When Will You Marry?

(Sorry about the gap between posts-  a family bereavement and other 'stuff'. You know how it is.)

So the time of year has come when I'm thinking hard about who to mate Indigo to next, and equally importantly, when.

Because it's complicated this year. Firstly time wise. My friend gets married in the spring and I am in the bridal party. I can't have a due date cat around that time, or kittens that are too young. I can't have kittens that are due to go home because I won't be about to facilitate that. I could have small-ish, still just about nest- bound kittens or older, independent kittens (both times with an experienced- with- baby- kittens person housesitting) but I wouldn't want to leave toilet training kittens. And given Indigo's illness last year, I wouldn't want to leave a pregnant cat, certainly not in the early stages.

It's ridiculous... I'm only going away overnight, but it's feeling like a military operation! And I KNOW they would be fine with someone else for a night or even a weekend, but... well, you know.

The other option of course is to not have kittens this winter at all, mate her in the Spring and have summer babies but again that would require careful timing because I take a summer holiday. Or I could skip a year entirely. (the idea doesn't appeal...)

The next thing is with whom to mate my girl. Now the problem with Indigo is that as a 5th generation Tonk, she's actually related to quite a few of the local (and by local I mean within a 3 hour drive... lol...) studs, and that won't do at all! I rang up about a stud last week, only to realise it was her grandfather! Not sure how I had missed that!

There's not a lot of choice, is what I am saying.

Now she's had two lovely litters. Her first one, with GrCh Fecheldee Harry, are now what- 18 months?- so its possible to see what they are like as adults, and I'm delighted with them. Good quality, robust cats with no health issues (that have been reported to me, anyway) who obviously give their families a lot of pleasure. So a repeat mating with Harry is a definite possibility, he's obviously a good match for Inds. And he's a proven stud, and a Grand Champion, all to the good.

Harry's an apricot mink, so those kittens could be blue, lilac or caramel (boys), all three in tortoiseshell (girls) and in mink or solid. My instinct is, if I mate Indigo this autumn, to use Harry again.

But then over at Tonkadello, they have a new up and coming stud, Louis. Now Louis isn't available yet, he's only a baby still, born, I think, in February, but by next year he will be available. Now the big selling point for me with Louis is that he is a first generation Tonk, ie his parents will be a Siamese and a Burmese. He represents an entirely new bloodline, (and many thanks to the dedicated breeders who made that happen...) and that would be a good balance for Indigo's 5th generation blood. The Tonk gene pool is small, and it just isn't healthy to get too small.

Mating Indigo to Louis will be a bit of a leap into the unknown as he won't have been a stud for long by the time Inds needs to come, but to be honest that's how it was with Monty too and that worked out really well- my Von Trapps were adorable. So if I waited until the Spring, I'd probably want to use Louis, if he was ready.

These kittens would be chocolate and lilac, if he carries dilute, (which his people may not know until he's had a few litters of course!!) in mink and solid. And yes... if I got a chocolate mink girl of a decent quality I would definitely consider keeping her. There's no hurry to keep a kitten, Inds is three now- I guess she'll have another three litters all being well (which you can't bank on) But latter litters are smaller, fewer kittens mean less choice and you can't guarantee even a female, let alone a female of good type, and then there's the question of your own colour preferences etc. So leaving it to the last litter, never a good plan.

As always I am merely rambling, and your opinions would be very interesting indeed :) Oh- sorry about the pretentious title today, but I love Gauguin and it seemed apt!

Oh, She's A Nag...

Twice this week I've been away overnight. Twice, on my return, I've been treated to the most almighty and drawn out telling off from Indigo! She yowled at me for a good half an hour, swishing her tail and generally being a most put out cat. Indigo does Not Approve of me going away, not in the slightest!!!

Ava and Sofia are pleased to see me home but show their pleasure in purrs and head butts instead of nags. Theo's much more chilled about it all so long as there's food (although he does tend to sleep next to me on my return, and is even more solicitous than usual about accompanying me to the bathroom...) But Indigo really does not thrive unless there's a person there to love her, and she makes it well known, too.

Oh well, she is a Tonk. On the one hand they are super-social, on the other... well... take that away, and they are unhappy. Oh well, I've had some nice cuddles today. Inds has clearly decided if she sits on me all day I can't go anywhere!

