Cat Bed Update

Making more cat beds for this winter season as my cats like to use them anywhere in the house I can find a spot they like.  I started out this time making the 14" size and noticed that though the cats will use them, they seem to prefer the larger ones for long time naps as they can easily move around in them and even sleep together.  My cats range from 7 lbs to 17 lbs and varying lengths.  The old original bed I had bought years ago is too small, I'm going to give away as the cats will not use it but all the rest seem to get used.

 The green bed is the 14" size.  Black Goldie can curl up in it easily as she only weighs 7lbs but her son Butch (on the right) is 17# and barely fits in. I probably won't make any more that size again.

The black bed on the left is 18" and easily fits 2 large cats but they are stuffed so a 19" would probably work better for them.  The brown one on the right is 17" and will also fit 2 cats at once but fits a single cat very nicely.  The brown one below is 16x18 (oval instead of a circle).  Rainey enjoys it as it sits next to my reading chair.  She's not a lap cat but does enjoy being close.  When she's not in it though, others will hop in to be next to me.  She's not happy about that and will pace the house for awhile until whomever has taken it over, gets out.  She's picky that way.

 Another thing I've noticed is that the cats like to rest their head on the side of the beds, hence the following pictures showing them.

Note that all of these are the 14" size beds.  No two come out exactly alike but they will use them especially if they feel cold.

The pattern for these beds is here

Catification Progress

The first phase of the catification project in the living room is complete.  Just one more thing to do to the TV cabinet area and that phase will be done.  The two boys use the new "steps" easily now.  The climbing pole has been turned around and that helped them get up and down even better.  I've also been leaving treats on the steps which they enjoy finding.  Gypsum seems to get the most but Butch is in there trying, too.  Rainey has tried out the steps a couple of times but she's not making any habit right now of going up them. Goldie hasn't even been interested.

 
A couple of portraits of Gypsum and Butch since these steps have lent themselves to making decent photos of them.

This last photo is the goal.  The place that Gypsum and Butch .... and Rainey ... and Goldie like to get up and away from the floor and sleep in peace.  There is room for 4 up there.  Both beds will hold 2 but there are not 4 cats in this house that will sleep together, just 3.  It's rare for Goldie to sleep with both of her kids at the same time but Rainey definitely likes to sleep alone.  It also appears that Scooter will be like Rainey in that regard.

The last part of this catification project will be the down side on the other end of the cabinet.  That's the one that Rainey needs.  I have started clearing away the clutter on the end table but still have to find a spot for the flashlights and the picture frame. Maybe I'll have to get the turkey closet emptied out.

Scooter, a month later

Scooter is calming down a little bit.  Spouse has been letting her roam the house for the last 2 weeks, so I also let her out during the day.  She's getting so she doesn't slink around in all the rooms.  If she sees another cat, she just hisses at them and debates whether to turn around or continue on.  If one is blocking her way to her room though, she charges with growls, hisses and a swat or two on her way by to her room.  The other cats just look at her, none willing to stand up to her at that point.  She does not like going past a cat that is sitting above her and with let out nasty howls & loud growls like she's being killed, when all they're doing to her is looking at her as she goes by them.

As you can tell, her room is her sanctuary.  Even with the screen door open to the rest of the house, she sleeps there during the day.  Lately it's been up by the window on her knitted blanket.

Butch will watch her from afar, low growling as he does.  Gypsum just watches and will hiss if she gets too close.

I've been trying out the Spirit Essences scent, Peacemaker, but not sure if it's working or if it's just that she's getting used to the house and the presence of other cats.  Getting drops on all of their coats is a challenge.  If they see that dropper coming at them, they will try to avoid.  I think it reminds them of my using the eye dropper on their eyes as kittens or when I had to put drops in their ears.  I don't think they like the alcohol  smell that is in the drops, either.  I've tried it on their water, but then they avoid drinking from that particular container.  Don't dare to try it on their food because of their immediate reaction to the alcohol smell. At this point, I'm not sure if she'd do better on one of the other Essences than the one I got.

George no longer spends long times at night with her to keep her company and she's ok with that now.  He just kept that up for about 3 weeks.  I found that I just couldn't sleep on her couch for more than a couple of hours.  Even so, she'd sleep on top of me or down by my feet.

  We do play with her in the evening in her room which she enjoys.  She likes to play with the string attached to the wand, but not with the ball at the end of the string.  She also likes to attack the wand when it's being swished under her tent.  Catnip doesn't seem to interest her.

