1 week old

It's hard to believe that exactly a week has passed since these babies
arrive. Normally for me, the first week is the slowest. It feels like
it drags. Kittens do nothing but eat, sleep and cry, and mum normally
does nothing but squash them. Although Gabby's done her fair share of
that, her kittens haven't needed excessive involvement and are all
fat, chubby and very, very viggorous. Even little tiny 2-splodge is
fighting merrily for her nipple, and normally my tinies need an awful
lot of input which you'll see if you look back at the posts from
previous litters.

Gabby seems to be back on form and more willing to feed. We've worked
out a compromise. She's very insistent that she wants free access to
her pen, and while this concerns me, i.e possibility of her moving
kittens, if she wants it, I can't really do much about it. She's an
awkward cat at the best of times so it doesn't surprise me that even
in kitten raising she insists on having her own way. So far, and I'm
saying this very, very quietly, she hasn't even attempted to move
them, but I'm giving her clean bedding as often as she wants it,
sometimes twice a day! However, as I say, we've compromised. I let her
come and go as she likes, and she feeds the babies on a rigid 1.5 to 2
hour slot. I put the heat pad on to keep them warm in between and she
lies in front of the door to the nest and guards them against any
possible fierce predators (my house is full of people just waiting to
swoop down on poor unsuspecting kittens and kiss them and cuddle
little squidgy fat bellies). She squeaks at me to tell me she thinks
they need fed, and I get up and move them for her so she can lie down,
or move them so they wake up. She hasn't quite grasped that you have
to lick your babies to make them wake and let them know you're there,
and gets quite indignant when she cuddles down ready for nursing and
they completely ignore her!

She seems to be over her off colour stage. Weight gains were amazingly
good yesterday. Not so hot this morning but not terrible either, and
no baby wanted the bottle last night which is a good sign. All tummies
are nice and podgy and fat, and my biggest kitten is looking like a
little barrel! They've all grown in so much more fluff than they had
when they were born, and are a lot more sociable. nobody has their
eyes open yet, but it won't be long. They are already starting to hear
as they now get quite animated when i come into the nest, probably
because they know it normally means that mum isn't too far behind me,
bringing yummy milk.

None have doubled their birth weights, but mine rarely do in the first
week. They always start small, then grow like weeds from about week 3.
By the time they're ready to go home, they're big monsters and well
over the average weight for their age, so I don't worry about it at
this early stage.

This, for me, is where the fun really begins. This is where they start
to develop and blossom so quickly. Already, they're all purring when
they suckle, and 2 are just starting to purr for pleasure. Today, the
thing that always makes me melt happened. As I popped my hand into the
nest to help pop kittens against Gabby's tummy (she likes me to do
this so they don't shriek for too long), one of the little whites
lazily rolled over, put their paws in the air and just lay there
showing off his tummy (don't know if it's a he, but I can't call a
kitten it, so they can all be he until proven otherwise!). Well, what
could I do! I started tickling, and this tiny little 1 week old kitten
started stretching his paws right out, wiggling, and nibbling on my
finger. When lying on his back was too much, he rolled to his side and
just lay until I was good and finished. I actually had to physically
move him to the milk bar before his sibs drank it dry, as he was quite
content to stay there and purr and be cuddled.

They're already climbing all over my hands when I put them in, and
soon they'll start doing that to actively seek attention instead of
just because they're there. They only moan now instead of distressed
screaming when I take them out to weigh, and quiet almost immediately
when picked up and held again.

Persians really are the sweetest breed for taking affection when
they're tiny, and already I can see this in them. Typically, it's the
2 smallest ones that I'm falling in love with. I just have to remind
myself that I don't want to keep any! Cuz that's worked really, really
well in the past...