Update

Sorry, mad week, poorly child, work 'restructuring' (which will resolve itself in more work for less pay I suspect!) and things ramping up at the allotment. Will I ever get it dug in time for the spuds to go in? And why, despite telling myself I will ONLY grow what I absolutely need this year, do I find myself with 29 tomato seedlings- oh and 11 aubergines? I need about 6 and 2 respectively lol!!!

Cats are all well, Indigo's feline acne is clearing nicely now- she's on the Ovarid again. She didn't get it nearly as badly this year anyway, perhaps she's growing out of it. It tends to be the younger queens who are the most susceptible, and Inds is only just 3 so pretty young for a cat. Last year you could see it from a distance, her chin was covered in black scabbiness, but this year her chin just looks a little grubby up close. In a darker coloured cat, you'd not even notice.

Kittens all seem to be well and healthy, got a few pics to share next week. Bailey is still not safe in the bedrooms though... he uses the box appropriately otherwise but it's so frustrating for M (and me too!) Come on Bailey sort it out boy! M's had some good advice from her vet and is a seasoned Tonk owner herself, so I know Bailey's in good and sympathetic hands- but it is becoming an issue so please keep your fingers crossed for them that it all works out. Bailey's getting a brother in May all being well, so if his issue is one of overattachment and 'marking' (which I think it is, he clearly loves M very much and there's no evidence to suggest he's unwell or unhappy, quite the opposite!) I'm hoping a playmate will help calm any seperation anxiety he may be feeling.

Last year, Alfie had some similar issues, his stopped after a short while though- although I am sure it didn't seem like a short while to D and S! I'm trying to find out what, if anything, I can do to improve MY practice. What I am finding, though, is that it's not a rare issue in the 'intelligent' breeds- Orientals and Foreigns, and the same sparkiness and zest that makes their characters so desirable can also make them anxious, nervy, overattached etc at times... I've often commented that Indigo, my Tonk, is by far my most 'needy' cat. That's Tonks for you, you can't have one without the other, and I do try to communicate that here on the blog, Tonks are such a specific 'flavour' of cat and being social and communicating and loving you is what they do, only occasionally one will do this by peeing (because in the wild, that's what cats do!)

It's interesting that both Alfie and Bailey are boys, and they are boys who went 'solo' IYSWIM. I don't know if that's relevent, and I don't have nearly enough experience to be able to say whether it's a trend or just coincidence, but it's something I'm recording here for future reference. Are lone boys more prone to anxiety than any other combination? I wonder.

http://www.ramesescats.co.uk/health/page111/page111.html this page is still under construction, but I can't tell you how relieved I was to find it! As you know I very much respect this cattery and aspire to be like it, and to read between the lines I'm guessing this breeder has had a few piddling kittens herself in her time. Certainly enough to have some good advice to give! Hallelujah, I'm not the only one! (seriously, I've been having doubts as to my fitness as a breeder, bad times!)

Queen Of The Castle

Lottie and Lola's family have bought the girls a fantastic full height cat climber, which to me looks a bit castle like... very appropriate for two princesses! They love it. Here's Lola at the top. I understand she's also *ahem* rediscovered curtain climbing. Lola!!!! What a monkey!

Looking at Lola, I can't see for the life of me why I ever thought Alfie or Jonah (last year) were blue minks... they looked quite different to Lola. Although having said that, will I have to eat my words this time next year with regards to Lola? I'm much, much more confident about the accuracy of my (eventual!) colourings this year, but even so, we aaaaaaaalllll know what a mess I made of it last year!!! *hangs head in shame*

At least with Tonks this kind of uncertainty goes with the territory... it's almost part of the fun. I guess. LOL.

Poo!

Ah, the moment when one comes in in the morning to find A POO IN THE LITTER BOX. Wonderful! It means that for one kitten, at least, the penny has dropped, and where one kitten-er- 'goes', the others will follow. And indeed by the time of typing, half five in the evening-ish, there are now three poops where indeed they ought to be. Hurrah!

Yes, I am sad and have no life! Yes, I am aware I have just advertised my kittens, linking to this site and here I am writing about poop. I can't help it, I'm thrilled! (welcome, by the way, if you've popped over from an advert or on recommendation :) )

They are funny when they first start to go on their own though. They utter agonised howls, attracting the attention of Mama and the rest of the litter, and settle down on the litter with a look of absolute concentration. *snigger* It's pretty funny.

