Monty The Bookworm!

Well, I can think of more comfortable places to snuggle, but apparently right on top of a basket of books is the place for Monty...

(how I stop kissing that little face, I don't know... or any of them really!)

Just got back from the vet after taking Indigo in (yes, again) this time because of the acne that appears to be taking over her chin! And of course for a checkup re her head. No medication, but the vet suggested loosening the 'crust' on her chin with a flea comb before cleaning her chin with the Hibiscrub, rather than trying to clean the crust with the scrub, so the Hibi gets to the underlying inflammation rather than just being smeared on the top. Makes sense, so I'm going to try that. I'll have to wrap her, as she'll never submit to that willingly, poor Indigo!

But the change to her head is incredible... the vet was very, very happy with how well that's clearing up. Hurrah!

Pretty Indie

Mama cat, looking beautiful once more. Her head continues to clear, her fur is regrowing. I'm not using the aloe any more, her head is out of its collar, the antibiotics are a thing of the past. So it does look as though it was a food allergy.

Ah well... it only took me FOUR months to figure it out *facepalm*

Camera

Well, I'm finding it impossible to upload any pictures at the moment... Blogger keeps telling me I can only use pictures that I have a license for. Well, the pictures are MY cats taken in MY house with MY camera by... uh... ME, so  I'm not sure what the issue is, but I'll try again later anyway!

The kittens had their flea and worm treatments Thursday afternoon. You have to make sure they won't lick each other's necks for a few hours after the flea treatment is given, which is more difficult than it seems! So I gave them their treatment just as they were settling down for their longish afternoon nap, and then watched them like a hawk for a bit. They were fine though. The worm tablets were a bit more tricky... I had to wrap ALL of the boys to get it down... AnnElise was the only one who didn't struggle at all... such a sweetie she is!

Otherwise I'm just lapping up all the cuddles and playtimes that I can... as I'm very aware the time is now flying by and there's less than two weeks before they come home.

Edited to add- it let me in, after a few goes! This is a sleepy Kenneth and buddies, with their newly flea-treated back of necks (the damp bits!)

They All Love Theo

Kenneth does...

Monty does...

And so does AnnElise! It's not just Hope, although she loves him the most!

Litter and litter boxes

I think they are all in there, somewhere...

Ok, so I thought I'd write an entry on litter and litter boxes. Here, we use a silica litter, and I would advise you to buy a bag of this just to start off. I buy whatever is on special, it's just plain silica, so all brands are the same thing, basically. So I've used Bob Martins's, Percato Rocks, Tigerino... it doesn't matter. I don't buy the scented versions though... they don't smell nice at all and set my asthma off something chronic!

With at least four cats in the house at any one time (and ten, at the moment!) I have certain needs from my litter and the big one for me is smell control, which silica is very good at. But it's dusty, and tracks badly, and it's very expensive so you might prefer to use another kind. Lots available- clay based ones that form a lump when peed on that you then scoop out, or wheat/corn/paper based ones that are the most eco friendly and all manner of other types, so have a look and see what's out there.

Your kitten should cope with changing litters quite well. You might want to mix the old and the new litters at first. Occasionally, kitty will not like the litter at all... if you find a puddle next to the box the morning after you swapped litters, he's giving you a message loud and clear. Some cats are fussy about their litter, some are easy going and you don't know which your kitten is going to be until you try it!

As with anything, don't expect your older cat to share the litter box with the new kitten, or you might find older kitty refusing to use the box!!! A good general rule is one box per cat, plus one extra. I have six boxes for my four cats, and at one point several weeks back I had ten- three kitten trays, one covered tray and the six boxes. Two trays are a good idea even for just the one kitty. In the wild, cats pee and poop in different places, and many cats still prefer this... I know mine do.

Dogs! Some dogs think cat poop is a delicious treat! If your dog is so inclined, try putting the litter tray higher up- easily accessible by the cat, but off limits to the dog!

You can get many kinds of litter box. Mine are all used to using both deep trays and a covered box, but they will happily use a plain shallow tray as well.Take care where you put the box though, cats feel very vulnerable using the box and if it is in a busy or exposed place that they don't feel is safe they may decide to go elsewhere. Even if your cat will eventually go outside, you will still need a litter box. the RSPCA recommends a kitten is not allowed out unsupervised until 6 months, so a box is a must. Some cats will not go outside in the winter anyway.

One more thing... when taking a kitten home, I will happily provide a small bag of used litter of you would like one. I know that sounds a little gross, but if you then sprinkle it on the litter in your kitty's new box to make it 'smell right' and your kitten should start using that box with no issue at all. It really works!

Microchip

The kittens all went to the vets for chipping yesterday and did very well. The needle for the chip is rather large of course, larger than the vaccination needle, and quite uncomfortable for the kittens but they all coped splendidly.  So that's them sorted, chipped and registered!

I, or rather the vet, has registered the kittens directly to their new families. Apparently it can take up to a month for the paperwork to arrive, and actually I do seem to remember it taking a few weeks when I had mine done, but if they haven't arrived after that, please do let me know. You will be sent a certificate with your pet's chip number, plus a password. You can change the password, and change details like your contact phone number I believe free of charge- it's the transfer of ownership that costs.

I got their weights, too... hurrah! They will next be weighed at their second vaccination at 12 weeks, and this will be the last time they are weighed

Wendell

Birth 103g

1 week 217g

2 weeks 294g

3 weeks 362g

4 weeks 463g

5 weeks 593g

6 weeks 763g

7 weeks 907g

8 weeks 1045g

9 weeks 1240g

10.5 weeks 1390g

Kensey

Birth 91g

1 week  196g

2 weeks 255g

3 weeks 346g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 604g

6 weeks 777g

7 weeks 975g

8 weeks 1149g

9 weeks 1310g

10.5 weeks 1470g

Kenneth

Birth 94g

1 week 192g

2 weeks 274g

3 weeks 382g

4 weeks 480g

5 weeks 589g

6 weeks 757g

7 weeks 902g

8 weeks 1045g

9 weeks 1230g

10.5 weeks 1340g

Monty

Birth 90g

1 week  198g

2 weeks 290g

3 weeks 390g

4 weeks 524g

5 weeks 600g

6 weeks 792g

7 weeks 1012g

8 weeks 1157g

9 weeks 1340g

10.5 weeks 1530g

AnnElise

Birth 92g

1 week 188g

2 weeks 262g

3 weeks 338g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 539g

6 weeks 716g

7 weeks 897g

8 weeks 1017g

9 weeks 1240g

10.5 weeks 1350g

Hope

Birth 83g

1 week 182g

2 weeks 257g

3 weeks 340g

4 weeks 458g

5 weeks 562g

6 weeks 712g

7 weeks 832g

8 weeks 962g

9 weeks  1070g

10.5 weeks 1130g

Hi, Mama!

Poor Indigo! There isn't a window sill, cat tree or high perch now that she can get to that the kittens aren's able to get to as well. Here's Hope following her about, and look at Indigo's face!!! She doesn't look too happy about things does she? LOL

Indigo is getting to the stage now where she wants more distance between her and the kittens. She's still a good mama to them, attending every indignant squeak, washing them, letting them feed occasionally and so on. But she doesn't want to be round them all the time. She'll let them have an occasional feed, but isn't averse to a quick swat or a kick if they pester her for milk too much. And she certainly looks grumpy if one of them interrupts her nap.

We're all off to the vet today, Indigo too with any luck. She's had the comfycollar off for 24 hours now, but her head is looking sore again where she's been itching it, so I think it will hve to go back on... *sigh* Kittens to be microchipped and hopefully weighed.

Wendell And The Wii

Wendell is my livewire. He has boundless energy, loves to play and explore the world around him. He especially loves the Wii, and when the teenager is playing, often Wendell is up there too, trying to catch the cursor. Too funny!

Wendell is always up or a game, and I don't think we've had a visitor recently that he hasn't immedietly befriended. It's no surprise to me that this sociable little guy was the first one of the litter to be chosen. Livewire or not though, the last few weeks he's turned into a proper cuddly boy as well, enjoying naps on my lap on a daily basis.

Service Will Be Resumed...

Tomorrow, maybe?

I'm sorry for my lack of posts over the past few days. I've got yet another cold and have been feeling a bit blah, plus I lost my camera! The teenager located it tonight, the kittens had pounced on it and carried it triumphantly off LMAO which accurately depicts life here at the moment. Six active, healthy, bouncy kittens... it's absolute bedlam! I wouldn't have it any other way.

So tomorrow I'll take a bunch of new photos and we'll be back to normal as far as posts go. Monday we are in for microchipping, and later on in the week the kittens will have their final flea and worm treatments. I had a call from the GCCF this week and they are processing the pedigree slips, so they should come soon too... after agonising over the registration form, I only went and wrote the wrong amount on the cheque! Duh... thank goodness for credit card payment.

I haven't posted the kittens weights this week either... my bog standard kitchen scale just can't cope with a hefty, twitchy kitten and this weeks weights were decidedly weird, so weird that they couldn't possibly be accurate (I KNOW for example, that Monty's a big kitten but he's not 2kg yet!) I suspect last week's weren't all that accurate either. So I'll ask the vet to weigh them properly on Monday. They've had a vaccination and a change of food since the last weights, so I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't gained much, but like I say some of the weights I was getting were just daft!

Right, well it's nearly midnight, and I'm off to bed. Until tomorrow!

Kitten Food

I've had some people asking what they should feed their kittens and how often and so on... so here's a blog post devoted to that!

The kittens will come home with samples of both the dry food they have been eating here, and the canned food as well, and I'd advise you to keep them on this food for the first few days until they have settled down a bit- it's familiar, it's comforting, it's not going to put any strain on their systems in those first few days.

They will be used to having kibble freely available, water freely available, and three wet food meals a day. When your kitten comes home they will be ok on two wet meals a day, morning and evening, as long as the kibble bowl is topped up. Fresh water must be available at all times.

After that... it's up to you, and your kitten. They have individual preferences, for example AnnElise really isn't bothered about the wet food at all. Monty isn't terribly fussed either. Kensey and Wendell, on the other hand, absolutely love it and will scoff until the plate is clear. My own adult cats are mostly dry food fed, but because they like the canned stuff they have a meal of this in the evening. You'll soon find what works for you and your kitten.

Wet food, once out, has a limited freshness, so I'd remove what is left uneaten on the plate after about half an hour, and chuck it away. You can keep stuff that's still in the sachet/ can for about 24 hours in the fridge, covered over. As for how much to put out, it depends very much on the kitten... at the moment I'm putting down about 200g for the six of them, (two sachets, or half a can) of which four are eating a good meal, one is ignoring it and one has a few bites then wanders off. They eat about 2/3 to3/4 of this (??) and then mama polishes off the rest. Obviously in three weeks they will be having more. So perhaps try 50g/ half a sachet per kitten to start with, and build up from there if they look like they want more.

You can use any kitten brand you like, as long as it says it's a 'complete' food. Be careful here... you can buy what looks like a really nice food only to find it's a 'complementary' food... thing is people don't realise this and feed it to their cats all the time, leading to all sorts of (serious) issues for the poor cat who isn't getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy. This is doubly important for a kitten who has to grow as well.

When switching your kitten over from the sample food I'll give you to the food you have chosen, do it slowly. With the kibble, start with 25% new stuff mixed with 75% of ther old. Then the next day half and half and so on. It's a little more difficult to do this with the canned stuff, and you have to change that all at once of course, so do this first, then switch the kibble after that. If you switch everything all at once, you might find your kitten has runny poop for a day or two!

I would advise you to buy a kitten specific formulation as well, as it has a higher percentage of fat and protein, but if you have older cats do keep an eye on their weight! Kitten food is highly palatable and your older puss might be sneaking  regular treats from the kitten's bowl! My Ava had terrible trouble reaching an acceptable weight (she was less than 6lbs as a fully grown cat) and stayed on kitten kibble far longer than strictly speaking necessary in order to get her weight up. It worked... she's now 71/2 lbs and still a slim cat but not all skin and bones! Unfortunately her sister's weight went up too, this is why Sofia is a tubby cat! I couldn't feed them seperately as Ava wouldn't eat without her sister!

Also if you have an older cat, don't expect him to share his food bowl with the kitten or even feed in the same spot as the kitten... cats can get very territorial about their food. Feed them a little distance from each other, or ideally, in a seperate room at first, and don't strain their budding relationship any!

I hope that's helped, but if anyone has more questions about food, please do ask!

Coming Home

I had an email last night from one of the kittens' new families asking me about the date they will be ready so she can organise some time off- 'caternity leave' lol! I can only apologise, I meant to put the date on here ages ago and what with one thing and another, totally forgot!!!

So all things being well, the date they can come home from is THURSDAY 10th MARCH. Or any time the week after that :)

I've also got to do some blog entries for new families about food and litter and stuff, and I really ought to get on with it, there only being three weeks left!

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.

Acne!

Photo by S.A.

This was Indigo's head on Sunday. What an improvement! Nice eye-bogey too *grin*

Unfortunately, whilst her head has been getting better, her acne is getting worse. Yes, cats can get spotty chins! I know WHY she's getting spotty... her hormones are kicking in, she's already had a mini- heat cycle, and she's gearing up for another I suspect, by the ultra- affectionate way she's been today! Once the kittens are off to their new homes and she goes back on Ovarid, (the Pill for cats) the acne will settle down, but at the moment I'm just shaking my head at something ELSE to mar her good looks.

