ever-loving mama.