Catio nearly done

Nearly there, they look so small in there! Little more to do, another shelf and poss a walk way. They can already jump across the width just haven't figured the getting down!

It has artificial grass on floor and the rear walk across is covered with it, help them learn to use thier claws!

It'll also have a cat flap ( medium dog sized) I tested size on Murphy as he's all but fully grown! Which will give them access to it when they wish from inside the office and conservatory.

Catio

 

First part of building the catio for the kittens, might as well had built it myself! Company are worse than me with maths! I wanted a sloping roof height at back 8' sloping down to the front where the door would be.

What I got was a 4 x 4x8 panels and one 6' panel. The door was put in the 8' panel  which would be against the wall of the  garage! Completely back to front

So I've spent a week rebuilding it. Contacted the supplier acknowledged but no info yet!

Catio / Cat run

First part of building the catio for the kittens.

I might as well had built it myself! Company are worse than me with maths!
I wanted a sloping roof height at back 8' sloping down to the front where the door was.
What I got was 4 x 8 x 4 panels and one of those had the door in it.
And a 6'x4' panel.
Completely back to front with the door opening onto a brick wall.
So I've spent a week rebuilding it. Contacted supplier acknowledged but no info yet!
Bottom line is I might as well have built it myself!

climbing pole and basket

Occupied by Luna!

This has proved a hit both kittens chase up and down the post who ever gets in the basket wins and the loser gets blatter with a paw 

Cat run

This weekend the cat run arrives, not massive H8' X L6' X W4'
But it's just to give them safe access to the outside when we're at work etc.
It's going onto the back of the garage, access will be via a cat flap.
A medium dog sized one!
The back of the garage was turned into an office when I worked from home. And the garage set back into the garden so they'll have a good view over the fence tops but not on the roadside.
With a few shelves and a couple of logs to scratch and play on.
Eventually I hope to use a harness to let them explore the local woodland with me! Maybe an extending lead as I'm not that good at tree climbing these day's!

Short video

Seems to be a success!

Black marks are from the rain! Hadnt quite finished winding the sisal rope when it started to rain! It's not as bad as it looks in the video.
It's washing off slowly 🙄

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LUpBEWtqeKdSrKyX9

Second Post

Don't think Luna has quite got it!

Building the Cat Tree

The Newbies!

Ronnie Few weeks old

Ronnie 8 weeks old 

Luna Nee Roxy!

Murphy

understanding what dogs smell like (eeeeew)

              Mum                 
 

                    Dad

Time should heal

Having lost Ziggy and Cosmo life was empty and so the search began for another Norwegian Forest Cat (note "Cat")

It's been about 10 months and try as I may cant not have a cat in my life!
I was good at first and search the rescue centres all kittens upto 12 months all gone within minutes but older cats were 10- 14 yrs old which was not what I wanted (OK so I'm fickle)

So the search began for another Norwiegian seached plenty of breeders in a lot of areas, emailed some no reply or join the waiting list!
Then stumbled on

 http://carchristeykatt.co.uk/

The site just pulled me in, sometimes you feel right about something so emailed and told the lady about the FiP etc and how long it had been. Other breeders didn't reply when I included this! I understand but!
She answered very quickly and told me about her experience with it when she imported a NFC and it had FiP so she knew how awful this desease is!

Long story short we visited one weekend fell in love with two little boys !
Problem, one turned out to be a little girl! I personally wasn't sure about another female cat (another story) But the breeder was about to take back a 3 yr old male whos owners 2 yr old was allergic, (She will do this for anyone who cant for whatever reason keep their NFC). So he arrived whilst we were there and met him when the owner left. He was a lovely cat took him about 5 minutes to let me pick him up, my wife was sceptical on our journey there but once she met him job done!

So we decided to have Murphy and the Kitten named Ronnie at the breeders and it fits so he will stay Ronnie.
A few weeks past and we got update pictures then only a couple of weeks ago the breeder posted a picture of "roxy" a very pretty little girl whom the breeder was going to keep for show and breed from. However she developed a problem with one of her eyes........so guess what?.........yep we got her!

Oh dear!

My youngest daughter is about to move with her fiance to their first house and fell in love with the little girl instantly. So did we mind! Her partner has never had pets and it was an instant NO!

But she tried and tried and he was starting to give in lol. (he is a very gentle man and has always been great with out cats)

Whilst my wife and I were visiting Harry Potter World (present from daughters and it was great!) more pictures came in of "Roxy"  and we said ah blow it we'll have her! I'd emailed Tracey  (breeder) saying if she was still available the following Friday we'd have her regardless. Only a day later I emailed we'll have her!

So on Saturday 21/07/18 we're off to the wilds of Essex to collect 3 Norwegian Forest Cats Ooops!

Ziggy & Cosmo

Edited version collating pictures and the untimely death of both these loving kittens 😓

Ziggy & Cosmo 

 

After less than a year things went horribly wrong.
Ziggy disappeared under our bed. We knew he didn't feel well, but no idea why. We nursed him a few days but when he did come out he seemed to have issues with his rear legs. It didn't improve so we took him to the vets.
To our horror the vet was worried the he had FiP  Feline Infectious Peritonitis.
It is a horrible desease there is no cure and can devestate a colony of cats odds are 1:5000!

http://www.stopfip.org/faq.html#othercats

We had no idea how or why or where.
Whilst we were waiting for the blood tests to come back his condition was getting worse.

FiP can be passed on and can be from blood, Ziggy had caught a shrew in the garden ( they were on harnesses but had access to most of the garden.)
So he could of caught it from that.
The link explains it all.
A week later we were given the sad news that he had the desease. We could of extended his life with medication. But he still couldn't walk, the breed is a climbing adventurous breed. So I made that awful decision and said goodbye ( the deed was done whilst I held him).
So of course our attention turned to Cosmo, it was going to happen he already had a bit if a runny nose. I made the decision to let him roam we have a road at the front of the house but not a busy one and all our neighbours had cats. I walked him about our drives and put a cat flap in ( works via the cats chip) so he could come and go between 10:00 and 20:00hrs.
He visited nieghbours made a friend or two and come home covered in twigs and leaves. Always if we went out side he'd come running up to us chirping and trilling as cats do.
Then he suddenly got ill, this was it.
One evening he came and sat with me as usual but wasn't right. His breathing was heavy and that tell tell yellow mucus was coming from his nose.
Later around midnight his breathing became laboured. I was keeping him clean and syringing water into his mouth. He seemed to get a little better so around 2am I made sure he was comfortable and left him on the sofa.
Early morning I heard an awful wail, my wife and daughter were already up, I came downstairs to find them both crying, Cosmo was breathing heavy but was short of breath, he seemed panicked, but got up as I came into the room.
I picked him up in the blanket and took him outside.
He died in my arms but calm, not frightened.
The whole household was distraught and even nearly a year later the memories can bring us to tears ( yes it's hard to write this)
I've had cats all my life but never have two cats like Ziggy and Cosmo who got to me like these two.
Always friendly,  always happy to be with you, no favourites they loved all the family but divided thier short lives between us all.
In short the best cats ever!
They now lay side by side and are helping a ornamental Acer grow in the garden.

This sums the breed up, well they are wild cats that chose to allow us the privilege of being in our lives some 5000 years ago.