A Sunny Evening In The Garden

With Summer finally here we have been making the most of the sunny days and the long evenings.

Tonight has been spent like most other nights.

Spending time in the great outdoors with the sun still beaming down on us at 7pm.

Late for bathtime.

Late for bedtime.

Only tonight I had the camera with me to snap some of the excitement.

Leo and Tigger chasing each other around.

The laughter as Leo dangles long grass for Tig to paw.

Leo following Tig in and out of the playhouse, 

Tig pouncing on Leo as he enters the play tunnel.

More laughter.

The moment Leo decided to run down the slide instead of slide...

Then of course climbing back up again despite being told not to...again.

The cat playing in the dirt.

Leo following the cat into the flower bed.

Leo standing on top of the slide to have a little chat with the little boy next door.

Telling him all about his cat.

All about Tigger's meow.

Stolen moments outside, when really the toddler should have been tucked up fast asleep in bed.

Stolen moments that were so worth the price of delaying the mundane bedtime routine.

That can wait for another night.

A Boy's Best Friend

We are just over a month in since Tigger, our Bengal Kitten moved in.

We have had 5 weeks together, getting to know each other. 

All the while we have been keeping a watchful eye on the toddler...

and the kitten.

Trying to work out how they will get along, 

how they will behave towards one another.

Leo spent the first couple of weeks completely over the moon excited, 

excited that a CAT was living in his home.

The excitement was expressed in many ways, chasing poor Tigger around as he darted here and there, playing with the kitten toys as Tig's jumped high into the air, and then there's even the excitement on Tigger's behalf as he chased Leo around the house.

One thing has become immediately apparent in these 5 weeks,

and that is that both Leo and Tigger are BIG TROUBLE.

Tigger follows Leo around like a shadow, getting involved with all of Leo's games. 

Leo follows Tigger around and try's to crawl along the back of the sofa, climb onto his wooden play kitchen and even climb up the cat tree!

These two are going to be the very best of friends.

I put Leo to bed the other evening, tucked him in just like I always do. 

I then retreated downstairs with the baby monitor and began to do the evening chores.

Then... I heard laughter. Leo's laughter coming through the baby monitor, 

not the sounds of a sleeping baby that's for sure.

I wondered what on earth could be so funny?

Then I saw the answer to my question in the form of a pair of glowing eyes, 

gleaming at me on the infrared camera. 

Cat's eyes.

Tigger had managed to jump into Leo's cot and thus caused all of the infectious chuckles. 

He was jumping all around just making Leo chuckle that little bit more.

I worried that Leo may get scratched and thought I should retrieve him quickly.

But I stood there watching the baby monitor.

Eventually I retrieved him, Leo was so excited about the kitten's adventure in his room.

There had been no accidental scratches in all of the excitement. 

In fact Tigger seems to be incredible with Leo for the most part, 

it's just me and Luke that get the excited scratches.

In 5 weeks we have had one accidental scratch, and Leo didn't even cry.

He did however get his very first plaster as the scratch fell right where his sandals do up.

It hasn't all been plain sailing though. 

There have been moments that Leo has lost his temper and lashed out,

sometimes raising his foot as if he intended to kick poor Tig.

In each instance he has been told in no uncertain terms that it wasn't acceptable behavior.

I needn't have worried though, Tigger soon showed Leo how he wouldn't tolerate it.

Tigger wrapped himself around Leo's leg and showed him with his pointy teeth and needle type claws, exactly why you shouldn't take your temper out on a cat.

Of course Leo let out a little squeal and demanded his 'Mumma' be by his side. 

Tigger did it in such a way that there was no scratch, no awchie to kiss better. But it certainly left Leo with a lesson learned at the end of it.

For the most part Leo and Tigger get along like a house on fire. 

They follow each other's lead.

Leo pretends he is a kitten, and crawls around on the floor.

Leo laughs as Tig eats a fly and chases a spider, he laughs when his not so little kitten mis-judges a jump and takes a little tumble.

Leo has perfected his 'meow' so that he can join in the vocal sing song.

And most importantly he is enjoying the experience of having a family pet. 

He is bonding and learning how to behave with an animal. 

He is learning to love his furry friend and I can see them being the very best of friends as they continue their mischievous ways, together.

Just Over a Week...

With just over a week until your second birthday, it was all systems go for all of us, but at the same time it was the perfect moment to reflect on the new things you were starting to do. It was perfect because you were coming along in leaps and bounds, I wanted to make sure I got all your cheeky antics stored away in your online memory box.

We had had Tigger almost 2 weeks and you were finally becoming less excited about your new furry friend, and Tigger was becoming more relaxed around you. You loved teasing him with the cat toys, and every time you gaged his interest you would move it high up out of his reach and giggle when he jumped up to try and get it. You seemed to spend most days giggling at Tigger, and suddenly had an interest in picking him up. The first time I saw you do it I couldn’t jump up out of my seat quick enough, but you were holding him perfectly around the middle. Then the next day you did exactly the same, so I grabbed the camera to quickly snap the moment…only for you to have him by the neck…Safe to say that I quickly released the poor kitten from your grasp.

