Akiba's Day out

So yesterday Brett was out the front hosing the car down after some dirty rain, and Akiba was crying at the window ... I decided that he has not been out for a while so I would take him outside to his dad. But since we were at the front of the house and not the back I did not want him to just run around!

Hope you enjoy the photos ^^

Rain

Out of season weather we are having at the moment. It should be hot humid and only a little clouds in the sky as we lead up to the wet season here (monsoon season for other people). But over the last two weeks we have been having storms! Then last night I think we had the biggest one yet at 5.30 across the whole of Darwin. I did not get any photos of the storm, but I did get a cool photo as we were driving home. Looks like a tidal wave, very cool!

Orion does not like the rain, but Akiba keeps trying to break out so he can play in it. I think he's just happy that there is soo much water about at the moment. It will be fun once the real season gets here, and we can take Akiba to play in the puddles. But somehow I cannot see Orion puting his danty paw near it.

3rd Place Ribbon

Playful morning bengals do not like posing >.< But he looks cute anyway.

But in the photo Akiba is being held by his daddy, who is sleepy in the morning and trying to hold onto a cat that does not want to be held, and with his 3rd place ribbon.

I hope people like and if we ever get the other two ribbons I will try and get him to pose with all three.

Last night I got a call from a friend to pass me onto another friend who is interesed in Munchkins. I am not sure how she heard about them (I will ask later of course) but she had not seen any photos of Orion or even met him! So I gave her a bunch of information about the breed and told her to come over and visit sometime. I am sure that meeting Orion will convince her that Munchkins are the best, if of course she does not get swept away by meeting Akiba ... Cause bengals rock too ;P

Otherwise, thank god it's Friday!

Bengal wee problem!

So in the last few weeks Akiba has been peeing in places other then his litter box ... The first time he did it on a cushion in the living room, but as it was the first time he was forgiven and it was written off as him just needing to go in a hurry. Then a few week later he later peed there again! But we checked the litter box this time and decided that it had not been clean enough, our bad.

Then last week week I decided the boys were big enough (and with the weather getting hotter and wanting the aircon on all night) they did not need access to the litter box during the night. Sigh, got woken up at 6.30am by kitten peeing on the bed. Again my fault baby is forgiven.

But the killer is last night, a week later he peed on the bed again! The litter tray was clean and the door to the litter was open so I dont know why he did it this time >.<>.< Oh well I think we are just going to have to cross our fingers and hope that he learnt his leason.

Show Day Wrap-up

An early start for the cat show, but I had prepared everything the day before so all was left to do was get ready and gather the kitties.

As always they complained in the car... Orion is teaching Akiba bad habits so now Akiba cannot do on a car trip without meowing the whole time too.

But once we arrived they were quiet, while OH lined up for the vet check I ran around getting curtains and finishing up the cages. Orion had white curtains and his baby blue rug, Akiba had bright purple cutains with a yellow pooh bear rug.

After they were vet checked into the cages they went. Akiba was pretty good about it all. Sort of did a walk around, then looked at me to let me know he was not impressed and then sat down with a humpf. Orion was most unimpressed as well but gave me a heartbreaking look then hid under his blanket.

I chatted and walked around, then the judging started and my nerves went crazy. I had fears of Akiba going nuts and clawing the judges and Orion being treated badly as the judges would not know what to do with a Munchkin!

But as the day wore on the judges looked over my boys and nothing went wrong. The judges were very nice to Orion and took the time to talk about the Munchkin as a breed while they were looking at him. Akiba did not scratch anyone! Though I do have to say he yollwed the whole time he was being handled, but thats just him. One of the judges took the time to explain to the crowed that while it sounds agressive, it's not and he is just talking. It's nice when people understand your cat.

After then judging I just wanted to take the boys and go home, it felt like the day had gone forever and I was exhursted. But the show must go on ... After chatting to people who were interested in Bengals and Munchkins for what seemed like hours (and it probably was) they had the results!

Akiba came up all three times! I dont know a lot about cat shows but they were three judges and they were in what they call rings. Anyway out of 20ish kittens Akiba ranked 5th, 3rd, 5th! Which was really exciting! So we waited around for the award presentation which seemed to take forever to start! But finally they awards were given and while they could not pronounce his name Akiba seemed to know he was being talked about and everytime I went up he seemed to be watching me.

