Harski Ocicats - extraordinary cats for extraordinary people
22.2.09
Roses - on interior decoration
Roses on the top of the scratching tower, Fuzzy ( Marja), Sophia Rose and Kamala. They are still mini cats in size, but behave like real cats...they have grown a lot in past week...and they are just perfect. They mastered using toilet, they are eating like big cats (wonder where all that food goes!), they storm up and down cat tree, they do not touch curtains or furniture. Best is they purr like little engines and love being cuddled.
There are just two things they hate, sound of water being flushed in toilet and sound of vacuum cleaner... Next week they will get their vaccinations, and then socialisation program will continue, they will be introduced to children, and later on to a dog.
It also means prospective parents coming to visit, we are so looking forward to it!
Illmari is not on video, he is, as always, too busy with his place on the milky bar...I think he is gently trying to tell us, he is not looking for new parents, as he has already chosen to stay with us...
There are just two things they hate, sound of water being flushed in toilet and sound of vacuum cleaner... Next week they will get their vaccinations, and then socialisation program will continue, they will be introduced to children, and later on to a dog.
It also means prospective parents coming to visit, we are so looking forward to it!
Illmari is not on video, he is, as always, too busy with his place on the milky bar...I think he is gently trying to tell us, he is not looking for new parents, as he has already chosen to stay with us...
17.2.09
12.2.09
What's up?
A bunch of Roses; Marja, Sophia Rose and Kamala....each reacting diferently to the camera. Kamala was determined to catch camera cord, Sophia was interested, and I woke Marja (Fuzzy) up just for the photo and she was wondering what is the fuss about.
Ilmari, is becoming a man, he was at the milky bar.
Ilmari, is becoming a man, he was at the milky bar.
11.2.09
Ilmari- Hakuna Matata
Ilmari inherited temper from his dad. He is a hedonist, like all men are. Good food, access to milky bar and a nap on a heat pad...Life is really simple, when you are Harski ocicat kitten :)
10.2.09
A big day for the babies
Today has been a big day for the babies,they have made such a huge progress.
First Kamala and Fuzzy managed to figure out hot to use the toilet. The ritual itself is something that needs to be worked on, as still the wooden pellets and sand are consumed first, than used in proper way.
Maybe they are checking if it tastes right.
Sophia Rose, my little food critic, stayed real to her beliefs. She covers my food as it was litter, so she even pooed on the absorbent pad that is under the plates...This baby really has a way to show her opinion.
But even she joined others for evening meal. I am forever grateful to Barbara from Auxarcs cattery for sharing her grined veal heart- yoghurt recipe. The little bug seems to prefer American couisine to Mediterranean. Honestly I do not mind as long as they eat.
Today is the first day that babies got two solid meals. And on saturday, my mum was bottle feeding while I was stewarding at the cat show. Time flies, and babies are no longer taking the baby steps, they put on flying boots.
Adults are eating their grined chicken as evening meal, just as always...and they are usually not to keen on it. Tonight when babies approached, meal suddendly started to look more appealing. As a result for the first time in centuries, 15 minutes after serving, all plates are clean. Just as it should be.:)
I will post photos tomorrow, Murphy's law says that when babies are cutest and nicest photos are taken, batteries need to be recharged.
I am glad babies are growing, but they are not really babies any more. They are miniature cats now. If I think that only in 10 weeks they will be moving to new homes my heart sinks. Past 5 weeks just marched by.
But I know they will have lovely families, and I will be watching them grow and hear their stories from their new parents, and in a way it will be like having them near.
Please do not ask for kitten from us, if you are not ready to stay in contact.
Our babies are just too precious for us....we can part from them when we know they are going to lovely homes, to be cherished and spoilt and bring joy and smiles...
They are part of our lives even before they were born, we are there to help them come to this world, I cut the cords for every kitten and suctioned liquid out of their noses with my mouth to make them breathe. We stayed up with them for the first ten days without more than couple of hours sleep broken in intervals of half hours, we massaged their bellies when they had cramps and bottle fed them, checked their weights every day, tought them to eat, use the toilet, play,handled them and kissed them so much that they come running to the kissing sounds, socialised them...we need to stay part of their lives, and even a little email every now and then will soothe the emptiness they will leave when they move out.
First Kamala and Fuzzy managed to figure out hot to use the toilet. The ritual itself is something that needs to be worked on, as still the wooden pellets and sand are consumed first, than used in proper way.
