Ismisha Pedigree Cats

Over the years our kittens have gone to the most wonderful homes, many of their owners have become good friends and we love receiving updates of their adventures together.  Below are the emails from Carol.   We enjoy her emails so much that we feel they are too good to keep to ourselves, and sum up the character of a Singapura (in this case a little boy called Nanaki, who lives with Carol & Pat their human and furry family that include Rocky the Pom, Lollipop the Bengal and Chairman Meow the domestic shorthair) better than any article or chapter I've ever read.  Read and enjoy.  And Carol, keep on writing we love your letters!!! 

May 26th 2008 

Hi Stephen,

Just getting back to you with an update on Nanaki as promised. Where to start....? He is an absolute delight. He got straight out of the carrier on arrival home, and just started to explore. We have kept him in the bedroom extension with us over the weekend to help him to get used to us, and get used to the other fur babies in the house. He is a bundle of affection and curiousity, but I'm sure you are all too aware of that. We however, are new to the Singapura and are absolutely captivated by him.

He runs around exploring, climbing and discovering new things, then hops back to us for a cuddle and love. He is always helping us to keep ourselves clean, particularly our noses, which he gives a bit of a lick and polish on a regular basis. One of the nicest things was the discovery that he climbs under the covers during the night to sleep close to us. Basically I could go on and on, we are completely smitten. Pat has a long bamboo cane set up at his side of the bed, to which he has attached what we call a "flutterby". Its just a brightly coloured butterfly with a bell attached to an elastic string, a common enough cat toy probably. But our lads love them, its always been their favourite toy, and Nanaki is showing the same interest in it. Last night we fell asleep to him catching and killing the flutterby on the bed!! He is also helping us out by rearranging the DVD's and stuff on the bedroom shelves. I think he feels it needs a bit of a tidy, or maybe just a bit of a move around.

He has met Chairman Meow and Lollipop. Chairman Meow is top cat in the household, and likes to keep it that way!!! Nanaki is fascinated by both of the lads, and it is obvious he would love them to play. Meow is taking interest now, following him around and having a sniff at regular intervals. He will give him a swipe of the paw however, if he feels the need. No claws though, which is great. I have been rubbing them with the blanket to exchange scents and as the days pass he will smell less and less of "strange cat " and more like them.

Poor Lollipop is not liking the "intrusion" though. I think I told you that he is very easily upset by change. He is such a soft gentle kitten though, and never swipes or hits out. What he does do, and is doing is to hiss and growl!! The poor lamb was very upset the first time he met Nanaki, he growled and hissed and went off to sulk. He wouldn't talk to me for a bit. The lads usually eat in the bedroom as Rocky will pester them otherwise, but I had to feed Lollipop in the kitchen because he was genuinely upset and grizzling very loudly whilst trying to eat at the same time!! I felt so sorry for him, its not unlike bringing home a new baby and finding your toddler is put out by it. Its odd, because once he is not ruffled, he is outgoing, talkative and affectionate. He is such a baby and I've been trying to ease the adjustment for him..

I've started to leave the doors to the extension open so they can meet and mingle while supervised. Its going very well, all of the kittens are curious about each other and there has been nothing happening that isn't perfectly normal when cats are sorting out some sort of social order for their little community.

Nanaki has seen Rocky from a distance. Rocky of course loves the kittens to bits. He was so excited at the sight of another possible playmate. He doesn't bark at them thankfully ( although he will bark at and chase any poor cat who is cheeky enough to saunter along the back garden walls). I kept a good grip on him and let them have a look at each other, Nanaki was on the bed and Rocky held safely outside the bedroom door. Nanaki obviously recognised him as a dog, and done the " I'm a huge cat" thing, where the back arches and tail puffs out and he hissed loudly. It was almost funny from such a tiny kitten. I think that introduction is going to have to be taken slowly!!!  Rocky is used to cats, and will eagerly wrestle Chairman Meow, usually when Meow has decided to take a catnap in Rocky's bed. Rocky would just love to be his new best friend, but I don't want to scare Nanaki and cause any issues for him with Rocky, so I'll introduce them very gradually.

