And then it snowed

I am a grouch and firmly convinced that the place for snow is on the top of mountains and on Christmas cards.

This weather improves my humour not at all!!!!!

The cats are going stir crazy - they refuse to parade outside in that wet, white stuff and are ,consequently, getting on one another's nerves.

Jags is recovering from his surgery and is remarkably chipper for a boy who was at death's door last week.

He has adopted our latest family member and it is so sweet to see this big lad and such a tiny girl curled up together.

The arrival of Tilly has put the cat amongst the pigeons (almost literally) but she has too good an outcross pedigree to miss. I didn't intend to bring in any more babies, at least for the time being, but she will be another girl for Bill late next year (all being well).

And it came to pass!!!!!!

1. That I finally got my computer back up and running after several weeks.
2. The kittens have all gone to their new homes and are settling well.
3. I made the hard decision to re-home 2 of the girls , for their own wellbeing.
4. Derek has recovered from his surgery and is now back at work- after 7 long weeks at home.
5. I am no closer to being ready for Christmas than I was 6 weeks ago.
6. My lovely Jags has been seriously ill but now is, hopefully, on the mend after a complicated operation.
7. We have a new member of our cat household - more about her at a later date.
8. I am finally catching up with all the things I haven't been able to do whilst offline.

Todays news

Well yesterday's news really- but I didn't have time to write yesterday.
I had an email to tell me that Diva is firmly ensconced in her new home and that they all love her to bits.
Thank goodness for that.
The first few days, after a kitten leaves here, are a constant worry for me. I always worry in case they don't settle and don't bond with their new family.
Mimi and Claudia are both in full call- lovely (not)!!!!!!
Claudia is peeing on anything that doesn't move out of the way fast enough and Mimi has a voice like a fingernail down a blackboard.
Birdie (the one girl I want to get mated up) has decided that she's never having sex again and has firmly velcroed her nether regions to the carpet.
Poor old Bill is going through a bit of a lean patch , girl wise. Not that he seems over bothered, bless him, as long as when we visit we bring food.
We had someone visit yesterday to view the 2 remaining boys - not sure what she thought of them but I'm sure we'll hear one way or the other.

Mixed feelings

Today has been a very strange day. I have been very busy and got off to a very early start.
We have had 2 sets of kitten visitors- one to look at one of Mimi's boys and the other to see if Diva might fit into their home.
Diva was on top form and won everyone over straight away- so she has gone to live with Sam and her family.
I am so pleased that she's got a lovely and loving home to go to, but I shall miss her dreadfully.
She really is the sweetest little girl and I just wish I had more room (and money) and could keep everything that takes my fancy.
Mimi's boys played to the gallery- the wall of death has nothing on my lounge when they are let out. The girls are, in general, slightly better behaved ;0)))
I should know in the next couple of days if Louis has new slaves, which will just leave Richard to find a lap for. These kittens are gorgeous- so I might just have to bite my lip and let Mrs Moany have another litter.

Over the first hurdle

The babies have had their 1st vaccinations and have been vet checked - they passed with flying colours.

To add insult to injury I have just wormed them - they weren't very impressed.

Tomorrow we have the first visits from new kitten owners. I just hope that the 2 boys (pictured) who haven't found new slaves yet don't feel too left out.

Bill has been given a clean bill of health- he gave me a nasty scare and had a bad reaction to the leukemia jab. Of course I don't over react - I spent 3 days in floods of tears afraid that he had sarcoma and that I would lose him.

We have a busy weekend ahead as Bill will be "entertaining" a lady friend and Derek will be recovering from a "wee op" and making the most of his convalescence.

I, on the other hand, will be doing my impersonation of a blue a***d fly !!!!!!!!!!

Kitten enquiries

I am so tired of emails from people who have no intention of having a kitten from us!!!!
I am also sick to the back teeth of those who email me about each litter- they obviously don't expect me to remember their email address from previous enquiries.
Is this the computer age version of window shopping?
I would have thought that there were enough web sites out there to satisfy their cravings for kitten pictures, without the need to waste my time making enquiries about kittens they have no intention of buying.
The fastest way to see if they are serious or not seems to be to suggest they phone for a chat - that seems to sort the wheat from the chaff.
It would seem that I just have an apricot boy and a red boy available for sale. Two of the girls are being held on option for breeder friends of mine (depending on vet checks etc). They may become available later on, if they prove not to be suitable for showing or breeding.
I just love this litter, they are a joyful bunch and a source of endless amusement (unlike their aggy bag of a mother).
As much as I love this breeding lark I must admit that I'm looking forward to a few weeks as a kitten free zone.

How time flies

The babies will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and they really are the most delightful bunch - which is more than can be said for their Mum!!!!

She produces the most beautiful babies and still manages to be a total pain in the butt. The jury is still out on her fate- shall I let her have another litter or neuter her? Of course I might just succumb to the impulse to throttle her (only joking)!

