Brought Kaku to see Dr E today and he suspects she may have an allergic reaction to fur mites hence the incessant licking and nipping of her tail and genital area which must have itched like hell.

He took 5 bunches of fur and located a fur mite for me to see.

Treatment: an injection to ease the itch and Frontline plus a flea/tick bath for Kaku. Frontline plus flea/tick bath for all other cats. We'll see if the treatment works.

Dr E said that previously in cases of fur loss, alopecia was suspected but now, allergies to insect bites may be the cause instead.

As for Boy, Dr E advised that if Boy doesn't take the vet visits too well, no point stressing him unless there is weight loss, vomitting, or diarrhoea. He'll still be treated with his current meds even if he is found to have kidney disease.

He reassured me that there was no cause for worry about toxo and roundworm since all FiveCats are indoors-only. He did say to be safe, I should wash my hands after petting any of them.

I appreciated his advice on everything and thanked him profusely. He's truly the best (great bedside manner, kind, patient, methodical, well-read, and thorough) vet I have ever met. I think the FiveCats and us are fortunate to have found him.

Kaku seemed better on the way home. Probably the itching stopped and the injection was making her a little drowsy. But aside from the initial panic of getting into the carrier and then later being in the exam room, she accepted gladly my cheek scratch and sayang when in the car and carrier.

Afterwards it was a matter of catching all the cats to Frontline them. Kaku was first, barely out of the carrier when I daubed her neck. Tux was next, while his Dad carried him. Buffy as well. Boy, I sneaked up on him, talked to him soothingly and daubed his neck. He didn't even realise what happened. Sam was elusive. I managed to grab him gently and his Dad carried him as I daubed him too. :D Mission accomplished!

When we returned from dinner, we spotted Kaku lying atop the dryer. She looked happy and peaceful. Later, she made an appearance at the top of the stairs leading to the bathroom. Their Dad fed them supper and we all turned in for the night (till I got up from insomnia again... but that's another story).

I woke up pleasantly surprised to find Boy in the room with me. He'd apparently asked to be let in when his Dad left for work.

He meowed and walked up to my face when he realised I was up. Still groggy, I petted him a bit and dozed off again. The gentle child walked back to my feet and had a nap.

Later, when I stirred, he got up and walked over again for a pet. I obliged. Then he leapt off and meowed some. I figured he needed to pee and let him outside where Sam waited to chase him.

Now he dozes on his couch head, undisturbed.

Tuxie has found a new fave afternoon nap spot. It is in the innermost sanctum of Level 2, Kitty House. :D

Last night, we made a new kitty home for the cats to play in. 6 Ikea boxes stacked with holes cut out of them. The kids loved it! :D Tuxie and Buffy even played inside while we were making the boxes. Later, the rest came to imvestigate. Buffy successfully fought off Sam, winning the top spot (see photo below) while Tux was happy to just traverse the tunnels. :) Today they continue their adventures!

Buffy rules the roost!



Tuxie doesn't know his own weight



Or does he? :p

Slept sporadically last night again. A new campaign idea woke me up and I had to get up and write it down.

Last night, Boy decided he wanted to sleep in the bedroom. He'd been seemingly needy lately so I relented. I held open the door to let him decide with one foot halting Sam from even considering coming in. In the face of Tux sitting there by the door and Sam wanting to enter, he walked in.

As usual, I got a bowl of fresh water for him then petted him some before trying to find a comfy position to sleep. He followed me to the bathroom, only to reassure himself I was still there and I wondered then if he was concerned about me (he stared at my huge tummy) or if he was just feeling insecure.

He meowed some and I petted him where he lay, by my feet. I talked to him soothingly and he purred non-stop. Perhaps I had been neglecting him the past few days. The occasional chase down the hallway by the 3 Naughties has not helped. After quite a while, I got a little sleepy and hugged him goodnight.

This time surprisingly, he stayed put. Normally he'd settle down between his Dad's legs (he moves less at night) on his blanket and sleep there. But in the haze of trying to sleep, I felt him walk up to my side and lean against my shoulder. He has never ever done this before!

I turned and petted him. It was a lovely feeling, like my own child sleeping beside me. :) He purred and purred, but as all cats do, he finally tired of the attention and walked slightly down to my waist level and slept there instead. :D That, too, is a first.

In between getting up and running to the loo, as all third trimester mothers do, I spotted him awake and even sitting up once. Eventually he settled back to his spot by my feet, finding a nice head rest where the blanket curled.

Come morning, he followed me to the bathroom and rubbed himself against the door and the stool. I sensed he was ready to leave the bedroom, and walked to the bedroom door. He followed. I opened the door (and there was Tuxie) and Boy pondered for a moment before exiting.

I got up early (unusually) and jotted down my campaign idea and plan. When done, I decided to check on the cats. First, I scanned through the two vet books I had to try and explain Boy and Kaku's strange behaviours and manifestations recently.

Kaku's bare bottom was most likely psychogenic although I spotted two red spots which could have been her nipping herself. I snapped several photos, to her chagrin, and true to form, she began grooming her tail as if to prove me right.

