Ubi Kuching Project

orange bubble-tea 'brothers'

Skinny orange cat is not skinny anymore! And, after having taken root at his new 'home' the bubble tea shop at Block 304, he has been joined by another orange cat!

Here is a picture of them so cutely sleeping together on a chair outside the bubble tea shop!

The two of them are the only two male cats in the area that can get along with each other. There is only one more unsterilised male in this area so there aren't any major cat fights these two orange 'brothers' have had with others.

the recent slow-flow

A little bit of explanation on the recent slow-flow of blog posts.

A lot has been happening. Not cat-wise, but human-related.

Firstly, I have been ill and thus the lack of updates on the blog. But I am feeling better now and hence I am back, apologies for the recent absence!

Another reason why there seems to be a slowdown in our work at Ubi Kuching Project has to do with Angels Pet Shop. As you would know, Angels is where we board rescued and re-homing cats. It is the headquarters which we do our stray cat sterilisation from. All the necessary apparatus and supplies needed for our animal welfare work is supplied by Angels.

Angels Pet Shop is owned by Aswat, but right now his other investor needs to pull out of the business. Understandably, this is caused a major crisis for Aswat as he does not have enough personal liquid assets that can be contributed in his investor's stead. Angels is left with two choices: close up shop, or find another investor.

Of course, the latter option has been Aswat's choice and he has been working on finding an interested investor. The next thing he needs to do is to work up the shop's current balance sheet so that the exiting investor's share can be calculated for liquidation. Based on the amount, he can then invite a new investor to take over. All that is a lot of work, so the balance sheet will need time to be worked out.

If no investor is willing to take over, Angels actually will be closing down by the end of the year. This is bad news for Ubi Kuching Project because we need Angels. Because we are symbiotically linked to Angels and have become Aswat's friend Andy and I are going to help Aswat out in whatever way we can short of investing in his business because we don't have that kind of money.

This current crisis of course did not happen overnight, and discretion compelled me not to write on this until now, because the situation has taken precedence over our work at Ubi Kuching Project. If Angels ceases to exist Ubi Kuching Project will have to re-group and re-form.

In either way, I have no doubt that we will still continue our animal welfare work in Ubi. But until the Angels situation is certain we will not be able to move on. Especially in terms of fund-raising, because if we no longer have Angels, fund-raising for Ubi Kuching Project needs to be re-aligned as I have calculated our financial needs based on boarding costs at Angels and mainly for neutering work of the Ubi strays. Without a space, fund-raising will need a new brick-and-mortar presence to work from, as well as extend to providing us the finances for new boarding space.

In the meantime, I will still be blogging here and will continue to write on all things catty in our neighbourhood. See you next post!

whiteys

I spoke about the white kittens currently at the shop.

Andy did manage to get a picture of them in their pen at Angels.

Here was when there were 3 of them at the shop - 1 has been adopted.

They are extremely playful, coming from their Oriental genes. They have semi-long fur. One of them is odd-eyed (copper and blue) and the other is blue-eyed. This means that either both or at least the odd-eyed is deaf. But they get along well regardless and are still vocal and active.

hansel & gretel!

I got an email from the lovely people who adopted Hansel and Gretel!

Hey! These are some of the pictures we took of Hansel and Gretel!

It's been about 3 weeks or so since we've adopted them, and it's been a blast!

We've recently brought them to the vet a few times, due to Cloud(Hansel) having a bad flu and vomitting, and then Ice(Gretel) catching the flu... but both of them are better now!

They've also recently been deflea-ed, and scheduled for vaccinations and deworming in the coming weeks!

They've grown from 100g to 150g so far...

Here are some pictures of them!

They have the funniest sleeping postures!

Thanks so much!

Evan and John.

And here are the pics!

auntie can

This is one of our cat patrons, feeder and sponsor of Zone 1, Auntie Can.

Auntie Can actually does not live in Ubi, but in the next town. She noticed a few years ago that no one was feeding the stray cats in Ubi central and so she made it her personal mission to feed the strays in this area every night, without fail.

She also sponsors all the neutering in Ubi central, aka Zone 1. Almost all the cats in this area are sterilised except for one or two elusive males and some new kittens. She is also the one who pays for vet fees whenever any of the stray cats need to be brought to the vet.

She is an amazing person. She not only feeds in Ubi but also in other areas. Then at midnight she goes home to close her provision shop. She is a total nocturnal animal just like her cats.

Thank you Auntie Can.

a loving father

During the time of our blog hiatus, there were a few white Siamese-Persian kittens in our shop. One of them adopted already, by a loving father for his daughter who really wanted a cat.

This uncle works in the Ubi area and lives in Choa Chu Kang. He had been debating on whether to adopt the hamsters his friend was offering, or a kitten, but had finally decided on the kitten.

Here he is, happy with his new family pet!

Still on hiatus

Computer still down and will be indefinitely. New one on the way in a week's or so time. Andy's computer impossible to use either. Will continue to be on forced-blogging-hiatus till my new one arrives. In the meanwhile if you need some kitty stuff to read, do look through our featured articles, archives, links on the right sidebar. I will also be updating Twitter @ubikuching as often as i can, so do follow us there as well. Have a good kitty weekend!

Hiatus

My computer is currently at the clinic for suspected PSU problems. Will be back soon when i have it back! Ubi Kuching Project still business as usual - Salem and Shelley both adopted, Ubi-wide neutering still on tomorrow night.

caught mid-treat

We recently bought another pack of Angel's Salmon Treats for our cats - because we had to give them a bath this weekend, so it was some kind of 'atonement' on our part. I took some very un-glamourous photos of our three cats mid-treat, it is a laugh!

They are absolutely crazy about these treats. Andy combines the dispensing of treats with some basic cat-training too: our treats are kept in a metal box and whenever he taps the box, the cats come running. When he says 'up!' to them they will stand up and get their treat. They love it. We have to buy them these treats more often!

notecard - 2nd draft

The top is the front, the bottom is the back, the card will be blank inside. Regardless of printing cost versus aesthetics I think I will stick to black and white for a classic look and feel.

Now, to create 9 more designs for our box-set of 10 notecards. (If you have an Ubi Kuching pic you would like to contribute, do email me.)

Then to raise the capital for the printing before we package and sell.

We are open to placing by-liners at the back of the card e.g. "printing sponsored by -" if we get any donations in this respect. I would probably print the name of the printing shop we will be getting these done at, if they are willing to give us a better rate for the production of these cards.

baking soda in cat litter - best!

Remember I wrote about the uses of baking soda for cats?

Well I tried it for the past week myself by sprinkling baking soda into their litter boxes.

Usually, the filter tray for the litter boxes using pine pellets needs to be changed once per week for one cat. We usually change ours twice a week at least otherwise the pee smell will still emanate from the litter boxes even though pine is already very deodourising.

I added the baking soda to their litter trays last weekend. This weekend, when Andy cleared out the litter trays, he didn't even realise that I hadn't cleared the lower tray for a whole week. There was no pee smell at all! It was only after he cleared everything that I told him, and he was really surprised to find out that it didn't smell at all even though the liners were not cleared for a whole week.

Not only is adding baking soda to the litter boxes great for the household, it is also great on the environment because it means we are using lesser litter pan liners. We still clear the poo on a daily basis of course, but now with the baking soda added to the litter boxes, we can change the liner less often. It will not affect the cats' desire to use the litter tray as the liner below is separated from the pellets on top - if the poo is not cleared they will decline to go to the litter box since cats are fastidiously clean, even about their toilets.

And baking soda only costs a dollar plus from supermarkets!

There are also proprietary cat litter brands that use baking soda as one of their ingredients, and that is also an alternative if you are into only using pet brand items for your cats.

