Family portrait

Babies are 3 weeks and 2 days old today, there is a lot of movement in the whelping box, their eyes do not seem so disturbed by the light any more, and it was a great sunny day today...what coule be nicer than making a family portrait.

It took us about an hour to make all the babies look in the same direction. This photo is the living proof ocicats have a healthy sence of humour.

The title should be: " Do you mean like this, mum?"



Of course they did it all the posible ways, but the one I wanted. I gave up in the end, but we had fun and some great looking photos came out as result.
Will try again tomorrow.

Before I go to check their weights and then collapse to bed, I feel the need to thank to someone who was with us from the very first steps we did in breeding, and especially through Ulla's delivery and babies first steps.
Her name is Serina Filler, but I love to call her our Fairy Godmother, and you can visit her blog here

Roses are 3 weeks old!

Babies are 3 weeks old today. They are all over 400 grams, and they are becoming real cats.

Looking innocent


Today was their social activities day. First Meke got carried away by his maternal instincts ( Meke is our neutered seychellois boy )and invaded the wehlping box, trying to prove to Ulla he knows better what babies need.

Meke decorated with Roses

Babies seem to be very fond of him, especially Sophia Rose, whom he bonded with at the same moment.


There was a lot of movement in the whelping box today from kittens too. They were having a free climbing, running and attack from ambush practice.
So after checking their weight I have unfolded a blanket on the bed and let them stretch their legs a bit. They were a bit confused at the beginning, but soon the whole bed became a playground.
I just loved the little dolphin like sounds they were making.

Of course adults were keeping an eye on them. Especially Harski who had them a bit confused for the squeaky mice.
Well, we cannot blame him as he has a fixation on them ever since he was a kitten when we use to buy them in big quantities in Austria.
As many squeaky mice moved to the cat toy's heaven under his paws, I kept an eye on him just in case he doesn't get carried away.

But everything went well, he is a soft boy in his heart, just trying to keep a macho appearance:)

How do you spell " cute "?

I am not sure, but this is what I have found in dictionary under that term :D

Try to concentrate on just one spot :D

Four Roses

Ulla comes from a line of Roses. Her mum was Tequila Rose, her grandma Fizz in the Rose, her grand-grandma Black Rose. As in Recknagel there is a tradition of naming kittens after acters mostly, Ulla's name is IsabellaROSEllini...so she is a rose too.



I still did not decide on baby names, as I feel I have to get to know the little ones a bit better, and I wanted to respect Marjo's tradition in picking names. Not an easy tasks to follow. I am looking for celebrity Rose names in hope to follow the line traiditon too.

How big we are :)

It took me almost 40 minutes to drain these from Webshots ( we do not really appreciate simple things, like fast internet connection until we lose them ) but I think it was worth it.

Let me present you..our little gentleman.





And milky bar , of course!

Babies are starting to play !

Little dumplings and cats wannabes as babies are known in our family at the moment are starting to resemble real cats.
They are starting to play, yet a bit unsure on their feet, but ready to attack Ulla's paw, climb on eachother, chew on Ulla's whiskers or actually chew on anything at the moment as their teeth are coming out. Their mouth look like a batman sign at the moment, if you concetrate on the yellow part. :D

We are having some internet connection problems, and I apologise for not writing every day. I am connected through the dial up at the moment...yes, the thing actually still exists....and not only in museums.

But I have had my hands full for some days and would probably not have much time to write anyway. I apologise to all who wait for their emails to be replied, I promise to sort it out his week as soon as I can.

Ulla developed mastitis, it happened so fast, in afternoon she was fine and in the evening, she already had a bump of madarine size around her lowest right breast. It spreaded all the way to inguinal aerea and did not look nice. I am grateful for the advice from girls on the NBA again, and to my dear friend who is breast feeding at the moment.
I did not dare to risk with homeopathy, as it was late at night and I could not get remedy for at least 24 hourse, and it really was all purple and hard as a rock, I waived a white flag and gave her antibiotics, penicilin with clavulonix acid.

