10:40 Friday morning
I am only going to write a few lines this morning. I have visitors coming round later today, to see the babies, Richard and Timothy are STILL at home, and I confess that I am still feeling grotty myself. But I have dosed myself up with Paracetamol's, and as all mothers do, keep going!!! In contrast to Richard who has barely raised himself from his bed since Wednesday!

The kittens on the other hand, seem to have the opposite problem, their sleep and quiet times are short and brief, their rampaging times seem to be frequent!! I was aware at 06:30 this morning, that there was a lot of noise outside my door. I grudgingly got up, and looked out. 5 pairs of eyes looking at me, and empty food plates. So I got up, refilled their plates, refilled the ones downstairs and let Percy outside, opened up the door so they could get into the cat run, and then went back to bed.

They have all gone to sleep now, so there is a brief time of quiet in the house. Rich is whimpering in his room next door, watching Black Adder on the television, and Timothy is attempting to get dressed and eat something.

I have taken a couple of photos, they show Lily and the kittens having a sleep on my bed............it wont be long before they take it over, I am sure.

11:00 Thursday morning
The only words I can use to sum up this morning are CHAOS !!!

I have 2 children off school still, I am feeling better than yesterday, but I still had ( a kitten has just flown into the lap top with a thud, poor thing!!) a good long lay in. Timothy is in his room and hasn't surfaced yet.

The kittens are now in my room aswell............I think the words are' trashing the joint'...........they are EVERYWHERE!!!! Lily's is trying to patrol them, but they run too fast and appear leaping, seemingly out of nowhere! Sooo much energy in animals so small!!!

They love this room, especially leaping all over the bed. Rich is laying on it, moaning that he feels unwell, and can I make a fuss of him. I told him that with 5 rampaging kittens, there is no time!! so he is laying there, and allowing himself to be leapt over. By golly, they can get up some speed when they get going, one just leapt at my bare foot, they have large needles now for claws, and I am scratched to bits!!!

LOL, as I type, one is stalking Rich who is moving under the duvet, it is now having a stroke and purring while on my pillow, needless to say, I have not made my bed, there seems little point until they go back to sleep. But at least they are using up lots of energy, so they will sleep well later, which is good, as I have to go to tescos, as I am seriously running out of supplies. 3 of them are really enjoying the cooked white fish and tuna that I give Lil twice a day.

I am going to have to get the hoover out later today, and hoover up here. This will be the first time they have come into such close contact with the hoover, as I have shut them in the bathroom before. We will see who is the bravest!

I may not have an entry tomorrow, as I have visitors coming to see the babies. So if I run out of time, my diary will have to be postponed. I will wee how the time goes tonight, but I have friends visiting tonight also. I want my kittens to meet different people now, so that they get used to others, and are not shy in any way.

Today's photos tell the scene here as best as I can. 2 kittens playing in the bathroom and one kitten trying to eat Richard's hair. Please excuse the unkempt state of my bedroom this morning!!!

11:07 Wednesday morning
Well, this morning, I have both children off from school! Tim has been off since Monday, but I am hoping tomorrow he will be back, Richard has decided that it is his turn to feel poorly. I seem to feeling decidedly grotty again, so it is one of those days, where little is getting done, unless it is for the benefit of the cats. When I realised both kids were going to be off this morning, at 07:15 I climbed back into bed and slept till 09:00, when Tim came in to wake me up! And since then, I have been seeing to the animals.

It has been hectic. The kittens, are just so full of energy, it seems that they hardly ever sleep. I know they are awake again, because I can hear Lily grumbling to them, and they do sound like elephants as they stampede across the landing.

Lily decided to take exception to some of the other older Siams in the house this morning. I think she took exception to one of them hissing at a kitten........bad move, Lily turned into a dragon, and made jolly sure that they all knew who is boss in the house. She may be smaller than the rest of the now, but she still commands respect and authority. after all, the others are still her children and Grandchildren!