I also added baking soda to my ashtrays so that there will not be a stale smell from the ashtrays, but that is another whole topic altogether. Search 'household uses for baking soda' in Google and you will come up with plenty of tips for using this simple ingredient around the house.

Baking soda is now a permanent feature on my cleaning agents shelf in the kitchen. It is absolutely indispensable!

more on shelley the shar-pei

Shelly Daisy the Shar-Pei is a really sweet girl. Her full name is Shelly Daisy because Aswat has been using the name Daisy to train and socialise her. She responds to both names, but to Aswat more because he has been taking care of her at the shop and giving her constant attention.

Shelley is really obedient. She actually does her business in the toilet, and not in her pen or anywhere else in the shop. She also knows her boundaries - where she is allowed to go to or not. She seems to know that where the dog safety gate is, that is the extent of her boundary.

She also hardly barks, unless you come to visit her - she makes an excellent guard-dog and door-greeter, she is super alert. When she sees someone she recognises come to her 'house' (i.e. the pet shop) she knows it is a friend and will not bark.

The only thing now is to socialise her more and train her to walk on a leash - something she is still not used to. We started her slow, just by getting her used to a collar first. She is not food-motivated so it takes a lot of time to get her to walk on a leash, especially beyond what she sees as her 'boundary'.

You can see here that she has the classic black tongue - only Chow Chows and Shar-Peis have this trait. She is not very wrinkled, which is different from the pedigree-bred Shar-Peis in the US. But this is a good thing, as humid Singapore weather and facial wrinkles are not a good mix - the humidity trapped in between facial wrinkles will cause major skin problems if not cleaned and dried on a daily basis.

Shelley is actually the smallest of her family. She had to fight for food and be the subject of playful bullying from her siblings. As a result, she has some old scars from her siblings' bites. Thankfully, now she has her own bowl and bottle to feed from at Angels Pet Shop and will hopefully go to a much better home soon.

Do keep the word out for Shelley Daisy the Shar-Pei! If you are keen to view and adopt her, contact Aswat at 9337 8211. Shelley is currently eating Eagle Pack Natural Formula which consists of fish protein and oils - good for her skin since Shar-Peis are prone to skin problems. Her collar will be given along with her to her new owner, who will also be advised on Shelley's diet and other necessities for her care.

special appeal

Aswat's godmother recently rescued a young kitten @ 5 weeks old. He had a major injury in his eye and his godma paid for kitten's surgery. This kitten is a stray but he can no longer live on the streets as he is now blind in one eye.

Aswat's godmother is appealing for anyone who is willing to welcome this kitten into their home.

nova soothing balm

For some reason my cat have lately gotten themselves some scratches, perhaps from each other. By the time I noticed them, the wounds are already healed, just leaving behind some scabs with no fur on them. None of these scars are noticeable, but nonetheless I went out and got us Nova Soothing Balm.

I intend to decant some for our cat closet and pass the bottle to Aswat to use on Salem and other future animals. In the meanwhile I have already used it on Sayang and Scooter, and can safely say that the balm does not hurt them when used.

This balm is useful for scratches, wounds, dry spots. My advice is that it should not be used as immediate first aid. For scratches and wounds, the first step is to clean the area with antiseptic lotion. Then use antiseptic powder to stop the bleeding and promote healing. The balm should be the final step, to prevent itching and scarring, ideally when the wound has healed and only scabs remain.

This is also good for dry skin I reckon. Dry skin is usually itchy and this balm stops the itch. A good addition to your cat first-aid kit.

zoukie - owned!

