Recovering

 The cats are getting better, slowly!

Frodo, who got sick first, is back to jumping on laps and wanting love! His voice is still a bit croaky, but he's always had a strange meow!

Mama and Sam are better. My son said one way to express good news and bad news in one sentence: Mama's voice is back! It's good news because that means she has recovered, bad news because she is very vocal!

Steve and Fred are a bit better; they had energy to start a fight yesterday, but their voices aren't that good!

Alan is still doing the silent meow and lying around a lot; Alfie and Toast are down, but not as miserable as the other cats- maybe a milder version. Fluffy is alright; she doesn't interact with the other cats so much!

I'm glad they are recovering; vets are too expensive to keep going!

Fluffy on the fridge

I didn't know she was up there!

I came into the kitchen last night and heard this meowing from above! At first, I couldn't see Fluffy; she was behind the box. When she came out, I jumped, she really gave me a fright!

Just the cats lying around!

Still Sick

 Most of the cats are still sick, but a lot better than a week ago.

Frodo, who was the first one to get sick, is a lot better; he's purring again, eating, drinking and using the litter box. He still isn't 100%, not racing around or fighting, but not hiding or just lying around.

Mama's voice is a lot better, but both Alan and Steve have lost their voices.

I think another week, and things will be back to normal; at least I hope so!

Having sick pets is not fun. It's so hard trying to figure out what's wrong; they can't say where it hurts or how they feel. It's a case of just watching them.

Fluffy drinking my water, as always!

Frodo looks a lot better.

Steve

 Steve has caught whatever the cats have been passing around.

He looked awful last night. He was lying with his mouth open and drooling.

I checked for an emergency vet, but the nearest place was 2 hours drive from here, and I didn't think the stress of being in a cage that long would be good for him.

I checked on Steve every couple of hours; he managed to sleep, which I think helps. This morning he was eating and drinking alright.

David took him to the vet; it's some kind of virus that the cats are passing around. Steve has antibiotics. 

Now seven of our nine cats have been sick. It's so quiet, as they have lost their voice. Frodo, who was the first one to get sick, is a lot better, still sleeping more than usual, but his appetite is back. I think in another week, everything will be back to normal chaos.

Steve

Fred's Turn

 Now Fred is down with whatever the cats have.

I think it's some kind of throat virus; the cats who have been sick have all lost their voices. This morning Mama was trying to meow, but she sounded very hoarse.

Frodo is much better; he is eating, drinking, and using the litter box. Mama and Sam still seem a bit down; they are eating a bit but not as much as usual.

I'm wondering if this is going to go through all the cats!

Fred is not looking happy.

Today, they got wet food for lunch, I think it's easier on their throats!

Enjoying lunch.

Sam was waiting in the other room, but not meowing!

Waiting like a good boy.

He really enjoyed his lunch!

He kept getting distracted by what was happening behind me but he really enjoyed this food!!

Now Three Cats Are Down

 I'm not sure what is happening with my cats.

Yesterday was Frodo; he's still the same. He was drinking water this morning but is off his food. He ate some cat snacks, which is good, maybe!

I noticed today that Mama and Sam are not their usual selves either. Both are off their food; neither has any energy. I'm planning on giving them some wet food tonight; if I can get them to eat a bit, it might help.

My one worry is that Mama cat got out last week, twice! I really hope that she didn't pick up something or ingest some kind of poison. I think another trip to the vet when they open tomorrow!

Sam, not looking good

Mama

Frodo

 Having nine cats means that there is always some drama!

Fights, racing around, knocking over water bowls and the occasional litter box accident. That's normal; one of the first T-shirts I designed said "81 lives, endless chaos", and it is!

The past couple of days, however, the cats have been very quiet, especially Frodo.

Frodo is one of the cats that always greets David when he comes home from work. Frodo purrs and meows, wanting to be held and petted. This morning, however, Frodo just sat, looking at David. No purring, no jumping up to get on David's lap, just sitting there. So David took Frodo to the vet; he thought that Frodo might have a cold. The vet checked but no cold, so they did a few tests, but there's nothing wrong. The only thing I can think of is the dramatic change in the weather, almost overnight! For the past couple of months, it's been in the upper 30℃, yesterday in dropped to the lower 20℃. 

I hope Frodo feels better soon!

Frodo checking out the box, hoping for cat food!

Alfie

 Alfie is my other grey and white cat.

He's usually very quiet; he isn't a people cat. He likes a few pets, but definitely on his terms. No sitting on laps, no belly rubs either.

However, over the past couple of weeks, he has become a terror, usually attacking Toast as they are similar in size. Occasionally he'll go after Steve, who is a lot bigger! He actually seems to win these fights!

Alfie, looking serious.

Most of these attacks are at night, which means I'm constantly being woken up! 

I've had to separate Fred from Steve, Alan, and Frodo; I don't have enough rooms to separate Alfie from the other cats as well. 

I'll try to spend more time playing with them and see if that will help. I really don't know what else to do!

He is cute, though.

Toast

  A few weeks ago, Toast got out and stayed out for about a week!

During that time, David tried to get Toast back. He put out food and water for him, even bought a trap, but ended up catching one of the neighbour's cats instead.

At one point, David chased Toast, but of course Toast was faster and got into a small space where David couldn't reach!

Finally, David caught Toast and got him back inside. Now, however, Toast is scared of David. Whenever David comes into the same room as Toast, Toast takes off! If David feeds the cats, Toast won't eat until David has moved away!

This was Toast the other day! David was standing behind me in the doorway, so Toast couldn't get out!

Poor Toast, he looks really scared!

Fluffy

 Fluffy is doing a lot better. 

We've been giving her the medicine she got from the vet twice a day. Actually, David gives her the medicine; he can just put it in her mouth and make her swallow it! If I try, I mix it with some wet food, but somehow she manages to eat around the medicine, and I'm never sure she has taken the full dose.

A lot better

The sores on her head are almost healed, but she is still scratching too much, so we have to keep the collar on her for a bit longer.

She is alright in herself, eating, begging for chicken, drinking, and using the litter box alright! With Fluffy, I know that she isn't well when she isn't shouting at me when I get chicken out to cook!

We've had this problem with her for the past few years. I'm going to look into some preventive ideas, as I hate seeing her suffer like this every summer!

Poor Fluffy

 Fluffy had to go to the vet's today, again!

She went last week as the sores on her face and leg were open and red; every time she got her collar off, she would scratch at her face like crazy, making the sores bleed again. I was worried that she'd get an infection.

Hannah took her today. According to the vet, Fluffy might have atopic dermatitis, a skin condition caused by environmental allergens. The vet gave an injection and some meds but asked that we bring her back next week after the holiday; this week is a holiday in Japan.

I feel so sorry for Fluffy; she is such a lovely cat, very laid back, and seldom gets into fights or runs away.

She loves a bit of chicken and a few treats; she also loves drinking out of my water glass at lunch every day. I have 2 glasses of water on the table at lunchtime because I know I'm going to lose one.

I hope she gets better soon, as she is really miserable. It's heartbreaking to see how bad she looks!

She got her collar off and scratched her forehead.

Peaking out of her bed!

I know having pets means being responsible for them, making sure that their lives are well lived. I forgot how much heartache they can cause.

Yet Again

 Mama and Toast got out!

This time they were out for just a couple of hours!

What I don't understand is that they cry to go out, they find a way to escape and then sit outside crying like they are the victims!

There's a door to the outside in the bathroom; this house was built as a farmhouse, so having an entrance to the shower/bathroom made sense. You can step into a wet room without tracking mud all through the house!

When Mama got out, we could hear her near that door. My daughter decided to close off the bathroom and leave that door open so Mama could get in. Good idea, but we have a lot of wild animals in this area: wild hogs are the scariest, but raccoon dogs, snakes, lizards, and, of course, other cats! I told my daughter that if any of the other animals come in, she has to deal with them!

Fortunately, just Mama came in!

Mama

Toast came back about an hour later.

I'm glad that it wasn't another week of looking for them!

Quick Update

 We, both humans and cats, are suffering from the heat!

It's been so hot here; last Monday it was 40℃, that's crazy hot!

We bought an air conditioner for our main room, but the cats prefer the corridor. Typical cat behaviour; we bought the air conditioner because of the cats, but they prefer the corridor.

I think that with the air conditioner in my room at one end of the corridor and the new one in the room at the other end of the corridor, the corridor feels a bit cooler, without feeling cold!

Alfie found a box to sit on!

Just hanging out in the corridor

David walked toward the cupboard where the food is and got surrounded by cats!

Poor Fluffy!

Fluffy looks a lot worse than she is! She has some ointment for those scratches.