I'm cleaning her chin every day with Hibiscrub, which she hates, of course. I took the collar off today too, so she could give herself a proper wash (having that on isn't helping, she can't clean herself properly, especially not round her face) Which she did, but then she started scratching her head a little too vigorously for my liking so on it went again.

Poor Indigo! And to make matters worse, the antibiotics she's on are giving her slightly gloopy, and most offensive smelling poops. We've been using an awful lot of air freshener recently!

But at least her head is getting better. One problem at a time eh?!

Yay!

(Photo by S.A)

As I said in my blog yesterday, I was expecting some visitors Sunday afternoon. I didn't want to say anything more yesterday... we seem to have had our fair share of bad luck of late, no sense in tempting fate to send any more!

S and I have been emailing for a week or so, and I had a really good feeling about her. I told her all about Indigo's skin complaint and she was sympathetic, still keen to visit, but content to wait until Indigo was feeling better... well like I said, I just 'knew' she was a good cat-loving person that I'd be happy to send one of my kittens to.

When they arrived, the kittens were snoozing in a pile on the sofa. Before too long, Kensey was up and bouncing and jumping and showing off his lovely playful nature. AnnElise decided to take a more chilled out approach, rolling on her back for tummy rubs (see picture, above!) and generally being very charming. Pretty much their personalities in a nutshell, really!

Now I hope S won't mind me sharing, but she recently lost a dearly loved cat, Z, to kidney failure, and had decided the time had come to look for another cat. Not to replace Z, of course, no cat could ever do that, but there was a kitten- shaped space there, needing to be filled. The time was right to get another cat. Or two... as S and her partner decided they would like to make BOTH AnnElise and Kensey their cats!

It's all worked out in just the best way, hasn't it? S had to make a longish journey here, and so could only come to visit on weekends... well, I've had a LOT of interest in the kittens this week and could have had visits most nights if it hadn't been for Indigo's allergy. The kittens might not have still been available under normal circumstances, or might have gone seperately... I can't help but feel it was somehow meant to be.

I am thrilled, of course. Not only for AnnElise and Kensey going off to a new life together, but because that means ALL of my kittens now have good, loving homes lined up for them for when they are old enough in a few weeks time. Which is all a breeder could ask for really, isn't it? I feel satisfied... very satisfied indeed :)

Bwahahahahahah

hahaha... ahahahaha... hang on,  you're laughing AT me not with me...

Ok, so the kittens all love Mama's pipe cleaner toys...

When they get hold of one, they like to keep it to themselves. So, they growl to warn their siblings off. Not in an aggressive way, just in a 'MY toy, paws off!' kind of way. And it is SO CUTE. And, you know, about the un-scariest thing imagineable, and of course I have to scoop them up and kiss them for being so adorable which isn't exactly the effect they were aiming for.

It's tough being a poor misunderstood kitten, you know *grin*

Just a quick post today because we have a viewing later... whoohoo!

Family Portraits... And An Update

A couple of family pictures from recently :)

The last one... poor Mama! they all piled around her for a feed and she was left sitting there, kittens attached and slurping away, unable to move! I need to take a more recent group picture, but more and more they are not all piling up together for naps, but settling down with maybe just one other kitten. They are growing up!

This morning when I went to do the eye routine, all the pirates were clear. Not the merest hint of soreness, goo, or anything of the kind. However, Hope's right eye was looking a bit suspect. Ah well, more of the routine eh?

Indigo's head is a work in progress. It's actually looking quite alarming at the moment... bright pink and bald! But the bald patches are where the scabs were, and the pinkness is because the crusts are coming off, with new, healthy skin growing underneath. The fur will grow back (I assume, it did when she was pregnant although it never got this bad then...) and she will look beautiful again- hurrah! But even more telling for me is that she brought her pipe cleaner to me for a game of fetch earlier... she hasn't done that for the best part of a week. So I know she's feeling a LOT better :)

I've been deciding on what food to put the kittens on. I've been looking at several factors. These include

Is it a 'complete' food?

Does the food have a single or multiple protein sources?

Does it contain artificial flavours, colours and preservatives?

Is it grain-free?

Is it organic?

Does it contain 'meat by-products/ derivatives'

The price, per 100g, for comparison

None of the foods I looked at ticked every box, of course. I was specifically looking for a food with no artificial colours and preservatives, and of course a 'complete' food is a must. Price was worth knowing but not a major deciding factor. And I wanted a dry and a wet food.

