Puppy Power

For a kitten, Charlie has some unusual habits. We were told that she was born on a farm, with lots of other kittens and puppies around. I guess some of the puppy traits must have worn off on her. For one thing, when she catches things, she likes to carry them off in her mouth to a "secret" place (usually under a chair) and play with them. And now, her favourite toy is a full-size tennis ball, which she will play with for hours.

Charlie plays very gently with the ball, rolling it around, chasing it, and "fetching" it by locking one of her claws into the outside.

We gave Charlie the second half of her worming tablet tonight (the first half was given by the vet, two weeks ago). It doesn't seem to have upset her stomach too much. But because it's New Year's Eve, she's a bit worried by the sound of the fireworks at our local golf club. I hope she manages to get some sleep tonight...

A Playful Saturday

Not much to report today, as it was a normal kinda day. Charlie had all three of us at home, so she was able to play and eat and sleep as much as she wanted to. Here's a cute photo of her playing on the kitchen floor in a sunny place.

More Sun

Here's a cute shot of Charlie lying on our kitchen floor in her favourite bit of morning sun. She certainly is growing very fast!

Charlie's daily routine is quite settled now:

1. Wake up when I get out of bed (usually around 6:30am).
2. Eat food.
3. Play as much as possible.
4. Lay in the morning sun in the kitchen and play quietly with toys.
5. Play some more. Eat some more.
6. Have a big sleep in the afternoon (usually 4-5 hours).
7. Wake up and eat.
8. Lay in the afternoon sun on the other side of the kitchen.
9. Play a lot at maximum speed.
10. Go to sleep with Blue's mum and don't get up until the next morning.

Charlie sleeps through the night now, but the main reason is that she's scared to get up by herself and go to her litter tray or eat food in the kitchen, which is all the way through in the other end of the house. So she sleeps until somebody gets up to go with her (usually me).

In The Sun On Friday

I'm happy to report that Charlie bounced back to normal after a good sleep yesterday afternoon. She seems just fine today.

Charlie played for an hour or so this morning, then went to sleep in her favourite spot in the sun (on our red Hikosen Cara cat). She's been with us for almost two weeks now, and she's certainly grown a lot in that time. She isn't such a baby now, and has become quite independent. But she still appreciates a lot of cuddling whenever she can get it.

For most of the day, Charlie stayed home with Blue's mum, because Blue and I went out to see a movie. 

Boxing Day Cat Games

I managed to grab a few more photos this morning while Charlie was playing with her favourite toy - a piece of paper tied on a string. I say "grab" because it's actually really difficult to entertain Charlie and take photos as the same time - especially when she moves so fast!

Here she is in a quieter moment, in between bursts of energy. A you can see, Charlie loves the sunlight that comes in our windows, and I try to encourage her to play there as much as possible.

This doll is mine! Charlie seems to have taken a liking to one of Blue's Monster High dolls...

Well, Charlie had a VERY long sleep this afternoon - almost five hours (with a short break for food and toilet in the middle). I was home with her by myself while Blue and her mum hit the Boxing Day sales in the city.

Charlie got up around 6:00pm and ate some food, played a tiny bit (in a very reserved way) and now she's gone back to sleep again. She seems a little hot, so I hope there's nothing wrong. When she wakes up, I will try to play with her as much as I can.

Happy Christmas From Charlie...And Us!

Christmas Day was spent quietly at home, and Charlie was happy to have all three of us home together for once. She's starting to develop the habit of having a big long sleep in the afternoon, which our last cat (Tootie) used to do. It's a good routine, because it means that if we are away from the house Charlie will sleep most of the day and not be too upset. But for the moment, we're really trying to have at least one person home with her all the time.

Anyway, we all wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas, a peaceful holiday season, and a bright 2014!

Christmas Eve

My last (half) day at work was spent running around sorting out personal stuff with Blue, so Charlie had to stay home again with Blue's mum. They are getting along very well, and Charlie has now taken to sleeping on Blue's mum's bed at night. It's a nice, quiet place for her.

We didn't put up our Christmas tree this year, mainly because we were afraid that Charlie might try to attack it - plus those lights and decorations could be dangerous for a little kitten. Maybe next year.

Home Alone!

I had to go back to work today, and Blue took her mum shopping in the afternoon, so Charlie was home alone for the first time - just for a couple of hours. Actually, it was fine because she slept the whole time they were away!

