A while ago I wrote a post all about the crazy cats that live with Dennis and me. Things have changed quite a bit since then, so I thought I would share some photos (who doesn’t love cat photos?!) and stories about our cats, and kittens!
Back then we used to have five cats as shown above: Clockwise from top left is Grim, Fandango, Luna, Zaphod and Fe’ral. Unfortunately, Fandango, the little grey one (Zaphod’s brother) died. We’re not completely sure why, although he had been sick on and off for a while but we didn’t realise it was so serious. Obviously, we were devastated, especially as he was so young. So we were left with the four cats for a while. As someone who always had dogs, I’m always rather amazed at how well all our cats get on, especially as three are males, but they never seem to fight and also spend a lot of time cuddled up together.
Grim
As I wrote in the first post, Grim was (and still is) the big boss of our cat ‘pack’. He hasn’t really changed much at all, apart from getting a bit fatter (he likes his food)!
He also likes to do yoga sometimes.
Fe’ral
Fe’ral is still a very clueless but sweet cat. He has come out of his shell a little since the first post; he likes pats a lot more than he used to!
He still likes hiding in boxes a lot, but then what cat doesn’t?!
Zaphod
Zaphod is just as crazy and attention-loving as ever. I have lots of photos of him in weird poses, trying to get me to rub his belly; he LOVES belly rubs! He is very smart and has a lot of character.
Luna
Luna, our only girl cat, has changed a LOT since my last post. She was always very timid because she had been abused by her previous owners and we don’t think she will ever really get over that fear. But she trusts us a lot more, talks to us, asks for and allows us to pat her a lot and is generally a lot more comfortable being around us (sitting on the couch as opposed to hiding under it).
One of the biggest changes she has gone through is, of course, having kittens! We thought she had actually been spayed as that’s what her previous owners had told Dennis, and in the two or three years she had been living here she had never gone into heat. Then as she seemed to get more relaxed around us she did seem to go into heat, but we thought it must have been false heat since she was fixed and had never acted like it before. Well, at the time Zaphod wasn’t ‘fixed’ (he is now) and apparently she wasn’t spayed because she then became pregnant!
The Kittens!
She gave birth (very quietly) on the 15th March. Dennis was at work and I had been watching tv when I heard a very weird yowl come from Grim. I turned around and Luna was on the couch with a kitten moving around next to her! I put the other cats in the bathroom for a while as I was worried how they would react, and she got into a box I had put near the couch with a blanket in it earlier.
For a while we thought she was only going to have one kitten as it was six hours before another one was born! Another four hours after that she had her third and final kitten.
They were very cute! The first one was white and grey and is a girl, the second one is white and black and is a boy and the third one is tabby (with cute little white mittens) and is also a boy. They were so tiny, still with their eyes closed and ears folded over. Zaphod was very interested in them, I’m not sure if he is aware that they are his, but he makes a good dad!
Dennis’s brother rang us the day after they were born to say that he would adopt the white and grey one since he had fallen in love at first sight (I had put some photos on Facebook)! We didn’t know at that stage even what sex they were, but soon little Misty will be going off to her new home as they are nine weeks old today!
From the beginning she was the most curious, wanting to explore and meowing to demand we give her attention and pick her up for cuddles!
She decided she liked the big cat food better than the kitten food!
She’s also a bit of a daddy’s girl!
The white and black one is like Luna’s little mini-me. He was the last to open his eyes, but the first to start eating wet food. I call him Bandit because of his black patch over one ear and eye. I love how he has one white ear and one black. He is also very playful and likes to have pats and interact with us now.
Mummy’s boy!
He also likes to play with his dad (and us) as well though!
The third kitten – I’ve been calling him Gremlin because the tips of his ears didn’t stick up for ages so he looked a bit like one – is also adorable. He has lovely markings, spots on his belly and stripes on his side as well as little white mittens on his paws.
He’s a funny little thing, he often trots along after me to see what I’m doing.
They all spend a lot of time wrestling, running around the house chasing each other, climbing everything and investigating every nook and cranny. They also sleep a lot, which is the best time to get photos!
Here they are (with mum and dad!) at seven weeks old.
As I mentioned, as of today they are nine weeks old, so next week Misty goes to her new home and the boys will also be available for adoption. So if you’re in the Netherlands and would like a little bundle of mischief in your life, make sure you message me! How could you say no to these faces?! 😉
(UPDATE: the tabby boy was adopted and we actually ended up keeping the white and black boy, his name is now Louie!)
Becoming a mum has been really good for Luna. We were worried she might reject or even kill them but her mothering instinct kicked in big time and she was very protective of them. She has become much more ‘chirpy’ in talking to us with meows, and much more affectionate towards us. But it’s also lovely to see her looking after her babies so well, even when they lie all over her!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little visit with our cats and kittens! Here’s one last family photo (ok, two!) which I took today of them all, the kittens at exactly nine weeks old. Stay tuned for more travel-related posts soon!
Jamie says
Thank you so much for this blog. I really love cats.