Squeaky, Bob, Saxon and Yamanoor Srihari

Alright, so on 1/25/11 I had to do the unthinkable with Squeaky. This year, on 1/25 I went to visit the Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) in honor of Squeaky. Those are two dates that are important to this story..

1/25/11 – Bob:

On the same day that I had to do the unthinkable with Squeaky, I spotted Bob or Bob, the hippie as some of you know him.  I spotted him in a specific room, and I had to wait almost a whole month, when I picked him up on Feb 21, 2010. Of course, with Bob, everything has been an effort, as you might know. Quite the skittish cat, he even got angry when I was moving and is ever so slowly warming up back, especially after some recent changes…

[Click on photo to enlarge]

1/25/12 – Saxon:

So, I go to the Humane Society Silicon Valley on 1/25/12 in memory of Squeaky, and guess who I spot, in the same room where I had spotted Bob (I hope you are keeping track of all the orange tabs)? Eight and some years old, a bit obese, and apparently with Asthma, this guy seemed to have had a bit too long of a stay at the shelter. His name is Saxon, and he is a full orange tab, no white anywhere. He looks beautiful, and on the larger side, he compares more to Squeaky, unlike Bob, who has been likened to quite the supermodel!

I wanted to take him home with me of course, but I had to give due consideration to Bob’s skittishness and history of being abused by another cat. Of course, I went back to work, and could think of nothing but Saxon for the next few days. Then I said, enough was enough and went ahead to pick up Saxon.

[Click on photo to enlarge]

The Adjustment Period – 02/17 – 03/18/12

Cats take a long period of time to adjust to each other. They are supposed to be separated from each other for a while, and go through an introduction period. Even with that, there are chances that cats will not get along well with each other at all sometimes. There is a huge risk of this happening.

On the first night, after I brought Saxon home in a special carrier purchased for him, we had an accidental run-in where Bob and Saxon hissed at each other. Unlike what I was told, Saxon fit in quickly, bullied Bob (it is quite easy) a bit, and I had to set limits on how he interacted with Bob. Being scared, jealous and aloof, Bob definitely was not helping.

Bob stayed out of Saxon’s way, and the bedroom effectively, making me worried that this would be a permanent problem. Of course, given Bob was here first, the whole thing seemed a little unfair.

Do you believe in miracles?

I know, quite the cliché , yes, but for me, personally, it appeared to happen with the cats last Sunday. Bob had been coming into the bedroom for short periods of time, allowing me to pet him. And then, on 3/18, he decided to stay for a while. Of all the weird things that have happened, Saxon decided to cuddle up with Bob. This went on for a little while, and since it was too cute to pass up, I ended up with a bunch of photos like this one:

[Click on photo to enlarge]

Do good things last?

Maybe, maybe not. After Bob woke up, he was none too happy, hissing and then complaining. You might think Bob is the villain here – well, neither cat is. Cats have strong personalities, and given Bob’s experiences and Saxon’s extroverted overtures, following his selfish, jealous moves to try and isolate Bob have obviously caused some conflict.

Now, they exist in that somewhat friendly, somewhat calm environment, fighting every so often and learning to subsist with each other.

The file is too big to upload here. The YouTube file is here:

Bob and Saxon

Links:

Humane Society Silicon Valley: http://hssv.org

Here I am, desperately trying to catch up with emails on a Sunday morning and look what Bob is up to:

[Click on photo to enlarge]

Of course I went to get  a close up, and he has this, “I know what you are up to look….”

[Click on photo to enlarge]

Sigh! I want the cat’s life…Happy Sunday!

In everyone’s life, there is that moment or that person that causes a change, a turn. To me, that was Squeaky. I saw him online on October 14, 2010 – figured he was the feline for me (not realizing it is always the other way around), picked up the reluctant feline on October 15, 2010…and it is hard to go into the rest of the heart wrenching stuff…

He will always be in my heart, and on my mind. In the last year, I have not had a single day when I have not thought of him, and how he has changed my life forever. I hope he enjoys every possible treat and chases many a rat in that heaven up there..

The Foundation: I have to confess, not much work has been done on the foundation, except a recent and very modest (only to others) increase of $5 a month per month to the HSSV. I promise I will do more!

Squeaky, you will always be loved, cherished and remembered! 

Preface: I know we haven’t returned with posts in a long time. Things have gotten busy, but Bob is doing great, and Squeaky is always in my thoughts. I have also gotten some new ideas for the Foundation, and I will be back with those as well.

[Click to Enlarge]

Do cats miss us?

This late night edition comes to you from a recent experience I had. Throughout this summer, while my brother had been staying with me, we documented the fact that Bob knew we were headed home when the gates to the property were opened and once or twice, even before we ever got to the gate!  That’s right..the gate.

Recently, I had to leave town to present on behalf of RescueBotics and on my way back I wondered if Bob would have actually missed me any more than usual and if he would pay any attention to the gap. Well, he did so, and how did he…!

As I got to the door, he was meowing like crazy. No, he was not at his favorite perch – the window sill, probably did not know when I would come home. But, he was quite implacable till I got on the bed and he was able to come and stomp on me and lay there and force me to pet him for quite a bit. I have seen this with my best friends’ cat too, she ran to the door when they came home one day from somewhere, so this behavior is not new, but Bob’s fervor did intrigue me. Most people who think cats are not friendly are simply wrong…

Fast forward to today. I had spent quite an amount of time outside and when I came back and started walking towards the gate. I hesitated and then my thoughts were confirmed, Bob knew! The property gate is about 50 ft or so from the window diagonally and I am completely intrigued by this perceptive wild-cat like tendencies he has retained…

And if you thought I was crazy, just search for “Do cats miss us” and surprise yourself.

Oh! And here’s our gangsta shot…

[Click to Enlarge]

I know the posts here have been few posts set far apart. I will try to update posts here as much as I can, but my busy schedule is further complicated by Bob’s efforts to wake me up at 4 or 5 every day to be fed, and again at 7:30 to be fed!Look how innocent he is, don’t be fooled..!

[Click to enlarge photo. Visit album for more shots]

For the past week or so, we had a rat enter the kitchen. My uncooperative landlord denies their existence or blames it on my book collection. I really don’t care to write about him and waste what is Bob’s space, so let’s move on.

Reluctance and Timidity

I have not had much of a chance to write about Bob here, but basically he is what one would call a timid cat…loud noises will spook him, sudden movements will spook him, 8pm will spook him – the cat really needed no reason to run and hide. However, having befriended my friend Rika over a few visits, he has now become quite chatty and demanding.That is a much improved Bob we have over here…

Previously, we had an attack of house flies. Initially Bob complained and I told him, “Well, why don’t YOU try doing something”. While the fly-paper experiment was delivering slow results, reluctantly, yet deliberately, he learned how to hunt them, catch them and eat them.

Fast forward to the last week or so. Bob has a guest, my brother who is also staying with me. Over the last week, we have noticed Bob become quite flustered over the rat (rats, as this post will show later) and was trying to hunt him down and caused enough commotion at home. The rat meanwhile was showing off, making so much noise and causing irritation for cat and humans alike! (Quick update, Bob just groomed my knee using his scrub-like tongue. Now I am clean and smell of chicken breath, thanks Buddy!)

In an effort to lower his frustration, I gave him special privileges – the ability to roam around the hall among my other pets and he may very well retain this if he shows endured signs of good behavior. He lost those privileges from the time he went up the roof after the rats and gave me three days worth of heartache as he refused to come down!

The saga of the half-dead rat

On Wednesday, much to my surprise, as I was sitting and working away in post-dinner bliss, when lo, Bob brings me a gift in his mouth. There was a loud noise that served as a prelude to this, and while I slowly lumbered up to see what was going on, enough confusion occurred prompting Bob to try and take the rat under the TV, his favorite hiding spot. I assumed he had killed the rat, and not cherishing the idea of having to dig a rat from under the TV, I said, “Bob, no!” This, of course, only made him angry and confused – to the point where the rat went and hid between the TV and a stand with cameras, out of the reach of Bob.

Bob wouldn’t give up easy. This purportedly cute bundle then put out his paw hissing and threatening the rat. A three-way staring match ensued, and while I waited for the Animal Kingdom minus the humans to take care of things by instinct, the bleeding rat ran away and Bob was unable to kill him. A night full of moving things and wiping the blood of a dead rat ensued. I got about 3-4 hours of sleep and I had a very frustrated, angry, hissing cat on my hands!