Before I finish, I have to tell you a funny thing that Nanaki did though. Last night, we had fed all the babies and were sitting down to a bit of dinner ourselves. We were having a bit of salmon, and it was quite hot. We were sitting on the bed watching a DVD while eating it. Nanaki shot over, swiped his paw, and suddenly he was sitting looking at a nice piece of salmon that he had broken off my dinner!!! We could do nothing but sit there and laugh, while this tiny kitten sat there and proceeded to enjoy his fish!! Seriously, money can not buy this sort of pleasure

Sorry for such a long e-mail, but there has just been so much fun packed into our weekend that is would have been too much to say in a sentence or two,

Thank you once again for letting us take this little lad home. I hope I have also reassured you that Nanaki is more than happy, and he will be loved to bits,

Talk to you soon,
Carol

 June 9th 2008

 Hi Stephen,

Another little update on Nanaki. He has well settled in at this stage. Chairman Meow and Lollipop have accepted him as one of the lads, so the growling and hissing has ceased at last. Running riot and playing is now the order of the day.  Rocky loves him, and he is finally getting used to the idea of Rocky being around. He still does a bit of hissing in Rocky's direction if he feels he is getting too close.

The kids are totally fascinated with him. My youngest son loves him, because the other two cats don't take too kindly to being picked up unless it is on their terms. He loves the fact that Nanaki will sit on his shoulder for a few minutes, or will give him a quick face wash.  One of my sons, who does not live with us, said  that he has finally met a cat that he likes. Conor, another son, calls him the "mini cat" and just loves watching his antics. Of course he gets treats from him, and has taken to following Conor if he sees him heading towards the fridge, just as the others always do. Conor really disliked cats before the lads arrived, and now spoils them all rotten. He still won't admit to liking cats, just the ones we have!! There is not one of them that is not captivated by him, and they are amazed at the very distinct personality that he has. I think they realise now that all cats are not alike!!

Nanaki is a bundle of seemingly endless energy, running rings around the other two, and running all around the house to the amusement of everyone.  Often Lollipop sees him run into the toy tunnel, and goes over to check. of course Nanaki has already come out the other side and poor Lollipop is still sitting there trying to figure just where in the tunnel he could be hiding!! By the time he goes in to have a look, Nanaki is running back in there out of nowhere. It's hilarious to watch their antics. Its doing Lollipop good as I suspected it might, as its giving him an outlet for some of his energy. Chairman Meow was even spotted giving Nanaki a bit of a grooming recently, and a playful chase up and down the stairs..  Inevitably during the middle of the night, we are woken to the sound of something flying down off the shelves!! A quick check to make sure nobody is  injured, and its back to sleep. Last night himself and Lollipop were racing and dive bombing around the house, coming in every now and again to attack our feet. We are getting used to being woken by an early morning face wash. Although I'm sure I've managed to sleep through a lot of them, I'm like the dead when I'm asleep!!

Pat bought them a laundry basket of all things. Its one of those lightweight fabric pop up ones, and it just has a narrow slit for an opening. So the three of them take turns hiding in there and attacking anything that passes, including each other. Its funny to see a pair of eyes peeping out, watching for someone or something to attack!! If you walk by, they will either pop a paw out through the opening, or dive against the side of the basket, which causes it to roll towards you!! They love it. I would never have thought of using it as a cat toy, but it works brilliantly. Again, everyone in the house loves being chased by a runaway laundry basket!! Its a favourite toy for them now.

Bye for now,

Carol

 June 26th 2008

Hi Stephen,

Our little guy is getting more and more mischievious with each passing day, and we all love it.  So many things happen, its hard to know which ones to tell. We are in no danger of losing our fascination with him, and I think there is a whole new bunch of Singapura fans in the making.