They are such a handsome lot and I am soooooo tempted to keep a couple of them - but I really haven't the room. Still they're only little and what's one more mouth to feed?

Our lovely vet, Jane, has offered to come and vaccinate them at home- probably saves them rampaging and wrecking the surgery and means that my knucles won't be dragging on the floor lugging that lot about.

They are at the point where my food bill goes through the roof - they eat and pooh for England. My day is spent feeding, washing up and cleaning out litter trays. The man who invents edible cat litter, and cuts out one whole section of that process, will make a fortune.

Claudia has regained her supermodel figure and is VERY keen to give motherhood another try.
I pointed out to her, quite reasonably I thought, that she still has 2 daughter living at home and that her other children have only just left the nest but SHE NEEDS A MAN !!!!!!!!!

I told her that it's not her turn yet but she's insisting that queue jumping, where she comes from, is quite acceptable. I'm not sure that Birdie agrees, as it's her turn next.

I am off to invest in earplugs - may have to bulk buy and hand them out to the neighbours :0))))

The poor and downtrodden

Yes I am talking about me. This last week or so has just been one thing after another - OH POOR ME!!!!!!!!
The car decided to stop working- so off to the garage it was eventually towed. Then one of the cats decided to puke all over the place- so off to the vets she was towed. Then the kittens needed vaccinating- so back to the vets we went and I paid the bill- SOB SOB!!!
The outside tap sprang a leak on the same day as the car insurance demand dropped on the doormat. I can't believe how much it cost for the plumber to do a job that took 6 minutes.
On Friday- to add insult to injury- the cooker stopped working and blew the electric fuses in the process. I was half way through cooking a pizza- so we had underdone and lukewarm pizza for tea (very appetising). The upshot being that on Saturday I had to buy a new cooker EEEEKKKK!!!!!
The upside to this tale of woe is that the babies are lovely- they are allowed out to rampage around the lounge and wreck things. I can't believe that they are due their 1st vaccinations in less than 2 weeks time.

Leaving home

Today my not so little man is off to join his new family - I have mixed feelings every time this happens. I love how much new families are looking forward to their new addition, but I am sad to see the babies go.

Having said that, my sadness is tinged with relief that they have found loving new homes.

Lily is off next week and that means that I just have a home to find for Diva as Rosie is staying here with us.

It's sheer indulgence to keep another kitten but she's such a sweetie and a cinnamon to boot- so what could I do? ;0)))))

Mimi's babies are now 5 weeks old and I have had to buy them a playpen. The large kittening pen is fine for sleeping in , but no use in the daytime.

I have confirmed something I have suspected for a long time - I have absolutely no spacial sense.

Given measurements I am completely unable to develop a mental picture of how big something will be.

I ordered the kitten playpen and it is ENORMOUS - still it means they have plenty of room to rampage safely, even if we do have to sit with our knees up under our chins whilst watching the TV.

Musical chairs

The last of Phoebe's boys has left for his new home :0)))
This means that Claudia and Phoebe are becoming reacquainted and, hopefully, Claudia's mob can relocate to the conservatory.
This will leave the lounge free for Mimi's babies to invade.
Then my bedroom will be a cat free zone again.
I am in the middle of 2 hrly topping up of Mimi's babies, as she is struggling to keep up with the demand for milk.
The lads are little pigs and the girls tend to get left a bit behind- so I am intervening and , so far, we are on track.
There is something so endearing about the little faces turning up to you, like flowers to the sun, and something hysterically funny about a tiny kitten huffing at you threateningly. I can't help but pick them up and give them a kiss.
Next step will be the dreaded weaning - more food walked over the bedding than eaten.
Ho hum, yet more washing.

Baby news

I have to take back all I said about Mimi- she has seen the light and turned into the worlds best mummy.

The babies have been relocated to the fitted wardrobe and the wooden kittening box and Mimi has become very houseproud.

Her babies and her home are spotlessly clean :0))))

I now know that we have 3 girls and 4 boys and they are doing well (fingers crossed that they continue to do so).

Claudia's bunch survived the dreaded first vaccination and vet check- now for worming !!!!

Our one remaining Phoebe boy is still without a home of his own- poor little chap.

Fingers (and everything else) crossed that someone comes along for him soon.

Kitten news

Mimi and Bill became the proud parents of 7 babies on Sunday 15th August.

Mimi is, as ever, a total nightmare as a mum. She doesn't believe in cleaning up after her offspring so I have to keep a watchful eye on her. She is liable to wrap her babies up in a dirty blanket and stuff them in a corner of the kittening box. I think she feels she needs a nanny to take care of the day to day running of the nursery - and I've been elected, Oh Lucky Lucky Me.

As you may now have guessed I'm not too brilliant at sexing the little blighters, but I think we have 4 boys and 3 girls. That is of course subject to change , probably several times over the coming weeks, and we may end up with the same numbers but not necessarily the same kittens.

