Sunday, November 27, 2011

THIS WEEK IS FOR 'CATCH UP'. PHOTOS & PAPERWORK - PRIORITY ONE!

Five Days to Organize My Desk.
Fly one Kitten To Ottawa.
Get Final Accounts Done for Kittens
Leaving In The Next Two Weeks.
Maybe Have Lunch With Some Girlfriends.
* * * * *

Monday, November 21, 2011

UPDATED PHOTOS ON 'KITTENS AVAILABLE'

These kittens are of CRYSTAL'S Litter, next to become
Available to People on my Waiting List.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saturday, November 19, 2011

PEEK INSIDE THE BIRTHING ROOM AT JFRH CATTERY. STORY GIVES TIME LINE.


S'MORES DELIVERS HER FIRST LITTER
Many Friends Have Asked Me What It Is Like To Be A MidWife
To My Queens.  The Following Details Will Show What I Was
Doing For The Last 2 Days and 2 Nights.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
From Thursday Afternoon (17th) and All Through Thursday Night
She Was Restless, Pacing, Nesting In Every Conceivable Spot She
Could Find In Our Living Room and My Bedroom.  Very Talkative
and Would Not Leave My Side.  Howled If I Left The Room.
Throughout Thursday Night I Stayed Awake, With Her Laying
At My Side, Not Sleeping, But Constantly Changing Position.
Knew This Was Stage One, and It Can Go On For a Long Time.

8:35 AM FRIDAY MORNING (18th)

Extra Restless, So Checked Under Her Tail.
Saw the Mucus Plug Coming Out of Her.

9:26 AM

S'Mores Got Down To Business.  Stretched Out Full Length
With Visible Contractions Now Obvious.  Stage Two Has Started.
The Contractions Were Hard, and Came In Groups of 3 or 4, with
her Straining and Crying.  She Changed Position from Side to Side,
With Contractions Only Moments Apart.  Then She Would Have
A Few Minutes to Rest Before The Groups Started Again.
At Times Her Mouth Was Wide Open, and She Was Panting.
Although I Could See No Progress Under Her Tail, I Knew That
Kittens were Moving Into Position.  This Being Her First Litter
Meant That Visible Labour Could Go On For a Long Time.
Stage Three Begins.

10:12 AM 1st Kitten Is Born.

Not sure What She Should Do, and Still Hurting From the Delivery,
I Broke Open the Sack, and Tipped Kitten Upside Down to Clear Lungs.
Upon Baby's First Squeak & Cryout, S'mores Got Real Interested.
She Commenced Licking and Drying Her First Baby.

10:20 AM Placenta Presents.

This Is When I Take Over.  If The Queen Eats Them, It Most Often
Leads to Upchucking and Diarrhoea.  When I Am Sure All Blood
Has Drained Into the Kitten, I Clamp Off the Umbilical Cord Approx.
1" from Tummy, and Cut the Cord.  Kitten's Birth Is Now Complete.


10:40 AM Labour Commences Again.
10:53 AM Tail & 2 Hind Feet Presented.
Not to Panic, But This Kitten Needs To Get Born Quickly.
10:53 AM  2nd Kitten Emerges.
 Such A Surprise To See A "SOLID" Coloured Baby.


11:07 AM Placenta Presents.
Again, I Take That:  Then Put Kitten Under Mom's Chin.


11:08 AM  3rd Kitten Born  :  11:23 AM  Placenta Presents

11:48 AM  4th Kitten Born  :  12:17 PM  Placenta Presents



12:52 PM  5th Kitten Born  :  1:10 PM Placenta Presents
S'mores Has Had It.  She Just Lays There, Not Attempting
To Assist This Kitten.  I Cleaned, Dried, and Tended To
Placenta Before Putting Kitten To Mom's Tummy.
Made Sure All Five Had Faucets, and Were Tightly Attached.
S'Mores Slept Soundly For Over Three Hours, With
All Of Her Kittens Nursing Vigorously and Contentedly.


When S'mores Awoke, It Was Time For a Half Bath.  She Was A Mess.
Her Long Hair On Her Legs Was Saturated with Blood & Faeces.
What A Fantastic Girl.  I Bathed & Rinsed Her Bottom Half
Right On My Bed, In A Basin, Without Her Even Struggling.
She Licked My Hand As If To Thank Me For Cleaning Her Up.


Friday Afternoon and Evening, She Was Contented to Stay
Put In The Bassinette.  Not So When I Went To Bed Beside Her.
Every Night She Sleeps On My Right Side, Head Tucked on My
Arm As Her Pillow.  So Why Should That Change Now ???
She Continually Picked Up Her Kittens, Jumped Onto My Bed,
And Dropped Them In The Crook of My Right Arm.
Again No Sleep, As I Feared Moving and Squashing One.
I Watched TV All Night Long.

6:10 AM Saturday Morning  I GAVE UP!
YOU CANNOT ARGUE WITH A QUEEN & NEWBORNS
She and Her Five Babies Were So Happy To Go Back To
S'mores Favourite Sleeping Place :  Under a Wooden Chest
Filled With Sweaters, Right On The Hardwood Floor.


Here They Sleep, Oblivious To The Wonderful Warm Nest
I Had Prepared For Them In The Pink Bassinette
Beside My Bed.
S'Mores Is So Very Contented, Feeding Her Brood Hidden
Behind A Curtain Under My Sweater Chest, and Then
Sleeping Soundly On My Bed.

TONIGHT I HAD BETTER HAVE MY BED TO MYSELF.
BEEN TWO NIGHTS SINCE I'VE SLEPT SOUNDLY. 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Friday, November 11, 2011

NEVER FORGET - NEVER AGAIN

THANK YOU VETERANS FOR MY FREEDOM.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

CRYSTAL & SPIRIT KITTENS : 2 WKS 4 DAYS

Individual Photos on 'Kittens Available' Page.
Mommy Was Upset When I Uncovered Her Nest
To Take These Pictures.
Not My Usual Clear Photos. Sorry.
* * * * *

Monday, November 7, 2011

BABY GIRL TO BE ADDED TO JFRH HAREM

This Extremely Dark Seal Point Tortie Will Be Staying
Right Here To Add Her Seal Genes To Our Pool.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~