I have to say, I love all the lads. They are all so different and compliment each other. But I think there is a bit of bias all round in Nanaki's favour. Never have my family seen such an interactive cat. He runs up your clothing. He leaps from presses and tables on to your back. He jumps from one persons shoulders, to another's and often to yet anothers. Its funny to see what are basically grown men standing around waiting for this little bundle to jump from one of them to the other. I have sons of 29, 27, 25, 24, 16, 14 and the older ones are the ones are the worst for lining up to be used as stepping stones!! He jumps to the top of a door, and there is a queue waiting for to be used by him to get back down.

Often I hear someones name being called to come look and see what Nanaki has done or is doing. He gets on top of the fridge, and pushes the cat treats down to an eagerly waiting Lollipop and Chaiman Meow. Although Rocky doesn't mind some either. Nanaki is now used to Rocky, and will jump on him and play fight. Rocky, being a Pom, is covered and well protected by the thick fur, but all the kitties know that a quick slap to the face can stop him in his tracks.

Nanaki is also always trying to escape!! He is fearless, undaunted by the world around him and boy do we have to be fast getting in and out of the hall door. He knows full well he is adored, and probably thinks the rest of the world will be the same. We want to make sure he never knows anything else but love, so closely guard him when leaving and entering the house. He keeps us on our toes. He helps me make the bed, burying himself under sheets and duvets. He follows me from one room to another, always having to know whats going on. Although in the nosiness stakes, I have to say that Lollipop would beat him hands down!!

I've attached a few pics, hope they get through,

Talk soon,

Carol 

 July 16th 2008

Hi Stephan and Debbie,

I thought I'd send you another update on Nanaki and friends. Things become more chaotic by the day in the kittie world that is their home. And of course, their loving slaves just sit by and smile idiotically at the antics!! We now have nothing at all on top of our fridge or presses, as the kitties decided that pushing things down to see what happens was the way to go.

We made the mistake of putting an unopened tin of dogfood on one of the shelves on our pine dresser. In fairness, it sat there for a number of days before the lads decided to have a go. I heard a bit of a bang during the night, but was half asleep and rolled over. Fast forward to the next morning. I walk in to the kitchen to find Nanaki and Lollipop having a feast of dogfood straight from the tin. I couldn't figure out at first how they had an opened tin of food, but a bit more searching uncovered the incriminating evidence!!! As the tin rolled (was pushed....) off the shelf, it hit the next shelf down , then bounced on to the pet carrier before arriving at its destination, the floor. There was a trail of gravy pointing the way to its final resting place!! The lads were so pleased with themselves that I hadn't the heart to take it from them straight away.

Nanaki has also helped Lollipop to discover new heights. Now that there is nothing on top of the presses or fridge, the higher levels have become an adventure playground. Lollipop had not been much of a climber till now. I used to feel quite guilty about that, because as a Bengal I felt he might be missing out on something. Now he has taken to following Nanaki up on top of the presses. You walk in to see the two of them watching you from overhead. Chairman Meow has not taken the challenge of climbing as yet (I hope he never hears the rumours that he might be getting a little too chubby to jump), but the other two lads more than make up for that. The fun continues when they jump down!! Nanaki is so little and light, that he jumps down effortlessly and silently, landing on the cat tree gracefully. Our Lollipop on the other hand is a heavy lad. He is very muscular and heavy boned. So when he jumps down, the thud is deafening!! And the poor old cat tree shudders.

I went home for lunch just today and found that they had decided to open the new garden swing we bought. It is in a large heavy box, and us being a bit lazy we haven't put it together yet. But the kitties thinks its time we did. So they have helpfully scratched and bitten a hole through the box. They are sure that given time, they can remove the box altogether. Pity they aren't as handy with putting it together, it would be great to arrive home to find it all ready for use!!

We have a new member of the family, his name is Buggenhagen. Its a bit of a mouthful, but comes from an old computer game, Final Fantasy VII. One of our firm favourites. He is an abandoned black and white moggy. My sons friends found him taped inside a cardboard box in a field. The poor little guy only had a small childs shirt for company. Of course none of the lads mothers would take a cat, so he ended up with me. I was only meant to keep him overnight, but my son didn't want to part with him. He was really upset when we had to have our dog put down, I think I told you about that at one stage. So I hadn't the heart to take the kitty away from him.

