We are getting ready for Halloween.  It's only a few days away and you have to try and get in the mood.  We are not great halloweenists but you have to make an effort.  This year I intend to scare all the small children. Invariably, I like to run at the front door when it's opened and go 'BOO'.  It makes the children squeal. I then turn tail and run back in the house then back out to the door again to fits of giggles and "We like your Halloween cat - is he shaved?"  Really, do people really think I am shaved??? 

Faith is wandering around the house looking out of the 8Leggeds and gathering them into her cauldron.  Lillibet is helping out to track them down, her sniffer is the very best, but Faith is the ultimate 8Legged catcher. She carries them around in her mouth squeaking until someone comes to her aid and either puts it back outside, licks it to death or eats it!

J1 is having his first Halloween with us and I am desperate to scare him with my ghostly white pallor, but he caught me out the other day when I was sneaking about in the 'communal garden'.  He saw me, it was too late, he faced me and I hissed in his face and turned my back.  He took offence and thwakked me really hard with a sock full of marbles.  It hurt like heck and I was swooped up and saved. Had I not been I would have taken him down, but Momma said he has a show and I was being a bully.  A BULLY, really? I mean I was minding my own business setting up an ambush for him! I think our friendship is over. I showed him nice things to do and that's how he repays me... Roll on Halloween kiddo!

KS =^..^=

What's with this time of year? Who cares about daylight saving time? I mean there are animals all over our country terribly confused, not to mention the poor folks who's shift patterns will be disrupted. for Momma, she loves the extra hour. she uses it the night before to watch a long film until midnight and then has the allotted hour in bed still. she confuses me, surly you can only use the hour once?

Either way, my stomach is perplexed and utterly confused as its juices rage around in anguish at this additional hour. I lay passed out on the kitchen floor, holding my griping midline and hope it doesn't turn to dust. My head is spinning, I feel dizzy and sick. I need sustenance and it seems hours away. I ring CatLine, to add insult to injury, a recorded message tells me it doesn't open until nine. this is torture!

I was wondering how I would manage if I was to travel abroad like Jaz & Jamie? (Faith's kittens) How would the time zones work then? I would have foodlag! They are tougher than I and by all accounts they get bribed with a fish supper.... where is my bribe?

Nope, this won't do. I hear feet on the stairs, Momma is coming to serve petit dejeuner. I must make the effort to scrape my sorry self off the floor and act normal. If I am not wailing and yawping at full pelt I might end up with a trip to see Simon the Vet and that will never do!

KS =^..^=

Momma has been creating and altering things in the house ready for her pending spine operation (whenever that is?) But until then we are being re-trained and moulded into shape. She has also been busy preparing for the Rex Cat Show in a few weeks and has made these funky trays for the Best in Show.  Pink isn't really her colour, but they do look quite fresh.

One big thing on Momma's agenda is changing the litter in our home.  We have used EverClean litter for ages and that came out of the fact that our other litter was no longer being sold in Costco. Of course, now we have change, it is being sold. Pffft!  But, the little grains of litter track all over our home and there is litter up the stairs and in the Parentals bed and in the shower tray?  Little trails everywhere.  It is also heavy and all the wet has to be removed and even a long handled scoop is proving hard work.  So a change is in order and it's not going too well! 

We normally have two trays, but temporarily, we have three. Two had the old cat grit and one the new silica litter called 'Innovation from Crystal Clear'.  Well, I like it and on the odd occasion, Faith likes it. but Lillibet - NO WAY!  She thins the litter is going to attack her.  She doesn't like change and is a stippler for routine.  Momma gradually let the catgrit run low and change a second tray.  It's easy to handle and tracks less! But still Lillibet refuses to use it.  There will come a day when her old grit just vanishes and she is left with a decision?  She is a very clean cat, never made a mistake... lets hope she doesn't stress too much!  