As for her visit with the vet a month ago.  He figures she's between 10 and 12 years old.  She had already lost most of her teeth through decay and gum disease and had to have surgery to remove her last 2 teeth.  She recovered from that well.  Vet also said to keep her on her normal diet as  she's quite healthy.  Since the dental surgery, her gums have healed and she's learned how to use her mouth to pick up things without a problem.

Rainey mostly ignores her, except when she hears one of the other cats in trouble with her.  Then Rainey will move to see what's going on and is ready to interfere on her friends behalf if we're not around to interfere ourselves.

Catification starting

If you've watched My Cat From Hell (on the Animal Planet channel), you've learned about Jackson Galaxy, the host of the show.  He does wonders with families experiencing what they think is a cat problem.  Many of his problem fixes have to do with changing the cat's environment in the house and he labels the process as "catification".  He's even co-authored a book called Catification with his designer, Kate Benjamin, just recently published (2014).

With our new cat, Scooter, I felt that we needed to do more to our house so she can fit into the household of 4 other cats in a smoother fashion.  This will probably be enjoyed by the other 4 as well.  So, I took a picture of the first area that will be improved as it will be the easiest to do and will solve one of the issues the first 4 cats have with each other.

As it is now, the cats like to sleep on top of the TV cabinet when we're in the room (there's a heater vent right above their beds (1 cat bed and 1 low-sided cardboard box).  They've only had that spot for a few months now as I cleared the "CLUTTER" off the top this past September and have a climbing post on the right side. It is the 3rd post we have in the house and one they use a lot, even the scratching posts on it.

 They love being able to use the post and sleep on the cabinet.  But they don't love having to get past Rainey or Rainey doesn't love having to get past them, all depending on  where they were sleeping and who got where first.  It does get kind of funny watching Butch or Gypsum try to get past Rainey as they will look for other ways down but end up having to run by Rainey (she swats them anyway).  They do the same to her if she has to get past them to get down.

Before

As you see, I've labeled the first 2 areas that will be fixed.  The deadend spot on the left and another route down on the right. (thank you Jackson Galaxy for explaining some of the finer points of catification to the world).

The left side will get some steps down and I'll have to clear the "CLUTTER" off of the end table, maybe even move it to another spot in the living room.  Though the house is large, the rooms are on the SMALL side so this will take some more thinking as to furniture placement.

On the right side of photo, the corner will get a couple more "steps" leading down. (and I really need to remove the "CLUTTER" in that corner.  The dark spot in the "tunnel" at the top of the post is Rainey, sleeping, her favorite spot at the moment and a spot the boys don't like having to go past to get down as she swats them in the butt every time as they go down over the end.

As you can tell, CLUTTER is my problem as I collect but I also like things orderly.  I will have to cringe and remove a lot of CLUTTER that I  no longer use nor can make orderly.  The cats would have more room to run around if I got rid of that CLUTTER.  btw (by the way) the cabinet looks stuffed because we have a small bird that we needed to keep out of places as she is destructive to anything paper or even cloth(anything that will make nesting material).  We ended up leaving her caged permanently, which in the long run is safer for her in a house now full of cats.

When this part of the Living Room is catified, I'll post an "after" picture and then move on to the next catification project.

Make some Cat Beds

For the past month, I've worked on making some round cat beds for the crew.  Finished 4 so far.  The cats are enjoying all 4 of them.  Three of the beds were made to handle two cats sleeping together and the 4th is a single cat bed.  My cats love these as winter beds.  During the summer, they could care less about them and prefer low sided card board boxes to sleep or nap in or just stretch out across the bed or couches. AND they are REVERSIBLE!  Just flip it inside out.

Fabric used:  1 1/2 yards of 100% cotton flannel;  I pre-washed it.  Since flannel  tends to shrink about 4 inches/yard in a dryer, you will probably need 1 and 5/8 yards or you can use 60" wide polar fleece and need only a yard to make one.  Or you can use another type of furry fabric to make them.  I prefer the flannel to keep static electricity at bay as cats seem to generate lots of static during the drier winter months and they don't like static anymore than you or I.

NOTE:  If using a directional fabric, decide how you want the pattern to appear on the tubes.  That will make a difference in cutting the length of the tube; whether you cut the width of the fabric or cut the tube length from the length of the fabric.  Just be sure when you cut the circles out that you won't interfere with where you are going to cut the length(s) for the tubes.

