We are 3 weeks old now!

Day 20 - August 12, 2007

Our Water Babies are doing quite well and have not been bothered at all by the fact that the older babies keep sticking their head in their box. If anything, Thames and Ock are both extremely curious about the little faces appearing over the opening and keep going up to them to see who they are. Out of the 2 babies, Ock is definitely the most vocal and if she doesn't want something, then she screams at the top of her voice to let you know all about it. Surprisingly, Thames is much more laid back than Ock and it will be interesting to see, when they have full room access, just which baby is going to get into the most amount of trouble.

Day 19 - August 11, 2007

Toussaint and the Water Babies were not phased at all by the move. It takes quite a bit to upset Toussaint and so long as she still has her children, then she is perfectly fine. For the past 24 hours, she and Tia Lusso have been getting on a bit better and hopefully being in the bigger room will make quite a bit of difference as well. Both Thames and Ock are now at the age where they are exploring their box and trying to run around inside it. They are also constantly trying to climb up the sides of the box which obviously, is an impossibility, but they are such determined little babies. It is little signs like this that makes me realise in another couple of days they absolutely MUST be allowed freedom of the room, whether toussaint likes it or not. On a different note, Graham and I have spoken about Ock, and as it stands at the moment, there is an extremely good possibility that she will be remaining here with us as part of our own family. We have not made a definite decision yet, so for the time being, we have decided she is not available.

Day 18 - August 10, 2007

At some point next week, I will be opening up the door on Toussaint's kitten box because it's almost time that the Water Babies had a bit of freedom and mixed with the Nuts and the Detectives. Unfortunately today I ended up with more photos of Ock than I did of Thames, because Thames had no interest at all in posing for the camera. Every time I pressed the button, that was the moment the little terror decided to turn his head and wander off in the other direction so the photos of him are the best of a bad bunch. Ock, on the other hand, is proving to be extremely photogenic, and I have to say she is definitely the oddest looking kitten we've ever bred. Normally, after a few years of breeding, the kittens all do have a similar look about them but Ock looks like no other baby we have produced so far and as such, I am finding her a bit fascinating. I'm reluctant to actually let her go anywhere although at some point I know I'll have to. If we weren't keeping Dublin from the Capitals' litter, then Ock would be going nowhere.

Day 17 - August 9, 2007

Tomorrow, I am going to find the time to individual photos of our babies as this is long overdue.

I can say, without any doubt, that Toussaint's Water Babies are both absolutely beautiful. I am really pleased with both of them. Ock's Tortie colouring is coming through beautifully, whereas Thames' tabby pattern is really starting to become striking now. I don't think it will be long now before our Water Babies will want to climb out of the box and go exploring but I know that Toussaint is not keen to allow her babies any independence at all.

Day 16 - August 8, 2007

Many, many, apologies to our kitten families, and to all our loyal kitten diary readers for the lack of entries recently. There are a number of reasons why no entries have been gone online, but I would like to mention the 2 main reasons..........

Firstly, we very recently took on a new addition to our fur family, we are extremely proud to be able to introduce you all to Jag aka Vom Saton Marcham. We would ask that you please take the time to visit Jag's own web site and perhaps sign his guest book. Jag is settling in very well and we are delighted with him.

Onto the next reason, and perhaps, at this point in time, a far more important reason. Many people are currently unaware that there is a campaign up and running in protest to the decision made by the GCCF to award it's show publishing contract to a brand new publication. This decision has devastating effects for ALL cat breeders, cat show exhibitors, and pet owners. This campaign is one that I personally feel very strongly about, so strongly in fact that it has been at the forefront of my own, and other breeders' lives for the past week. As such, I would urge each of our kitten families for every single Schimmel kitten out there, as well as our regular kitten diary readers, to please click on the banner below, please read through the web site, and then please, please, show your support by sending in your comments, by writing to the GCCF, and by signing the petition. If this decision is upheld, then Schimmel Siamese and Orientals, as of January 2008, will cease to support and fund the GCCF by way of show entries, cat/kitten registrations. Instead, as of next year, we will be applying for a prefix with TICA and we will be showing our cats and kittens, as well as registering them with TICA. I am not prepared to support any organisation who thinks so little of it's members that a decision of this magnitude was made without first consulting any GCCF cat clubs and their members and without a ballot being taken. This is after all OUR money and it is WE breeders and cat show exhibitors, and pet owners (who pay a £9 transfer fee for their babies) who are keeping the GCCF in existence, something which I think perhaps the GCCF should be reminded of!

I would now ask you to please visit the web site below: