Expat Life: Come With Us To The Vet! (August 4, 2020)

Going to the vet to take our newly rescued cat. With some stopovers. August 4, 2020.

The Rescued Cats at the Veterinary

This was taken last January 14, 2019 at the vet.

The Street Cats of Jeddah

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Goodbye Bin Dawood

Yesterday I said goodbye to Bin Dawood my sickly old cat that I rescued 5 months ago at Bin Dawood supermarket on Heraa street. I brought him to the German lady veterinarian (whom I knew since 2012) to be euthanized. 

Bin Dawood's health condition was not improving since I took him in, and it was getting worse. When he uses the litter, he's not covering his poop, he always sleeps on top of the refrigerator and knocks everything on it. Just a few weeks ago he pooped on top of it, that was my tipping point, so I had to let him go.

And also, I took with me my two other male cats to be neutered. All of my rescued cats are all neutered or spayed so that they will not increase in numbers. They were all neutered and spayed by the same doctor free of charge. Thank you, doc!

At the #veterinary house earlier. #cats #spayneuter #spayandneuter #spay #neuter

A video posted by Pépe Cabréra (@cameranicabrera) on Jan 29, 2016 at 3:39pm PST

My #cats after their #neuter #spayandneuter #spayneuter

A photo posted by Pépe Cabréra (@cameranicabrera) on Jan 29, 2016 at 11:55am PST

Bolt & Ken Lee (Home Video)

A video of Bolt and Ken Lee just a few hours ago while I was petting them.  God bless you all!

My Cats' New Ramp & Perch

I've always wanted to do away with wooden planks and broken furnitures that litter in the street for good use. This is a common sight in Jeddah streets and choosing to ignore them is not just my instinct - or I could nudge some brains into functioning.  My lack of enterprising skills surely would not qualify me to even start some brainstorming if not for a necessity.

My apartment for over the past 6 years has been turned into a rescue center for countless feline beauties that initially found their homes in the streets or under dilapidated cars. In fact, I've lost count as to how many of them have already availed of my humble facility. Some others already died of natural causes while the surviving ones continue to enjoy their royal lifestyles - and have gotten used to seeing strange smells and faces when we decided to take in new members once in a while.

Fast forward: I've just finished constructing  a ramp and perches for them using woods I picked up from the trash bin across our street and an unwanted entertainment center I found outside our apartment complemented by old tires that have got no room in our small apartment for added variety. I do not have any background in carpentry, but I do know how to hammer and saw, so I just bought the right tools to use, and voila!

BOLT: My Newly Rescued Kitten

Few weeks ago, I found a thin, sickly kitten behind a supermarket in Faisaliah district. The kitten's eyes were glued shut due to the formation of excessive eye crust and pus. I took him home, bathed and fed him though forcefully, but unfortunately his little body couldn't handle the pain. He was just too weak. I called him 'Stiffneck' because he could barely move his neck and it's tilted more on one side. Still I gave him a decent burial (I assume it's a he).

And on November 3, while I was heading for work, I saw a kitten as if it was running for dear life,  towards  4 Pakistani men across the street. He was actually following those men. The kitten was seemingly asking the men to take him with them. And there goes my heart again, and so I did  take him.

The kitten was so healthy, lively and energetic unlike the first kitten that I rescued  few days prior. They were the total opposite. And because of his physical attributes, I decided to name him 'Bolt', after the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt. He is now well accepted by my two other cats in the apartment, unlike the first few days that he's being ambushed and feasted on, though gently. And here's a latest  video of Bolt I took yesterday.

The Spaying/Neutering of my Rescued Cats

A few weeks ago, my friend and I took our rescued cats to the vet. It was an answered prayer. Prior to this, we were brainstorming for ways to get our pet cats neutered/spayed at a low cost.  It's hard to take care of cats especially when there's a lot of them, not to mention the time and of course the financial side of it. We don't want our cats to multiply exponentially. 

