Schimmel Siamese & Oriental Cats are Oriental cat breeders based in Oxford, UK. We sometimes have Oriental and Siamese kittens for sale. We also have 2 Oriental Stud Cats and online kitten diaries.

Kitten Diaries

Drambuie

August 2005

Birth

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Drambuie's 1st Kitten Diary - August 2005 to November 2005

We are now 1 week old!

Day 6 - August 18, 2005

There is actually not a great deal to say about our Dancers, which isn't a bad thing as it's not a long entry because today is Graham's birthday and we're trying to get any "pc related bits" out of the way so hopefully we can relax a little and he can enjoy his day. Our little ones are now opening their eyes and a couple of them have their eyes nearly fully open which is so lovely. They are also getting used to being handled now and no longer scream when you pick them up, I find that if you talk to them softly, and gently stroke them while they are in your hand then they are very calm.

Day 5 - August 17, 2005

Well I know that Jacqui will be pleased to see the photos of the little red babies (or at least I hope she will). All of the Dancers are making excellent weight gains considering that there are 6 of them and this is Drambuie's first experience at being a mum. I don't think I can get across to anyone just how much of a relief it is to have the Dancers in the house and to not have to do a single thing for them. After all the problems we have had recently, I am finding it so overwhelming that the babies are upstairs with Buie and I don't have to do anything other than enjoy them. Even now at 5 days of age I said to Graham how amazed I am that not a single baby has ever been topped up, nor even been given Nutri Drops. I could easily not visit the kitten room for 2 days and know that everything would be just fine. Mind you, there's no way I could not visit at least every few hours to look at my lovely Dancers. They really do bring me such joy. They are the perfect litter for me. Mind you, once they come downstairs it will be a different story and I will just hope that Drambuie has not passed on her mischievous nature to the Dancers and that they will be much better behaved than their mum.

Day 4 - August 16, 2005

Apologies for the lateness in this entry and for lack of photos but it's been an overwhelming day to say to the least and it's also our wedding anniversary today :). I know a certain person called Jacqui will be annoyed at me for not putting any photos of red babies here but I promise to get some done tomorrow. Our Dancers are still doing quite well. Most of the cords are now off and there is just the smallest hint of little eyes starting to open which is lovely. Just like their mum, they are very, very loud babies, with typical Oriental vocal cords.

Day 3 - August 15, 2005

Whilst Drambuie loves and adores her babies, she loves food even more. I took her breakfast in to her this morning, she was in the middle of feeding the Dancers but as soon as she saw the plate and food, she was out of the box like a shot, leaving 6 crying babies behind. I really did have to laugh. When I weighed the babies late yesterday afternoon I was pleased to see that they are all making gains. I haven't even given them Nutri Drops or topped them up since they were born. I took the Dancers out of the box today to try and get some better photos and Drambuie was most unimpressed with me for upsetting them in this way. I tried as hard as I could to find just some tortie colouring in Tango, Samba or Lambada but there wasn't even the slightest hint of colour. Cords have now started to fall off and the Dancers seem to be doing quite well.

Day 2 - August 14, 2005

Thank goodness for Drambuie and the fact that she is doing such a great job with the Dancers. She is such a brilliant mum so far and you really have no idea how much pressure she has taken from me by looking after her babies so well. I don't have to do anything at all for them, no topping up, nothing whatsoever which is great considering the hell that I'm currently going through with the Chocolate Bars and the T's. It is so lovely to be able to go up into the kitten room and see 6 happy little contented babies, sleeping or feeding and a very smug, proud mum. Drambuie is still eating like there is not tomorrow and I'm really pleased to say that she is not phased at all when I take her babies out of the box to examine and weigh them, or to change the bedding. Mind you, this could be because I'm smart enough to put food down for her prior to handling the Dancers and because she's so busy eating, she probably hasn't even noticed that I am "doing things" to her little ones. I'm going to have a really close look at the Blacks today on the very off chance that underneath that black fur a Black Tortie is hidden somewhere.