Fast forward to Friday!

On Friday, I came for my usual afternoon feeding routine at lunch, when, there on my newly laundered linen, lay a dead rat. Much cleaning and linen replacement (the third batch since Squeaky’s own adventures began…) ensued. First though, Bob was rewarded with chicken, and I photographed and disposed off the hapless rat.

Saturday Woes!

After thinking that peace had returned to Bob’s domain where he had struggled, learned and slayed a rat, I was shocked to find that there is at least one more rat that found a way into the house. While considering a quick move out of this property (rendered nearly impossible by my schedule), I am wondering how many nights  we will spend with little sleep ….

There’s the culprit, now wish us luck!

It has been a while since  the “original” Squeaky passed on and Bob, the camera shy feline came into my life. If you remember the previous post, I had wanted to create a foundation and donate money and other resources toward a planet full of happy cats. I have been busy trying to finish many things and of course I have fallen behind. I will start a new job soon and I have other things coming up. In the meanwhile, I have not forgotten any of the promises. A monthly donation is being made in Squeaky’s honor, and I donated some money for my birthday. I trained to be a volunteer, even though I haven’t had the chance to go in yet. All in good time.

One of the original requests I made with the folks at Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) was to name one cat Squeaky each year and I would pay for the costs for the cat’s medical expenses. I have not gotten around to doing that yet (and I will), but the amazing folks at HSSV picked another orange tabby and named him Squeaky. According to them, the “new” Squeaky was surrendered on April 28th (yours truly’s birthday) and has already been adopted, along with his sister under the Prevent Unwanted Pregnancies (P.U.P – yes, cute and purposeful) program for cats and dogs! Here is a photo.  Now, permit thyself to hold your breath. No testosterone or machismo!

Boy, did it make my day! So much so that I have started blogging again!!!

Hippie Bob!

If you thought that was cute, there’s more! Bob is my new feline companion, another orange tabby that was brought home on February 24th, almost a month to the day I parted with Squeaky. Even though I spotted Bob on the same day, as a cat who had been put on Prozac by his previous owners, he had to be weened – that’s right, I welcomed “Hippie Bob” home!

From being a scared cat that hid under the TV, he has now matured to climbing on me, sitting on my head and lying down on my arm in an effort to win the war of attention from the laptop. And if you thought that kitten was cute, here is Bob…

For more on the P.U.P program: http://hssv.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=surrender_prevent_unwanted_pregnancies

[These posts can get long, but I am requesting your help, so bear with me and read on]

As I try to understand the meaning of what has happened, several thoughts ranging from deep sorrow to happiness, guilt, empathy to pride have come and gone. The most important thought I have had is – I need to do something. I need to honor Squeaky, the magical cat who changed my life forever. Through the fog, a lot of clarity has started emerging. I am not going to wait for perfection and I thought I will write as I go along. There will be a few drafts, and with your help (no, this is not a donation request – if you feel the need to, please contact me, or better still donate to a humane society of choice), I hope to make sure a plan emerges so that Squeaky and all cats like him are honored!

Why “Squeaky Yamanoor”?

I was filled with warmth, when on our first trip to the vet, Squeaky was penned down as “Squeaky Yamanoor”. In a way, it was a silent and mutual admission that we had now become family. His urn will also read “Squeaky Yamanoor” and so will our service through this foundation…

The mission: Cats, like most animals love by instinct. They deserve the same from us. The goal of the Squeaky Yamanoor Foundation is to help promote this, within the means of the Yamanoor Family.

The following are some actionable items that the foundation will undertake immediately and over the long term.

Immediate Objective

The immediate objective is to find another cat and for me to become his/her human. I have identified “Bob” at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley to be the next feline of our household. Of course, this happened because I was walking around the pet adoption center after saying goodbye one last time to poor Squeaky (I will find the courage to write about this in due time) with my friend Patrick, when we took one look at Bob, sleeping in his cat tree and I was like…woh! An orange tabby that looks almost exactly like Squeaky. Of course, I saw his face and thought, “he does look different”. That’s right, each cat is unique.