I was up with most of that night massaging and changing cabbage leaves and compresses. Kittens helped their mum too, once the milk has started to pour they loved it. Especially the little purple girl, who was staying behind before but gained over 20 grams that day!

I was not sure if I was doing the right thing with letting babies suckle on it, but I let them follow their natural instincts as the milk looked normal in colour and thickness.

I am glad to say, 2 days later, babies are still gaining a lot and there is not sign of mastitis.
Ulla was such a brave girl, she let me do all I had and looked at me with trust, like I know it all. I wish, for her and babies sake, I did. But I am learning, thanks to the nice people who watch over her as guardian angels.

I feel a bit sorry for Ulla, she is really not having an easy time with babies at the moment. As their teeth are growing they are sometimes chewing on her breasts too with their gumms where premolars will come. Ouch.

Ulla is best ocicat kitten in OCIS in 2008!

Ulla has is best ocicat kitten in OCIS for 2008. Congratulations to Marjo and Merja Makkinen and Recknagel cattery.

I cannot thank you enough for trusting me with this little Gremlin.

Harski was not shown so much this year, he still likes to travel but shows do not fit into his idea of a nice weekend. He still likes sitting on the top of the cage and being admired.
But even so he is 4th neutered cat in OCIS this year. But I think he would prefer to be asked about how many mountains he hiked or how many trees he climbed.:)

I will never be able to return the kindness I received from two generous ladies in Finland 4 years ago.
It took them almost 3 weeks to make a decision, and I am forever grateful that they had trust in me.

Thank you Merja and Marjo for adding such a wonderful spark to my life.

Babies are two weeks old !

Today babies are two weeks old.

They are growing fast now, just a few days ago they were so tiny in my palm, and today I cannot fit them any more, they are leaking on all sides :)

Today one baby girl was introduced to the boys and accepted. Just by looking at her eyes one can tell she will be the pure quicksilver :)

Sleepy time

It was a long day for babies. They opened their eyes and met their mum for the first time. They took first shaking steps to explore the limits of their world.
There is nothing nicer than resting in mum's safe paws and dreaming about the adventures that are waiting for them in future.



The journey of the life has just begun for them. Who knows what is waiting for them ahead.
I just hope they will bring joy to somebody's life like they did to mine. And that they will receive nothing but kindness and love in return.

Sweetest thing

Sweetest thing

This morning, when I came to say hello to Ulla and babies 8 eyes were looking at me.

My heart was melted :)

Being a mother and being yourself

I was amased how has Ulla changed since the babies came. My little Eve from Wall-E cartoon has turned into Sarah Connor :D

I was missing the little bug, house was so quiet, and boys seemed so happy, they were free to sleep where they chose to, sneak under the blanket, play with whatever toy they chose or just slowly eat without the rush that somebody will come and in piranha style empty the plate.
Life was good and in balance.

( I have this strange feeling that my cats are secretly ploting and scheming how to get rid of the others and have me all by themselves again.:D )

Today I heard the sound of the squeaky mouse and I realised the same second we are in trouble again. A whirwing came out of my bedroom, squeaky mouse was all over the place and all I could see was some spotts blurred from speed running around the house. Mask style.
Ulla is back :)

It felt so good, like the old times. Even boys joined her, and they were running and playing, climbing up and down the cat tree, bringing me toys.

It was not quiet, but I love it that way. The ocicat way.

It lasted only 10 minutes or so, but I was so glad my little Gremlin did not change. She has found a balance, a way to be a devoted mother and to be herself.
Wish it would have been that easy for us humans too :)

Could the secret to succes be in a reliable babysitter?

Sleeping beauties are opening their eyes

While the boy is enjoying the beauties of the world for some days now, girls, like true Sleeping beauties have started to open their eyes just yesterday.

I was adviced to keep the lights dim, so there are no new baby photos to share.

It is interesting how the little ones are becoming real cats. One of the girls has tried to wash herself, and it was so cute to see her efforts. She could not yet even see, yet she was trying to look her best.
Women :D

What a wonderful World !

I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world

We are a week old today!

Peek a boo!

Our little boy charming has started to open his eyes. It is just a little bit on inner corner and just one eyes, but it is happening already!

