Tomorrow is the start of a new year, 2015 is upon us and it's time to party down and bring it in with style. Well, I say party, more like a nap in front of Jules Holland keeping warm with the Parentals.  Today is always full of busy things and making sure all the washing is done and no stone left unturned for the start of the year.  One at a time at midnight, the doors are thrust open and we let the new year in.  In J1's case, the Parentals take it in turns to keep the New Year out!  His house, being in the garden lends itself to the elements and fireworks. So, with their tipples in hand they sat and listened to the radio with him so he wasn't worried by the bangs and wizzes. 

Lillibet has not been herself today, she has taken up residence in the Parentals room, she chose this room above all others because it has heated blankets and fluffy sherpa rugs on the bed. She is not daft. Everytime I pop up to say hi, she growls at me. I don't think my get well advances are welcome.  Momma took her to the vet yesterday because she just wasn't sure about her and wanted advice on what to do if she got worse, which she did. Thank heavens for vets I can tell you. It is all very worrying and they must think Momma has munchausen by proxy the amount of times she has taken us all in this year! But after the weird happenings of 2012, who can blame the Parentals fear?

We had a great Christmas Day. Fun packed and filled with Turkey and all the trimmings.  OK, so we didn't get all the trimmings, but we did get copious amounts of turkey! From early morning I watched that bird fly into the oven and cook to purrfection.  It was one of wonderful moments that the free range fella smelt twice as good because we only have him but once a year! 

Gracie was loving her new dicky until she figured out how to get it off and it made a super game of chase. Faith tried to tell her she was a lady and ladies don't do that to gifts.  She ignored her and raced off at high speed, dicky in tow.  Faith always loves necklaces and when she saw the very sparkly one Lillibet had been gifted, she wanted to wear it most desperately, so Momma had to share the wearing out through out the Christmas period. Lillibet wore her special light weight necklace today, the one with the pearls and the butterfly whilst Faith had to have on the new pretty one, really meant for Lillibet.  She is such a jewel diva. Makes he feel special! 

We had so many beautiful gifts from our cat friends.  The 4 E's sent us amazing gifts with each one well thought out and with us in mind of course, we love our new ratty. The Martin household sent squeaky mousie for Lillibet and more cat treats and the Lexifers household sent us a spinning top which ManSlave along with us enjoyed immensely. Grand MewMew had sent an array of Frenzy wands and ends especially for Gracie. It's been so much fun.  The most fun was when Aunty A visited and brought copious amounts of tissue paper... Now that is my kinda gift, I spent a whole mad half hour under it and Thwakking anyone who dared pass by. Best gift ever!

KS =^..^= 

It's Xmas Eve, it's so exciting. It's also Momma's Birthday so we get us really early and make her tea in bed and ManSlave feeds us and then we all go upstairs and unwrap prezzies in bed.  the paper is so good to play in and being Gracie's first year with us, we wanted to make her day special too and introduce her to all things Birthday.  Gracie, Faith and Lillibet were having so much fun, Momma was unwrapping gifts and shedding a tear at the beautiful gifts her friends had presented her with. A Guardian Star in a constellation named officially in the Star Registry.  A beautiful Angel necklace, a stunning Pandora bracelet with cat bead, a set of giraffe PJs and of course Gracie!

Everything was just purrfect and Momma was on the phone to her Pixie Friend when ManSlave said that something was wrong with Lillibet.  She was growling and couldn't walk correctly and her back legs had given way and she was wobbly and unable to hold herself up.  Thank goodnes we were all home.  They rushed her to Vet Simon who performed blood tests, all of which were within normal range and it's self a relief.  There was no damage to the back of the eye and her ears were clean as a whistle and all function tests were clear.  He is such a good vet, kind and gentle, never fuses with us, instead of making her do a 'walk' he simply placed her back feet against the edge of the table and with great difficulty and slowness, she raised her feet onto the desk.  He repeated it, much slower on her near side.