It was God who led us to this wonderful veterinarian. When I stumbled on a Facebook page called 'Open Paws' which is based in Riyadh, I chanced upon a familiar friend on FB, Dr.Khumbulani, who is also a follower of this page, understandably himself a vet. Dr.Khumbulani was the doctor of my cat Paquito who unfortunately died last year. So I messaged him and asked about the spaying/neutering services and how much it would cost us. And he said that it would cost about 400 Sr. each, but he can lower that down to 300 Sr. each. Still it's very expensive and we can't afford to spend that amount of money for each one of them. 

Obviously Dr.Khumbulani knew of our financial constraint and instead gave me a name of a certain lady vet on FB and told me that she could help us in our predicament, but mind you, not kind of big time. When we contacted her through phone, she said that she's willing to spay/neuter all of our cats for free including those of our neighbors' pet cats. Yes, that's right, for FREE. Okay, paint a picture of how shock we were when confronted with such incredible generosity. I couldn't believe it, from 400Sr. each to absolutely gratis. I can't thank God enough for directing us to Dr.Ingrid. 

As she is based in Riyadh, Dr.Ingrid scheduled us a specific day for us when she gets to Jeddah. In fact she had herself soldiered up for a tough day for her expected 9 patients. (We promised her 9 but unfortunately we were only able to carry 6.) Her place was not that hard to locate. There could be no stupid mistakes of not trailblazing her private clinic as a familiar smell itself will lead you to where she is. True enough, there were more than a hundred cats living with her in her home. I've never seen that many cats in my life before. She has rescued all of them. I can tell how much effort and money she has invested in them by the looks of their healthy and happy demeanor. Or did I say some of them are too heavy to even carry their tummies? Lol! As soon as we dumped our cats to their cages we were told to pick them up in the evening. By the way, Dr.Ingrid is such a lively spirit to engage in a conversation, but we could not further waste her time as she has already rolled her sleeves up to start her day. When we returned to pick them up, they were all still groggy because of the anesthesia. The good news was, they were all spayed and neutered except for one, the youngest of our 5 cats, which we  thought was a girl but he turned out to be a boy. He/she will be back next month together with the rest of our cats (and the neighbors' cats) that haven't been spayed/ neutered yet.  

Thank you Dr.Khumbulani and Dr.Ingrid for all your help, you're a blessing to us and also to some of our dear friends who are helping us with the rescued cats, thank you for your support. And of course to our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you very much dear Lord for listening to our prayers. To you all the glory!

Here's the video of my 5 cats when they arrived from the vet, after the operation.

Ginger Conejo & Cuty Cute - "Come Away With Me" (Video)

My pet rabbit, Ginger Conejo and kitten, Cuty Cute's bonding moment. I took this video just this afternoon around 2 PM, January 19, 2012.

She's Wicked (But Love Is A Healer)

See the black & white version of 'Wicked' on 'Camera Ni Cabrera'.

Way back in August when I first heard through the bathroom window of our apartment what seems to be a crying kitten and sure enough, when I looked at the window, I saw a little black kitten looking back at me and it seemed to be asking for food. The kitten has no way of getting out from a cave-like basement storeroom because the door of that small space which is under the staircase of our building is always locked, so it must have been born there and  neither have any interactions with other kittens nor people (aside from hearing them while they go up and down the stairs). It was basically a 'cave kitten'.

After a few weeks, my friend and I decided to rescue the kitten by climbing over the door (it has a wide open space above it where you could climb to get to the other side). When my friend got there, he just couldn't find the kitten because it was dark and the room was full of clutters. There is also a small door that leads to an open space which is the back of our bathroom where I first saw the kitten; he can't find it there either. And so we decided to stop the search and call it a day. The cat was just too scared to show itself. 

From that day on, for it to be able to survive, everyday we give the kitten water and cat food placed inside a loose plastic bag, by way of the small (bigger than a fist size) hole at the side of the stairs. We've been doing that for weeks, until the caretaker of the building called and said that he had found the key to the small room. That evening we decided to give it a second try and search for it again.

