Happy 8th Birthday, Jazzy Jazmine!

My sweet kitten is getting more and more affectionate every day, and enjoys going outside in the screened pergola even when it's cold outside. Her favorite spots are on top of the fireplace and on top of the fridge - or in my lap. She still doesn't like to be picked up but is doing a better job tolerating it. If left unlocked, she will dumpster dive for leftovers. She also believes ear plus on strings must DIE!

But the best part is, Jazzy has lost almost FOUR pounds in the last year. She's finally down below 9lbs and I am so proud of her!

Happy 7th Birthday, Jazzy Jasmine!

Love you, sweet kitten.

Happy 6th Birthday, Jazzy!

I love you, Kitten :).

Kitty Updates

My Four Fur Daughters

I realize that I've been a bit remiss with giving my four fur daughters their due exposure on this blog, so that's going to change today. The cats have all been doing well, despite all the changes in the last 2 years.

Athena

Athena is a total sweetheart of a cat, even moreso now than she was as a kitten. She cuddles in bed with us every night (sometimes under the covers), and follows us around the house all day long. She's always the first to come running whenever Aidan is crying, but she's also not nearly as patient with him when he tries to play with her. I think she's beginning to realize that Aidan is growing up, and is therefore expecting him to treat her more gently. Athena is very in tune with my moods and has done wonders to cheer me up these last few months. She gazes straight into your eyes so lovingly, that I just feel like she knows. This cat is my soulmate and I wish she could live forever!

Gaia

Gaia still helps me with the washing every evening, and is also very sweet. As soon as Aidan goes to bed she's in our face demanding attention and love, and will meow loudly if we ignore her. Gaia is also continuing to perfect her food-stealing skills. Most recently, she pulled out rabbit scraps from the garbage (cooked, fortunately). Gaia still rides on my shoulder and runs from Aidan; however, since I've been having Aidan feed her she's warming a bit. She still doesn't trust his sudden movements, and honestly I don't blame her. Gaia loves going outside in the pen.

Aurora

Aurora is still Mama's girl, and is probably still hoping to wake up one morning to find Aidan has mysteriously disappeared. The only time she ever lets Aidan near her is when he's holding her food dish at mealtime. Still, she's yet to scratch or bite him and does come around more often. Aurora was very happy when the cat door broke, allowing her easier access to outside. She still cuddles in bed every night and wakes us up (early) ever morning by pawing at the door.

Jazzy

Jazzy is still fat, and still thinks she's starving. I wish I could get her weight under control so I didn't have to constantly chase her away from everyone else's food bowl; she's becoming increasingly skittish as a result, and it makes me sad. Jazzy is such a sweet, loving kitty, and I just want her to be healthy! Jazzy helps Aurora get us up early every morning, and still brings me toys throughout the day for fetch. She's less nervous around Aidan these days, and I've sometimes found her napping in the rocking chair next to Aidan's bed. I really hope, as Aidan matures and learns to be more gentle, that they develop a bond.

Happy 5th Birthday, Jazzy Jasmine!

I can't believe my baby kitten is FIVE years old today!

Fur Daughters: Aurora and Jasmine

Really, I should have stopped with just two cats. Two cats is the perfect number. But of course, two wasn't enough, and so soon there were three. Aurora is an F6 silver spotted bengal cat from my good friend Karen Soeteber.

Aurora was nothing like Athena and Gaia. Even as a kitten she was extremely dominant - a trait she's maintained to this day. At 5 years old, Aurora is 12 pounds and a total mama's girl. She's the only one of my cats that truly seems jealous of the baby, and if we forget to close the door to his bedroom she will sneak in there and meow as loudly as possible until Aidan wakes up and starts wailing. I can't fathom why she does this except that she finds it amusing. It's like having an eternal toddler living in the house who can and does get into everything. Aurora is by far the smartest and the naughtiest of my fur daughters. She can open all the doors and knows just how to get our attention when she feels ignored. She gets on my nerves sometimes, but I love her all the same. She's cuddled with me every chance she gets, and usually ignores everyone else (unless they have food, of course). She also owns everything in the house...except the ottoman, which clearly belongs to Athena. I, of course, own nothing.

You can imagine her annoyance when I got a laptop, and Chad got a flat screen monitor. No more heating pad to sleep on (aka SRT monitor)! Fortunately (for them) all the cats have recently discovered just how warm the top of the fish tank is, and we gave up trying to keep them off (pick your battles, right?). During the winter they also spend a good amount of time on top of the fireplace.

And last but certainly not least is Jazzy Jasmine, the cat I'm not supposed to have :). Jazzy is a silver marble bengal cat who's so far removed from her ALC heritage I can't even count the Fs, and is also from Karen. Jazzy is unique in many ways: she is my only cat with the marbled pattern, and she is the only cat I obtained with the explicit intent of breeding.

Jazzy is as submissive as Aurora is dominant (they are actually related: niece/aunt). When she first arrived, all the cats went into their normal hissy fit and I was bogged down in preparation for it to last at least a month, as it had with prior additions. Within two days it became clear, though, that Jazzy was very, very different. Jazzy is one of those pure soul beings incapable of any unkind thoughts. When the other cats would hiss at her, she would just purr and rub against them. "I'm so cute and sweet, surely you must all love me". And more quickly than I could have ever imagined, they did.

When Jazzy was a bit over a year old we sent her out to stud for a week, and fortunately for us, she came back pregnant! Her six kittens were some of the most fun I've had. They were born in May 2006 right in time for my birthday, and by September they were all sold and in their new homes. I still get e-mails from kitten buyers on occasion and love hearing how well everyone is doing. I loved raising kittens but Chad did not. He did have a valid point, though: our townhouse is tiny, so there's really no escape from the cats when there are so many (4 adults + 6 kittens = 10 cats in my house). Part of me would love to do it again some day...but that day will not come for a LONG time. In the meantime, I am happy with my four fur daughters.

One final note about Jazzy: technically, she was supposed to be rehomed when I was done breeding her. This was an agreement Chad and I originally made before she came home. Maybe I would have rehomed her, but she's such a sweet cat that I just couldn't bring myself to part with her. She never causes any trouble in the house, so Chad agreed that she could stay. I do feel badly that I let her get terribly overweight after she was spayed, but we're working on that now! She was up to 13 pounds (which is HUGE on the frame of a cat that was 8 pounds when she got pregnant), but we have her down to about 10.5 pounds now, and she's doing really well on her diet. I hope to get her to at least the 9 pound mark, but we'll see. My neighbors joked that she had postpartum depression from missing her kittens. I think she just enjoyed all her gourmet meals and didn't want to give them up. C'est la vie.

We actually put everyone on a diet here, which didn't make them too happy...but they're healthier for it and making due. Trust me kitties, I know how you feel!

So there you have it: my four furdaughters! I love them like my own kids and wouldn't part with them for anything! I do feel a bit bad that they haven't gotten as much attention as they're used to since Aidan was born, but I fully intend to rectify that this summer. Come hell or high water, they're getting their outdoor playpen this year!

Next up...Aidan Ryan, the fiery little king himself!