Love Kuching Project @luvkuching by The Water Dish - kitten adoption, rescue, TNR

Play/clean volunteering + announcement RE: next week's volunteering

2013-05-18T18:08:00.001+08:00

Every Saturday from 5pm to 9pm we are open for you to visit us to help clean the foster space and spend time with the cats - we call this play/clean volunteering! We hope to open up for a play/clean on a weekday evening when we have found our second Foster Care Volunteer.

To join us for play/clean on Saturdays (otherwise known as Caturdays!), SMS Elaine 90880675 during the week of the Saturday you wish to come. You can come anytime between 5pm to 9pm, before or after dinner. We do not need a huge group of helpers every week as it will become a squeezy affair for everyone if there are lots of volunteers (small home!) So we shall limit each play/clean volunteering session to about 3 persons. After you have SMSed Elaine to confirm attendance and time you will be given our address. No experience needed just a great attitude and be willing to get dirty with the cleaning and wiping and mopping! Riley and/or Elaine will be around to show you what and how.

Please take note that next Saturday 27 May there will be NO PLAY/CLEAN VOLUNTEERING SESSION. Andy and Elaine will be taking a cycling trip to Malaysia. So, from the week next!

Foster Care Volunteer no.2 needed!

2013-05-16T22:50:00.001+08:00

At Love Kuching we give our long-term volunteers a portfolio that suits humans' individual interests, strengths, career paths, and schedule requirements, and we are now hoping to fill a second portfolio of foster care. Currently our one Foster Care Volunteer is Riley who comes by on Saturday evenings. We know some of you applied for the post after Riley did but we were only recruiting one at the time. The time has finally come when we need a second one! If you contacted us about volunteering in foster care previously, we more than welcome you to see if this second position will suit you.

What is to be expected of Foster Care Volunteer no. 2: a long term commitment of one weekday evening per week at our foster home. This day can either be fixed on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, this is up to your convenience (but should be the same day every week).

You should enjoy interacting with the cats, even the grumpy ones. You should be willing to get self messy with cleaning and washing. There may be others who will occasionally want to come and help, so you should eventually be able to work with our ad hoc play/clean volunteers.

You do not need to know how to groom or medicate cats, we will teach you! This also means you will get to learn some basic veterinary type of care as well as supplements and effective alternative remedies.

There will be a fair amount of cleaning work: washing litterboxes, cleaning cages, vacuuming and mopping and wiping down furniture in the foster space, washing blankets and toys and cat bowls. We can provide you with gloves, apron and face mask if you need them.

How important this volunteer portfolio is to us:

Now that the foster space can accomodate many more cats than before, cleanliness is paramount to prevent contagion and to eliminate odour. Apart from Riley and the play/clean volunteers on Saturdays, Andy does all the litterboxes and cleaning, and Elaine does all the medications and remedies. Having 2 out of 7 days a week to ease the burden means the world in elevating care standards and reducing volunteer burnout.

We need you. Are you the one? Reach out to Elaine to find out, at elaine@lovekuchingproject.org

Report on latest sterilisation in Ubi!

2013-04-26T14:03:00.000+08:00

During the last week of April we conducted a round of trap-neuter-return for new cats that have appeared in the residential part of Ubi nearest the Techpark and Paya Ubi. The caregivers here do sterilise the strays but not at a pace that can catch up with residents letting unsterilised outdoor 'pet' cats mating and new cats recently dumped.

A sterilised stray in residential Ubi near the factories

We managed to get 2 strays from here sterilised, a tom and a pregnant queen. There are actually 2 more but they eluded us. The other pregnant queen we spotted at our recce before this disappeared. We fear the worst: that she has given birth somewhere.

We met the resident here who has been letting his unsterilised cats roam, mate with strays and inviting complaints to the Town Council. He finally recently neutered one of his cats, leaving another two more he says he will send next week. The pregnant queen we managed to trap to neuter is his cat's descendent (same seal-coloured gene pool):

Preggers girl, seal and white coloured

A black and white tom from this area

Subsequently we went to Ubi Techpark to trap and neuter a mother and her grown up kittens. The mother was already pregnant however, and when she was on the operating table at the vet, she gave birth! The 5 kittens however did not survive despite the clinic staff's intervention. The mother was returned to her territory after neuter and a few days spent trying to get her to nurse her kittens.

Trapping within a Ubi Techpark compound, requested for security access

Mother cat

Kitten approx 4+months old

Second kitten. We couldn't trap the third one.

We do TNR projects in areas where there are no caregivers sterilising, or if the caregiver is unable to financially, especially in areas where cats have been abandoned and the caregivers cannot cope. If you know of any such cat colonies do inform us so we can help.

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.

Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Harry from Pasir Ris

2013-04-24T17:41:00.001+08:00

Harry is a community cat from Pasir Ris whom we have been Instagramming about. Here is his full story, and some updates.

Harry was noticed recently to have been dehydrated, poor of appetite and losing weight. Worried that it might be kidney failure, we intervened and brought him to the vet for tests and a check up.

Thankfully, his kidney function is well. Dr Loh noticed that Harry has gum disease which is why he hadn't been eating well at all. He got a jab, and some steroids. We also got him some enzymatic food/water additive which works very well for mouth problems. He then returned to the streets.