So I am still keeping the kitten up the stairs so as to avoid further little spats. Although it wont be long before they can climb over the barrier.

And they are eating heaps. Every time they wake, up , they are asking for food, so I must be putting down at least 5 meals a day for them. But I have to say, that this bunch are the easiest that I have fed. It is so much easier when they eat 'wet cat food' !! hopefully these wont grow up to be fussy like their mother, who still keeps trying to bury their food.

Their litter tray usage is brilliant, and we just don't have accidents at all. They all scamper off to the 2 trays in the bathroom, including Lil, and away they go. It really is a credit the the litter I am using, it really DOES work. None of them have touched the other tray with the paper based cat litter in it!! Once they get to 9 weeks, I will start to mix the 2 together, so that they are used to other cat litter.

My house has totally been converted, and now it just looks like a large place, designed for cats, in which we are allowed to exist. I had a friend visit the other day, and they made the comment, that this place is 'definitely designed for cats'....I never really think about it, but I suppose if you have not been here before, then it probably does. The large cat run at the back of the house, just adds to the effect. the older Siams love being out there, and are there nearly all the time they are awake. I can see when the weather warms up, they will hardly use the house. I will put some more comfy bedding on the little ledges for them to sit on. Right, they are all asleep, hopefully they will stay that way for an hour, so that I can grab a little more sleep. Today's photos I took last night, I loved the one of Skippy.

13:43 Tuesday
Well, I am really behind with this entry today. As I go along to Scouts on a Monday evening, I don't get the chance to write it in the evening afterwards, and this morning I have just been busy.

They are continuing to grow, and eat, and run around using up lots of energy!! They really are lively, and most of them can get to the top of the larger scratching post now.

I put down some different food this morning, some Applaws chicken, kitten food. They had always turned their noses up at it before, but this morning I mashed it down, added a bit of warm boiled water, a few drops of evaporate milk, and they went MAD for it! I had to dish up seconds. And much to my surprise, even young Skippy ate it as if she had never been fed!! So I have just ordered a box of 48 small tins, cue kittens to suddenly decide, actually, they don't like it after all...........I can't believe that I have actually found something, that all 5 of them like!!!! If they continue to like it, it will make my life so much easier. Merry was also tucking in to Lily's white fish and tuna last night, so little by little, they are learning to enjoy more food.

I have put down a third litter tray on the landing, but only filled this one with paper based cat litter. And guess what, no one has shown the slightest interest in it, they all bundle into the 2 that have Cat Attract in it..........even Lil has stopped using the trays downstairs in preference. I have just ordered myself another bag. That one will have lasted just over 2 weeks, which makes it about £10 a week on cat litter for these little ones. But as they get older, obviously we will start to use more.

I have moved another cat bed in front of the wicker basket, and they all seemed to have moved into that, instead of the basket. But it always was Lily's favourite bed, I will go and take a couple of photos of them in it when I have written this.

We have 3 kittens with definite characters, and whom I can tell apart, Merry, our Chocolate Point Male, Rappy, our little Chocolate girl, Skippy, our little Lilac terror. Then the other 2 girls,, who also seem to be Chocolate, I find it hard to tell apart when they are running around. It is only when I have the 2 together, that I can see one is smaller. But they also both seem to be Chocolate. I think the larger of the 2 girls will stay here. I have to confess that I am disappointed that none of them have turned out to be tabby, this is the first litter with no tabbies in it.

Skippy has made a couple of break outs, into various bedrooms. I can guarantee, that if a door opens up, she will be the first through it, and the last out. I am sure she is organising all the others to be naughty, as they all seem to follow her! She really does remind me of Smeagle when he was a young kitten, from our first litter. I had some beautiful photos of him from his mummy last night, maybe she will let me post one on here for you all to see.

I will go and take a few photos now, of them all curled up in the cat bed, and then hopefully get them posted on the diary page.

