25 July 2002
There is a movie for today
Brilliant! No.5 in Libby's litter has fed well overnight and is now behaving normally when it comes to feeding. All the babies have gained the same amount of weight (give or take a few grams) in the last 24 hours, so there's no sign than any one is weaker or having more difficulty than any of the others. Mind you, there are two REALLY HUGE ones, who look like little hippos beside the others! They all have their eyes open, and today I am going to try not supplementing anyone to see how they go. It's much better not to tamper with kittens if they're OK, though Libby is unusually good-natured about me handling her babies, and doesn't worry if they shout a bit.

Ellie is very happy staying upstairs, and her babies are now big enough for her to play with them as well. Today (I may regret this later) I'm going to shut the Tonkinese downstairs and let the whole family out to explore and run about a bit upstairs. It ocurrs to me that I ought to do their registrations, which means thinking of suitably aristocratic names...

My apologies to those of you who've been looking in every day hoping for an update - as you can imagine, I'm run off my feet at the moment, but I am trying!

26 July 2002
Libby's babies are one week old today, so here is their first Rogue's gallery (in order of birth). The camera and the scales were at a fixed distance so you should get some idea of relative sizes. I'm still amazed that they all continue to thrive. Libby seems very happy and is a model mother - I'm so proud of her!

27 July 2002

Ellie's babies are getting more independent and wanting to come out of their new kitten room - this is a bit difficult as it means I have to shut everyone else in, and close the door to my study as there are too many things in there to be hidden behind or under or in. The first time I let them out (today) Katy went downstairs, got behind something in the sitting room and then HOWLED for her mummy. Poor Ellie was beside herself trying to herd them all into one place, but they didn't want to oblige. In the end I thought she'd blow a fuse, so they all had to go back into the kitten room.

I have to admit that I find Libby's kittens impossible to ignore for long...

28 July 2002
Libby's babies have changed colour a lot - some of them are very dark now, not just on the points - one has very sooty paws already - while others are very pale. She's supposed to only have blues or seals in this litter because Scuttle almost certainly doesn't carry Chocolate. However, there are some very pale kittens in comparison with the dark ones, and I'm getting very excited to see whether I'll get chocolates and lilacs, which will mean Scuttle is a Blue carrying Chocolate - much more desirable than just Blue. (Seal is always present in any Siamese as it's dominant, so you never refer to it as being 'carried' like Blue and Chocolate. Likewise Lilac is never 'carried' as it arises through the interaction of Blue and Chocolate.)

29 July 2002
There is a movie for today

I got quite worried today because it has been incredibly hot - it's very humid, and the weather has been threatening a storm all day, but not producing on it's promise. I'm melting over my computer and Liam (my little helper) climbed up into the loft (which is like a sauna) and brought down the big fans - he's set one up in the kitten room for the babies, who are lying about like slugs.		The trouble is that the kitten room is set up to make them feel warm and cuddled, and unfortunately it's far too hot - I may have to move them back downstairs but that would disturb Libby and that's definitely not advisable as she could get upset and stop letting her milk down so well. Her babies are coping better, but they spent most of the day lying about like dead bodies instead of in a heap like the picture I took this morning.

30 July 2002
There is a movie for today

Another hot day, but not so bad. Everyone is still well, and I have photographic evidence that Ellie's babies are still comfort-suckling! Ellie unfortunately is turning back into a large fat pig as she's snorkelling up the kitten's food when they've finished with it. Ellis is working hard on trying to be like his mummy.

31 July 2002
Ellie's babies are 9 Weeks old today. They are a really beautiful brood, and Ellie is a wonderful mother. They've been one of the easiest litters I think, though they have been a bit difficult about eating (at the moment they won't eat anything except raw minced rabbit!). They have happy, robust temperaments and show no signs of running away from visitors, though they also show no particular interest in them either (too much that's interesting elsewhere)! I think I've been very lucky. I haven't settled properly on homes for them, and seem to find myself just putting it off as I want just the right homes for them. Some of the people who were on the waiting list have found kittens elsewhere, which narrows it down. I've only had two message from people saying that they're following this kitten diary, so if you're out there and watching, I'd love to hear from you!