Special note Best Cat in the Show was a entire Bengal male.

After all the awards were give we gathered up the babies and headed home. There was an afternoon tea but I was exhursted and just wanted to get the babies out of the cages. I felt pretty bad about even putting them in the cages. But once we got home the boys were fine and showed no signs of complaint.

My sister is now keen to enter her domestic into the next show, so I will prob do it again at least one more time. My boys are most definetly pets first but it's nice that other people appreciate them for the wonderful cats they are.

A show date!

So the boys and I are getting organised for the weekend! We are going to the local cat show! First I have to bath the boys and make them all pretty ... easier then it sounds. And gather all their stuff together for the day out. Lucky that the big day is not until Sunday and we have 2 days to get it all done. But since it's the first show for both them and myself I want to be super organised!

Orion has been getting some attension, first he made a mention on the small poster that been handed around and then in the community newspaper he got a mention "Two breeds will make their debut at the cat show this Sunday. The Munchkin is a relatively new breed with unually short legs. They're usually raised as an indoor cat but are adept at climing and jumping" squee! The club have also done an excellent little write up about the breed to go on his cage and if he's premitting he will come out and meet people once or twice during the day. I just hope he taking this all in his normal stride.

Everyone has been very positive about bring him in even though he cannot compete at the moment (they have to recognise Munchkins as a breed in the club first) but I think they just all want to meet him in person. He should be able to compete next show which will be fun. Akiba is also going to compete! There is a worry, but I have spoken to serveral ladies who show Bengals and they have said there is no issues with them attacking the judges hehe.

OH is going to take heaps of photos on the day so I will post some up after and report to how it all went.

Washing cats

So the boys are all finished their medication and Orion's white coat was starting to look at little brown... Oh no! This means I got to give the cats a bath!

However, the event went well. Akiba and Orion must be getting used to the drill cause I only got complained at lots by Akiba (the water was too cold) and Orion only tried to put holes in me once.

But now they are clean and dry and fresh smelling. Ah nothing like a cuddle with a sweet smelling buddle of fur. I really must get photos of them wet, damn cameraless! So I promise ... just not today.

Morning hugs

My boys are still babies; Orion is now 7 months and Akiba just under 5 months old. They would rather play then get a hug. Most of the time they sleep where they want, that is not in bed with mummy and daddy.

However, this morning I got a shock as I went to roll to turn off the alarm, Akiba yowled at me! With good reason, cause I had just tried to flatten him! The little bugger had curled into my back sometime in the night and slept there. Being yelled at stopped me quick smart and Akiba forgave me by lightly clawing me in the back.

To even further my surprise daddy pointed out that Orion was on the bed, he had curled up between daddy's legs and lucky I did not wake him up. But there was now a conundrum, how do you get out of bed without waking the teddy bear or upsetting the sleeping jungle cat?

Answer: You dont, go back to sleep for another 30 minutes.

Another visit to the vet

I am soo frustrated at our old vet right now.

Our new vet is wonderful and has gathered all the vaccination records together (as she is Orion's 4th vet!) and has found out that there are inconsistancies with his records >.< Apparently he is not as fully vaccinated as I thought.

This has now also been proven in a major way as he has gotten an eye condition that he should have not have gotten if he had been fully vaccinated!

Akiba got a case of it last week and went to the vets on Wednesday, he's been on a paste anibiotic and has cleared right up, he has not finished his needles yet so we were not too suprised. So we were very supprised on Sunday when Orion's eyes started weeping. The vet was closed on the Sunday but a call this morning got him in right away at 9.40am.

As always the new vet was great and his is now on the paste as well (fingers crossed that his eyes clear up just as fast).

Once this has cleared up Orion will be making a trip back to the vet to finish up his vaccinations, and hopefully this will never happen again!

RSPCA Cupcake Day!

Today is the RSCPA CupCake Day!

Yesterday my sister and I baked 270 cupcakes and are aiming to make $500 (including dontations)

A visit to the vet

A bit of background, when I first got Orion I took him to my sister's vet as she said they were very good and when she had mentioned that her sister (me) was getting a munchkin the vet was wanting to see it. So we booked in and went to the vet. However, when we got there while the receptionist was very nice but the vet did not seem to like Orion (different vet from the one my sister normal goes to as its a fairly major animal hospital) but I think she was more into dogs and just not into cats in general but made me feel a bit weird about having a pet that was brought up from down south.