14:25 Sunday
Mothers day, and I have had a slow start to the day. Last night I was late to sleep, and at 03:00 Tim came into my room, upset as his nasty cough was keeping him awake. So I told him to get into bed with me, where I could keep an eye on him. I think he just needed his mum to reassure him at that point. It is a very long time since I have been woken by a child in the night, so I knew he must be feeling rotten.

Today, I have moved the wicker basket that they sleep in, onto the landing and out of the bathroom, by the radiator. I have put another litter tray by them, just incase they forget how to find their way back into the bathroom. They have been such stars with their toileting, that I would hate it if it all went wrong now. I still can't believe how easy it has been to litter train them. Now I can slowly start to get the bathroom back, so that we can use it again!

I also want to start to give them some of the stairs to play on, but I will have to block off the side of the banisters, so that they don't fall down. I remember last time, 3 of the kittens, making flying leaps, as they got bigger and learnt how to jump up onto the banisters. They scare me when they get bigger and start to leap onto things much higher up!

They are all starting to develop their own little personalities. Mother nature is amazing, 5 little babies, all from the same litter, and yet they will all grow to be different in their little traits. Skippy, is most defintely going to be trouble, but such fun!!! There will never be a dull moment with her around.

But they are all very much more adventurous, and it is hard to believe, 6 weeks tomorrow (Monday), I only have them for another 7 weeks! where has that time gone to.

It is 20:20 Sunday evening now, and they are settled in their basket, after a run around. I think that Lil is happy having them out on the landing, it's much cosier for her.

20:10 Saturday evening
Well, what can I say, except that these little ones, are growing up at a tremendous rate!! I have so many thoughts in my head about them, I have to stop and think about what to write.

They really are just the friendliest bunch I have had, I am sure, or maybe it has been a year and I have forgotten!! But they are so friendly, and loving. After they have been running around for a fair while, I can see they are slowing down, and Lily is grumbling for them to go to sleep. So I turn off the light in the bathroom ( their basket is still in there, although they are running all over the landing now, and my bedroom sometimes), put them in their wicker basket, Lil goes to join them, looking at me thankfully. And then I will sit there, it reminds me of putting my children to bed when they were babies. They all look at me, and I stroke them, and close my eyes, and whisper to them, and one by one they fall to sleep!!! It is sooo sweet, and so much like putting my boys to bed when they were little. Lil looks at me, and mumbles, and I am sure she is saying Thank you.

Richard and Tim are really enjoying them now that they are this age. I was laughing tonight, as Rich was sitting with them, and they were all over him. Merry was having a good bit of his toes and socks, when I say bit, I mean in the playful way that they chew one another. Rich really likes Merry, he is a lovely natured little boy.

Then there is Skippy, where do I start with her. She is such a little monkey, but so charming with it. I think she is one of the naughtiest kittens I have had, apart from Smeagle a couple of years ago. As Smeagle is looking for a new baby to join him, part of me thinks the 2 of them will get on really well!!

Then we have the 3 other girls. Rappy is now called Rhapsody, and she is the smaller of the 3 girls, and defintely Chocolate. She is lovely, cuddly, with a bit of naughtiness in with it.

The third girl, I am still not totally sure of her colour, she is quite dark, but I suspect she may turn out to be Caramel in the end. She is lovely, just a lovely balance of mischief and cuteness.

And finally, there is the largest girl. As I do not have any tabbies in this litter, I am not sure which one to keep here, but I am suspecting that it may be her. I need another girl to take over being a mum, from Lily, and she has a lovely temperament. Perfect for being a mother. We shall see, we have another 7 weeks to go yet before they start to leave us.