Day 1- August 13, 2005

Now this is where it's slightly confusing because if I add their diary entry in the morning each day, then they won't be the age stated until much later in the afternoon, remembering that they were born in the afternoon. So what I think I will do is upload the entry around 4pm each day because then they are as old as the entry says. (how confusing is this?). We have now chosen names for Drambuie's 6 babies and they are:

They will be known collectively as "The Dancers"
Tango	Oriental Black
Samba	Oriental Black
Lambada	Oriental Black
Salsa	Oriental Red
Calypso	Oriental Red
Bolero	Oriental Red

Never before have I seen a queen eat as much as Drambuie has since giving birth. Between 7pm last night and 10am this morning, Buie has gone through 5 pouches of Gourmet Gold and has eaten almost half a bowl of dry JW kitten biscuits. We are really pleased though because our other Oriental girls do become too thin after giving birth and don't eat as much as they should so hopefully Drambuie will not go down this road. She is still being a superb mum and I am just so much in love with her babies. They truly are an absolute blessing. The Oriental Reds have totally captured my heart which I'm sure will please Kim :) Last night at about 6pm we moved Drambuie and the Dancers into the kitten room so she could have peace and quiet and get to know her babies. Also, if I had woken up just one more morning with poo on the duvet, or wee in the bed, then I might have considered moving myself into the stud house to sleep! As you know Buie had been sleeping in our bedroom every evening since last Sunday and since Tuesday night, every single night she went to the toilet on the bed and in the bed! The final straw was Thursday night when I woke up to find poo on the duvet (thank goodness not in it!) about 5 inches from where I was sleeping. So definitely was looking forward to getting Buie out of the room, putting the spare duvet and new bedding on the bed. I guess Monday will be spent at the laundromat..............again! The only thing that bothers me about having Drambuie in the kitten room is that she is such a huge people cat and I think she will get lonely in there so we are all popping in constantly to visit her and keep her company, particularly me because I just can't tear myself away from the little red babies.

Birth - August 12, 2005

I am absolutely delighted to announce the arrival of 6 beautiful babies. Drambuie has done me so very proud and she is an absolute star. Prior to the birth, Graham was worried that we would have problems as her sister, Sambuca, did not take to her motherhood straight away and it took her a little while to into it all and he felt that Buie would be the same. I knew that Drambuie would prove him wrong and am delighted to say that she is a fantastic mum. She started showing signs of going into labour at around 11am and then she started pushing and back leg and tail appeared in a sac about about 12:20pm. However, it was really difficult for her and was painful (judging by the screams with each push) and the first baby was not actually born until 1:05pm. At the end, I had to assist with the Vaseline and gently entice the baby out while Buie was pushing at the same time. Fortunately it worked and out came the strangest, most beautiful being I had ever seen. It was an Oriental, but he was red!!! I was amazed. We had just bred our first Red Oriental. For those who know me very well, you are probably laughing your heads off because it's common knowledge that I do not fancy Reds in the slightest. I have to say though, that I kept gazing at this tiny creature in my hands and it was love at first sight. He is a little darling. Anyway, his birth was followed by 2 Oriental Blacks, the 2nd Black following the first by just 2 minutes!. After that, Buie settled down for a rest and we put the babies in with her to see what her reaction would be. She sniffed them, within 5 seconds was grooming them all and allowing them nipple access. She was content, but obviously nowhere near finished as I could feel more in there. She just need a well deserved rest. She started again at 1503 with another Black and then by 1550 2 more babies had been born. By this time, she was shattered but she let me take her out of the box and very quickly replace the bedding with fresh, clean bedding. She then was placed back in the box, with all 6 babies where they have been ever since, trying to feed and snuggling in with their mum. She is purring like mad, with her arms around her little ones, she is tired, but she is amazing. Like every cat we share our home with , we love her dearly and are so proud of her, but at this point in time, we are bursting with pride. I haven't attached the photos yet that were taken, and I didn't take many because I was just way too tired to even lift up the camera to be honest. Graham took a few of photos of some of the babies when they were on the heat pad. I will put the few photos that were taken in this entry at some point tomorrow. Right now, it's time to feed the Chocolate Bars and The T's.

Baby	Birth Time	Weight
Red Oriental Boy	1305	90 grams
Oriental Black	1332	88 grams
Oriental Black	1334	96 grams
Oriental Black	1503	91 grams
Red Oriental Boy	1512	100 grams
Red Oriental Boy	1550	101 grams

Click Here to read Drambuie's pregnancy diary.