Today babies are a week old, and over 200 grams each of them :)

One baby is purring!

Yesterday evening I have heard a strange noise from the whelping box...it sounded like an old engine trying to start. Looking closer I realised one of the babies started purring!
It was the biggest girl with darkest spotts and longish coat. She was born as the biggest girl, and she has the spirit of an adventurer and explorer.
Still with her eyes closed, she has travelled all the way around the box and back. She is the one climbing to the top of Ulla's belly while others feed.

A true oci spirit :)

Watching over babies

It is amasing to watch the little one grow. I think they are about to open their eyes soon.
I hope they grow up just as handsome as their uncle.

Babies are changing

Babies, or as my brother calls them, cats to be, are changing so fast in front of my eyes.

Even the little purple girl, who was so weak at the beginning, is catching up. The looked like little twigs when they were born, but they have grown to the dumplings size. Their bellies are rounded, they are getting bigger, it seems from hour to hour.

Today I have noticed that their ears have started to unfold.


Each baby is showing some trates of its temper already.

Baby boy is loud, always talking and complaining if his mouth are not full. He has his prefered feeding place and is not happy if it is taken by anyone else. And then they say girls are the loud ones.

Dark chocolate girl is gentle and shy to fight for her place to feed, but if the boy tries to remove her, she is having no problems to slap him back.
Two other girls are very similar in appearance and temper, the feed a bit, sleep a bit, and yell like crazy when lifted for weighting.


Ulla is not moving from them for a moment, I feed her in whelping box. Or more precisely give her to drink as she is not eating much still.

I just looked at them, the whole family is asleep, except for the boy who is having his mouth full. :)

Home video :)

And finally..Ulla's babies

Miracle babies

I slept long; waking up only when babies where crying, finally got something to eat, went shopping for things needed, ate something and now I am back.

Four days after Ulla started giving birth, overall balance is: I lost 2 kilos, got some grey hair, trimmed my fingernails all the way to the elbows; Ulla is recovering and kittens, 4 of them are growing.

I cannot express my gratitude for all of beautiful people who were with me during Ulla's delivery. Even when I could not thing straight and did not have a clue what to do, there was always someone to help me and guide me.

It is you who saved this babies, I could not have done it on my own.

What did I learn from all of this is that hard times come just to show us how blessed we are.
I belive now that if we have a dream and opened heart when we need help it will come.

These babies are very special, they are brought to world with help and positive wishes from many wonderful people, they had many guardian angels, and against all the odds they are here, growing in front of my eyes.

Every time I look at them, and Ulla I feel warm around my heart, I think of all of you who were with us in your thoughs and I smile.

THANK YOU not only for guidance, support, strenght and even help in making a decision when I was to tired to think, but thank you for reminding me that miracles happen.
And every one of us has the angel quality inside to bring the light to other's lives with just a little kindness and care.




I wish I could do more to show how grateful I am ...and I have said it so many times, that is has started to wear off a bit...but THANK YOU.

Back from vet

Home again from the vet. We are fine for the moment. I will just post this picture and then collapse in bed for some hours.

Going to vet

Kittens are gaining weight, even the little purple girl. Ulla had a hard night with contractions again, growling and biting me. I am on my way to vet now for X-ray to see if there is still unborn kittens.

Kitten update

Ulla is not leaving babies for a minute, I feed her in whelping box.
She is upset if I lift them even for scaling, and even if I cannot wait to post photos, i have to wait until someone can give me a hand and keep Ulla busy so I can take photos without disturbing her.

I must say babies are a pleasure to watch. They are strong, loud, eat a lot and fight over their favourite place in the milky bar. I think Ulla will have to consider labeling places, maybe that would bring her some peace, as she is jumpy every time tiny ones leave some noise.

The little purple girl is fighting. She is sleeping at the moment and gaining strenght. I really hope she is strong and will make it.

Harski came to visit babies today, but I suspect he was just paying a courtesy visit to empty Ulla's bowl in there.
He observed them a bit and concluded babies are boring while gracefully taking his place on the window bench.

