Wednesday 29th March
Well, today the kittens are 13 weeks old, so as from today, they are ready to go to their new homes. Nia and Frodo are leaving me on Friday evening, and Saffy is leaving us on Saturday morning. Bilbo is staying for a little longer as his mummy is moving to a new house, so we are waiting for her to move in. As my little boy is such a delight, and a bit of a little monkey these days, we look forward to him staying for a bit longer! Spotty, well, her future is a little undecided at the moment, so I will keep you posted on her. Fluffy is definitely staying here, which is probably a good thing now, as she has been playing a bit boisterously and is looking a little worse for wear this morning, with a few little scratches. She seems to suffer from the same problem that Lil suffers from. If she gets a little scratch from another cat/kitten, she seems to have an allergic reaction, which can lead to a little swelling around the eye. I can relate to this, because if I get any of their claws scratching me,I react, with little swellings and itching, so I suppose it is just the same for her.

Seeing them all now, as much as I love them, being such a big, boisterous litter, they are ready to start to move to their new homes. I can watch and see how the social structure is evolving with them, and how some are starting to try to assert themselves more than others. It reminds me, amusingly, of the last litter, with Smeagle, when on a couple of nights I had to come down, as he was growling at them all from the top of the settee, while they were all down looking up at him, lol. He is a beautiful cat now, but he just wanted to be kind of the pack at the time.

They all seem to have settled down from their vaccinations, which is always a relief. They have been hearing it around here since the early hours of the morning, so they are taking a well earned break now.

I took a good photo of Bilbo yesterday, sleeping on the windowsill in the sun. There is also an amusing one, of Lil and G, on the kitten box, G is calling at the moment, and you can see her being very affectionate near her mum.

I am hopeful that they will all behave when they go to their new homes now. I have spent ages trying to ensure that they know how to use the litter tray, that they are as used to people as possible. so it only really leaves me to wish them all the best in their onward journeys with their new families. And as with my last litter, I will put updates to let you know how they get on. Over the next week, I will add entries here, to share with you the experiences of them leaving. Thank you for taking the time to read all these entries over the past 13 weeks, I can hardly believe that we have reached this point so soon!

Monday 27th March
Lily's babies went back to the vets to have their second vaccinations this morning. They should have gone on Friday, but as I was so poorly, we rearranged it for today. Phew, after this morning's fun and games, I am glad that I did not attempt it on friday, as I do not think I would have coped very well.

One thing is for sure, these babies are NOT scared of going to the vets!!! And these babies did NOT appreciate being in their baskets and going out in the car this morning.

It took me nearly 20 minutes to actually find 6 kittens, who were happily running riot upstairs, under all the beds etc. Bilbo was the last to be found, and he thought I was playing a game, and kept running away from me. When I finally caught him, he was purring away, only to be put into the basket, with 3 other kittens, Fluffy, Nia, and Frodo, all of who were frantically trying to work out how to escape the wicker basket!!! Spotty and Saffy were meanwhile trying their best efforts to get out of the smaller basket. Poor Percy, as I carried each very noisy basket past him in the conservatory, I think he wondered what I had in them.

Fortunately I was a few minutes late, which meant I only had to sit in the waiting room for about 3 minutes. But during that 3 minutes, Fluffy managed to impale her claws into my poor unsuspecting hand and arm numerous times. I am allergic to cats, and my poor hand started to itch like crazy from all the scratches. Good ness what the other lady in the room thought, all you could see was 12 paws frantically trying to get to me from their baskets, and swearing at me!!

When we got into the surgery, they all wanted to get out!!! When I opened each basket up, they all piled out, and wanted to explore, so I had to keep the bars closed while we looked at each kitten. And even after they had had their jabs, they still wanted to come out for more......there was no hiding in the back of the basket for them.....I agreed with the vet that I would settle my rapidly growing vets bill later, and collect the vaccination certificates later, and made a hasty retreat to the car. The sweet vet took pity on me, and helped me carry out one of the baskets to the car.

Phew, they are now, tucked up in the computer room, with Lil. I want them to settle quietly for a while after their vaccines, just to keep an eye on them and check that they are all ok. They were all fine after the first lot, so I am pretty sure things will be ok with them. But a little peace and quiet will do us all good!!!

