For the non British readers, bubble and squeak is a famous English dish which is made of left over potatoes and vegetables which are mashed together and then fried until crispy on the outside.
It is usually eaten with cold meat and is traditionally eaten on Boxing Day with the left over turkey. I introduced it to my Dominican family and they love it and it has become one of our staples with a fried egg on top - makes a change from plantains and rice!
Anyway I digress. So we have these male cats called Bubble and Squeak and they have not been neutered. I know I should get them fixed but the vet here is not very good and I am not convinced he will do the job properly, or that they will come out of it alive. He has a nasty habit of taking animals in for operations then telling you they have died, whereas he has actually sold them. Hence Bubble and Squeak still they have all that they were born with so as to speak.
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| Bubble with his 'equipment' intact after a night on the tiles |
Lala my neighbour stopped me this morning and said that they dance on her zinc roof every night. They go and meet her female cat on the roof in the middle of the night and apparently the three of them dance. At least that's what she said they do. I laughed and said "cats on a hot tin roof" and she looked at me as if I had lost the plot so I assume that doesn't translate well into Spanish - los gatos encima d'un techo de zinc caliente? She said they keep her awake with all the noise they make. So I have no idea what to do about it as cats with their equipment intact do tend to go out and play at night - maybe that is where the saying "A night on the tiles comes from," although here it is a "night on the zinc". Any ideas?
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| My neighbours' roofs |
Neutering a male cat is a very simple process. I have seen it done several times where the vet comes out and puts him in a stove pipe, gives a local anaesthetic, and cuts with a sterilized scalpel. Wound seal powder was on hand but never necessary.
ReplyDeleteBanding is an alternative to surgery, but its pretty inhumane.
Both sound quite barbaric and I've never been brave enough to ask that vet to neuter my cats, but any time I have taken a Tom into the clinic for proper neutering, it never takes more than a couple of hours. If you have the time and aren't queasy, perhaps you could ask the vet to be present during surgery? This might eliminate your cats "dying" during the process.
I'm not sure if the vet would allow that but I don't know what else you could do.
I think you are right I should stay with the cat and just not look or I would end up passing out! Interesting idea re stove pipe - not sure I fancy that at all.
DeleteHope your neighbours female cat is neutered, otherwise there´s a possibility of hundreds of kittens in the future. Goodness, a vet that sells the animals and pretends they die? How awful, that the owners would lose their precious animals like that!
ReplyDeleteI have 5 cats, the 2 mothers "adopted" me and they were both pregnant as obviously the previous owner hadn´t done his duty, and 6 weeks after the birth all 5 of them were neutered, so no more kittens! Never eaten bubble and squeak before, must try that.
Enjoy your bubble and squeak. It is delicious especially with pickles as well and cold ham or turkey. I adore cats - have ten at the moment which is a few too many. Very few animals are neutered here and the neighbour's cat isn't either but the neighbour wants more kittens so she is not too upset with me. Just wants my cats to stop dancing on her roof!
DeleteThere's a hotel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, 'Rooms on the Beach' where the cats are notorious for yelling all night - the call of the wild I call it. Can be very alarming and unsettling! sounds like a baby crying at times. Was there a couple of months ago and couldn't sleep. Hope Bubble and Squeak are a bit more discreet in their dancing!
ReplyDeleteno they scream like babies too and is horrid. Mind you I think is the female screaming rather than them, Male cats have barbed penises which hurts the female but causes them to ovulate apparently -hence the screaming!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your blog and all the experiences you have. However, I am troubled by this subject. I am a volunteer with Animal Balance, a group that works to reduce pet overpopulation on islands. It is very apparent that many pet owners in developing countries have not been educated in the proper care of their animals, which is why in addition to supplying communities with free sterilizations, we also try to teach people proper care of pets. I think as an well educated woman, you should be an example of responsible pet ownership rather than adding to the problem. The AB group is returning to the northeast coast of DR in September of this year and you can bring your cats to the free clinic. We have great vets from all over the world that work with us. Check out the website at Animal Balance.net . If the clinic is not in your area, send a message to AB and maybe they can have a clinic there in the future!
ReplyDeleteYou are totally right, and all of my other cats are neutered I am just a little concerned about this vet. I will certainly check out the website and my next post in the A-Z series is about this very issue.
DeleteWhat pretty cats. They have very fine features.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe about your vet going around selling his client's animals. That's dreadful. I quite understand your reluctance to send your cats his way.
I don't think there's anything you can do to stop him dancing. It's up to the lady who's roof they use to scare them off. They'll soon find somewhere else I'm sure.
And now I'm hankering after bubble and squeak but we don't often have leftovers, not with my growing kids round the table! And eldest son gets home from Uni today - he'll keep the fridge empty for the rest of the summer!
Having written this piece I had to have bubble and squeak that night! There are no sprouts here though and it is not the same without them!
DeleteIt is good to hear about groups like the above mentioned Animal Balance. Of all the wonderful and not so wonderful things I find on my frequent trips to SD...I find the overall state of cats and dogs heartbreaking. So many other more pressing matters in need of remedy or help first for sure. I suppose I feel this way as I have not seen much extreme human poverty close up given the circles I move in while in Villa Mella.
ReplyDeleteSo my heartbreak happens when seeing the many injured and very malnourished pets around the capitol.
On a lighter note, my dominican wife has shown me many indications that she is a person capable of great compromise, flexibility, empathy and open mindedness. And we talk often how these traits will be crucial when she comes to Boston for the first time as we both know the adjustment will make my adaptation experiences in the Dominican barrio seem like childs play. That said she has put her foot down....there will be no dogs in our house....ever! Now perhaps she just dislikes dogs. But I also wonder if it is because often dogs live in the streets they are often dirty...etc and not allowed in. And dogs are just never touched in the barrio afterall. I know when I describe the joy of curling up with a "lapdog" (mine were actually 40 lb ish in boston), she thinks this sounds horrid.
The reverse are our views of cats whom I generally like less than dogs....In villa mella a couple street or neighbors cats wander in off the streets regularly and scrounge for food, whine and beg while we eat, and even poke around in the trash...this drives me nuts!! My bride thinks this is fine as they are just looking for dinner. Different strokes....but funny as I am at once so concerned about pets....yet squirmy about how they get their dinner. Well naturally the fix here is putting some pollo leftover bones out in the street for the kitties.... But please no eating in the house.
My husband and stepchildren won't touch the dogs either, and if they do they have to wash their hands immediately. Dogs aren't allowed in the house either. I think they are seen more as guard dogs than pets really. The cats on the other hand are allowed in the house and even on the bed. Most odd = but the same experience as you.
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