Dusty Crosses the Rainbow Bridge

This morning, I discovered the preemie was cold and not very responsive. I tucked him under my shirt until I could set up the heating pad in a small box.
He seemed to be responding and I gave him a few drops of pedialyte. I gently rubbed him to keep his blood circulating. After two hours I thought he might be out of the woods, but he passed away at 11:10. I still tried CPR for 30 minutes just in case, but he was gone and my heart is totally broken. That little fella had so much personality, but was too bold for his own good. I could not keep him confined, no matter what I did. He would eventually escape and literally run across the room to me and climb upon my shoe and hold onto my pants leg, so I could take him for a ride. I could walk anywhere and he would hold on until he grew weary; then he would let go and climb down. I have never known an animal so tiny with so much heart and curiosity. I really believed that he would pull through, but he simply went to sleep and no matter what I did I could not revive him. Birdette is with him right now and I am going to have to take him from her. I hope she understands that he is gone. She has been a wonderful mother and kept him alive when I felt there was no hope whatsoever. I allowed her to kiss him before he passed away, so she would know. I have allowed her some time with him now that he has passed. This room is so very empty and silent now that Dusty has gone.

The Dust Bunny

Birdette also gave birth in July, but her litter was born earlier than it should have been. True to form, there was one lonely kitten. This one had no coat, and its skin was so fragile it was transparent. It looked exactly like a new born baby mouse. I thought it would not make it, but Bird stayed with it night and day until it was 'out of the woods'. The baby is now 3 weeks old, very vocal and demanding, headstrong and curious. It has learned how to escape the container where it sleeps
and Birdette and I both have spent considerable time searching for her one and only child. As small as it is, it can run pretty fast, especially when it suspects that I will put it back in its box. Its skin developed a dark blue pigment then its coat started to grow. Its coat is white and very curly and appears to have frosted the kitten's body I will post several of its pictures. I had it next to a small china teacup as a way to compare its size. These pictures were taken Thursday evening, so not too long agao.

Finally, Baby Devons

In July, Cearra delivered a litter of four healthy little Devons. There is a black male with white accents and the cutest little curled, white eyebrows I have ever seen. The three girls are each a different shade of Tabby with white markings. Ch. Gaia Mischief Maker ,Trouble, is the sire. This is a first litter for both Trouble and Cearra. Cearra is my little wild child who played nonstop up until only a few minutes before the birth of her first kitten. She has a vivid imagination and can make a toy out of anything she finds and has boundless energy but is not hyper. I did not know how she would react to motherhood tying her down since she is also a social butterfly. I was afraid she might neglect the kittens in order to run and play. Cearra never hesitated to put her brood first and is only now beginning to venture away from them for more than a few minutes. Cearra has been a constant source of surprises ever since Karen Hill sent her to me. She definitely loves life and is not shy when it comes to getting attention. She does not beg for attention nor even ask for it, yet she expresses such joy at being touched, held or petted. I sometimes refer to her as my wild child but to tell the truth she is a true free spirit and I feel honored to share my home with her.

Update

So much has happened since my last post. I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia the first of December and confined to bed. I missed a full week from work and really got behind in my graduate classes. Since semester tests and reviews were due the second week of December, I returned to work earlier than I should have. My students were so sweet. They treated me as if they were afraid I break, but at least I kept their attention and completed all the assignments I had planned, except the Gravity Races. One of the Facilitators for my grad classes was not agreeable to my making up the assignments I had missed so I had to drop both classes (they are taught as a block). I spent Christmas break recuperating but it was not until the end of February
that my doctor said I had recovered.

I took Pearl, Trouble and Cearra, a darling black female kitten from Karen Hill's Beautymus cattery, to the Birmingham Cat Shows. There were 9 Devons entered. I had never been to a show that had more than 3, so I was excited and nervous at the same time. Pearl and Cearra loved all the attention, but Trouble,who was grossly overweight, did not care for it at all. There were 5 kittens entered, 3 Open and 1 Ch. Cearra took BOB kitten in 4 rings, Trouble earned 4
winners ribbons toward his Ch and one BOB and Pearl won 4 BOB and earned all of her winners ribbons to become Ch. Gaia Spiced Pearl. I was thrilled to say the least!

How long has it been?

I have been swamped. I decided to begin my master's degree in science education. I refuse to say how long it has been since I attended classes as a student, so this was a huge decision for me. I decided on the online program offered by Walden University because I will be teaching a full day of eighth grade science now. For the past few years I have taught reading, one section of science and one art class, so I felt that I needed to update my teaching style and learn some new and fun approaches to science. I have enjoyed the first course very much. It has not been easy as I had never participated in a chat or a forum before this course. I have definitely had to step outside my comfort zone to take this course.

I spent quite a bit of my free time during the summer, working at MJHS to get my classroom and lab organized before the start of school. When the first day for students arrived, my classroom looked great, but the lab was still junked up. I started staying after school each day to work in the lab, got home late and then started on my assignments for Walden. My little Devons did not know what had happened because I was no longer home during the day and playtime was almost non-existent. I have finally gotten everything under control, so I am going to start looking for cat shows. Pearl is so pretty in my eyes. She is mischievous, extremely affectionate and she is adorable and knows it! I have never had a cat that was oozing cute like she is! I think she is going to be so much fun to show.

Bits and Pieces

Not too much going on here. School is out for the summer and I have begun working on my Master's degree. The summer is always busy with my trying to catch up with all I put off during the school year, but I am setting aside time each day to just enjoy Birdette's last two kittens. The other cats are helping them learn the ins and outs of feline play, so I decided to add a few fun photos. First is a picture of Trouble (far right) and his two little siblings looking at images of regional winners on the Devon Rex Breed Club site. They are really taking it all in!

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.