Small Blessings!

On February 19, Birdette gave birth to a litter of two; a blue and white boy, and a pale cream female with pink highlights. I am excited beyond explanation as I was fearful that I would not have a female from Birdette for future breeding. As usual, Birdette did not let me down and came through in flying colors. Birdie is a great mother. She pays close attention to her babies but does not smother them. She allows them to venture out on their own but is available if they should need her. At the tender age of three weeks, Birdette decided it was time to introduce them to the other cats. She slowly walked into the main room followed by two very tiny little ones whose steps were
small and uncertain. Birdie encouraged them to walk in a circle around the room, stopping briefly for Grandma Catie, Daddy Trader and brothers, Howie and Trouble to meet them. All watched as the little parade began to exit the room, then Trader came forward for a closer look, he licked each one ever so gently as if saying, "Welcome, my little ones." He escorted Birdette back to my bedroom, then returned to his place on my computer monitor. Trader took an active part in Howie's upbringing and was the only adult who had the patience to play with Trouble for any amount of time. When Trader came here to live, I knew it was only temporary. Not only did Trader leave me with several of his offspring, but he left pawprints on my heart as well.

Howie's a Champion!

I was so aggravated with myself for missing a ring call at the Birmingham shows in January because Howie needed wins in all six rings to complete his champion title. I could not enter him in championship class without that ribbon, so I took him to Knoxville, Tennessee, this past Saturday.Howie was his usual charming self and completed requirements for Ch.with no trouble at all. I decided to take Trouble along, just to have a kitten to show. At the last minute, I almost left Trouble at home because he will not allow Howie a moment's peace. I also did not know how Trouble would react to the show hall but he really surprised me. Not only did Trouble look especially angelic (I knew the truth!), but he was very well behaved as well. Trouble not only won BOB in each ring, but was named sixth best kitten by Judge Kim Everett-Hirsch. I am so proud of both my boys. They are the first to carry the Gaia prefix.
I owe a big Thank you to Judie Hudgens, who is my mentor and friend, for allowing me to own Ch, Pr Bluegenes Catie Curlic who blessed me with my first litter of Devon kittens. Thanks and hugs also go to Linda Petersen (Karmacatz) and Denis Downey (Northshore) who allowed Northshore Tradewinds of Karmacatz to live with me and sire three beautiful litters. Trader has moved in with Judie and his absence is definitely felt here at Gaia.

Trouble

Howie's little brother has a name: Gaia mischief Maker (aka Trouble). Trouble is so full of energy, he keeps all the other cats worn out. He is a bundle of playful antics from morning till night. Trouble also idolizes his big brother, Howie, and tries to emulate everything he does. Although Howie is very patient and enjoys having a playmate, I know he is looking forward to the time when Trouble will be moving in his new home. Joseph, my son, helped me take some pictures of Trouble, I hope you enjoy them!

New Year!

I start back to work at my day job (teaching eighth grade Reading, Science, and Art) in the morning. While I have enjoyed my time off, I look forward to interaction with my students, who always put a fresh perspective on life. I have been so busy with daily chores that I sometimes put off during the work week, that I have failed to share Howie's first professional photos. I will share one each time I post and hopefully, will have some of Howie's little brother (who is still nameless) in the not too distant future.

Living with two Devon Rex kittens is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I am in the process of putting together a video of the little guy and some of his impish antics. It will be a while before I get it ready for publication as this is a new learning process for me, but will post the video as soon as possible.

Christmas Past

I did not make it to the Kentucky cat shows. I did a really dumb thing and took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and found myself totally lost . It was late and I couldn't get in touch with one person via my cell phone so backtracked. I was upset and in a great deal of pain from the fibromyalgia. I usually take frequent stops so I can walk around a bit to keep the stiffness at bay , but didn't feel safe on the long dark road I was on. There were no exits and no gas stations; just the long dark highway so I drove on without stopping. By the time I pulled into my drive, I knew I would need medication and lots of rest in order to go to work on Tuesday. Since I didn't get to see Judie, Trader is still with me for a while longer. I plan to take Trader to the Knoxville shows in March and hand him off to Judie then. I wonder if I will ever see him again. It was difficult transporting Breaker to Judie, so I will just have to wait and see. I don't have a female here to breed to Trader and it seems that I won't be getting one any time soon. At one time, I had three females and no male to breed to them. Now, I have three males and only Birdette, who needs some R&R before she is bred again. This situation is very discouraging but I must learn patience. At least, I have two really sweet kittens to play with and enjoy!