Buggenhagen isn't popular with the other kitties as yet. He was older than I had first thought. I originally thought he was about 4-6 months because there was no tom cat smell from the litter tray. But the vet confirms he is about 10 months and not neutered. He's been here for a number of weeks now, and will be getting neutered in early August. I think maybe the kitties feel a bit nervous around him as an entire male. Anyway, he happily lives upstairs with plenty of food, water, a warm bed and lots of toys. Chairman Meow visits him every day for a new round in their never ending fight!! Nanaki and Lollipop ignore him for the most part. He has ventured down once or twice, but usually doesn't bother. My son loves him and is quite happy to spend time each day with him. I'm hoping we can get him to integrate better with time.

Thats all the news for now,

Talk soon,

Carol

August 2008

Hi Stephen and Debbie,

Our little Nanaki is still entertaining the troops. He's great friends with the other furbabies and he is providing all round entertainment for all of us. We are still fascinated with his morning ritual of face cleaning. Our faces, I must add, not his. Each and every morning when we wake, Nanaki is there to give us a bit of a clean up, to help us to get ready to face the day. It's one of the most endearing things, the way he walks between one of us to the other and shares the love. He is extremely affectionate, his little headbutts are so charming. He will walk between us continuously, licking our face and giving those headbutts for about 10 minutes each morning. He will often repeat the ritual at night before we settle down to sleep. None of the others will do anything like this. Its one of the things that make him so special. Of course, we encourage him to do this, I'd hate to see a day come when he wouldn't. You have not lived if you haven't experienced this, the look on his little face is priceless. He loves people, he just has to interact and he loves being the centre of our attention. And as you told us, we do get the gentlest nibble on our hands if he feels we have stopped rubbing him too soon!!

He has a tiny little meow, and its rarely used. But you should hear him when he is wrestling with Rocky!! Rocky absolutely loves to play with the cats, some of us are convinced that Rocky thinks he is a cat!!! He will play with them for hours, never losing interest. Nanaki is his favourite right now, because he can usually be relied on to have a tussle with him. Chairman Meow is quick to lose patience with him, and Rocky has felt the claw often enough to make him careful. Lollipop will play sometimes, but more often than not will run to a high spot to get away from him. Boogie is still too wary to engage in play, but he is allowing Rocky to get near to him before hissing.......

Nanani will play though, at least most of the time. They run chasing through the house, up on the sofa, round the table, always at whirlwind speed and then they get to the action. Nanaki is fearless, he will not give in!!! Rocky's fur is very thick and it makes it hard to make an impact even with sharp cat teeth and claws, but Nanaki will keep trying, making the cutest little meowing sounds..... Rocky is quite clever though, he tries his best not to let his face be reached.Its his most vulnerable spot.  I've seen him walk backwards, bum going in first as it is impossible for any kittie to make an impact there with all the fur!!! You'd have to see it to appreciate it!!!

I could really waffle on and on about our little Singapura boy.  I'd imagine it must be great fun in your house with all the Singapuras specially when there are a bunch of naughty little kittens around.... They really are one of the most playful lively cats I've ever come across. If I ever win the lotto I'd love to have a bunch of them!!

We had a funny few days with Lollipop last week. It seems like he decided that he would like to be "Boss Cat" for a while. He was taking Chairman Meow on at every opportunity, running full steam from across the other side of the room to attack. Of course, Meow was standing his ground, so there was some loud grizzling and complaining. Lollipop is a talker, he will hold full conversations with you and he always manages to sound so sorrowful!!! Passers - by have probably heard me on many occasions singing "Hey there you with the sad face" to him and it has probably confirmed my reputation as a crazy cat lady!! I also sing to the others and to Rocky (he gets the "Hello" song from the Dudley Moore film "Crazy People". That says it all really......)

