Poppy’s Diary 2004

15th November 2004:

We went to the Colourpointed British Shorthair Cat Club show on 6th November, Poppy decided she would stay at home and keep Daisy company, Archie and Bailey were there, it was lovely to see them, looking as gorgeous as ever, they both had a really good day at the show, they seemed to enjoy it and had some good results, which you can see on the show news page. It’s really nice to see how well they’ve settled in, it was really hard to see them go off at 13 weeks, but they are so happy that it makes it all worth while, will have to remind myself of that next year. Poppy was extremely proud of her boys!

We’ve had a week off work, started off with travelling up to Bristol on Monday to have the girls PKD Scanned; we were delighted when they were both screened negative under the FAB scheme, excellent news for our breeding programme.

Had a nice week, doing bits and bobs!

The girls have been getting up to their normal mischief, the latest was breaking the toilet seat and lid off the toilet in the middle of one of their chasing games (the toilet acts as a spring board for them to get onto the window ledge) mid chase we heard a crash, Poppy sat by the toilet, saying it wasn’t me and Daisy sat in the hall way pointing at Poppy, think Daisy’s 12 lb bulk was the more likely culprit though, although I wouldn’t tell her that!

29th September 2004:

Have made a revelation about Poppy today, after always knowing she is a naughty tortie I discovered her chomping on my toothbrush in the bathroom today, two feet on the sink, two on the tooth brush holder and brush in mouth, I would take a guess that it’s not a new thing as she was did it very expertly, when I told Matt when he got home, he told me that she only does it to mine, so it’s not a new thing (I promise I will get pay back for that one!) So I have a new toothbrush that will be kept far out of the naughty girls way, I have to admit to laughing though and didn’t have the heart to stop her, I’ve obviously not cleaned hers lately.

Daisy’s all cuddly still, being a complete sweetie, so I’m making the most of it and getting all the cuddles in I can, her newest trick is to sit beside me and tap my leg with her paw which is my cue to move whatever is on my lap so that she can sit there, ahhhh.

The upstairs is now finally painted and the carpet down, neither of the girls got painted which is a bonus, Daisy thinks the carpet is a HUGE scratching post and is loving it.

We’ve had an update on Toby who seems to be doing well, some new pictures are on the gallery page.

12th September 2004:

Well what a week we’ve had here, what with Archie and Bailey to visit and then the Wyvern Cat Club Show with Poppy yesterday.

We had a fantastic day, Sally came along with us to see what happens before she gets another little girl of her own to keep Dusty company. Poppy surprised us all by gaining her second Grand Challenge Certificate, her fifth Challenge Certificate and ninth Best of Breed, we are SO proud of her, well done Poppy. We really weren’t expecting it today which made it even nicer, I did need to look on the awards board several times and get Sally to confirm it before I believed it! Sally and I managed to do quite a lot of cat shopping (do you know how easy it is to spend money at these places?) and made sure that Poppy and Daisy had lots of new toys to play with, so they have a new tent, play bag, who knows how many new mice, fluffy things and balls and a new snugly bed, so they did ok out of it. We have been painting here, and I’ve been telling Matt and his Dad not to paint Poppy for the last week ready for the show lol! Thanks for dropping in.

8th September 2004:

Well we’ve had some very special guests for the weekend, Archie and Bailey came to stay with us for a little holiday from Saturday until Tuesday while Siobhan and Kebba went away for a well earned rest. After an initial bit of hiding and wondering where they were, we all had a lovely time, spent lots of time on cuddles and playing. Archie and Bailey are SO close, always washing each other and playing, it was really lovely to see, they are really lovely boys and both have wonderful temperaments.

Thanks for giving them such a wonderful home, where they are quite obviously well loved.

Poppy was desperate to see them and Archie was to see her, but Bailey wasn’t quite as happy with seeing his mum, they all had a bit of a kiss and then we separated them as we didn’t want to upset Bailey, Archie always used to follow Poppy around and was just as eager to do it again, Poppy was desperate to mother them again, but she always has loved her babies, bless her.

