July 28, 2015

The neverending birth + harmony.

I don't know where to begin.
Think I shall go back in time - back to Nikita's mother - when she gave birth to Nikita and her 5 siblings.
Nikita's mother , Diva, is a real diva - suit her name just perfect.
I remember her birth like it was yesterday.
Me and Carolynn were waiting and waiting, but Diva had all the time in the world. Ok. then we can watch a movie.
Having placed ourself cosy in one sofa each with a fluffy blanket over us - the movie started.
Well, Diva changed her mind. She wanted to have her babies afterall, so her water broke in my lap.
We rushed in to the kitchen where the birthbox was placed.
But Diva had no hurry. We saw a kitten on its way out, but swosh it went inside again. Hmm!
After a while we saw a tailtip  - oh dear! It was no other than Nikita - not the easiest way out. It took alot of time, and we were sure the kitten was not alive.
But Nikita was very much alive - thank goodness. Nikita has since she was born been a special girl - extremly naughty and doing her things her way.
During the night her 5 siblings was born - after a long time - mommy Diva had to just kiss each and everyone over and over again, before she'd welcome a new baby in to the world. It was a birth well remembered, and I was so tired that morning when I had to go to work.
Diva demandet Carolynn to hold her paw after birth, so Carolynn endet on the kitchenfloor :D

Now it was Nikitas turn to become a mommy herself.
I was actually expecting them either last night or today earliest - if she was like her mommy - or her grandmother.
Nikita was huge - she looked like having between 6-8 babies.



The whole Sunday Nikita was not herself. She was dragging around Mistys keeper-daughters so I understood it was something going on. It was also Cassandras birthday ( Carolynn's daughter), so it was a fun day to have the kittens.
I did not want to get my bed all messy again, and Misty was staying there with her babyboy, so I made a nice birthplace in the bathroom - nice and warmth.
If we tought Divas birth was something to remember - it was nothing like Nikitas birth!
It was like Dejavu that night - at least the start of the birth.
2 baby girl was born , but it took time. Both came out with their butts first.
And then nothing more happened. Ok, a little break - can be needet. I found a fluffy little bed to keep the babies warm  - because Nikita had no time for them. Again understandable - some mothers are not calm before the birth was over.
The babies were screaming, and Misty heard them and answered them.
Aha - maybe she can babysit them for us. I brought the two babygirls in to her, and she was so happy. Our sweet and baby-loving Mistygirl.





And then we waited some more. I was seroiously tired and it was like Nikita had decidet it was not fun to  give birth, it was painful, so she did not want to have more babies that evening.
I brought Nikita with me in to Misty, and slept with one eye open. Nikita never do anything silent, so I would not miss the birth when it started again.




Now it was Monday morning , still no more kittens. I did not want to sit on the hard bathroomfloor, so I brought Nikita with me down. She went on toilet,eat and drank and went to sleep beside me in the sofa.
Suddenly she started to act funny again, like she did when the birth started yesterday. Ah! Finally!
12!! 12 hours later, from the birth started she gave birth to 2 more kittens - with nanny-King beside her.




She did not care so much of those  babies either, and I could still feel a baby/babies inside her.
So I went up to Misty with the two little babies. She was more than happy.

I was thinking if I should call my Vet and ask for oxytocin, but I change my mind. It wasn't anything wrong with Nikita - she had just all the time in the world.
My poor dogs was placed outside in their yard, because I didn't dare to go away from Nikita.
The clock was ticking.....
Morning had become to evening, and finally Nikita started to push again. The funny thing - it was about 12 h since nr 3 and nr 4 was born, Exactly 24h since the two first was born.
I was not 100% sure if the birth was over, it could be a nr 6 there as well.
But I brought with me Nikita upstairs anyway.
She was acting strange the rest of the night, but the next morning I was sure her belly was empty.
It is enough with kittens born a day apart eachother, no need for a third day.

Nikitas mother instinct came during this day.
So now is Nikita and Misty sharing all the babies and they are so proud and happy both of them.



We have at least 3 girls and I think 2 boys. I can be wrong about one of the boys.
I knew I could only have lilac and chocolate - but well, both carry cinnamon and fawn.
So the two firstborn girls are chocolate with pattern + white and cinnamon spotted + white.
The two next babies who came Monday morning are probably fawn with pattern + white.
The 5. baby can be lilac or darker fawn with pattern + white. Time will tell.