Brigitta and Kurt in the litter trays. Brigitta is sniffing a tissue I had just wiped up someone elses piddle with. She then promptly pooped in the tray herself. Hurrah!

Interestingly, this photo shows the difference in colour between Kurt and Brigitta. Brigitta does seem darker doesn't she? I had thought both were brown solids, but now I think Brigitta is a solid and Kurt is a mink. You can see that lovely colour around his shoulders that first led brown Tonks to be called the 'Golden Siamese'? Bear in mind a) I am a pants photographer, b) they are kitten-fluffy still but they WILL be sleek and glossy when older and c) it's mid-winter and the light quality is bad- imagine Kurt (or Liesl, or Brigitta for that matter) in the summer, in a beam of sunlight, with all that goldenness shining off a sleek coat... mmmmmm!

*I cannot keep another cat, I cannot keep another cat, I cannot....*

Numbers

I was drawing up the kittens' 4 generation pedigrees last night, a somewhat complicated procedure involving lots of strings of numbers (the cats' registration numbers) and thus checking and rechecking that I have copied the numbers correctly. I'm not finished yet, it's kind of a work in progress lol.

It was really quite interesting though. I haven't looked at Indigo's and Harry's pedigrees for a while. Indigo is a 5th generation Tonkinese, so her pedigree is all Tonk, and all the breed numbers are 74 and variations thereof. Harry though, Harry is a 2nd generation Tonkinese, so his near ancestors contains both Burmese and Siamese influences. So there's a liberal sprinkling of 24s (Siamese), 27s (Burmese) and even a couple of 32s in there as well (Tabby/ Tortie/ Red/ Cream/ Apricot Siamese, as these colours were not originally accepted by Siamese breeders, hence the different number)

As to which generation the kittens are, it's the lower of the parent's generations, plus one. So they are 3rd generation Tonkinese. Their parents and grandparents are all Tonks, their great grandparents and their great great grandparents are Burmese, Siamese and Tonkinese.

All the cats have letters before their number, too. Now Tonkinese are a relatively new breed (although in the 'wild', they are as old as the hills... there are Tonkinese street cats wherever the Burmese and the Siamese are...) so there are different codes, and it all gets quite confusing. There's a brilliant guide at Mymystic Tonkinese but I'll try to summarise on here as well.

If the cat has a CSREF on its registration number, it is e on the reference register. It is either a first generation, second generation, or has a solid or pointed coat pattern- so both Indigo and Wendell have CSREF before their numbers. CSREF cats can be bred from, if also registered as active (Indigo is, Wendell is not) but they cannot be shown in pedigree classes.

If a cat has CSSR before it's numbers, it is on the supplementary register. This means that the cats ancestry for 3 generations consists of mink tonkinese, pointed and solid variant CSREF Tonkinese PLUS at least one ancestor from a back cross mating (Tonkinese with Burmese or Siamese, but only pre 1997, it's not allowed now) or a pre 1999 first cross mating (Burmese x Siamese) All the minks have a CSSR before their number (as does Harry, their father) because they have a Siamese and a Burmese as a great grandparent. CSSR kittens can be shown. They can also be bred from if also registered on the Active Register, which mine are not, of course.

and THEN, we have the registration CS, which is the full register- fourth generation and above mink Tonkinese and onwards. Indigo had a mink brother, who would have been CS. Don't let the name 'full register' fool you though... all the codes are properly GCCF registered pedigree Tonkinese cats.

Tonkinese are such a 'new' breed (see proviso above!) that CS registered cats seem to be the exception rather than the rule- there's only one CS Tonkinese cat on the REM litter's whole pedigree! Once you get further and further up the generational ladder, the gene pool available for mating gets smaller and smaller, so eventually you have to mate with lower generations with new bloodlines in order to keep the gene pool healthy.

Not that this will matter to ANYONE but me of course... I suspect I'm a bit of a nerd *grin*. What can I say, I find it interesting!

Aqua Eyes

(Photo by S.A)

As modelled by Kensey!