Boy was surprisingly spritely this morning. He leapt all the way from the washing machine to the fridge to the top of the dryer to swat a fly. :D I was so proud of him. Of course, Sam got annoyed, leapt up to the fridge where Boy finally stepped down to, sniffed and nosed him.

Boy leapt from the fridge to the counter (I am so proud of his dexterity!) only to be met by Tux, jumped down and was chased by a naughty Tux and Buffy. I followed, chastising them. At the very least, he is still in good shape and all the attention-seeking may be no more a product of stress from the 3 Naughties trying to establish hierarchy.

I watched him poo earlier when he awoke and then watched him pee again after the chase (or was it before?). Pee amount and colour (and density) appeared normal, although he does take a little longer than the rest.

Their Dad is reluctant to send the grumpy high strung pair (Boy and Kaku) to the vet's. I made him promise to read the 2 vet books I have and properly examine them. He agreed. Ah well, time now for me to visit my doctor for BB's 36 week appointment.

As their Dad was incapacitated today, I decided to do some home improvements and converted a box into a pretty hidey box with the old sheepskin rug inside. Tux and Buffy were curious during the making of, and Sam crawled in once. Other than that, they've pretty much left it alone. Hm...

Later, all Five Cats gathered into the bedroom for Interactive Playtime. They love the fishing toy and giving each one a chance, I noticed Kaku being a ferocious predator, chewing the toy with relish and cleverly grasping it between two paws (and claws) when it drew close. Sam on the other hand, was more a hit and run chap. :) He grabbed it, let go, and ran!

Boy pawed at it a few times, got bored, then annoyed at the indignity of having this fake thing dangling in his face, but he did remain in the room just to watch the rest play. Buffy liked stalking it, but Tux was the one who was most into the groove with it, batting, chasing, and leaping after the toy.

Finally all the cats were tired and/or bored. I decided to reward them with a yummy hot chicken dinner their Grandma had packed for them in the freezer. Rain was pouring down - I think that was what dampened their enthusiasm to play. Sam and Kaku especially, are scared of the rain. Kaku loitered at the bathroom door but ate her share very quickly.

Bedtime now and the 3 Naughties are chasing a flying bug. Boy is napping on his study couch head, unmolested. ;) Kaku is napping at her noctural haunt, the living room couch head! Her Dad and I caught her there several times. :D It is sweet that she is finding her own now.

Human news: I got some cramps the past two nights. Disturbing enough to disrupt sleep. I guess my body is getting ready to pop!

Kaku has always been an anxious shy girl. Most recently she has been grooming her pee pee region till it is almost bald and now the baldness is spreading to beyond that, around the sides of her bottom too. I can't pinpoint a single stress factor that could have contributed to that. She still allows me to pet her and the other cats haven't been bullying her as far as I can tell (maybe Buffy - there was some staring too when Kaku went into the living room). She still scurries around as usual. I should monitor her a bit more.

Speaking of anxious kitties, Boy has been very attention-seeking the past few days. Even to his Dad, who mentioned it today and gave him a pet. I ask myself if I have been petting him enough, or giving him enough attention. Additional food seems to settle him down. But looking at it, it doesn't seem like a case of excessive bullying either (although Tux did dethrone him from his living room chair but he did dominate the TV for a while). He is presently undisturbed on his couch head napping.

Very perplexing...

For the past 3 days Boy has been howling on end, running from me whenever I tried to approach him. I suspected Buffy and Sam giving him a hard time.

Yesterday I petted him outside the bedroom door while the 3 Naughties looked on. Only when I closed the door did he allow me to pick him up. Aha!

I soothed him and carried him into the bedroom, seating him by his usual spot by my feet while I worked from my laptop. When I got up, he followed me.

I noticed he'd been hungry a lot faster as well. Frequent feeds seemed to allay his howling and also allay the other cats from bugging him.

I remember reading that cats are more territorial when they are hungry. Perhaps I should reduce the time between each feed.

Right now, he is peacefully napping on his favourite couch head while the vacuum cleaner is on. The other cats have sped for cover. :p

My third poetry collection Dark Dreams is now on sale at Naked Snake Press and Project Pulp.

Plus: The Gathering appears in Poe Little Thing #4.

Get them today!

Bound for Venus: European Probe to Arrive at Shrouded Planet

Håkan Svedhem, Venus Express project scientist, and his colleagues hope to better understand how trapped carbon dioxide, water vapor and sulphuric aerosol gases factored into the “greenhouse effect” that appears to superheat Venus’ atmosphere to an average temperature of about 869 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degree Celsius).

Venus Express is expected to begin its primary science mission – a 15-Earth month period that translates into two of Venus’ long sidereal days – in June after a series of maneuvers to reach its final operational orbit.

Universal Superlongevity: Is It Inevitable And Is It Good?
by Mark Walker
Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

To the extent that it is possible to predict the composition of the future population of the world, I argue that the most likely scenario is that (almost) everyone will choose to adopt technology to live hundreds of years, perhaps indefinitely. Further, ethically speaking, this seems like the best option for our world, for such a world is one where there are higher levels of happiness and achievement.

Read the full paper.