I feel like such a hypocrite!

I have been an advocate for keeping cats indoors only for many years. For two reasons:

1. Being allowed unrestricted outdoors access can be dangerous to the cat – cars, diseases, fights with other animals and malicious neighbours who might leave out bowls of milk and aspirin. Keeping your cat indoors or at least restricting their outdoors access will ultimately keep them safe.
2. Cats are born killers, it is in their nature so keeping them indoors also keeps our wildlife safe.

We have two bird cages in our house, one for peachfaces and one for budgies. The peach face cage can be easily wheeled inside and outside but the budgie cage we cannot shift outside because it does not fit through our door (long story that). Anyway, the budgie cage initially I thought was great because it allowed them heaps of room to fly around, was very sturdy and secure from cat curiosity. There is only one problem with it – the door you lift up to change water and feed has a little door inside it and sometimes the little door sticks on the bar above it. This morning, operating on perhaps two brain cells after having worked all night, I changed the water and checked the feed and closed the door.

I didn’t notice that the little door was still open. Apparently neither did the budgies, until just after I woke up. I heard a strange noise from Mojo and saw Rosie with her hackles up. I went outside to find Mojo with something in his mouth….he had just come in from the cat park so I assumed it was a small lizard. When I went to retrieve it, I was so shocked to find a budgie in his mouth….I thought perhaps it had gotten in the bars of the cat park. It was already dead, neck was broken and then I noticed the budgies were very very quiet. I looked on the top of the budgie’s head and noticed a small yellow spot. Shock turned into horror and overwhelming sadness when I realised this was one of my dearly loved budgies, Spot.

I know that Mojo is a cat and this is what cats do so I cannot really get angry at him. I am very angry with myself for not making sure the door was shut properly. More than anything, I just feel so sad because it was just so quick and there was nothing I could do – I didn’t even hear Spot make a sound. It just proves to me the point that even if your cat is well fed, they will still predate for sport. The other budgies are still safe within their cage, but it’s almost like they know the fate that has befallen their comrade and holding their cheerful chirps for a little while as they mark his passing.

I have laid him to rest in the herb garden underneath the bottle brush with one of the balls he used to play with in the cage. I’m so sorry Spot….I can’t tell you how much.

Hide and seek??

This is one of my favourite moments captured in time. It was taken Christmas last year when I had the dubious task of looking after Max (my sister’s cat) and Mischa was staying with me while mum went on holidays. I was working on a scrapbooking project in my study when I heard a small thud – so Mischa went to investigate with me close out her heels. The photo was exactly what I saw when I walked in the bathroom door. Now I’m not sure exactly what Max was trying to achieve here but I think maybe he was playing a little hide and seek with Mojo. Mojo wandered in, busted him perched on top of the shower recess and when he jumped down, he jumped the wrong way and ended up on the inside. Surprisingly, there was no barking, meowing or hissing. Just the three of them staring at each other waiting for someone to make a move. *hehe*

Rosie hasn’t quite mastered the art of hide and seek – you’re supposed to hide Rosie! Mojo on the other hand is a master at it by now.

They’re not spoiled…really they’re not!

I prefer to say “well cared for”.

Today I stopped by PetWise which has just opened in Underwood to have a look for a few things for the moggies. With the summer months upon us already, I thought it was time to swap out the furry sheepskin from the cat park entry for something a little less warm. I was thinking of a small polar fleece pet blanket but found something even better! It’s called a pet futon and as you can see, it fits snugly into the exit box in the cat park.

Mojo and Rosie were watching (with great amusement I’m sure) as I struggled to push it out the cat flap and work it into position through the bars of the cat park. They claim to be warm in winter and cool in summer so hopefully it will be a good all year round solution for their favourite snuggle spot.

And here they are, outside in their cat park/palace/human free area.

Surprisingly they share the area quite well, although there have been the odd standoffs at the cat flap if one wants to come in and the other wants to go out.

Part of the Carnival of the Cats, hosted 21 October 2007 by Bad Kitty Cats Journal.

Not a moggie but a doggy!

Okay so she’s not a moggie. This is Mischa, a 9yr old ridgeback cross who I found in a tiny pet store in Rockhampton when she was around 8 wks old. She was the last of her litter, the runt and the pet store owner was going to take her to the pound the next day. She had a small patch of ringworm on her flank, which the pet store owner knew about but had done nothing to treat. Consequently, even though she was lovely natured and sweet, no one was interested in buying her. Ringworm is so easily treated that I could not let her go to the pound where she probably would have been put to sleep. As it was, we took her home, the ringworm was treated and cleared up in no time. She loves cats to bits having lived the best part of her life with one – Mojo has her well and truly under his thumb even though they no longer live together. She has left her puppyhood behind now and is a good solid companion for my mum. I took this photo of her yesterday looking out over Moreton Bay from the pier at Wynnum beach.

Another shot I took once we got home. I think Mojo is just a little bit jealous that Mischa gets to check out the new deck and he doesn’t.

Mojo’s dental work

Earlier this year, Mojo went for his third yearly dental checkup and plaque removal under anaesthetic. He just thought he would share his lovely dental work with all the viewers out there. He was a bit late for Dental Awareness Month in August, but he figured better late than never. What a lovely set of teeth you have Mojo!!

“All the better to bite you with, human!” LOL

If you want to avoid a very costly vet bill for your beloved moggie, you can:

• Feed raw chicken wings or necks from a young age
• Brush their teeth regularly with special meat-flavoured toothpaste and finger brush (would not recommend this if your cat is feisty and you like your skin remaining intact)
• Feed them a special dental blend of dry cat food and ensure any meat given is in big chunks, rather than mince like consistency so that they have to chew more to get their food down.