The weather was lovely this weekend so the girls got to spend quite a lot of time out in the run which was nice for them, it was SO hot indoors

18th July 2004:

Well it’s been a long time since my last update, it’s not quite the same without the kittens though, they were always doing something new for me to write about!

Well it’s been a busy month here with new jobs, new car etc, there’s not been an awful lot of time.
Daisy and Poppy have been enjoying getting out in the garden when the weather holds out for them, the cat proofing is nearly up, a bit more work for Matt and then it will be done.

We had booked Poppy into the Lincoln, but decided not to take her as she was still a little on the skinny side, by the time I got back she’d actually started to put on some weight (typical) so fingers crossed she will be back out soon.

This week I have been to Lancashire to see Debbie, Blackpool, Reading, Bournemouth, Swindon, Kent to see Dee and finally Newbury for the races, so have had a busy week, had a lovely time with both Debbie and Dee and seen more than a few cats that I would like to steal, unfortunately it’s back to work tomorrow, there’s just not enough hours in the day for work, hehe!

We are having Archie and Bailey for a little holiday in September and we can’t wait to have them for a few days while Siobhan and Kebba have a little break, both boys are being very spoilt which is just the way it should be!

7th June 2004:

We have had some gorgeous photos of Archie and Bailey today (see the gallery) they really look wonderful, thanks Siobhan and Kebba for looking after them so well and keeping us updated, its lovely to see how they are progressing.

Daisy and Poppy are enjoying getting out in the run as the weather is so nice here, the cat proofing has not arrived yet so they are still in the pen at the moment but they did spend a couple of hours on their harnesses yesterday with us in the garden, Daisy’s not too keen on the harness but Poppy loves it, sure they will both love the cat proofed garden, when it finally happens!

I think Poppy has missed the kittens a bit, she’s missing having playmates that are smaller than her, that she can beat up and play with whenever she feels like it, instead of playing being on Daisy’s terms and Daisy is a lot bigger than her too!!

The girls are a little annoyed that there much loved sofa has been replaced with a new one that they don’t think a lot too, I’m sure they will get used to it soon and be lounging all over like usual.
We are now back to everyone sleeping on the bed, which is nice but it’s a little bit too hot in this weather, but neither of them are worried about that, awww how cute, I still get nightly hair brushing from Poppy which is great for getting it nice and tangled for the morning!

23rd May 2004:

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve updated Poppy’s diary, we were making the most of our last days with those gorgeous kittens! They’ve all gone now and the house is very quiet again, everyone told us that by the time they were 13 weeks we would be glad to wave them off, you were all SO wrong!!

The girls have been enjoying the sun this week, and have been spending a few hours out in the run each day which is nice for them, they spent last Sunday out there with Leo too, Daisy has been a complete star with the kittens bless her, she spent lots of time with the kittens in their last couple of weeks and played the purrfect Aunty, the kittens loved her, Archie really thought she was the bee’s knee’s and kissed her at every opportunity, awwww.

Poppy is doing well, she just needs to start eating properly again now and put some weight on and she’ll be great, both girls are enjoying having the run of the house again and getting some fresh air in the garden, we have ordered the cat proofing for the garden so we will put some photo’s up of them in the garden as soon as it’s here and up, can’t wait for that to go up to be able to have the doors open again and have the girls out in the garden with us, instead of us in the garden and Daisy and Poppy in their run!

Not sure yet what we’re going to do with all this extra time on our hands, it’s amazing how much time kittens take up, think we’re finally going to have to give in and start the decorating soon!

2nd May 2004:

Daisy’s been a little star with the kittens when she’s met them (see the kitten diary for details)

We went to the Colourpointed British Shorthair Cat Club AGM today and had a nice day apart from finding the place which was a nightmare! Poppy was awarded some trophies, one for Best Tortie Kitten 2003, one for Best Tortie Adult 2003 and also awarded overall Cat of the Year 2003 which was a lovely surprise, Well Done Pops and Thanks to the club for the lovely trophies.

