May I introduce...

 Gimli! The cutest little bundle of fluff ever! 

A chance conversation at Breastfeeding Support group last Monday got the wheels turning. I mentioned to Stuart that a woman at the group had got a long haired kitten that was going to be ready for a new home any day now, and he suggested we got in touch with her. 

Lots of secrecy, a viewing whilst the boys were at school.  Then buying food, litter, and digging out all the old cat things we had kept just in case we were ever blessed with another cat.  Resulted in some wonderfully surprised children when they came home from school.  Stuart had said that we had a surprise for them at home, they were thinking along the lines of sweets, or perhaps a game.  When they came in and I asked them not to dump their bags down in the usual place, as their surprise had just taken up residence under the shoe rack, the look on their faces was classic.  The excitement, the puzzle, the questions!  Is it a pet? Yes.  A puppy? No Alec not a puppy.  A hamster?  No. A kitten?  Yes!!!

 I retrieved Gimli and introduced him to the family, but really all he wanted to do was sleep and hide.  He seemed happiest in the dining room, as that is where the kittens had been kept with their mother. But as the evening wore on, he started to play, and then another nap, play some more, another nap! A bit of an explore followed by yet another nap!

 The children are lovely with him.  And last night as they were going to bed, they were so grateful for us getting them a kitten.  I can see that Gimli is never going to be short of playmates!

Welcome to the family Gimli!

Bramble

A few months ago on our way to school we saw the most lovely tabby cat in some bramble bushes. She was there as a regular occurrence, and became a firm favourite with the children, and many other children walking to and from school. I became concerned as she seemed to be there religiously, so took her to the vets to see if she was microchipped in case she was lost. No sign of a micro-chip, but the vet said she seemed to be in good condition so to put her back where she liked it.

Time passed, and a few weeks ago we noticed she was getting a little podgy, then most definitely pregnant, and now she has had the kittens. She is still in the bramble bushes, and none of the houses around about seem to know of anyone who has had a tabby cat go missing. But none of them were even aware of her existence (sad state of affairs, but that's a rant for another day!)

So now, we have a daily ritual of going to feed her. She still has milk, so we are hoping the kittens are doing ok, in the depths of the bramble bushes.

She is so friendly.

And she even started following us home today. We are always sorry to have to leave her, but hope that in a few more weeks she will introduce us to her kittens, and then perhaps we can look at finding homes for them all, we are secretly hoping that Bramble would like to stay with us :)