We're snapping photos of them on and off today, so will pop some up in
tomorrow's post. They got a new bed because they were too mobile, and
busily chucking themselves out of the first one. Again, I've never
seen a litter do this so young. They can't stand yet, but they were
purposely moving out of the old one, one after the other, and even
when I returned them to mum, straight out they'd come again. This new
bed is a material one, so sadly will have to be binned after they're
done with it, but it has much higher sides. So far, it's kept them in
one place, and if Gabby does squash one, the sides are soft enough
that the kitten shouldn't be in any real danger, something which might
mean I get more sleep at night now!

It's funny. With all my other girls, they accidentally squash kittens
for the first few days, then stop altogether. With Gabby, she was very
careful initially, but now if she lies on one, she just continues
feeding the rest like nothing is happening, while the poor unfortunate
kitten screams blue murder from underneath her!

The kittens have a first tomorrow. I'm getting someone else to watch
them so I can have an afternoon away from the house. I can't wait!
Cabin fever is extreme at the moment. But when you're cuddling a
sleepy bunch of babies, it all seems worth it.

Anyway, enough waffle for today. Photos tomorrow hopefully!

The drama continues

Well, it's been a very eventful day in the nursery.

Last night was marginally better than the night before. I was able to
get 3 hours of unbroken sleep at one point which is some kind of
record for this week I'm sure! However, every time I got up, Gabby was
not in the box with her babies. In the end, I pulled the bed out and
just plopped them all straight onto the vetbed on the floor of the
pen. This meant that wherever mum was, kittens could be there too. In
terms of weight gain, it had no effect whatsoever.

Gains remained poor, and when Gabby stopped responding to even the
cries from her babies, enough was enough. I rang the vet first thing
and got them to come straight out to see her. unfortunately, we were
all worried that she might have retained a kitten, and because her
bladder was very full, the only way they could check for this was an
xray. This meant that she had to be taken to the vets for a quick
trip. Simple right? Wrong.

I had to move the kittens into a bed to stop them crawling all over.
Big mistake. As soon as I did, they started shrieking for their mum.
I've never seen 6 day old kittens so mobile before. They were crawling
everywhere and literally throwing themselves out of the bed to look
for mum. I tried putting vetbed over them. They climbed it upside down
like monkeys and clambered onto the top side. I tried holding them in
my hands but they shrieked more.

I've been considering for some time now whether I should top these
babies up to help mum with the feeding. It's a 2 edged sword though.
On the one hand, it eases the load on mum and promotes big weight
gain, but on the other, it reduces the demand for milk.

A mum's milk flow is determined by the amount the kittens drink. She
adjusts this accordingly. If I top up regularly, I will effectively
reduce the kitten demand for milk, and rather than creating an
abundance, it will simply dry up to the right level. Once you start
that, it's very difficult to stop, because once you do, there's not
enough milk for everyone any more.

However, with 6 very distressed kittens, I thought it was worth a shot
to make them sleepy on full tummies.

Only 4 out of the 6 took the bottle, but I've never seen kittens drink
as quickly in my life. I let them suck it through a teat and out of a
syringe. Normally, I have to press the plunger for the syringe to help
the milk flow. These kittens sucked it straight out themselves and
took down 2.5 mls in about 10 seconds! I've never seen anything like
it and was actually very worried that it was too quick for them.
However, it was all done at their pace and controlled by them, and
there was no choking or spluttering afterwards. Interestingly, as soon
as the 2.5 was done, none of them wanted a second lot despite gulping
so fast.

I've never had syringe feeding so easy, but then I've never used the
Miracle Nipple. Breeders, they are welll worth the investment.
normally my babies fight the syringe like it's poison. With this, all
I had to do was smear the teat in milk and it was straight in without
a fuss at all. You can get a normal one and then a short one for flat
nosed breeds like mine. I'd probably use the short one on everything
though. The nice bit about it is because it doesn't go very far into
the mouth, they can very easily spit it out. Milk drops directly onto
the tongue reducing the risk of choking as they then have more time to
swallow before it potentially feeds into the lungs.