The new litter is noisy. You can no longer take a discrete pee.  the whole house can hear you stepping into your portaloo. But neither does the wet need cleaning out. The silica is so neat that it sucks away all the wet into the crystals and leaves it dry for your next use and doesn't smell. Eventually, it will saturate and that means one load to be thrown, but a considerably less amount compared to what goes out now AND it's bio-degradable so better for our environment. I am not sure my chocolate gold is good for the environment though?  Now, it still tracks a little, but nit like it did and how we can manage to carry small amounts in our feet is beyond me, but up the stairs it goes but hasn't yet reached the bed.  Faith must try harder, for she is the one who likes to race in and out of the trays just for fun! ::shakes head:: 

So, this trial will continue.  It's only been a week and none of us are won over just yet.  There are lots of pros & cons to it all, but I don't care. I am alright Jack, I have a private place to piddle and I love to announce when I have been with an almighty YAWP! So it gets my vote... we shall see how the CatWomen manage and of course Baby Gracie when she arrives!

KS =^..^=

Today Momma took J1 to another show day.  It wasn't very successful in the rosette and winning department, but it was a success in the 'how to behave' department.  He should have won a medal for being the best super boy.  He sat all day in his cage, didn't turn it upside down or spill his water into his litter tray or flip his litter tray everywhere.  He did lay in it though. ::shakes head::  On the big upside, he didn't pee in his bed this time either, so that was a huge bonus! 

Momma's friend Penny came along to help out and has a magic touch at settling frisky felines. She did so much chin tickling, J1 didn't stand a chance at being stressed. He had also travelled in a big crate in the car with attached en-suit so any mistakes could be make in there.  At least this time Momma woke him up at 6am to prepare!  He even ate a little in his show cage. What is his problem?  You can eat ANYWHERE!

Momma used the time at the show to purchase all sorts of new things.  A new climbing post for J1's house from Harlequin as well as two matching play tunnels and new catlitter from Crystal Clear.  But the very best gift for me was a laser mouse.  It's the most fun I have had in ages!  Penny was very kind and brought J1 a Yeowww.  Now, those Yeowws are pretty special and he sure did drool all over himself and get a soggy front!  It must be nice being good all day. No drama, no thwakking or yawping.  What would that feel like?

KS =^..^=

What's all this? I knew my sniffer and that of my house mates were working overtime on some faint smell of kittens. The Parentals hide their trips well and never let on to us that they are off visiting tiny creatures of the cutest variety.  Nope. Nope a peep! Until now and I catch Momma oohing and aarhhing over this little piece of, what can only be described as, trouble!
Oh yes, I know trouble when I see it, believe me and as much as she has the most beautiful name, I can tell that this one is going to be somewhat demanding. 

So where has all this come from?  How has all this happened. There were just the three of us, happy and contented, Faith on her 'NeuterUM' chip and Lillibet without a carrycot and me without a will to live with two CatWomen to contend with. THEN, along came J1, I didn't get it at first, he sounds like a girl, but he has these AirBags? Now I get it... OH boy. My life is going to be made miserable by 3 CatWomen and a CatMan. YAWP!!!!

It's all that nice lady at Esperanzas fault you know, well her and fate.  You see, Momma had visited a cat show in Bristol in early 2012, not really wanting to be working there at all as Maystar had been experiencing the worst luck ever.  Momma met on that day Shirley Churches, in person, for the first time. Social media is all OK, but there is nothing like a good Meets & Greets.  Shirley knew of Momma's dilemma and was the only person to really 'feel' Momma's anguish at being there. She gave Momma the biggest hug and said, "My Sonya has just been made up to Champion today - one day I will make you a special baby."  True to her word, Shirley text Momma weeks before Sonya actually had babies just a few months back and said "Sonya & I are making you a baby."  Now, timing, like everything could not be worse with Momma's pending spine operation, but really, what better time to have a purpose too? So it was agreed in principle, without ManSlaves or our knowledge, that one of the pending litter would become a Maystar baby.

So, this weekend the Parentals packed up and headed to Cheddar Gorge for a look about and to meet Grace and the rest of Shirley's extended family to make sure everyone was doubly certain that we were going to fall for Grace. Grace herself is a very important baby and like Faith, a singleton.  Momma told me the tales of how this little lilac and white kitten took umbridge at Momma's camera and spat and hissed and growled from the bottom of her tiny toes.  Oh, see, I told you she would be trouble!  That was it, ManSlave laughed and Momma picked her up and cuddled her and finally little Gracie fell asleep in Momma's arms. Now, thinking back, this story is very much like when they met Dewie back in the 80's.  Hissing, spitting and sleeping in their arms.  Mmmm. All too certain to be right then!  Don't get me wrong, Grace is a well rounded and very well handle little lady, but her spirit is young and the Parentals were her first strangers and her Mother had taught her not to talk to strangers!

