Coincidental Day!

Piles of cats (yes Pru is being mugged for milk!)

Another viewing day dawned on Saturday at the Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire cattery however, due to Covid concerns with a possible Covid contact in the household of this new family, despite negative tests we agreed that it was sensible to call off doing an in person viewing and so we resorted to getting by a video call viewing instead. 

Even that looked a bit wonky at first but a few internet tweaks and with a cup of coffee in hand we eventually managed to see & hear each other well. The kittens did us proud running around & displaying all of their developing talents for hide n seek, ball dribbling, mouse wrangling, using the lounge as an assault course & of course wrestling. One attempted a long jump at height but didn’t make it, splatting onto the floor. I suspect he had jumped from that chair arm to that table previously successfully but doesn’t realise the table is on wheels and gets moved. Either that or he was testing himself for power to make said jump . He will soon be doing that - and more - with ease. Plus he was fine after the splat! What was amusing was one particular sassy kitten clearly took ownership of the favoured cardboard box having sussed out that he who is up top gets to control who goes in & who comes out of the doors! Having showed his dominance he soon laid in classic Simba in Lion king pose, lord of his domain. What made me smile a bit later was that 2 kittens later fell asleep inside the box, it’s sellotaped roof is beginning to sag (probably as a result of adult cats also joining in play, and using the aforementioned siege position atop the box to their own advantage). As the kittens slumbered inside Prune came from another room obviously having decided she wanting a nap but first she needed to account for the safety of all of her kittens & had noticed they were not all there in the usual snoozing place (at heat mat central) . She was looking for them around the edges of the room as if to find them and round them up while warbling softly as she searched. I like to think that she was grumbling about them being missing when she has far better things to be doing with her time but was cleverly disguising her annoyance with her sing song tone! 

Finally, the question had to be posed “ well Clair, which is it to be Red Collar kitty or Purple Collar Kitty?”. 

Panic struck for a second then Clair says “It has to be the king of the cardboard box” and at that very moment Red Collar Kitty became Basil! 

Now…here’s a little add on detail…  last weekend Clair’s daughter had voiced a liking, having watched videos, for the green collared kitty but, not wanting to sway any decisions knowing viewings were up coming I had not revealed which colour collar he had become after having his bath on Wednesday afternoon. Turns out that Rose was right as Red Collar kitty had indeed previously been Green! Ta-dah! 

After more chat, Clair said farewell for now & having ended our call, I quickly contacted my 4th & final new family to let them know who was the kitten that I could now offer to them. 

What if I told you then that the response I soon received was “Yippee, we’d picked him out from the videos as being our preference”? D’you know, I absolutely love it when things like this happen. Sometimes these things really are written in the stars.

And so ladies & gentlemen of internet land I give you our final line up who now all have their names … drum roll please ….

Black kitten is Humphrey & he belongs to Sarah & will remain on active in her cattery to sure future generations in a couple of years time. 

No Collar kitty is named Grogu (I learned this is of Star Wars fame) and he now belongs to Danni & her family

Red Collar kitty is Basil & he belongs to Clair & her family.

Purple Collar kitty is Vincent Poe and he will become brother to a 6 -8 month old Sphynx already in place who is called Gilbert . Now let me tell you about Gilbert because It turns out that he was named Gilbert after ………………waaaaiiit for it…..…………… ……………………..Gilbert Grogu!                      Vincent belongs to Andrea & her family.

Sci-Fi movie buffs though one or two amount them may be, I am thrilled that this fabulous cohort of new families found us & that they have been so open with me as we’ve got to know each other over a few weeks.  It’s so important that our babies go to the best families & these lads simply couldn’t have asked for lovelier new families to be placed with. Thank you all for choosing Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire ! 

Pick me! Pick me!

Today at the cattery we were the recipients of some very special VIP guests as we had our first in person viewings. 

Covid has created huge changes for example, last year breeders physically saw no one and relied wholly upon video calls & doorstep hand overs. This year, though we still have threats to consider I hoped this year we could have restricted viewings which meant allowing only one person to come inside. Luckily today the weather was beautiful so my little patio space was able to be used meaning Dad & the children could also take part, remaining outdoors but connected through the screen that keeps cats in safely while mum, duly masked, came inside to get hands on. 