The folks at the Humane Society were busy on Tuesday and I could not look at or bring Bob home. Yesterday, my kind colleagues and friends Patrick, Chris and Andrew came along on my second trip to snag Bob, only to find that he is still not available and I would not be allowed to see him. However, using my “Jedi mind tricks” as Chris put it, I was able to convince the folks to let me play a bit with Bob, who is being weaned off Prozac (yes, you heard me right! – long story, later..) and put myself down as “interested party” (super interested, according to me!). I will try my best to pick him up when he becomes available.

I also did see Amelia, a cat who may be 11 years old (the folks there are not really sure, since she came in stray). If it is possible that Bob and Amelia can get along….

Short Term Objectives

1.       A monthly donation will be named in honor of Squeaky to one organization that benefits domestic, stray, feral or wild cats.

2.       An annual donation of funds will be made to one cat, who when found stray or otherwise unidentifiable will be named Squeaky. The fund shall pay for all expenses that will allow the cat to be entrusted with the “Homeward Bound” status as the Humane Society of Silicon Valley defines this -  as I originally found Squeaky.

3.       In the event that any “Squeaky honoree” cat (helped to become homeward bound by the Squeaky Yamanoor foundation) is returned, the foundation will pay for re-homing and/or other fees as appropriate. The Squeaky Yamanoor foundation also pledges to pay for the final expenses and a public cremation for every “Squeaky” cat named and passed through the fund, if the adopting family so desires.

4.       An additional $100 will be donated annually through the fund to a household in need towards a cat’s medical expenses. Initially, the fund will seek nominations for households/cats in need will be requested from the network of family and friends. The Squeaky Foundation asks that we be allowed to display the name of the cat on our “Squeaky honorees”roll.

5. Donations will also be made to any groups performing research specific to cancers that afflict cats and are developing cures for them.

6.  These funds shall be made available as long as the Yamanoor Family is able to provide for them. When possible, the plan is to increase spending annually. The eventual goal is to convert the fund into a trust fund.

7.  The Yamanoor family will continue to adopt itself out as human companions to felines that may find it a bit harder to secure such companionship under usual circumstances. Each cat is unique, and will be treated with the love and attention that they so well desire.

8. We will assist by donating volunteer time, and any other resources, including my photography for auctions, where feasible, aiding people who are raising money to help cats.

Long Term Objectives: Help Needed!

In the long term, our goals are to work towards a single ideal: there should be no homeless cats, maybe cats in transition as Patrick, my friend put it, but never a homeless cat. To get us closer to this ideal, the foundation will try to work on the following:

1. Identify how people can be encouraged to spay and neuter their pets, to avoid more kittens from having to find a home.

2. Identify the barriers to entry that prevent more people from adopting pets, in general, and cats in particular and find ways to mitigate them.

3. Identify the issues that cat rescuers, cat shelters and others who assist cats in their journey have, and try to resolve the issues.

4. Cats are everywhere, some are domestic and some are wild. The foundation will try to find ways to encourage the preservation of wild cats and help organizations and law enforcement agents who fight for the safety of cats.

5. Other meaningful objectives will constantly be sought and included in the foundation’s long term objectives.

6. This website will be maintained in fond memory of Squeaky. All of the Yamanoor family cats will find an online home here and this website will grow to become a launchpad for the foundation, information about cats and other important cat related issues.

Help!

Your help is needed! Please forward this widely, and get back to me on how the foundation can help cats better, in the short term and long term. Our entire family is new to cats, and as we learn, any guidance in our efforts to honor Squeaky through service will be very much appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you…

In loving memory of Squeaky!

It breaks my heart as I write this. I can’t believe I have had the courage to come this far…

Squeaky has been ill for a few weeks, and after several rounds of excruciating tests, we have determined his cancer is terminal. I will write in detail later, but I am getting ready to say bye to him.

The above is one of the last semi-happy moments he had at the vet.

I can’t believe things went down so fast..only last Thursday he hunted another rat, beating all odds!

He will be gravely missed and greatly cherished.

Right now, he is completely lost, in pain and sooner rather than later, I will be taking him to the Humane Society to ease him into that cat heaven where there are only treats to be had and the litter is always clean.