They had a break out into my bedroom today, which was quite funny. As I walked into the room to retrieve them, they all sat and looked at me, except for, guess who, yes, Skippy, she was gone in a flash, with an air of 'you can't catch me' about her. I did laugh to see her little body flying under the bed. I really don't mind them in here, but the only worry for me, is that they will naturally go under the bed, where I have 2 large drawers, and I am worried I wont find them! By next week though, i.e. Monday, they can start to have the stairs as well to run on. Then they will be allowed downstairs, they are growing up too quickly for me.

09:49 Friday morning
I could not write anything last night, because our server went down, and I could not get on line. This probably means that I wont get any photos mailed across today, as time is running short now, and I know the kittens will wake as soon as I have finished this, which means they will want ME.

They were awake at 06:00 this morning. I could hear the older ones thumping around, and Lil had obviously opened up the bathroom door, because I could hear the little ones thumping around in there. I did not get to bed till midnight, and I was trying to not wake up, but Lily was muttering to me outside my bedroom door.......so I caved in and got up. Let the babies onto the landing, fed them, and let the older ones dash out into the outdoor run. They LOVE being out there.

After I had done some more chores, letting Percy out etc. I went back upstairs, and said,
'hello my little terrors'. Honestly, they all ( bar one who had fall ed to sleep) came leaping towards me, and threw themselves in my lap, demanding strokes, cuddles and purring like little engines ( I can hear Lil grumbling upstairs, they must be awake........that's my cue to go and share the parental duties!). They are the most loving bunch that I have had, they really are loving. Even our little menace, Skippy, purrs away when she is tired. She really is a character, you can see the devilment sparkling in her eyes as she races about.

And this is a first for me, 4 of the kittens are actually eating wet cat food from a sachet. Those that know me well, will know that I am a bit soft, and spoil my cats on the feeding front, and I am not very successful at getting them to eat wet cat food. So for me, this is a real achievement!!!

But there is one, yes, guess who, Skippy.........'yuck' she says, I am NOT eating THAT, she almost looks at me in disgust, just like her mother does!!!

Well, I am off upstairs now, to go and give them a little cuddle, and tell them that I love them, as I really do. It'll break my heart saying goodbye to them, one will stay here though, I realise that I am just not strong enough to let them all go !!!!

21:02 Wednesday evening.
PHEW!! I am officially tired out. I had forgotten just how lively 5 1/2 week old kittens were! When they wake up, I can only describe it as an eruption..........they just erupt out of the basket, yell a lot, and then run around like mad things!! And then when they get themselves into something they maybe shouldn't or cannot get out of, they YELL. Lily runs over to them, looks at me, and she YELLS........so I run, and make sure that whoever is panicking, is put safely back by it's mum, who looks at me with gratitude.

I had been worrying that they had not eaten much today, despite my best efforts to tempt them, but then this evening, they had a huge meal, and have consequently fallen fast asleep in the basket with Lil. Lily is glad they are asleep, because she can stop worrying about them.

The only problem with them falling to sleep like this, is that I have just remembered that I have not taken any photos yet, and I dare not sneak into the bathroom and photograph them in bed, incase I wake them up again. I feel I need a short rest, before they stampede the landing again.

But they are still amazing with the litter trays. I cannot believe how easy it has been, and it goes to show, that using wood pellets, was not popular with kittens. Cat Attract is obviously far more pleasant for them. But in order to cut costs a little ( as when they are fully integrated with the rest of the house, it would be just too expensive) I am going to start to put some of the soft paper based cat litter on the bottom of the tray, and then cover it with a think layer of Cat Attract. Hopefully this will still do the job. And eventually the plan is to get them completely onto the paper based one along with the older cats in the house.

I really am tired at the moment. I tried to tidy some of the house today, but it seems a never ending task!! I start at one place in the house, and by the time I get to the next bit, the place I tidied up is trashed again!! If only my human children would be more obliging when it comes to keeping tidy.

The older Siams in the house, have spend a large part of their day in the outdoor run, they love it, especially when the weather is like this. And I love seeing them out in it.

