Day 97 - April 24, 2006

Caffreys has broken the "cardinal rule" of living in this home because this morning, the horrible little boy was spotted on the lower shelf of the wall unit that resides in the hallway. This unit holds all of my Siamese ornaments etc. and none of our cats ever climb into there. It's as if they know that mummy's "special" things are in there and that they must not break them. Caffreys however obviously has no respect at all for my ornaments. The first time I saw him in there, he looked at me and jumped out, taking a little Siamese plate with him which fortunately for him did not break! The 2nd time he went in there, I had to lift him out, very carefully so as to avoid him knocking anything over and I then had to have words with him about how some things are totally unacceptable and him being in that unit is one of them. I shall now wait and see whether or not he took any notice of me. None of the babies ran upstairs today to sleep after their morning games. As you can tell by the photos below you will see that they all chose to sleep downstairs here in the back room with me. I wonder if they know that they will only be here for a few more days and are making the most of it. I haven't told them yet that their entire lives are going to change very shortly however emails from their new families have totally assured me that the babies will get the same love and care in their new homes that they have received here with me. Our new families have already bought their babies' favourite foods like chicken, eggs, pilchards etc. so hopefully it won't be too traumatic for our children when they leave us. I did think that I would have the pleasure of Guinness' company for maybe another week or two however it is not to be as May has told me that she will be collecting her this weekend also :(

Day 96 - April 23, 2006

I slept in this morning much later than I probably should have but it is Sunday. Of course this now means that I'm running behind on everything which means that entries are not going to be particularly long today at all unfortunately. But hey...........at least there's photos :) While I think of it, I really must add here that our diary entries for this coming week will probably be extremely short due to the fact that 4 of our babies are going within the next 6 days which means that I have a mountain of paperwork to compile for each baby. My biggest problem at the moment is that I still have not received any of the registration papers back yet from the GCCF so I'm still desperately hoping that they will arrive this week. If they haven't arrived by the time that the babies leave, then the pedigree certificates will not have the registration numbers on there, however as soon as the papers come back, I will post the Transfer of Ownership paper and a new pedigree certificate showing the registration number to all the families. Our babies are also having their last vaccinations this week so we're going to have another fun trip to the vets.

As you can see our babies have been having lots of fun and games out in the cat run and their games out there lasted quite a while this morning, then after all their exertions, everyone went upstairs to have a snooze in hallway. I had to laugh at Caffreys because when I went upstairs about 20 minutes ago, he was sleeping on a hooded cat bed which is on top of the ottoman. What I don't think he realised at all was that inside the hooded cat bed was Sambuca. I peered into the bed and Sami was sound asleep and not bothered at all by the fact that this big chocolate lump was lying on top of her.

Day 95 - April 22, 2006

There are no photos at all today sorry as we've had some visitors for most of the day and I've no really had the chance to take any photos.

A special day for Caffreys today as some of his new family members came to visit him. Elaine and Aiden had some lovely cuddles with their boy and they could see just how much he has grown since their last visit and how beautiful he is becoming. He was happy to have some snuggle's on mum's lap and also played games with Joe Byrne and the feather wand. Sheridans always loves it when Elaine and Aiden visit because Aiden goes to the stud houses to visit both boys, but particularly Sheridans and I just know that Sheridans enjoys his cuddles with Aiden. I was delighted to see that this time Aiden did not manage to lock himself in the stud house :) He did however manage to leave his coat behind and I spent part of the afternoon wondering how far into the drive home they were before Elaine realised. XXXX and Guinness had had quite a nice day today as well even though they did spend a lot of upstairs but every time any of our visitors went upstairs, both girls were give lots of cuddles which is really lovely. Guinness was able to prove that it is she who organises the feeding times the babies in the home and not me, because while our visitors were here, they saw Guinness come up to me and "speak" to me telling me it was time to feed her. They also noticed that Guinness gets special privileges because she is allowed in the kitchen with me while I am preparing the babies' food. Arrangements have now been made with all of our new families as to the babies' departures, apart from Guinness and I think I am just hoping rather optimistically that May will get very involved with her own fur children and will forget about coming to collect Guinness and I can just subtly add her to the family without Graham noticing. May has quite a long way to travel to us to collect her beautiful baby so it's not as easy for her as it is for our other owners. XXXX is going to be thrilled to know that his new mum already has a clothes airer there, ready and waiting so that will make XXXX very happy.

