Day 69 - October 2, 2005

As stated in the Dancers' diary entry for today, at some point tomorrow, the door will be opened again and the Dancers can mix back with the rest of the household. The Chocolate Bars are coping really well with being part of the general household and from what I've seen so far, there have been no little accidents with toileting............at least not that I've seen. They are definitely much more active when they have the whole of the house to run around with and if nothing else, our other cats are getting quite a lot more exercise than they would normally because the babies are always chasing them or vice versa. I have so much to sort out today and am hoping that tomorrow, things will get back to normal and I can start taking photos of the babies again when I have a bit more time.

Day 68 - October 1, 2005

Day 67 - September 30, 2005

The T's entry and the Chocolate Bars entry are both exactly the same today due to the fact that both litters had their first set of vaccinations today (Flu, Ent. & FeLV). Before I even write anything about their visit to the vets, I simply must say that our vet, Dr Andy Garton, has simply got to be one of the absolute best vets in the world. Any breeder knows that in order to breed successfully, you have to have a vet you can trust, a vet who will listen, and a vet who knows what he/she is doing and we are so lucky to have that, and much more in Andy. Now, as for the babies themselves, it was stressful for me as I loathe first vaccination time and spend the next 24 hours monitoring everyone so very closely to see if we have any side effects, which so far, we have never had. The biggest problem I've had with these 2 litters is that even though we use a modified vaccine, it's still advisable to keep the babies away from any unvaccinated kittens in the house in case the vaccinated babies are shedding. Normally, this is not a problem because I would just put the vaccinated babies in the kitten room and they would live there for a few days however, the kitten room is taken up with Sambuca and the Berries. Nor can they go in the back room because that is where our Dancers are. I am just so very glad that for the last couple of days, the babies have all had full run of the house and last night, while we were upstairs, the babies all had the run of the place, some even came upstairs to visit us in the bedroom which was really cute. Whilst they've had a few days with total freedom, they are now getting a crash course in "fitting into the household". During the day, they will have free run of the house, except for the back room obviously, and then of an evening, the babies will either sleep upstairs, or downstairs with the doors closed. This will keep our 2 unvaccinated litters totally protected. To be honest, it is an absolute pain to have to do this but we would rather be safe than sorry. The only other alternative would have been to move Sami and the Berries into our bedroom for a few days, but as Sami is comfortable and the Berries are thriving, I do not want to start moving them around. I had to rearrange litter trays, food bowls, etc. etc. which hasn't been easy and we also have to keep making sure that the babies know where everything is. They were so good during their examinations, and everyone's hearts checked out normally, as did everything else. Not a single baby cried or shied away from the needle and we were really proud of them. They were little angels. Upon the return home, the carriers were placed on the floor, the doors were opened and ever since, the babies have not stopped tearing throughout the house! At the time of writing this entry, they are still all on the go, chasing each other, chasing the older cats, being chased by the older cats, climbing up the sofa, sitting on the dining table chairs and creating havoc in general. I have to admit though, that I'm really pleased to see them being so active are their visit to the vets. I did take a few photos very late yesterday afternoon, which I will add to the entries a bit later today. I'm not going to take any today because that would mean chasing them all around the house hoping to get a good photo as they run riot which is virtually impossible. Also, after the trip to the vets, I'm now behind on a few things so I really need to get organised for the rest of the day.

Day 66 - September 29, 2005

Well our Chocolate Bars and our T's are all booked in for the first vaccinations on Friday so that will be a very nerve wracking day but hopefully it will be fine and we will have no adverse reactions. Amaretto is now calling again but it's the first time she has called since having the Chocolate Bars so it's not too bad. We're just leaving her to it and she keeps walking around the house with her pink fluffy toy in her mouth singing to all and sundry, in the hopes that a boy might answer her back. What she doesn't realise is that she is calling in vain as she will not be mated again now until at least April of next year! All day today, the door leading into the back room was left open so the babies had the run of the house for most of the day and they had a wonderful time chasing each other, chasing our other cats, and scaring each other to death by popping out of secret hiding places. We witnessed quite a few Basil Brush tails which was really amusing. I'm pleased though at how brave the babies all are and how relaxed they are when they're exploring. Twix however gave me some cause for concern as he was most put out by Tia Lusso who was sitting underneath the radiator bed, trying to play with him. He stood up on the bed, looked down at her and gave her the most ferocious growl he could, over and over, until she actually gave him up as a lost cause and when to find someone else to play with.

At this stage, there are no photos yet because the babies are all sound asleep on their bed and I think that sleeping photos can tend to become rather boring so when they are awake this afternoon, I will try and get some pics to add to the entry. I just wanted to get the entry online because if I don't do it now while it's quiet, I never will!

Day 65 - September 28, 2005

Must admit that I am severely lacking in motivation today to get anything done, including the diaries! Our Chocolate Bars all had fun and games exploring the house again last night. When we have dinner of an evening, the babies have the downstairs because unlike our older cats, they don't jump on the table when we are eating. No doubt this is only because they can't reach! Anyway, during dinner now, there are babies zooming about all over the place, chasing each other through the rooms, under the TV unit and they have a really great time. The only problem with this is that while we are sitting at the table eating, it's very difficult not to pick up a baby for cuddles. Already, on 2 occasions now, I have found myself with Whispa sitting on my lap while I'm eating dinner because she always sits on the floor and looks up at me knowing full well that I'll pick her up and cuddle her. Twix has started to find his voice now and during the last few days has become much more vocal about demanding attention. Whenever he sneaks into the kitchen where he shouldn't be, if he thinks no one is paying him enough attention he starts singings quite loudly until he is picked up. Our Chocolate Bars definitely have us well trained!

Day 64 - September 27, 2005

The Chocolate Bars new owners will be pleased to read that I have sent off their babies' registration paperwork now so hopefully in about 3 weeks' time, our babies will have their "official" names. Must admit to having had a nightmare when I filled in the form and halfway through, I had to start a completely new form all over again. By the time I had finished I was suffering from writers cramp! The biggest problem was choosing names which was not easy as I was rather uninspired to say the least. I figured rather than ending up with horrific names because I couldn't be bothered to think of any (yes it's happened before, we have one poor chap who is called Schimmel Dadada Dahoops - don't ask), I decided to name them all after cocktails (back to our drinks theme again) that contain Amaretto which I think was rather clever :)

Day 63 - September 26, 2005 - 9 weeks old today!

Some times, I look at what the babies are doing and I just have to shake my head and wonder why some of them appear to be been born with no brain cells. A classic example of this is Whispa & Buttons. I had to remove the radiator bed this morning as it was truly rather gross and needed a wash/bleach so I took the bed off leaving the babies with their tub that they always sleep on anyway. I couldn't believe my eyes when both Whispa and Buttons ran from the kitchen door, over to the place where the bed used to be and even though it wasn't there, neither of them seemed to realise this and jumped up, off the floor onto what should have been the bed. Naturally, the both came straight back down on the floor and like wally brains, looked up at the radiator in total and utter surprise. What really astonishes me is that all 11 babies WATCHED me remove the bed so they all knew it wasn't there. It's obvious that I need to buy either a spare cover, or a 2nd radiator bed just to ensure that those babies who jump before looking don't get caught out!