Shortly after, he was noticed to have rapid breathing. Measurements of his respiratory rate was worrying and so his rescuer Patricia stepped in and brought him to the vet on her own. It turns out, Harry has a heart problem.

Dr Chong advises that Harry be taken off the streets for he will not only need lifelong medication (Fortekor) he will also require a low stress environment. While Harry was with us he did not exhibit any breathing problems indeed, so we will be taking him in for long term foster care. He will be coming over when the new cat suites we ordered for the new foster space (located in the spare room of our humans' home) which will likely be next week. Harry is meanwhile in paid boarding that Patricia has placed him in.

Like Balloon who also has a heart problem we hope Harry will do better with less discomfort when he comes to us. Balloon does so well indoors he has been requiring lesser dosing of his meds! His heart sounds good too, and he is never bloated.

Gonna be sterillising some newish Ubi stray cats

2013-04-18T16:24:00.001+08:00

We noticed some new stray cats at Ubi Techpark nearest to the residential estate, and also received feedback that the residential blocks there had some newly dumped unsterilised cats. So we went to check it out. This kitten is new to the area and is pregnant. She is very wary of humans. In front of this block, we found 3 more strays that are not neutered. Likely 2 toms and 1 queen. Across the road at the Ubi Techpark, we saw 3 kittens that are about 4 months old. Not sure yet if the vets will neuter them this age. Only 1 is less scared of humans but all three are rather feral. We gauge that he is the male and the owhter 2 are female. Further along where this bunch of kittens hang out, there is a ginger tom we have seen a couple of times. This makes the total number of cats that we can TNR to be at least 5, if not 8. We are planning to trap and sterilise these cats next week if the pregnant kitten is not too late to be neutered. The date to be confirmed and will be announced on Facebook and Twitter. It will be in the evening at 6pm. What you can do: It costs $35 to sterilise and board (1 night) a male stray. For females, it ranges from $55 to $75 for the same. Based on the initial cat count, it will likely cost $280-$390 to sterilise these cats, excluding $80 for trapping and transport. If you can give a little to help pay for the sterilisation of these strays, make a deposit to POSB savings 188-52652-7, and SMS Elaine at 90880675 to indicate that you have given to our Sterilisation Fund. Any overflow will be used for the next TNR project. Live or work in this area? If you know of a cat or two that also needs TNR, show us where or better yet, bring it to us when we trap, we will send it to the clinic and release it back to Ubi together with the rest.

Nelly the Pasir Ris stray cat attacked by stray dogs, needs surgery

2013-04-14T18:45:00.001+08:00

Our latest beneficiary of the Stray Cat Fund is Nelly from Pasir Ris, a cream coloured girl who got brutally attacked by a pack of stray dogs last Sunday, and suffered a torn hind leg and a hernia as a result.

Nelly was rescued by a few groups of passers-by. One couple helped find our contact information so they could reach out for help. One brave uncle used a broom to shoo away the dogs. Eventually, Lynn and her family managed to grab Nelly out of the melee and brought her to a 24 hour veterinary clinic. It cost them a fortune of course, but they got an antibiotics shot for to last for a day. The off hours vet also suspected that Nelly had more than a flesh wound as there was a lump on her abdomen.

When Lynn contacted us we realised that we needed a plan for Nelly as she was not going to be able to return to the streets till she recovered. We are very grateful that Lynn is willing to foster Nelly, so that is a huge burden lifted and savings on resources.

Next, a veterinary action plan. Because Nelly did not receive surgery immediately, she had to go on antibiotics first. This is because if the surgery is not immediate, the wound will become swollen and inflamed, which requires antibiotics to bring down before surgery, otherwise the stitches would open and the wound ruptures. The antibiotics also prevents infection, abscesses from developing. Because Nelly's first antibiotics dose was only a 24 hour jab, she needed a new course before surgery.

Secondly, the strange bump on her abdomen. Dog attacks can cause hernias, which is essentially that the internal organs get pushed out of position, causing a distended abdomen. A serious diaphragmatic hernia can cause a cat to not be able to walk, even fainting spells, and needs surgery to repair. So this also needed to be looked at as soon as possible.

We brought Nelly to The Animal Clinic on Monday. Dr Hsu confirmed that Nelly had a hernia, and manually repositioned it for her. We had to make sure that the hernia did not recur, because if the lump came back, or grew bigger, it will need to fixed in surgery. Nelly wasn't eating well but Dr Hsu believed it to be stress. She did not show any other symptoms. Because of her poor appetite and needing to observe if the hernia returned, surgery was scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

So far Lynn has been taking really awesome care of Nelly. Nelly's appetite returned, Lynn and her family have been medicating her with the antibiotics, and she is now relaxed in her foster home. The hernia has not returned. So the surgery will go ahead as planned on Tuesday to stitch up her leg. After that she will recuperate at Lynn's.

We would like to thank many cat angels have already given to our Stray Cat Fund to help cover Nelly's expenses. Because of your gifts, stray cats like Nelly have a rescue option beyond SPCA, which would not have been able to tend to cases like Nelly's because they do not have a hospitalisation facility. Also, gifts to the Stray Cat Fund aid in sharing the resource burden that every cat rescue requires. Many cat lovers want to rescue stray cats in need, some like Lynn even open their own homes up to foster them, but not everyone can pay the veterinary fees required upfront before appealing for donations either via Cat Welfare's Special Appeals or on their own.

Setting up the Stray Cat Fund, to pay for veterinary needs of injured or ill stray cats in emergencies where rescuers do not have enough capital themselves, has added a new dimension to stray cat rescue in our country, thanks to all of you cat angels who have given before. We are passionate about continuing work like this. Join us in making a change for the cat rescue climate in Singapore, by making a financial contribution today. Make a deposit to POSB savings 188-52652-7 and send an SMS to Elaine at 90880675 to indicate your gift to the Stray Cat Fund.

NB. If you need a receipt we can mail one to you, just provide us your mailing address! Hard copies only. We cannot receive financial gifts for a single named cat alone, contribution will go into the targetted fund, in this case, Stray Cat Fund. You can read more about Stray Cat Fund here.

Thank you for being a big part of our rescue mission.

New blogshop merchant: Kryztarium Trinkets. Flea market on 13 April at *scape!

2013-04-08T16:55:00.002+08:00

New blogshop addition! Introducing Krystarium Trinkets and their Cat Earrings range! 80% of the purchase price of any item in the Cat Earrings range will be donated to us!

If you wanna see the range up close for yourself, they are having a flea market sale on 13 April at *scape Orchard, from 2pm till closing.

Here are some our favourites from the Cat Earrings range.

Enquiries? Write to kryztarium@gmail.com. Don't forget to like their Facebook page, and follow them on Instagram.

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Pasir Ris TNR

2013-04-08T16:37:00.002+08:00

We sterilised 7 stray cats from Pasir Ris during the last week of March. One cat was from a residential area and the other 6 were from Pasir Ris beach. We discovered a cluster of cats that no one has been sterilising at all at the beach. All the cats were returned to their original territories after neutering. They were boarded longer post-surgery as one of the Pasir Ris caregivers instructed (she paid the extra boarding fees). Here are the 7 cats we helped sterilise!

If you would like to help pay for the sterilisations of these 7 cats, you can make a financial contribution to our Sterilisation Fund by depositing into our POSB savings account 188-52652-7 and SMSing Elaine at 90880675 to indicate that your gift is towards sterilisation of stray cats.

Should you encounter any colony of stray cats that are not neutered (neutered strays have a tipped left ear) do inform us so we can help. Sterilised stray cats cause less nuisance and drive away unsterilised cats from the neighbourhood so the colony doesn't grow.

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Adopt Dobi, Bambi and Cubby with their favourite foster sibling

2013-04-08T11:32:00.000+08:00

The dustbin kittens are ready for adoption! Dobi, Bambi and Cubby are able to eat well on their own, both dry and wet food. They have been dewormed, are on Revolution, and just received their first vaccination. They have also been socialised with humans and other cats.

We would like them to be adopted in a pair. Either with their own natural siblling, or with a foster sibling i.e. one of the other kitties that are on the Adoption Alert. Single adoptions will not be allowed.

Cubby, female, tricoloured

Cubby has the sweetest nature among all three. She is friendly towards everyone and very undemanding. She is mostly black, white socks, with a mid-length tail, and small bits of ginger fur around her body and her face.

Cubby's tricoloured markings

Cubby sitting cooperatively for photo

Cubby enjoys Lenny's company very much

Cubby is closest to Lenny, and her own brother Bambi, so she can be adopted with either one of them.

Bambi, ginger boy with long tail

Bambi is shy, used to get scared very easily. We realised he takes a bit longer than his siblings do at warming up to someone. He is the sort that demands a gentle touch, a gentleman in the making we reckon!

Always looks just a little worried!

Dobi looks like Bambi, also a ginger boy, but with a bobtail, and with an outgoing personality.

Dobi

Can be carried for sure!

Naughty face, no?

Dobi is also close to Lenny (Lenny loves EVERYONE). He definitely needs to have an older sibling because he has the propensity to be mischievous and create a mess if no one is around to kitty play with him. Apart from Lenny, he is also on good terms with his own brother Bambi.

Interested to give one of these abandoned kittens a forever loving home? If you want to be their parent, find out how by looking here, or see right side bar under 'How to adopt.'

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

A Bigger Space Is Happening!

2013-03-25T21:31:00.000+08:00

9 days ago, we blogged about our plans for Foster Space 2.0 - to have a bigger, much more conducive space for fostering rescued cats. We asked for either a pro bono landlord or a monthly pledge so we could know whether we are able to make rent of $500 a month or not.

As of today, the total pledge amount is $490 per month in total. You guys rock!

Over the weekend, the human tenant currently renting the room we want to use for the foster space was given one month's notice to end the tenancy. We can start moving into the room by 23 April, never mind the $10 shortfall.

There will be some basic fixtures and furniture needed but the room is already furnished with storage cupboards so that's a big savings already. We are drawing up a budget for the new fixtures and fittings needed. The purchases will be funded by the Boarding Fund. Will update on the budget and furnishing plans once they have been completed and reviewed!