I can imagine what the future is going to be like and what better time to introduce a baby to the house but exactly the same time a very special TomFun left our lives.  I can see him rolling around in Rainbow Bridge, excited at the prospect of having a new baby. I am not so sure the CatWomen or I shall be showing such frivolities.  But it will be the festive season when she arrives so I must not be ba-humbug about it all just yet!

Shirley kept her word like all honest folks do, even to the detriment of her own breeding plans. But as she says "it's destiny. I know you will love her as we do." Enough said.

KS =^..^= 

It's useful having new neighbours, they don't really know what to expect.  One set of new neighbours have been in for 10 months but work odd hours and we never hear a thing from them.  The other set of neighbours brought their house a year ago and still have not properly moved in.  So really they have no idea what they are moving into except that they say this is such a quiet area?

Quiet, really, then our home must be well soundproofed as all you can hear is me YAWPING and now J1 YAWPING!  It's like a competition.  J1, you see, Yawps like a girl and I Yawp like a boy, a very big boy!  Sometimes it gets SO MUCH that Momma closes J1 door for a short while and he can be seen opening and closing his mouth at the window. This has only happened twice, he now gets that he can't scream all day, because I beat him paws down!

The girls don't so much as Yawp but squeak. Well, for the moment.  Faith has not yet started to 'call' for anything more than the odd 8Legged. But when she does, I feel our new neighbours may well turn on their heals and work longer hours! She has been teasing J1 with squeaking and marching but that is about her limit.  Yesterday she smelled his paw and a fight broke out into a hissing and spitting match. J1 then has to go back in his CatPod to calm his AirBags down and this is when he sings to her. She sits with her paws in her ears "la la la" she over sings "I can't hear you."  

It doesn't stop there, there is chattering of a constant type. Birdies are now roosting in the Clemetis that runs alongside our CatPod and here can be spotted little families of House Sparrows, Dunnocks & Jenny Wrens. Our catPod is alive with chattering birdies and a chattering Lillibet and you know who would be the loudest as she beets out her base note with her tail on the side of the plastic cat house.

There are neighbourhood and garden cats too as well as Hedgehogs and very squeaky squirrels and Jay birds. As beautiful and funny as they all are, they don't half add to our din. Couple that with the nine dogs that surround our garden. It sounds like Battersea Dog & cats home! Yawp, sqwark, bark and cheep. It can create quite a racket at times.  That is not to even mention the human noises too. Our CatPod door is very squeaky, Momma oils it regularly but it still makes a 'cage' noise. That's what sets the dogs off, then J1 starts moaning and wailing in his girls voice that is plainly meant for a small kitten as it's so high pitched and demanding, then I answer him in my dulcet baritone, Faith squeaks at the 8Leggeds and Lillibet at the Birdies.  Horrible Horrace and the Jay birds argue over the egg stealing business and in the distance the Christmas Geese in the allotments gaggle and the cockerel crows his heart out. Quiet is not a word I would use for our little piece of heaven!

Welcome to our World.

KS =^..^=  

Well, J1 did it.  He made his breeder proud and Momma proud and by the looks of his face, pretty proud himself.

So, OK, showing is always traumatic, but for his first time out as an adult, he coped very well.  His main object of the day was not to look good, but to hide under the bedding and escape the smells and noises.  He was totally fine until the tannoy system was tested early in the day and BAM! Up went his water dish, into the cat litter and under his blanket he went and everything was soaked including him.  So after a bath the day before, he was getting cleaner by the second.

So, out with the bedding and out with J1 and dried off and placed back in.  Luckily fleece and vet bed dry quickly and Momma had a spare blankie. His day continued well, he slept for most of it and looked a little fidgety whilst being handled, but as an entire male with a girl one side and an entire boy the other it must feel quite bewildering?