In the end, I decided on James Wellbeloved Turkey and rice kitten kibble. This contains a single protein, is artificial colour, flavour and preservative free and contains no wheat and has the benefit of being easily available which is good to know- makes no difference to me as I buy all my cat supplies online and in bulk, but much more convenient for my kittens new families! And when the kittens have gone, assuming the food suits Indigo, we can graduate to Turkey and rice adult food.

Wet food was a bit more difficult. I couldn't find a single protein source kitten-specific food, so I chose Grau kitten food which has turkey, like the kibble, and beef as it's protein sources. It too is artificial colour, flavour and preservative free and has rice, not wheat, so I think it will be a good match, and then Indigo can go on to Grau adult food which IS single protein- turkey, to match the James Wellbeloved. It certainly isn't the cheapest kitten food available, but it seems to be the best match.

Of course Grau is a rather more obscure brand... but the kittens will bring samples of this home with them in their kitten packs, and should easily switch over to the wet food of your choice. They have all been eating Whiskas, for example, with no issue, it isn't the kittens who have the allergy after all... it's Mama! So whichever wet food you choose should be fine for them.

I'm very happy to have now made a decision lol... now off to order some :)

9 Weeks Yesterday

And the nine week check and first vaccination. I'm pleased to say that all the kittens are very healthy, good weights etc. The check they had was basically the same as they had at six weeks... heart, lungs, eyes, ears and mouth, a gentle feel to see that nothing is enlarged or out of place internally, a check they are anatomically correct on the outside, and temperature. In short a brief but thorough examination. Then the vaccines, which all the kittens took without murmur.

As for the pirates, I didn't wipe their eyes after midday yesterday, so as to have an accurate measurement of what their eyes were producing at the vet. Kenneths eyes were looking slightly irritated but no goop, (hurrah for home remedies!) Wendell's was still looking slightly goopy and so was Kensey's, so I have an ointment to use, which should sort them out. The other three aren't showing any sign of irritation so they don't need any but I will continue gently bathing their eyes anyway. One dose of ointment and they all were looking pretty clear this morning anyway.

They attracted a good deal of attention at the vets, by staff and customers alike :) lots of people having a look at them. I found myself saying 'Actually, they are Tonkinese' quite a lot! They were all pretty sleepy last night  after all the excitement, and at one point I had all five of the minks napping on my lap/ in my arms. Wendell was wide awake though, and biting my foot. There's always one...

I had their weights checked at the vet, so I didn't weigh them yesterday morning and then post, as I usually would have. So here they are, a day later than usual. I'm very pleased they are all well over the 1kg mark now, some of them well over, hurrah!

Wendell

Birth 103g

1 week 217g

2 weeks 294g

3 weeks 362g

4 weeks 463g

5 weeks 593g

6 weeks 763g

7 weeks 907g

8 weeks 1045g

9 weeks 1240g

Kensey

Birth 91g

1 week  196g

2 weeks 255g

3 weeks 346g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 604g

6 weeks 777g

7 weeks 975g

8 weeks 1149g

9 weeks 1310g

Kenneth

Birth 94g

1 week 192g

2 weeks 274g

3 weeks 382g

4 weeks 480g

5 weeks 589g

6 weeks 757g

7 weeks 902g

8 weeks 1045g

9 weeks 1230g

Monty

Birth 90g

1 week  198g

2 weeks 290g

3 weeks 390g

4 weeks 524g

5 weeks 600g

6 weeks 792g

7 weeks 1012g

8 weeks 1157g

9 weeks 1340g

AnnElise

Birth 92g

1 week 188g

2 weeks 262g

3 weeks 338g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 539g

6 weeks 716g

7 weeks 897g

8 weeks 1017g

9 weeks 1240g

Hope

Birth 83g

1 week 182g

2 weeks 257g

3 weeks 340g

4 weeks 458g

5 weeks 562g

6 weeks 712g

7 weeks 832g

8 weeks 962g

9 weeks  1070g

Wendell And Monty, Sitting In A (Cat) Tree

H.I.S.S.I.N.G! At Kensey, apparently! Oh, and Hope was up there too. Guess there was no room left at the top!

The king of the castle

What I do wrong??

Monty thinks it's as good a place as any for a nap!

Look at how dark Monty's points are getting now! There's quite an obvious definition between them and the rest of his coat.

Yesterday, I noticed that Kenneth had a bit of a squinty eye in the photos I posted. Today it was looking squinty too, so I had a jolly good look, and sure enough, it was a bit goopy.  Not uncommon with kittens, and not serious but when one in the litter has it, the others usually do too. Sure enough, Wendell also had an eye that was looking a bit suspect. So the whole litter was subjected to having their eyes bathed with a very mild saline, which as you can imagine, they did not like AT ALL!

Wendell and Kenneth had their suspect eyes bathed a couple more times, and later on I noticed that Kensey had joined the 'pirates', so he had some more eye baths. I'm not surprised, like I say if one has it, it usually goes round the litter, hence the need to treat the whole litter, of course. They will all get a repeat performance today, and of course we are at the vet's later for their first vaccinations, so I'll ask her to have a look. But I'm on familiar territory here, Sofia had a goopy eye last year, and the salt water bathing saw it off nicely within 48 hours.

Whatever next, though. Or perhaps I ought not to ask. Seems we're having a run of bad luck, at the moment!

Thoughtful

Sweet Kenneth, half asleep. I love his serious little face!

I'm feeling fairly thoughtful myself. I took Indigo to the vet last night. The lady I saw today was much more clued up about allergies and the like, and she agrees with me that it looks like a food allergy. (finally! A diagnosis!) To what she couldn't say, but she agreed that eliminating dyes and artificial preservatives would be a good start. She also recommended buying food with just one source of protein, rather than multiple sources like most cat foods.

So Indigo needs new food. Because it's come on so badly, she also recommended I change it now, rather than wait till the kittens have moved on, so contrary to what I said before, we've changed food after all. There wasn't an awful lot of choice in the food despite the vet being in a large pet store, but I eventually found a complete kitten wet food and a complete kitten kibble, both chicken, for them to have temporarily. This will give me time to decide on what food i want them to go on with, and make an order from an online specialist. Zooplus, probably!

Which means, incidentally, that I have a whole, unopened, 4kg bag of Royal Canin Babycat (rrp about £30!) and half a big packet of Royal Canin kitten, probably about the same amount. I can't use them but I'm not throwing them out, as it's good stuff so I'm off to the Cats' Protection sometime in the next few days to see if they can use it... bet they can!

As for where this allergy came from? Well, it seems to have been precipitated by her pregnancy... so be warned, any random reader, if you are thinking of breeding your cat... just... don't! Seriously, just don't, unless you are VERY serious about it. Don't do it 'just once', for fun, please. I know my kittens' families won't, so I'm not talking to them now but I mean anyone else who has happened on this blog and is reading... don't put your girl through it and risk her health. Bottom line is, if I hadn't mated Indie, she may not have developed this allergy, and I feel very guilty about that. On the other hand, if it was dormant then it might have started any time, if she was ill, for example.But she'll need special food from now on for life.

I did ask if allergies were hereditary, and the vet said not. Cue a huge sigh of relief all round I think! I also googled last night to make sure (yeah, I know!) and to be honest there's not a lot of info on it... but from reading it seems that whilst there may be a small hereditary component for some airborne allergies- pollen, etc- food allergies are not known to be heritable. It's just MY cat who is dramatic, it seems!

So, a few changes for us here. I've switched the dry food, I've got a few sachets of wet food I will feed the kittens over the next couple of days (keeping Indigo away!) and then I'll switch that over too. I'm to carry on with the aloe inside and out, and the vet was most impressed with the comfycollar! Indigo's also got a course of nursing-safe antibiotic, so hopefully with all those things together, we should see an improvement before too long.

I did comment to someone yesterday that I thought it had improved a little already, unfortunately Indigo slipped out of her collar and scratched herself raw again... silly girl!

On a more positive front, she's got a rather round belly now, a far cry from the appetite issues and general skinnyness of Christmastime, and other than the allergy issue, seems to be blooming. She's going to get a shock when the kittens are gone, and she no longer gets three plated meals a day plus biscuits... my cats are mostly kibble fed with just the one wet food meal per day as a treat. Guess she'd better enjoy it while she can!

A Monty Moment

Sweet, cuddly Monty! He likes nothing better than a good snuggle, putting loudly all the while. When he wakes up from a sleep, he mews, shakes his head, mews again and if I answer him, which of course I always do, runs mewing over to me asking to be picked up  and cuddles into my neck, or my arm, purring. Only after he's had his cuddle does he wander off to eat or play with his siblings.

Here he is asking to pe picked up :) He's an absolute joy, this baby!

Where Did You Come From?



Well, I jumped on the printer, balanced precariously on the ream of paper to get to the top of the unit, climbed over without falling off and crawled in through the cable hole, of course... surprise!

