BEIGATTI MAINE COONS

I hate it when I go to websites only to find that they have not been updated.  Well...my own site has been woefully neglected lately....it's been two months in fact since my update about Maya's kittens.  We had some rough spots, but the 4 remaining kittens are doing well.  Tasha and Lucy have been bred in the meantime, and I am sharing Lucy's mating experience by letting Sharon Stegall be my "guest blogger" for today.  Please check out Sharon's blog, describing Lucy's ...um... de-flowering.

After a course of antibiotics (clavamox), Olive seems to be back to her old self.  She went to visit Bandol (Dracoonfly Needabah) on Sunday night.  Over the next 48 hours she was bred several times.  I will know in about 3 weeks if the breeding "took."  Here they are getting to know each other:

^^Olive looking fetching^^

^^Bandol yearning^^

^^Bandol still hoping^^

We will know in three weeks if she is pregnant.

Last week, the final week of February, our area was hit with a massive storm.  Snow started on Wednesday and didn't stop till Friday; the accumulation was measured in feet, not inches.  We lost power and stumbled around without electricity or water for a couple of days.  So Tasha decided it would be a good day to deliver kittens.

I was ready.  I had the box set up with the supplies:  washcloths, scale, alcohol, paper and pencil, bulb syringe:

I also had a very pregnant cat:

and a fire going to warm up the house:

By early evening on Saturday, Tasha had finished delivering 6 little ones:

Now we just had to work on getting out of the driveway:

It's been very busy here.  The kittens are growing, and Tasha is such a good mom, she is using all of her resources to take care of them.  Last Sunday, she became dehydrated and landed at the Vet's.  We went to Jockeyport Animal Hospital (they offer emergency services on Sunday) where Dr. Sarah Grote gave Tasha fluids, an anti-nausea drug, and lots of love.  

So the kittens need to get used to "real food" so we can give Tasha a break.  Unfortunately, Tasha doesn't want to leave them.  A mother's love is strong. 

The kitten cam has been on and off sporadically.  Although I try to have it up every day from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, I also need time to clean the kitten room , play with the kittens and use my computer!!  Please check it out.

Tasha is definitely pregnant.  Due date is May 18th.

Her personality has changed...she doesn't want to be picked up, nor can I touch her belly.  She still comes up to me for love, but she is definitely protecting her kittens, and is starting to "show"...widening a bit.

She should have a rainbow litter!  Almost every possible color is possible.  See my kitten page for a complete list of possible colors.  (Now that I said that, she'll probably only give me brown tabbies!)

Here is Tasha...looking beautiful as ever:

Tomorrow I am driving down to the Bethlehem, PA area to go to a cat show put on by the Christmas City Cat Club.  That means that tonight I am bathing and grooming Olive, packing my bags, and packing the car.

Olive is really the sweetest girl, but she has a mind of her own.  This cat LOVES water.  Every morning, Chris fills the bathroom sink with water as he prepares to shave.  Olive comes running, as she sees this opportunity to splash and play.  After she has soaked the bathroom counter, the morror, the cupboards and herself, Chris gently lifts her out of the sink and dries her little paws.

If you happen to be in the Bethlehem area this weekend, stop by and say "hi!"

I just added a link on my "Links" page to the Maine Coon Seminar created by TICA judge Beth Hicks.  This shows the standard and what judges look for in the breed.  I love this...it shows what we all strive for.

I also added some photos taken of Olive this weekend to the photo gallery...getting ready for the show.  Remind me to clean my house next time someone takes pictures!!

This weekend, my friend Janet and I drive to Providence, RI to go to a cat show.  Olive was going to her second kitten show...there hasn't been a show in my neck of the woods for a while, so I brushed her, bathed her and drove to Providence with her. 

When we got to the hotel room, she walked out like she owned the place.  No fear, no shyness, she ate a good dinner, then fell asleep on the bed for the night.  (It should be noted that friend Janet got to enjoy Olive all night, as Olive slept with her and dissed me.)

The next day we drove to the Rhode Island Convention Center and set up for the show.  Competition was tough, and Olive only got a few points, but we enjoyed ourseves.  Unfortunately, there was a minor family emergency, and I had to drive home Saturday night...missing the entire day on Sunday.

Janet took a number of pictures of Olive, and I will post them as soon as I get them.  In the meantime, here's little Olive:

It has been a busy week.  Tasha had her first birthday on Monday, and continues to be just the most loving, funny, wonderful kitty.  (Tasha is MY cat....her routine is to come to me...give her little pterodactyl "braaaak"...go to Chris, lick his nose, then return to me and settle on my lap.)

Yesterday, hubby woke up at 3:00 AM to stoke the fire, then came back to bed saying that "Muzzy" (Adirondak Yahto) would have his dreams come true.  I half awoke with a "huh?"  Yes, Tasha was in heat!  She was walking around with her tail to the side, butt up in the air.  I called Mary, Muzzy's owner, and told her to prepare the boudoir.

Tahsa and Muzzy are together now, and we'll see if anything happens.  I hope they make beautiful babies..  He is a good outcross for her (meaning they have very few common ancestors). 

Below is a picture of Tasha with her come-hither look:

So, one would think I would have learned about bags + cats by now.  This past week, I was happily sewing in the upstairs bedroom / sewing room.  Tasha and Olive were playing hide-n-seek in a very large bag...this bag had no handles that a cat could get trapped in...in fact, this bag had held two pillows and was probably 24 x 36".

For whatever reason, by rolling and playing, Tasha could not find her way out of the bag.  She freaked.  She took off in the bag, unable to see where she was going.  She ran from the bedroom, onto the couch in the loft, then lept over the railing!!!!!  This is 15' up in the air.  She hit the ceiling fan, then flew into the picture over the fireplace, causing it to crash to the floor.

I panicked.  She panicked.

I questioned whether I should even post this story, but it just confirms that I need to keep bags away from these cats!!!

here is the balcony:

And here is the flying cat...resting in her favorite spot: