Photo E G- Lisl and Boo

Little Lisl! She still looks tiny doesn't she, but I am assured she is much bigger than she was and is growing. I suspect she's destined to always be petite though! She certainly looks small next to big brother Boo. Don't they look comfy, snuggling on that chair?

Apparently it isn't all snuggles though. Oh no, apparently this pair are more than capable of devilment if they so choose, for example breaking into the fridge at 2am... ripping open cat food packets... opening bedroom doors at night... ahem!

I of course take no responsibility for the fact that the kitties from here all seem to be rather naughty...

Lovely to hear about Lisl... what a beautiful young lady she's becoming isn't she?

Lotti and Kensey- Naughty Kitties.

Who, us? (photo B.A)

Look at the pair of them. Butter wouldn't melt eh? Well guess what kitties, I've been watching video evidence of your antics on youtube and I'm not fooled!

Thank you for the update, and for the videos which crack me up every time. If you haven't seen them, they are well worth a look. My current favourites include Lotti getting her 5 a day, and being caught red pawed stealing... she's such a character!

New updates!

Hurrah!

Today I have had kitten updates from not only Lisl's family, but also Kensey and Lotti's. Hurrah!

I'll share the news really soon, I promise :)

Buddies

Theo and Indigo, or rather Indigo-shaped blur. Theo has his 'mousies' and is asking me to throw them, Indigo is alert and hyper because she's a tonkinese and they are all bonkers she knows there's going to be a game soon and she's determined to have a part of it.

Another blog entry so soon because surprise surprise, it's raining and I haven't been able to go to my allotment. Well I did go there, but the heavens opened, so I didn't last long. Plus I feel I've been extraordinarily lax this month and I feel I must improve matters.

Madamish tendencies

Was the vet's unofficial diagnosis of Indigo during a routine checkup last month. I can't help but agree- or rather, there's no 'tendency' about it, she's a right little madam through and through. Not sure that 'Madamish tendencies' would make its way into the Merck Veterinary Manual but it certainly fits her! Anyway, she's very healthy. No further issues with her head, so that's good. The rest of her is beautiful as ever, the Tonkinese truly are a stunning breed.
Another thing that the vet commented on is that Indigo... well she's still packing a little more weight than she did last year. Ahem! And she is, too! Whether that's the effect of kittens (and I can sympathise there!), or all the messing about we had to do with her food, or even the steroid injections she had earlier this year I don't know, but it's something to keep an eye on. There's no point reducing her food right now, because shortly she'll be off to stud and then growing and feeding kittens, but if after all that Madam is still portly, then she is going on a DIET.

Lady, you just had the one kid and look at you!

In all seriousness though, it will be easier to deal with Indigo's weight as she eats seperately to the other cats, whereas interfering with Sofia's food would cause Ava to stop eating. Given that Ava spent her early adulthood at anorexic kitty skinniness, I'm not prepared to rock that particular boat. But Madam here, well she's a different matter altogether *grin*

Poor Indigo. I wouldn't want you to go getting the impression she's massively obese, because she isn't. She looks like a normal cat, but when you pick her up, that's when you notice she's like a sack of concrete lol. Of course there's an argument for saying it doesn't matter, so long as she's not huge and still active (which she is, she never stops tearing about) who cares if she's a bit portly but she's still a young cat and if she develops bad eating habits now then she'll really be in trouble when she gets older and her metabolism starts slowing down.

I think what happened is that she got into the swing of eating for seven, and just carried on. Ah... I'm saying nothing *looks at own ample stomach and then over at the baby the teenager* Ahem! Oh how I remember that terrible, restless, pregnancy/ breastfeeding hunger though... I do sympathise with her!

Of course if she reaches a grand old age, she can eat whatever she wants. She'll have earned it by then!

Awwww

*snuggle*

They have such a close relationship, these two.

So I've been madly beavering away on the allotment, and cat news has been in short supply, for which I apologise. I haven't been idle though. I've been chatting to a lady with a just started out stud cat I'm hoping to use for Indigo later on in the year. This chap was a bit of a late developer as far as stud duties go, but I am duly informed that he has realised at last what it is he needs to do, taken to his new role with relish and that his first litter is due shortly. Hurrah!

So all things being well, I am hoping Indigo will be able to go to him sometime in the early autumn. I'm not going to tell you who the lucky chap is yet though!

Theo, 1,

Mouse, 0. LOL!

Genetics: This Is A Black Cat

This is a black cat. (it is in fact a teenaged Sofia looking very peculiar! All angles.)

This is also a black cat..?

Um... this is a black cat.... huh? *checks notes wildly*

Oh, now really.... black cat? Surely not!



So many cats... so many beautiful colours, but genetically speaking there's only one cat colour. Genetically speaking, all cats are black. (Well, brown. Well, brown tabby really, but we'll go into all that another day!)

Thing is... three of my cats are quite obviously NOT black... so how does that happen? I'll be talking more about it in subsequent blog posts, but basically cats have a whole bunch of other genes that can control the way the basic colour expresses itself on the cat's coat. And then of course cats can have a pattern, like tabby.

But basically I own four black cats... with three of them having other genes that give them a different pattern, or mask and/or modify the black to give them all a unique look.

Which we'll look at another day, folks! You lucky things!

Hello!

Oh dear, I really am getting into bad habits with this blog! I must improve my game, although without the kittens here there's not THAT much to talk about. Adult cats sleep a lot... and then they wash themselves a bit, eat and... ahhhhhh time for another nap after all that exertion.

Speaking of sleep, I was almost very nearly there myself the other day, when I felt a furry body leaping onto the bed. All the cats have different footprints, so I knew it was Sofia. Purring, she made one complete circuit of the bed, before licking and rubbing her face on my elbow. And that was that, off she went.

I love my cats!