Wednesday 29 February 2012

Twins


Marta and Louisa, my two blue solid girls. They really look very much alike. Marta's face is rounder though, she favours, slightly, the Burmese genetic strain I think. She has a very sweet, open face. Louisa's is more classically Tonk-y and Marta is still darker than Louisa but for all that I still confuse the two at times. Good thing Louisa has a red mark renewed every so often, so I can tell which she is eh?

I think Marta's been the subject of my post three days in a row now! That's just how the photos come out I guess! I'll feature someone else tomorrow, I promise!

Kurt- now Bailey- has been distinguishing himself... by piddling on M's lodger's bed. *sigh* Only the once though, and he's been OK since, so fingers crossed all round that he just got confused. This was after snuggling up with said lodger in the bed all night so what he was thinking I have no idea. He's stopped being nervous now and is very active, especially, it seems, at night. Everyone's feeling a bit sleep deprived at the moment I gather! Really having a small kitten is like having a toddler! (this is where having the one is more tricky I guess, or one way anyway) Hopefully Bailey will cotton on very soon that people become really very boring indeed in the middle of the night, and playtime is best kept to more sociable hours!


Tuesday 28 February 2012

Marshmallow Fluff


Miss Marshmallowfluff Marta... and Mama! I swear if you opened Marta's head up you'd find cotton wool and other fluffy, squishy materials- she's just made entirely of adorable.

Monday 27 February 2012

Oh, Behave!

In the comments section, Amanda Cox wrote:


How do they behave? I've found training older kittens (ie stopping them climbing curtains and getting on kitchen surfaces etc) very difficult, I'm going to see an older Tonk kitten at the weekend (way more than 13 weeks) and I only hope its not been allowed to run riot!
We got Dom from a home where all the cats were allowed to do what they liked because some rooms they were simply locked out of, but we dont lock or shut rooms so Dom has to learn boundaries. But its hard work. He even got into the fridge today and wouldn't get out!

And I thought it would be a good subject for today's post! *sniggers at thought of stroppy cat refusing to come out of the fridge* (Hope you had a good weekend visit AC, how did it go?)

Well, I must admit that at the moment, the kittens en masse can seem pretty overwhelming (less so now the boys have gone) As I open the kitten room-the living room- door of a morning, they pour out like a tidal wave, meowing their little heads off for breakfast.  And letting them into the kitchen has become awkward now because keeping an eye on all seven (five now) whilst cooking or whatever is positively dangerous. Even when I'm just getting their dinner plated up they can and do jump onto the work surfaces and if I let them in I am continually chasing them off. Apart from the safety issue, it simply isn't practical. So I leave kitchen behaviour in the main to the new owners who will only have one or two to deal with!

They aren't generally allowed into the bedrooms, as this is not only my older cats' space but they might be going to a home where the family doesn't want bedroom access. However they are occasionally allowed in, one by one, for some time spent learning how to meet and interact with strange cats. I discovered, accidentally, with this litter that Ava doesn't mind meeting and greeting the kittens as long as its in the bedroom- her territory I guess. If she meets a kitten in the hall she's horrified! Poor Ava!

Here's Kurt last week, actually, he's just touched noses with both Ava and Sofia, and now he's sitting at the far end of the bed keeping a respectful distance!


*glare*


Ava glares at the kitten from the security of her cardboard box!


The bathroom- well they are allowed in when I am in there. Again its a safety thing, after Marta jumped in the toilet one day I've really cracked down on that. All my cats enjoy visiting me in the bathroom though, and the kittens are no exception, they like to prowl along the side of the bath as I am washing, and fortunately no-one has fallen in yet!

This isn't to say they aren't taught boundaries- they are. Gretl's penchant for curtain climbing was heavily discouraged, for example- I've not seen her do that for weeks now. Freddie used to bite (not hard) almost constantly, and now he's just an occasional nibbler. And ALL the kittens know that if I clap my hands loudly together I jolly well mean business!