We are hoping that Poppy will begin to put some weight on again once the boys are in their new homes, she still thinks it’s time she was mated again, we keep telling her differently, but she’s a typical tortie and thinks if she keeps telling me about it I will give in, but I won’t, we’re all going to have a break for a while.
Daisy has had a quiet week, she’s been doing her bit for neighbourhood watch from the window, she’s pretty much like a guard dog that purrs and meows really, and built like a tank but gorgeous with it!

22nd April 2004:

You can read about our fantastic photo shoot on the kitten diary, both of the girls had some lovely photos taken and they can be seen on their own pages, more to come later.

Poppy is now sleeping back upstairs with us, she spends the days with the kittens and then the nights with us and Daisy, she’s gone straight back to sleeping on my pillow, bless her, and then Daisy sleeps on my feet, ahhhhh.

Daisy and I fell out last week, she decided to take herself for a walk out of the front door as I came in, I was not impressed at all, she only sat on the doorstep luckily, but we are now being even more careful than usual! When I brought her back in she was so annoyed that she tried to beat Poppy up, so she had a good talking too and has been a purrfect little angel ever since, bless her little cotton socks!

9th April 2004:

Well just for a change Poppy is calling, she just won’t believe me that she’s not going to have any more babies for a while, she obviously loves being a mum so much she wants more, we think differently on that one, she’ll be having a nice long rest before any more babies, hopefully we’ll be able to show her again in the summer, when she’s stopped calling and put some weight on, the c-section scar has all healed and her hair is nearly all back on her tummy, I’m sure once these lovely kittens have gone to their new homes I’ll start to miss the showing, what will I do with myself all weekend? Not that I’ve had much time to think about it so far!

Daisy is still playing with Poppy when she goes upstairs to see her, she comes downstairs when the kittens are away in the pen, but still hisses at them, she’s a grumpy aunty, I bet she’s glad we got all boys and we’re not keeping one to upset her far too pampered lifestyle, was looking at her yesterday and I so wished she liked shows, she’s a lovely girl, I think she much prefers going to stay with her buddy Bob though on the days that Poppy goes to shows!

27th March 2004:

Poppy’s been calling and calling and calling, little minx, she obviously liked the Bart charm – hussy. She is not being mated for a long while yet and she needs to listen to me more, minx!
Daisy loves my new voile curtain in the bedroom and sleeps on the bottom of it, don’t think it will last long, but it looks nice while it does!

Both girls are as affectionate as ever, Poppy all the time and Daisy when she feels like it.
We’ve had lots of visitors today, Katherine and Matt’s nieces Charlotte and Rebecca and my Mum, Andy and my sisters Beth and Aimee, more to play with the kittens than the girls I think but don’t tell Daisy and Poppy that, it will upset them.

We are expecting more tomorrow, potential new owners, Daisy and Poppy will be in charge of sussing them out, I know I can trust them to find the right homes for these wonderful babies.
Daisy has now been dubbed ‘lady of the loo’ as most of the time she can be found in the bathroom sitting on top of the toilet, we are NOT allowed to close the bathroom door without a good telling off from her.

Poppy is enjoying eating the kitten’s food when she thinks we’re not looking, but we know what she’s up to.

Brought a zoom groom today and it seems very popular, with both girls and four wonderful little boys!

13th March 2004:

Poppy’s decided that she’s going to start calling now ARGH! Not a good thing, have tried telling her that we want to wait about a year before she has more babies, so hopefully that will talk some sense into her.

Daisy’s been busy eating and sleeping and not much else really, she chases Poppy when she can be bothered to make sure she knows her place and she does, Daisy is definitely the top cat in this house.

Poppy is currently sleeping on the sofa next to me, curled up in a little ball, she’s done such a fantastic job of being a mum, we’re both so proud of her and she’s passed her wonderful temperament on too, such a good girl.

Daisy is enjoying not having to beat Poppy off of the bed at night while she’s sleeping downstairs with the kittens, she makes a great foot warmer, but boy is she heavy, bless her, little Angel with horns!

27th February 2004:

Life has been a bit easier this week, going back to work was hard though!