Even on full tummies, the kittens remained incredibly distressed, to
the point where I called my vets twice, the second time stating that I
was coming to get her and would talk to the vet at another point, no
matter what. Thankfully though they were finished their testing by
then. Strangely, Gabby showed no signs of a retained kitten, no
infection and completely normal blood work. So nobody knows what the
problem is. I'm shuddering at the likely cost of xray, blood work and
a call out at 8 in the morning, but I'd rather be very safe than
sorry.

So, home she came, and straight in with her kittens she went. After a
good feed they were all happy. Gabby even ate some food without too
much of a fuss. However, the next drama was unfolding.

She hadn't done a wee since Wednesday evening and it was now mid
morning on Friday. The vets knew her bladder was full, but didn't
express it as it wasn't at bursting point yet.

I decided to close everyone else out of my bedroom and give her free
access to come and go from her nest as she pleased. Normally I don't
allow this as, if mum moved a kitten, I'd struggle to find it. This
could be fatal. Left unattended, kittens chill very quickly. This is
not good news. I was also worried that, now that they'd learned to
throw themselves out of their bed, they would simply crawl out of the
nest along with mum! I grabbed my baby monitor (yep, I have a baby
monitor for kittens...) and listened closely, praying that this
privacy and freedom would mean that she'd use her tray and not be used
as an exercise in relocating the nest.

She did use it, but not for a wee. I got more worried. Normally she'd
just go in and do both straight away. Why wasn't she weeing! She must
be desperate by now. it had been almost 2 days!

I tempted her with all sorts of delicacies. Blended food with added
water, chopped chicken in broth, water with probiotic in (normally a
massive favourite) in an attempt to increase her fluid intake and
force the issue. She sampled all but didn't commit to any.

At 5:30 I could take it no longer. I called my vet again, asking for
advice on the best course of action.

I'm sure my vet thinks I'm mad. Actually, scratch that. I know she
does because she's told me. If I'm at all concerned, my cats go to the
vet. Their health is my absolute priority, so if I can't fix it at
home, off they go. My normal vet regularly says that my guys are the
healthiest cats she's seen all day! But again, I'd rather be safe than
sorry.

They advised that we wait, but only until tomorrow. If she still
hadn't gone, we'd have to manually express her.

The phone must have been set down for all of a minute when I heard the
best noise ever. Someone was scraping in the litter tray. I ran in
there like my life depended on it, and with anxiety mounting, I
checked the tray. Thank goodness, there was a wee there! The biggest
wee I'd ever seen, but who cares! Today was another first for me. I've
never kissed and cuddled a cat just because she'd done a wee before! I
felt like I'd won the lottery.

So, again, it's a waiting game. Gabby's eaten well today and appears
perkier. Interestingly, she's much more content to lie with her babies
when given free access to come and go, so I'll give her as much of
that as I can I think. I'll carry on with occasional topping up and
hope that it doesn't progress to anything more regular. Hoping for big
weight gains tonight though!

Trouble in Paradise

Apologies if this post is a little all over the place, but I'm
exhausted, so don't know how coherant it will be.

Gabby had me up every 2 hours last night with crying, unhappy babies
and an unhappy mum cat. I don't know whether she's feeling under the
weather or whether the food isn't agreeing with her (she's having
stuff she doesn't normally get because her apetite isn't great at the
moment), but she had an upset tummy yesterday and threw up quite a
lot. Thankfully there's been nothing since then, but kitten weight
gains haven't been as good as they were previously, so I'm keeping a
very, very close eye.

So, back to our story. That first night was about as peaceful as a
first night after labour can be. Because I'm a worrier, there was
still frequent checking going on, but to be honest, they hardly needed
me. All babies were feeding well, and when I weighed them the next
morning I was shocked to find that most had gained 10 grams. Newborns
normally lose weight due to the energy requirements of birth, then the
fact that mum's milk is still coming in and is cholostrum rather than
full fat at that point, but not these guys!

And that was how it went for the next few days. There was hardly a
sound from the nest as babies were kept fat and happy with full
tummies. Weight gains were good and steady, with nobody losing weight
at all until yesterday when mum was unwell.

