Birthdays etc

Please scroll down to read all about our recent birthdays and the things we have been doing

Kitten adventures - click to go to our kitten web site

Links page

Cat accessories - favourite things!
Facts page - shows details of our breeding
FRIENDS page

Amy - my first Birman

Katy and Lucy's page

Great Danes

Video Clips - See the trio playing with 'Panic Mouse'

Comparisons - how we have changed over the years

Hello - this is my first message for 2008 and I am aware that we haven't updated the web site for quite some time so please accept my apologies if you were left wondering how we all are.

A lot has happened since I last wrote, both Max and Oscar have celebrated their birthdays and it is Joan's birthday next week. That means it is my adoptiversary on Monday when it will be six years since I moved in to live with her.

Much has happened in those six years, not least the fact that Max and Oscar joined the family. Joan was sifting through some old video footage and she found some clips of Oscar and Max during the first few weeks after Oscar arrived. The little clip on the right shows Oscar challenging Max for the climber and it is interesting because it shows just how cheeky Oscar was and, although Max looks like he isn't happy about it if you watch right to the end you can see that he does really want to play even if he doesn't want to give up the top platform.

The boys do play rough sometimes but overall they get on pretty well. Joan does tend to work on the principle that we have to sort out issues for ourselves so that she knows that when she is at work we aren't waiting for her to intervene. It seems to work quite well in practice and overall we are quite a contented little feline family.

However we did get a little worried earlier this year when Joan set off to meet my breeders and took her camera with her.

We need not have worried as it seems she merely went over there to get some kitten photos - or at least to try to get some photos. Apparently, adorable as they were they just weren't quite as good as we are at posing for shots - however like good Birmans they were very adept at winning over humans and I do believe the little Tortie point kitten on the left quite won her heart.

Not only is she very pretty indeed she also had oodles of purrsonality and seemed to quite like the camera. I knew she must be gorgeous because Joan has never really shown an interest in 'red series' Birmans before but she couldn't stop talking about her when she got back. We are safe of course because Gale and David have very sensibly decided to keep her so there is no danger of her coming into my territory.

Not only that but Joan says there isn't really room in the car when we go travelling as our three cat baskets just fit neatly on to the back seat so there isn't really room for a fourth one!

Joan said that Gale and David had five litters of kittens at the time she visited but only three of the litters were old enough to pose for the camera.

There was a litter of two adorable blues who are going to be homed together and by the looks of them they are very comfortable playing together as you can see from this shot on the right.

Seeing them like that takes me back to my kitten days and reminds me of all the fun we had.

Anyway Joan wasn't the only person going visiting this year. A lady who works with Joan had expressed an interest in buying a Birman kitten so Joan offered to take Max around so that her daughter could meet a Birman. Arrangements were made and Joan even offered to take Oscar along as well. It seems she said she wouldn't take me as I am not too keen on strangers and she didn't want to frighten me so on the appointed day she got out the cat baskets and put Max and Oscar in them ready to go.

Well really! I was appalled - how could anyone who wanted to look at Birmans not want to see a little princess like me? I made up my mind to protest and I sat down looking soulful as Joan took them out of the door. It worked, she came back and brought my cat basket down thinking I wouldn't want to get into it. How wrong could she be? Of course I got in, and I sat down ready to go visiting so she relented and took me along.

I made such a liar out of her. The timid little cat she had described was nowhere to be seen. Instead I strutted round their house like I owned it and rubbed around them for a fuss. How could Joan not know that I would be the very best ambassador for the breed you could imagine!

Needless to say the family were captivated, we three were on our very best behaviour so I suspect there are some new Birman owners in the pipeline.

Max is doing pretty well since the scare he gave us with the hair ball last year, his fur has just about grown back and he is his usual cuddly self again. As always we enjoy posing for the camera even if Oscar and I would rather play under the chair than sit on it and pose nicely.

Lara