Daisy has been coming into the room that the kittens are in with us for an hour at a time and her and Poppy are playing, fighting and annoying each other as usual, Poppy dive bombs her and Daisy gives her the ‘when I get hold of you, you are a dead kitty’ look, very funny to watch, you always see Poppy with a mouthful of hair running in the opposite direction.

Poppy hasn’t calmed down in the slightest, she’s still as mad as ever and she runs around the house shouting. I came downstairs this morning and stroked her as I went past, obviously not good enough so she ran after me and gave me a good telling off until I picked her up and cuddled her, she’s so very demanding!
The last couple of mornings I’ve woken up to Daisy laying on my chest, purring and rubbing her face on mine, such a sweetie and such a big purr when she wants to use it.

Shan and Alan came to visit last week and Shan gave me a lovely cold, thanks so much for that ;-) Shan had a lesson in tube feeding and how to make a kitten wee, which I’m sure she enjoyed very much, hehe.

20th February 2004:

9th February 2004:

5th February 2004:

Poppy’s been very busy this week doing ‘Poppy stuff’ (not a lot!) she’s still running about though!
I’m shattered, had very little sleep this week, every time she has moved during the night I’ve been up seeing if she’s ok, Matt stayed downstairs with her on the sofa bed so that I could try to be some good for work today, but then he left his alarm turned on ARGH

Anyway have now finished work for just over a week so will be watching her like a hawk, the closer it’s got, the more worried I’ve got, I just hope all will go ok with the birth.

Daisy have decided that the birthing pen upstairs is by far the best spot in the house and Poppy loves the downstairs one, so all seems fair in that department.

Next time the diary is updated we will (everything crossed) have some babies to put on!

29th January 2004:

We’ve had snow and ice, the roads have been horrible, was told not to go to work today which was a real shame, (he he) so have been at home in the warm all day, still had to get up early though much to the girls disgust, they really don’t like getting up early!

Poppy’s struggling to wash herself at the moment so we’re doing it for her, she’s such a good girl, quite happy to let you do anything to her, and usually purrs her way through it all, I’m still half expecting her to go into labour on my pillow, which won’t be nice for me!

As from next week I will only be working four days a week, which means I can spend even more time with Daisy, Poppy and the kittens, and I can’t wait.

We’ve had quite a few kitten enquiries this week and I know that Dee and Debbie are keen to see them once they arrive, we're looking forward to their visits but no bags allowed!

22nd January 2004:

16th January 2004:

It’s been a pretty uneventful week really. Poppy’s resting lots and eating like a horse. Daisy has decided the best place to sleep is the birthing pen (hmmm hope Poppy is as keen soon!) which is all snugly by the radiator in our bedroom.

We only have three weeks to go now, unlike me Poppy’s very not the slightest bit phased by any of it. I think we’re just about ready for it now, although I have the constant worry that I have forgotten something I will need.

Matt said today that he thinks Poppy spent too much time with Bart, I was stroking her and she was drooling on me, cheers Bart!

7th January 2004:

Poppy is doing really well, she’s put on weight and wobbles from side to side when she walks, it’s really amazing, I could watch her all the time, I’m fascinated with it all.

You can feel little lumps now if you stroke her belly which she’s oh so keen to show off, rolling on her back at every opportunity, she’s sleeping a lot and is just as purry and cuddly as ever and is on my lap as I type.

She’s gone off sleeping on my head this week, still comes to brush and eat my hair before I go to sleep (I swear my hairdresser thinks I make it up!)
Been having lots of advice from my mentors who have told me they will be on the end of the phone day and night, thanks you two J I will be calling!

I’m over the moon about the prospect of having are first litter but I’m also worried now that something might go wrong, fingers crossed for a nice litter and easy birth! ;-)

1st January2004:

We collected Daisy and brought her home, all looked promising for about a minute, just smelt each other and then Daisy started hissing, just a little bit but they seem much better now, not snuggling up like normal but sure it won’t be long now.

Daisy still wishes she was the only cat in the house and is hoping Poppy will go away soon!!!
Much to Debbie’s annoyance, Poppy is rolling over and showing me her tummy and nice pink nipples on an hourly basis, ‘Mum my babies are in here’ she says.