The Parentals brought her home with a sore bottom where he injected he muscles with a fast acting steroid.  It was so fast acting that trying to keep her quiet was a joke. She was trying to bounce off the walls and when your legs are not 100% it is very difficult.  She refused to lay still as requested by Simon, so we let her out of the bedroom and she wobbled about and laid in the lounge in her blankie.  She likes it there. It's her place. She refused to use any other cat tray other than the one she uses every day. She is a determined young lady! Right now, no one knows what has happened.  She has always been special and we know that and always keep the house calm and chilled for her. But this episode was very scary.  

UPDATE: 24th & 25th December there was wobbling but she compensated by holding her head up to jump up and down.  By 26th she was using the tray and being more active, but still growling if anyone touched her, mainly Gracie. by the 27th she was eating less erratically and began to not wobble, but had a few flicking and twitching sessions followed by the 28th and full recovery with chirrupping and beating up Gracie and back in the game. What a fighter! 

We hold our breath on a diagnosis and hope it is a one off? 

There is a fancy dress competition at our local vets, Medivet Coventry, which we seem to frequent with this and that. Mainly me of course and my dicky ticker and allergies.  I thought I was doing a really good job of looking handsome until the CatWomen wanted a go.  I mean, these are by no means professional images, these are snap shots on Momma's mobile phone. What does she expect?  There are some amazing pictures and some really well behaved pets alreay loaded up onto the Medivet facebook page, not us. Nope. Wouldn't sit still. Had itchy pants and just wanted to race about the bedroom YAWPING! 

Well, Momma sent the pictures in any way, just for fun and it's always good to support your Vet practice, after all, they have to look after us in times of need.  It also helps because then more people want to hopefully get involved and add their pictures too and it becomes a real competition of sorts and that would make the practice nurses feel good about doing it. 

Well, there is the possibility of a mini hamper made up by the nurses which we think is an excellent idea. I told a few of my friends and as you can see the Martin household came up with some much better behaved pictures than ours and we were just wild and excitable. Especially that Lillibet, she continued to do meercat impressions in her Santa suit. 

Look at my dear friends, Shiloh, Rudi Dudi and Brody Blue. What a stunning little trio they make and by the looks of these pictures were bribed into their outfits by oodles of treats. I got nothing. Not a thing. Momma is so mean. she says I should be good anyway and didn't need bribing.  I believe I would have taken a much better photo with me climbing up Momma's front to retrieve a treat.  Maybe that's why we get snax after the event, because we are all treat manic.  Not these three angels. They have been there, done that before me thinks.  Good luck friends. 

There is nothing like a good Sunday nap to help you through the day.  However, the napping is hard come by, especially when the napper is so tired that they don't know they are tired!

After a whole night being awake and stomping all over ManSlave and Momma in bed, then doing 'sucky sucky' on Momma's neck at 4am, then eating her spare noms at 5am and going on to using her tray and returning to bed, squeaking all the way, with a fishy face and a rather meaty bum, one gets exhausted. As after mid morning Noms, there is much cavorting with Lillibet and a game of chase and Thwakking is very tiring and then if there is anything to be done in the office then it's time to fiddle with the filing and play with the paperclips. It usually at this point there is a certain amount of flagging and a long deep sleep is required.

But before the sleep creeps over her, there is a huge amount squeaking and crying as though in deep pain. Then comes the shaking and trembling and nothing but a sleeping is going to cure either of those.  But it is still hard won. 

The ears go up, this helps to prop your eyes open, but the haws start to creep over and the ears get higher and higher. Then the eyes lids get heavy and no amount of holding your ears up makes them stay open. And down with the eyelids, down with the ears and then down with the head, fighting all the way and the the eyelids are the final close and sleep creeps over you like a heavy blanket.  The only thing required now is for someone to turn out the lights... or carry you to your own personal cat sleeping pod.  ::raises eyes::

KS =^..^=

The first week speaks volumes about the kindness of the CatWomen.  Yes, it's been a bit tricky in places whilst they wrangle with a small kitten who hisses and spits at anyone that comes near them, Gracie also wants to have friends, but of course there is an element of determination and Lillibet is no exception.  For a whole week Faith has virtually ignored her existence, but that is only because Lillibet is worried and a little fearful of this tiny little creature that dominates the Parentals room.