Meke is not happy with the babies at all, he is still considering Ulla and intruder to his favourite spot under the blanket, even if they can sleep each on its side...and I think he never really forgave me for bringing Ulla home.
And now to his worst terror, she multiplied and there will be more little spotts running around and chasing him.

I think he will calm down when he realises she did it just for him, to give him more spotts he can clean. Cat washing is not merely his job in the house, it is his obsession.

Letting the nature take its course...or fighting till the end against all odds?

I did not sleep much either today, and I should have updated blog before but I just did not have time.

Ulla gave birth to the 5 kittens. First one,Horton and a little girl, had a hard labour, both born tails first. The little girl came with one leg out too, she was all purple when we managed to help Ulla deliver her.

It was unusual experience, with every labour she was sliding out and after cdontraction she would slide back in. We had luch that the other leg was close and on one contraction a top of the feet peeked out...next one I managed to hold her from sliding back in and soon she was born.
Her little legs were purple, I was so glad I had carbo vegetalis close...a drop to the gums and she soon started breathing normally and regaining healthy colour. Maybe she would even without carbo...but I am gald I had it handy. It felt like a friendly hug in the time of crisis.

Horton was doing so well at the beginning, and last night he started fading. He had a smelly poo, and gasses, and wsa berathing heavily.
From his labour which was extermely dificult, I would say he swallowed meconium and probably inhaled some fluids too, although I freed him from the sack, dried his mouth and aspirated inc ase there was any water left in his breathing path.
Something in him was leaving crackling sounds, I could not determine whether it was his lungs or his bowels.
We managed to lift him up at evening, with glucose given s.c., homeopathy and a bit of milk, when I left them to get some sleep he was mixed with others. When i got up, I found him behind Ulla on the coldest part of the whelping box, with his little tail dirty from pooh. She did not try to clean him. I warmed him up, and returned close to her, she was licking him and moved him even closer.
But there is nothing that could have been done for him...it was hard watching him fade, and it was hard taking him from her, as she was not willing to let him go.


I felt so sad, I cried a lot since last night...I wanted to save him, I did all I could do with the knowledge I have, I called Ulla's breeder, wrote emails asking for advice...and then it just occured to me.
We humans think or like to think we are able to change the nature's way, there is this feeling of being a bit almighty, and wanting to do good, wanting to rescue, to help...but sometimes, it seems that it is essential to realise all that can be done is letting the nature take its course.

Seems that breeding is a practical zen master course, I am just not sure I am spiritually at the level to follow it...as I am still trying to save any starfish at the beach, and feeling like I failed if I cannot.

But in the end, I think breeding is not in helping any kitten that is born to the maturity. It should be about the survival of the fittest, whether it comes to the improvement of the breed, or to raising a pet for a loving home...

It is sad that Horton passed away. He was just a perfect boy, from his funny strong temper, to the perfection of his pattern, but seeing it from another perspective, it was easier to tell him goodbye now, than in couple of weeks, or struggling to keep him alive just to raise him to a short life of weak health that would bring misery to his new owners.

One of the reasons I have chosen an ocicat, was breed's reputation of being a healthy and long living. I was tired of saying goodbyes, and I wanted a cat that will stay with me to the late of its teens, or longer.

I want the new parents of our babies to have the same. So it seems I am on a zen course, but I am just a beginner, so please do not judge me too hard for crying when mother Nature takes its course.

Now excuse me, I need to wipe my eyes and go feed Ulla and scale the babies.

4th kitten, a girl

Already out. This one was really easy. 110 grams, head first:)
Beautiful baby.

Contractions again....hope this one goes easily :(

So soon, another set of contractions....I hope she will be ok.

3 rd kitten came out

Third kitten came out, I think it is a girl.

There was a break in contractions, I gave her another caulophyllum and that was the last today.
She was so busy and upset about boys, that she could not concentrate on delivery.

We moved boys away much to her protest, but she remained in whelping box and started pushing soon.

It was the hardest one of all, kitten with tail first and only one leg out. She was sliding in and out, I am grateful to people who are there to answer my distressed phone calls.