Gabby is, or should I say was, the kind of mum who wanted to be with
her kittens all the time. She came out once a day to use her tray and
then was straight back in there again. Eating was another matter. She
ate all her placentas meaning that in terms of nutrition, she was Ok
for a few days. However, I don't like it when my girls don't eat,
particularly when they're nursing such a large litter. I tried her
with raw which she turned her nose up at. Then pouch food which is
normally a big treat. That one got some interest, but not enough. Then
it was tinned which again got a little interest. The only option left
was dry.

I hate dry food. I won't get into it here as this will then evolve
into a food and nutrition lecture. In brief, dry food has a
generalised dehydrating affect on the cat, not ideal when you have 6
little leeches attached to your tummy sucking the liquid out of you.
But dry was what she wanted, so dry was what she got.

Then she decided that dry was beneath her... And so the saga
continues. Today she's in favour of pouches, but I feel like a buffet
with the amount of tins and packets I have to open before something
meets with madam's approval! Still, she'll get what she wants
regardless, so all I can do is keep trying.

If things don't improve today then I'll obviously have the vet
straight out, but kittens are still gaining, albeit small gains, and
she's now showing more self-awareness and having a good old clean up.
Now it's a waiting game.

Labour of Love

As mentioned before, it's been quite some time since kittens graced
the Moonspun clan, so when Gabby's pregnancy was confirmed, excitement
levels were pretty much through the roof. There was no little
trepidation coupled with that though.

Gabby, as a cat, is a very little girl, meaning that pregnancy with
big litters is a bit of a challenge for her. Last year, by going out
to stud, we managed to have kittens, but unfortunately there were 9
and there just wasn't room. She laboured 5 days early, and sadly, none
of the kittens were strong enough to survive for more than a few days.
I did promise that this blog would contain the good, the bad and the
ugly of cat breeding, but I was also aware that it had a small
following of children who now owned a Moonspun kitten. the events of
those 10 days were horrendous, and horribly upsetting for even grown
ups, so I thought it better not to burden small minds with it by
posting here.

So, as her belly grew and rounded, I was excited and terrified in
equal parts. What if they were born early? What if there were loads
again? What if she didn't want to mother them?

Somehow, I always knew she'd go early, and when her belly started to
harden and drop at 6.5 weeks, I was beside myself with worry. I
cancelled everything and went on house arrest, knowing there was
little I could do for babies if born this early, but not wanting her
to go through that on her own.

But week 7 came and went without sight of even a single baby. Then
week 8 was here and gone... And then it happened.

Exactly 9 weeks to the day of mating, Gabby decided it was time for
the big bad world to meet her babies.

I knew that something had changed almost a whole day before the first
kitten was born, and so did she. She wanted to be near me, was
unsettled in herself and just behaving slightly abnormally. I tucked
her into her kitten pen that night (she's a hider when labour starts,
and under my bed is spectacularly accessible to pregnant cats and
inaccessible to humans), and toddled off to bed.

She woke me at various points through the night, asking for, well, for
nothing in particular which wasn't like her. I was used to being woken
at that point, but it was normally because she wanted someone to have
a little chat to, or wanted me to rub her tummy to make the kittens
stop kicking her, or wanted to tell me all about how she'd eaten all
her dinner and wanted some more thank you very much. But this time was
different. She was anxious and restless, churping and calling for me
every time I went back to bed. At 4 AM, I gave in and got up with her.

Over the next few hours, litter tray visits became an occupation. She
knew she needed to push, and being a clean girl, tried to get herself
to the tray every time, thinking it was a toilet she needed, not a
baby explosion! I followed her as she paced, watching the tiny
rippling contractions designed to begin to move kittens down towards
the birth canal and line them up for easy delivery.

At 11 AM, I called in my reinforcements. Gabby is not an easy cat to
help labour. To say she doesn't cope well with pain is a huge
understatement, and she will simply try and run away from it, whether
there's a kitten half out or not! This meant that I needed as many
pairs of hands as possible to help me while she pushed.

As the battle ready squad assembled, we assigned duties. 1 to hold
Gabby, one to assist with kittens on the way out, and, the most
important job of all... Tea maker! Gabby meanwhile decided that this
was far too much excitement and promptly fell asleep.

There then passed about 5 hours of pleasant chit-chat, chocolate
eating and general time filling until the life and soul of the party
was ready to go. In typical cat fashion, she decided that the
kittening pens were beneath her, as was her behind the chair spot of
last year, and chose a box instead.

Gabby's labour was not easy. I have heard many cat fights in the
street outside my house. I've heard cats yelling, crying, getting
cross, getting sad, but I have never heard anything like the noises
that came out of that poor girl as the first kitten crowned. It was
heart-wrenching, and something I never hope to hear again. The power
of it was such that it was able to drive a grown man into fleeing the
scene and hiding out in his bedroom. The other girls until that point
had chosen to stay by her and offer comfort, something which the three
were happy with so I didn't interfere, but when the screaming started,
even they got distressed. It took massive strength, both physical and
emotional, to hold her still, immobilise her while she went through
that. The pain was very evident in every scream, and the guilt that
rose in me was immense. After all, it was my fault she was doing this.

Kitten 1 appeared, but took a long time before she breathed and began
to cry. Gabby worryingly showed no interest in her at all, didn't
break the sack and certainly didn't clean or acknowledge her, even
when she started muling. She was tiny, and all my old fears
resurfaced. It's amazing how much you second guess yourself when
something goes wrong. I consider myself a good breeder, and I know
that the problems last year were caused by the amount of kittens and
that there was nothing I could have done differently to save them
(yep, I did have everything tested as usual to back this up), but when
that first one pops out and doesn't immediately start jumping up and
down and screaming for "Milk, Now!", all your self-confidence flees.

Little whitey was quickly stabilised then popped onto a cosy heatpad
to warm as she was very cold. It's important to warm cold kittens
slowly to avoid shock to their delicate systems. I use a PetRemedy
heatpad. This never gets above body temperature, so kittens are in no
danger of over-warming and can be placed straight onto the pad. If mum
is one who likes to leave the nest and only return for feeding, placed
under Vetbed, it gives a gentle, constant warmth just as though they
were snuggling mum. I highly recommend them for any future kittens.

It wasn't long before number 2 was making its appearance, this time
feet first. Again it was traumatic for Gabby who had to be removed
from her box for holding. This one was bigger than the last and more
viggorous, but quickly joined her for cuddles and warmth on the pad.
Again, Gabby didn't want to clean or acknowledge the baby at all.

We then noticed that she was happily pushing away in the confines of
her box. While keeping an eye on her as we chatted, I suddenly heard a
tiny plop and asked my friend to take a look. much to our surprise,
there was a kitten under mummy. Gabby had not screamed, hadn't bitten
anyone, hadn't even made a noise. However, while this was an easy
birth, there was a new worry. This kitten didn't have a placenta
attached.

Every kitten has its own placenta in the womb. This supplies nutrients
to the growing baby inside their mum. If a kitten is born without one,
not only does it pose a risk to the kitten, but to mum as well. Chords
need to be tied off very quickly to avoid excessive blood loss for the
tiny baby. Mum will lose a lot more blood if the placenta is still
attached, and if it doesn't come out, she will almost certainly get an
infection. It's not unusual that a kitten comes without a placenta.
What normally happens is that it will be birthed before the next
kitten.

However, Gabby is nothing if not a worry. A few moments later there
was another plop, another kitten, and yet again, no placenta. My panic
rose. That was 2 placentas in there now, and no sign of either.

Next came a 5th kitten within minutes of the last 2. Again, no
placenta. Panic strengthened. She was moving them down into the birth
canal so quickly that she wasn't allowing time for placentas to detach
and travel with them. All we could do was watch and wait.

Meanwhile, we now had 4 white kittens and a little red boy. The dad of
these babies is not my own boy, but a white stud, so I knew I could
get white babies, but never for a moment dreamed that there would be
such a high proportion of them!

