General Update

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I warned you I might not be around for a little bit, and I'm glad I did!

Things have been going well here. Millie continues to grow like a weed, as do her two brothers who are big lumps apparently. One has almost a kg of weight on Millie who weighs in at about 3.2, and the other is so big that the owner was wondering if he'll be comfy inside a Cabrio carrier on a long trip!

Tia is also doing well, although I'm struggling more to show her now as her body shading is increasing. This is common with age in colourpoints, but it does make getting CCs more difficult. Her coat was relatively shade free until she had the babies, and it just hasn't recovered since. Perhaps it's because I keep this house so nice and warm, but I refuse to live in the cold all for the sake of a cat's coat colour clarity. I'm not quite that crazy... yet. In saying that though, I've just been bought a pet buggy for my birthday by a very bemused housemate who thinks that I've just gone off the end of the nuts scale. It doesn't matter that I explained to him that it makes getting cats to and from shows and the vets much easier. He says I'm now officially bonkers. Ah well, at least I'm happy.

Tia's been calling like mad recently. It's been nine months since she was last mated, well, nine and a half now, so I decided that if she carried on calling like she was, I'd mate her on her next call. Ideally, I like to give them a year to rest up after babies, but her condition is absolutely fab. She never lost it, and actually put on weight while babies were suckling. Obviously nobody told her that mum cats were supposed to lose it. Of course, in typical fashion, as soon as I'd decided that I was definitely mating her, she stopped calling. I'm quietly pleased about this (but don't tell the cat, please!) as it means I'll be able to hold back the mating until we get closer to that ideal of a year between litters. Perhaps I should just keep telling her that I want to mate her, as it works like a charm every time!

We've been showing quite a bit recently. Millie's been doing very well, usually placing in side classes and only ever once getting a second in her breed classes. I'm chuffed with her most recent show at the Croydon, as she took first and Best of Breed in her open class, then went on to win another class which meant that I went home with a little bit of money in my pocket (it had a cash prize). Well, to be truthful, I went to the cat toy stall with a little bit of money in my pocket, then came away with no money and a Panic Mouse which was too big for my poket... I figure that she won the money, so it might as well be spent on a new toy for her and Tia. They absolutely love it! Incidentally, if any of you have or want Panic Mouse products, get hold of new ones soon as the guy who makes them has apparently gone out of business now.

Speaking of Tia, she did really well as well. I'd decided that if she didn't CC this time, I was going to retire her as I wasn't getting anywhere with her. Sod was listening, and invoked Sod's Law. I'd told my friends to have a good last cuddle with her as they'd not be seeing her at shows again. Thinking no more about it, I went off to steward, but got caught halfway through the day by another friend who said, "Congratulations, you did well!" Thinking they meant Millie, I smiled, said thanks and carried on with my day, only to be stopped again by someone else who said, "Congratulations on Tia's win! Guess it wasn't a last cuddle after all." I was a bit non-plussed until they explained to dimwhitted me that Tia had actually been awarded her CC. So I take it all back. Tia won't be retired. There's little point now as she only needs one more CC to become a champion. Tia also placed third in a side class, so all in all, we had a super day.

There's not much else to tell at the moment. Things are ticking along nicely, but they'll pick up a bit as soon as the summer and kittening season gets here. Watch this space!