Flirt

Why yes, I am utterly adorable....

Why do you ask?

This week, and only this week, my most 'aloof' kitten, Gretl (she's not aloof, she's just too busy- Wendell last year was the same) and my most timid, Brigitta, have both been approaching me for full on cuddling voluntarily. They have and do come for strokes, and they've been picked up and cuddled quite happily but it's different when they suddenly look at you and think I know what I want, climb up, nestle in and start purring up a storm. Liesl started last week and the others have been doing it for weeks.

It's a conscious decision on their part. I think it does etch something permanently in their minds- humans are to be trusted, they are a source of warmth and comfort and love, and that forms something permanent in their brains. Some kittens take longer to do this than others, and it is my belief that if they go through some kind of upheaval or insecurity before reaching this stage, such as moving homes, away from their mother and siblings, they might never reach it.

I'm a strong believer that 8 weeks, the usual time for a non pedigree kitten to come home, is just too early for many, if not most, cats. They are still developing rapidly at this age. By 13 weeks, they are ready to move on, Mum is definitely ready for them to move on, and although I miss them I kind of am too, 11 individuals is a lot of cat for one small flat!

Anyway, there isn't much point to my rambling, only to say that from now on in, I don't expect to be able to sit down without instantly having a lapful or purring kittens. Which is rather nice, really :)

Oh and D- I wrote this entry about 36 hours ago... it isn't in response to your  hopeful offer to take young Fred off my hands early! Just rather fortunate timing, that's all!

Goop

Liesl- so pretty! But definitely a bit squinty here...

Yup, Brigitta and Liesl have a touch of the goopy eyes. Or rather they did yesterday, I'm treating them (all, just in case!) with a very mild saline and hoping that will do the trick. There's no more goop this morning but I'll carry on bathing their eyes anyway. Brigitta thinks this is wonderful, and purrs and purrs when I do it- the others aren't so convinced, I must say.

We had the goopy eyes this time last year, I seem to remember. I do wonder whether the worm and flea treatments just lower immunity that little bit, making any kind of infection more likely? Or maybe it's just a coincidence both the litters have succcumbed at around this age. Who knows.

Anyway, I'm on the watch for any further squinting (quite clear in the pic above) that might indicate irritated eyes and any pirates will be treated pronto. You can't take risks with eyes. We're at the vet's Friday anyway, if we end up there before then for eye ointment that will make four times in nine days which will be a new record even for us! Oh well!

Such a happy kitten, purring and showing her tummy... whichof course I had to stroke right after I took this!

An Unexpected Bath

Well Louisa, the badness, has spent some time 'practicing' her kitten gate climbing skills. Most of the time she doesn't make it, but occasionallly those claws catch onto the edge and she hauls herself over. And then of course she can't get out, and howls and howls till I come and rescue her. Whereupon she comes and jumps over again. *rolls eyes*

Kittens watch their siblings and copy. Marta had clearly been taking in her sister's latest skill and decided to try it out for herself- onto the toilet seat. Yup, you can tell where this is going can't you? I heard the most agonised howl from the bathroom, causing me, Indigo and all the kittens to stampede en masse in that direction and there she was, feet first in the toilet bowl looking absolutely horrified. She'd obviously tried to jump up, slipped, and fallen in.

We usually leave the seat down but for some reason it wasn't this time... fortunately I never use a rim block or similar (as my adult cats are fascinated by them and ull them all over the house) and the bowl was cleaned just the other day, so it really was just water down there. A quick rinse was all she needed, and then much cuddling and drying off because she was sopping from her middle downwards and pretty shaken up to boot.

I was too, truth be told... it was carelessness indeed on my part because it is possible for a kitten to come to grief that way. It's another of those things I'd rather NOT report on here. No-one needs to know, right? But that's not what I blog for... one of the aims on here is complete honesty, even if it doesn't make me look especially 'good', and besides which someone might read this, realise how dangerous toilets can be to kittens and make sure their own bowls are lidded all the time too.

Oh... and obviously I have no photos of her in the bowl or sopping  wet afterwards as I was far too busy sorting her out... but after, when she was calm, just a little damp, and soothing her injured pride with a wash? I certainly did! Here she is smoothing down her ruffled fur, with a sisterly Gretl helping her out. Poor Marta!