Leaving home

Rosie

Lily

Diva

Ludwig

Well 4 of Phoebe's boys have found new homes, so far. The two blues and the 2 siamese have gone off to pastures new. Leaving me with the 2 caramel lads, who delight in confusing me ,as they look so alike.

Claudia's babies are recovering from upset tummies - a result of the hot weather, I think.

Rosie, one of the cinnamon solids, is staying here with us. The tabby boy, now called Ludwig, has a new home waiting for him. The other cinnamon solid is to be called Lily and is going off to be e breeding queen. That just leaves little Diva, who doesn't have a home yet- but it's early days :0))))

Our new arrivals are expected in the next few days and I will post more about that later.

Ooops

I have been slacking in the worst possible way :0(((((
Having 2 litters at the same time is so time consuming.
Phoebe's boys are complete hooligans and spend most of their time wrecking the lounge, eating and sleeping- with time off, of course, for throwing cat litter all over the floor just after I've swept up.
Claudia's babies are growing a pace and into eating "real" food- none of this kitten crap.
I'm sure they are spring loaded, as they exit the kitten pen as if fired from a cannon.
Claudia, poor girl, doesn't know who to chase first.
I have put myself into hock, yet again, to have roof blinds fitted in the conservatory - so the cats don't get too hot !!!!!!!!
Bill has been "entertaining" a lady friend - so now we have the 3 week wait to see if the wining and dining will be productive or not.
Glad it's not one of my girls this time ;0)))

Kittens, kittens, kittens

I know it's all self inflicted and I have no one to blame but myself BUT - My life consists of feeding, washing up and cleaning litter trays.
I swear they all form an orderly queue and wait until I've cleaned a litter box out and then use it.
Phoebe's boys had their first vaccinations yesterday and Jane, one of our vets, gave them a thorough going over. They passed with flying colours. We have to go through the whole palaver again in three weeks time - by then I'll need a hoist to be able to pick them all up at the same time.
I've booked Phoebe in to be neutered- she's done her bit, bless her. Then she can just be Auntie to any kittens we have (bet she's really thrilled about that).
Claudia's mob are stunning and, it would appear that , I have a blonde cinnamon girl in her litter.
These are very hard to come by- so she is a "keeper"- but I still love the little tabby girl too- so she may be a "keeper" as well SHHHH !!!!!!!!
In fact I'd like the whole litter to stay - just need to win the lottery, move to a bigger house and give up work. Not much to ask for really.
I seriously need to take some more pictures but kittens aren't, by nature, terribly co operative and I have some wonderful shots of tails and bums and the occasional large eye as they walk towards the camera instead of sitting still and posing nicely. How on earth do they expect anyone to fall in love with them if all I've got is out of focus portraits ?

TGIF

What a week !!!!

The big babies are on the rampage and constantly under foot and the little ones are fat slugs (as you can see from the photo).

Phoebe looks like a bad case of neglect - I hate this point in kitten rearing, when mum is reduced to skin and bone.

Having said that Maisie has been renamed Hoover - she is a complete porker- due to the fact that she will eat anything no one else wants. Trouble is she assumes it's finished with - often before it is.

My next door neighbour decided to have a major rant about Bill being noisy - notice she didn't say anything about the bl***y seagulls that she encourages into her garden.

He's actually getting better about not shouting every time he sees or hears us - so I felt quite smug, until Birdie decided to start calling at the top of her voice.

Fortunately we have a funfair up on the green, at the top of the road, this weekend- so it drowns out some of the racket.

Bill has his first "outside" girl in to stud - a very pretty chocolate point siamese. She is in the queens quarters and seems distinctly unimpressed with his chat up line so far.

Let's hope the morning will bring a change of heart - or his reputation (somewhat fragile), as a superstud, is going to take a bit of a battering.

New arrivals

I'm aware of the fact that I've been slacking- but in my defence it's been manic here.

Phoebe's mob are rampaging around the lounge and generally getting under foot.

Meanwhile the lovely Claudia and handsome Bill have become parents.

Claudia gave birth in the wee small hours of Sunday the 13th June to 4 beautiful babies.

She is proving to be a really good and attentive mum and the babies are bonny little things.

So the wardrobe is occupied again.

I know that I have 2 tabbies and 2 solid colours in this litter and 2 cinnamon and 2 fawn- but the sex change fairy is visiting daily- so don't ask what sex they are.