If you wish to make one-time gifts to the Boarding Fund during this period to fund the new fittings, make a deposit of your desired amount to POSB savings 188-52652-7 and text Elaine at 90880675 to let us know. Any amount not spent on furnishings will be left aside for other ongoing boarding needs like food and litter.

We expect the room to be ready within 2 weeks of the move-in date.

Those of you who have pledged for Foster Space 2.0, you can set up your standing instruction by the first week of May.

Wanna help in other ways? We are looking for a committed human for the position of Foster Care Volunteer. Help us find him or her!

Thank you so much, cat angels. Blessed meows.

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Looking for human: Foster Care Volunteer needed

2013-03-25T17:30:00.002+08:00

We are looking for a new volunteer with the portfolio of foster care! What is that about? Here goes...

In light of expansion plans for our foster space (yes we are going to occupy an entire room in the foster home! More space for rescues!) we will need a volunteer who can commit at least once every week to visiting the foster home in Ubi and doing menial things like cleaning the cages and litterboxes, wiping the walls and floor, packing boarding supplies and grooming the kitties. You will also need to help supervise any new volunteers such as student volunteers or visitors who are helping out in the same duties, whenever there are any.

This once or more weekly commitment will begin in about 5 weeks' time (more will be announced on the blog regarding the move to the new foster space). In 3 weeks, you may also have to help do some shifting as we move the boarding supplies to the new foster space.

It is likely you are looking at a weekend day or night time, and possibly one weekday evening as well if you can, to fulfill this commitment. We hope that you can do this for the rest of the year, so you should not be looking for a short-term volunteering gig but a long-term sustainable one that fits your regular schedule alongside work and family commitments.

You will also get to learn intensive foster care skills such as medication and physical exams, knowledge about beneficial supplements and various feline ailments.

And of course, you will get to hang out with the cats. Something we need too! The foster cats need more attention than two humans alone can give.

Skills you need to be qualified? Just be teachable, available (the more flexible your time is, the better), and hopefully good at cleaning because Andy and Elaine are quite tired of doing that for the past few years! You don't need to have experience in cat care, those skills can be learned on the job!

If you are keen on being our new Foster Care Volunteer, give Elaine an SMS at 90880675 and we can discuss this more.

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Literally Litter

2013-03-25T11:27:00.000+08:00

Last week we heard unfamiliar meowing from below the block where our Ubi foster home is. It was loud enough to attract complaints for sure, so we had to go investigate. The meows came from behind a dustbin that was full, and amongst the overflowing trash on the ground around the bin, were 3 kittens, 6 weeks old, with no mother.

Picked up the three kittens from the trash

Not only were the kittens meowing in distress and dirty, they were absolutely covered in fleas. It is a tight squeeze for us now at the foster home but we had to take the kittens in before they were complained about or abused.

We de-fleaed and dewormed them, showered and groomed all of them and started them on solid food. All the cats had to go on Revolution because of the fleas that came in with this dustbin three.

Had to clean them up (and remove all the fleas)

The kittens are still too young to vaccinate, will have to bring them for their first jabs next week. So, in the meantime, we boosted them with supplements: vitamin B, C, echinecea, colloidal silver, coQ10, probiotics. Their appetite was okay at first, then the second day it went down, and we had to handfeed them with milk using syringes/droppers. After some grooming and cuddles (touch therapy, important for orphan kittens) they started eating again. Their appetite is good now.

Currently on soft food with supplements

There are two red (ginger) boys, from left: Bambi, Gobi, and Cubby is a calico girl whose only red patch is on her nose bridge.

They get along really well with the older foster kitties, and our own kitty staff as well.

Sealy the Kitten IC with (clockwise) Bambi, Cubby and Dobi

More photos when the 3 are ready for adoption (after they are vaccinated and have transitted fully onto dry food).

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Foster Space 2.0

2013-03-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

If you are a cat lover, you would have probably thought about fostering rescued kitties at least once before. What might have stopped you could be lack of knowledge, or inexperience, time, worry your own cats will not like it.

For us, the challenges we face can be boiled down to one factor - space. Our foster lounge is actually the main humans' living room, and storage space is getting limited and crowding the flat. Our work and rest spaces are hardly separated. We are also limited in the number of rescues we can foster because of this.

Not only is space limited in area, it is also in design. Our pens, three of them, were originally designed for kittens, but our main objective now is in critical care of strays. This means that the rescues will need pens with wider space meant for lounging and less for climbing.

The Suite. Only pen that is suitable for critical care.

Simple plastic table makes it easy to scale, wide enough to function

The Penthouse, for older kittens, for climbing

But each level only comfortable for one small kitty

The ICU, recently decommissioned due to wear and tear

Not suitable for adult cats, look at the squeeze!

Also, because the cat intake now will need to be in a less stressful environment, we can no longer manage the cats in clowders but need to allocate one cat to one pen. This means we must have more pens to accomodate more cats.

These sets of challenges made us think about Foster Space 2.0.

We want to move out of our foster lounge and into a new foster space. We don't need much, but one room, and access to a loo, and kitchen for food preparation. Not a full-fledged cattery, just a space only for cats.