For me the trick is lots of one on one time with each of them, which as you can imagine is incredibly time consuming. Julia over at Rameses (read the website, so informative) says that a breeder should really spend half an hour PER KITTEN PER DAY as a minimum, and I reckon she's spot on there. That's a lot of time you have to spend socialising. Ok, some of it can be combined with other things- stroking and talking to a snoozing kitten on your lap whilst watching CSI of an evening is something I love to do lol- but a lot of it is time you have to specifically find to play with and interact with the kittens.

Of course it's a journey isn't it- I start the (hopefully) good work, the new family will continue that to fit in with their particular needs as a family (bedroom access etc) and fingers crossed by adulthood one has a well rounded adult cat! Of course Tonks are intelligent, which can make them mischevous, and that's part of their charm. And they are highly social, which can make them needy, which can make them misbehave when they aren't getting that attention and that's not so charming but that's Tonks for you. And all kittens have a toddler phase ( at the breeder's) and an adolescent, bratty, test the boundaries phase (at around 6 months, and again neutering on time plays a BIG part in keeping this in check) so when it's time, don't delay!

Any good breeder will tell you the same though- raising kittens well is hard work!

Sunday 26 February 2012

Missing You


Bye Freddie (yes, this was the best of a VERY bad series of photos... Freds would rather lick the camera than pose for it)


Bye Kurt! Kurt on the other hand has the pose down to perfection!

Settling in is always a little precarious. I never feel entirely comfortable until 1) the kitten has used the litter tray and 2) had something to eat. And by default I guess, 3) if they are hiding, which is normal, that they have come out for short periods of time.

Well I know that Kurt has used the litter tray and had a brief explore about, so that's all going brilliantly, thanks M for letting me know! I don't know about Freddie but he seemed very confident whilst I was at his new house. I haven't seen any horrified 'OMG kitten has piddled on my children's school shoes' messages on D's Facebook, only nice ones about what to call him and how much they love him... so that all seems to be going OK as well. Apparently he isn't to be Jack any more. I'll let you know what he does eventually get called!

So all seems to be going pretty well with my boys. Hurrah!

Oh and Indigo is calling. Joy of joys... she can't have the Pill yet, not until the kittens go, so we're in for a couple of very noisy days. Apologetic bottle of vino to the neighbours I'm thinking!!!

Saturday 25 February 2012

Bye Bye Boys


Kurt looking handsome and Freds looking... loony!

*sniff*

Both Freddie and Kurt went home today...

Freddie of course is a special case. Today I drove to his new home, a 3 hour journey each way, to settle him in. It had to be this weekend, as next and the week after I am expecting to be home for the girls to be collected! So it was either today or in three weeks.

I love all my kittens, but I don't think it will surprise anyone to know I was especially attached to Freddie. It wasn't just his leg... Freddie has such a lovely personality that anyone would love him. I could very easily have changed my mind and kept him myself. *sigh* But I know he has gone to the right home. Before I left he had already begun to tentatively make friends with another cat, and had won over his humans. He has a little lad to play with, who says Freddie will be his 'one true darling'- aww! But gosh I'll miss him :(

Now for Kurt. Now I know next Wednesday is the first pickup date, and I hope no-one will feel bad that Kurt has 'jumped the queue', but I hope when I explain they will understand. You see Kurt's family live 2ish hours drive from mine, but not 5 minutes drive from one of the roads I was driving down today. I passed right by them. So I thought, rather than Kurt's people doing an extra and unnecessary 4 hour round trip next weekend, why don't I bring Kurt too? His family were amenable, so that's what we did. It also meant Kurt had a buddy in the carrier with him for the journey, and Freddie had his brother half the time, which was probably a comfort to them both. It was my idea though, and not something I'd usually do. It's just the way things worked out this time.

(of course I got lost and couldn't find Kurt's house, so it wasn't exactly the quick detour I thought it might be... but we'll ignore that! ROFL!!!!)

Anyway, my boys are gone, we are down by two. And I am cream crackered after all that driving today... and am off to bed. Goodnight!

Friday 24 February 2012

Far Too Old


Definitely far too old for all this nonsense... but Mama cats will keep letting them! Poor Indigo looks ridiculous, hidden under that sea of kitten!

Weights today and nothing else as I'm really busy, may not get an entry in tomorrow either but Sunday I will finish the weight comparison and do a proper entry I promise.

Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g
8 weeks 880g
9 weeks 1050g
10.5 weeks 1310g
12 weeks 1460g
FriedrichBirth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g
8 weeks 950g
9 weeks 1180g
10.5 weeks 1380g
12 weeks 1500g

KurtBirth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g
8 weeks 1020g
9 weeks 1220g
10.5 weeks 1460g
12 weeks 1550g

LouisaBirth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g
8 weeks 820g
9 weeks 960g
10.5 weeks 1160g
12 weeks 1260g

BrigittaBirth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g
8 weeks 890g
9 weeks 1070g
10.5 weeks 1300g
12 weeks 1400g

MartaBirth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g
8 weeks 840g
9 weeks 970g
10.5 weeks 1130g
12 weeks 1270g

GretlBirth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g
8 weeks 780g
9 weeks 950g
10.5 weeks 1140g
12 weeks 1260g


Comparison:
Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g
Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g
Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks


REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

3 weeks


REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.

4 weeks


REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks


REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks


REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

9 weeks
REM litter 1070-1340g. Average 1238g
Von Trapp litter 950-1220g. Average 1057g
10.5 weeks
REM litter 1130-1530g. Average 1368g
Von Trapp litter 1130g-1460g. Average 1268g if Liesl's weight is correct.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Needle


Freddie and Louisa rumble in a basket...

Vaccinations yesterday! Of course it didn't pass without incident. When I got the carriers out, Mama went to hide, uttering agonised howls that I felt sure would set the kittens off too. They seem to be made of rather sterner stuff than their mother, however, and when I came into the room again I found four of them already curled up in the baskets and the rest all thinking about leaping in. Thanks kittens! Of course as soon as I shut the tops they realised what was afoot and howled at me... sorry babies, too late!

Then there was a very loud and bouncy dog in the waiting room, which set Gretl off, hissing and growling. She is a little bit hissy, this one. I didn't dare get her out to calm her as the dog was massive and the owner... shall we say rather less in control of it than I was comfortable with? and I feared my kitten might make a tasty little morsel for it! So they all had to stay in the plastic carriers.

Brigitta was a little freaked as well. She was silent up until she got on to the vet table, coped with being examined and weighed and all the rest, (I'll post weights tomorrow) but once that needle went in, oh my she wriggled like a good 'un. There was vaccine all over the table and all down her back. I looked at the vet and the vet looked at me, and I said 'I don't think that much actually went in'. So we discussed it and Brigitta had to have a half dose of vaccine all over again, to be sure. Poor Brigitta!

They were very sleepy yesterday, as usually happens after a vaccine, but today are back to their usual rambunctious selves. So, for our new families, its counting down the days now I guess! The vaccinations are done, pedigrees are back, kitten packs ready to be assembled. And as of next Wednesday, the 29th, they will be free to come home. Just let me know which day you want to come and when. :)

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Ouch!


Looks so innocent doesn't she? Not so much. The other day, Marta got so carried away playing with a toy dolphin that she pounced on my foot and bit it. Hard. Hard enough to draw blood! Yes, quiet, shy Marta!

It came as a total shock to me as I was sitting at my desk, I think I rose about two foot into the air and I may have let a few choice words escape my mouth too... and poor Marta dashed away in fright. Guilt! So I then had to cuddle and kiss her and tell her I wasn't shouting at her, just- well- shouting. Of course, being a cat, she wouldn't understand this but it made me feel better!

And then I had to sort out my bleeding toe.

Anyway, when playing with a new kitten, it's best not to encourage biting- type games. (I don't, but I'm just saying this is why!) Whilst most bites are mere tickles, even a small cat is capable of giving a pretty powerful nom and you don't want to encourage pouncing on toes unexpectedly. Cat saliva can carry some nasties as well, especially if your cat goes outside, and if they get into a wound it can turn a bit unpleasant.

Today, I am wearing my slippers... lol!

Saturday 18 February 2012

Desk


There is one, somewhere underneath all that cat...

Louisa and Gretl had a visit from their family today, which all went very well- they are tired now though hence the snoozing on my desk. They aren't daft though... the moment I get up, several of them will find their way onto the computer chair. Oh why do I always feel so mean moving them when I come back with my coffee or whatever it is I got up to get?