The pattern is pretty simple to make.  I scribe a circle between 7.5 inches up to 9.5 inches in radius onto the fabric.
   7.5" radius equates to a 15 inch wide circle making a 14 inch wide bed.  This is good for single cats of small to medium build.  Large cats will also use it when they want to be really cozy.
   8.5" radius equates to a 17 inch circle making a 16 inch wide bed.  Good for medium to large cats.
   9.5" radius equates to a 19 inch circle making a nice size for two medium to  large cats or 1 extra large cat.  My cats also use it by themselves and enjoy it.

By the way, these cat beds are machine washable and dryable.

For these beds I used flannel and made two circles (#1 & #2), same size.  These form the base of the bed with some filler in-between the layers.   Then, using a soft tape measure, measured the circumference of one of the circles and used that measurement to cut a rectangle from more of the fabric.  Cuts were made 15 inch wide,   the width of the fabric as it usually takes at least 1 width plus a few more inches to go all the way around.  The rectangle usually ends up between 47 inches to 60" in length by 15" wide depending on circumference of circle.  With flannel that means I cut a 2nd width of fabric and cut off what I need from the 2nd piece to make the length required for the circumference.

Note: If you want to make a two fabric cat bed, just cut the width of each fabric at 8 inches, then seam together to form the 15" tube before going on to the next steps.


Then the rectangle is sewn together at the ends forming a fat tube (called the sides of the bed).  I press the seams open and sew the seam selvages down the length of each selvage, about an 1/8" from their edges with a straight stitch.  You'll see why later.

Detailing:  You can save yourself a little bit of hand sewing time if you form the openings for the stuffing while you are sewing up one of the seams.

 I then fold the tube in half, length wise, wrong sides together so the tube now has a width of  7.5 inches instead of 15".  The raw edges of the sides are sewn together at about the one quarter inch line, all the way around.

Then a double or triple row of stitching is made half way up the side, all the way around the tube, about

1/4 inch wide total.  This forms the divider between the two side tubes and makes it sturdy enough for stuffing the tubes that were just formed. (don't stuff yet).

Next step is to prepare the base.  I use a fairly thin polyester batting (Christmas "snow" batting) that comes in a sheet form and cut the batting the same size as the base circles. (you might need to piece in a section if the batting is not wide enough for the diameter of the circle.)  You may use other batting if you want.
 One could add more layers  of this thin batting to make it thicker if wanted but not really necessary.  One could also use polar fleece to make this bed and batting would not be needed in the base.

Secure the batting to circle #1 by laying it on the wrong side of the base circle, and sewing it 1/4 inch around the edge of the circle.  You could also quilt this layer to secure the batting even more to this layer.  Do NOT add the circle #2 yet, as that is the last step before stuffing starts.

Now, pin the tube to the outside edges of right side of  circle #1.  Sew all the way around about a 1/4 to 3/8ths inch in from the edge of the circle being careful not to catch in the sides of the tube as you're moving the pieces around.

Carefully fold in the sides of the bed towards the center of the circle so

you can see all the edges of the circle.

Then take Circle #2 and lay it right side down on top of folded-in sides, hiding the sides of the bed. Pin around leaving a 4 to 5" opening for turning.

 Sew around the outside of the circle with 2 rows of stitching for sturdiness LEAVING an opening of about 4 to 5 inches so you can pull the sides and circle #1  through the opening.  Voila!  You are almost ready for stuffing the tubes.  Now you can sew the opening closed.

Stuffing the Tubes:  

You will need:
1.  either a sharp pair of scissors with a pointed end or a seam ripper.
2.  a bag of stuffing.  I used polyester stuffing so it's easy to wash and dry.
3.  a dowel or stick of some sort about an 1 inch (2.5cm) in diameter and about a foot long for tamping the stuffing into each tube.  I used the large tube from "Fasturn" ( http://www.fasturn.net/ )as it was handiest for me and worked well as a tamping rod.

    Directions:
At one of the vertical seams of the sides, the seams you have sewn the seam allowance down on, carefully pick out the seam where the two edges meet, for about an inch and a half.  Enough so that you can insert stuffing and get your tamping rod into.

 Just add stuffing a little bit at a time, tamping as you go, filling to the center first and working your way out to the "entrance".    Do that for both tubes that were formed in the sides. Stuff your tubes to the stiffness that you want.  This does take quiet a bit of stuffing.