Ulla is very exhausted by now, she is breathing fast and shaking a bit..and I have the feeling that there are 2 more kittens remaining at least.

There is someone watching over her and these babies, and I hope it does not stop now.

Another baby:)

Another baby came :) We are still waiting for placenta and it seems that now we will have to wait again a bit longer for others as contractions have stopped again.

Babies are so sweet and have their tempers established from the first breath. Lavander boy is very loud a cry baby, who get all the attention from his mum.
Chocolate baby is silent, but smart..nothing can stop in his way when it decides to head for the milk bar. Even younger, he has figured it out first.

Chocolate baby had 92 grams, and was born on 5:12 pm.

FIrst baby arrived

First baby has just been born. Tail first, upside down from the beginning he really made us worried.
I think it is a he and I think it is lilac. What I know is that he is spotted and has a great temper...he WANTS to eat...if his mum is in labour, taht is sad, but he wants to EAT.NOW:D

Ulla is a great mum, she does not let an eye off him. She has contractions still, hope placenta will arrive now. But she keeps the boy close:)

I am so grateful for Cathiskers blog and Michelle from Blakkatz, girls, homeopathy did it!:)

Back to ulla now, photos will come :)

No good news

No good news to share.

Her water broke somewhat after 5 am, and although she had some contractions, no kittens came out yet.

I gave her Caulophyllum as suggested in half an hour intervals, no change so far.

Keep your fingers crossed for the little bug, she seems to be in need of it.

Dawn, day 3rd

She woke me up at 3 am, and contractions started. The little bubble showed up somewhere before 6 and bursted half an hour later.
Now she is resting and does not have any contractions. I gave her Caullophylum 30 c and will see how it goes from there.

She seems to have all on her mind but babies, anythingis better, food, drink, even exploring. She cannot settle down in between the bed, whelping box, blanket and a towel on the floor.
I really hope all goes well from here.

As she needs me and I am not sure how will it go from here, I will probably not be able to update for a while.

Good moooorniiing everyone :)

Still on the bench

I am forever grateful to all the nice people who are supporting us and are there ready to give advice and guidance. THANK YOU.

Ulla is still on the bench, I have her under suspiscion that she is using her willpower to postpone the labour. She must have her secret plot behind this, it is probably enjoying the time alone with us without boys, having back massage and belly rubbing when she points her paw or just having the bed all by herself.

A friend breeder who was talking to me all the time over gmail talk during contractions today wrote me to ask her in the time of the contraction if she still feels like having sex. It was funny, Ulla actually replied with a soft,goat like sound which was her signature mark.
Not sure what she meant by it, but from the look she gave me it seemed like she was willing to give up any idea of even coming to heat in all the 8 lives she has remaining.
I should have taped her or made her sign it, so I could pull it out in a couple of months.

It is time to at least try to get some rest, if not sleep.

So far Ulla is still in denial. It seems to be contagious and I have an idea where she could have picked it up.

If she decides to face reality, you will be the first ones to see baby pictures. But at the moment...seems like Godot will be a bit late.

Time out

Contractions have stopped for a while, Ulla has decided to move to the whelping box and get some rest.
She did get some milk before she retired to her chambers.


It is a bit dar and blurry, I did not want to use the flashlight not to upset her.

Contractions started....:)

Ok,contractions started...will write when catch time :)

Night, morning. Day 2nd.

My 15 minutes of sleep has turned out in 2 hours. I was so tired I am not sleeping well for couple of nights now.

There are no news...I just wanted to say thank you to all who were there with advice and support with me tonight.

I remember couple of years ago I used to visit a friend breeder, so Harski can socialize and play with other cats.
She told me once that she envies me for having neutered boys I can fully enjoy. And I remember thinking how much I envy her for having kittens.

I did not know it was going to be this hard. I am not sure what did I expected, maybe kittens coming while Mozart plays in the background..not Ulla suffering and me not being able to do anything about it.

I have much more respect for the breeders now.

I look at Ulla and ask myself why did I put her through this.