Cat coat colour and eye colour is closely linked, genetically. The mink coat, also known as (little t) tonkinese, or intermediate, is the only coat that will produce the stunning aqua coloured eyes Kensey has above. They are unique to the Tonkinese breed and a very few other breeds like the Rexes, that have used both Siamese and Burmese cats in their development. All the minks will have aqua eyes at maturity, some of mine are still quite blue eyed at present which is usual. Kensey's are fairly stunning already though. Yum!

Wendell is a 'solid', so he will ultimately develop greeny-yellow eyes like his Mama. Also very pretty, but not unique to the breed, lots of cats have yellow eyes after all. But very attractive all the same. And speaking of Wendell's eyes, both he and Kenneth are squinty again. Dammit! I suspect I stopped the eye stuff too soon.

Kensey is very good at posing for the camera isn't he? Not like some of them, who don't stay still for more than a second *cough-Wendell* or who think the camera is a fascinating new cat toy *cough-Wendell* or who turn their heads at the last minute, leaving a blur. *cough... ahem... Wendell.* Wendell is my livewire, always on the go!

S and D came over last night to visit Kenneth... who I believe will soon be called Alfie- aww! Kenneth was more interested in finding a quiet place to sleep, and took a moment or two to find (on top of the cardboard recycling box is a new one on me!!) and even then wanted no more than a bit of shut eye! Fortunately Wendell was more than happy to play- Wendell is ALWAYS happy to play- and Monty to snuggle so a good time was had by all.

Indikon

Well, my prefix has now been approved, and I am officially Indikon :)

I have been keeping a private blog for a few months now, documenting my Tonkinese cat Indigo's pregnancy and motherhood. Her kittens are currently four weeks old, and very lovely they are too! Over the next few weeks and months I will transfer the posts over to this public blog, and eventually, when I've caught up, update directly to here.

If you're reading for the first time, hello! My name is Beth, and I'm a new breeder of Tonkinese cats. This blog is meant to be a diary of breeding and cat ownership, a totally honest, warts and all account of all our antics and concerns here. So if Indigo widdles on my bath towel (the highlight of one post) I'll tell you all about it. You lucky things.

It's also intended to be a tool for our kittens' new families to keep up to date with their babies before they are old enough to come home. And of course I will be spending some time talking about my other cats too- I have four, and only one is a Tonk.

If you are a breeder yourself I might say things that you disagree with, I might do things you think are unnecessary or could be done differently, and you are welcome to post in the comments section and tell me so. In fact, I'm almost sure to so something unorthodox at some point! That's ok, I'm sure we all do things differently and I'm always open to a bit of advice- after all, this is new to me. Trolls and spammers beware though... comments will be moderated, so anything rude or hateful will be removed... it's not that kind of blog, and I don't have any use for Viagra, thanks!

I hope you enjoy reading.

One Extra

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Indigo has nine nipples!

She has! Apart from the eight standard ones, in pairs along her belly, on her right side, between the top two and the bottom two is an extra. It looks perfectly normal, feels normal (I was washing them gently the other day) it's just there- an extra one.

I would make some quip about how I hope she doesn't have one kitten for each nipple, but I've heard of Tonks who have had large litters of eight and nine so I don't think I'll tempt fate... we'll have a rather smaller litter than that, thanks, Fate, if you're listening!

In other news, Indigo does now have a third wave of spots... one on each ear, a couple elsewhere but the majority this time are at the base of her tail. Thumps. Head. On. Desk. Still painless though, thank goodness! I've changed my washing powder, cleaners, stopped using any perfumes... you name it I've changed it and still she's getting these allergic reactions... I don't know what to do next.

Indie As A Kitten

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Well, about 6 months I think here. Just about fitting on the kitten tree but only just!

As you can see she was quite rotund, bless her. She was a chubby little kitten, only slimming out as a mature cat. She's still got that 'kittenish' look to her face here as well.

I can't remember what she was looking at. I did think to myself 'probably shooting hate rays at Sofia', but Indie didn't start getting challenging in that way until she was sexually mature. In fact she had been known to snuggle up with Ava quite happily *sigh* and respected Sofia's Top Cat position without murmur. I shall probably bore everyone silly saying this but it really is a good idea to neuter your cats if they aren't breeding animals... Indigo was much more mellow before her hormones kicked in!