Five Little Monkeys

Top: Gretl, Brigitta, Upper middle: Kurt, Lower middle: Liesl and one of the greybies but I couldn't tell you who!

Kurt has always been lighter than Brigitta. But he's obviously darker than Liesl. I do genuinely wonder whether he's a chocolate after all? A chocolate solid? Or is it just natural variation? I'm going to register him as a brown solid, but... oh bother it! I'm just not sure. Oh well, as ever, if he is obviously NOT brown as an adult I'd be more than happy to change his pedigree.

I do think, in my next litter, I really need to find myself a chocolate stud. I thought two of my blues were chocs, so I need a chocolate, or a chocolate and lilac ONLY litter, in order to get my mind straight as to what chocolate actually looks like... because you see I've only ever seen it at shows, not here, every day, for 13 weeks.  I'm not even sure if there is a chocolate stud in Tonk-world at the moment, or up and coming, at least as it will be next year minimum. Hope so!

Speaking of monkeys... Louisa was the first today to scale the 'cat gate' and get into the kitchen. She was incredibly pleased with herself. What a minx!

Warm

Freddie says jumpers are for snuggling in... especially if there's a human inside!

Indigo is feeling much better, playing and rolling around as normal. My goodness she did look a sorry scrap yesterday. Today she's her old self again. Whatever they injected her with yesterday (and I forgot to write it down, but it was an antibiotic and something else) has worked wonders.

SOMEONE weed in the hall earlier. Hmm. I suspect Kurt, who was certainly hanging around the patch looking very woebegone poor baby! They really do not LIKE being caught short... cats are clean creatures.

Out came the 'Urine Off' spray- wonderful stuff that is, I really recommend it- and hopefully it won't become the new favourite place to go. If it does I shall have to put down food or tinfoil there.  I must say an accident is pretty rare these days, it's been several days since the last. That hall carpet is vile anyway though... all my cats and kittens have weed/ pooed/ puked/ hairballed on it at some point or another, not to mention used the corners as a scratching post. As a result it's stained, stinky and threadbare- not good! I had it properly steam cleaned last year... but all that did was remove the dirt that was hiding the worst of the stains- it looked worse after the clean than it did before!

It's coming up VERY soon to be replaced with nice washable lino... but not until these kittens have flown the nest. Needless to say I didn't have any cats before I decided to put down carpet. I certainly wasn't envisaging ever having 11!

Anyway we've had no repeats so hopefully it was just a one off.

8 Weeks Old

Chaos! In the past 24 hours the heating has broken down, the washing machine has broken down, and, today, Indigo is unwell- vomiting. Indigo is never sick. When she then vomited a bright red fluid I whisked her off to the vet pdq. Several injections and a nasty tasting medicine later, she's back home, and I must say, looking distinctly chirpier this evening so something has helped.

She's lost quite a lot of weight- pre pregnancy she was 4.3kg, and she was a little portly if I'm honest. Now she weighs 3.5 kg, which is underweight for her and a significant drop. I know she's had 7 babies to feed, and mama cats DO get thin, but that's a big drop in just a few months. She's also rather dehydrated. If she hadn't improved over the course of today she would have had to go back in and be put on a drip.

Poor Indigo! She had that funny thing where her third eyelid was showing, then she had the dreadful morning sickness, then on/off diarrhoea, then her ear, then more tummy issues, all one after the other.  Once the kittens have gone I'll have to build her up a little and then consider her breeding career- perhaps not breed her again or give her a longer break between litters or something. Or perhaps it's nothing to do with that at all and it's just one of those things... I don't know, but everything will be carefully considered.

Oh- the heating is fixed, by the way. But until it was, the kittens stayed nice and warm with blowy heaters placed inside a cage so they couldn't get TOO close to them, much like a toddler fire guard... worked well. I understand our gas is going to be off next week for the day, so they will keep us all toasty on that day too, especially if the snow in the north heads this way! Stay warm!


