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Here's mum with the full brood |
There is no doubt that Cyprus kittens are very cute |
They may look cute, but go any nearer and this ball
of fur bursts into a hissy fit |
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The kittens disappeared the day after these photos
were taken. Mum may have moved them, but I suspect a fox may have had
them. |
This is 'our' black tom. He has an identical twin,
but this one is the king of the castle |
Here he is again, doing what cats do best. |
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And this moppet would be our house cat, but for the
fact I am allergic to cats - so she has to stay outside.
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... where she seems quite happy with the world. |
And for those taking notes the fox didn't get the
kittens. Here in a near reprise of the earlier photo the kittens have
heard that there is food about. |
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Sadly 2005 did not end so well for our moppet, which
was taken ill and died. |
This affectionate little chap has done much to take
her place .... |
.... and these two are inseparable. |
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Where's our breakfast? |
Feeding time at the zoo - and there's one missing! |
April 2006, and we have three more
kittens (the third is missing from the picture) snapped while Mum
was moving them to .... |
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... their new hidey hole in my neighbour's garden.
Unfortunately I damaged my camera a few weeks ago and focussing is a
problem. I'll have a replacement camera next month. |
An old friend came to stay and brought his camera, so
we have a better picture of the newcomers. |
The kittens, now about 8 weeks old, are getting more
adventurous ..... |
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.... Mum. I've found the biscuits! .... |
.... I'm not too sure about this? .... |
.... OK I've got the hang of it now
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Cat on a hot tile roof .... |
... or getting ready for a night on the tiles  |
Another driving hazard? |
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Mum has a new brood ... |
... only two this time ... |
...our doormat is safer than the underside of my car,
but still not the safest place for them |
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Mum has abandoned the kittens, though as she has been
unwell for a while she may have succumbed to the illness. However the
kittens seem to be managing to feed themselves. |
Nothing to do with 'my' cats, this photo was sent to me
by a friend in the USA. I include it because it amused me and because of
the resemblance to .... |
... my elder daughter's new kitten |
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Is this the biggest cat in Paphos? |
'Our' black tom went walkabout during the summer -
whoever has been pampering him in the meantime must have gone home for
the winter ... |
... as he's back, larger than ever and making himself
at home |
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Good game ... |
... but it plays havoc with the fly screens. |
We never did see this little chap's mother again, but
he seems to be thriving ... |
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... and big sister has taken the role of Mum. |
This fellow (same cat as in the 11th picture in the
set) went walkabout in May. More than seven months have elapsed and he
has returned for a feed .... |
... looking much larger and rather battered from his
adventures ... |
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... probably after tangling with the black tom. The
eye injury is not as bad as it looks and should recover .... if he stays
away from the other guy. |
The little tom is very inquisitive ... |
... and developing fast. |
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His sister grows at a slower pace. |
I was probably right about the big tom, but he came
off worse. Someone took him to the vet to have a nasty shoulder injury
treated and the vet took the opportunity to chop off his bits |
Damn! Something missing here. |
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I put out a couple of boxes to provide some shelter
for the winter, but this one appears to have been commandeered by
interlopers. |
The resident cats prefer this one. Picture taken with
flash in pitch darkness, hence the wide-eyed look (apart from the little
chap at the back who is very sick but on the mend). |
The male kitten is now too big to
get through the shutters ... |
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... but that doesn't stop him from trying. |
Big sister likes this game too. |
Sadly the
big tom, possibly the best natured cat I have ever encountered and
pictured here in happier times, became incurably sick and had to be put
down .
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The kittens have recovered from the nasty bout of
flu, but still don't care for the weather.... |
... so have retired to their box along with big
sisters.... |
...until the sun shines again. |
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We are now down to three cats. This male one demands
a lot of fuss.... |
...and remains unconcerned even for a close-up ... |
... but big sister is unwell and prefers to stay out of the way... |
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... but his sister from the same litter is always
alert and has already used up several of her nine lives. |
Sadly this cat, my favourite, was killed in a road
accident ...
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... and this one grieved so much for the loss of her
sister that she refused to eat, and quickly fell ill and hid away. By
the time she returned she was too sick to help and we had to have her
put down |
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So now we are down to two. This one ... |
... and this one ... |
... which prefers the hedge to sitting on the
barbecue ... |
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... but only this one wants to move in. |
After a brush with a nasty virus he has been restored
to his favourite spot. |
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