It may sound childlish, and naive, and even if I thought all breeders have the same motive I learned better past moths.
I have felt responsible to the gene pool and wanted to give something back to the breed.

Well, I am not sure she appreciates my higher motives now.

No news yet

We have no news yet. Ulla drank 4 portions of kitten milk, she was really thirsty and had an early breakfast.
It is good as she will probably need her strenght today.

Whelping box is completely out, next time I will consult her about the colour and interior design...if there is a next time.

I will try to sleep for 15 minutes now, in case we need to drive to the vet, for now all we can do is wait.

I had an arrangment with a friend that Ulla will have kittens at the place where vet will be able to be next to her during the whole delivery. In winter terms, when roads may not be cleanest, and when there it is 200 km to the vet, it would be a better way to have delivery than at home, I think.

He did not have the decency to lift up the phone when I was trying to call him today and yesterday at least to say that the deal is off.

What kind of person do you need to be to do such a thing?

I am worried

Ulla woke me up, she was crying in an unsuaul way.
She has left some blood and mucous spots on the sheet of the whelping box, and she has no contractions at all.
Wonder if that is normal?:(

The circle of life

Ulla is taking a break. She has moved out of the kitten box under my blanket, I have spreaded absorbent pad just in case, and now girls are in bed while boys occupied their favourite basket.

I am a bit tired and my eyes are closing, as I have her so close and under control, we will try to sleep a bit.
She is taking a break from the contractions, and it is better we are rested in case we need a vet as it is a long drive.

5 years ago on today's date, Max, my domestic cat had broken his fron paw in elbow. At that time I did not know the "cat" people I know now, and who are staying awake with me now or holding their cell phones close to their beds in case I need them.
Guys, I love you all and both me and Ulla are very grateful that you are here for us.

At the time Max needed the vet care I had no one to call but the vet clinic in my home town. We had to wait until the next day, as 6th of January was a holiday, and even if vet worked, the technician ws having a day off...so nothing could be done to help Max. Not much was done the following day, his paw was broken in elbow and we were told he had to be put asleep, without any alternative offered.
I remember the expression on the vet's face when he told me to come to my sences, as Max was one of those cats I could pick up just every where when I left the clinic. We paid for him to be put to sleep, and then we were roughly asked to leave, they did not let me stay with him till the end. They did not even let me bring him home and barry him behind the tree in the back yard.

Later on, from the vet who is entrusted with the health of my cats nowadays, we have heard that the condition could had been solved with an operation, and as Max was still a youngster he might have just been fine or limping a bit.
Problem was, as he was a domestic, no pedigree cat, nobody would expect us to be ready to pay for the procedure. So they did not even bothered to ask.

Now, if we need a vet, we drive every time 200 km to the clinic Tristokosmatih in Ljubljana, and there is a vet of with sharp aditude but golden hear and a recently refreshed database of knowledge. Her name is Vanja Knez.

That is the place that is waiting for us tonight if something goes wrong with Ulla and her kittens, and I have full trust that they will be in good hands.
Without Vanja, I would not dare to go into the adventure of breeding.

I have always loved cats, and we have always had a domestic cat at home. I have grown up with my grandma's two cats,both black and white, one longhaired, black with a white collar, and her daughter a shorthaired white smart girl, with couple of black spotts on one side of her belly and black tail. That cat had a special way of eating, she used to grab the food with her paw and bring it closer to her mouth. She used to have kittens every now and then and while waiting for them to grow up, i had a priviledge to play with them.
I was a skinny, stubborn child, and the only way that could make me eat my lunch was a promise I could go to see kittens or bring one to the living room when I was done with my meal.

When Max passed away, I was tired of saying goodbye to my cats. First I thought I will never have another cat again, and then couple of months later I started reading a bit and enrolled in a forum.
I have wanted a cat who would have a long life expectancy, and be easily trained, as I was travelling a lot at the time and had intentions of taking it everywhere with me.
As Max was a silver tabby, I had a soft spott for tabbies. So I looked and I read, and when I have seen an ocicat I knew it was "the" breed. There was a breeder at the forum who was kind enough, even if she did not knew me well, to offer to help me out.
To cut the long story short, thanks to Alenka who knew Marjo, Harski came to my home.