Liesl

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

Friedrich


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

Kurt

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

Louisa

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

Brigitta

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

Marta

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

Gretl

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

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

8 weeks

REM litter 962-1149g. Average 1063g
Von Trapp litter 780-883g. Average 883g

Oh Boy...

It's a GIRL!

Yes, the vets now think Louisa is a girl. Yes, a girl. Of course she COULD still be a boy. I was speaking to Monty's owner and she said his boy parts didn't descend till he was about 3 months old so I assumed 'Louis' has just inherited the trait from Dad. And this could indeed still be the case. But several vets had a good old prod today and said 'girl' unanimously

What I shall do is register her (as I must do this asap now) as female, and if she turns out to be a boy after all I shall just have to re-register him. Luckily his new family have given her a sensible name like Charlie, which can be boy or girl!

When I came into the kitten room yesterday morning (lol no, we don't have a living room any more, it's the kitten room) yesterday morning, I noticed that Gretl was walking with a slight limp. I wasn't able to get her into the vet yesterday, and they were booked in today anyway so I wasn't too worried. Anyway the limp lessened and went over the course of the day anyway. I suspect she'd been adventuring overnight, and perhaps jumped awkwardly or something. Anyway, she's OK.

Actually, I lie. I saw her and thought Oh NOOOOOOOOO I have another injured kitten, my poor baby, oh her family are going to kill me, I'm such a terrible breeder. LOL. But once I had stopped flapping (internally- externally I was very gently checking her out to make sure it wasn't anything serious) it was OK.

You may be sure I still asked the vet to check her over though. She's fine.

Freddie's progress is also great, in fact unless you were specifically looking, you wouldn't know anything was amiss. And all the kittens are healthy specimens and got a clean bill of collective health today. First jab next Friday...

They will all hate me tomorrow. First we have a pedicure session planned (because...) then it's time for a dose of wormer all round. Which they HATE. And then a flea treatment to boot. Poor kittens! Oh well, it's got to be done and they'll all have forgiven me by bedtime and will be wanting their cuddles as per usual!

Poor Indigo!

This was last week... Indigo was suddenly accosted on the cat tree by seven hungry babies wanting milk. All she'd done was get up to stretch, but the kitten clearly saw this as an invitation for some lunch. Poor Inds! She doesn't look too happy about it does she? Heehee!

!

Kurt, with one arm around Liesl. Are my kittens the cutest in the entire world? Of course they are :)

Blog entries might be a little thin on the ground this week- there will BE entries, but it might just be a photo. The teenager's school is shut this week (and back end of last week) and rather than let him waste a week and a half on the Wii he's being homeschooled. I may have mentioned this already! I'm such a mean parent making him work hehe. And I'm working my usual hours, from home as always, and what with the kittens as well I'm a little pressed for time!

I'll get back to updating properly after this week, I promise.

They Might Not All Fit

But they give it a jolly good go! What a striking looking bunch they are. Here we have Kurt, Brigitta, Liesl, Gretl and one of the greybies, not sure which from that angle.

I've realised I haven't weighed them this week. Oops! Sorry about that. This week has been manic what with one thing and another, and I just totally forgot. I'll probably wait till next week now, as weighing has become a total farce anyway, and after that I will have them weighed at 9, 10.5 and 12 weeks, at the vet. They have bigger scales, what can I say!!!

More Of Marta

I try to give all the kittens equal 'coverage' on this blog, with guest appearances by the adults naturally, but inevitably there are times when a kitten is left out for a bit. Marta is one of those. Because she's so sweet and easy going, she doesn't stand out as much as some of her siblings and probably hasn't got the coverage they have. So I'm concentrating on Marta today.

Marta is an absolute angel. She's soft and cuddly, easygoing and amiable, and all her siblings love to snuggle with her. She's more than happy to sleep on a lap too, and very people friendly. If you pick her up she goes all limp and snuggles up- on her back sometimes, like her Mama. Her favourite toy is a big plastic wheel with a ball in it- she sits in the middle and bats the ball around happily at least once a day and generally just makes me melt. She's adorable.

She's rather like Jonah- Monty- from our last litter. He was easygoing and uber-snuggly too. But she's not exactly like him of course, they all have their own unique personalities.