It sounds daft, but I don't have that many pictures of her when she was small... because, like most Tonkinese, she never stayed still enough for me to take her photo! I have a better camera now though, so hoping to get lots of her kittens.

Bump

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

I don't know why they say an expectant cat won't be any bigger until about 6 weeks. By my reckoning, Indigo is at max. 4 and a half weeks and already has a noticeable bump.

Ok, I admit I took a series of photographs and picked the two where her bump is most noticeable. Some of the other pictures weren't as obvious. But she looks bigger to me already.

Maybe it's because Tonks have fairly short fur. Perhaps if it were one of the longer haired breeds, or a shorthair such as a British or an exotic, which have longer fur than Tonkinese, it wouldn't be noticeable.

I'm not concerned, every cat is different and of course I don't know the size of the litter yet. And of course it might not be related to litter size- she might just be portly *grin* Perhaps Indigo is liking the kitten food just a shade too much? She certainly seens to have her nose in the food bowl pretty regularly!

Oh So Cuddly

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Not sure whether it's the Feliway or pregnancy hormones (I haven't given up hope yet!) but this girl has been cuddly recently. Here she is snuggled up cosily... doesn't she look satisfied?

Indigo is my only cat who will sit on your lap. Not for long, Tonkinese are much too busy for that, but she will take a frequent five minutes to come and snuggle. Yesterday it seemed that every time I sat down, my lap would be swiftly filled with a purring Tonk. Not that I was complaining.

The other cats are affectionate too, but not really lap cats. Ava watches Indigo with envy- there's been times when I've sensed she really really wants to curl up in my lap and she's walked over and over me indecisively and not been able to do it, bless her. But when i'm lying down, she'll come and lie on my chest and purr her whiskers off, which is lovely. Theo will tolerate being picked up and held but as soon as you relax your arms, he's off, and Sofia doesn't like to be picked up AT ALL. Nor does Ava for that matter.

Indigo though, Indigo will climb onto your chest and purr and do happy paws into your shoulder quite happily, and will tolerate being cradled, upside down, like a baby. In fact she will often climb into your arms and upend HERSELF which is hilarious. She'll sit on your shoulders, snuggle in your lap, and if allowed into the bedroom she'll get under the covers with you.

Don't get me wrong, she can be a thorough pest at times, but her cuddliness is one of my favourite things about her.

Meow

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

For the past few days, Indigo has been meowing up a storm. Not calling, her 'I need a mancat NOW' yowl is very distinctive, although that might be the next step I suppose. But she's been Very Very Loud, even for her.

Now Indigo isn't a quiet cat, by any means. Tonks are generally quite chatty, they want to be with you and share in what you are doing and won't hesitate to let you know their opinions. For anyone reading this thinking perhaps of bringing a tonk into their lives would be wise to consider this. There are plenty of lovely cat breeds that are more quiet and sedate, so if lots of meowing will bother you, best to consider another breed

My other cats are much less vocal. Theo will mew when he's wanting his walk, Ava will indulge in a brief chat at bedtime and a single 'hello' meow when she enters a room. Sofie, on the other hand, has only meowed once, when the vet took her temperature- a cold thermometer stuck into the bottom will do that to a girl, I guess!

I don't know why Indigo is suddenly so vocal. Hopefully that will be resolved before too long- either by her going into heat or I'll work out what is bothering her. But on the plus side, the gradual reintroduction to the other cats is going well. Indigo is now happy in Theo's presence and they've been observed mutually grooming. Indie will never get to that stage with the others, but they've spent the odd 10 minutes here and there without scrapping- plenty of treats and a feather toy has helped with that, although I'd still not leave them all to their own devices yet.

We're getting there... slowly, steadily and somewhat noisily.

The Cost Of Cats

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

'Yeah, yeah. You know we're worth it.'

There's no money in cat breeding. If you are reading this, thinking of becoming a breeder and expecting to rake in the cash, think again. There's a reason why the taxman counts dog breeding as a business and cat breeding as a hobby! Yes, it's true a pedigree kitten will set you back £350 or more, but rarely will the breeder be making a profit.

Now most breeders households will consist of a mix of breeding queens and retired or neutered cats, so although I only have one breeding Tonk in a community of four felines, I reckon my household is normal enough. So, just to give you a taster of my cat bills this month...