A side note, because Darwin is mostly a dog city, and people who do have cats tend to let them out during the day. So the general level of vaccination recommended is higher here in Darwin and Orion needed to be brought up to speed so he needed three visits to the vet.

But we went back for the next injection and got a different vet, this vet was nicer and liked cats in general, however when I mentioned at the end of the visit I was getting a Bengal as well, I got a look like I was from another planet... Maybe because both of my cats are considered designer cats? Was not a nice feeling.

By the time Orion was due his thrid injection we were staying with my mother-in-law due to moving and I did not want to take Orion back to that vet ... So we went to a different vet close by and it was great! They had heard of Munchkins before and really liked Orion and were very friendly. However, they are very far away (40 minute drive) from our new house and Orion really hate being in the car.

Anyway there is a small vet around the corner from our new house and Akiba needed his next injection. Since my sisters cats had been sick we decided to take Orion to the vet as well to get a check up. I could not make it as I had to be at work but OH took the cats and just called to give me an update.

The verdict is in and they are great! The vet knows of Munchkins and has seen Bengals before! From what my husband said the receptionist wanted to adopt Orion and thought Akiba was great. The vet really liked both cats and was very helpful chatting to OH about Orion (he's fine!) and even was good about giving Akiba his injection that he did not want >.< She was not able to take his temp though as he just was very vocal about that!

All that just to say I really like my new vet! But after the first difficulties I just cannot say how happy I am to have a good vet who likes my cats. Akiba needs to go back for another injection and when he does we will prob just take Orion down for a visit.

Getting along

So it was a long weekend with Orion really not liking Akiba, but now the dust has settled and they are becoming fast friends.

Akiba has been a wonder, what an amazing little guy! He is like a little spring ready to leap and play with anything in site. He is soo much more amazine to look at and a photo cannot do him justice! Though he is getting prettier and prettier as he comes more out of the fuzzies each day.

He also loves water! Its soo cute but he actually jumps in the shower and plays with the water ^^ However this means I have had to dry him every night ...

I have some really great photos but I have not taken them off the camera yet! I will get on to it soon and share ^^

A big day for Akiba and Orion

I did get some photos yesterday but they were with my sisters camera and that needs a card reader to get the photos off ...

Akiba is going well. Orion is not taking the new kitten very well I know that it will take him a little while to adjust to the new kitten but I cannot help but to be surprised by how much Orion seems to dislike Akiba. I have been a bit heartbroken that his new dislike is very much extending to me. I feel like such a bad person right now.

At the moment he is hissing at everything that has Akiba’s smell, for example I put Akiba’s blanket near his favourite sleeping place under the couch and he just hates it and hisses! He even hissed at me when I went to pick him up and this was after I showered and changed to remove the kitten’s smell. So cuddles are not happening and he even did not want to eat last night. I had to sit with him for thirty minutes and convince him that he wanted to eat his dinner even though the new kitten was not anywhere near!

We are giving both of them time to adjust and keep telling Orion how much we love him and that the new kitten is a friend for him to play with. But I am just soo worried about Orion! Though he is currently sleeping happily in the computer room with me (at the other end of the desk mind you) while Akiba and OH are playing in the living room.

Akiba Arrives Today!

I just got a phone call from Jane! Akiba has been dropped off at the airport! So now only a few house until he arrives! I am just soo excited and cannot wait to see him.

Its been ages since I saw him last (6 weeks I think) in Sydney. We could only drop over for an hour while we were in Syndey city for work but it was great to meet both Akiba and Jane. However he did not seem to like us when we met and all of the other kittens came up to us to say hi. This has made me really nervous as the general advice I have heard is that you should let the kitten pick you. But Brett has not waviered in his confidence that he wanted that little boy so we are waiting for him with antipation.

We got a few photos of him from Jane last week I should share, I cannot believe how much he has grown! And even though I have seen his parents I am still nervous about how big he will get.

Deep breaths, everything is going to be fine. I just am stressing myself out over little things.

(breath in, breath out.)

Okay feeling better and way excited again!