I know it was a hard decision to Marjo, sending her baby boy away to someone she knew only from emails, to a country on the other side of the continent. Marjo was thinking for quite a while...I wrote her down about me, my job, my plans with Harski doing working days and holidays, I included my photos and the house photos, and Alenka did her best to recommend me.

Now when the time is coming for me to decide on the kitten placement, I can see what kind of decision Marjo had to make.
And I am forever grateful to her.

As there will obviously be no kittens tonight, I am going to quietly hug Ulla and go to sleep.

It seems that 6th January will be remembered even for something good. And who knows, maybe on the same day, Max will find a way to come back to us.
I have this funny thought, that our cats if we are really bonded with them, do not leave for good, but change the shape and look for us.

I have seen this recognition with Meke, he just knew he has chosen me , and he has done all he could do attract my attention at the times I was visiting his breeder. It was love on the first sight.

I hope that, among the people who contact us about the kittens, there will be just those people our babies have come for, and that I will manage to match them.

So do not mind if we ask so many questions when you contact us, and do not hesitate to put the extra effort and pay us a visit if you are considering adopting one of our babies.
In the end, it will be a companion and a friend for many years, and there is no better way to chose then to allow to be the chosen one.

Good night and I will be back as soon as there are news:)

....still waiting....

I think Ulla decided that she have had enough of this labour thing for now, she got up, went to have a snack, walked a circle in the room and tried to replace the whelping box with the nice, soft sand of the toilet.

I did not let her...but from the expression on her face she had while passing by the closet, I think she has a spare option.

Boys are not allowed into the bedroom, and they eagerly wait, cheer (meow) and guard the entrance.

Will be back, I am going to see if I can persuade Telma's daughter to change her mind on the whelping box.
Errrr, I know I will not bet on succeeding.

We are waiting for kittens.....

Ulla has withdrawn herself to her pink royal chambers. I think contractions have started and she purrs like a little engine.

She is happy when I am close to her, so she can hide her head in my palm and make biscuits.

Due to the circumstances, we will not have a vet on the delivery as planned. I am greatly disappointed by this, and some people should know better then to ignore the phone calls in the time of need.

I hope all goes well.

I have the book ready, tea is made...and now we start waiting :)

Will keep you posted:)

Food preparation

Once in 10 days I remind myself just how much I love my cats.

I am staying in bed with flu, but yesterday a quick glance at the freezer reminded me our food supplies are almost over.
It was pure willpower that made me go out in that freezing weather and hit the meat market. I bough chickens and today it was grinding time.

I am a vegetarian myself and food preparation is the ultimate test of my love and devotion to the little gremlins.


daily portions, all packed up and ready to be frozen

The only thing that keeps me going is the huge change I have seen in them. It really makes them good.
Their mouth are cleaner than ever, and it is not only their pooh that has lost the smell, but their mouth too. Their coats are shiny, bodies muscular, they have more energy (ok, not sure this is really needed in ocicat household :D) and they have never been healthier.

Ulla was never a kibble type and she was raised up on raw food.
It was interesting seeing her among other ocicats on the Ocicat Parade this year. She was bigger, more muscular, her body as hard as a tennis ball. That probably explains also why she jumps so high :D

Now when I have reminded myself of all the positive sides of raw feeding, it will be easier to go and clean up the kitchen :)

But what kind of entry would it be without sharing a fresh photo of Ulla and kittens?



As you can see, kittens are still in her belly:)

Sweet memories

I was putting up today our website in my mother tongue, which made me run through the old photos.

I have found this one, it is on of my all time favorites. I have been trying to locate it for quite some time.
It was taken on the show in Trieste, on the day Ulla got Junior Winner title. She just could not care less...:D
She was sleeping in her basket on the top of the show cage.



Should I even say it...no kittens yet?
But I managed to weight her, she has 4,870 grams! Which means that I finally got us a scale, and now we are fully ready.