 I am sure you will agree though Leo, this photo really is one for the memory box. You just look so proud of yourself…and Tigger looks anything less than pleased.

With every day that went by Leo, you were becoming more sure of yourself. More determined to do what you wanted to do and were still beaming me those cheeky smiles whenever you did something you knew you shouldn’t. In fact you were taking it one step further these days, when I used my sternest voice with you, you were really taking the micky out of me. It really is hard to keep a straight face and discipline you when you smile that smile and growl ‘Mumma’ at me, as you try to put that smile on my face to wash away the stern grimace that was there moments before.

On the other hand though, you knew when I was really serious and on those occasions you couldn’t even look me in the eye let along pick up your bottom lip long enough to smile. You knew exactly when you were in real hot water and didn’t even try the smiling tactics!

You were discovering Disney movies for the first time, and after Timmy Sheep was taken off Cbeebies you began to love Lady and the Tramp. We sat and watched this over and over again, and I loved that the time was coming for you to start enjoying the same classics that I did as a child. You would get comfy on the sofa with your blankie and your bottle, demanding to watch ‘woof, woof’. After watching Lady and the Tramp as much as we did in one week, I was fast approaching the time that I hoped to find another movie you liked.

Blanket and your bottle were still in high demand, if not more so than ever. Blanket was now coming on every outing, even if it was just a trip to a friend’s house or in to town because that is when you would always want it. In one respect you seem quite a lot younger than other toddlers your age because you are still so reliant on your comforts, but I just found this endearing and didn’t want to rush you in growing up. I was always happy for you to do things in your own time.

Bedtimes were such a doddle with you, and putting you to bed consisted of giggles and plain sailing. 7pm was the time that I would take you up to your cot, sometimes you would even take yourself! I would tuck you in with all of your comforts and that would usually be the last I heard from you until the following morning, but over the last couple of weeks you had started talking to me over the baby monitor. You knew I could hear every word you were saying even when I was not in the room, and that is why you would talk to me instead of crying, and boy were you patient.

The first night you started talking down the monitor to me I was catching up on my soaps, and I thought you were chattering away in your sleep. It took me a good 5 minutes to work out that you were saying ‘more’ over and over again. So I came upstairs to you and asked you if you wanted more milk, your reaction told me that it was exactly what you wanted. You giggled and said ‘yeah’ and with your fresh milk in hand, I didn’t hear another peep out of you until the next morning.

The end of your second year has seen you come on so much, you understand everything I say to you even if you cannot say certain things back to me, and even if you only act on the bits that you want to. You already seem to have selective hearing on board…

I know this next year is going to see you grow up further, and instead of you being the toddler that stands before me today, you will be a fully-fledged child.

Growing up seems to happen in the blink of an eye, and I think I blink too much as you are growing up far to quickly

Bringing Tigger Home

Leo is one excitable little man.

When something new is going on, he is right there trying to get into the thick of it.

Trying to get that little bit closer to the action.

So when we brought our new kitten home yesterday, Leo was beyond excited.

From the moment we pulled up to collect him, Leo knew where he was.

He knew that we were going to see the 'cat'.

He kept on saying it all the while he was grinning from ear to ear.

The smile only grew bigger when we persuaded Tigger into his carrier,

and it got bigger still when he saw him rivaling to get back out again.

Leo thought the other kittens were funny as they rallied 

around the carrier trying to get to their brother,

I just felt awful seeing them all so distressed that he was leaving.

Leo was amazed that Tigger was in the car, and demonstrated this by shouting 'Cat' until we arrived home an hour later...

Leo and I placed the pet carrier on the floor and opened it up, allowing Tigger to explore his brand new home.

He walked around taking everything in, all the while Leo looked on beaming his million dollar smile. 

Leo followed Tigger as he explored, and helped me prepare some food for him to try.

We had been in the house less than 5 minutes when Tigger darted behind the washing machine and under the kitchen cupboards. 

I realised pretty quickly that I couldn't move the washing machine...and had to call in re-enforcement to help me retrieve him.

It soon became apparent that Tigger was the perfect escape artist, and that he had a firm dislike of  specific cat food. He simply won't eat Chicken or Lamb pouches, but the fish based ones are devoured in minutes!

Tigger was shy but willing to come for a fuss, and become even more affectionate once my very excited, very tired, almost 2 year old was in bed.

Once bedtime came around for me I was at a loss what to do... Did I take my 13 week old kitten up to bed with me? Or leave him downstairs on his own?

In the end I left him in the lounge where he had access to his litter tray and food. 

This morning I was awoken by Leo who couldn't wait to come back downstairs to see his new kitten.

Tigger had spent the entire night hiding behind the sofa, but soon came out when presented with his breakfast.

As the day has gone on he has become more confident.

Leo has been able to play with him and enjoy his kitty cat, and is not so over excited around him (which I am sure Tigger is very grateful for!)

Surprisingly Tigger has had no accidents what so ever, he has been a little superstar in using his litter tray. He has been playful and enjoyed many a nap and been really patient with my little Leo who is just completely over the moon in having him around the house.

How is this for a kitten who is settling in nicely to his new home?

