MY CATS - Part II

The day we came to sign the purchase contract of our home in Perth, we saw 2 small cats in our front garden, both had pink collars so we presumed they belonged to a neighbour, as the house had been vacant for over 1 year.

A few months after our move, both cats started coming into the house if we left the back door open. I started feeding them and they just moved in!

I put up a few fliers in the area, but no one claimed them, so they just stayed. I didn´t realize then that they were both pregnant. (who knows the owner kicked them out, and that´s why they adopted us...).

Mommy

Baby

Baby and Mommy

"Mommy" and "Baby" gave birth on 17th September 2007, to 4 kittens each, just outside my son´s bedroom window, under a bush - two ginger, three cream, one grey and two tortoise shell.
I know the mother´s names are not very imaginative, but I never thought they would stick around, so didn´t bother giving them a more permanent name...later I just got so used to it I couldn´t think of any other name.

It was cold and raining and I thought the kittens would not survive if we didn´t bring them in, so I prepared a big box and brought them all in.

It was so moving to see the love and care the mothers lavished on their young. For about 3 days they would hardly leave them alone, I usually brought them a plate with food, otherwise they wouldn´t eat.

Mom with all 8 kittens, a very dedicated mom and aunty!                                

I contacted SAFE, a wonderful association in Perth that saves cats from euthanasia. I gave them details and pictures of all the kittens, had them sterilised and tagged at a cheaper rate through their association, and kept them at home until they got adopted through them.

Both mothers feeding their respective babies

Aren´t we just too cute? (Fluffy, our ginger cat, is the one at the back, the others were adopted)

Mommy in the middle, squeezed in by 6 kittens

A few months later, from the 8 kittens, there were 3 that didn´t get adopted. My son wanted to keep "Fluffy" our now huge ginger male, and the other two "Twiggy" and "Shelly", the tortoise shell cats, were obviously a bit ugly for anyone to take a fancy to them!

Today we are a household of 5 cats - Mommy, Baby, Fluffy, Twiggy and Shelly - they all have different personalities and they bring us great joy and a few laughs a day.


Just check the pictures and tell me you don´t find cats ADORABLE?

Dinner time in our laundry!

Our Mommy certainly loves her "relax" time

(left to right) Twiggy, Shelley and Fluffy

Fluffy and Twiggy inside their former sand box 

Mommy and Twiggy are the best of friends and we usually find them cheek to cheek!

Twiggy decides to take over the lemon box -  it can´t be too comfortable!

Fluffy, the only male in the Cat family, as a kitten sleeping inside a egg carton

Twiggy inside a small box (she is not the prettiest girl, but we love her anyway)

Our huge Fluffy snuggling up to Mommy

Mommy - the TV is above you, you cannot see anything!

The basket I bought for them to try, but only Fluffy and Mommy will go into it, it creeks too much!

Winter is the best time to sleep in the warm tent - Twiggy and Mommy, together again.

Twiggy, Shelly (the fat one at the back) and Mommy in front

Baby is the intellectual type - she loves to sleep over our keyboards, usually while we are trying to type away...