Now excuse me, while I go and kiss her!

And The Same To You, Madam!

One of Gretl's outtakes from the other day. ROFL

Oh... drat. There I was thinking we had toilet training totally sorted, we'd had several totally accident free days, when I found a patch in the kitchen they had been... er... using. . Oh well, at least it was lino, easily cleaned! The barrier is now up on the kitchen door and they've been going appropriately once again. I'll restrict their access to the kitchen for the next little while though.

It is hard for them, the poor little things. Their instinct is to go somewhere soft, secluded and so on, and you try to train them to go on scratchy litter somewhere where they probably feel quite exposed no matter how 'safe' you try to make it feel. Really its a wonder they get it at all! But they do, and actually, they are trained and all wee quite happily in the box. This was just a blip. But like I say, thank goodness for lino!

edited to add- thought I'd posted this Thursday! Whoops!

Not Long Ago

ALL my kittens fitted on this cat tree... with room to spare!

*sigh*- my babies are growing up...

Charlie and Lola

What with all the 'new family' stories of late, I forgot to tell you! Gretl and Louis's new owners have picked out names- they are to be Charlie and Lola. The teenager used to be a huge Charlie and Lola fan (as did I- ahem!) so all I can say is- awesome names girls!

Gretl especially is a typical Lola, always adventuring. The other day, because she is a BAD BAD GIRL, she climbed the curtains! I had a towel over the radiator and she shimmied up that and started up the curtains... well you may be sure I removed her AND that towel- can't have her falling off now, although she's such an agile little monkey she probably wouldn't. Curtain climbing isn't something I exactly encourage though!

But still, what a bad girl. But adorable, so adorable.

(and incidentally, it took me about 20 shots to get one that wasn't blurry, because Gretl, like Wendell (Jacob) last year, never stays still!)

Freddie's Home

To wrap up the 'new home' stories, I must tell you about what is planned for Freddie. As you will know, things are a bit different for him because of his damaged leg. There are so many more factors to take into account because whatever way you slice it, Freddie is always going to be that bit slower in his reflexes. He keeps up very well, but he needs a particularly understanding owner. Luckily... we've got just the person.

aww

When I realised about Freddie's leg, the first thing I did was get in touch with a friend of mine, the one I had talked out of having a kitten of mine a few weeks back. K and her family live near a very busy road, and, heartbreakingly, have lost several dearly loved cats to said road in the past few years. We decided with three young children and the back door opening and shutting all day, having a cat indoor only was impractical. There was a cat- shaped gap in their lives, but having another cat lost was unthinkable.

But Freddie? Would perhaps a ground-level cat be the ideal solution? K was thrilled- Freddie could go out into the (high fenced/ walled) garden and be safe there, not being able to get up, and the children knew and loved cats and would be great with him. We decided to discuss it further at a later date once I had more of an idea of the extent of Freddie's disability- remember at the time I didn't know if it was a break, it could have been structural, he might have had other things wrong with him- spinal issues, or he might not have been able to toilet unaided, or any manner of things- I suppose theoretically I may have had to put him to sleep (I tried not to think about that) although initial signs were that his issues were 'not incompatible with life' But in theory, he could have been really quite disabled.

Neither of us had reckoned with Freddie's determination, though. He hasn't  got other issues, he hasn't let his leg hold him back... he's walking, running, jumping, and when he climbed up the cat tree I knew it was time to chat to K. If he could climb a cat tree at 5 weeks, he will be able to climb a fence post when he's older. K agreed that Freddie would be better off somewhere else. But I still felt terribly guilty of course.

In the meantime, D contacted me, also offering a home for Freddie. She wasn't specifically looking for a new cat, but she has a soft spot for, and experience with, disabled kitties, having three others currently in residence including one who came to her after fairly significant leg surgery. She'd heard about Freddie, and knew I was planning on keeping him with me, but please... could she have him? Perfect, no?

So lucky, lucky Freddie will be off to a home with other feline companions, all with varying degrees of wonkiness, an adoring family and a thorough understanding of his needs and what potential treatments/ surgeries he could have, as well as a big house and garden in a quiet area for him to ramble about in.