The pushing began again, and much to my relief, out popped 2
placentas. Now there was just one to account for. It's really
important to count out the placentas so that you know whether you need
a vet trip or not. Any retained ones will mean a very swift visit.

Gabby gave me one more kitten that day, yet another white, but this
one breach with its legs back. It was a very difficult birth due to
the position and the kitten's big pelvis and hips, but as before, she
refused to let us help. Where the others were shelled like peas, this
took a good 15 minutes to be pushed out, and towards the end, worry
increased as it appeared as though the baby was attempting to breathe
whilst still inside the sack.

Sometimes, the stress of birth will make kittens poo their myconium
whilst still in the amniotic sack. Whilst this isn't unusual, it's a
cause for concern if they manage to breathe any of it in due to
infection risks.

At long last, the kitten was out and the sack removed. Thankfully,
this baby was not a pooper. I breathed easy again. This little one
came out with the placenta in tact, and it wasn't long before the
stray one followed. Phew! All in all, popping out 6 kittens only took
her 2 hours. That's nice and quick for so many and such a frightened
mum!

But now came the next worrying part. Would she be a good mum?

She didn't really have a chance last year as those kittens, due to
being premature, needed a lot of human involvement. She tried, but
wasn't very effective and didn't bond tightly to them as none were
ever able to suckle. She was so frightened by the birth last time that
it took her many hours and lots of reassurance to settle. With worry,
I popped the first kitten against her tummy, then another, then
another until all 6 were in the box with her. To my great relief, she
immediately rolled over to make herself accessible for them to nurse.
With a little help, kittens were soon latching and feeding. My concern
dropped down a notch or two further.

There then followed a very long and very sleepless night for me. Many
Persians are a bit clutsy with kittens and will often accidentally lie
on them. They will also sometimes lie on a noisy one to quiet it and
protect it from predators. All things considered, Gabby wasn't as bad
as my others, only squishing a kitten about 3 times during the night,
but I can't help but lie awake and listen for the tiny noises of
distress which is all the warning you get. I was also listening for
another possible kitten. Particularly with big litters, it's often
difficult to tell whether there's an extra kitten in there, or whether
it's just the enlarged womb contracting down. I was pretty sure there
was nothing left, but better to be safe than sorry. Thankfully, there
was no midnight dash to help a 7th, and the nest was peaceful with
quiet, contented kittens happily feeding from mum.

Their birth weights weren't too bad, but the first little girl had me
worried. Persians should be big, chunky kittens, born at over 100G.
She was only 66 and tiny compared to the others. The remaining five
were 71G, 73G, 77G, 83G and 87G, so none were massive. However, I
reminded myself, there were a lot of them, they were 2 days early and
Gabby was a little cat! Now began the waiting game.

The kittens are now 4 days old and are doing well, but more on that tomorrow.

Kittens and Updates!

Once again, it's been quite some time since I last updated this blog.
Why? I have no good answer really, only a lot of excuses about life
getting in the way, being busy etc.

However, the main purpose of this blog when it was originally set up
was to give you a birds-eye view into the world of a cat breeder
through journeying with me as we chart the progress of litters of
kittens. What with one thing and another, I haven't heard the patter
of tiny paws at Moonspun for some years now. My lovely new stud boy is
too much of a sweetheart to want to play rough with the girls and make
me some babies, so it's been a bit quiet in the cabbage patch... Until
now!

On Saturday, the lovely GCCF Champion and TICA tripple grand champion
Choxibox Moonspun Mirage gave birth to 6 lovely kittens. And so, we
start all over again!

I'll do what I did with other litters in Moonspun. I'll try and update
as regularly as possible, but won't promise daily updates this time as
I hate breaking them. If I can do them, then great. If not, then they
will at least be regular and frequent. I will also try and provide
some educational bits along the way this time, so that it might serve
as a learning tool for anyone thinking of working with pedigrees.

So, here we go!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Yet again, I've not updated this blog in ever such a long time, and
I've got lots to tell!