At least I am, Ulla just does not feel like it yet. Who can blame her, if babies inherit a bit of her temper, she will have all of her 4 paws and her tail busy in the next months.

It was a productive day today, another shelf is on the wall, and boys like it! I have 3 more to put, but I am not yet sure how far away can I put them to make them still accessible.
I have been to the meat market today, freezer is empty, Ulla eats like a termite with worms...so tomorrow is meat grinding day.

Did I mention that recession hit the meat market?
It seems that I am breeding on the wrong side of the food chain :D

Harski ocicat- od sada i na hrvatskom :)

Već skoro godinu dana razmišljam i planiram postaviti hrvatsku verziju weba, ali nikako da uhvatim vremena. Danas je napokon složen:)

Što u biti znači da sam opet bolesna i da izbjegavam ozbiljnije stvari, jer na kraju krajeva, još su ferije, a i u posebnom smo raspoloženju zbog beba...koje nikako da dođu.

Verzija je radna, još ima posla, ali ovo je kraj početka :)

Zaviriti možete... ovdje http://sites.google.com/site/harski/ :)

We are expecting...still....

There are just couple of more days left to the expected day of birth, but I must say it seems like time is crawling.
I am so anxious to meet our new little family members. Ulla is really big now, I know I am saying this every day, but it seems that I get surprised every day how much she can grow. It looks like some magic trick, where someone in front of your eyes keeps pouring 5 liters of water in 1 liter glass, and nothing gets over.

But what surprises me even more than her size is that she is just the same active little monkey she used to be. Ok, she does rest more, and during that time she gracefully enjoys the facial and grooming service provided by boys, as you can see on the photo


but I was left with my mouth opened when she chased Harski all the way to the top of the cat tree today, while her belly was swinging like some cute over sized pendulum.
Should I say what caused such burst of affection towards Harski? He dared not only to touch the squeaky mouse, but he made it squeak, he licked it and he brought it to me to have it tossed.

I think she could handle the touching part, but all the rest was purely and purposely breaking the house rules at the time she was resting, and such a behavior could not go unpunished.

And she was always a bit jealous of her toys, ever since she was a little kitten she would bring them out of her basket, played and then gathered them all, one by one back in her basket. You cannot fight a Virgo.....


Ok, I know the photo does not do her justice as light was not right and she did not have time to put her make up on, but just for illustration :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Let the year that has started be filled with joy and moments of silent happiness, let it bring plenty of time to spent with the ones close to your hearts and above all I wish you to admire everything around you with eyes of a child.

Happy New year!

The New year's Eve

I spend the New Year's Eve at a friend, while cats stayed at home and had a private party.
My mum was watching over Ulla, in case she went into delivery, she would call me and I would return home. They had the most adventurous night, with Ulla sleeping under her blanket and escaping every time my mum would fall asleep, then she would wake up and chase the little gremlin to bring her under the bed cover again...we try to have her close during the nights so we can feel if contractions start.

When I returned home, 3 worried and a bit hurt faces greeted me on the entrance doors. Harski came to sniff me, just to check I am ok, and then he announced he is ignoring me for abandoning him. Meke was jolly happy I came, he went to use the toilet and then eat ( yes, he must picture me as some kind of enzyme he cannot process food without ), and Ulla was asleep.

I felt a bit guilty a bit for leaving them, so I took out a new wonder from the basket of gifts we were sent for Christmas from Marjo and Eija..I took out the squeaky mouse that I was trying to find for them for some time. Harski loved them while growing up, when we bought him the first one he would not leave it alone until it squeaked out, so to say.

I must have been tired, under impression of the New Year's arrival or just blond... as I have no other explanation where on Earth my mind was when I pulled out that little tag from the mouse.
Sure Ulla loved it, she played with it for hours...while I just pulled the blanket over my head and dreamed of Tom and Jerry.

I am not sure how long did it take before she felt asleep to, but the first sound I heard in the morning was squeak-squeak....

Ulla is even bigger than yesterday, I honestly hope the kittens will come out soon...or she will just explode.

Wishing you a lovely day...and remember...do not let the cats have the squeaky mice after you return from a party, no matter what they tell you.