Preparing for a furr baby

On the 4^th of June we are adding a furry addition to our family, in the form of little Tigger the Bengal kitten.

I just know that with him coming into our little family, he is going to be a great friend for Leo as he grows. They will have hours of playful fun and enjoy snuggles together on the sofa.

For me I am looking forward to having a family pet, I have always grown up with cat’s and it just feels right to give Leo the opportunity to bond with an animal the same way I did when I was growing up.

I am looking forward to sleepy kitten snuggles as I sit down in an evening when Luke is out and about, and I just know that he is going to be a very welcome addition.

Since we decided to get a kitten I have come to realise just how like babies they really are. There is so much ‘stuff’ that you need to get, more so if you are getting a kitten who is going to be primarily a house cat. You need even more to keep them entertained.

We have invested in a reasonably sized cat tree, the kind of size that actually made Luke gasp as he walked into the room… I don’t think he was expecting it to almost reach the ceiling and take up a whole corner of the room. But needs must…

We have had to look into kitty litter, litter trays and litter boxes…Who knew there was so much choice? We have even had to investigate kitten food and toys. The list really is on-going….

Bengal’s are renown for their mischievous behaviour, and I think that is partly what drew me towards the breed in the first place. So I really have pulled out all of the stops when it comes to keeping him entertained…and from destroying the house of course!

Aside from the kitten tree we have a selection of different toys for Tigger, Leo and I have spent a great deal of time in Pet’s at Home trying to get a selection of different things ready for him. I have to admit that cat toy technology has come on in leaps and bounds since I last looked, electric squeaking mice, Feather boas on string, a battery operated ball in a bag, cat nip!

You name it…We probably have it.

We have even been sent a selection of items from the very lovely Baby Bea range sold at Pets at Home. The range has everything that you could possibly need for those early days with a new kitten in the house.

I am at a point now where I do feel we are ready to welcome our little Tigger home, we have plenty to keep him entertained and of course fed and watered.

We actually popped over to see him just the other day, and although he is still dinky, he is coming along beautifully. He seems a little more refined than his brother and sisters and isn’t as forthcoming for a fuss as they are, but I am sure all that will change once he is used to us and all settled in.

Disclaimer: I have been sent a selection of kitten items from the Baby Bea range sold at Pets At Home, however all views and opinions expressed are completely my own. 

Our Little Family is Growing by Four Paws!

I have grown up around animals, we have always had pet cat’s for as long as I can remember, and over the years there has even been a rabbit and a pet hamster or two.

                       

It was always nice having animals in the house and I have been left with fond memories of the animals that have come and gone.

My parent’s are now at an age where they don’t want to be taking any new pet’s in, and after the last cat follows the cat nip trail to the skies that will be their pet days done and dusted. They still have my younger brother and sister at home but I guess with retirement creeping up on them they don’t want to be tied down with animals when they could be off enjoying sunnier shores.

Now Luke and I are set up in our own home, I have been longing to add a furry addition to our little family for some time. When we moved in we were both fully aware that the land lord operates a ‘no pet policy’ so we didn’t even broach the subject with the agency. As time has gone by though and we are now at the point of renewing our contract, I thought now would be the perfect time to ask the agency just how flexible the land lord may be on this policy.

So I called them up and told them that we would be renewing our contract and staying put for the foreseeable future. Then… I casually broached the pet subject and asked whether the land lord may consider a litter trained kitten into his humble abode. I threw in reference to a scratching post here and there and even mentioned there lovely new carpets so that they were aware that I had considered all of these elements when wanting to bring a furry little kitty cat into our home.

The lady on the phone said that she could indeed ask him but did say that these land lords are usually pretty set in there ways, and if they say ‘no pets’ they do usually mean…No pets.

Days past and nothing was heard. I was pretty sure my request would be denied but I still held a torch for the fact that no news was good news. Then just the other day the agency called and told me that the landlord had a few conditions but he was happy for us to bring a kitten into our home.

I am so excited for Leo to have his very own family pet, a kitten that he is going to get to grow up with, play with and love. Leo is so good when it comes to both Granny’s cat, and Nanny’s kitten that I think this experience is going to be really special for him.

We have decided on a Bengal kitten because of their mischievous ways and beautiful markings, and we have been on the hunt for our little Tigger. I have scoured the internet for local breeders who may have the latest addition to our family.

 Over the weekend we found our little Tigger.

He is currently 6 weeks old and will be able to come home to us on the 4^th June 2013 – In exactly 1 month, 1 week and 5 days… Not that I am at all excited by this and counting down the minutes…

We took Leo along with us to meet little Tigger, and of course his brother and 2 sisters. It was lovely seeing them all together and playing, part of me was thinking we should have the two kittens! However…One of the conditions was that just one cat could come and live with us.

We got to see all of the Bengal cats that they currently had in the cattery, Tigger’s parents and even Aunts and Uncles! It was really interesting to see the potential size that Tigger could grow to, but seeing him now at just 6 weeks old it is hard to imagine him any bigger.

Now after finding our little leopard cat, I am very excited for our latest adventure and I think this is going to be a fabulous opportunity for Leo.