Oh- and he's to be called Jack... with his dodgy leg, D felt he needed a suitably piratey name! LOL!

Happy Kitty

Slurp!

Slurrrrrrp!

Have you ever seen a happier girl?

Brigitta has her home! She was visited today by R and friends, but I was fairly sure she'd charm them without much bother. And she did, she was gorgeous.

She's going to a home with a big sister cat, Matilda. Poor Matilda... her companion, Rudy, went missing last autumn. R suspects someone has been light fingered- Rudy is a striking animal, very handsome indeed. Poor Matilda has been pining dreadfully. Tonks as a rule do not like being without other feline companionship and she has been so stressed she's started pulling out her fur and crying when R leaves the house :( R is very much hoping a little sister will give Matilda a focus again and give her the companionship she's craving.

It will be good to hear how that goes along, Matilda is friendly and easygoing, apparently, and Brigitta (to be known as Coco, as in Coco Chanel) is a sociable little thing, so I'm confident it will be OK once they have adjusted to each other. I know Lisl adores her big brother Boo, and Alfie has a good relationship with his sister Paloma so there's a good precedent there from Indikon kittens!

That settles things for all my babies... which makes me very happy as well

Identity

...and they need cleaning all the time and they don't stay still and keep nagging me for milk and bugging me for this that and the other all day and night and they hide in small spaces where I can't drag them out and they run me ragged and my goodness how they fight...

Humph

Poor Indigo. Motherhood, eh? It's a tough ride!

Indigo is in a funny place at the moment. She's a good and dutiful mother, and they still need a lot of her time, which she gladly gives, but they aren't newborns any more, and they aren't all encompassing. When they were newborns I was lucky to get a headrub, so engrossed she was in her babies, and rightly so.

But they are growing up. To anthromorphasise terribly, its as if she's not quite sure who she is at the moment. It's quite sweet and touching actually. Is she still my princess? (Answer: of course she is!) Is she allowed to cuddle? (she's been too busy up till now, apart from brief affectionate moments) What did she used to do before babies? She'll approach me, and seem to want something, only to back off and seconds later approach again

Anyway, the point of this is that the other day, after a period of approaching and backing off, she had her first proper, long, glorious cuddle since giving birth, and she became 'my' cat again, and not just 'Mama' to seven beautiful kittens. If you could have heard the purring! And if I was able to, because I, too, have missed her, I'd have purred too.

Teeny Tiny Toes... And Tongue!

Liesl.

So. Adorable.

6 Weeks Old

(sorry about the colour- it was dark, the photo didn't come out and I had to tweak it. The colours are all wrong but you can at least see the kittens!)

As you can see from the weights this week, we've had a great improvement! Now that they are all well away on the solids they are piling on the grams, with no kitten gaining less than 100g over the course of the week and some gaining over 150g. They have three meals a day now, breakfast, dinner and tea, with kibble available 24 hours for snacks.   This will carry on until they leave, when you can drop it down to two wet food meals a day if you like, as long as biscuits are freely available. My cats get the wet food once a day and are entirely biscuit fed other than that, so it depends on what is going to suit your family.

Two meals are kitten food and one is chicken, but I shall be phasing out the chicken in a few weeks time- it's a great weaning food, but not terribly nutritious long term as it doesn't have the complete range of vitamins and minerals a cat needs. They do love it though!

and... *whispers*... toilet training is going much better! I thought they'd never get it, but they are now pretty reliable with poos and are no longer peeing on the cat tree since I put their food on there (that, incidentally, is quite a good trick- kittens do not want to eat in a lavatory so if they are going somewhere inappropriate, and you can't put a litter tray down there,  put their food dishes there instead) We're not 100%, but it's moving in the right direction, certainly. (Famous last words... this is where I find they've set up a toilet behind the sofa or somewhere...)


Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g

Friedrich


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

Kurt

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

Louis

Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g- Louis has discovered kitten food isn't poison after all...

Brigitta

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

Marta

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

Gretl

Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g- Gretl is also now eating. Mama Indie is relieved! I am also relieved.

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

Right Then. Colours. Again.

I was going to tell you about Freddie's new home today but that will have to wait as I am having a bit of a colour crisis.

Basically, I am wondering now if my two chocolates are not in fact blues, (and whether therefore Kurt is perhaps a chocolate) I am doing some snooping online... I shall bore you all with my findings over the next couple of days, no doubt!

Let me show you what I mean. Here's Freddie and Louis...

awww!

Freddie's always had a different colour coat to Louis, browner somehow. You can sort of see it here:

But see this foot? And that tail? Surely that's a blue foot and tail, right? That's Freddie's...

And here they are, front on. Fred on the left, Louis on the right. Friedrich IS a little bit browner, but come on, those kittens are the same colour... aren't they? But I swear last week Marta and Freddie were a totally different colour to Louis...

So. Assuming they are blues, then I have to decide whether they are minks or solids. Well, they are both obviously darker with less contrast between the points than Miss Gretl (who has a blue tail, so no chance of her being a sneaky lilac lol) but remember this little guy?

Yup, our Wendell, from the last litter. He ws a blue solid, here he is at approximately the same age as this litter are now, and he's definitely blue solid. Neither Freddie or Louis, or Marta for that matter, are this dark in the body, and they should be if they are solids.

So it's all very difficult!

For my new families, I would like to say this: colouring Tonkinese IS notoriously difficult- even the experienced breeders get it wrong sometimes. Often kittens don't 'settle' into their final colour until they are quite mature, browns turn out to be blues and so on. Yet we have to send off for their pedigree slips at seven-ish weeks old- ie I should do it this weekend, really. Plenty of room for error, then, and hence me having a major wibble now!

I do promise this though: If your tonk does end up looking very different to the colour it was supposed to be, send me some pictures and I will discuss it with other breeders to get their opinion. If they agree that the cat is indeed a different colour to the one registered, and if it bothers you that the wrong colour is recorded on the pedigree slip, I will apply change that pedigree slip at my own expense. Lots of ifs, there!

Kurt... and Brigitta

Oh those brown kittens! Some people love them, some not at all. The last two visitors on Saturday had only the brown solids left to choose, and they both had the same question to ask- how dark will they get?

Well the truth is, it's like asking how long is a piece of string. It really is. Google 'solid brown Tonkinese' and you will see a wide range of colouration from a rich warm brown to a very deep, dark shade indeed. Google 'natural solid Tonkinese'- the phrasing they use in the USA, and some of the cats look almost black- although still with distinguishable points. I suspect they have slightly different colouration standards over the pond as I've never seen such a dark brown solid here in the UK (on exhibition at shows etc) but it is possible, at least.

Now me, I like a really dark cat, but when some people think 'Tonk' they are really thinking of the siamesey colouring, and a solid can throw them a little. And then they have to decide whether they want a cat that is so dark. Because if truth be told, the light colours seem to be the most favoured ones. (Some breeders though specialise in the browns... it's all a matter of personal taste after all)

Now this might seem irrelevent... after all does it really matter? Well, yes I think it does. There are lots of reasons for choosing a particular pedigree cat, but aesthetics surely play their part. I first fell in love with the Tonkinese breed because they were beautiful, before I ever found out about their wonderful temperaments and decided to get my Indigo. And when I chose Indigo I specifically wanted a lilac, and I would have waited for a lilac if one hadn't been available. I didn't want a brown or a chocolate, and while I do have a soft spot for blue that wasn't my preference either.

So I showed our guests pictures in books and on the net, and made sure both knew how dark a solid brown can get. And with both parties I said that if at all unsure about a cat, I strongly advised NOT getting said cat. It's worth hanging on for the right one, is my feeling, even if you have to wait a few months. And indeed one family decided that would be most appropriate... and one decided she liked Kurt very much whatever his eventual colouring might be and he was going to be her next cat. Both decisions were undoubtedly the right ones :)

So Kurt had been claimed by M, and that just left Brigitta...

I'd had a call on Saturday from C, to find out if I had any Tonks left in the litter. Her family are bringing home a lilac boy any day, and they had been expecting a dark pointed siamese boy at the same time, but the breeder of the siamese decided to keep him for breeding at the last minute (bit unfair that, they'd had a contract and everything...) One single cat wasn't their idea at all, so the hunt was on for a playmate.