The solution to this is simple, but challenging:

We are looking for a cat patron who is willing to sponsor us a room. For free. We will fill it with pens, at least 4 of them, suitable for intensive care kitty patients. Some storage furniture, cat climbing surfaces, and a space for documents. A human or two will come by daily to work, including cleaning. We will need access to a loo for water, cleaning and bathing, a fridge for storing medicines and leftover canned food.

In our foster home in Ubi, that is, the main humans' real home, there is a spare room currently rented out to a human tenant at $500 a month. (We cover the electricity, internet and water). We can 'chase away' this tenant and use this room but it means forking out an additional boarding expense monthly to make rent.

We do not mind either option, because we are mere stewards in the bigger picture of cat rescue. To know which idea is more feasible however, we will need to hear your views!

What we need you to do:

If you are willing to be this pro bono landlord, let us know, and we can share more details with you. If you know someone else who can be this special landlord, hit the email icon below and email this to them. We need an unfurnished room, and some access to a fridge and a bathroom, and for visitors (a volunteer or an adopter) to be able to come by when necessary. You can set a curfew!

If we cannot find this one landlord, we will need to know whether we have the law of large numbers on our side. To make rent, we need cat angels like you to pledge a monthly sum. Enough angels to make rent and we will know if Foster Space 2.0 is feasible. What you need to do: think about whether you can pledge, if yes, then SMS your pledge amount, name and email address to Elaine at 90880675. ANY amount will do. If the tallies balance, we can will move forward. If they do not, we will maintain the status quo. This will be our sustainability test.

Excited? Apprehensive? We are feeling both. But we want to say 'no' less often to cats that need to stay in an intensive foster care home. We want to make a bigger difference in the climate of cat rescue in Singapore. We really, really love cats, but we want to reduce burnout by segregating our living and working spaces. We want to engage volunteers who are keen on cleaning and feeding duties only (we have a lot of these requests, we just don't have the space to accomodate them, ever!)

Is Foster Space 2.0 a feasible, sustainable endeavour? We want to know the answer. Pledge a room, or a monthly sum, today, and spread the word to someone who can do either of the same.

February 2013 Bank Statement [Easy to view format]

2013-03-12T12:45:00.000+08:00

Hey cat angels! Here is our spending and income for the month of February 2013. Thank you to all who gave: the monthly givers, the blogshop customers, those who rallied funds from friends to give to our latest stray cat rescue, Junie. We appreciate you all deeply.


BF: Boarding Fund, SCF: Stray Cat Fund. SF: Sterilisation Fund

Any questions you may have about the cash in bank February 2013 statement, do let us know!

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

How to give to Love Kuching on a monthly basis via internet banking

2013-02-27T20:45:00.001+08:00

Assuming you are a DBS internet banking user, here is how you can set up a standing instruction to give monthly to Love Kuching Project. Log in to your account online and click on the circled links shown in the graphics below -

This will lead you to a page where you can fill in the details such as our bank account - POSB Savings 188-52652-7, and how much you want to give monthly (no amount is too small). When you come to the part which says payee name, we are unsure as to whether the bank means it is for your reference or it requires the actual account holders' names - to be safe, put either Chiam Elaine or Koh Zhen Jian. As long as you have got our Love Kuching account number right, the funds will not be accidentally routed to our personal accounts. Our branch is Kampung Ubi but the branch code is standardised across all POSB branches as 081.

The standing instruction set up is likely available on other banks' internet banking websites as well.

By default all standing instructions i.e. monthly cash gifts are routed to our Boarding Fund. If you wish to make a monthly gift to other funds you can let us know and we will direct according to your preferences.

"Thank you for your monthly giving! Am happy!"

January 2013 Bank Statement [Easy to view format]

2013-02-19T18:36:00.000+08:00

We had the recent fortune of talking to a cat angel who is an accountant. You may not have noticed this but we haven't been publishing our annual reports as frequently these past two years, nor updating the realtime bank and cash balances on the blog. All our books are here with us, paper trails and all, we just didn't arrange it for publishing.

None of the Love Kuching folks are numbers people really, we are sheepish amobout it, but we tried our best and often we end up having to do other more pressing cat things. Which is not good enough of course, so we are on the prowl for another human (volunteer) who is good at admin and accounts so we can publish the annual reports we missed, retrospectively. In the meantime, you can still access our FY 2010 annual report. And always remember that as donors, no matter when, our books can be perused if you request to see them.

In the meantime, so that the non-numbers-orientated humans here won't lose hair and sleep, we are going to put up our monthly bank balances (cash in bank) with indications of which partition funds the go to or originate from in a simple one-glance format once a month. This statement will not reflect petty cash though, which we use mainly for adoption fees collection and purchase claims.

It is a simple screenshot off the DBS website. Less work for us in the meantime and also easier for you to have a one-glance. Win-win situation! We like!

Here you go, January 2013 Bank statement

Any questions you may have about the cash in bank January statement, do let us know!

To become a monthly giver, here is how.
To give a one time donation, here is how.
To be the human we are looking for, accounting trained and good at adminstration, bookkeeping, contact Elaine via text at 90880675

Junie the Aljunied stray cat

2013-02-18T15:29:00.000+08:00

A beautiful black cat gets rescued!