Phoebe's bunch are 6 weeks old today and Claudia's a week old- so give it a couple of weeks and it'll be bedlam. Meanwhile I'm going to try and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Sleep deprivation

I am suffering from "catlag"- similar to jetlag but without the need to travel.
The kittens have finally been ousted from the wardrobe and are now residing in the lounge - peaceful nights?
No such luck.
Claudia has decided that the one place in the whole wide world she'd like to sleep is in the middle of our bed.
Buying a King size bed seemed like a smart move at the time but I am still sleeping on a 4 inch strip of the edge of the matress whilst madam lounges across the middle in comfort and luxury.
I am definitely doing something wrong.
I wouldn't mind but she throws out heat like a small furnace and, combined with my hot flushes, the bedroom has turned into a sauna.
I probably would have welcomed her company in the midst of winter but, in the current warm weather, it's just too much to cope with.
Bill has taken to lounging in his climber in the outside run and airing his manly bits - it's enough to put you right off your dinner. His coat is turning a really weird colour as it fades in patches.
One of the down sides to the cinnamon clan is this tendency to colour change in sunlight. Just as well I haven't got him booked in for any shows at the moment.
Some helpful soul (who shall remain nameless) suggested that I should keep him in the dark so that he doesn't fade. Poor lad, as though life isn't tough enough for him.

Up with the lark

My morning started at about 5am when the lovely Phoebe decided to re-locate her babies .
There was obviously a "clear and present danger" in the bottom of my wardrobe that necessitated the prompt removal of 6 fat offspring to a "place of safety" - namely down the back of the kittening box in the 6 inch gap between the box and the back of the wardrobe.
How on earth the daft bat thought she was going to get down there to feed them I don't know.
At 6.30 we reached a compromise and she decided that the next best place for them was the other kitten box in the fitted wardrobe on the other side of the bedroom.
So off she trundled with a kitten in her mouth, dumped it in the box, gave it a quick feed to settle it and back for another.
So far so good- after doing this 4 times she lost the will to live and just dumped the remaining 2 babies on the rug at the foot of our bed and looked at me as if to say "Well, what are you sitting there for? Do something useful". Ever her obedient servant, I collected the remaining babies and put them with their siblings.
Not the end of the matter I'm afraid to say - I decided to clean out the kitten box she'd been inhabiting, in readiness for the next arrivals. Phoebe, who obviously can't count, had the deep suspicion that I was holding out on her and that she was missing at least one of her children. So we had a good 15 minutes of her yelling at me and scratching at the wardrobe door- just in case I'd left a baby in there by mistake.
She has now obviously counted legs and divided by four, added eyes and ears together and done the maths and realised that she has 6 babies and all is as it should be.
I wouldn't mind but in a weeks time we will have to go through the whole process again, as I move the whole family into the big pen in the lounge and start the kitten socialisation programme.
Oh happy day!!!!!!!!

Chubby bubbies

I can't believe that the babies are 10 days old already. They all have their eyes open and they have found their individual voices.

Phoebe is the most amazing mum and her little ones are spotlessly clean and content.

I'm afraid to say that the Bardsong curse has struck again and we have 6 boys !!!!!!!!!!

I suppose it saves me from myself- there's no temptation to keep one. Although , even if I do say so myself, they are particularly lovely.

Garden tales

Our garden has undergone a transformation in just over a week- from the picture on the right to the picture on the left.

John, our builder, has said that he is going to miss the cat chorus greeting in the morning and especially Bill's helpful comments during the day.

We had to move Bill out of his house for the first few days to allow John to dig out the old lawn and lay the foundations for the new patio.

Bill moved into the cat house and run closer to the bungalow - there was a bit of strutting and chest puffing for a while, but I think he quite enjoyed "chewing the fat" with Jags and Raffles.

I got the distinct impression that returning to his own pad was a bit of a relief though.

Now, when it rains, I won't have to trek through acres of mud to get to his house and we will have somewhere to sit in the garden that doesn't entail a balancing act and the risk of a sprained ankle.

News at last

Having had no computer for nearly 2 weeks I feel as if I've been really slacking.

A lot has happened in that time- the most important thing being that Phoebe has produced 6 beautiful babies. They arrived over the course of 6 hours on Monday 10th May and, as per usual, Phoebe is proving to be a devoted mother.

She and the babies have taken up residence in the bottom of the wardrobe in my bedroom - until such times as she decides they need a change of venue that is.

I have no idea what sex they are - but I do know that we have 2 blues, 2 caramels and 2 siamese.

She is such a clever girl.

Photos will be updated regularly on the website (computer functions permitting of course).

Hormones riotin'

Claudia has a spring in her step and the wind in her tail. Phoebe is just a black bag full of pregnancy hormones. Mix the two together and it's a recipe for "fun and frolicks" - not.
Claudia wants to play and Phoebe (who resembles a small black elephant) would like to do her serious bodily harm, but isn't quite as fast as usual.
I suppose a size zero super model is likely to get on your nerves a bit when you resemble a beached whale - especially when she sashays past you muttering, whatever the dutch equivalent of ,"fat lump" is under her breath.
Poor Maisie is going through the human equivalent of the menopause, after her spay, and has had a nasty post op infection to boot. So this pair of hysterical females is best observed from the top of the book case and a safe distance kept, just in case she's the recipient of a sharp slap intended for someone else.
I, on the other hand, am recovering from Claudia deciding to use my bed as a litter tray - guess who's banned from the bedroom ?