We also got them two fish....... one goldfish and a black fish with kinda googly eyes.... in a covered tank....They like to sit and watch them swim back and forward. When I open the lid to feed the fishies (Sharky and George) Nanaki always manages to come out of nowhere and is beside me to check them out. I have to hold on to him and let him look in at them for a few minutes. I hold on to him because if I don't, I'm sure he will try to get his paw in there and swipe a fish!!! He then sits on top of the lid of the tank for a while watching the fishies swim up to eat. We call it "Cat TV" and of course everyone else feels its just another sign of our insanity.
 

Hi Stephen and Debbie,

Time for another tale of the fearless four.....the kittzies who have taken over the world (well at least their own little world).  Nanaki and Buggenhagen are beginning to interact slowly.  It started a couple of nights ago with the two of them having a little chasing game around the living room. They were running around the furniture, being careful not to get too near to the other. But its a bit of a breakthrough, and Nathan was so excited about it. He loves his little buddy and feels so sorry for him because he doesn't mix in with the others. Previous to this, Nanaki had started to go upstairs to Nathan's room to "visit". Chairman Meow also "visits", but I doubt very much that Boogie welcomes these visits at all!! Chairman Meow is very much "Number 1 Boss Cat" and wants all to know!! He sometimes goes up just to give poor Boogie a bit of a bitch slap and comes straight back down!! Other times he will stay there, lying on the floor, tail swishing back and forth, waiting for an opportune moment. He has no intentions of relinquishing his place in the pecking order!! Lollipop tends to avoid Boogie, but he is so nosy that he has to peek in sometimes.

Poor Meow got out in the early hours one morning recently. My son was coming home after a night out and he must have slipped past. We found him under the car next morning, and he has shown no signs of wanting to repeat the experience!! We should have noticed something was amiss, as Lollipop started being a bit bossy, even going so far as to follow Buggenhagen around the living room, growling and hissing at him!! He must have noticed that Meow was missing and decided to assert his authority before anyone else got there first!! Its fascinating watching how the cats react in different situations. I think every home should have at least two!!

Nanaki on the other hand is always trying to get by the hall door. We are all permanently on guard for that so thankfully he hasn't managed to get out for the night!! Although he has managed once or twice to run into the next door neighbours garden and hide under their car, but has always been immediately caught and brought back to the prison :-). He's so affectionate that it is easy to get him to come out from under the car and so to catch him. We are going to be starting to build a run for them in the next couple of months, so that should take care of some of the wanderlust. He must be due for neutering soon anyway, so maybe that will also help.

Nanaki is still waking us with his little nose licks. It is something that none of the others do, and it is very endearing. You should see his little face when he is licking, he knows he is doing a good job of helping the humans get clean. He also loves to head butt us, walking between both of us to make sure neither of misses out on these little affectionate rubs. We both get a fair share.... he is not biased!! We have taken to visiting pet shops at weekends searching for new toys ( I know, sad, isn't it??). His current favourite is a spider on an elastic string. This is hanging from the door frame and we get treated to some high jumps and high jinks!! When he manages to free it, he goes running up and down the house looking for somewhere quiet to go with it so the other kittzies can't get their claws into it. He also carries around a little sisal mouse for ages, dropping it and "killing" it over and over again. And flies should beware in our house, cats are excellent fly catchers/killers!! They will sit so patiently, nothing moving but their head, or their eyes, then in a nano second, its all over. Fly has been swiped and is lying on the floor, stunned, with the killer standing over them............Nanaki particularly likes to go after the ones who are buzzing away behind the curtains. Thankfully he is small and light, I doubt the curtains would survive much of Chairman Meow climbing up them!!

First thing this morning was a picture. My poor son was trying to make himself some ham and cheese sandwiches. I could hear him call one cats name after the other, telling them to "go away".  I came out to find three kittzies happily feasting on slices of ham and some grated cheese, while my son tried to make his sandwiches quickly before they were finished and headed after his lunch!!

That's about it for now, I'll update you again soon,

Carol