After almost 4 weeks in the interior enclosure the kats are out and about again!
The best news for today is that Swingkat has obviously made it! Apart from a shaved patch close to his right front leg, he looks completely the same as ever before.
I was so happy, when he was the first to greet me from behind the hedge with his characteristic grunting noises. He came up happily to get his treats while dangling from my hand.
Möfzi looked a bit depressed, but her mood brightened up in the course of time and after she received some small treats, too. She has lost the ultimate tip of her tail and her walk has become slightly strange due to her bent front paw.
The youngsters were having a great time, digging and playing and they have grown!
So this is the news for today in short version.
Here comes the latest video featuring Swingkat!
31/03/2009
18/03/2009
Swingkat is not well at all!
Unfortunately Swingkat is not well at all.
The kats have spent more than two weeks in their inside enclosure.
After last week's examination Swingkat stopped eating properly and looks very groggy and apathetic.
Yesterday I talked briefly with one of the keepers and she told me that the antibiotic did not work out, and his heart is very enlarged.
She was on the way to pick him up from the clinic. They had his lung checked endoscopically, but she did not have any results yet.
Later today I will visit the kats and hopefully they will be outside now. The weather is so fine and warm and Swingkat needs fresh air more than anything else.
Light a candle for our little beloved Swingkat!
The kats have spent more than two weeks in their inside enclosure.
After last week's examination Swingkat stopped eating properly and looks very groggy and apathetic.
Yesterday I talked briefly with one of the keepers and she told me that the antibiotic did not work out, and his heart is very enlarged.
She was on the way to pick him up from the clinic. They had his lung checked endoscopically, but she did not have any results yet.
Later today I will visit the kats and hopefully they will be outside now. The weather is so fine and warm and Swingkat needs fresh air more than anything else.
Light a candle for our little beloved Swingkat!
08/03/2009
Swingkat has made it, kats will probably be out again tomorrow
We paid a brief visit to the kats yesterday.
They are still inside, but Swingkat is almost OK again.
He will have to see the vet tomorrow for a final examination.
They had also taken a feces sample, but the result is not in yet.
The kats were very frantic yesterday, as the sun came out and they could not get outside. They were running around, scratching and sniffing every crevice.
Sayuri in particular was very mad, she ran in circles on the stone under the heat lamp and bumped into the window several times.
I hope they will be let out tomorrow, they have been inside for nearly one week now. There was also some aggression between Orlok and Möfzi who backed down.
She looked a bit thin to me and is holding her injured paw at a strange angle. But she made eye-contact with us yesterday and you could see that she would have loved to come outside and see, if we brought a little something for her.
The weather forecast for the next days is not very favourable, so I guess it will be some days before I can visit again.
They are still inside, but Swingkat is almost OK again.
He will have to see the vet tomorrow for a final examination.
They had also taken a feces sample, but the result is not in yet.
The kats were very frantic yesterday, as the sun came out and they could not get outside. They were running around, scratching and sniffing every crevice.
Sayuri in particular was very mad, she ran in circles on the stone under the heat lamp and bumped into the window several times.
I hope they will be let out tomorrow, they have been inside for nearly one week now. There was also some aggression between Orlok and Möfzi who backed down.
She looked a bit thin to me and is holding her injured paw at a strange angle. But she made eye-contact with us yesterday and you could see that she would have loved to come outside and see, if we brought a little something for her.
The weather forecast for the next days is not very favourable, so I guess it will be some days before I can visit again.
04/03/2009
Sick bay report: Swingkat has pneumonia
As today was another mild day, I decided to visit the kats.
When I arrived, the lamps outside were off and no kats to be seen. As one of the keepers was around on the other side of the enlcosure, where you can also look into their house, I changed to the other side.
The kats had just been fed, but they were inside. The keeper then told me that Swingkat was very ill.
They found him on Monday lying around apathically, breathing heavily. He was taken to the vet at once and diagnosed with pneumonia.
He is on antibiotics and has to be inside to keep warm. I only had some brief glimpses of Swingkat, when he came to the front of the inside enclosure. He does not look bad, but you can see his laboured breathing.
The mob was in a turmoil with everybody running around and back and forth. The kats HATE being inside, but at the moment there is no other possibilty.
Removing Swingkat from the group would mean that he may not be re-integrated and would have to spend a miserable, lonely life or be given away to another zoo or park, as the Mundenhof does not have the facilities for "surplus" animals.