One of the things we chatted about today was methods for dissuading kittens from doing naughty things... lol! And then I thought of a couple more. So I thought I'd mention a few on here.

Prevention!- obvious but true. If a kitten isn't allowed in a certain room, shut the door. Cats are climbers- precious ornaments really do need to be behind glass. And a scratcher is kind of a must if you don't want kitten to be using your sofa- cats NEED to scratch for the health of their nails, it's not sheer devilry. Well, sometimes it is. LOL! But trying to understand why your cat is doing xyz  and giving them an acceptable way of doing it which doesn't involve shredding your curtainsshould always be the first port of call.

Distraction- lure them away from batting at the dog's nose (or whatever) with a game, make them forget about whatever badness they were involved in. It's always worth a try- for one thing it gets some extra bonding time in with your cat- but I've never met a cat who was that easily duped for long.

Obviously prevention and distraction should be the main tactics you use along with lots and lots of praise for doing the right thing (and bribery with cat treats is perfectly acceptable in my eyes LOL) but here's a few other things for when they aren't working...

Water spray. Sounds mean, but it works. A quick spray when you see them doing what they oughtn't is a good negative reinforcer, they associate, say, scratching the sofa with getting wet. Of course this doesn't work if you have a cat like my Sofia who quite likes getting wet...

Tin with something noisy and rattly in- dried beans etc. Scary noise, negative reinforcer, works much the same as a water spray.

Tinfoil, scrunched up, makes an unpleasant surface for cats paws and is useful if they've peed anywhere they shouldn't, to dissuade them from going again. Some 'anti cat' sheet plastic does the same trick but is better for larger areas or where you want something a bit more permanent that you can roll/unroll.

Techy stuff. If you are so inclined, you can get really fancy gadgets now that, for example, track a laser across your kitchen worktops which then emits a very unpleasant (to the cat) sound if the laser is broken. All a bit too fancy for me, I'm afraid!

Soft Claws. Never tried them, and not sure I'd want to but they are basically stick on nail covers for if scratching really becomes an issue. I believe Amazon do them? ONLY FOR 100% INDOOR CATS!!!!!

Sprays like Bitter Apple helps if you have a chewy kitty who is munching on wires- it tastes bad enough to make them think twice. Or at least it does with mine, but one of our readers here has a cat who wasn't at all bothered!

Feliway. A lot of 'bad' behaviour all of a sudden can indicate kitty is feeing very stressed. Obviously the best thing is to remove the stressors as far as possible, but you can buy Feliway as a spray or a plug in diffuser which emits calming synthetic cat pheremones which can help matters along a little bit. Expensive, but effective.

Hissing. If your cat is doing something really really unacceptable, you can always hiss at them... this is cat-speak for 'back off, buster' and cats generally understand EXACTLY what you mean! But only use this very occasionally.

What you should never do though is punish your kitty- she won't understand and it will just make her scared of you (or aggressive) and damage your relationship.

Does anyone else have any tried and tested methods?

Friday 17 February 2012

Me And My Sisters


Dear Kurt. He can usually be found having a snuggle with someone! Kurt's new person has decided to look for another Tonk to be a playmate for him, and I'm so pleased as I really think he'll thrive on that. I'm sure he'd be happy on his own, I wouldn't have agreed for him to go to M if I wasn't, but a sibling will just be the icing on the cake for him I'm sure. The litter in question have just been born so he'll have to wait a while, and no doubt there will be a period of introduction for them both, but that's OK.

In the meantime he'll have to have extra cuddles from his people instead. He won't mind this a bit I'm sure. I have an old wooden ladder in my hallway, which the kittens love to climb up and down. I found it in someone's garden actually, asked them if it was scrap (it was) and carried it off triumphantly, proof that you don't NEED to spend hundreds on a cat tree if you don't have that money. Kurt has a habit of perching on there when I use the bathroom, and when I come out he calls out, insistently, to be picked up and cuddled. It's very endearing!


Thursday 16 February 2012

Yeah


Yeah, I'm snuggling with Marta. You have issues, lady?


