Yesterday was a monumental day in which a lot of miles were covered in order to ensure that Prunella Prudence and that the mate earmarked for her as a mate were heart fit & suitable candidates to parent the next generations of Sphynx cat’s.
Prune and I set off at 9am leaving Noodle home alone which is not something I like to do.
We were headed first to Gloucester in order to rendezvous with our friend Sarah and then to travel onward together to Chesterfield.
Arriving in good time, Pru and I transferred to Sarah’s car where with her stud cat Oz we went onward together now to Chesterfield where we were booked in at the Hairless Hearts UK HCM scanning clinic with cardiologist Vicky Ironside.
We arrived early, which was fine since we had allowed ourselves plenty of travel time in case of traffic hold ups.
Pru’s heart was duly examined. I’m delighted to say that she is now certified as being without sign of HCM disease. The same is also true of Sarah’s Oz. For NSCH this is great news as is the fact that Prunella obligingly went into heat the day before we travelled, thus, with both cats scanning clear, I was able to leave Pru with Sarah so that the two could mate ASAP.
We arrived back to Dursley at 6:30pm unloaded cats and carriers and getting back in my own vehicle I drove on home now quite alone, arriving back at just before 9pm. Phew.
Sunday, 28 April 2019
Thursday, 11 April 2019
Update
It’s been a while since we posted, and honestly it’s with good reason, so here’s what’s happened since our last post:
After little Wonky sadly died, we were left with one female kitten to raise, she was named Nebula by her new family who I’m delighted to say, are the same family who had purchased “Pot” Noodle’s first kitten - The monicker Pot became Gamora; or Mora for short.
Where do the names Gamora & Nebula come from? Well, Gamora & Nebula are sisters in a Marvel comic strip
As before Nebula was raised on a raw diet which suited her well. She quickly adopted use of a litter tray and as soon as she got mobile had no hesitation in making the whole house her territory.
The 12 weeks we enjoyed with Nebby were full of fun. I had suddenly sold my house and packing to move and even made the move to the new home (still in Hampshire) with her. All three ladies coped very well with this. There was never any little accidents nor problems of any kind.. once we were in and doors closed, I simply opened the crate door and let them explore. They found there food, water and litter trays and all the little spots were they would find patches of sunlight to bathe in or radiators to sit upon!
What was really lovely for me throughout it all was to witness Prune, who was at first rather terrified of the kittens I had brought home with me, become such a natural ‘mother’. On day one, she would stand on her hind legs like a meerkat to view Noodle laying in her box with these squeaking kittens from afar, jumpy & assessing how much of a danger they might be to her... but as each day passed the meerkat stance became not one of watching for danger, but one of nosiness. She soon tested the waters going nearer and nearer until at last she was beside Noodle and her baby all the time watching Noodle mothering with such interest. She began to help out, cleaning and licking the kitten as she had seen Noodle do. As the weeks passed Prune & Nebula became inseparable. It was truly delightful to see. They are in fact half sisters with the same paternal genes and I wondered has this somehow made the bond happen so naturally? Is there an instinctual recognition there?
As you can see Prune & Nebula were thick as the proverbial thieves!
This natural bonding showed itself again when Nebula went to her new home, by now, of course fully weened. There she met her big sister for the first time and as you would expect there was hissing from Mora at this stranger in her home. Nebula had so such issues and did all she could to say hello.
On day 4 something quite magical happened, she was suckling on Mora as if she was her mother. She never suckled Prune when she was here, and Mora is neutered and has never mothered, but she allowed Nebby to suckle from then on and the pairing of these two has been extraordinarily successful. I’m told there is no squabbling at all... is it that these two sisters who share the same parents but we’re born a year apart somehow recognised each other? The kinship with her half sister Prune and now with her full sister seems to suggest they may do.
After little Wonky sadly died, we were left with one female kitten to raise, she was named Nebula by her new family who I’m delighted to say, are the same family who had purchased “Pot” Noodle’s first kitten - The monicker Pot became Gamora; or Mora for short.
Where do the names Gamora & Nebula come from? Well, Gamora & Nebula are sisters in a Marvel comic strip
As before Nebula was raised on a raw diet which suited her well. She quickly adopted use of a litter tray and as soon as she got mobile had no hesitation in making the whole house her territory.
The 12 weeks we enjoyed with Nebby were full of fun. I had suddenly sold my house and packing to move and even made the move to the new home (still in Hampshire) with her. All three ladies coped very well with this. There was never any little accidents nor problems of any kind.. once we were in and doors closed, I simply opened the crate door and let them explore. They found there food, water and litter trays and all the little spots were they would find patches of sunlight to bathe in or radiators to sit upon!
What was really lovely for me throughout it all was to witness Prune, who was at first rather terrified of the kittens I had brought home with me, become such a natural ‘mother’. On day one, she would stand on her hind legs like a meerkat to view Noodle laying in her box with these squeaking kittens from afar, jumpy & assessing how much of a danger they might be to her... but as each day passed the meerkat stance became not one of watching for danger, but one of nosiness. She soon tested the waters going nearer and nearer until at last she was beside Noodle and her baby all the time watching Noodle mothering with such interest. She began to help out, cleaning and licking the kitten as she had seen Noodle do. As the weeks passed Prune & Nebula became inseparable. It was truly delightful to see. They are in fact half sisters with the same paternal genes and I wondered has this somehow made the bond happen so naturally? Is there an instinctual recognition there?
As you can see Prune & Nebula were thick as the proverbial thieves!
This natural bonding showed itself again when Nebula went to her new home, by now, of course fully weened. There she met her big sister for the first time and as you would expect there was hissing from Mora at this stranger in her home. Nebula had so such issues and did all she could to say hello.
On day 4 something quite magical happened, she was suckling on Mora as if she was her mother. She never suckled Prune when she was here, and Mora is neutered and has never mothered, but she allowed Nebby to suckle from then on and the pairing of these two has been extraordinarily successful. I’m told there is no squabbling at all... is it that these two sisters who share the same parents but we’re born a year apart somehow recognised each other? The kinship with her half sister Prune and now with her full sister seems to suggest they may do.
Monday, 17 September 2018
Goodbye my sweet Wonky
Poor little Wonky, my valiant little girl who was gaining weight and improving so much, has sadly died tonight.
I came up to the nursery to do her last lot of eye drops and another set of leg exercises and thought that she was curled up asleep. Since her bigger sister was mid-feed I thought I would get on and do Wonky's eyes and exercises first lifted her out, only to find her unresponsive & gone. There was absolutely nothing I could do, it was too late. I believe her mum may have accidentally smothered her.
She has in her short life received a lot of love, from her mum, from me, and from the wider world of the online Sphynx community, breeders and owners alike all over the world. She touched many more hearts than just mine and taught me a lot.
I learned first about her determination to survive an emergency cesarean birth when the odds were not stacked in her favour and I learned about the occurrence of Twisted Leg Syndrome and how little is known or told by vets when kittens are born like this. I learned how to begin to treat it and how much support was there for us in doing so.
I genuinely believed that in a few weeks time she would be walking and running around normally, getting up to kitten mischief....so perfect that if one did not know of her start in life, then they would never ever suspect it. Fate has dealt us a rotten hand tonight taking her away before we could ever get to witness it.
I love you little Wonky. Bye sweet girl 💔🐾🐾💔
I came up to the nursery to do her last lot of eye drops and another set of leg exercises and thought that she was curled up asleep. Since her bigger sister was mid-feed I thought I would get on and do Wonky's eyes and exercises first lifted her out, only to find her unresponsive & gone. There was absolutely nothing I could do, it was too late. I believe her mum may have accidentally smothered her.
She has in her short life received a lot of love, from her mum, from me, and from the wider world of the online Sphynx community, breeders and owners alike all over the world. She touched many more hearts than just mine and taught me a lot.
I learned first about her determination to survive an emergency cesarean birth when the odds were not stacked in her favour and I learned about the occurrence of Twisted Leg Syndrome and how little is known or told by vets when kittens are born like this. I learned how to begin to treat it and how much support was there for us in doing so.
I genuinely believed that in a few weeks time she would be walking and running around normally, getting up to kitten mischief....so perfect that if one did not know of her start in life, then they would never ever suspect it. Fate has dealt us a rotten hand tonight taking her away before we could ever get to witness it.
I love you little Wonky. Bye sweet girl 💔🐾🐾💔
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