It's been two years almost to the day that I had my first litter of
kittens, the event being celebrated by my gorgeous Millie turning 2
yesterday. Oh how much has happened in that two years. I've had 8
babies. My cat numbers have grown from 1 to 5, nope, that's not a
typo, 5 now, not 4. My house has totally been taken over by cats. My
life seems to revolve around breeding... This lark is not for the
faint hearted!

Lots is happening here. I'm in the process of having my website
updated, and all I can say is... Watch this space! It's going to be
something very, very special.

As to other news? Well, where to start! Quite a few months ago, I
thought very long and very hard, and came to the decision that
Moonspun needed to have a boy. The reasons for this are many and
complicated, but to keep it very simple, I breed to give something
back, not just to produce some cute kittens. All of the colourpoints
at public stud either weren't the quality I needed or weren't PKD
tested, something I insist on if I'm to produce kittens from that
parent. So I was stuck. I'd either have to do what I did with Millie
and go to a stunning solid, but would dilute the CP genes and end up
with a CP carrier, or i could search for the perfect boy to join my
household, thereby ensuring that I could have a really good quality
boy for all my girls.

St.Jude Tiffany (honestly, that's his name) joined us at the start of
April. He's an absolutely stunning boy. Gorgeous type, nice and cobby
with a massive deep chest, and oh man, what a lovebug! He never, ever,
ever gets enough of cuddling, even if he's just finished a mammoth
session he still asks for more! He purrs for England even before you
start stroking him. He has such an easy coat to manage, and he's very
sweet with all the other cats even if they still don't like him very
much sadly.

I built him the most enormous stud run, outfitted it and everything,
and he hardly uses it. He's such a clean lad and doesn't spray which
means he can stay in and just be part of the family. he goes out in
the day to bird watch while I'm at work and otherwise lives just like
any of the girls do.

He's been trying hard to mate the girls, but he's still a baby and
practicing, so gets it wrong more often than right. However, I'm very
quietly hopeful that he's managed to get Gabby, so hopefully we'll
have some babies in about 6 weeks! Millie's almost ready to go out
with him again, so I'm hopeful that we'll have more than one litter
this year!

Update at last!

Hi there, folks. Apologies that I disappeared from blogging so
suddenly, but after Blogger started to throw up issues for me, I
simply couldn't post. It even stopped me posting by email which meant
I couldn't get on at all. When I finally got that sorted out (not too
long ago), other bits and pieces started happening which meant that I
just didn't have the energy to blog, emotional or physical. Hopefully
most of that's behind me now, so I should be back on the straight and
narrow.

So, where to begin! I can't specifically remember the last time I
wrote, and as I'm at work and Blogger is blocked, I can't even look
back. I know it was when the kittens were here, so I'll go from there.
Thankfully, 4 out of the 5 kittens found absolutely smashing homes to
go to. The reason the fifth didn't find a home is because she's still
here with me. I needed or rather wanted, a home that would mean I
could have a kitten from her in the future, as the bloodline I got
with the dad was stunning, and I'd not get another chance at it, but
the right home never presented itself. That meant that little Apache
stayed here with me, and what a treasure she is. She's the cuddliest
cat I own, and believe me, that's saying something! She's totally
devoted to me which is such a nice feeling considering that most of my
others show a marked preference for my housemate. She sleeps with me,
follows me, talks to me, even tries to suckle on me (something I'm
firmly discouraging). That started after her brothers and sisters left
for their new homes, out of anxiety I'm assuming.

In the end, my cream boy and bluecream girl went to a lovely couple
who already have an older cat. They've settled in so well, and have
blossomed into total cuddlemonsters by all accounts. Bluecream, now
Ursula, is a mummy's girl, and cream Orson has adopted his mum's
habbit of deciding he wants to be a shoulder cat, which thankfully his
chosen human loves.