In the photos today, which I will post a little bit later. You will see quite a few of all 11 kittens, plus 2 mums, asleep on my bed. Little Caramel Tabby girl, who from now will be called Cari, had a visit from her new mummy and daddy yesterday, so we all had a kind of 'sleep in' on my bed!!!! I think had the bed been big enough, all adults, children and kittens would have fallen asleep!

Saturday 25th March
This morning I had all of Lil's kittens, plus all of G's kittens, running around my room, totally wrecking the place!!! No ornament was left standing, the towels that I had put for safety in my room, on the towel rail, were all pulled off, clothes that had been neatly piled ready for putting away, lay strewn on the floor........and then, once they had done that, Lil's kittens decided to crash out on my bed, with their mother, which is where they are now!!!

They are very good at recognising routine though. At night time, when I am ready for bed, I start to dim the lights, put the barrier to the bathroom door to keep the little ones in, put a bed out down here in the hallway, and slowly but surely they all make their way down here. I make sure the house is quiet, and usually, by bed time, they are all nicely settled down here. I often sit here, in the hallway, with my lap top connected for half hour, and Lil's kittens snuggle down on my lap, before I tuck them up and go quietly upstairs.

By the morning however, it is another story!!!! When I get up, they are teeming with energy and mischief!!!

Next week sees the start of some of them going to their new homes. Not until the end of the week though. I will probably keep these diaries going until about the end of the week,and then later put in an update on how each kitten is doing and how it has settled into its new home.

Poor fluffy has some nasty scars now on her ears, I think she has been a bit zealous in her play fighting!!! It is a good thing she is staying here!!!

Richard has done the hoovering for me downstairs this morning, so it is not quite such a tip, that makes me feel better. later in the day, I am going to risk scaring them all by taking the hoover upstairs as well, it is long overdue!!!

Friday 24th March
I am going to write a brief entry today, while I sit upstairs to watch the younger ones, while they sleep. Some of Lil's kittens are asleep with their mum, and some of them are still running around. I have let them have access to the kitchen, as they are now too big to squeeze down behind the cooker etc, so I feel they are relatively safe. There is a cat flat that leads to the conservatory, and they have been looking through it, obviously eager to get out there and explore. Lily has been trying to batter her way through it, but I have it locked. When I told her to stop, she looked at me, with that look she has and then scampered away.

It is just a week now before the kittens start to leave me, although a couple will be staying longer. I am trying to give them as much experiences as I can now, before they leave, another reason for opening up the kitchen.

When they are awake, they like to come up here most of the time and play with the little ones, they all seem quite happy together, and Saffy has stopped hissing!!! Lil however is not so keen, so I give her a bit of space so she can watch from a distance if she chooses. I think 11 kittens bombing around is just a bit much for her.

Bilbo has been very chatty while in the kitchen today, and is the first one to be found actually ON the surfaces, much to my horror!!! always used to think that he was the quiet kitten, but he seems to have really come out of his shell, is very chatty and full of mischief. Whereas Spotty and Fluffy seem to have calmed down. Having said that, Spotty had a great time last night, running around with a piece of paper in her mouth, growling at everybody!!!

I am now currently sitting at this lap top, on the floor, with 6 kittens and Lil snuggled in my legs.....I feel my blood circulation going rapidly!!!

Thursday 23rd March
I am going to write the same for both diaries today, and I apologise that there are still no photos. I am still feeling ghastly, and I have slept for the majority of the morning, and I am going back to sleep after writing this. I had to get up to offer food to all the kittens, and to check their litter trays. I had the separated while I slept, to make sure that G stayed with her babies, and there were not problems. I at least knew that everyone was safe while I slept, and warm and with food and clean litter trays. I knew I was still feeling rough, when I stood in the kitchen this morning, with kittens and cats howling outside the door for breakfast, a mountain of litter trays to sort out, and kids to get off to school, and I just stood there, with a feeling of not being able to cope, and felt very tearful. Bless Timothy at that point, as he came in , put his arms round me, and asked me what needed doing. Rich did little to help, but he also was not a menace as usual, so that in itself was a help. And he has agreed to cook tea tonight.

I also managed to sleep through my tescos delivery, so the poor cats are eking out their chicken and fish, and poor Percy is on the kitten sachets that the kittens wont eat!!! Fortunately I have a very healthy supply of cat biscuits, so that at least will fill their tummies up!

The little ones are just not so little any more, and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between Spotty and Gollum!!! He just keeps on eating.