Peace perfect peace

I wish!!!!!!
The babies have left home and are, apparently, well settled in with their new families.
You'd think that we would have a quiet and harmonious household - WRONG.
Mimi and Birdie are taking it in turns to call up the garden to Bill. He has decided to go, conveniently, deaf. Their dulcet tones obviously don't float his boat.
Phoebe, normally the most equitable girl, has decided that the time has come to assert herself and is pushing Maisie and Claudia around.
Maisie is having none of it - being spayed has brought out her feisty side (hitherto unseen), and she is retaliating, albeit a little apologetically.
Claudia has discovered that the safest place to be is either on a lap, in the kitten pen, or on the top of the wardrobe.
Phoebe only has 3 weeks to go before her babies are due so her turn of speed is somewhat impaired- probably a good thing in the circumstances. The sight of this enormous, fat, black cat bearing down with evil intent is enough to strike fear into the stoutest of hearts.
I'm putting her current ill temper down to hormones- after all it's an excuse that's served me well in the past.

Packing bags

Tomorrow the first 2 of the babies leave home , followed by the other 2 on Sunday.
This morning I have been making sure their paper work is in order and packing their bags with toys, blankets and sundry goodies.
I have activated their insurance policies and I don't think I've forgotten anything- but only time will tell.
I hate this bit - although I'm pleased to see them go off and make other people happy, I do get very attached and will probably embarrass myself by shedding a few tears.
They are, of course, oblivious to what the future holds.
I spend an anxious first week waiting for a phone call or email to tell me how they are settling in.
It's like sending your children off to school for the first time - only worse.
I don't quite know how Maisie will respond to her children disappearing - I expect she'll be throwing a party on Sunday night and enjoying a well earned lie in on Monday morning.

What the heck !!!!!!!!!

Talk about spring has sprung. No sooner did the weather warm up than the girls started to call.
Maisie started it and got shuttled off to the vets and neutered for her pains.
Birdie followed close behind and is at the tail end of her yodelling - no peace for the wicked though. Both Mimi and Claudia have decided to come into call at the same time.
Claudia has been trying to tunnel out under the office door all afternoon, loudly declaring her need for a lover. For such a beautiful and dainty looking girl she has a remarkably strident voice.
Mimi, on the other hand, announced her need of a MAN by screaming from her perch at the top of the cat run fence . Nothing subtle about that girl at all.
We are off out tomorrow to buy ear plugs for the neighbours - I wonder if I can get a discount for buying in bulk.
The OH suggested that we just open the big cat run up and let the girls take turns with Bill - only a man could think that was a good idea.
What's the betting that when we have no kittens here, or expected, then no one will want to know?

Easter Monday blues

Well the eggs have been eaten and all that's left are the wrappers.
Just as well the cats don't like chocolate or there'd be a huge fight going on.
No one in their right mind gets between me and a decent bar of chocolate.
The babies are off for their 2nd vaccinations in the morning and Mummy Maisie is going to be spayed.
So no food and water to be left down over night - I won't be the worlds most popular person tomorrow.
The lovely Claudia apparently doesn't admire my taste in art as she removed most of the paintings from the office walls last night. Perhaps she sees a future for herself in interior design.
I am now off to bed and hoping that ,tonight, Claudia doesn't take it upon herself to rearrange the furniture.
All being well the weekend will bring a mass exodus of kittens, giving us just enough time for a thorough clean up before the next arrivals.

Easter eggs and other such stuff

Just when I thought spring had sprung, and I was all ready to unearth my light weight clothing from the depths of the wardrobe, it's turned cold and nasty again.
Thank goodness that last weekend was warm and almost windless - a trip on the ferry for 7 hours is bad enough without it blowing a hooley as well.
We have just arranged to have some fairly major work done to the garden - which will probably mean selling the cats into slavery to pay for it and hefty doses of tranquillisers for human and feline alike.
Claudia has just discovered the delights of carrot cake - so I don't think that I'll be going anywhere near her litter tray for the next couple of days (hubbies job this weekend).
The babies are off for their 2nd vaccinations on Tuesday and their Mum, Maisie, is going to be neutered at the same time.
Just hope that when my vet gets round to building the extension to the surgery that he names it after me- after all I must have pretty much paid for it.
Last night I nearly burned the house down - flambe-ing steak in a brandy sauce should carry a government health warning and, should I ever be so stupid as to try it again I'll have the firebrigade on speed dial.
However- the meat tasted wonderful and so did the sauce and I don't think that the singed hair and eyebrows notice too much.

At long last

After an incredibly long wait, and a long and quite stressful weekend, I am delighted to say that my new girl is safely home.

Claudia has come to us from the Fearbhail cattery in Holland and it has taken 11 long months to get her over here.

She is a cinnamon classic tabby oriental and will, hopefully, inject some new genes into the cinnamon lines in this country.