My red boy went to another lovely couple, who, after not being able to
take Apache as well, went out and found him a little sister so that he
would have company to play with. Now named Sir Montague Redginald
(isn't that a grand name?) Monty for short, he's turned into a little
terror! He climbs into the fridge if they're not quick enough for
food, scuttles behind drawers and refuses to come out until he's good
and ready, literally climbs people if they don't pick him up when
asked... But they love him all the more for his naughtiness. Just as
well!

Stripe, now named Penny, went to live with a family, to be the spoiled
little playmate of an 11 year old girl who loved her from the minute
she saw her. I love watching kids with my cats, and this little one
was no acception. She was so gentle, so considerate, so eager to play
with them that soon, every single kitten was climbing all over her!
She needed no prompting from her mum and dad to play nicely. She was
such a poppet, and a total credit to her parents, and I had no
trepidation in letting my precious tortie go home with her. Penny has
settled in magnifficently, and regularly plays Thundering Herd of
Elephants with the family's middle cat (if you consider her the
youngest), who is a sprightly 12-year-old! Thankfully, he seems to be
able to hold his own with a tortie tear away. Penny is even respectful
of their very old girl, and will not hassle her at all, something I'll
admit I was worried about.

So all's well that ends well, and my kittens are thriving and happy.

Tia was neutered at the end of last year along with the kittens. I
decided that at 5 and a half, and with no sign of a potential stud
being available, it was time to neuter her. She's much happier for it.
She's turned so soppy that, the minute you sit down, she's climbing on
you for a fuss. She's bulked up a lot, and her coat! Man, her coat is
now huge! Far bigger than it ever was when she was entire! I think
it's the best thing I could have done for her. Tia is now showing in
the Household Pets section under the name Tia Maria (I know, not
original at all), but she's loving it! At her first show last week,
she got her first MC, beating off stiff competition to do it. Well
done Tia!

Apache is also doing well at shows. She's been out twice now, and each
time has taken 1st and BoB in her open. At her last show last week,
Apache went on to win Best Opposite Sex non-colourpoint kitten, which
I'm so, so pleased with. For a home-bred girl of mine to go across the
tables for BIS is just thrilling! And to get this at only her second
show? Well, I'm chuffed!

Millie went to her first show as an adult as well, and you could tell
she hadn't been out in months. She didn't particularly enjoy her day,
but I will stick by my three show rule and see if she's settled by the
third. I shall choose my judges wisely though, so that hopefully she
will champion in that time. She got her first CC and BoB last week,
and also went across the tables, although I was in two minds about
whether to withdraw her or not as she really wasn't happy.

And then there's Gabby. Well, what a champion that girl is! She's been
at 4 shows now from memory, and not once has she been beaten in her
open. She's taken 1st and BoB every time, and, at her first adult show
last week, she got a CC and a glowing report. Perhaps I should start
putting reports up here to let you all see. Gabby has always placed
well in her side classes, and last week was no exception. She then
went across the tables and we came away with Best Opposite Sex
Colourpoint adult. Although it wasn't BIS, this is something to be
proud of, as it was at a Colourpoint show, which means strong
competition! We're still working on Gabby's manners though, as she
will still occasionally think about showing the judges her teeth in
typical naughty tortie fashion!

The show last week was a particular success. One of my proudest
moments actually. Let me summarise how we did.

I took 4 cats, 3 of whom went across the tables for Best in Show. Tia
didn't as she didn't get BiC, something you need to be considered. 2
of the 3 that went across the tables were home bred.
From that, 2 of my 4 cats won best opposite sex, 1 adult and 1 kitten
We came home with:
20 rosettes
5 snazzy picture frames with special awards
3 BoB awards
3 certificates
£20 won in a lucky pen competition
A bed and a kickeroo won at a raffle
A food dispenser, also won at a raffle
A red card day for my kitten
4 goodie bags packed full of lovely treats for the cats
And 4 of the best cats in the world!

It feels lovely to have this success on the show bench, and hopefully
it'll continue. My own cat club is holding their show in Reading this
week, so hopefully I'll have a similar tale of success to report. I'll
also have 2 of my kittens being shown in Household Pets, so fingers
crossed for them too! Watch this space.