Last night, Lil's kittens were really sweet. I sat on the bed settee, feeling quite rotten, and they all gathered around, and sat on my lap. And there they stayed for ages. Even young kittens can obviously sense when you are not well. It was a real comfort to have them sitting there. Fluffy and Spotty were being the sweetest. I will sign off now, Lily's kittens have gone back to sleep, on top of the kitten box in the sunshine. G's kittens have settled down upstairs, so I think they will sleep again for a while, at least when they all wake again, the children can help by sitting with them, so that the get their cuddles. They are the cuddliest kittens I have known, when I go up there, they suddenly appear from nowhere, demanding cuddles and strokes, bless them.

Wednesday 22nd March
I would just like to apologise for a lack of entry and photos today. Whatever this nasty bug is that I have been trying to fight, has hit me back with a vengeance again. I feel distinctly rotten. As I have managed to settle all the kittens down, and they are all happy for the moment, I am going to cuddle up for a short while, as I have a long evening to get through yet. Hopefully I will be able to share with you all the photos that I took last night tomorrow.

My babies are all beautiful, full of mischief, and energy,thankfully. I have put the tunnel out for them again, and all 11 have been playing in it. When they do, I have to watch, to make sure the little ones do not get hurt, as there is some boisterous play going on!!!

Hopefully diary entries will resume a normal tomorrow!

Tuesday 21st March
Now that G's are getting much bigger, when they are running around Lil is not too sure about them at the moment, and has been heard having a bit of a grumble!!! But Lil being Lil, I would expect nothing less of her. Lil is in charge of the feline house hold here, and she likes to let everyone know it.

Her kittens are getting much bigger now, and they are growing up so much. I can see now that some of them are really getting ready to leave for their new homes. There is a definite pecking order developing, and if all 6 were to stay here, it would be interesting!! I have been sitting with them a lot, watching, and analysing their personalities, and how they interact with one another, it is very interesting to watch.

Spotty definitely likes to spend her day times with the younger ones. She has changed in her personality, she is becoming much softer, and not as assertive as she used to be. Fluffy is a big strong girl now, and I had to break out a little 'game' between her and G a while ago, as it was becoming a little bit too serious. She is very strong even now, and I think G was realising that she is not so little any more! I am seriously beginning to think, that her staying here may not be such a good idea, I think she may upset Lil and G as she grows up!!!!! I have been gently trying to tell the boys this. Tim seems to be coming around to my way of thinking, but Rich is still adamant. I can understand why, she is very endearing, but she has such a strong personality.

Frodo, is just a nice quiet boy, as is Bilbo. Although, between the two, having watched them carefully over the past couple of days, Bilbo seems the more mischievous of the two.

Saffi....hmm, yes, little monkey! She is currently sleeping on my lap, having worn herself out attacking a cord on my trousers!!! She is very demanding, very vocal. And she unfortunately, is a bit of a bully with the little ones if she gets the chance...so I have to watch her.

Nia is a very quiet little girl, although she can fight with the rest of them. She still likes to eat, which is reflected in her weight!!!

They are all very beautiful, and perhaps I should not watch them so very much, because it starts me worrying all over again about them leaving and going to their new homes!!! I feel I want to go with them, to hold their 'hands', to make sure that they all behave!!!

Some of the photos today, see flufy and Spotty lying on the top of the scratching post, with the little ones. Some of lil playing with Nia and fluffy down here last night. Some of them all lying on the kitten box, in the sun, with little Lilac girl. And just some general ones of them playing.

Monday 20th March
My apologies for not adding an entry over the weekend. I had the pleasure of meeting some lovely people, who are offering new homes to my babies. It is always a pleasure to meet people who my babies are going to live with. Poor Bilbo's new mummy, waited for ages for them all to wake up, and can you believe that they slept for 5 hours non stop....this is unheard of, but they just did not want to play, they wanted to sleep. I can only assume they were playing all night and wore themselves out!! After a brief play, they then went back to sleep again.

This week sees more worming paste for the babies, and vaccinations again on Friday, so it is going to be a busy week for them. At last, some of them are eating some bought cat food. I am mixing some of the Royal Canin in pouches for sensitive tummies, with a little bit of Sheba. A couple of them like this as an alternative to chicken, fish and a selection of biscuits. Bilbo likes his cold chicken, that I buy for him from tescos.