Zoukie's legs - now that we can inspect him properly - are injured from minor scratches, possibly from bushes and other urban landscaping while he was on the run. He was suffering from dehydration - tearing eyes, stiff skin, dry skin patches - but was already much better today. Aswat also gave him a shower and groomed him today, and hopefully his dry skin will improve now that he received some first aid and skin care and is drinking enough water. He must really have had a hard time out on the run, but seeing him today was like looking at a different cat - he was much calmer, cleaner, healthier looking. Aswat also managed to train Zoukie to use the litter tray - who knows where his previous owner was training him to go. Aswat also managed to age Zoukie - he is likely to be less than a year old as his testicles are not that fully developed yet even though he is a large-sized cat.

No one has come forward to claim Zoukie as their lost cat.

But someone did email me today regarding Zoukie! Sam, who lives in Dover, saw Zoukie's picture online and offered to adopt him if no one has claimed Zoukie. Sam used to have a Persian cat as his pet 10 years ago, and has been cat-less ever since.

So in love was he with Zoukie, that Sam came down to view him today. We wanted to bring Zoukie to sterilise next week and re-home him via our usual online channels, but now there is no need, because Sam took Zoukie home with him today!

If anyone does come forward any later to claim Zoukie as their lost pet, we will be forwarding the query to Sam, and the owner will have to bear the costs that Sam has already invested on Zoukie. But for now, Zoukie will be living happily with Sam. Seeing the look on Sam's face and the joy Zoukie brought to him with the prospect of him going back to live with Sam, really cheered me up to no end.

We have advised Sam to bring Zoukie for a check up just to get an all-clear as well as to get his sterilisation done.

ubi kuching project notecards

One of the Ubi Kuching Project merchandise we are hoping to sell to raise funds for our stray cat neutering, animal rescue and re-homing work, is a box set of notecards.

10 blank-inside Ubi Kuching Project notecards with envelopes. The size of each notecard is A6 closed. Using the charity-funding rule of which at least 70% of the revenue generated should go direct to the beneficiaries - in this case the animals - a box set of 10 notecards will be retailing at about $18.

I am still undecided about making it black-and-white or colour - the cost of production will be the same but aesthetically black-and-white may be better. Will keep all our readers updated on the progress.

If you have a picture you would like to submit of your cat adopted via Ubi Kuching Project, please feel free to email me!

zone 2 cat-feeder - Auntie Rose

Remember I shared that Ubi is divided into cat zones, each zone being managed and fed by different care-givers?

Ever since we started this blog we wanted to take pictures of the people who manage the cat zones, but they being cat-feeders i.e. nocturnal, it is almost impossible to sight them, as if they were cats themselves.

But we managed to get a picture of Auntie Rose, Zone 2 cat-feeder.

Auntie Rose lives in Ubi with one cat. She is a retired home-maker who used to work in the US. She often has interesting human treats to share with us like Belgium chocolates and candy from Denmark. Her trademark is her plastic bag armed with cat food, and an amazing walking speed that helps her feed more cats, quickly. She may be an auntie but she speaks good English, smokes Gudang Garam and is quite tech-savvy - she uses her mobile phone more than I do mine!

This photo of her was taken at Angels Pet Shop where she came to buy cat food. She will be helping to sponsor some of the costs of neutering the Zone 2 cats we are hoping to trap and neuter next week (date unconfirmed yet, still need to liaise with our cat-service guy on his availability).

Sammy / Mika

Ili, who adopted Sammy from us, sent pictures of Sammy, who is now known as Mika.

He is so adorable and looking at his pictures really gave us joy! He is growing to be such a beautiful cat.

more on zoukie the cat

Zoukie, for whom no one has yet to come forward to claim as their lost pet, is much calmer today than he was yesterday when he first arrived.

He has a cute habit of 'barking' when he meows! Here is a picture of him mid-bark.

He reminds us of our Slinky in the way he stands - very upright, chest out shoulders broad.

And despite his apparent stress from his hind-leg bruise and being in a new environment, he is still very cute! He may look fierce...

...but is actually a sweetie at heart.

If no one claims him by this weekend we will have to re-home him. Angel's boarding space is now full and there is no more space for the shop's paying customers, so we might have to foster either him or Salem at our home.