Day 94 - April 21, 2006

If Teresa doesn't have a clothes airer, she may well need to invest in one, solely to keep XXXX happy. I had to actually put it up last night as I had washed one of the dog beds and it's too big to go in the dryer so I set the airer up indoors and put the bed on top. Within 20 seconds of me doing that, XXXX was over there like a shot and I was just stunned with the speed with which she can climb it and get to the top. She seems to know exactly where to place her paws and she never misses. The rather ridiculous thing is as soon as I spot her on there I go rushing over to "rescue" here and I take her off and place her back on the floor. Yet as soon as my back is turned she is straight back up there at the top. Just like Guinness, XXXX can be a very determined girl when she sets her mind on something. Do you remember me saying a little while back that the babies had cut out their breakfast meal altogether? Well they have now reverted back to having it. For the last 3 mornings, they have been staying downstairs in the back room, rather than running upstairs to play, because they have decided that they should no longer play on an empty stomach. So as it stands at the moment, they are having one breakfast meal, one tea time meal, and very occasionally, (depending on Guinness), supper as well. Of course they have their James Wellbeloved kitten biscuits left out all of the time as well. It's fairly safe to say that their favourite food in the whole world is cooked chicken so perhaps their new families might want to stock up on some chicken portions because I can almost guarantee that when you take your babies home, if you were to give them some cooked chicken within a couple of hours of them being in your homes, chances are that they will certainly look on you as being their new best friend.

Day 93 - April 20, 2006

The most beautiful green eyes look up at me and the most soulful cry says to me, "Mummy, I'm so very hungry, please can you feed me?"
"Sweetheart, think back to just an hour ago, what do you remember?"
"Nothing mummy, I am just so very hungry, I don't think you have fed me at all today, my little tummy is grumbling"
"Honey, I truly did feed you just an hour ago, don't you remember, it was just before dinner and you had a plate of mince"
"No Mummy, that was yesterday, you haven't fed me today at all honestly, I am so very, very hungry, please will you feed me"
"Do you know what I am supposed to be doing now?"
"Yes, you should be feeding me before I keel over from starvation."
"Sweetheart, we are now into the night time routine, I have litter trays to empty and bleach, stud houses to lock up for the night, water and food bowls to............."
"Mummy did you say Food?"
"Well before you interrupted me, I was going to say food bowls to be replenished."
Lies down on the floor now on her stomach and again, a soulful cry "See Mummy, I am so weak from hunger that I can no longer stand"
"Oh sweetheart, why didn't you tell me it had got to this stage? What if I quickly whipped you up some scrambled eggs with grated cheese on top?"
"Would you do that for me mummy? Oh yes please, I am so very hungry you see and I won't make it through the night otherwise"
"Right, well why don't you call your brothers and sisters over and I'll make you all some supper"
"Mummy, I can't call them over, my voice is too weak from hunger."
"Okay, well once I open the fridge and take the eggs out, they will know anyway"
"Maybe not mummy, they are not as clever as me."
"Well you just wait there honey and I will cook your eggs now"
"I have to wait here mummy, due to starvation I have not one ounce of energy left and can not move."
Eggs are now cooking and turning into scrambled eggs in the saucepan right before my very eyes, "Sweetheart, if you can't move, how will you get from there to the plate when I put it down?"
"Mummy, you will have to carry me, I have lost all use of my limbs now."
Sigh, "Okay, when the eggs are ready, I will carry you to the plate".
At this point in time, it's getting later, boys are howling outside as they know they should be tucked up in bed by now. Eggs are cooked and put on the plate, fridge door is opened, eggs are put inside to cool down.
"Mummy, where's my scrambled eggs? I just saw them on the plate, with my one remaining eye that I still have a bit of energy left to keep open. The other is closed as my energy levels do not extend to keeping 2 eyes open".
"Sweetheart, you are so young, do you even know what the word extend means?"
"Mummy, does it matter? Where's my eggs?"
"In the fridge cooling down. You know when they come out of the saucepan that they are too hot and if I gave them to you then, you would burn your little pink tongue."
"Mummy, which would be worse, death by starvation or a bit of a burnt tongue?"
Thinking now, "Hmmmmmmmm actually a slightly burnt tongue would mean that you couldn't talk for a day or two". Smiles :)
"Mummy, where's my eggs?"
Open the fridge door and test the eggs, "No sweetheart, just a couple more minutes."
"Mummy, you said that an hour ago, I can't hold out my longer, the breath is leaving my body as I speak. I fear that I won't be here in another 2 minutes."
"Oh my poor baby, come here and let me cuddle you and together we will go to the fridge and check your eggs."
Picks up baby and walks over to fridge. Eggs are ready now. Struggles to get a sheet of newspaper, hold plate of scrambled eggs, hold baby who is about to expire according to her, and try to manouver around 4 other screaming babies. Plate gets put on the floor. Four babies tuck into the eggs straight away. Baby is removed from my arms and placed in front of the bowl. Baby sniffs the bowl, walks around and sniffs the other side.
"Mummy, I'm going to go and eat some kitten biscuits. I do like them very much"
"GUINNESS!!!!!! You just told me I had to cook for you as you were starving and now you won't eat the eggs"
"Mummy, I was only joking, I really just wanted some attention and a chat. Can you please put more biscuits in our bowls mummy because there's not enough there to last us throughout the night."
Stern look, and in my most threatening voice "Guinness....................................."
"Mummy, I love you."
I pick up Guinness, listen to her purr, she snuggles into me and think that I must be the luckiest woman in the world.

