We Are Expecting!

Katniss is expecting a litter of kittens. Cats are pregnant from around 60-65 days on average and we think she has around 14 days to go before this litter of kittens is born. We have put her in a room of her own away from all the other cats and the noise of the rest of the house so that she can relax and have peace and quiet. We aren't sure how many to expect but we are making preperations for the big day to make sure she is as comfortable as she can be. 

 Our local vets have been informed and are on standby in case we need them but we all came to the decision that because of Katniss's nature it would be best not to stress her out further by taking her in to find out how many she is expecting etc and to let her carry on as she is unless she gets into difficulties and needs assistance. We can see she is doing well and looking really healthy and still moving about well even with her growing waistline. I can't imagine how much bigger she might get in the next 2 weeks.

We never really set out to breed any of our cats but knew there was a high possibility of it happening with them all being intact. We have all the relevant paper work but since the discovery of Katniss being pregnant we made the decision to have Heizi neutered and Celestia spayed last week. When Katniss has had her litter and all the kittens are weaned we will then have her spayed too. Misty is already spayed and has been since 5 months old. Its something we have debated long and hard about but to us we wouldnt be adding anything to the bengal breed by breeding from our cats and first and foremost they are our pets so this will be a one off litter.

Neutering and spaying cats not only helps to calm cats down but can prevent unwanted spraying in both males and females. Luckily for us we have never had this problem apart from when Katniss first arrived with us, due to stress, but it was short lived. Heizi was beginning to get a bit macho around the other cats but he's returned to his usual big softie self since having the operation. Spaying and neutering also prevents unwated litters and with so many cats without homes in general I am all for this one. It can also help prevent cancer in both male and female cats. It also means that the female cat won't go into heat which means no yowling! 

Unless you have a pedigree cat and intententionally plan to breed from them then its best to have your cat spayed or neutered for their sake and yours. Even though ours are pedigree cats we took the decision that breeding was just not for us.  

As for the litter we are expecting we are excited and already have homes lined up for how ever many there are in the litter. It will be hard to convince our children that we can't keep them all but maybe one . . . or . . . two!

Cat Litter

In our house, with so many cats, it's fair to say that we get through a lot of cat litter. Although we have a lot of cats I am very conscience that I dont want it to smell of cats in our house. I can be quite fanatical about it. 

We have tried many different kinds of litters throughout the years of owning cats but by far the winner in our house has to be Pettex Clean Paws Super Clumping Cat Litter.
 

The Pettex Clean Paws Cat Litter is very fine so it doesnt stick to the cats paws and get trailed outside of the litter tray. This means there is less cleaning up to do on the whole which is always good. It is really effective at clumping together which makes it really easy when cleaning the litter trays out. Sometimes it can clump a little too well and get stuck to the bottom of the tray but for us it has never really posed too muh of a problem. 

The odur control on the Pettex Clean Paws Cat Litter is like no other that I have come across. It is very effective. With some other brands that we have tried the odor control hasnt been that great and the trays needed cleaning after each use to try and keep any smells at bay but this stuff eliminates the need for that. 

I tend to clean our trays out twice a day due to the number of cats we have. We have 3 trays in different parts of the house. I would like to be able to put all of the cat trays into our laundry room which the cats access through a cat flap. It would make life easier for us but unfortunately when we tried this in the past Katniss didn't take too well to it so it's a slow work in progress training them all to go in there. 

Unfortunately the major downside to the Pettex Clean Paws Cat Litter is the packaging, which is made of thick brown paper. It tends to rip very easily so if we have it delivered it has been known to burst in the delivery drivers van. Other than that the benefits of this product far outweigh the negatives.

My First Love

I am a self confessed animal lover but there is just something about cats that makes me love them the most. Ever since I was little I have been keen to help animals in need. I was always running around outdoors and bringing home injured animals to be fixed by our poor local vet that lived nearby.

We have had many pets and animals throughout the years but I always remember my first 'proper' cat Ziggy, very fondly. A Siamese crossed with a moggy. She was mine. I helped feed her and looked after her from being a kitten. She was a very intelligent cat with a lot of personality. She would open doors, 'talk', follow us on walks with the dog, come running whenever I shouted for her and would sleep curled up under my duvet around my feet at night. It might not be that impressive to some but when your a child its the most amazing thing in the world. 

 

I grew up as the only girl in a rural setting surrounded by fields and boys so my cat was my best friend. She seemed to know if I was sad and needed my spirits lifted. She would let me dress her up and play or just cuddle up on my bed with me while I watched TV. She was my world but one day that all ended very suddenly.

One day I came home from school and the local vet knocked on the door to speak to my grandad. He took him outside but my grandad told me he had been to look at new plants that had been put outside but he looked upset. It wasn't until my parents came home later that day and broke the news to me that Ziggy was gone. 

Although we lived in a quiet village surrounded by fields Ziggy had been hit by a car right outside our house. I was numb and so angry. How could she be gone. Just taken away from me just like that and in such a brutal way. I couldn't believe someone had hit her and not even stopped to check she was okay. She had suffered serious trauma but still managed to drag herself into the neighbours hedge across the road. 