Sew the 2 openings back up with some hand sewing, and the bed is done, ready to use.



copyright notice 2015:  You may make and sell these beds but not the directions.

My future plans:  Will be tweaking these directions with more photos when I have the time.  If you have trouble with a part, let me know, then I know I need to make clarifications or simpler directions.
 I do plan to make one with 3 rows of tubing in the future, just to give the cats a higher walled bed.  I will need to add another 7 inches to the width of the side fabric.  My spouse also suggested making one with a top on it  of some sort.

"New Kitty" Scooter

We have inherited a new kitty.  She came to us from a friend who died  from cancer this morning and wanted her to have a good home.  I think we just might qualify for that.  She's somewhere between 7 and 10 years old and would be called a dilute tortoiseshell in coloring. That means she's grey and cream (pale orange), all mixed up.   She also considered polydactyl meaning she has more than the normal number of toes on her front paws as you can see in the photo below.

We had her for a couple of weeks in  January then she went back to her home.  Well, she's back with us now, permanently (Feb 20) and instantly recognized "her" room.  Even looking for the cat climbing pole which we had removed (because we're expecting human guests) when she departed the first time.  We'll be placing it back in her room in a week as she really enjoyed having it.

While she and our other cats get used to each other, she has to have her own room.  She's quite willing to defend her territory. Goldie is not too pleased with that.  We are spending time with Scooter everyday while she is "incarcerated" in her room.  The vet will be seeing her this next week for a health check-up.  It will probably be her first visit to a vet since she was spayed years ago.

Meanwhile, I'm  knitting a little cat blanket for her.  Luck would have it that I found a yarn that resembles her fur in color.  Mixed greys with cream spots as you can see in photo.  It will become her window pad when she wants to lay down and look out the window.

One of the cat items I already had is being used by her.  A little green fur cat bed that I've had around for years.  She loves to curl up in it and "hide".  She also has use of one of the cat tents.  Something she figured out how to dive into almost immediately and she looks forward to us playing with her.  Will also make another cat bed for her when I find the right colors of fabric.

Diamond kitty, Oct 24, 2012-Dec 26, 2014.

We had to put Diamond to permanent sleep at Christmas time. Both of us were heartbroken.  She is now buried on our place underneath a new tree, a Live Oak.  Hope the tree makes it.

Diamond's last portrait, taken Dec. 22, 2014 with her brother Butch, the black and white.  Best of Friends.  He adored her.  He also showed us where she had hidden on her last day in our house, a scene forever embedded in my mind.

The following is my favorite of the two when they were just 5 weeks old, Dec 1, 2012.

I've taken many pictures of her over the past two years so will always have those to jog my memory of her antics and beauty.  Sometimes I called her my tomboy because she was such a determined cat and willing to do as much if not more than her brothers did. Always wanted to be on her own 4 feet when investigating anything or going anyplace.  Once she even tried to figure out how to get a zipper to move so she could get inside a garment bag.  So cute, but her little paws just couldn't get that zipper to move.
She was the first of the litter to start cleaning herself, well before her eyes opened at 10 days. She also cleaned any kitten sleeping by her at the time, taking after her mother, Goldie.

The following is a filtered photo of her at 7 months old, sleeping in a doll chair.  Loved the pose.

Brushing again...

Had some repair sewing to do today.  Diamond came in to "help," first finding a ball of yarn to play with.  Had to stop and wind that up

That settled, sewing commenced.  Diamond got on the table to watch, then decided to go sleep behind the laptop for awhile.  Meanwhile, I was back to sewing and almost finished with the patch repair.  Just one more line of sewing.

 That's when Gypsum came in.  He did his usual. Sat and looked at me from the floor, then gave a little meow.  I relented and started brushing him. Oh, wait, I have to get that sewing done so I can get off to the P.O..  I stop brushing.  Gypsum is not happy and starts his paw routine.  I relent and brush a few strokes more.  He's really enjoying it.  I stop again and this time turn around quick and start sewing.  He's NOT happy.  He does the paw routine but this time stretches out the nails and then curls them in... in MY leg  I yell, he runs.  I grab the nail clippers, find him and give him a really needed nail trim and a few more brush strokes... which didn't interest him anymore.  So, back to finishing the patch repair and off to the P.O.

Update on Brushing

 A couple of glitches kept me from updating this last week.  Got those cleared up - well, one of them for good but the other is in limbo as far as I'm concerned.  Meanwhile back to brushing the cats.

