Day 69 - June 17, 2006

Salt had some lovely cuddles today with Linda and Peter who came to visit her and I have said in the Mel's kitten diary, it's so difficult to believe that in just 3 week's time the babies will be gone. All 3 of our Condiments have had mad moments this morning where they have been tearing through the home like little lunatics, getting under everyone's feet and generally getting in the way as only kittens can. Salt has spent a lot of her time playing with one of the toy mice as she is particularly fond of them. She has also been in a very feisty mood and pouncing on every other kitten that has been within her vicinity.

Day 68 - June 16, 2006

Today has been one of those days where I have just gotten absolutely nowhere and not been able to get anything completed at all. I had started on the diary entries on 3 occasions, yet each time, something else cropped up and so in the end I just totally gave up. For those of you who are not actually aware, we are currently in the middle of relocating (as in moving home) which means that some time each day has to be allotted to packing boxes. We shan't actually be moving until after Sambuca's babies are born though, however, between our current kittens and normal things, there's just not enough time in the day at the moment. All the babies are doing well though, apart from Patriot for who there is absolutely no change at all unfortunately.

Day 67 - June 15, 2006

Again like yesterday, there are no photos yet, but please do check back much, much later this afternoon as I will try to invent some new hours in the day so that I have time to take photos and upload them.

Salt and Vinegar (had to be them didn't it!) are totally against being wormed I'm afraid to say. All the babies were done last night with the Panacur Liquid 10%. It's not that they were aggressive when I wormed them, the problem was that once I wormed them, put them on the floor, the little monsters violently shook their heads and mouths, splattering white wormer liquid all over the floor. So yet another mess for mum to clean up. You've just gotta love 'em haven't you :) Pepper on the other hand, as per usual was such an absolutely dream. I am sure I could do anything at all with that girl and she would just be totally happy and not bothered at all. Again this morning she was sitting on my shoulder nuzzling my ear and purring away softly. She is such a darling, but then they all are in their own ways. It never ceases to amaze me that you can have 3 babies from the same litter, yet each baby differs in personality. For example, Pepper is such a very cuddly cat, totally not phased by anything and she thoroughly enjoys the company of humans and other cats. Vinegar is slightly more cautious and he always like to make sure that his brothers/sisters are around because it makes him feel more secure. He is also quite feisty when it comes to the wrestling matches and he knows every time that limbs and ears are the most vulnerable parts to nip. Salt is just a little explorer and always one of the first to go somewhere or do something. She doesn't wait for the rest of her family, she just gets on with where she is going and will not stop until she has satisfied her own curiosity. Of course they do also have traits that are shared by all 3, such as purring, cuddling, getting under my feet and tripping me up etc. etc.

Day 66 - June 14, 2006

There will be photos later on in today's entry, however, at the moment it's just so busy that I don't have time to put any online (in fact, I've not actually taken any yet), but I wanted to get the entries online at least. So check back later on this afternoon and there should be some photos in the entries.

Pepper has decided that I am her new best friend recently. She is such a cuddle bunny with a non stop purr just like her grandmother used to have when she was with me. As I sit here on the desk, it's not unusual at all for Pepper to be sitting on my shoulder, nuzzling my ear and hair while she just purrs away. She is a real time waster and I keep stopping what I am in the middle of so that I can give her the attention she is seeking. Pepper is incredibly talkative as well, mind you, so are Salt and Vinegar. All 3 of our Condiments are actually very talkative babies. When they are running around in the home, if I go looking for them, or if they want me, as soon as they can see me, they come up to me, sit down and front of me and start talking. This is really lovely because I do love vocal cats (just as well I don't breed Persians!).

Day 65 - June 13, 2006

There is no photos today sorry and not much of an entry either for that matter due to lack of time yet again.

During their waking moments, after feeding, it can be a struggle to find Salt, Pepper and Vinegar because they just go all over the home and their main fun thing to do at the moment is to play on top of the dining table! Remembering that we keep our chairs turned upside down on the table so that our adult cats can not pull the tablecloth off and the Condiments have the time of their life on there. There climb all over the chairs, dart in and out of them and play hide and seek. They all walk along the windowsill and peer out the front to see what is happening. Salt has also discovered that next to the work surface on the table there happens to be yet another bowl of kitten biscuits so she has been making the most of this discovery.

Day 64 - June 12, 2006

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Before I go any further with today's entries, would all of our kitten families please note that your babies have now received their first set of vaccinations which means that they will be able to go to their new homes, as originally planned which is the weekend starting July 7, 2006. Now I am fully aware that some of you have organised holidays around the date change, so please don't worry about this as naturally your babies are welcome to remain here the extra week. This is not a problem at all. Could I ask that you please send me an email with regards to when you would like to collect your babies?

Okay, as for the babies themselves and the vaccinations. It had to be Pepper didn't it who was the odd one out. This girl just purrs non stop and she obviously was not aware than when taken to the vets to have vaccinations, that the purring should stop. But not this girl no, she purred as she walked out of the carrier, purred as Andy examined her thoroughly, purred as the needle went in and came out for goodness sake! Salt and Vinegar were just simply marvellous and while they did not purr, they did not object at all to the prodding and poking, nor did they even flinch when they needle went in. Whilst sitting in the waiting room, they were fascinated by a Shar Pei that came out after his/her appointment and they all sat up in the carrier, peering at this "strange creature" absolutely marveling at the wrinkles on this lovely dog. They also allowed themselves to be admired by a couple who were waiting with their Labrador. Our babies are little "show offs" in reality. They know they are beautiful so naturally the rest of the world should also think so. Andy was very pleased with their progress and thinks they are all just fine which is lovely to hear.

After vaccinations, when we arrived home, the first thing I did was to feed the babies as they were all hungry. All 7 babies will be closely monitored for signs of any side effects, particularly Patriot because if anyone is going to be affected worse than the others, it will be her. Everyone is asleep at the moment so it is rather peaceful. One of the problems we will have is the heat. The vaccinations themselves can take quite a lot out of the babies as it's such a shock to their bodies to be pumped with the drugs and when you add the heat on top of that, it can be a dangerous combination.

Day 63 - June 11, 2006

Again I must apologise for the lack of entry in the diaries yesterday, however, we recently had some unexpected news which means that we are going to be extremely busy during the next month and half. I was also busy trying to catch up with all the house work and washing of show equipment from the day before. In short, it has been an exhausting day to say the least. The babies are coping quite well with the heat which surprises me and today, Patriot, Braveheart and Salt, had a visit from their new family, Linda and Peter which was really lovely. We had a chat about Patriot and they had some cuddles with their babies and I think even they were amazed in the difference with all the babies now, except of course for Patriot who is not improving at all.