We buried Ziggy the same day, next to the bird bath in our garden. I had never seen my dad cry but he cried that day. Everyone knew what a loss she would be to our family but especially to me.

Ziggy was the first loss I had ever known. I never felt the same after she was gone. She left such a big hole in my life. I spent years searching for a cat that had similar characteristics without much luck. Until I came across Bengals. 

To anyone that hasn't owned a cat or animal before and felt the companionship that they can bring it probably sounds a little sad that I was so affected by the loss of my cat. Ziggy, to me, was much more than just a cat. The fact she was suddenly gone from my life was a difficult thing to face. 

All of our cats are just that to anyone but us. To us though they offer us so much as a family. Our cats pick us up when we are feeling low, they provide hours of entertainment, companionship and love. They help to teach our children about caring for animals and about empathy for other living things. I know that our cats mean to my daughter exaclty what Ziggy meant to me and that is priceless in itself.

Catnip Pom Poms

It takes a lot to keep all our cats entertained throughout the day. Luckily we have 3 children on hand to help out with the task. Our cats have their favourite toys. Surprisingly the least expensive items are normally their favourite. One of which is large catnip scented pom poms. 

They will spend hours batting and tossing these around and they last for ages before eventually falling apart. It's quite funny to watch a cat as large as Heizi play like a young kitten again.

These toys even bring Misty out of her shell to play. She isn't the most playful cat. Even as a kitten. She was just so timid right from the start so it's nice to see her enjoying herself.

I don't know what it is in particular the cats all love about these so much. If it's the smell of catnip, how shiny they are or that they can flick them about so much or maybe just everything about them. Celestia can't even wait for me to get them out of the packet before trying to dive on them.
They give them hours of entertainment as well as us!

Energy

Its a well known fact that bengal cats are energetic. They need entertaining and engagement to tire them out and to keep them happy. They arent naturally lap cats so anyone thinking of getting one as a pretty cat that will sit about and make the house look good is in for a big shock!

When a bengal cat is bored you will know about it, that is for sure! Our cats can become very destructive if they arent getting the attention they need. Luckily for us I am about during the day to provide entertainement for them and the children help by playing games with them all. 

Yesterday, however, I had been touching up the paint work in our living room and hadnt had the time during the day to spend with them and yes, they made me pay for it. Heizi and Celestia decided to help me with the painting. Celestia was trying to pounce on the paint brush as I was carefully trying to paint the skirting board. Heizi decided to stick his paws into the paint and then walk around the room leaving lovely artistic footprints everywhere. 

We keep all the cats in the kitchen and dinning area at night. This helps keep them out of the bedrooms so that we can all get a decent nights sleep.

These are just some of our bengal's latest victims. The blinds are a real favourite target for destruction. The broken plates that were pushed out the cupboard from the inside by Heizi after he climbed inside. The kitchen roll that they decided to use as a scratch post.
 

'Kitten hood' is not always something that a bengal will grow out of. It can continue their whole lives so anyone taking on a bengal should be aware of the fact they might never calm down like other breeds of cats do when they reach a certain age.

Kong Toys

We first came across these toys by chance when browsing our local Jollyes. The first one we bought was the Kong cat softie patchwork bear. It didn't look much but was just a cheap toy that we shoved in the basket as a little something for Heizi and Misty. This toy came with a tube of catnip and the back of the toy was fastened with Velcro so that you could open it up and pour the catnip inside the toy to give it added appeal. 

We didn't realise how much Heizi would grow to love this toy. Poor Misty didn't get a look in on it. Heizi loved it instantly and would carry it about in his mouth a bit like a dog.

We bought the second of these which was the Kong frog from Amazon as an add on item with an order. It was only a couple of pounds so another impulse buy but again another hit with all of our cats but especially with Heizi. 

These toys are great as they are so light that they can be flicked and batted about. The fact they also come with catnip and Velcro backs means that they can be topped up with fresh catnip whenever they need a boost or the cats seem to lose a bit of interest. It gets them all in a frenzy. 

For the price these are well worth the money. We also found that as they are made by Kong, they are well made and manage to withstand the test of a bengal or two playing with them. We have had these toys for months now and although they now look a little worse for wear they are still a big hit with all of the cats. Definitely a firm favourite in our household.

Water!

Bengals LOVE water! Not just to drink but to play in too. Our bengals get through a lot of drinking water and we top up their bowls several times a day. They just cant get enough of it.

You cant put a tap on in our house without one of our bengals trying to get underneath it. Whenever a bath is being run, doing the dishes, cleaning your teeth they are there trying to get in on the action. They will even climb in alongside my children whenever they take a bath. 

We always have to make sure we close the toilet lid after flushing or they will be in there too trying to drink or catch the water. They will also think nothing of trying to climb on your knee or sit on your head if you leave the bathroom door ajar while you nip to the loo. You may think locking the door would solve the problem but it only makes matters worse in our house. This is because the cats will claw, scratch, and pull up the carpet outside the door in desperation to reach you. How dare you try to have a minute of peace away from them!