I love them all so much, and hope all will grow up big and healthy.
Cinnamon is absolutly not my kind of colour, but this little cinnamonspotted babygirl is shining like gold. She is so delikat and beautiful, and so clear spots as well. I have made up a new colourcode - goldenspotted :D


I hope Misty's babyboy was happy to have some playmates.


Tomorrow morning I will weight all the babies, and if all is ok, the dogs will have a allday-outside with us.
Single pictures of each baby will come a little later.
I know for sure it is not the last time I will plan 2 litters together - Mistys help is wonderful.

July 24, 2015

A good mother instinct is ...

It has happened so much emotional this week, so I like to write about it.

One thing is for sure - if sad things happens to a first-time breeder, it can break them totally down.
I have had so much with dealing about my pain and tears loosing Milla, so I did really not get too sad about it. It may seems hard - but under normal circumstances I am not that cold and "heartless".

But in Misty's litter , who I was so proud and happy to get - we have only 1 little kitten left.
A beautiful boy - either red or creme (tabby?) SYS.  He will for sure stay with us - if he grows up to a healthy boy.  He is now  5 days old.



During birth one of the kittens needet a bit help to breath and was a bit slower. Ok, we might loose him. All the kittens were born on day 66 ( Misty had only been mating in 24h). They weren't big in size as last litter, but not too small either.
Among the 4 boys and 1 girl I noticed also they looked very extreme in type - the 3 boys we lost.

After the birth was over and all babies were cleaned and dry, Misty did not want too calm down. I felt all over her body - but I didn't feel any more babies. Ok, then I sat with her for a long time.

Then I went downsstairs to grab something to eat, and when I came back to the bedroom Misty had moved away 4 of her babies.
I moved the babies back and sat with her. When everything seemed ok again, I went outside with the dogs.

Misty did not want to calm down, and she moved 4 of the babies away again.
Then I noticed one baby had problem breething, and few hours later he passed away.  Misty did not want to lay in the birthbox after.
I did find another cage for her - the one she used on her first litter - placed it in bed so I could really supervice it all. I gave them also some milk, in case they were hungry.

To make the rest of the story short, 3 other kittens faded away during the next 24 h.

What happens next? Misty is totally calmed and ready to take care of the little boy who is still with her - like nothing has happend. And she is a superfantastic mother.



Her little surviving boy is growing and are for sure never hungry.




I have had good time to make up some thoughts about it all.
The babies who are no longer with us - Misty knew there were something wrong with them - therfor she behaved like she did. ( She acted the same with a kitten we lost in her earlier litter 4 days old.)
Misty is healthy, no visible or hidden infection has caused it.

When humans get pregnant they goes to their doctors regulary , and their baby/babies are checked with ultrasounds  to see if all is ok or if there are suprises in good or in worse . What happens later depends.
Cats are not going to the Vet once a week to check their babies - cats got instincts - and mother nature is hard. The healthy and strong ones has a place in this world, others may survive with a humans help, or they will die later.

So really, I love Misty's instincts, and it was sort of good I was not 100% focused, cause my own emotions. Because me and I am sure many other breeders thinks far way often with the heart than the head when it comes to our precious cats and kittens.
I have had earlier queens in the past who loves all kittens so much that "kittens not ment to be" are with us much longer - but maybe with pain?
I have also had thank goodness very few queens who are careless, because they are really not good mothers.
I remember the mother to my very first litter - she had milk enough - but she did not care of her babies - and those babies were healthy. All grew up - but they were rasied by my wonderful neuter boy after they were old enough  to eat and drink by their own.
I gave that queen another chance, but it happend again with her second litter. 7 kittens - raised and loved by my neuter boy once again. No more kittens after that queen - that was for sure.

So other breeders - if you have a cat like Misty with so strong and correct instincts - listen to them! A mother who loves her healthy babies, but knows when something is totally wrong.


Misty is so happy with her chubby baby boy. We are expecting a new big litter very soon.
And if all are ok with them - we have an extra milkbar - so something good came out of this sad story.





July 20, 2015

Our Angel has gone home -thank you for everything.


 



Today we had to say goodbye to my soulmate , my just everything - the best cat I have ever known. I am toally heartbroken.
We have been trough so much together and Milla is a cat with at least 9 extra lifes. But today her body did not bare to fight anymore.

Milla came to me from Sweden in August 2011, well worth waiting for.
I was amazed of her beauty, but when I get to know her, she was even more beautiful inside her soul. Those cats are very rare, and I am sure it was a meaning about her comming to me.