Marta and Gretl, and Louisa for that matter, weigh about the same, but both Gretl and Louisa feel much heavier to me. Marta always feels as though she's made out of feathers and marshmallow fluff. Perhaps its her trick of going totally limp, Ragdoll- like, when you pick her up. Gretl and Louisa love their cuddles, but they are still very much wriggly kitten, whereas Marta relaxes absolutely, purring and giving you the slitty eyed look of love. Bliss!

Gretl keeps getting the eye goop. (well, thrice...) Just in the one eye. I use a very mild saline to treat it, it goes away, only for a week later to come back. I'm clearly not getting to the root of the problem for Gretl with just saline is what I'm saying. So when I was at the vet's Monday, I asked the vet for a tube of Fucithalmic, so that if her eye started again, or anyone elses for that matter, I could treat it once and for all. Sure enough, yesterday I noticed a goopy eye again... so out came the eye drops. Of course when you treat one in the litter, you might as well do the lot, as infections tend to go the rounds, so they are all having the drops at the moment. There's been no more goop, but they will have the drops for a couple of days just in case.

This, of course, is one of the occasions when Marta does NOT go limp and ragdoll- like! Nor do any of the others!

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Feets


Kitten toes as modelled by the lovely Gretl. Who can resist?

Most cats are particular about their feet. They are definitely Do Not Touch zones. Indigo, however, being a decidedly peculiar cat, actually likes having her feet massaged, and several of the kittens are following in her paw prints.

Me I am a willing accomplice to this, as kitten feet are touchably peach fuzzy and soft... mmmm!

Monday 13 February 2012

10.5 weeks


My Von Trapps seem to be catching up with their predecessors on the weight front... very interesting... perhaps they are just late developers? Or did they all just have extra large breakfasts to confuse matters?

Six out of seven kittens are now in varying stages of vaccine site reaction- nearly every man jack of them (except- well, Jack! Freddie as he is at the moment) which must be a record. Some of them, like Brigitta's, are practically gone now and some, like Liesl's are still quite large although I hasten to add not harmful, very common and they will go down in time. Probably in time for the next vaccination LOL- whereupon they will promptly get another one I have no doubt! They feel like a squishy lump between the shoulderblades and unless you were looking for it, you'd be forgiven for not noticing it at all.

They've all been microchipped today and the chips registered directly to their new family- paperwork should be arriving through the door at some point. Poor Louisa bled a little bit- the needle for the chip is really quite big- but she was OK after a bit of TLC. The microchips can be felt as a grain of rice sized hard lump in the top of the neck, the neck muscles holding them in place (although they can 'slip' slightly and be a little off centre with time)

Inds was also given a clean bill of health. Hurrah!


Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g
8 weeks 880g
9 weeks 1050g
10.5 weeks 1310g (can this be accurate? its a bigger leap than I would expect...)

Friedrich
Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g
8 weeks 950g
9 weeks 1180g
10.5 weeks 1380g

Kurt
Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g
8 weeks 1020g
9 weeks 1220g
10.5 weeks 1460g

Louisa
Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g
8 weeks 820g
9 weeks 960g
10.5 weeks 1160g

Brigitta
Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g
8 weeks 890g
9 weeks 1070g
10.5 weeks 1300g

Marta
Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g
8 weeks 840g
9 weeks 970g
10.5 weeks 1130g

Gretl
Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g
8 weeks 780g
9 weeks 950g
10.5 weeks 1140g


Comparison:
Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g
Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g
Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks


REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

3 weeks


REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.

4 weeks


REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks


REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks


REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

9 weeks
REM litter 1070-1340g. Average 1238g
Von Trapp litter 950-1220g. Average 1057g
10.5 weeks
REM litter 1130-1530g. Average 1368g
Von Trapp litter 1130g-1460g. Average 1268g if Liesl's weight is correct.

Sunday 12 February 2012

And The Vet Said...


That they couldn't find a thing wrong. Not a darn thing. Nothing in the urine, bladder feels normal, she wasn't sick again and she had a normal bowel motion overnight. She was subdued at the vets but not worryingly so, and her paws feel like normal paws again and not clammy and cold as they were before.