I love you Squeaky!

I will add pictures and try to write much later. Please join me in wishing Squeaky all the best…

The Preface: Some of you have been concerned that there haven’t been enough posts on Squeaky lately. That is because I have been really busy and he feels that my spare time is well spent treating him like a 11-month old rather than the 11 year old he is turning to be. However, we have had a new “incident” and it warranted a new post!

Reincarnated French Revolutionary?

How did this get in here? All in good time, that is, er, now…so, if cats indeed have nine lives, do they need to spend all nine of them as cats? Probably not, yeah? Here I was, worried about Squeaky’s slight limp on his hind leg and all that – you know, worried about his abilities at self defense and such. Well, dial forward to yesterday night and these worries have subsided, at least for now.

The water bowl – a trail of evidence…

I come home yesterday and the first thing I noticed was that Squeaky’s water bowl was turned upside down. Now you have to realize that he is not at all naughty. He has pretty much turned down every toy I have tried to use to lure him. The only “toy” he barely showed any interest in is the $2.99 laser pointer. Consequently, my first thoughts on finding an upturned bowl and a chicken food blow lying astray was that Squeaky had somehow injured himself…

I set those fears aside as I saw him sitting on the bed, albeit, looking a bit wimpier than usual. When I walked up to pet him, as he whined more than usual, I realized what had happened – he had killed a rat and yes, put it on the bed and yes, it was all quite bloody – well, I sighed, and went to get ready to remove the rat…

A living guillotine?

So what do guillotines have to do with all this you ask? Well, I came back trying to think of how to remove the rat when I realized, I had missed one detail – the rat had not just been killed, he/she had been beheaded, true French revolution style! How about that! Now I hope the title comes together for you…Squeaky, plausibly a former french revolutionary has doubled up as a cat and a living guillotine!

I don’t exactly have pictures of this rat slaughter, since I didn’t believe it would be in good taste.

A personal lesson

Of intrigue is the fact that I had to discard two items – a bed sheet given to be by my parents almost 10 years ago, and another I picked up from a “loan closet” (if you didn’t return the item, you simply forfeited the deposit) almost 10 years ago as well, as soon as I came to Stanford…and I thought I was emotionally attached to them – well five minutes and poof, they were discarded without a second thought.

It turns out Squeaky helped me realize…that my true priorities do remain elsewhere…until next time!

this!

You might wonder why we haven’t been updating about Squeaky’s adventures a lot. Well, I had to go away for the green festival, got busy and then got into a crisis and I know, excuses, excuses. Plus, I talked to Squeaky (and if it is 3AM, it’s him talking to me)  and we agreed that “eats, poops and sleeps” would not make for great daily posts!

Well, we slipped. However, you should know Squeaky is doing fine. Right now he hates the idea that I am writing – he has taken a good aim at the keyboard and rubbing his chin off. Among other things he seems to hate is me going to work in the mornings. Cats can indeed be quite intelligent!

A month!

It has been a month…! Life with a cat can be very different as I am finding out. Life with a Yamanoor can be very different for a cat as he is finding out. We have settled in well, but because I have been busier and busier and miss hanging out with the tabby. However, next week is all about the vacation and we will take care of the gaps then, hopefully.

The National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. This is meant to be for children, and also pets. Have you thought about adopting a pet? Trust me, it changes your life….you might want to think about it! Right now, I have one cat and seven fish – yes! a Discus, two Cichlids, a tiger barb and three Bettas…things can get very interesting.

Cat Facts

Unless you have been living in a cave, you may have read about some very intriguing work done by folks at MIT who identified, through excruciating research how cats drink water without getting their whiskers wet. Recently, my colleague and friend, Aaron pointed to another old article that basically called out the fact that cats manipulate their humans through purrs that are meant to be very annoying yet attention grabbing. How true is that?

So, Squeaky and I will leave you with a few links to chew on:

1. The National Adoption Month itself:

http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/

2. The National Pet Adoption Month:

http://www.examiner.com/pet-care-in-rockford/adopt-a-pet-for-national-pet-adoption-month

3. The cat water drinking drama:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11717510

4. How cats purr to get our attention:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8147566.stm

Of course, if you snoop the BBC site, you will find more links…until next time!