Charlie really is becoming a big girl. And she's growing fast, too. Maybe I've just gotten used to her size, but I'm sure she's bigger than when we got her nine days ago. I guess she won't be a cute, playful kitten forever. So I'm trying to treasure this time as much as possible.

Charlie is fascinated by the bathroom at the moment. We don't let her go in there, because we think it might be dangerous for her while she's just a baby. But every time someone uses the bathroom, Charlie sits outside the door and patiently waits for them to come out. It's kinda funny to watch...

Charlie At Play

Here's a very cute video of Charlie at play on the lounge this morning. She kept trying to follow the camera around, and every time I moved she followed me.

For most of today Blue and I were out visiting friends before Christmas, so Charlie had to stay home with Blue's mum. When we got home, Charlie was sleeping soundly and looked like she'd had a happy day.

A Cat On A Cat?

Charlie found another sunny spot to sleep today - on the end of our lounge on our red Hikosen Cara cat. (This was after several hours of early-morning play, of course.)

Can you find Charlie in the next shot of our living room? She's a little tiny cat in a very big house!

These next photos of Charlie at play were taken by Blue:

Last but not least, here is an adorable video of Charlie just waking up from sleep.

Catching Some Rays

Charlie loves the sun, like all cats, and if she can find a sunny place to sleep she will do it. We're hoping to keep her indoors, even when she's older. Our previous cat, Tootie, was very much an outdoor cat - and, after a long life, ended up being killed in a savage dog attack. We don't want something like this to happen to Charlie! So, if it's at all possible, we're going to try to make her and indoor cat. Still, getting some fresh air and sunshine are important.

This morning, Charlie found a sunny place on our yellow cat on the lounge and decided to sleep there.

Some good news, too, is that Charlie drank water for the first time today. Up until now she's only been drinking cat milk, which the vet encouraged us to cut down (and we also notice it's been upsetting her tummy a bit). So drinking water is a good sign, and I'm going to give her cat milk only once per day.

At the moment, Charlie eats a combination of: "Optiumum" dry kitten food with chicken, "Dine" and "Whiskas" kitten food (and the very occasional can of adult cat food for variety), a small amount of raw beef cut up into very tiny pieces, some cat milk and water.

Weird Sleeping Places

It's Thursday today, but I have today and tomorrow off work because I have to take care of a number of urgent personal things. Anyway, like all cats, Charlie chooses some pretty weird places to sleep. I don't really understand this. As a pet owner, you buy fancy beds and show your cat all the nice comfortable places to sleep - and they go and sleep in the darndest, most uncomfortable-looking places. Is it about being independent? I really don't know.

After a long morning of play and exploring, Charlie discovered a cloth bag underneath a coffee table in our family room. She crawled into it - don't ask me how - and proceeded to sleep there for the next hour or so.

Go figure. This afternoon, Charlie took advantage of a spot under the kitchen table to avail herself of some sun. Again, not very comfortable, and really really dusty - but there you go. You can also notice in these next photos that the parts of Charlie that look black actually aren't - they're a kind of tabby, made up of black and very dark chocolate brown.

Charlie Crashes Out

I think I mentioned a few days ago how Charlie will play and play and play, and then flop down and sleep almost anywhere. She'd been running around on our lounge tonight, which is a safe, soft place for her to chase her "fishing rod" toy (a piece of paper tied to a string and a rod). But then when her "petrol" ran out, she flopped down on these cardboard boxes (full of Blue's dolls and doll clothes, by the way) and slept there.

These shots give you an idea of how small Charlie is:

But then Charlie heard the camera and started to wake up:

Charlie Goes To The Vet

Tonight we took Charlie to the Vet for the first time. We've decided to keep going to Kingsford Veterinary Hospital (even though it's not our closest vet) because the staff are kind and they took very good care of Tootie during her final years.

So we bought a new pet carrier this afternoon, and put Charlie into it and set off in the car. She was a bit scared and confused during the drive, but nothing too serious. When we arrived at the vet, though, I made the mistake of taking her out of the carrier before our appointment, and Charlie totally freaked. I think it's a combination of the unfamiliar environment, the sounds and the smells, but even though I did my best to hold her, she fought with all her strength to get away.

Finally we got to see the vet, and Charlie appears to be health and doing fine. She got her first vaccination, half of a tiny worm tablet, and finally a Frontline spray for fleas (which have been bother her up until now). The poor little cat had to endure so much! But she was well-behaved during most of it, and less anxious on the way home.

So now, we have to give Charlie the other half of the worm tablet in two weeks, then bring her back to the vet for her next vaccination in three weeks.

The vet warned us that she might be a little sleepy after the vaccination, and this certainly happened. She ate some food, played a little, and then slept very soundly for about four hours. We hope she is going to be ok. But we want to visit the vet regularly and keep up with her vaccinations and worming. And we will also get her desexed around 6 months of age (around May next year).

Charlie Stays Home

Blue and I both had to go to work today, and Charlie had to stay home with Blue's mum. Like a doting parent, I was worried about her most of the day, and I probably annoyed my co-workers with constant phone calls to see how she was going.

But at the end of the day when we got home, Charlie was doing just fine. She's a very sociable cat, and she gets along well with all three of us. It's a big help having Blue's mum at home to take care of Charlie while we're at work - especially now, while she's just such a baby.

Our First Full Day With Charlie

Charlie slept on our bed last night, which worked out fine...except she peed on the quilt cover some time in the early morning. Poor Charlie! I guess the first night in your new home was confusing for you, and you forgot about using your litter tray (or maybe you were scared to go through the big, dark house by yourself?).

Anyway, it's an occupational hazard with any new pet, and Charlie has been such a good girl, sleeping through most of the night and waking about with me about 4:30am. (She's luck that I'm an early riser).

I grabbed these few shots with my phone while Charlie was enjoying her cat milk this morning.

Her eyes have nearly lost all their blue colour, so maybe she is eight weeks old after all and is just small or her age. I'm not sure. You can see her black moustache in the next picture:

And here she is with a cheeky expression after enjoying her meal:

Like all kittens, Charlie LOVES to play. She will play for hours (much longer than we often have patience for), then just drop down and sleep. It's so cute. Here she is, asleep after a long play session, on our yellow Hikosen Cara cat on the lounge.

Charlie is very sweet and soft, but she's also mischievous, and likes to explore every tiny nook and cranny around the house. We've tried our best to block up things that might be dangerous, but I think she's going to need constant supervision for a few weeks until she gets used to everything. Luckily, Blue's mum can stay home through the day for a while, so there'll be someone with Charlie when we both go to work tomorrow.

Welcome Home, Charlie!

It was exciting when Blue told me yesterday that we might be getting a new kitten. We lost our much-loved cat, Tootie, last September after a long and happy 13-year life, and we honestly haven't felt like having another pet since then. Blue's boss, Nadine, offered to arrange a kitten for us last Christmas, but we just didn't feel up to it.

We'd already been talking about the possibility of getting a kitten in the new year (2014), so when Nadine offered to help again this year, we decided to accept. We'd seen some photos of the kitten, which showed that she had a black mark like a moustache under her nose. So we decided to call her 'Charlie' because she looks like Charlie Chaplin.

Blue was working this morning, so we drove to pick up Charlie in the early afternoon. When we got to the home of Nadine's friend, we found our adorable little Charlie, and from the first time I held her in my arms, I knew I couldn't let go. She is just so tiny and adorable.

Charlie's owner said that she was eight weeks old, but to me she seems even younger - maybe seven weeks. It's hard to tell exactly, but she's very tiny and hasn't been vaccinated yet.

We drove home in the car with Charlie, and because we didn't have a pet carrier, I had to hold her all the way. She was a little bit nervous but seemed ok. When we arrived at our big, old house, Charlie was very excited and started exploring straight away.

Charlie is very good at using her litter tray, and seems to like a mixture of food - so far, she's had a little dry food and some wet canned food (for kittens). She also drinks cat milk, which her previous owner had been feeding her. We'll probably try to wean her off this over time, but it's a comfort food for her at the moment.

Charlie has been playing very energetically today with a few simple toys we made from some string and paper, plus a practice golf ball that she likes to bat around on the floor and the piece of a plastic hose fitting. These are pretty blurry photos, but they do capture our new little kitten in action:

She's such a baby, though. She really needs to be held and nursed often, and likes to sleep curled up close to something. Obviously she's still used to sleeping with her mother or the other kittens from her litter. She likes to sleep on our bed, too.

I hope everything works out, and that you have a long and happy life with us, dear Charlie. I want to keep this blog to record my daily experiences with Charlie - something I wish I'd done with Tootie. I'll be posting lots of photos and video, too.