My good friend Lisa and I took the overnight ferry from Harwich on Friday night.

We then drove from The Hook of Holland to Amsterdam, following Dave (Claudia's breeders husband).

We had a lovely day with Maaike and Dave , who took us sightseeing, and then packed Claudia and her half brother Rocky (who is going to live with Lisa) into the van and set off to catch the overnight ferry back to the UK.

We managed to get ourselves lost and made it to the ferry by the skin of our teeth.

Claudia is now getting to know Derek and me before being introduced to the rest of the hooligans.

Praying for a fair wind

I am off on my travels tomorrow, leaving the cats and kittens in the hands of my OH.
This will be a test of his skills and their collective ability to adapt to a totally different regimen from the "normal " one.
A strong aversion to all kinds of wet cat food (his, not theirs) is going to make feeding time, over the weekend, stressful.
It's always appetising to have your meal delivered accompanied by the sounds of retching and gagging.
Mind you, the cats will probably have their revenge by puking in his bedroom slippers.
It's thoughts like these that keep me going.
I'm just praying for half way reasonable weather - not too much to ask, surely.
I have to remember to leave contact telephone numbers and to put some credit on my mobile phone.
These are exciting times- but more about that next week.

10 weeks old

The babies are 10 weeks old today and are becoming a real handful. I'd quite forgotten how quickly they go from just nibbling cat food to clearing whole plates and demanding more.

They seem to be constantly hungry and my pet shop man is rubbing his hands in glee at the size of the orders I'm placing.

The lounge looks like a doss house - with the curtains tied in knots ,to stop them from climbing, and the floor covered in shreds of paper, ripped from envelopes and newspapers, that they spend hours playing football with. Poor little devils don't have any toys of course and have to make their own amusements.

I caught Maisie marking the days off on the calendar - I get the distinct impression that what little novelty there was, in having babies, has worn right off.

She has to come into the office with me for some peace and quiet but she still comes running if one of them yodels.

I don't think that she's enjoyed this experience much - so I don't feel inclined to make her do it again. Once they've all left home and she's put on a bit of weight I think she'll be off to the vets for a quick snip.

Vets and Kittens

The time I dread has arrived and the babies have been to the vets for their 1st vaccinations.
I have to admit, much to my astonishment, they all behaved very well.
They have had their ears, eyes, noses, teeth and throats looked at. Their hearts and lungs listened to and their tummies felt. They were weighed and the boys (much to their disgust and the delight of the girls) had their "bits" checked.
They all passed with flying colours - Phew!!!!!
This means that we are on the downhill slope now and they will be packing their bags and going off ,without a backward glance, in a few weeks time.
This is a cue for me to buy a large box of tissues because, as much as I pretend otherwise, I'll miss the little blighters when they've gone.
Maisie, on the other hand, will heave a big sigh of relief.

Kitten Registrations

The babies registration papers have arrived this morning and I only sent them off a week ago!!!!!

Normally there is a turn around of about 3 weeks and you're left sweating on the paperwork arriving before the babies go off to their new homes. So I sent them in early and look what happens.

Now that they've just got used to their pedigree names their new slaves have chosen their pet names - just as well there's only 4 for me to remember.

Lyra is to be called Tabitha, Iorek is now Perceus, Lee is Kai and Serafina is Tia.

Some mornings I have problems remembering my own name so what chance do I stand with this lot?

Introduction time

My name is Phoebe and I get to go first as I am the senior girl in this house.

My human slave calls me "Big Black Bag" which is alliteration at it's best but not very flattering.

I share my home with two slaves (human), 3 other girls (one of them my daughter)and 2 neutered boys. Then, of course , there is the big redhaired dollop that lives up the end of the garden (but he hardly rates a mention).

I get to chose where,when and with whom I sleep and my preference is in the middle of the slaves bed where I can lay stretched out like a bolster and stop them both from moving.

I've been told that I am a good mum and I like babies - but only if they are mine. I'm not keen on this mob of Maisie's as they show me no respect at all. Not even a sharp smack on the head and a good hiss seems to put the little blighters off stalking me.

I wanted to tell you about the other residents in this mad house but my female slave says that I've to let them speak for themselves.

Should be good for a laugh as those boys can't string 2 words together at the best of times and they can't spell for toffee.

I intend to keep a close eye on what's written here and I fully intend to pop on, when the mood takes me, and tell the true story of what goes on here.

Spring?

We've had 2 days of beautiful sunshine and the feline family thought that it was safe to venture forth from the heated luxury that is the conservatory. Big mistake as it has gone straight back to being overcast and cold - so they are back to huddling around the radiator and trying to work out how to turn the heating up.

I managed to hack back the garden sufficiently to catch a glimpse of the back fence (which badly needs painting - any volunteers?).

It's been a strange week so far- a mixture of good and bad news. I just hope that things turn out for the best (which they have a way of doing) and I'm trying to keep my positive head on and not over react.

