Hormonal Indigo

When a cat is on a contraceptive, it takes a while for that to leave her system. Indigo is currently no longer being given Ovarid, and is showing signs of regular 'cycling' as her body ramps up for kittens again. Of course, being Indigo, she has her ways of letting me know... yes, another wee incident. This time all over my cotton handbag! She always chooses things that belong to me to mark, and stupid me had left it lying about.

I'm reminded of another Indigo story. Indigo's inappriopriate elimination is manageable and occasional these days, but... well at one point it was really bad and she was piddling all over, all the time. I THOUGHT it was behavioural, but of course, I wanted her to be checked at the vets to make sure she didn't have any kind of infection going on first. So in she went. Well, she refused to pee into the nice non absorbent litter the vets had, so they kept her in overnight, and half the next day- still no pee.

So eventually they extracted some urine with a needle, and I could take her home. So I lifted her up , whereupon she promptly did 24 hours worth of piddle... all over me and the cat carrier. She's a bad, bad girl, that one!!!

Anyway, nothing was up, and it was behavioural, related to her sexual maturity and 'marking' her territory  to the other cats, and we DID eventally sort it out. But it took time and this is another reason why it's so important to neuter your non breeding animals... adult cats, girls AND boys, can have some horrid (but quite natural, cats are animals not people) habits that will distress their humans... and once they start, it's harder to stop the problem. Much better to snip them and prevent any issues in the first place!

If you don't snip your kitties... well on your carpets (and towels, and handbags and shoes and soft furnishings) be it, basically!

I Feel Like

... a proper breeder!

Yesterday I was interviewed, by email, for a school project on cats by the daughter of a friend. Fame and fortune will shortly be mine, I am sure *grin* and if not, it was my pleasure.

I don't know if E will find her way here, but if she does, hiya E, hope it was helpful and good luck for your project :)

Black, Brown, Seal, What???

Sofia is a black cat. She looks like a black cat. Her coat is lush and dark, with no trace of rustiness. But when you brush her, and look at the hair up close, you can see her fur isn't black at all, but a very dark brown.

Which is why, I suppose, 'black' is known by several different names in the cat fancy. I have a Tonk and a Birman, both breeds are colourpoint cats so the brown colour is generally a bit lighter anyway... so 'black' doesn't really describe the colour very well. So we end up with different names for it.

In the Tonkinese, it is known as 'brown' in the UK, and in the USA it's known as 'natural'. This is true whether the cat has a solid, tonkinese or pointed coat pattern. In the Birman, it is known as 'seal'.

Cats with the orange making gene have a variety of names too, orange, red, ginger, even marmalade! Tonkinese and Birman cat clubs in the UK call an orange cat 'red', and I've seen some US clubs referring to this as 'flame'.

Of course, in the unpretentious moggy, like my Sofia, 'black' does just fine. But black, natural, brown, seal... they are all referring to the same thing.

A Grand Day Out

I had a mail the other day that made me giggle. It was titled as this blog entry is, a title I have unceremoniously pinched,  and it read as follows...

'Hope you're well. Just to let you know the boys had their 'special' vet visit today. I've just been to pick them up, and they're doing great. If it wasn't for the little shaved areas I wouldn't know anything was different- Jonah just wants his cuddles and Jacob is looking for food!!'

ROFL! I am SO calling it a 'special vet visit' from now on!

Anyway, here are the boys, looking stunning as ever.

Photo- and title- CF.

A Box

With a Theo in it. My favourite kind of package!

(and yes... 'vegetarian' shoes. Which means non-leather. That'll be my new shoes. No, my cats are not fed a vegetarian diet, don't worry! Cats are obligate carnivores. Yes, it's probably terribly hypocritical for a vegetarian to have cats... but I know an awful lot who do, even so...)

All quiet on the cat front (touches wood frantically!) and with the rain pouring down incessantly for the past week so it seems, I've been getting in my cuddles with the cats. Next week I'll have to spend lots of time at the allotment removing all the weeds I am sure have gone absolutely bonkers in this rain... so they might have to do without me much. For now though, the best place to be is snuggled somewhere comfy with a book and a  with a cat or two.

Socks

Yes, socks. What is it about socks? Does the washing machine eat them or something? I have this huge bag of (clean!) socks that seem to have somehow lost their mate. Every now and then I'll find one, but not before new ones have been added to the bag first. I have no idea what happens to them.

It's probably not too much of a bad thing though, as all the cats love the sock bag... as you can see above. mmmmm snuggly.

Congratulations

Alfie, sleeping (photo S.P.)

He doesn't know it yet, but Alfie has a few changes in store. He's getting a big sister! Yes, S and D have found the kitty they want to add to their family. She's nine months old, and a Bengal, who has been returned to her breeder when the family couldn't care for her any longer. Everyone deserves a second chance, so it's lovely to hear this kitty is getting one.

Be nice, Alfie... remember she'll be scared and anxious, oh and she'll probably be bigger than you, so don't hiss at her too loudly eh? Just think of all the games you and she can play when you are both used to each other!

No Work

Not with Miss Indigo about! This is her in her favourite cat bed, aka my desk. Yes, she's still preventing me from working, and whats more, purrs so loudly that I don't have the heart to move her...

Ah well. Tis all part of being a cat owner slave, I suppose!

The Tonkinese

Ah, the Tonkinese breed. Elegant, graceful, dainty...

Yeah. You show 'em, Inds!

Long Time, No Post

Well, not that long. But long enough to get an email or two asking if things are ok! Yup, they are fine... some of you know that my other hobby, besides all things cat, is my allotment, and it's that manic time of year when everything needs to go in the ground RIGHT NOW NOT A MOMENT TO LOSE and so I've been spending my free time planting. Ho hum.

Your excuses bore me, lady...

It's also been a busy time of year as all four cats need yearly vaccinations, and Theo looked as though he was going to have another one of his unwell episodes. For a couple of days he'd been quite subdued, sleepy and generally 'not quite right'. I got to the vet, and he decided he was perfectly alright again, stalking round the office, tail swishing, rubbing his head on everything in sight etc. As a precaution, the vet took his temperature, and it was actually quite high, so he had antibiotics anyway, and he's been all right since, so heaven knows what the matter was. Anyway with that and the vaccinations we've visited the vet a lot of late too. But that's not exactly unusual round here!

Anyway, so that's been us. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next post :)

Snippety Snip!

Yup, it's that time! Time to get the kittens spayed and neutered. I can't quite believe they are old enough, really...

Don't forget to send me something confirming the procedure- a photocopy of the reciept or a vet's note will do as long as it's clear its for neutering and for which cat :)

As for me, I suppose I'd really best get a wriggle on and give some serious thought to the next stud I want to use! Yes, we're definitely going to go for another litter, this one was so great and it was such a positive experience that the teenager and I have decided we want to do it again! I've made a few tentative enquiries as to a suitable stud, so we will see!