So she's had another painkilling injection and come home, we're all back tomorrow anyway for microchips so she'll probably have another injection then and until then I'm keeping a detailed record of her eating, toilet habits and general demeanour to see if that offers up any clues. But she's used the litter tray since I got her home with no apparent pain and what looked like a decent amount as well, not the once every ten minute and then only a drop visits of the other day.

I am utterly stumped. I'm delighted she's apparently fine, but sheesh, I'm sure the vet thinks I make these things up you know... or have Munchausens by proxy or something!!!!!!!!

Guess who was ultra needy and missed Mama the most? Louisa. I left my bedroom door open, so any lonely kittens could visit, and I think they all did at one point or another, but Louisa spent the whole night snuggled. Of course since Mama came back, she hasn't bothered with me at all :) LOL. She's going to make one affectionate kitty though, I hope her girls like cuddles!

Ah well, onwards... Brigitta (CoCo) has a visit from her R later on, so that will be nice.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Snuggling With Mama



The kittens sure do love their Mama! They'll have to do without her today though because- sigh- Indigo has been given painkillers and admitted for 24 hours at the vets for observation and tests :( She didn't get any worse last night, but this morning she started crying whilst trying to 'go' and was obviously in a lot of pain. So she needed to stay in so they can work out what is up. Last week's sickness may be connected- she had antibiotics and they made her feel instantly better but they may not have been enough to have killed off whatever she (possibly) had brewing.

You may be sure I will give the kittens plenty of cuddles myself to make up for any they might be missing today. Thankfully they are old enough to fend for themselves, Mama still feeds them but they don't NEED her milk any more, for example. And sher still washes them, but they are more than capable of doing it herself.

Last night was very interesting actually. (setting aside the worry about Inds) I slept on the couch in the living room so as to keep an eye on Indigo. Well, I can't say I slept much, what with kittens jumping all over me and Gretl landing on my face at one point which was a bit of a shock, but they all reacted to my being in with them at night in their own individual way. Liesl curled up daintily next to my pillow, head on one side, and regarded me thoughtfully. Marta and Louisa spent the night snuggled into my neck and hair. Gretl leaped around excitedly rubbing her head affectionately all over my hands and face, Freddie insisted on licking my nose and chin a lot. Kurt got under the covers where it was nice and warm and Brigitta snuggled into the crook of my knees and purrred and purred. It was nice but I was basically immobilised by all these bodies and kept waking up with cramps from where I'd stayed still so long!

(I loved it really!)

Anyway, if you could all cross fingers for Indigo's speedy recovery, I'd be much obliged. The vet says every third cat appointment at the moment is for a UTI- apparently the combo of central heating plus very cold weather isn't a brilliant one for cats' urinary health. I shall do some more reading around that... perhaps there's something I can add to the cats food in the winter time that will help protect them? Does anyone know?

Queens Of The Castle



A very regal pair!

Indigo is poorly again... this evening she's been sick and has had diarrhoea. Moreover she's showing classic signs (IMO, not that I'm a vet...) of some kind of UTI brewing- visiting the litter box more often to pee, seeming to put a little more 'effort' into going when she does go... so it'll be the vet for us first thing tomorrow. She's also been hanging out round the litter tray, licking herself more than she usually does (which is a fair amount even so!) and she's been weeing on my washing although to be fair this last one is probably more down to the fact she's getting hormonal again- she's had a mini heat, so in 2 weeks or so ought to be in full howl again. The joys!

In fact if it wasn't for the fact she seems quite normal in her demeanour, I'd take her to the emergency vets and hang the expense. But it's a long drive, (not the usual vets, the out of hours service is a couple towns away) it's now midnight and it would distress her and... well I hope that's the right decision I really do. God I hate it when my cats are poorly.

I don't think any of my cats have ever had a urinary tract infection before- I know Indigo has been tested for one before as I think has Theo, but both were negative. Indigo, the minx, managed to hold onto her urine for over 24 hours rather than wee at the vet's and they ended up having to extract some with a needle- then when I collected her she weed all over me and the cat carrier. I feel for her though- I (sorry, TMI) had cystitis myself several times after the lad was born and it makes you feel really grim.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough though. And I'll be sleeping, (or should that be 'sleeping') in with the kittens tonight...

Wednesday 8 February 2012

I agree, Freddie...