Gracie has taken up residence in her mini cat pod and is prowling the en-suit where her food and litter is located. She is trying to do normal things and be a normal kitten, but the world is so big and full of CatWomen, oh and me!  It's me she has really taken a dislike to.  Well, that was until Momma bathed me and now, apparently, I smell OK now and don't get spat at so much!

There has been lots of interest and everyone is found sleeping on the spot where they are meant to be keeping an eye on her, just in case she moves, or squeaks.  It's not my job. She is no threat to me, it's the job of CatWomen, they are the ones who really have to find a peckink order.  All three have left no stone unturned as far as temptation is concerned and I can see already that the friendship between Lillibet & Gracie will blossom in no time at all.  If Lillibet can just keep her paws in her pocket, there maybe a chance of a life long play mate. But that Thwakking paw of hers keeps getting into trouble and Gracie is starting to Thwak back!

KS =^..^=

J1 had a little wander around our kitchen. The Parentals were wondering if he was on our territory, would he be better behaved?  Well, I can't say that he was.  As he strolled across our worktops sniffing at everything we have brushed against only to come face to face with me.  We exchanged nods and I was whisked away to the top of the cat post as the last time we met, it was a tad disastrous!

Faith took refuge under the kitchen table, protected by her dark colour in the shadows and also by a portcullis of the chair back. She is fed up with his trying to look up her petticoats and sniffing around her stockings.  She takes no interest in such things and tells him so with blushing "no, no that's so rude" gestures.  Ironically, when J1 is safely in his 'House of Fun' you can often catch her doing a decent impression of the folies bergere along the windowsills and she is not much bothered about her petticoats then! Wonder what will happen when the Neuter-UM chip finally wears off and we are left with a screaming banshee to contend with. I bet all petticoats will be removed in favour of fur coat and no knickers!

Lillibet was quite the star.  With all of this Meets & Greets with Gracie, Lillibet was quite brave and sweet too.  She kept her Thwakking paw down and made a bee line for J1.   Well, she saw his back end whilst she followed at a safe distance to get a good sniff of his tail. But she became quite excited and jumped down from the worktop and did a happy circuit around the kitchen.  J1 saw this and decided that a pursuit was a good idea.  But I saw the look in his eyes, he wasn't going to play.  Now, Lillibet has never had a telling off or even a Thwak back, we are not allowed.  She is special and woe betide if I even make a mistake of touching her, Faith is upon me like a cat possessed. But this was going to be a different matter and one I ashamedly instigated.

Lillibet was doing her excited race about and she ran up to the top of the cat post, I was there and wouldn't allow her up. I didn't want my position compromised and it's very narrow, so I pushed her off and she fell backwards and landed square on top of J1.  That's when, from a raised platform I could see what his intentions were. Hidden behind his back was his marble filled sock and he intended to use it and use it he did.  He pummelled her and she took it well for a cat who has never taken a beating.  But Momma's voice reined over the scene as she shouted "JIMMY LEAVE" and to everyone's surprise he spat her out and ManSlave scooped him up.  He dare not touch Lillibet, she was in a frenzy of now doing ten fast circuits around the kitchen, smashing and breaking everything in her path. She didn't stop until she had covered a good distance and then she allowed Momma to touch her and calm her down with quiet words.

J1 was now belting out a war ballad, in my opinion, off key. Lillibet lost her voice for a few hours and has been ever so kind to Gracie and stopped hissing at her and more importantly the Thwakking is more under paw that over paw.  The height and strength is more in tune with a small kitten that a damn great lion.  I believe a little of what you fancy does you good... In this case a little of what I fancied did Lillibet good.  

KS =^..^=