The kittens' vaccination appointment is on Thursday, not Tuesday as I'd thought. Bother. I didn't fancy waiting that long to get Indie seen, frankly, so I've made another appointment for just her tomorrow on her own. One lady who was planning on visiting soon has agreed to wait a bit, (she was ever so nice about it, bless her!) and the people who were visiting today haven't called to confirm, they don't have my address yet, and if I'm honest, I hope they don't want to come because I'm going to put them off. They were looking at several litters so in all probability if I cancel they will end up picking another pair of kittens, but that can't be helped, Indigo is more important and I reckon a stress free day today and tomorrow, plus the vet in the evening, is the best thing right now.

Registration

FINALLY got round to sending off the registration form today, after agonising over the colours this past week. I've been looking at Kenneth and wondering if he's caramel too, but decided he looked far more like Monty than Kensey. Ditto AnnElise, but she's down as a blue, too. Of course, colours can be changed, everyone who breeds Tonks, especially mixed caramel/ non caramel litters will be well aware that kittens can take a long time to determine, and many a breeder has taken their apparently blue or lilac kitten to a show only to meet with fierce discussion from judges and other breeders as to whether it really is a Caramel! But I've done my best, anyway!

Only just in time, too. Processing can take up to 4 weeks, and I have them here with me still for.... oooh, about four and a half! Nothing like leaving it to the last minute eh, but like I say I was agonising over the colour... I really wanted to get it 'right'. I had to do the form twice, as I made an error on the first and there's no room for correction on the form, plus it's confusing and that's how mistakes are made. I suppose i'm lucky I only had to do it twice!

Anyway, off went the form, the mating certificate from stud Harry's breeders (proving I mated Indigo with another registered Tonkinese and not a random tomcat from up the road!) and the fee, and I shall look forward to getting six 'pink slips' through in the mail... My first Tonkinese, all registered and official. I feel very proud.

On a less pleasant note, this is my poor Indigo's head. The lesions extend into her ears, and over both outer ears, and as you can see are red, raw and sore. Those of you who have seen her recently will appreciate just how quickly this has flared up. She's had a collar on for 24 hours now, and I THINK they haven't worsened any in that time, (because she can't scratch them, probably) and I'm hoping the collar plus the soothing gel will break the itch-scratch-bleed- scab- itch cycle and let them start to heal. Plus we have the vet on Tuesday. I'm hoping now she's only nursing sporadically there will be more options for her. And I'm busily researching preservative and dye free food for the big switcheroo once the kittens have moved on.

 Kenneth's new family were due to visit him tomorrow, but they very kindly contacted me after yesterday's blog entry to ask if I'd rather they postpone. Considering I expect they are dying to see Kenneth again, it was very kind and I did appreciate it- thank you very much S and D!

I had someone coming over tomorrow to look at AnnElise and Kensey, but I've let them know what's going on as well... they may well wish to cancel too. We'll see how it goes. Of course the worry (apart from my concern for Indigo which is, of course, the most important thing!) is that this might dissuade people from taking a kitten from me- understandably, of course, but fairly hard lines for me as the kittens are fine!

There are two other people currently interested as well, (one in the pair, one in AnnElise) and I've let them know about Indigo's head, and offered to help find them another Tonk litter if they wanted as well... I figured that was the right thing to do, but really, of course, I'd like to stomp my feet like a little child and shout IT'S NOT FAIR! After two weeks of not a lot, suddenly I get a rush of genuine interest in the kittens... and this happens!!!!!

Ah well, that's breeding for you, things go wrong and you just have to deal with them. *grin* I feel a bit better after my virtual stomp, anyway!

Quick post

Just a quick post to say Indigo's head is now dreadful. I've put her back in the comfy collar in the hope it will stop her scratching her (now raw and painful) head, and I'll hopefully be able to get her to the vet Monday or Tuesday. There must be something we can try, even if it's just another course of a nursing-safe antibiotic.

I'm applying the aloe vera gel liberally when she will let me, and I've bought some aloe vera extract so she's getting some internally too (mixed with Nutri-plus gel) but it looks so sore. Poor, poor Indigo.

Hope And Theo

I may have mentioned just a few times that Hope loooooooves Theo. She follows him around with big adoring eyes. Theo had enough earlier today, and meowed to be let into my bedroom, a no kitten zone, for a bit of peace and quiet, but usually he's great with them.

Hope: *snuggle*

Theo: *Muh?*

Oh, it's you.

Better give you a wash then...

If you could hear the purring..!