I am happy to confess that, although the viewings & reservations mark the beginning of our eventual farewells to the kittens, I very much love the happiness these cats & their kittens generate in others. While smiles are hidden behind masks, the eyes dance and the voice tells its own story of the pleasure they bring. How joyful it is to finally meet those new people, the person I’ve been emailing & messaging as we get to know one another for several weeks by exchanging photos snd updates, these amazing folk who will, by adopting a kitten we’ve raised become part of our family too. Yes today was a wonderful day!

With three blue boys, almost identical (a little size here and there, a matter of grams!) differentiates visually only by the wearing (or not) of a coloured collar. Now we see for the very first time how the dynamics happen and, today rather than the new parent picking the kitten, it was a case of the kitten making himself known, as if you say pick me! And so, it is that “No Collar Kitty” was today reserved by a beautiful little family who happen to live only about 10 miles away! He does have a name… well it’s a choice between two options so, I shall keep schtum until it has been decided! 

In other news, so much for kittens being possibly subdued after having their vaccinations! Pah! No such thing. There has been much mayhem here today with cavorting kittens running, climbing, chasing, pouncing, wrestling (complete with yells!). I’ve been a platform, a and a climbing frame and at one point while I was slouching on my bed,  even had a kitten leap from the pillows behind me onto my head. The acupuncture is a bit ouchy!!

Here’s a short video of  those “subdued” kittens having a quiet day… with sound of you want to hear those battle cries! 

Little warriors!

These 4 little soldiers visited the vet today, along with mum. We were stopped going there and leaving several times as folk spotted and wanted to admire them with photo calls made by the vets receptionists. Best Hollywood smiles by the lads! 

In with the vet, mum had her go first, glands, heart, lungs, tummy, limbs, feet, ears, eyes & teeth all passed muster and she then was weighed before receiving her vaccination. This actually was slightly overdue as her anniversary fell while she was pregnant and therefore she couldn’t have had it then.

Settling her back in her carrier, now our attention turned to her sons. Humphrey went first and was examined all over. He & his tackle were thoroughly examined, and pronounced perfect. He weighed in at 995g so almost at a kilo! Go Humpty! Now was the bit where he needed to be brave and he was given his vaccine (minus leukaemia) , followed by the larger puncture wound created by the microchip implant. He didn’t make much fuss and was given a kiss and a hug and returned to the carrier.

Next up, kitten 2 (as the vet records show) was checked over. He has a slight conjunctivitis in one eye which we will bathe with salt solution to get rid of that. He weighed  990g. Next he received his vaccine, then microchip, snuggled for being brave (small yell only) and returned to the box. 

Kitten 3 was also perfect, weighed 805g, but was not so brave about his jab or chip. He bled for a minute of two so had longer hugs while I pressed the wound with a gauze pad. 

Last but not least kitten 4 as perfect as his brothers weighed in at exactly 900g and made the most fuss about the vaccine and chip. Again some bleeding which soon was stopped while we snuggled and the. we were free to pay & go. 

I’d not fed them before we left so they were very ready indeed to eat when we got back. Then, having filled those bellies, they bypassed the toys and all retired to sleep off their adventure. 

They may be a little subdued for a day or so having had their vaccines, and just like when we have a jab, the injection & implant site will be a little tender but they will perk right up and be right as rain in a day or so. 

As I’ve been writing, the lads have had another feed & are currently playing with their favourite box, and a selection of balls! 

Regarding my choosing to withhold the leukaemia element of the vaccine: As a breeder, because there have been reports of kittens having severe reactions to this vaccine which can sometimes lead to death I choose not to take the risk with my kittens. However, having the vaccine is a matter of choice. When they leave us to go on to their new family, they will be indoor animals, so it’s very unlikely that they will encounter the virus. However, should their new family wish for their kitten to receive this part of the vaccine as early as possible, it is important to know that it can be administered independently by their own vet at any time. 

The vaccine is re-given every three years, so, if new families decide to wait until their annual booster is due when the kitten has reached 12 months of age the vet can administer it then. 

I’ve been hunting high & low at home while the boys slept for my microchip scanner. I seem to have lost it. I did see it when Prune was pregnant and I remember thinking then that I’ll need to charge it up soon, but now I don’t know where it is. Do you ever go round and round relooking in places that you’ve already looked in two or three times already? Well, that’s been me today. I’ve also been looking in places it’s very unlikely to be, but, 3 hours of looking while I tidied and cleaned, it is unfound. I feel frustrated and annoyed that I cannot think where I’ve stashed it.