I need to go to the pet shop and collect the cat food order and then get out of debt at the vets before the next round of kitten vaccinations.

I knew I went out to work for a reason.

Babies are driving me crazy (not far to go really) and they are into everything.

Lyra has ambitions to be our next size zero super model and weighs in regularly- as you can see from the photo.

Wet Weekends

And yet more rain!!!!!!
No wonder the cats are going stir crazy.
Much of their day is spent sleeping in a heap on the sofa in the conservatory, interspersed with hurling insults and threats at the birds in the garden.
The birds have realised that it's all talk and that, in fact, the cats are powerless to do anything about the invasion of their private space.
It will only get worse as the weather improves (assuming of course that it does) as the summer birds will return and take up their customary positions, on the fence and in the trellis, from where they issue taunts and challenges.
The babies have discoverd a new form of exercise- leg climbing. I am now forced to wear thick, long socks and may have to invest in footballers shin pads to protect my legs from their needle sharp claws.
I suspect that this is the weekend when I will need to take the curtains down to prevent the little darlings from scaling the heights and plumbing the depths.
Every time it catches me by surprise and it's not until I nearly have a heart attack, watching a minute soul clambering to 8 feet or so off the ground, that I think to remove the temptation to indulge in extreme sports.
I have to say that it's much the same emotion as when my son (then aged about 8) informed me that he was going to cub camp where they would be abseiling down a cliff face. EEEKK !!!!!!

Not so macho

Phoebe is rapidly becoming a fan of the Rolling Stones and has been heard humming "Satisfaction" (as in - I can't get no) under her breath.

She has finally decided to un-velcro her nether regions from the floor and stop calling Bill names.

Unfortunately Billy's manly sensibilities have been wounded and , fragile little flower that he is, he is playing hard to get.

Phoebe has been rolling and calling and getting into positions that only olympic gymnasts or advanced yoga practitioners can manage, all to no avail.

Bill wants to play - big baby.

Meanwhile the rest of the feline adults can hear all this going on and are standing on the sidelines offering advice and a running commentry. Just as well my neighbours are hard of hearing.

I am tired of trekking up and down the garden in the mud and the rain just to have Pheebs look reproachfully at me, as though it's my fault she 's got an itch she can't scratch.

Feeding time at the zoo

My life consists of feeding, washing up and cleaning out litter trays - I was born to be a lady of leisure, only no one has realised it yet.
The babies had their first raw meat meal today and it went down a storm. They cleared the plate in record time. Poor Maisie didn't get a look in.
I started them on human grade minced steak. I'm not sure about the logic behind feeding them beef and lamb - whoever heard of a cat dragging a cow or sheep in through the cat flap and leaving it, as a present, on the doormat? Mind you I'd quite like to see them catch tuna as well.
The last of the babies has found a home - I've never had a litter before that has been booked so quickly.
They will be with us for at least another 7 weeks, but I know that time will fly by.
This litter is particularly lovely and I am making the most of them being here - give it a couple of weeks and I'll be screaming and yelling for them to pack their bags and leave.
Billy B and Phoebe are ensconced in the stud run. Bill is chirruping sweet nothings to his beloved and Phoebe has her nether regions firmly velcroed to the floor and has told him, in no uncertain terms, what will happen if he so much as approaches her from behind.
It's going to take more that a bowl of biscuit for dinner to shift that little madam - but Bill says he's not buying her flowers !!!

Building an Ark

It has rained solidly for the last 24hrs and the garden is rapidly becoming a quagmire.
The cats are miserable and getting quite aggy with each other. They are reluctant to get even slightly damp and seem totally unconcerned that I am starting to sprout fungi from this relentless moisture. It's obviously OK for me to get soaked to the skin waiting hand , foot and finger on the lazy little blighters.
I fear that, if this weather keeps up, we may end up at the bottom of the hill, instead of half way up, having slid down on a sea of mud.
I have put the queens quarters up in Bill's bachelor pad, ready for him to do his stuff. Quite frankly the cold and damp is enough to dampen any amorous feelings he might have and all he seems inclined to do is huddle in his nice warm bed.
Oh to be a cat !!!!!
It looks as though the babies may all have found homes to invade (fingers crossed) so they won't need a place on the Ark when I build it.
I've decided not to do the 2 by 2 thing - there are some creatures I just refuse to share my space with- wasps and slugs spring to mind immediately.
I fear that when I repopulate the planet "apres la deluge" we may be somewhat top heavy with cats and a little lacking in most other areas - ho hum.
As for the human contingent - the list of people NOT invited on my boat is getting longer by the minute. BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