Baby Fluff

Or lack of it! The kittens are growing up, and starting to lose that 'fluffy' look, becoming more sleek and streamlined. Well as sleek as they can be with a round kitten-belly anyway...

Ai YAM a fluffy kitteh. What  you talking about?

See my fluffy leg an feets?

If these kittens were not pedigree, they would be deemed old enough to go home now. In fact I brought Ava and Sofia home at 71/2 weeks old. But I can honestly say now I think that is too young. It's based on the fact that puppies come home at that age, so this seems to have become the norm for kittens too, but kittens are NOT puppies, and it's too young. These guys are still such babies... and Tonkinese kittens are more 'forward' in their development than other breeds as a general rule.

I'm really glad that the GCCF specifies 13 weeks as a more appropriate time for baby cats to move away from their mama and siblings. It makes for a more balanced cat, at the end of it, although I do understand the wait for the new families is excruciating!

Weights for this week coming up.  The boys are heavier than the girls (which very often is the case even as kittens) It's funny seeing how the weights change. Monty, for example, was the second lightest kitten at birth, and now he's the heaviest of the litter. Wendell, heaviest at birth and for several weeks is a middle weight kitten now and Kensey, who I had so much trouble with gaining weight at the 2-3 week mark is now only a few grams behind Monty! Hope is always going to be petite, I suspect, she was the smallest at birth and she's the smallest now, although I hasten to add ALL of them are well within the 'acceptable' range for Tonk kittens.

Wendell

Birth 103g

1 week 217g

2 weeks 294g

3 weeks 362g

4 weeks 463g

5 weeks 593g

6 weeks 763g

7 weeks 907g

8 weeks 1045g

Kensey

Birth 91g

1 week  196g

2 weeks 255g

3 weeks 346g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 604g

6 weeks 777g

7 weeks 975g

8 weeks 1149g

Kenneth

Birth 94g

1 week 192g

2 weeks 274g

3 weeks 382g

4 weeks 480g

5 weeks 589g

6 weeks 757g

7 weeks 902g

8 weeks 1045g

Monty

Birth 90g

1 week  198g

2 weeks 290g

3 weeks 390g

4 weeks 524g

5 weeks 600g

6 weeks 792g

7 weeks 1012g

8 weeks 1157g

AnnElise

Birth 92g

1 week 188g

2 weeks 262g

3 weeks 338g

4 weeks 437g

5 weeks 539g

6 weeks 716g

7 weeks 897g

8 weeks 1017g

Hope

Birth 83g

1 week 182g

2 weeks 257g

3 weeks 340g

4 weeks 458g

5 weeks 562g

6 weeks 712g

7 weeks 832g

8 weeks 962g

Indigo's Head

Yes, her allergy has well and truly reared its head again. She's now spotty over both her temples, and one ear is scabby... poor, poor Indigo! She looks awful, and I feel so bad for her. And of course, everything that was true about treatment she could have when she was pregnant (ie not a lot!) is still true now, because she is nursing, and anything she could be treated with- an antihistamine injection would be the first choice- would be passed on in the milk. *sigh*

So I'm going to try two things...

1) A topical aloe vera gel. This was recommended to me by another breeder and I did intend to get some, really I did, but I went online to find it and ended up ordering something else and then clicking on another link and... oh you know how it is. Anyway, I forgot to get the gel. And then it seemed to clear up. Worth a try, and I've actually ordered some this time! Hopefully it will arrive today. Indigo will hate it, of course!

2) This is a more long term thing, but I'm going to take the cats- en masse- off the Royal Canin and Whiskas that they eat now, and put them on to a more 'natural' food- no artificial preservatives and so on. Still looking into which one, exactly. I'm changing them all over because I also have Theo, with the ongoing occasional stomach issue... perhaps it will help him, too? And Theo eats everyone's food! So it's all or nothing, really.

Now, new families, worry not. The kittens are all quite happy and healthy on Royal Canin, Whiskas wet food and the occasional boiled chicken dinner, and I won't be interfering with their diet. These changes will be made once the kittens have left. Royal Canin is a very very good food, repeatedly said to be 'the best', which is why my cats get it, of course... and most cats who eat this do so with no issue at all.

Chances are, Theo and Indigo will still have the same issues on the new food... we will see. In any case, when the kittens are gone, we'll be treating the allergy much more agressively than we can at present... unless it magically clears up before then. But the diet is worth a try I feel, because whatever is bothering Indigo is no joke. It's bugging her, and I don't like to think of her feeling uncomfortable.

Of course I will record every last etcetera on here. Don't say I don't spoil you, now...

Wendell Haz A Mouse

So there