Well, the kittens were utterly delightful. They played, they snuggled, they romped and they climbed. They ate their dinner nicely, and some of them took themselves off to the litter tray as well. Basically they did themselves proud. Yes please we would like Brigitta, said the family, we'll PayPal you when we get home.

And then... THEN... the Siamese breeder decided the boy was available after all, and given he'd be the same age as the Tonk they are getting, they had decided it would be more appropriate to have him as they had originally intended. By which time I had turned down another two prospective families for Brigitta, who have now arranged to see other cats and will probably choose them, so I'm really quite annoyed about it. Not with C, I'm sure she was most embarrassed about it (I would have been...) but with the Siamese breeder.

So anyway, sweet Brigitta is still on the lookout for her family, and I've learned a thing or two. As a result though, I'm no longer accepting payments- deposits or balances- via PayPal. For reserving a kitten, its cash at the time and no reservation till payment is made, and equally balances cash only please. I'm sorry to be a pain but I had a lady ring who was desperate to have Brigitta who has now chosen another kitten- that could have been Brigitta's home if I hadn't assumed payment was on the way. I'm sure someone else will claim her, but even so, I could kick myself for being naive.

Two Blues

So our first visitors had chosen Liesl and Marta. Next came K and her family. No hissing this time, fortunately! K's two girls were to choose their new pets, and Louis(a) (lol) was very quickly chosen. He was very charming, batting a pen about and darting around on the floor that he completely sold himself. Nicely done, little man. (Little lady. Oh I wish I knew for sure which he/she was!!!!)

A sibling for him was a trickier matter. The other kittens were continuing their snooze so it was difficult to pick- no-one was really standing out. Dad had rather fallen for Brigitta, but in the end Gretl was chosen.

So the blues are off home together, and very nice too, they do make an attractive pair.

As an aside, aren't their eyes lovely at this age? Big baby blues... mmmmm!

Stop Press!

Brigitta has also found her home. Her people visited today and rang tonight, having decided yes, they would like her.

I am astounded by how quick its all been this year!

EDIT- Bother, bother, bother, no she hasn't... they changed their mind. Brigitta is still available.

Yesterday...

The first visit! The kittens were sleeping, draped over Mama when our visitors arrived, but when Gretl saw them, she hissed! Yes, hissed! Little minx! Which of course woke up the others and they all hissed too and Brigitta floofed up her tail (so cute) and they were Not Happy At All.

Liesl, totally glazed over, seconds before she fell asleep today

Marta, already there! Awwww!

Indigo just lay there though, totally unconcerned, and after a minute or two, the kittens calmed down and decided they didn't mind the visitors at all (which goes to show how important the mother's temperament is)... gazed at them dopily for a few minutes and all dropped back off to sleep again! They weren't at all interested in playing or running around, just snoozing.

Oh well, sleepy kittens are very nice to cuddle after all, and the kittens seemed very amenable to this activity (lol) so our visitors had a nice snuggle with the kittens that they decided to make theirs- Liesl and Marta. Hurrah! I know they will be very happy with these two lovely girls.

Thanks for your visit S and family, and for understanding about the hissing. Funny little kittens. I hope you'll come and visit the girls soon and see them in a more congenial mood! It's funny... our visit today saw them bouncing, playing and *gasp* taking themselves to the litter box on their own, totally at ease with our guests from the off. I guess they really were just tired the other day.

Tired!

The kittens have been very, very sleepy today. I mean, that wouldn't normally be a problem but... today was our first visiting day. I'm afraid most of our visitors only saw snoozing kittens rather than playing kittens! Thank goodness I have this blog to prove that they do indeed move!

It didn't seem to deter people though, as all but one have now found their family :) And someone is coming tomorrow to see Brigitta and several messages are yet to be answered in my mailbox with regard to kittens so I don't suppose she'll be unclaimed for that much longer.

There seems to be a shortage of Tonkinese kittens available at the moment or more people than usual searching for Tonks- either way the two are not matching up and I'm getting emails and phone calls aplenty this time round. Some don't go any further than that of course- one person wanted a red or apricot point and apart from my dabbling into Torties last year I'm not able to breed those colours. Others were looking for Tonks of paticular colours, or pointed Tonks.