Millas had a good time with us. Developing from a young beautiful lady to an adult beauty.
She loved everyone from the first day - especially little kittens. She had always extra love for them.
Her problems started after her first mating.
She got pregnant and I was so looking forward to her babies.
But a big baby blocked her birthcanal, and she endet with a fatal C-section.
She and her 6 babies came home and all looked so well.
But we started to loose babies, and discovered her breast was all swollen. Milla got very sick too.
We rushed her in to a kliniq in the City, and they tried to help her.
I went back  home with her babies, loosing another kitten, and then another one.
The city-Vet had to make a drastic choice for Milla , a last chance to save her. So they operated away her infected breast and left her with a open whole.
I was terrified! It was Easter and they wanted me to just bring her home.
Oh dear, no! Milla would die in my arms.
By that time I was so lucky to know one of my best friends today, and breeding-CO. Carolynn took Milla home to her place, and nursed her back to life. Her earlier work as a Vet assistant was gold for me.
It was a skinny Milla who finally came home to me, but she was alive!!






Only one baby survived it all, and we called him (N) Attack's Heaven can Wait. Heaven had brought home all his 5 siblings.
This babyboy was in fostercare with wonderful people and came home later to us.
It was a joy to see mother and son finally together again.





In the time after, I was thinking very much back an fourth about Millas destiny.
We decidet to have one more litter with her, and if it went bad again, we would have a happy and very much loved neutergirl.
Her new litter was only with 3 babies, but it went all ok. And finally got Milla babies to love from the early start - not only borrowing others babies.




After this litter we had to treat Milla for a heavy bacteria infection, the medication really destroyed her imunsystem.
Her uterus was filled with tumors, so she was neutred. I didn't care, she was alive and happy.
But it was only the beginning of all her problems with a broken imunsystem.
We have saved her sevreal of times, since we had a very close eye on her health.
She has had problems in almost all her bodyparts after.
Her liver area twice, her kidneys, she got stomatities and had only 3 teeth left - just to mention some of it.
Every time she got a problem, with weak sympthomes, we helped her,before she got serious ill.
Milla was a fighter, and proved it again and again she was not ready to leave us.

To be a neuter in a cattery , Milla loved it. Now she did not get any health problems during the birth and all that came after. She could just kiss and couddle babies - what a perfect life for her. And she did not waste any time.













But this weekend she got ill again. It happened too fast, and there was nothing to do trying to save her. So I had to make the most difficult choice there is - and I made it with love.
The call to my Vet. She was so ill it was hard to make a bloodsample. Her breath was not normal, and she collapsed  and had no controll of her body.And she became so cold.
She will be autopsied, but I think it was her kidneys.
Milla became only 4.5 years old. With all that had happened in the past we took one month in a time as a precious gift with her. Milla could never grow old, but I was not ready to loose her now, really not never :-(
I have cried and cried and are still crying - nothing can bring her back to life.

We have wonderful grandchildren and other lines with her - so maybe one day Milla can be born in a healthy body. I miss her so much. She was not a normal talkactive oriental cat.
She was so soft, so sweet  - it is hard to describe - but everyone who has met her knows.
I have thankfully lots of good memories together with her, and she will always stay alive in my heart.


Thank you, Yvonne, for the most amazing cat I've ever known.


S*Cross-Bow Crest Hot Lips
"Milla"
Rest in peace 20th of July -15.



July 1, 2015

A new familymember :-)

There is not much happening with the cats these days.

But we have a new little girl in our family, a baby GSD. She is so charming and beautiful.
We have named her Cookie, her pedigree name is Fortune Cookie , and she makes us laugh many times a day. She comes from a great Kennel in Sandnes, close to Stavanger.
We wanted 2 dogs in the future - not right now, but because of special cirumstances, it happened now.
King was a bit jelous the first day, but after that he loves his new little sister.

The cats has not the same opinon ;-) "What in the heck has you brough home now, mommy?? Can you deliver her back, she is too naughty!! King is so soft and calm, but this tornado?! "

Little  Cookie doesn't care. She is happy all day long ,and love the cats and their toys. I think the cats have a soft spot for her, because when the puppy is sleeping,they are often sleeping together with her.


( We have no breedingplans with the dogs.)




I have not made so many pictures resently. I have been too buisy.
But I have some charming pictures of Mercy and King. He was getting some sausages as treat, and Mercy who loves all kinds of food, are never far away when it smells tasty ;-)









I made some pictures of Nikita today. She is not expecting her babies to  come before the end of this month. I love her expression, mother to be .