A few minutes after we opened the door, the terrified kitten just leaped out of nowhere and ran frantically  without direction until I cornered it by the door of my neighbor. I can't even touch the kitten for it was so fierce and I was scared that it might scratch my hands. I asked my friend to get me the rag and I used it to cover the entire body of the kitten so that it doesn't scratch me and then I quickly took it to my apartment.

For three days I can't even touch the cat. I have to feed it cautiously and quietly or else it might freak out, but then as the days passed, the kitten learned to trust me eventually. While feeding it, I always sneak my other hand towards its back and gently pet it. It was during that time also that I realized that it's a she and I thought it's also appropriate to give her a name. Since she's entirely black and fierce, I thought why not call her 'Wicked', like the witch in The Wizard of Oz.

Now I think she's already settled-in in my apartment with 8 other similarly curious cats and two weird-looking people (at least in her perspective). What can I say? There's nothing in this world that love can't change. She's Wicked, but love is a healer. Thank you Lord Jesus that we were able to save her. The only question now is, how long can we keep it up with them? They will not be kittens forever, you know, not to mention that their subsistence costs dwarf that of our own (green peas thankfully make us get by, lol). I know it's sad and heartbreaking but one of these days, some of them will have to go. We simply can't handle them all. So sad really.

Our daily routine with all 9 of them (cats)!

And Three Became Eight (The Rescued Kittens)

I've found 7 cute kittens under a car near the garbage bin in the street just outside our apartment the other day. They turned out to be the kittens of the tabby cat owned by the Indonesian expats from the second floor. The cat regularly waits for us every morning outside the door of our apartment for weeks now, seemingly begging for food, and ever since I see to it that I gave her some cat food whenever I see her by the main door. I even gave her a bath once and shampooed her because she stank and looked underfed. We knew that she has kittens somewhere in the building judging by her rows of teats that sagged, but we never thought that we will see those kittens out in the street and under a flat-tired car. 

We talked to the owner of the cats and they said  they threw those kittens because there were too many of them and that they didn't have any choice but to evict them out of their apartment. They could have kept them outside of their apartment or let them  roam freely through flights of stairs but the building watchman does not see it possible for hygienic reason. The owners however took back one of the kittens to be with its mother. So after 2 days of feeding those kittens under the car, we decided to take them all inside our apartment and take care of them 'till they get a little bigger. Seeing them lying on a very hot surface, their tongues sticking out  due to extreme heat and thirst is just not right. Unfortunately, when we were scampering around to catch them, one of the kittens had run like hell it thought it just had a great escape. And we lost sight of it, three days now into our search and rescue episode to no avail, it must have gone with other bigger alley cats. 

Just this afternoon after work, we bought them a few cans of cat foods and a small litter box. I've already bathed and blow-dried all of them and now they are all clean, smelling good and comfortable like little kings and queens. Just a few hours ago before I decided to write this blog, they were all playing like crazy just like  normal healthy kittens do and I don't think they have any idea of what's going on or what  kind  of future will they have. So sad. 

I can't help but wonder how come here in Saudi Arabia they don't have any government programs/agencies or NGOs that  take care of these poor creatures? Seeing them on the street every single day, some flattened and buried under car tires, really breaks my heart. If only I'm as rich as some people here, I would probably buy a patch of land somewhere and rescue all the cats that I see on the street and educate pet owners to neuter or spay their cats, and be responsible pet owners. They should think of these animals as integral part of their families and not as toys like dolls and toy robots that they give to their kids. These are living animals that need TLC. Feline population in Saudi Arabia has soared unabated in the streets because of lack of education  on the part of  pet owners who readily dump them in the streets when confronted with incapabilities to keep them any longer. Lack of compassion is also obvious here for people or citizens who could have thought of something humane for these animals.