Day 92 - April 19, 2006

Today I just did not have the energy to go chasing around after the babies while they played, trying to get photos so I waited until they were asleep and snapped a few shots then. Boring I know, but at least when they are creating havoc in their new homes and their families accuse me of not telling them how naughty their children are, I can refer them back to these photos and can then prove that the babies were angels while they lived here :) XXXX is going to be very upset from this afternoon onwards because the new clothes dryer arrived which means that the clothes airer will no longer be in use. The reason this will upset XXXX is because she looks upon the airer as being her own personal climbing frame and she is such a wonderful athlete that she can climb right to the top, swinging like a monkey from each bar. How she doesn't fall off, I really do not know but she will not have to find something new to climb on. I have also discovered how our sweet Guinness is able to reach the top of the fish tank. I used to think that she would jump from one of the chairs, onto the work surface and would climb onto the tank from there however I was proved wrong yesterday. I couldn't believe it as I sat here and she leapt from the floor, directly up onto the work surface, from there she leapt straight up onto the top of the fish tank. She may be a small girl in comparison with her brother and sister but this does not stop her doing whatever she pleases. She is such an athletic girl and so very elegant which I am sure is something that her new mummy wants to hear. Caffreys doesn't have much in the way of athletic ability, however who needs to be an athlete when you have the largest cuddle factor in the world. This boy is such a snuggle-bunny and just like his dad, you can do absolutely anything with him at all. I just hope that he doesn't grow to be as large as his father because then Elaine may have to buy a bigger home just to house him.

Day 91 - April 18, 2006

I am cheating today sorry and Amaretto and Drambuie's diaries are both exactly the same. I've not had much time today to get the done and if I don't do it this way then chances are there won't be an entry at all! The babies had a really lovely visit today from their Uncle Mike and Aunty Lulu and it was so great to spend some time with them. It was a bit embarrassing that our Pints and Bush Rangers were far more interested in snoozing upstairs than they were in being downstairs at all, so much so that I had to actually carry the children downstairs just to prove that they did really exist! Joe Byrne in typical fashion was more than happy to show off in the cat run, playing games with Cointreau and showing just how energetic he actually is. So Uncle Mike and Aunty Lulu at least did get to see one baby in action. Guinness had been stolen by Graham and spent most of the time inside Graham's jacket with her head poking out (as you can tell by the photos below), and towards the end of their visit I had to physically take her from Graham just so I could show her off. They did also get to see the children eating a meal of their favourite cooked chicken so at least once during their visit they managed to see all 5 children in the one place at the one time. Caffreys was kind enough to spend a bit of time in the cat run playing with Joe Byrne, after I had brought him back down from upstairs so that wasn't too bad. XXXX was seen streaking past back upstairs as there was no way on earth she was prepared to show herself off when she could be up there with her mum snoozing her life away. Ned Kelly stayed downstairs for about 2 minutes, but that was more than long enough to show just how stunning he actually is. All in all though, I had a really fabulous day and the children and the adults did not embarrass me at all which was such a relief. Well apart that is from Toussaint, whom, as everyone knows, has been trained to jump up from the floor into my arms. Do you think that the little minx would do it for our visitors? How stupid did I look standing there assuring them she could, trying to get Toussaint to do it, only for Toussaint to want to roll about on the floor instead. However, just as Lulu and Mike were leaving, she finally remembered what it was all about and happily showed off her party trick thank goodness so I wasn't left feeling quite as foolish as I could have been :)