Maybe they are checking if it tastes right.
Sophia Rose, my little food critic, stayed real to her beliefs. She covers my food as it was litter, so she even pooed on the absorbent pad that is under the plates...This baby really has a way to show her opinion.
But even she joined others for evening meal. I am forever grateful to Barbara from Auxarcs cattery for sharing her grined veal heart- yoghurt recipe. The little bug seems to prefer American couisine to Mediterranean. Honestly I do not mind as long as they eat.
Today is the first day that babies got two solid meals. And on saturday, my mum was bottle feeding while I was stewarding at the cat show. Time flies, and babies are no longer taking the baby steps, they put on flying boots.
Adults are eating their grined chicken as evening meal, just as always...and they are usually not to keen on it. Tonight when babies approached, meal suddendly started to look more appealing. As a result for the first time in centuries, 15 minutes after serving, all plates are clean. Just as it should be.:)
I will post photos tomorrow, Murphy's law says that when babies are cutest and nicest photos are taken, batteries need to be recharged.
I am glad babies are growing, but they are not really babies any more. They are miniature cats now. If I think that only in 10 weeks they will be moving to new homes my heart sinks. Past 5 weeks just marched by.
But I know they will have lovely families, and I will be watching them grow and hear their stories from their new parents, and in a way it will be like having them near.
Please do not ask for kitten from us, if you are not ready to stay in contact.
Our babies are just too precious for us....we can part from them when we know they are going to lovely homes, to be cherished and spoilt and bring joy and smiles...
They are part of our lives even before they were born, we are there to help them come to this world, I cut the cords for every kitten and suctioned liquid out of their noses with my mouth to make them breathe. We stayed up with them for the first ten days without more than couple of hours sleep broken in intervals of half hours, we massaged their bellies when they had cramps and bottle fed them, checked their weights every day, tought them to eat, use the toilet, play,handled them and kissed them so much that they come running to the kissing sounds, socialised them...we need to stay part of their lives, and even a little email every now and then will soothe the emptiness they will leave when they move out.
6.2.09
A big day for babies...first meal :)
Today babies finally decided to eat their first meal. Well, not all of them. I believe Sophia Rose has a future as a food critic. She was a little over 10 days old, eyes half closed, when she tried to cover Ulla's plate.
If you think being ignored by your cat hurts, try getting negative critics on your cooking from a 11 days old kitten. Raises the meaning of humiliation to a completely new level.
I tried pretty much all to make them eat. In the end I even offered some freeze dried chicken I had left from my trip to USA...nothing.
We had a visit from our friend, she is a mice supplier who works as a scientist in her free time. So for Ulla, her favourite meal, baby mice for dinner.
I could not believe my eyes when Fuzzy came and started licking. Then chewing. Other joined her soon, except Sophia Rose.
Being a girl with sophisticated taste, she opted for litter sand.
I changed it for wooden pellets same second, but the little gourmet seems to have had enough to cause some belly issues.
I just hope it is a phase, and she will start chewing on the food soon, and covering inside the litter box.
If you think being ignored by your cat hurts, try getting negative critics on your cooking from a 11 days old kitten. Raises the meaning of humiliation to a completely new level.
I tried pretty much all to make them eat. In the end I even offered some freeze dried chicken I had left from my trip to USA...nothing.
We had a visit from our friend, she is a mice supplier who works as a scientist in her free time. So for Ulla, her favourite meal, baby mice for dinner.
I could not believe my eyes when Fuzzy came and started licking. Then chewing. Other joined her soon, except Sophia Rose.
Being a girl with sophisticated taste, she opted for litter sand.
I changed it for wooden pellets same second, but the little gourmet seems to have had enough to cause some belly issues.
I just hope it is a phase, and she will start chewing on the food soon, and covering inside the litter box.
5.2.09
Ilmari, the king of the house
Ilmari is our man of the house. He is behaving like a real lion king, he is dignified and like to take his daily naps while girls are exploring around.
Girls playing
I have to admit I suspect he has Italian roots, as he is very clingy to his mum....
Babies moved out of my bedroom today, Ulla decided it is time she introduces them to the rest of the house and they settled in a basket in living room.
For the first time they were exploring the house, walking around with shaky legs and puffed, wirey tails pointing straight into the celieing.