Louisa IS extra snuggly! And doesn't she look pretty there, not at all boyish. (Why do I now feel I will regret saying that?) It's fair enough to say that both the boys are now looking distinctly manly- shape of head etc- and they are both bigger as is usual. Louisa is neither of those things. But as with all things kitten, anything can happen!

Louisa has developed a lump at the vaccine site- yesterday. So has Liesl, this morning. Now I'm on familiar territory here, last time three of my kittens developed lumps after the second vaccination (none of them did after the first) so I was expecting it, know what it is and am not at all concerned. I wrote this post last year about it and there's a good link on that page for more info as well. Obviously I shall keep an eye on them, but ahhhh.... it's so much more less stressful encountering things for the second time! It isn't painful, the lump. It's just there. It'll go.

You will see both kittens are on the kitten tree here... sadly the tree is no more! I came in yesterday morning to find the tree in two pieces. Ah well it has done us very well. What I might do is save the top and bottom and screws- the big tree in the living room is looking very wobbly these days and it can't be long before I decide to retire it, or parts of it, so I might be able to recreate the kitten tree from parts of this. Then again, I might just start the next litter with a fresh one. The old one has done very well, but it is getting rather grubby and worn now. Perhaps it's time it was retired?

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Sometimes


A kitten just needs some peace and quiet...


You go 'way now. Liesl is having her beauty sleeps...

Monday 6 February 2012

Shoulder



I love this photo... I usually hate anything with me in it! Marta loves shoulders- Indigo did, and Marta spends a not inconsiderable amount of time perched up there. Usually most days at least once she'll climb aboard for a bit. Gretl does too, but she has to be removed regularly as she thinks spectacles are a cool toy. Marta just snuggles though, and tickles my ear with her whiskers!

Speaking of whiskers, I've been FURminating Ava and Sofia a lot recently as they seem to be having their spring moult, this despite the coldest weather this year, go figure. Anyway, the other day Sofia lost a whisker. They do shed whiskers, but they never cease to fascinate me and it was good to study one up close. Needle sharp at one end, tapered to a thin, fine strand at the other, whiskers (or whisker pads, I guess) are incredibly sensitive and partially responsible for  balance and all sorts of things. A cat who loses his whiskers might be rather wobbly until they grow back, and occasionally a mama cat will chew off her kitten's whiskers to make sure they don't stray far from the nest!

Back to Marta once again, she and Liesl had a lovely visit from their family yesterday- well before the snow came I am relieved to add! And their new names are chosen too- Lily and Iris, after family members. Awwww! The family aren't 100% as to who will be who yet, but they rather think Liesl will be Lily and Marta will be Iris.

Sunday 5 February 2012

Smack The Cursor

Updated to add: animal charity Blue Cross have issued a weather warning to cat owners- gritter salt is highly toxic, and if you suspect your cat has ingested it, take them to the vet. Ditto antifreeze, which seems to be particularly tasty as far as cats are concerned.  http://www.bluecross.org.uk/2000-82588/cat-deaths-prompt-salt-warning.html



Ok... today's entry...






Louisa's favourite game... she also disappears round the back of the computer to try and catch it. Bless her, she can't work out where it's coming from!

I was asked yesterday about my waiting list. Truth be told, I don't keep one. I only breed once a year, you see, and so only advertise then too... and so there's a large gap between having litters available. It's over six months between waving goodbye to one set of babies and even taking Indie off to stud, and longer still before the kittens are ready to leave once again.

No-one would want to wait a year for a litter- with no guarantees even then. For example, I thought I'd get chocs and lilacs this time, thinking Monty was a choc, and he does carry choc so we could have got some, but they were all blues and browns. A breeder with six litters a year might reasonably be expected to produce such and such a colour eventually, but with just the one it's a bit hit and miss!

So if anyone does contact me inbetween, which they do, then I generally refer them on to breeders who I know DO have kittens. My experience of Tonk-world is that breeders generally each other out when it comes to finding and placing kittens. Some have waiting lists, especially in season, but definitely a helpful bunch :) If it's kitten season, when I know there will be quie a few who have kittens, I generally direct people to the Tonkinese Breed Club or the Tonkinese Cat Club, both of whom have breeder lists, so you can pick for yourself which breeders you would like to approach, distance etc.