The main part was over, the humans are allowed back in the hall to see their fury charges and gather results.  No sign of his open class, but a huge surprise was J1 had beaten 5 other cats in a side class. Momma was gobsmacked!  Later in the day his results were in for his open class and it is not set in stone that they get a certificate, but J1 had been awarded his Challenge Certificate (gold card) and a lovely rosette and a medal for Best of Breed. OK, so he was the only one in his class, but it still doesn't mean it's a dead cert. There are many things that a human can do wrong to prep their felines or indeed the cat it's self may have a glaring fault.  Everyone was so pleased that J1 had done his thing and although nervous and worried, he had still impressed his judge enough for an award.

J1 was happy to see his breeder and some friends he had met recently and responded well to Momma all day.  He is quite the sweet young man.  He didn't do himself any favours at the end of the day when his bladder got a little over full and he tiddled on his vet be instead of in the tray, then laid under the vet bed (which of course pulls water away to the underside) Oh, dear me, J1 was a tad stinky and the whole row and row behind that were upset at the tomcat stench.  Momma had to wash his bedding toutsweet and wipe J1 down and pack him up for home smelling not quite as sweet as she would have liked.  He was so ashamed and HATES being smelly. (unlike TomFun - who LOVED it!!) 

Momma drove home and ManSlave had a hot soapy sink full of water and he was de-scented for a second time this week.  But oh how he loved it this time around.  He is the happiest he has been in three weeks.  He ate a hearty dinner, race around the House of Fun at high speed, was full of cuddles and wanted fussing and playing with.  He looked so relieved to know that this is his home and I think now, you could say that he had a good day of sorts and quite a break through on where he sees home.

So, watch this space for more showing fun.  He has another couple booked over the coming months and we hope the Judges on those days award to him as well. We want his breeder and 'back' breeders to be as proud as we are of this sweet, loving and kind old fashioned Devon Boy who looks like he has stepped out of the 80's in his Velour pants and Cosby sweater!

KS =^..^=

It's that time of the month, the first, where everyone sets about pinching and punching. If you are slow on the uptake, or in Momma's case, still asleep the 'pincher' can sneak up on their opponent and deliver a sharp pinch and punch and rambling at high speed something that sounds like a strangled white rabbit.  This didn't only happen to Momma but me too! 

There I was, fast asleep in my new cat tower which Grand MewMew brought us, I take the middle bunk, it suits me, it's warm in there. The heat from the CatWomen around me on their levels is enough to keep a King toasty, anyway, I digress... There I was, sleeping merrily when that spoiled brat, Lillibet, stuffs her chocolate paws in at me.  All the time chuntering white rabbit, white rabbit, no returns. I am bemused? I could swear there are more days in September?  I run through my list "Thirty days has September..." Mmmm, that's not on. I WAS SLEEPING! How is that fair? Just because someone remembers the date does it mean that pinchee should be receiving this deluge of abuse when you don't even know that you have slept into a new day? 

I was outraged and came out of my bunk like a cat possessed and tried to catch that slippery chocolate madam.  I caused a stir, it had upset my waking routine considerably and not to be outdone went up to Faith and gave her a pounding to make up for her daughters wrong doing. Faith was just as outraged and she went to greet me with a tail up and a pirrip and all I did was smack her face at full run and down she went, face pressed into the carpet.  Oh I should never have done that. It stared World War III. She regained her composure and chased me all over the house until I cowered on the windowsill and when she was done holding me with her stare, she tagged me and said "Your it."  I slithered with my tail down as not to make any sudden movement and slid into Momma's arms.  Oh the shame of it!

Faith, of course, was very frisky now and hunted that chocolate wee beasty down and dragged her from MY BUNK and gave her a pinch and punch that will last her a whole month. 

Not to be out done, J1 was tootling around the garden on his harness (MY HARNESS!!) and he sees Faith at the CatPod door. He was there in a flash, well as quick as a staggering cat can run when you are wearing a harness. She was shouting rude things at him through the door.
"Go away you fearful beast. May your paws grow slippery with butter and you slid off to somewhere where you can't offend my sniffer or my eye." (Well, she never really shouts anything that rude!!)  Oh dear, she isn't going to let this day go by without finishing everyone off. And no matter what Faith shouts at J1 through that door, he still slithers away too. She is a typical drama queen.  So, in short, Faith won! Even though ManSlave started it and Lillibet instigated it. It goes to show which one of us is really TopCat!

KS =^..^=