Junie, a friendly community cat from Aljunied

On Saturday we got a call about an injured stray cat. She was acting more aggressive, and had weak appetite, likely from pain. She had a wound on her inner foreleg, sustained late last week. The rescuers had financial difficulties paying for her veterinary care fully so we are very grateful that the Stray Cat Fund was available to help!

Junie's wound

We got a cat trapper to get Junie to our vet. Dr Dawn Chong saw her and suspects it is likely a cat bite wound that grew into an abscess which then burst. We have seen such injuries before and it can be fatal if not treated soon enough.

Dr Chong flushed Junie's wound with saline and then applied Panalog ointment. Junie would need stitches for the wound to heal but because the injury site is still inflamed, she would need to go on antibiotics first. Junie is now at our foster home receiving her medication and getting her wound flushed and medicated daily. She will go for surgery on Wednesday and then return to us to recover fully.

We have Panalog and saline at our foster home, save $!

Junie's first vet bill, paid for from Stray Cat Fund

After her surgery, because the wound is near a joint, she will need to stay indoors with restricted movement and continue antibiotics, because otherwise the wound will reopen. Junie is also having pain and we are managing her pain with Tramadol. We also would like her to regain her appetite fully before she returns to the streets.

She initially was quite stressed when she came to our foster home, likely from pain and the introduction to new cats. After some pain meds, massages and aromatherapy, she calmed down. Heh, we found out she likes catnip.

Junie chilling out after pain meds kicked in

We are also giving her supplements of fish oil and turmeric to aid in wound healing. She takes her meds very easily and will eat her supplements when it is in canned food. She only likes canned food though, and we have run out. (Want to help feed Junie while she is here? Here is how.)

So far we have really enjoyed Junie's company! She is easy going, and her temperament is lovely when she isn't in pain. She is so easy to bathe, feed meds too, and will listen to instructions. She is about 5 years old this year and has a super classy temperament to match.

Will update more after her surgery. Look out for her pics on our Instagram / Facebook / Twitter (luvkuching).

If you want to contribute to the Stray Cat Fund, make a deposit to our bank account POSB savings 188-52652-7 and text Elaine at 90880675 so we can appropriate your gift to the fund.

Chinese New Year safety for kitties!

2013-02-08T15:15:00.000+08:00

Holiday around the corner! Remember to keep the kitties safe. Here are some pointers you may like to look out for during this festive time.

If you use ribbons to tie decorations to plants, take care not to leave any stray ones that can be swallowed by kitty. Swallowing a stray string or ribbon may lead to intestinal obstruction requiring surgery.
Some snacks are simply too oily for kitty to digest. Like bak kwa. Yes, some cats do like pork. Jerky treats (dehydrated meat) are available for cats that are more suitable.
Fish is important for many a Chinese new year meal. Unfortunately there are bones and therefore should be kept away from kitty. If you want your cat to share in the fish, pressure cook it to make sure the bones are no longer a choking hazard. Do not add salt or any seasonings to it.
Kids will come to visit! If they are new to kitty, do take time to teach them how to interact with a cat. No touch areas include kitty's tail, tummy and paws. Do not force kitty to make friends if she doesn't want to, it will create stress for her.
Lion dance is a stressor to cats because of its loud noise. Keep kitty in a quiet room when there are lion dance performances around the neighbourhood. Likewise for mahjong.
Take care to notice signs of stress in kitty: constipation. overgrooming. peeing outside the litter box, lack of appetite.

Safety first, folks. Have a great holiday!

New Wellness canned food range

2013-02-05T12:52:00.001+08:00

Cubed or minced meat in gravy. (Also available sliced.)

Our corporate sponsor @TheWaterDish gave us the new Wellness range of canned foods to try. The kitties love it! The humans weigh in on the pros and cons of this new range of Wellness wet food.

Gravy. A lot of cats like gravy but find that there isn't much choice in the canned food department that comes with a lot of gravy. In fact, some resort to giving Whiskas pouch food from supermarkets because of the gravy, and we know Whiskas contains far too much salt that it is unhealthy. The new Wellness range comes with gravy but is far healthier! Cats that love gravy can eat and be healthy.

Palatability. No the humans didn't actually try it but the foster cats did and they really took to the range. All the formulas, be it tuna, turkey, chicken or salmon. They seem to have no preference over the cubed or minced variety and sometimes we fed it to them mixed. Balloon, who was initially very fussy over his canned food, which we needed him to eat because his meds or supplements were mixed inside, and also because his medication makes him need to consume more water, really liked this range too. Considering he used to eat fried ikan kuning fish, this was testament that the food passed taste testing.

Downside is probably one ingredient that some cat nutrition folks will disapprove of: natural flavour. The argument is that we do not know how this flavour is derived,. Another downside is that for a small can, $2.50 makes it less affordable than our favourite go-to brands for economical reasons: Addiction 185gm and Nutripe. But for those who like not having leftover canned food that needs to be stored in the fridge till the next meal, the new Wellness range is an ideal size. For a single meal a day, one can is just nice, for a smaller meal, half a can per cat.