I don't expect it ever to happen, but if someone decided they absolutely had to have an Indikon kitten then I would be incredibly flattered and I guess what I would advise would be to keep an eye on the ste and contact me in the autumn when they know I have kittens expected. Or Indigo does. You know what I mean! I guess that would be kind of a waiting list- they'd have to wait, at least. But a year round one I don't do.

Saturday 4 February 2012

Active Healing


2 weeks old. Leg has re-set at a marked angle, with leg out significantly to the side. Normal leg to the right!


9 weeks old. You can still see where leg is slightly bent, but... WOW!

Bodies really are wonderful things. And Freddie is a wonderful kitten.

Friday 3 February 2012

9 weeks old

...yesterday, but it was vaccination, vet check and weighing day today. There's so many of them, the vet has to block in a big chunk of appointments in order to get everything done!


Of course it's the coldest day of the winter so far isn't it? LOL we bundled up, or rather, I bundled up, and the kittens got a heating pad in each of their carriers and a blanket over the top to keep the heat in, and off we all went.They were all very good, despite being scared, and of course the needle wasn't very nice. But they all coped admirably.

Louisa still looks like a girl (lol)

Everybody's hearts all sound nice and healthy, lungs are all good, eyes are gunk free, teeth are lovely and so on and so forth, a lovely healthy bunch, in fact.

Freddie's leg, says the vet, 'gets straighter every time I see him'- bodies really are wonderful things aren't they? According to the vet, he's still actively healing as he grows, as when he was smaller the leg was much more at an angle than it is now. I'll have to try and get a photo and show you. It's all wonderful news and I'm so proud of him.

I'm expecting sleepy kittens for much of today, the jab really takes it out of them I've found, and they will have a nice bland chicken dinner later so as not to over tax their stomachs, not that I've known that to happen, but you never know. They will be back to normal tomorrow. Just as well, as Brigitta's, and Marta and Liesl's families are hoping to visit, snow permitting of course! We don't have any here yet...


Liesl
Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g
8 weeks 880g
9 weeks 1050g

Friedrich


Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g
8 weeks 950g
9 weeks 1180g

Kurt

Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g
8 weeks 1020g
9 weeks 1220g

Louisa

Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g
8 weeks 820g
9 weeks 960g

Brigitta

Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g
8 weeks 890g
9 weeks 1070g

Marta

Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g
8 weeks 840g
9 weeks 970g

Gretl

Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g
8 weeks 780g
9 weeks 950g


Comparison:
Birth
 
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g
Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

1 week
 
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g
Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks

REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

3 weeks

REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks

REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks

REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

9 weeks
 
REM litter 1070-1340g. Average 1238g
Von Trapp litter 950-1220g. Average 1057g



Thursday 2 February 2012

Brothers


Doing what brothers do best... fighting! The expression on Freddie's face is cracking me up. You needn't feel too sorry for him though, he gives as good as he gets and then some.

I'd like to thank everyone who has been posting recently, old and newcomers. It's been so good to find messages when I've opened up the blog, and I love chatting to other 'cat people' anyway. Thank you, and keep talking!

I had an email/ telephone conversation with the GCCF the other day. Remember way back when, when I mated Inds? At the time, we thought Monty was a chocolate. Well, it's since become obvious he is not, he is a brown. And he's been re-registered, and all is good. He's even had a litter of kittens registered since the change, so we know that's all been through OK.

Of course what neither Hilary or I thought was that my proof of mating certificate has Monty down as a chocolate. And of course, if you mate a choc to a lilac, you absolutely cannot have blue or brown kittens. So the GCCF weren't able to register the kittens.

All sorted now- Hilary will send me an updated certificate, I'll send that off, and all will be able to proceed. Phew! It's really good though, how careful they are with their registrations :) I hadn't even thought there might be a problem, hadn't crossed my mind, and yet I had to fill in the form twice as I know they don't allow any errors/ crossings out on the application form. D'oh!

Wednesday 1 February 2012

It's A Rough Life, Kurt


I know, honey... so stressful...




Being cute helps though... keep it up!