So this means having to spent the next days indoors. I hope the situation will not lead to new trobule with the general situation being so well again these last weeks.
Weather and time permitting, I will visit the mext days and keep you updated.
When I arrived, the lamps outside were off and no kats to be seen. As one of the keepers was around on the other side of the enlcosure, where you can also look into their house, I changed to the other side.
The kats had just been fed, but they were inside. The keeper then told me that Swingkat was very ill.
They found him on Monday lying around apathically, breathing heavily. He was taken to the vet at once and diagnosed with pneumonia.
He is on antibiotics and has to be inside to keep warm. I only had some brief glimpses of Swingkat, when he came to the front of the inside enclosure. He does not look bad, but you can see his laboured breathing.
The mob was in a turmoil with everybody running around and back and forth. The kats HATE being inside, but at the moment there is no other possibilty.
Removing Swingkat from the group would mean that he may not be re-integrated and would have to spend a miserable, lonely life or be given away to another zoo or park, as the Mundenhof does not have the facilities for "surplus" animals.
So this means having to spent the next days indoors. I hope the situation will not lead to new trobule with the general situation being so well again these last weeks.
Weather and time permitting, I will visit the mext days and keep you updated.
01/03/2009
Spring has sprung and Sayuri takes a fall
Yesterday we had a very warm and sunny day with around 20 ° C. We walked out to visit the kats.
With such wonderfully warm weather the animal park was packed with visitors and the kats received some treats from visitors of the enclosure.
Some of them would not feed junk to their pets at home, but they give it to the kats. Shortly before feeding time the kats will beg insistently, if there is someone eating close to their enclosure.
So, this is the downside of those longer and warmer days, particularly on weekends.
But despite this illicit feeding and begging, the kats were pretty much happy yesterday.
We are not sure yet, but Flat-Ears is showing SOME interest in Möfzi. She is quite well, but has lost some weight. Her tail is still bald on the upside, but the bald patches are receding somewhat. I wonder what will happen to her tailtip, as the bone (I guess it`s the bone) is still sticking out.
There is no more mobbing, hissing and biting, Möfzi looked a little bit more groomed than at the last visits. She even had a short grooming session with Flat-Ears, which soon enough ended with Flat-Ears rubbing his chin on Möfzi which she didn`t like and told him by chattering at him loudly.
The youngsters were very alert as there is a population of storks nearby, which will often circle above the enclosure in spring.
Caruso and Sayuri had a very close look at one of the storks flying over.
Sayuri was swaying and staggering a lot yesterday, probably due to lack of exercise in the last months. She and Caurso were sitting on a tree trunk looking up with Sayuri losing balance and toppling over twice.
Lateron though Sayuri was on sentry duty on the big lookout hill sitting up porperly and looking around.
With such wonderfully warm weather the animal park was packed with visitors and the kats received some treats from visitors of the enclosure.
I am very worried about the youngsters' dental health. They like sweets and all kinds of junk food being thrown inside, just as they learned from the adults.
The problem are not so much children, but rather adults throwing in all kinds of stuff and they are supposed to know better.
Some of them would not feed junk to their pets at home, but they give it to the kats. Shortly before feeding time the kats will beg insistently, if there is someone eating close to their enclosure.
So, this is the downside of those longer and warmer days, particularly on weekends.
But despite this illicit feeding and begging, the kats were pretty much happy yesterday.
We are not sure yet, but Flat-Ears is showing SOME interest in Möfzi. She is quite well, but has lost some weight. Her tail is still bald on the upside, but the bald patches are receding somewhat. I wonder what will happen to her tailtip, as the bone (I guess it`s the bone) is still sticking out.
There is no more mobbing, hissing and biting, Möfzi looked a little bit more groomed than at the last visits. She even had a short grooming session with Flat-Ears, which soon enough ended with Flat-Ears rubbing his chin on Möfzi which she didn`t like and told him by chattering at him loudly.
The youngsters were very alert as there is a population of storks nearby, which will often circle above the enclosure in spring.
Caruso and Sayuri had a very close look at one of the storks flying over.
Sayuri was swaying and staggering a lot yesterday, probably due to lack of exercise in the last months. She and Caurso were sitting on a tree trunk looking up with Sayuri losing balance and toppling over twice.
Lateron though Sayuri was on sentry duty on the big lookout hill sitting up porperly and looking around.
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