Girls playing
I have to admit I suspect he has Italian roots, as he is very clingy to his mum....
Babies moved out of my bedroom today, Ulla decided it is time she introduces them to the rest of the house and they settled in a basket in living room.
For the first time they were exploring the house, walking around with shaky legs and puffed, wirey tails pointing straight into the celieing.
I am this hungry
Marja decided it is time for a meal. As milk bar was not on the reach of the hand...she put her little teeth in the next available thing.
Fortunately for Sophia Rose I was passing by...:D
Fortunately for Sophia Rose I was passing by...:D
1.2.09
Where do you draw the line?
I was contacted by a lady the other day whose cat was having allergy issues. She felt that a change of her diet might do her good, and she turned to me for recipe and advice.
I offered even more, to put her in contact with our vet in Vienna whose practice was based on holistic medicine. He has a way of preparing idividual Bach remedies mixture suitable for the needs of every pet.
I confess being sceptic at the time, coming from conventional medical backgroud, but he did wonders for Harski.
Problems is, Vienna is 8 hours drive one way...
I will not share with you what the lady from the beginning of my post decided to do...but the conversation itself made me wonder..How far are we ready to go for our pets?
Harski had skin problems, he was byting and overgrooming the coat on his chest for a while. Even if it was not life treatening condition, we did all we could to help him. It took us several trips to Vienna, change of food (ordering cans from Germany) than when it did not help, switching completely to raw...We even stopped arguing completely in front of him, as we noticed he is sensitive to our disagreements, it was putting him in a state of stress he did not react well to. ( yes, we are Mediterraneans, and we are loud by definition )
The point is, there is no line for us.
We took him as a member of our family - We treat him as a member of the family.
We have learned to respect his little moods and odd ways ( yes, he gets caught by a gremlin once a day and we all play seek and hide around the house with him ) as well as he respects ours ( I love to sleep longer on weekends, he quietly sits and wait without trying to wake me up ). We know him so well that we can recognise if he has not been himself and we can seek help on time...we will write emails, make phone calls, spend hours reading, turn the Earth upside down if we have to but we will get help if he needs it.
He turned our schedule a bit upside down, changed the things we do in free time or we adjusted them so he can fit in. Our appartment has also changed a bit, couple of shelves more, a cat tree...if carefully chosen those things can fit in any style of decoration.
And we are happy, as what he has to give is so much more than what we have had to give away.
I look at the Roses in the whelping box, they have the cutest most innocent faces I have seen for a long time...and I hope for their sake that their new families will not be drawing the line either.
I offered even more, to put her in contact with our vet in Vienna whose practice was based on holistic medicine. He has a way of preparing idividual Bach remedies mixture suitable for the needs of every pet.
I confess being sceptic at the time, coming from conventional medical backgroud, but he did wonders for Harski.
Problems is, Vienna is 8 hours drive one way...
I will not share with you what the lady from the beginning of my post decided to do...but the conversation itself made me wonder..How far are we ready to go for our pets?
Harski had skin problems, he was byting and overgrooming the coat on his chest for a while. Even if it was not life treatening condition, we did all we could to help him. It took us several trips to Vienna, change of food (ordering cans from Germany) than when it did not help, switching completely to raw...We even stopped arguing completely in front of him, as we noticed he is sensitive to our disagreements, it was putting him in a state of stress he did not react well to. ( yes, we are Mediterraneans, and we are loud by definition )
The point is, there is no line for us.
We took him as a member of our family - We treat him as a member of the family.
We have learned to respect his little moods and odd ways ( yes, he gets caught by a gremlin once a day and we all play seek and hide around the house with him ) as well as he respects ours ( I love to sleep longer on weekends, he quietly sits and wait without trying to wake me up ). We know him so well that we can recognise if he has not been himself and we can seek help on time...we will write emails, make phone calls, spend hours reading, turn the Earth upside down if we have to but we will get help if he needs it.
He turned our schedule a bit upside down, changed the things we do in free time or we adjusted them so he can fit in. Our appartment has also changed a bit, couple of shelves more, a cat tree...if carefully chosen those things can fit in any style of decoration.
And we are happy, as what he has to give is so much more than what we have had to give away.
I look at the Roses in the whelping box, they have the cutest most innocent faces I have seen for a long time...and I hope for their sake that their new families will not be drawing the line either.
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