Our most particular favourites are the cubed turkey and salmon, and minced tuna. and here you go, another new range of cat food to try!

Cooky, construction site injury victim

2013-02-04T12:28:00.000+08:00

Cooky is a black and white 6 month old kitten who came to us to recuperate from flesh wounds he sustained as a stray kitty in a construction site.

Cooky

When he first arrived, he was missing the flesh off a toe and had a skinned elbow. He also showed signs of trauma, but did well under intensive care.

Injured hind toe

Skinned elbow

He was on oral antibiotics which he has completed, and now needs only topical medication on his wounds. They have stopped bleeding so much and are enroute to recovery.

Cooky will be returned to his territory at the construction site once his toe and elbow heal, unless a human steps forward wanting to adopt him!

If you are keen, here is more about Cooky.

Cooky likes human affection

Cooky is a very affectionate cat, enjoys talking to us a lot, and is obedient. He likes lounging together with us when we call him, yet is not overly attention-seeking. He is independent and doesn't mind being on his own but always enjoys a hug. He is very suited for being a pet cat because of these personality traits. Oh, and he is very greedy! Seeing him munch away at food reminds us that cats really love simple things in life such as food.

He is a black and white neutered male kitten with a short tail.

Cooky, relaxing

He is on Revolution, and litter trained. When his toe and elbow heal, he will be looked over by the vet one more time to make sure everything is okay.

Keen to adopt him? See here or right side bar under 'How to adopt' to find out how.

Stray Cat Fund balance

2013-01-28T14:36:00.001+08:00

As of today our Stray Cat Fund has reached 3 cats in need of critical care: Calipod, the Teban Gardens cat, and Balloon.

The Stray Cat Fund serves 2 purposes.The first is to carry out rescue of stray cats that are critically ill or injured, by transporting them to the vet and getting them treatment. The second purpose of the Stray Cat Fund is to pay for veterinary expenses that are incurred by rescued stray cats we foster that require critical, intensive care until they pass on or can be released back to their territory.

As of today, here is the Stray Cat Fund's balance: Total expense stands at $742.19. Total income raised via financial contributions direct to the Stray Cat Fund stands at $660.00. We opened the Stray Cat Fund at $200.00. This leaves us with $117.81 at present.

Yes, the Stray Cat Fund is no longer in the red! Thank you cat angels who have given to this fund - it means a lot to the stray cats in need.

With this balance of $117.81 however, we are ill-equipped to carry out the next stray cat rescue. Ideally, the float for the Stray Cat Fund should be at around $400.00 for emergency stray cat vet expenses. So please remember us in your month end giving!

(We have another stray cat arrival in our foster home named Cooky who lost the flesh off a toe in a construction site accident. Now rehabilitating, His story soon!)

[Special Kitty Alert] Lenny needs a proper forever home

2013-01-23T15:50:00.003+08:00

[Photos courtesy of @furryphotos]

If you have followed us on Lenny's journey since he arrived at our foster home, you will know he has always been sniffly: he has chronic flu'. This means that since he contracted flu' when he was 4 weeks old, he has been sick with it till today. It has been more than a year. All his siblings did not survive it but Lenny did and is still going strong.

The latest medication we have tried for him is via an inhaler. It has not improved him much but it helps clear his nose so it won't be clogged. We eventually took him off it and accepted that he will always have a slightly runny nose. Also, the medication is not cheap, not OTC, and the chamber that makes a human inhaler usable for cats is expensive too. We can't give ours away when he goes to a new home because we only have one and will need it for other cats in future. All this would hinder his prospects of getting adopted should it be a compulsory medication.

Cute nose that will always be a bit clogged

So, if you have always loved Lenny, the options are: (1) accept a runny-nosed cat in your home, (2) be willing to get and administer daily medication to alleviate his runny nose.

All the above probably seems offputting to any adopter but we need potential parents to know this before they decide to take in Lenny.

"I haz a sickie, will yew still luvs me?"

That aside, Lenny has a great personality. He is courageous, loves all humans (yes kids too), loves to play, independent yet gets along with other cats. He enjoys sitting near humans, rubbing his cheek against us, and talking to us with his distinctive meow. When we call him, he responds. He doesn't climb furniture he shouldn't, and responds well to toys and food, which made him easy to train.

Lenny LOVES teaser toys

Likes playing on his own too

He is a white and tabby cat with a mid-length tail. He is a 'teacup' cat, meaning he doesn't look his size for his age. At present he looks like he is about 9 months old but is actually already over a year old. He is not likely to grow up to be a big cat.

Size of a kitten, sensibility of an adult cat

More about Lenny's chronic flu': He can be adopted by families who already have cats, because vaccinations will protect the other cats. All the other cats in our foster home are flu'-free. Care for him can be as simple as wiping his nose when it is runny, or if you want to, using the inhaler medication on him once every day (we will advise you how to get the medication and inhaler chamber).

In love with Lenny already? To adopt him, read here or see sidebar under 'How to adopt'.

Can't adopt? We might need to hold on to Lenny for a long time, so food and litter donations WILL help, as will financial contributions to our Boarding Fund. To give food and litter, see here. To give financially, see here.