This morning I was chopping up some cooked chicken; Fluffy charged from the other end of the room, full meow! Yes, she's being fed, but when it comes to chicken, she acts as if her last meal was days ago instead of a few hours!

Any tips for keeping the cats cool?

My Esty Store

 Sorry that I haven't written for a while, but I've been busy setting up my Etsy Store!

Here's the link: JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan

It's a lot of fun making the designs. To keep the designs unique, I've been using a lot of the cat photos that I have.

For example

This photo became 

this

I then had to change it even more to put on the T-shirt.

The final product.

I know it's only August, but apparently it's time to start making things for Halloween! Some stores have already started on Christmas themes!

I really hope that my store takes off; I need a lot of money for these cats!

Poor Fluffy ended up at the vet's this morning!

Poor thing

She's allergic to the fleas. We keep putting the flea meds on her once a month, but it's not helping that much. She has scratched so much that she has open sores on her head and legs; her body is a lot better! She has some ointment for the scratches but has to go back again next week for tests; the vet was too busy today to run tests!

The other cats seem alright, but it's very hot; we are running the air conditioner almost all day. On Monday it was 40℃ where we are living! I don't want to know how much my electric bill will be!!!

I'll try to update on the cats more regularly; again, sorry for the long time between posts!

Toast Is Back

 The past few days, Toast has been coming to the door or windows.

He sits outside, crying like he's the victim, but as soon as the door or window is open, he takes off.

Today we found him in the upstairs storage space.

He was on the roof beams; there's no ceiling, so the beams are exposed, making a great balance spot for Toast.

It took David and Christopher about 30 minutes to get him down, but they succeeded.

Toast is back.

We've left him the cat carry cage for now; the other cats need to get to know him again.

Also, we have just finished giving flea meds to the other cats, so we will have to put the flea meds on Toast as well!

I'm so happy he's back!

Toast Is Still Outside

 I was away last week for about 5 days; my adult kids were here taking care of things.

I was really hoping that Toast would be back by now, but he isn't.

He comes to the windows or doors, but as soon as we open them, he runs away. We've put food and water out for him. The food and water have gone, but we don't know if he is eating and drinking it!

While I was away, David bought a trap. I thought that would solve the problem! Until I got a message saying, "Caught the wrong cat"

A black cat, but not Toast!

We keep moving the trap to where we have seen Toast, but he still isn't back!

I'm starting to worry!!

Toast

 Toast managed to get out on Saturday.

We saw him a few times since then, but he hasn't come back.

I'm getting worried, there are so many dangers out there for a housecat!

There are other very aggressive cats in the area. Plus snakes, wild hogs and massive centipedes that have a nasty sting.

Also, the people who live here use a lot of chemicals on their land and drive far too fast on the narrow, winding road.

I really hope he comes back soon!

Come back, Toast!!!

The Great Escape Artists

 When the workmen were here yesterday, we were so careful with the cats. The workmen were installing a new air conditioner, so they had the big window open so they could go in and out to fit the air conditioner. I was relieved when they left, and the window was closed and locked. The windows are like sliding doors, and even though they are heavy, the cats can open them.

After lunch, I was in my room, the only other room with air conditioning. I spent the afternoon reading! At about 4 o'clock, I went to check on the cats. They all seemed alright, but I couldn't find Mama. I looked everywhere, even in the litter boxes! After about an hour of checking everywhere twice, I realised that she had somehow gotten out, but how! 

Later in the evening, I was explaining this to David, he said that it looked like she had pushed his screen door off the rail a bit and got out that way! He had his window open but had taped the screen so it wouldn't slide, but somehow Mama managed to move it enough to get out!

Mama came back this morning.

Mama, this morning.

I think she was hungry!

Today, Toast found the same way out! I hope he comes back soon!

Stressed Cats

 Yesterday was flea medicine time!

As always, the cats ran away and hid when we were trying to do it! Then they sulked for the rest of the day!

Today we had workmen in to install a new air conditioner. Because the big window had to be opened, we moved the cats to the tatami room while the workmen were here. The cats were not happy at all!

David decided to give them a treat for lunch, a mix of canned food, which had been in the fridge overnight, so it was nice and cool (it's really hot here, 35℃ today) and dried food, with bits of chicken thrown in.

As David was mixing this up, the cats were getting very vocal!

But once they were eating, it was incredibly quiet!

I Lost Fluffy

 All of the cats have their favourite place to hang out.

Seven of the cats love to be in the dining area; the kitchen/dining area is one long room. In the cooler months, the cats would be near the windows or curled up on the sofa. Now they've taken over the table because the fan is blowing across there.

Where to eat?

Alfie stays in the tatami room. He likes being by himself or with just one other cat, either Toast or Fred.

Fluffy, however, changes her favourite place every few months!

When it was cold, she would be in the kitchen a lot. I put a small, round table in the kitchen, which is a similar height to the counter. My idea was to use that for my cookbooks or iPad, a place to have the books without them getting covered in food or being in the way. But Fluffy took that over! That became her perch! Until a couple of weeks ago!

I came into the kitchen one morning, and Fluffy wasn't in her usual place. I didn't think anything about it. After a couple of days, I realised that she was stalking me when I was cooking chicken or meat. That was unusual.  I decided to see where she was. This house isn't that big, and there aren't that many hiding places, but after two hours of searching, I was very worried. I looked under things, in things, I had moved furniture and opened cupboards, but no Fluffy.

I was worried that she had somehow gotten out or was sick and hiding somewhere. Either one of those scenarios wasn't good.

When everyone came home, I asked them to look for Fluffy.

My oldest son said she was in his room, but I had looked in there.

He said look up!

I found Fluffy balanced on the curtain rail!

Fluffy is balancing on the curtain rail.

My son said that she had been sleeping up there, but keeps falling down!

I wonder where she will go next time!

How The Cats Will Make Money

 Out of all the expenses I have, keeping the cats is one of the highest.

Because some of them have had problems with peeing, we feed them expensive food that stops crystals from forming in the urethra. At first, we thought about buying separate food, but soon realised that the cats would eat from the wrong bowl. It's just easier to feed them all the same food.

Then there are the other things that we need to buy, flea meds, cat litter and the occasional trip to the vets. Plus, replacing things that they have broken or peed on, it all adds up.

So I've been busy setting up an Etsy Shop to sell print-on-demand T-shirts inspired by my love for cats and Japan.

Here is the link JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan

Have a look. I hope you find something that you like!

One of the images I made

This was the original photo

Alfie

Alfie is my other grey, black and white cat.

Alfie

 Of all my cats, he is the most catish! 

He doesn't like people too much. He will endure some pets, but always on his terms. Once he's had enough, he's off!

He doesn't hang out with the other cats that much either; he will tolerate being with one other cat, but most of the time, he is by himself. At the moment, 7 of my cats are in the dining area, curled up together. Alfie and Fluffy are in the tatami room. This is normal!

He's quieter than the other cats, but if he gets upset, everyone knows it. We've had neighbourhood cats come around recently. I don't know if they are strays or if they belong to someone. But whenever they come around, my cats start fighting more, even laid back Alfie has been known to hiss and yeowl!

Just a few photos of Alfie.

In these photos, he is with Toast, the black cat or Fred, the other grey, black and white cat. He seems to get on with these two cats the best. 

The Cats Are On The Table

 I was rather surprised when I went to the dining room this afternoon. Six of my nine cats were on the table.

At first, I couldn't figure out why they usually get on the windowsill or the kitchen counter. 

I then realised that I had left the fan on, and the table was a nice and cool place to sleep on.

Today was very hot, the high was 31℃. I know that compared to Europe, it isn't that bad, but this is just the beginning of the summer.

I'm looking for some cooling treats for the cats. I'm looking for some cooling treats for me as well!

Before anyone comments on how bad it is to have the cats on the table, I know that. I tried to stop them, but that is impossible. So I disinfect and wipe the table with very hot water before we eat. It takes a lot less energy to do that than to stop the cats!

The Cats And Rain

 We are in the middle of the rainy season here in Japan. It's been raining almost nonstop most of the week. 

I've noticed that the cats are rather lethargic and fighting more than usual.

I checked online and found out that cats are also sensitive to the barometric pressure. I know that when the pressure drops, I get awful headaches and have very little energy, also I get very short-tempered. The cats are the same. 

Another thing that upsets the cats is the sound of the rain. The storms we've been having are very intense, the noise of the rain hitting the house is very loud to me, I think cats with their extra sensitive hearing must be really suffering!

I've put extra boxes around the house so that the cats can find a place to hide. I hope it helps. 

Fluffy is still up to mischief. She stole my chicken and water the other day. Yesterday she swiped the last piece of hamburger from my plate!

That's my last bit of hamburger!