Kitty Back Home

Yes!
Our kitty is back! I went to get her at my sister's.
She's in a new environment but she looks OK. She'll need some time to adjust to our new home, but she will be fine!
I missed her so much! Out little family is complete again.

Chiang Mai: Naughty Massage, Tiger Petting & Boxing

Day 7
We woke up at Bau Tong Lodge. Compared to the location of this hotel -in the middle of a street full of pubs and girl cafés, if you know what I mean- and the dirty bathroom, we've slept fantastic! It was so quiet!
We started our day with a massage by naughty girls. I know what you're all thinking, little pervs, but you got it all wrong. No happy endings for us! We got a massage from Thai inmates... These women are learning some skills to reintegrate back to society. Becoming a masseuse is one of them. The prison opened a salon where they can practice. A one hour massage cost us 180 BHT. That's about 4,5 euro. 
First you have to get dressed and put some sort of robe on and then they wash your feet. Their massage techniques are really impressive. They use their whole body. After your massage you get a Thai tea.
They really know what they're doing and you have to put aside that they're actually doing time. They're really friendly and gentle. If you're planning to have a Thai massage, do it here! It's a great initiative!
There's also a small restaurant where you can eat or drink something. You also get served by inmates. 
A very unique experience!


After our massage we checked in at Siri House again. We got the cat room this time. Just my cup of tea!
We asked Pat to call us a taxi to take us to Tiger Kingdom, probably the most controversial attraction of Thailand. You can get inside a cage here with tigers and they won't harm you. Some say the tigers are drugged, others are convinced they're not. I'd like to think that with my vetnursing background, I would be able to tell if there are drugs involved or not. I wanted to go and look for myself instead of reading the reviews again and again. 
I was really excited at first. We started at the little tigers and worked our way up. We had to wait for a few minutes, while watching other people playing with the cubs. When we got to go in there my heart was racing, until I sat next to one that was sleeping and the caretaker pushed me into waking him. I didn't like that. We could pet all the cubs, one by one, but my excitement made room for disappointment and unbelief. How could these beautiful creatures be locked up in here to pleasure tourists? Why don't they teach them to be tigers to release them back in the wild? WHY DON'T THEY EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT THESE ANIMALS?? Not a single word was told about their natural way of life, why Tiger Kingdom is what it is and how they train the tigers. It's just a show to make money.
We went on to the next cage: the small ones. Those were quite playful and ran around the whole time. It wasn't easy to get a picture with them.
The medium ones were just laying in the sun, watching each other. Many people would get the impression they're drugged, because they're not active, but every hour/half hour they don't let anyone in the cage and the caretakers play with them. It's like a kitty at home. They don't seem drugged at all if you see how they're jumping to moving leaves and such. 
Our last stop: the big cats. They were more active than the medium ones. They were constantly running around and playing with each other. The caretakers needed to get them away from each other so the visitors could pet them. I could sit next to one big tiger. He farted. 
My conclusion about Tiger Kingdom: You can't stay away. Your curiosity takes over. I think that's why it still exists... But think about what would happen to the tigers if nobody shows up anymore... They can't be released back into the wild!
About the drugs: Animals can't be that active when drugged AND it's hard to find the right dose for animals to tranquilize them. I don't think a right balance between 'sleep and play' even exists. If there is, you need to take various factors into account. Weight, are they sober or did they eat,... Every tiger would have a different dose. I can't imagine the staff holding on to a log and weighing the tigers every morning before opening. One dose doesn't even last for a day. They should get it a few times a day to hold on to the same effect. 
If there are some old fellow-students/teachers who have another opinion or want to point out something I forgot (I've been out for almost two years now), please DO!

I once said that if I could pet a big cat, I would die in peace, but I have to rethink that statement...

After a good shower and reviewing our visit to Tiger Kingdom, we went to see a Thai Boxing Game. Great to clear my mind.
Thai boxing is real fun! It's not only boxing, the fighters put up a show before they start. 
I voted for blue once, the rest of my faith was in red. Blue won all the fights! Unbelievable!

Can't Live Without Kitties

I went on a quick visit to one of my best friends, Banana, before I leave for Thailand. She has two cats and while we were watching an episode of nature they tried to cath the animals on TV. Super funny!
After that visit I couldn't resist visiting our own kitty Juliette, who's staying at my sister. I've really missed her these last few days and apparentely she felt the same way. She came running straight towards me, cuddling me. I cuddled and played with her for a while. Tomorow I will pay her a last visit. I'm going to miss her.

Quality Time

Juliette and I are having our last quality time together.
We will be moving this weekend and because of our trip she will be staying at my sister as of tomorrow. I'm going to miss her sooo much!

Sunday Kitty Teasing

Sunday kitty teasing

Kung Fu Kitty

She knows all the secrets...

Fat Kitty

I went to the vet with my fat old kitty today.
She's 18 years old and in 2010 she weighed 8,2 kilos. Quite the kittycat, huh?!

When I started my studies as a vet nurse, I decided to put her on a diet and make sure my other cats got premium food too. My parents went crazy if I told them. Like every other pet owner, they were convinced that supermarket food was so much cheaper than premiums. But nothing could be further from the truth!
When you are giving your pet a premium food, like Hills or Royal Canin, it's more likely you have to give a smaller portion than you did with your 'cheaper' pet food brand. Can't follow?
Well, premiums are balanced nutritions. This means, that all the minerals, vitamins and other stuff that your pet really needs, is perfectly present in that pet food. Nothing less, nothing more. Moreover! When you analyse various samples of different lots, the composition will be almost exactly the same. The advantage of this perfectly balanced food, is that there will be a lesser chance of food intolerance, diseases and other health problems.
To give you an example: Salt and sugar, is used in excessive amounts in cheaper foods for flavouring. Pets' bodies need these substances, like any other body. But in a bigger quantity than needed, these substances are dangerous for our health and therefore for your pet too. Too much salt will result in kidney problems and sugar will result in overweight. Giving your pet cheaper foods is like when you would go to Mc. D. every day. We all know how those people turn up, we all watch reality TV...
To come to the point: You will give a smaller amount of your premium food than your supermarket food, because your pet needs less portions to take in the same amount of nutrients. Your bag of supermarket food will be empty sooner than the premiums bag. In the end you will pay somewhere around the same amount of money for both. But with the premium pet food, they will eat less sugar and salt and will live a longer and healthier life. More time to cuddle!

So far for my conviction.
Back to MY fat cat! Eventually I convinced my parents to start the diet. We're feeding her Hills RD for three years now. This is a special prescription diet food to lose weight. It contains all the necessary nutrients and a great amount of high fibres to 'fill up the stomach'. She will stop eating because she's full.
Today she weighed 5,8 kilos. A good result, but it's taking to long for her to lose weight. My parents feed our cats at the same time and don't care if she eats from our other cat's food. Not good, but still, she's losing weight and that's the most important!
Hooray for Pluche!

Quote from the vet: "She looks very good for the age of 18 and she's doing very well!"
Effort pays off!

Last tips for your favourite pet:

• Give them dry pet food, not canned food. It's better for their teeth. Eating dry food is like brushing teeth for them.
• A bag of 'Premium Food' at the supermarket doesn't mean it's a balanced nutrition. Go to your vet or specialised pet store for more information.
  Some special ranges of pet food are only available at the vet.