Sunday Blues

And the rain it was a raining - no chance to decide to stay indoors as the lovely Baggins needs to be fed, watered and cuddled.
So off I trudged up the garden, through the soggy and cold grass, and the ungrateful little devil couldn't even be bothered to get out of his heated bed to greet me. So, as a punishment for deep ingratitude, I clipped his claws.
I have to admit that, as long as you're giving him a cuddle, he doesn't seem to mind too much what you do to him. Unlike the girls who behave as if you are trying to relieve them of their virtue on a daily basis.
The kittens have discovered swinging on the curtains is a great game to play - next will be the follow the leader game where they race to the top and swing over the curtain pole before descending, head first, to the floor. The one who makes it furthest back down before falling off is the winner.
These are the little things we don't tell new kitten owners in case it puts them off.
Weaning is going on a pace and we now have to get used to eating a meal with one hand whilst fending of babies, who are intent on demolishing anything on your plate, with the other hand and both feet.
The alternative is to lock them in the kitten pen during meals - but then you have to wear earplugs to drown out the screams of outrage, which somewhat hampers any conversation.

Saturday Spring Clean and Kitten Visitors

We woke to brilliant sunshine and a hard frost. The garden looked stunning in it's clean, white coat.

Hubby had the day off and we decided to get some chores done- much to the disgust of the assorted felines, who like to live in filth.

I tackled the conservatory and he did what was needed to stop the shelf in the stud house from collapsing.

Baggins tendancy to bounce up onto the shelf was testing the brackets to the limits.

I was engrossed in my cleaning (if you believe that you'll believe anything) when I heard a shout from the stud house. Baggins had decided to "help" and hubby had shut himself in the house and shut Baggins out in the run - that went down like a lead balloon , Billy B was trying his damndest to break the cat flap down. I had to remove Bill from the vacinity and put him in the other run, where he happily sat and "chatted" with the other cats through the fence.

Needless to say he was less than impressed when it was time to return to his own quarters.

After cleaning up the outside I tackled the lounge- this time with "help" from the babies. Bless their little cotton socks !!!!!

We had a visitor this afternoon- to look at the babies, and she has chosen to have 2 of them.

Serafina and Lee will be going together, Iorek has had a home to go to from birth, so that just leaves Lyra to find a slave for. She's such a pretty little girl.

I am going to make another attempt to do the weekend crossword- as the babies are sleeping I might just stand a chance (assuming the little blighters haven't made off with my biro again).

Early morning alarm call

I was awoken at 6am this morning by the delightful sound of a cat vomitting !!!!
Having leapt out of bed, half asleep and totally uncoordinated, I discovered that this was Maisie's version of a wake up call.
The clever girl has discovered that maiowing doesn't have the desired effect and the quickest way to get me to let her out of the kitten pen is to make gagging noises.
So, at 6 am, there I am in my nightie, clearing up puke and fighting off the attentions of 4 hyperactive 6 week old kittens.
Maisie wants her breakfast and the babies want to go on the rampage around the lounge and to attack anything that doesn't move out of the way fast enough.
This mornings target for these attentions was poor Phoebe - who was keeping a low profile and eating her plate of biscuit until she was spotted by Lee. Poor Pheeebs couldn't get away from the little beasts, they had her surrounding and were totally unimpressed with her impersonation of an aerosol spray.
They are either totally fearless or relentlessly thick.
Breakfast over, peace reigned as kittens pinned Mum to the big cat bed and had a quick guzzle and Phoebe accompanied me back to bed, her to perform her ablutions and me to have a cup of tea.

The men of the house

The most important man in the house (or so he likes to think) is my long suffering husband.

When we met he was severely allergic to cats and pretty soon realised that , from my point of view, there was no competition.

I'd always had cats and wasn't about to stop on account of one mere man and his inability to breathe.

He, mistakenly, thought that the 3 cats I had at the time would gradually depart this world and we would live in a cat free zone - just how wrong can you be? Poor deluded soul.

I think he suspected the worst when I aquired my first breeding queen and the rest, as they say, is history.

Our senior feline male is the lovely Jags and he is the soppiest male neuter you could ever wish to meet - a real old fashioned gentleman. He loves kittens and welcomes newcomers to the household with great gentleness and patience, showing no signs of irritation when being hissed at by pint sized upstarts.

His second in command and constant companion is Raffles (aka Moany Bloke) who is the biggest and most easily freaked out cat we have. He doesn't cope well with change and the girls know exactly how to push him about - everyone who meets him falls in love with him as he is very handsome (but a big, fat lump).

Finally we have our delightful entire male stud, Billy Baggins. He has a bachelor pad of his own and he and hubby can often be found commiserating on their hard lives whilst enjoying a break from female nagging (nothing to do with me I hasten to add).

Later on I will introduce you to the most important members of the household (human and feline) THE GIRLS.

About the mad house

For the sake of sanity I have decided to write about the goings on in my house.
The cats rule us with an iron paw in a furry glove and we love the experience.
At the moment the 2 humans living here are controlled by 7 adult and 4 infant felines.
We are willing slaves to their varied desires and tastes and over the coming days I will introduce you to the various members of the household and let them tell you about themselves and us.