I'm also very fortunate for my number to have been passed on to several people by my colleague Hilary (Hylily, Monty's owner) as she has placed all her kittens. I much appreciate it, thank you. Of course I have in return put out a few feelers for other people who I couldn't help (is there a breeder reading this who has a lilac?) in the hope of finding them their kitten. Do you know, that is one of the nice things about the 'Tonk community' in my opinion... people know and help each other. Perhaps because there's really not that many of us?

So all in all a good day, and I'll write more about it in due course. Next year, though, I think I'll leave the kittens till they are just a little older before I advertise them. I'm going to have to check, but this litter just seem so... well so young compared to last year's. But I think last years visits were slightly later in the main (only Wendell and Monty went early) which might account for it, that and this litter being generally slightly less mature anyway. And by the time we came to the last visit, it was clear that Indigo had had enough... she kept trying to drag the kittens off into a secluded corner and was getting quite meowy and anxious. Next time I will restrict visits to one or two a day. Poor Mama cat, she was very good, but by the time our last guest left, she was definitely unsettled and stayed so for the rest of the afternoon- making me feel extra guilty, of course!

The Browns

Ok, more colour musings today!

As far as I can tell at this point, I have three brown kittens- Liesl, Kurt and Brigitta. I was pleased to have a good number of browns and chocolates this litter as my last litter were all dilute. No idea what I will go for next year- it depends on the available studs I suppose.

Liesl

Deep brown points with a pale body- Louisa must be a brown mink. This is the colouration of her father Monty (Hylily Priceless Picasso) and she does look awfully similar.

 Brigitta:

Brigitta is my darkest kitten, with noticeably less contrast between her points and body than her sister. She could turn out to be a brown mink, but my guess is that she is a brown solid.

Kurt

And Kurt is somwhere inbetween! The jury is out with Kurt at the moment- I'm thinking mink now but I coud easily change my mind. But he has the 'golden Siamese' look about him- and the golden Siamese were mink cats.

The pens, by the way, are so I can tell which cat is which! When they are all together I can pick out individuals no problem, but when there's just the one it's a bit trickier, plus in years to come, will I necessarily remember just by a photo?

Here's Monty, the kittens' father, owned by Hylily. He's an adult brown mink. A couple of links- and these are not my cats, I'm just using them for illustrative purposes- this is an adult brown solid http://www.flickr.com/photos/cox-on-the-box/2604815833/  and this is an adult brown pointed http://www.mimaperks.co.uk/

5 Weeks Old

Louisa and Liesl say hel.....

.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Five weeks old! Yesterday seemed to pass in a flurry of phone calls, and the first visitor comes tomorrow all being well, so we shall see.

For now, nerdy stats time!

Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g

Friedrich


Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g

Kurt

Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g- Kurt likes his solid food an awful lot!

Louisa

Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g- Louisa is refusing to eat solids at all. She prefers Mama!

Brigitta

Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g

Marta

Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g

Gretl

Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g- And Gretl is too active to do anything as dull as eating...

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.

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....*

Snuggle

All that early socialisation, the hours spent by the nest stroking and talking to the kittens, all the handling them and reassuring them, all the bottlingh and weighing and being peed on and getting accidentally scratched (plenty more of those to come!) is all worth it when they do this...

Dear, sweet, trustful Kurt! He woke up all alone, howled, waddled over to me and snuggled in confidently before going back to sleep. (Yes, I was trying to work. No, I didn't mind in the least!) And he isn't the only one who thinks I make a comfy bed. Marta does, so does Brigitta and so does Friedrich. The others are a little slower to get there, but they will. Gretl seems to be rather fond of the teenager's shoulder, much as Mama Indigo used to sit on mine.

And now I must go and do something about advertising them. You know, that task I've been meaning to do for a week... *sigh* if I had the room, I'd like to keep them all!

Ok, One More

And back to kittens tomorrow, ok? My lovely Sofia looking not at all portly and rather oriental in this picture.

Beautiful Girls

Because I haven't forgotten about them in all the kitten-ness... my beautiful moggy girls :)