Mainly kitten spam - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 26 February, 2024

by Rosemary at 11:17am in Smallholding No comments Add your own

Monday 19^th February

Final kitten preparations today. We’re excited and apprehensive.

Tuesday 20^th February

Collected Riley and Cooper from the shelter this afternoon. Oh boy, is he uber confident!!! Bounced up to Diesel (who’d sneaked (if a 6kg cat can still sneak!) into the cat room) and booped him on the snoot. Exit Diesel.

Riley is much quieter. She stayed in the carry box for a while after arriving home. She’s very cuddly and not anything like as playful as Cooper, but he’s had an easier life. So far.

Riley.

Dan’s been out cutting more logs for splitting. When he’s not kitten wrangling. Plan is to keep them in the room until the weekend. Wish us luck.

Getting the beech logs moved.

Wednesday 21^st February

Sock's halter training is proceeding slowly. She’s how happy to get the halter on while she’s eating, but it just goes on and off. No pressure.

Legs learning about halters.

Riley has a bit of a scooty bum. And she’s smelly and farty. Might just be the change of food and so on. She was the same at the shelter. We’ll see what she’s like tomorrow but a wee trip to the vet might be in order.

Dan’s hypnotised them into curling up together on his lap. They don’t know each other, so they have to get used to each other too. Riley was born at the shelter and rehomed with her sister, who was bullying her, so she was sent back for rehoming. She’s not going to be bullied by Cooper!

Cooper l and Riley r - yes, I can tell the difference.

Thursday 22^nd February

Taking Riley to the vet tomorrow. She’s coming out of her shell, which is nice to see. Cooper has the most incredible purr and doesn’t have a shell.

Planted the daffodils I found in a bag. They're in rows in the vegetable garden; if they come, I'll cut them for the house. I'll transplant them in the autumn.

 

Friday 23^rd February

Riley’s had an antibiotic jag and has some special food. Fingers crossed.

Saturday 24^th February

Finally planted the shallots (Griselle and Jermor). The Jermor looked better than the Griselle.  Not sure how they’ll do but they’re in the ground. Dan’s pruning the apple trees. He’s done three of six paddocks – and the done ones are the hardest and most time consuming. All being well, he’ll make his en-of-February deadline.

Riley seems better and is much more playful. The two kittens seem to be bonding a bit and they play together now. Noisily.

We opened the door of their room this afternoon; they’ve been all over the house. Bertie’s not awfully happy, Diesel is fine, Gwenna is fascinated, Bryn is worried, but he’s a worrier by nature.

Cooper.

Sunday 25^th February

Beautiful day. Proper spring-like.

Spring, or thereabouts.

Seeking ideas for our garden, Dan and I had lunch out then visited a local garden for a snowdrop walk. There was also a fantastic walled garden but it was uncultivated, which was really sad.

When I haltered Legs this morning. I stayed with her and wrapped the rope round the pen railings, so I could hlod her but release if she really panicked. She threw herself about a bit, but two carrots in her bowl and she quietened down and let me take the halter off calmly.

The kittens go to bed in their own room at night so we can open the cat flap for the big boys; during the day, it’s set to let them come in but they have to ask to get out. Which they do.

Diesel is such a good boy.

So pretty happy with how it’s gone so far. Oh, and they like chicken. Of course.

More kitten spam. Sorry, not sorry.