Crazy couple of months

So shortly after Orion arrived my life went a bit crazy! We had to unexpectedly move house and of course there was the yearly trip to Sydney in the middle (for work). But because we had to move from our unit we got a house! And could now have more than one little munchkin!

To be honest I am a late convert to the Bengal breed. My husband had been very keen on the Bengal for a long while and I have never been sure about taking on such a cat. However, when Orion seemed lonely and really enjoyed staying with my sister and play with her cats (while we were in Sydney) and we did not have enough time to spend with him as we worked full-time, it was decided that we would get a second cat.

I was still very unsure if a Bengal would be a good choice with Munchkin but I chatted to some people on a forum about it and one lady had successfully had both Bengals and ragdolls together (ragdolls are very similar in temperament to a munchkin).

I got the name of the two breeders she had chosen and contacted them, one of them did not think the Bengal was the right breed for me (maybe I seemed too unsure myself), however Jane from http://www.spotsnswirls.com/ has been great. She really took the time to talk to me about the Bengal breed and I feel in love. She has been wonderful and supportive with all my questions and pestering and I don’t think I would have gotten a Bengal in the end if not for her love of the breed.

I have watched Akiba grow up from when he was three weeks old and fallen for him with his inquisitive nature and playfulness. Now with less than a week to go until he comes home for good, I know I have made the right choice and the two boys are going to get along like a house on fire.

We are all settled into our new house and just cannot wait to bring Akiba home next Friday!

Orion's first few days

Just some short stories about Orion from the first few days.

Before we got Orion I was on the phone to Sharon and she said that he was a talker and boy was she right. My little munchkin likes to chat, if he knows people are home but cannot see them he will call out to us. We normally just chat back to us until he finds us and then he is all good. He does not chat much when he is with us, unless we are playing and he getting annoyed at us for teasing him.

But I have noticed that he has this habit of being very vocal before he goes to the littler box and then after he finishes. I just assume it’s him wanting to tell me what a good boy he is. Does anyone else cat do something like that?

Also considering how tiny he is, he loves to follow us about the house, especially when he’s in a playful mood, but every so often, when we don’t see him, he ends up tripping us. He’s not seemed any worse off for it, but last night my husband did it for the first time and freaked out. Straight away he pick up Orion and hugs him, I wish I had my camera cause they looked so cute together!

And final story, the other day when I picked up Orion I was thinking that he weight was jut nothing, like a feather. So being curious I took him to the kitchen and put him in the kitchen scales, the weight was 1.1kg!

But that was a few days ago and with the amount of food he’s been putting away I think it probably gone up already!

Orion's first day at home

So after five weeks of waiting Orion finally arrived! He was one cool cucumber, I was more freaked out about him flying then he was. He was just chilling out in his cage when we picked him up and when I put the cat carrier on my lap for the trip home, and just chatted to him and petted him through the tiny holes he was smooching me right back.

The only hiccup we had was that he would not eat! He used the kitty litter and would drink the pet milk but not touch any of the food I put out for him. On the second day I emailed the breeder and found out that he's fave food was kangaroo mince, so we got some of that he ate it right up!

We kept feeding him the mince but leaving dry biscuts out and then yesterday he finally ate some biscuts! Its very sad how happy I was about that hehe.

Introducing Orion!

Orion is my baby! He's nickname really is baby.

Since I live in Darwin, Australia I really do think that I am the only one in my city that owns a Munchkin. Because of this most people ask me why do I own a munchkin or how did I find out about them.

Well its a short story; my husband loves to watch youtube and often shows me interesting things he comes across. He shows me a cat video once that had a munchkin in it and I feel in love! The breed is soo cute!

So I went to find out everything I could about the breed and made sure that the dwarfism did not cause any health problems. Then I had to search out for breeders, of course there were none locally but I was lucky enough in my internet reasearch I had come across a number of breeders in Australia!

I sent out inquiries and my luck held as I met Sharon from Shazzal Munchkins in Brisbane. She had a little blue point boy that I just feel in love with his photo! (See above) Little did I know that cats have breeding seaons and the lastest one was in full swing!

Welcome!

I have created a blog for my cute and crazy cats! I believe that the Munchkin is a wonderful breed that is misunderstood by the general public. So my aim is to dedicated this site to my strange and unique car!