Now we have a total of 8 rescued cats (3 of which came from our previous rescues) in our small apartment and they are taking a huge bite out of our monthly salary. Cat foods and cat litters are getting more expensive here in Saudi Arabia. And if anyone out there happens to be an animal lover especially those who live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, we would appreciate it much if you could share a little in any way you can for us to be able to keep them much longer. Please free to leave your comment below if the predicament of these cute cats moves you. And if it appeals to you that adopting one of them does not bother you that much, feel free to do so. You may send a word by my email at pepecabrera1972@yahoo.com. God bless you all!

I'm Reading: 'The Nine Lives Of Montezuma' by Michael Morpurgo

I wasn't actually looking for something to read when I was at the bookstore yesterday. I was just there to help my friend because he wanted to buy an MP3 player, but when I went up to the second floor to just look around, (that's where all the books are,) I can't help myself but to get closer to a certain book I saw from a distance. The cover of this book really caught my attention, it was an orange cat with green eyes surrounded by bright green leaves. Most of you guys know that I'm an animal lover, especially of cats (and dogs too), and that's one of the reasons why I was attracted to this book aside from it's beautiful bright cover. The title of the book is'The Nine Lives Of Montezuma' by Michael Morpurgo, ooooohh! It was obvious to me that it's a children's book and I was right when I opened it. The prints are much larger and it has drawings inside that depict the characters of the story in some of its pages. It's a story about the dangerous and exciting life of a farmyard cat, from a fiery kitten to a tired old Tom (that's the book description from the net).

I didn't think twice to buy it. It doesn't matter if it's a children's book or an adult book (not the one you think of course you dirty minds), a book is a book, it doesn't matter if the person reading it is 9 or 39 (not my age!). I love children's book. If you can remember I posted here last year about'The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz' by L.Frank Baum after reading it, I never thought it  was so different from the Victor Fleming's 1939 film version starring Judy Garland, amazing!; and'Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat That Change The World'  by Vicki Myron, that book made me cry (but don't tell!).

I've already finished reading the first chapter of ...Montezuma last night which is called The Beginning, tonight I'll start with the second chapter called The Second Life. The book only has 9 chapters. I'm so excited, can't wait to read it! (I only read before going to bed at night, that's the only time I have.) 

Michael Morpurgo.Com

 'The Nine Lives Of Montezuma'

Another Orphaned Kitten Rescued!

When I was driving to Hera'a street searching for a photo subject, around 5:00 PM, I saw an orphaned lame kitten under the Hera'a - Madinah road flyover, infront of CityMax Department Store. That poor kitten would not survive there for long. If he's not going to get run over by a car, he will definitely die of hunger and thirst. I then asked my friend to get him so that we could feed and bathe him before setting him free at a safer place.

After giving much thought, I decided to let the kitten stay in our place for a few weeks, so that he could have a little more time to recover from his condition before letting him go. Since I found him on Novemver 1st, I called him 'Undas'.  Since we did not have cat food for kittens, Undas had to be content with tuna for his inaugural meal. In fact I just snatched the plate away after his belly threatens to burst. Oh and he loves Almarai milk too. One drawback though, he annoys all his seniors with his piercing cry that he had a first taste of karate from Miss Ken Lee. He is definitely an addition to my already big feline family. Some of them had only memories to stay, in fact I still miss them. I don't know if they were able to survive outside. You know, I could not keep all of them together.

Vote For My Photos On the National Geographic Channel Asia Photo Contest 2010!

Please vote for my photos on the National Geographic Channel Asia's Great Migrations photo contest on Facebook. You just have to 'LIKE' each photos, but before you can like them, you have to 'LIKE' the National Geographic Channel Asia page on Facebook first. As simple as that. Here are my entries, and please vote on all of them.

Title: The Cleaners

Category: Race To Survive

Location: Jeddah Saudi Arabia

Caption:  Photo taken at the paking of Andalus Mall, Jeddah, K.S.A. February 20, 2010.

VOTE

Title: Stray Cat On A Trash Bin

Category: Feast Or Famine

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Caption: A Stray cat on a trash bin infront of my apartment.