Sunday evening

I called Judie yesterday. We are making plans to attend a show in Kentucky in December and I needed to know where she was planning to stay. We chatted about lots of Devon things and some things not pertaining to Devons. I told Judie that the little kitten is sooo cute that he almost looks like a little girl. After our discussion, I brought him to the computer and did a search on " how to determine the sex of a young kitten". I compared the baby's rear anatomy to that of the ones in the pictures and as far as I can tell, he is definitely a boy. How I wanted a little girl to carry on in Birdette's pawprints....but it just wasn't meant to be. Trader will be joining Judie to see if she can get some kittens by him. Perhaps I will be fortunate enough to get a little Trader girl to breed back to Howie. Only time will tell.

Here is another pic of the little boy at 3 weeks of age. He is presently checking every nook and cranny in my bedroom. His little legs are much more stable than yesterday. He looks so precious trying to run and pounce. I have got to get a camcorder.

Pictures of the new kitten

It has taken me a while to get pictures of Howie's little brother. He moves so fast that I had to wait for my son, Joseph, to visit and take the pictures while I attempted to keep the little guy corralled.
Joseph took 17 pictures (most were merely a blur of white) and I am going to post several of those so you can meet the newest member of Gaia Devon Rex.

I would love to get some suggestions for a name for him. Any takers?

Howie has a brother!

Birdette blessed me with a new baby Devon on Monday, October 22, 2007. I had hoped for a larger litter but am happy with the one healthy little guy. He is mostly white with two blue mactabby spots between his ears that extend over both eyes and two very small spots on one side near his hind leg and another larger spot on the opposite side near the front leg, and a blue mactabby tail. I am going to have to think of an especially unique name for him since he is so unusual in coloring. At the present time, I am thinking about calling him The Lone Ranger but may change my mind as he develops a personality of his own.

I changed my thoughts on Howie's name more times than I like to say but fully believe that the name Howie suits him to a T. Birdette is doing well and has stopped her aggressive behaviour
towards Howie and the other cats. Actually Birdette has become very motherly towards Howie again even allowing him to visit his new little brother without incident.

I attempted to take photos of the new kitten but couldn't keep up with him. He may be small and less than a week old but he can certainly move! Every picture I took was merely a white blur. I will wait to post pictures when the little fella can be tempted by a toy to stay still long enough for me to focus the camera on him.

Howie enters the show world!

Finally, I have a kitten to show! I have waited so long and was fearful that something would keep me from showing Howie as a kitten. I have never had a young kitten to show and I have longed for the opportunity to grow up in the show halls with a kitten of my own. This past Saturday, I drove to Huntsville, Alabama, to a one day show. It was Howie's first CFA show and although he didn't final, I was/am very proud of his participation. The first couple of rings had Howie a bit confused as to what was going on, but as the day progressed he began to realize that all he had to do was be himself, which he did in flying colors. The constant pressure of being cute, did not daunt Howie in the least. He was a bit worn out after the long day and slept all the way home in his carrier. I made a few new friends while there and spoke to a member of the Birmingham Feline Fanciers about membership. All in all, I felt that it was a very productive day.
I also decided to have professional pictures taken of Howie. The photographer, St. Arnaud, is very good at getting my Devons to play in front of her camera, so I knew, I would not be disappointed with the proofs. There were several really adorable pics of Howie and some very grownup looking poses as well. I purchased a package of eight photos, a 5 x 7, and a page of all the proofs. I can't wait to get the finished product as I will definitely have some nice pictures of Howie that I can share.
Work is taking much of my time, but I am going to attempt to make entries more often. Birdette is pregnant and her litter is due any day now. I pray that the babies will be born healthy and Birdette will have no problems birthing. I love Birdette and long for a baby girl from her to carry on the bloodline. Time will tell, if I am going to get a little girl or not. I think I will. :)

The Continuing Adventures of Howie the Fearless

On Saturday, I was writing my lesson plans when I heard the loudest yowl of my life. The yowl was short lived but followed by scratching and scrambling. It seems that Howie fell asleep on the monitor of my computer and in a more than relaxed state, he slipped behind the monitor and was caught between the desk and the wall. My daughter and I moved furniture searching for the little guy (by this time, all noise had ceased) but Howie was no where in sight. I called and called his name, which usually brings him flying. Eventually, I saw a blue-gray shadow slink by against the wall. It was Howie and he was simply terrified by the experience. It took at least 45 minutes before he would allow me to touch him. Bless his little heart! He still loves to sleep on the monitor but I make certain to move him when I leave the room. Gotta love the little fella...he certainly keeps the day interesting around her!