I am wondering how long I will be able to keep them up here, restricted to upstairs, as they are determined little fellows, and one already has make a bid for the stairs. Only to stand there and yell when it got over, as it didn't know where to go next. I am not sure who it was, as I came running to the rescue, and scooped it up and put it back with the others.

21:30 Tuesday evening
Well, the kittens are out of the bathroom when they are awake. I opened up the little barrier that we have in the doorway, and at first they were hesitant, but now when they wake up, and I move it out of the way, they come racing out, like pigeons at the start of a race!

It is great to see them really running, and obviously so enjoying it. They had been such good babies, with no litter tray accidents, that I had to let them out, they so wanted to see more of the world.

I sweep up quite a lot with the dustpan and brush, as there is a constant supply of cat litter on the floor, and when I do so, the little monkeys attack the brush, and make life very difficult! It's funny to watch though. They are all lively and have developed the habit of attacking my socks on my feet..........ouch, it hurts. But not as much, as when they decide my bare legs are scratching posts, and they take a leap, and dig their cute little claws into my bare flesh, that is a double ouch!!!!!!! No, make that a triple ouch. Little Rappy got me well and truly tonight, I was stroking the tummy of the little one in all the pics today, and from out of the blue, I felt a kitten launch itself and land its claws into my leg, as it started to scale..................sob, that was sore. I went to dab my wounds with salt water after they had gone back to sleep, much to the amusement of Rich and Tim as I squealed in pain........That will teach me to stand next to the scratching post, how was she supposed to know the difference between my bare and skinny leg, and the post!!! I think she was a bit bemused, as this particular post squealed...........

I was really proud that one of the kittens managed to get all the way to the top, of the now rapidly falling over scratching post...........this was the largest girl that we have. She scaled it with no bother at all, and sat proudly at the top, and purred while I stroked her tummy. I was sooo impressed at the speed and agility of her.

I weighed them all tonight, and they are all putting on weight. Merry is by far the largest, he is a big boy, and lovely with it. Skippy, followed by Rappy are the slightest of the bunch, but the fastest!

I love the all, especially in the morning, when I poke my head round the door, and say hello, and they all come charging out, yelling at me. I feel sooooo wanted!!!

19:14 Sunday Evening
Well, firstly, I am thrilled to say, that Gollum and Fluffy are loving having access to the outside run, as is Lily. G and Carrie are a bit more wary, but I am sure that once the weather warms up, they will soon learn to love it too. I must take some pics of them outside in it for you to see.

For the kittens, I made a few changes to their room. I have moved the kitten box out now. I found that a few of them had weed on the bedding in it, so thought that it was time for it to go. So now they have the wicker basket, with heat pad. You can see them in it in today's photos. It was such a brilliant buy. They also have a couple of boxes to climb over and play in, and a small scratching post, which they can climb to the top of. I am not ready to let them go onto the landing yet, after finding the wee on the bedding in the box, I want to give them another 48 hours to see how they go. I want to make sure that they do not grow up, with the association that weeing on the carpet is ok.

I weighed them again today, and I was pleased to see that they had all made good weight gains. They are all running around like crazy things when they are awake, and I can't wait to let them have more space to run. So come on little kittens, keep using those litter trays. Bless Lily for using them all the time to show them how.

Lily still does not like it when they are running around, unless one of us is sitting in with them. She grumbles away, and if no one is in there, she will come and seek us out ( she can get out of the bathroom, there is a barrier, that is tall enough to keep babies in, but short enough for Lil to leap over). If I am sat in there, she will watch them, but seems reassured that they are ok. I confess that I have not been feeling very well today, so I have slept ( you should have heard the chaos around me, 2 children, and their dad, all grumbling at one another!!!), inbetween kittens waking, only getting up when I heard them wake. And then it was in with them, to feed them, make sure the floor was clean and trays ok, and of course, be there to be climbed on!!

5 weeks old, it hardly seems possible!!