And oh yes, please spread the word! Lenny is a special cat whose story needs to be told, and he really deserves a forever home.

Give financially to our cause by depositing to our bank account POSB savings 188-52652-7
Sponsor a foster kitten's vaccination through our Sponsor-A-LoveKuching-Cat Scheme
Give food and litter at charity rates through our corporate sponsor The Water Dish

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What happens during a regular vaccination vet visit

2013-01-21T11:06:00.001+08:00

Our own cats go for their vaccinations once in two years, during then the vet also does a check-up to make sure everything is a-ok. Not all vets include a check-up with the vaccination; some vets jab and go, so do get a vet that does the check-up as well. Last December Scooter went for his visit to Dr Dawn Chong our favourite vet at The Animal Clinic.

[Photos taken by Furry Photos]

Dr Chong examines Scooter on the exam table

We do the core vaccination, which is the one for the flu' strains and parvovirus. It can be done once in 3 years as well, but we do it a bit more frequently because of our cats' exposure to rescue cats in the foster home. Once a year is too often for most cats.

Stuff that your vet will check, kitties!

Teeth and gums

Ears, mainly for mites and yeast

Heart and lungs

Digestive system, mainly for obstructions

Lymph nodes

Limb rotation to check joint health

Then Scooter gets his jab.

The vaccination is a subcutaneous injection, not much pain

Vaccination booklet will be updated

Protip: your cat hates going to the vet? Place the carrier in common areas of the home, door open or removed, so he can hide in it anytime. Come time to go to the vet, he will not associate the carrier with going to the scary place known as the vet. At the waiting area, do not take your cat out to stroke or hug, altercations might happen with the dogs and the clinics are not liable for any injuries that occur this way.

Some people do titre tests for their pets before re-vaccination. If you are doing vaccinations once in 3 years it usually is not necessary. If you do want to get a titre test (to check if the cat is still immune to the diseases hence no need for re-vaccine) not all vet clinics do it, we hear Animal Recovery Centre has the facilities.

If you have any more questions about vaccination visits to the vet, ask! You can get us here (comment or Formspring), Twitter @luvkuching, email elaine@lovekuchingproject.org or text 90880675 (Elaine).

About a street cat named Balloon

2013-01-16T09:32:00.000+08:00

On Sunday night, we received a call from Tiffany and neighbours regarding Balloon, a boy cat in their estate in Jurong West.

Balloon had presented with ascites, fluid retention in the abdomen. He was brought to the vet and given diuretics as well as had the fluids drained twice.

Upon investigation with the vets we believe that the underlying condition leading to Balloon's ascites is heart failure. He fits the profile: above 5 years of age, FIP negative, X-ray showed his heart to look 'fuzzy' - the only other diagnostic test left to confirm this is an ECG.

The boy has ascites (bloating of stomach)

At his old home in Jurong West

Also, research shows that cats with heart failure are very unlikely to show any signs of pain or distress. But when symptoms like his bloated stomach start showing, it means the heart is already beginning to fail. This means that Balloon has to be in a stress-free environment. The medication of his diuretics is very key and should be given 3 times a day. The feeders were not able to commit to feeding him the medication, and also applied well-meant but harmful measures to make Balloon feel better. Hence we decided to take him off the streets and into our foster home.

Now resting in our Suite

He likes the pen. Has bed, pillow, blanket

Spends most of his time resting, which is good

Balloon arrived on Monday night and so far he has been doing well. He is very easy to medicate and allows us to groom him. He hasn't been eating very much but is still eating and drinking definitely.

We have been diffusing essential oils to calm him, alongside the Feliway diffuser that is always on. Lavender for stress relief, and geranium for fluid retention. His pen is also scented with catnip, and his water laced with Rescue Remedy.

We will be starting him on nutraceutical and herbal supplements after his vet visit with Dr Dawn Chong today (which will confirm diagnosis and if so, get him his heart medication alongside diuretics). Supplements are procured under our Boarding Fund. He will need supplements such as L-carnitine, Co-Q10, antioxidants such as selenium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, herbal supplements such as hawthornberry, ginger, coleus.

We will update how he does over Twitter espcially after his vet visit today.

Meanwhile, his previous vet visit has already been paid for by Tiffany and rescuers and they need help trying to cover it as they have other animals to rescue in their own group. We are appeal for folks like you to help share with them the costs that have already incurred.

Any amount is appreciated. To help with this bill dated 13 Jan: give to POSB Savings Acct No: 245-49743-1 and contact Nurul at 811399097

You can also find out more on Balloon's FB page.

To 'tompang' a shout out: our Stray Cat Fund is still in the red. Any amount you can give will help alleviate the deficit. Our bank details are below this post. Text Elaine at 90880675 to tell us you have given to the Stray Cat Fund.

A (big) bit of good news

2013-01-14T17:17:00.001+08:00

Braveheart has a forever-home!

Yes, he does! He was adopted by Daniel and Jolene on Friday night! He has since adjusted pretty well to his new home.

Braveheart being his usual lapcat self

Braveheart conquering pillows

We are so happy for Braveheart! Thank you to all who have followed his progress.