VOTE

Title: Wanderlust

Category: Born To Move

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Caption: Photo taken inside the detention cell in Jeddah, K.S.A. Nov. 7, 2009.

VOTE

Paquito Is Back From The Veterinary Clinic

Paquito is now home since Saturday from a 2-day sleepover in the veterinary clinic. The doctor made a minor operation on his back because he has infected wounds. It turns out that a huge parts of his skin was already dead, so the doctor had to drain the pus from the wound and cut the dead part of the skin off. The wound was caused by an attack of a very jealous cat more than a month ago. I initially thought that it will heal by itself, but intead, it went from bad to worse.

Searching for a vet here in Jeddah is not easy, and if ever you find one, it will definitely cost a lot because most of their clients are rich people who can afford to spend thousands for their pets, and I'm not one of them. So, after asking a lot of people if they know any veterinary clinic in Jeddah, I've found one that's just near my apartment in Faisaliah district, the Jeddah Veterinary Clinic.

The name of Paquito's doctor is Khumbulani T. Nyathi, he's South African. He obviously knows that I'm not one of those wealthy pet owners who frequent their clinic, and I think he gave us discount for Paquito's minor surgery. He initially said that I'll just pay SR. 345, I guess that was for the surgery and the consultation fee of SR.120, excluding the medicines. All in all I just paid SR.365.

Right now, Paquito is rerecuperating in our apartment. The doctor said that it's not necessary anymore to put an elizabethan collar on his neck, but I still put it to prevent him from scratching and licking his freshly stitched wound. I'm also giving him antibiotic 2 times a day for 7 days to prevent infections. I think he'll fully recover soon enough.

Paquito Is His Name!

The other day my housemate found a stray cat in the street just outside our apartment. I think the cat had an owner before because my friend said that it was not afraid of him, in fact the cat was the one who came towards him and seemingly asking for food. My friend called me so that I would   see the condition of the cat personally. The cat was not in good shape, he was having a hard time walking, a huge part of his back has a bald patch and it seems that there's something wrong with his skin, it almost looks like a big open wound when I saw it.

We already have 4 cats inside our small apartment and I know it'll be crowded, but still we decided to take the cat in. I can't imagine how that poor cat could possibly survive outside without food and water under the burning heat of the sun in that condition. I then bathe and fed the cat. I can tell that he was very hungry and thirsty, but may be because of what he was feeling, he just can't eat the way a starving cat usually does. I also noticed that he moves very slowly, another sign that the cat is sick.

This was not the first time I took in a cat inside my apartment, in fact there were 3 of them (in 3 different occasions), but I released the two back to the street when they got well, I really didn't want to do it, but I had to, I couldn't possibly keep them all. The one that was left now has 2 offsprings and a grandkitten, that is Brüno.

Anyway, the other day I tried to find the breed of the cat in the internet, for me to know more about him and yes I did find out his breed, he is a Himalayan, a cross between Siamese and Persian, meaning they have the color of the Siamese and the long fur of the Persian cat. Himalayans have light colored bodies and dark extremities which are called Color Points, the colors could be lilac, blue, chocolate, flame and cream. I'm just not sure about the color points of my cat.

And about the name of the cat, we used to call the cat 'Sweety', but after I discovered that the cat is a male,  it's appropriate to give him a name that would suit the gender. We wanted to give him a name that has a 'growl' in it, that would sound mean to offset his pitiable condition and so we decided to call him Paquito, after Paquito Diaz, a Filipino mestizo actor who always played the role of  'contra vida' or villain in most of his movies.  I think his new name suits him.

I'm Reading: DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

I'm now reading "DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. A non-fiction. I just bought the book yesterday from Jarir Bookstore, Sary street branch, Jeddah .

Personally, I'm a lover of animals especially of cats (I currently have five cats in my apartment, but I also love dogs). I'm already in chapter 6 and so far I'm loving it. I loved the way the author described Spencer, Iowa, the place where the story happened and also her first encounter with Dewey Readmore Books.

Link: DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.