First there's the ever present food and litter bill. I've just recieved an order from Zooplus, price £150. My cats eat a very good quality food, Royal Canin, which is of course expensive. Plus another £20 at Pets At Home for wet food. And a £50 order at Vetmeds for Feliway, plus a few other things I needed.

Vet bills. I could argue they've been higher than normal this month, about £300, but even in a good month there's regular checkups, vaccinations and so on- I spend quite a bit on veterinary care. I have pet insurance of course (another £50 a month) but I have to pay an excess on any claim, which I haven't quite exceeded yet.

Indigo has been to stud- that was another £200, and the four hour round trip, twice, to take her and collect her was also expensive...

So that's £800ish spent on the cats this month alone- and that's not unusual. I haven't even counted the £75 prefix application and the £50 ten year membership of The Tonkinese Cat Club as they are one off costs... I've only counted the normal monthly outgoings of a houseful of cats. The next few months, if Indigo is pregnant,  I will probably spend even more, what with buying in kittening supplies, extra food, vet bills, buying a pen, heating the house (kittens need a constant 22 degrees C) washing bills, plus every kitten will need costly vaccinations and pedigree papers...

All this for one litter of kittens per year. The average litter size is 3-4 kittens. Well, you can do the maths for yourself. Even if all my cats were breeding age females I wouldn't cover my costs.

So no, there is absolutely no money to be found in cat breeding. We do it for other reasons, but never for money.

Home!

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

"Oh. I see the noisy one is back then..."

Noise being the operative word. Indigo started to howl the moment I put her in the carrier, and kept it up the whole two hours' journey home. You'd think she'd have gotten bored and given up, but in fact she seemed to redouble her efforts round about the Dartford Bridge mark.

Since being home, she's been calling a lot... I have read that cats coming back from stud can still be in heat, so I'm trying not to be despondant about it... it doesn't necessarily mean she isn't pregnant. In between the calling, she's been letting me know exactly what she thinks of me for taking her away from her boyfriend. Tonkinese... well they aren't as vociferous as the Siamese are, but most Foreign cats like a good chat as a rule. If you are looking for a quiet cat, a Tonk is definitely not for you.

I've kept the cats mostly seperate from her and will do for a couple of days. Indigo... well she's a bit stinky at the moment... stud cat, kitty love, whatever it is, she smells fairly potent and I don't want to freak out the other cats. Although I did forget to shut a door earlier and they all came face to face with no hissing or other unpleasantnesses, so all appears to be well.

All my cats are safely home... I'm happy. Now it's just a waiting game to see if the visit was successful or not... and I sent off my prefix application to the GCCF today as well. Wish us luck on both counts!

Progress

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Theo came home yesterday evening after obligingly providing a good urine sample. It's got to go off to the lab, so I'm guessing it will be a while before any results come in. It's really rather clever, they have litter made of plastic balls, which don't absorb the wee, so it can be drained off to provide a sample. This can be done at home, but that's not very practical in a four cat household, so Theo spent the day at the vet.

Anyway, that's quite enough about cat widdle! The photo is of Theo on the day he came home to live with us. Wasn't he a cute little thing? Look at that little back foot! Theo was used to being in a home with lots of kittens and adult cats, and he came here to two adolescent females that were Not At All Amused at having a little brother all of a sudden... and he was a bit lonely at first, hence the dolphin to cuddle, and the fluffy bed to make it seem like he was still in a kitten pile.

I say my cats weren't amused... they weren't, but it wasn't as bad as all that, within a week they were all snuggling together happily. As introductions go it was pretty easy, Birmans are placid, easy going cats as a rule. Indigo on the other hand had to spend a good couple of weeks in the bathroom before being released into the rest of the house as she hissed up a storm at the sight of another cat. Prospective Tonk owners take note- Tonkinese are spirited animals, even as three month old kittens!

Speaking of Indigo, there's nothing exciting to report. She's not been observed mating, however, when the stud owner checked her yesterday, she and the stud were both washing themselves. This is typical post mating feline behaviour, so it could mean something had just happened. On the other hand, cats wash themselves a LOT anyway... it could mean nothing at all.

On the plus side though, it seems she's quite happy in her pen and with the stud for company, she's definitely not hiding in her bed and feeling miserable. Which relieves my mind no end.