Spotty has taken a real liking to the younger kittens. I think that now they are growing up, she enjoys being the bigger of the bunch, unlike being the smaller with the older babies!!! She is so sweet and pretty though, everyone who has visited have mentioned how pretty and sweet she is. She is becoming a little purrer too.

I am attaching photos taken for me at the weekend, so you will notice a marked improvement in quality!!! I was very grateful for these lovely photographs.

Friday 17th March
We are reaching the time now, where I am starting to prepare myself for these not so little ones, moving on to their new homes. This involves with it all the worry, will they be good, will they use the litter trays, eat nicely, purr and be cuddly!! Have I brought them up with manner, lol. The kitten packs for Royal Canin and James Wellbeloved arrived yesterday and today. Although I had to ring JW up this morning, as they had got the order wrong and half of it was adult food???????? I mean, kitten packs = kitten food????

But seeing it all stacking up in the increasing mess that is now my bedroom ( it is one of the places where I can close the door when people come to visit!!!!!), and it is all a reminder that the time will soon come to say goodbye. I hope it is not goodbye for ever though, and I hope we will get to see the little ones again, as we did with the last litter.

I have just taken a photo of them all ( bar one kitten, who is just on her way to join them) on the kitten box ( which needs to go up into the loft now). Some are trying to rip up Timothy's maths homework, some are huddled up to the radiator, which is pumping out heat, and cooking me!! G is down here, no surprises there, while her babies are leaping about upstairs, when I have written this I will go and spend some cuddle time with them. They do mix sometimes, but only when the older ones go up to them ( in Fluffy's case, to steal their food).

Next week sees their second vaccinations and their last lot of worming paste.

Last night was hard work. As 11 eleven of them seemed to turn into manic demons, around 10pm. They were in and out ( G has just run upstairs, grumbling to her babies, telling them she is on her way back) of the litter trays, like they were digging for Australia. Cat litter was flying everywhere...... I have a pile of used tesco's bags outside the back door of the conservatory, all full of cat litter and other associated bodily functions!! Phew, now that the nippers are using them too, it just goes on and on.

Philip is here at the moment, working from home. And he sat in the middle of the stairway, while on his lap top, as it is close to the phone point for him. But he completely blocked the stairs. I was up and down carrying litter trays and food bowls, while he just sat there...................................the air was starting to turn blue at one point. It can be soul destroying, when no sooner do you have one lovely, disinfected and clean litter tray, then someone hops in and toilets in it, scattering clean cat litter everywhere.

We have a new pet store open, and it is en route home from the children;s school, which is soooo useful. I went in yesterday, just to pick up 1 bag of cat litter ( 30litres usually lasts 2 - 3 days), I thought it would be dearer there than Pets at Home. When I asked how much it was, and they said it was on offer at only £6.99, I suddenly looked very happy and said I would take the lot. They did not seem very pleased that I had just emptied them of cat litter!!!

Anyhow, I must move onto G's diary entry, as I have to go out soon.

I wont be adding an entry tomorrow, so I will try to make it a double with photos on Sunday.

Thursday 16th March
words some times cannot explain the total feeling of exhaustion sometimes!!! I got cross with the children last night, as it seemed that I was running up and down the stairs, seeing to all the kittens, litter trays etc and all they kept asking was if they could watch the tv ( suffering withdrawal symptoms since it has been turned off now that kitten box is empty!), or just generally being a nuisance......soooo mum turned into the old witch, and growled and sent them to bed!!! It was a little unfair on Tim, as he is usually so helpful, but at 12 1/2 years, Rich has forgotten the meaning of the word to be helpful, it is not good for his image I am told......................although he did cook me some gluten free scones the other night, when he realised I was under the weather .

Anyhow, kittens. They are currently by my feet, attacking a small bag that I have put down. It did once contain the box of a ring that I had from and auction on SOCOC. The small bag and its handles are causing a great deal of interest!

Nia however is doing what she does best, eating!!! I have grown very fond of her, she is quite quiet compared to some of the others, but really really sweet. Fluff remains the hooligan as ever, closely followed by Spotty. Saffy, purrs away, but is not too keen on the little ones upstairs, so I have discovered, neither is Frodo, my larger boy. I think they suddenly got big over night and it was a bit of a shock to Saff and Frodo!!! lol Little Bilbo, he just purrs and is my little sweety.

I tried to take one photo to capture their movement, so you may see one photo 3 white blurs!!! I have not looked at them yet, so I am not sure how they have come out.