Last week, Butch seemed to want to make daily brushing a part of his routine, too.  And now Diamond seems to think it's the THING to do!   Gypsum still comes in but we were gone for 4 days and Gypsum forgot to come in this morning though he made sure I brushed him 4 different times last night after we got home!  He has since come in this afternoon for those brushes.

Here's a sequence of photos of Butch getting his brushing.  I had to keep him from falling several times.

Butch really gets into being brushed.

Butch loves the brush around
his mouth and chin.

and rub on the sewing machine while the
 brush is going down his back.

Brushing those cheeks feels so good.

He just rolls with ecstasy, almost off the table

and ends with belly rubs, still trying to
 hold his balance on the table.

Diamond watched and when he was finished & left the room, she hopped up on the table and asked for some brushes.  But when the camera came out, she hid behind the laptop, content to give herself a bath.  I did manage to get a couple last week though.

Here's Diamond enjoying the chin rub.

Doesn't she look like she's really
 enjoying it?

Cat Hair on Quilts

If you have cats, you have to deal with cat hair unless you have an exotic cat breed that doesn't shed.  It gets on quilts, rugs, table tops; clings to mirrors, walls, etc...  Yet many quilters have cats and cats love quilts.  They are one of a cats favorite things to curl up on, dig under and in general, leave cat hair on. My cats are no exception to that rule.

For the most part, I try to keep my unused quilts stored in pillow cases and in a room the cats can rarely access.  For my hanging quilts, a few yells have kept them from climbing them more than once or twice and luckily, no visible damage that I've been able to find but the cat hair still clings to them.

 These cats are my first that have been wall, door, curtain, blinds, & quilt climbers. A few yells when caught in the act has curtailed that for the most part, however they still try to climb my design wall.  Lots of pock marks in it to mark how high they each have reached.  They have seemed to find it more fun to climb than anything.  I found that I eventually had to keep it filled with projects but even those they have tested as I've found bent pins, blocks on the floor or skewed on the wall with some blocks needing repair!  A couple of the culprits have turned their attention to climbing the trees when I let them outside so I don't see the design wall being used as often.

When it comes to cat hair though, that's another story altogether.

What do you do to control your cat's hair on your quilts?

How do you remove it?

You may leave your answers in the comments below.

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Brushing the Cats:

Gypsum loves to be brushed.  So much so, that he comes into the computer room several times a day and begs to be brushed.

I use a special brush.  It didn't cost too much in today's prices and can be found at Walmart for around 7 or 8 dollars. I haven't checked the pet stores for their prices on this type of brush.  It's a plastic type brush with soft, thick bristles of a type of a bendable plastic. The tips are again coated with another layer of a plastic that thickens the tips and rounds them out.  It almost acts likes it's massaging their skin as I brush their coats and all my cats love it.

Here's a picture of Gypsum begging seriously for that brush to start doing it's work.

I bought the brush a year ago but didn't really start trying to brush the cats until last summer.  Gypsum took to it the best, quickly setting up a routine that I had to follow through on.  The others like it, too, but not enough to set up their own daily routine.  Gypsum hasn't skipped a day since the middle of last September -- unless we're out of town for a day or two.

It took them a bit to learn what the brush was about.  At first they didn't want it to touch them so I didn't get more than a stroke or two down their back before they'd move out of reach.  I'd wait a few days then try again.  Soon they realized what it was doing and how it felt and they decided it wasn't so bad after all and really did feel good.  They particularly like being brushed around by their cheeks and the top of their head, then I can move down their back and sides.  It took a little longer before any of them allowed me to brush their bellies, and even then I can only get in 1 or 2 strokes before they turn over or move on ...or grab my hand in rough play.

Since I don't have any long haired cats to brush, I can't tell you how well this brush works on long haired cats.  I'm only using it on short haired cats who really don't need much brushing at all since most brushing is aimed at keeping long hair from tangling and creating mats.  I've had long haired cats in the past but never this type of brush.  I think I used a comb at that time.  However, this brush does help some with the shorthairs constant shedding.

If you've never brushed a cat, it's most pleasant for them if you brush in the direction their fur is growing, normally front to back.  I occasionally will "back-brush" them, ie, brush in the opposite direction as this can catch some of the loose fur that is still clinging.  They barely tolerate this, so finish with the normal direction.

About Gypsum's routine:  He usually comes in soon after his breakfast, walks under my chair, gets between my feet as I sit staring at the computer, and looks at me.  He'll then give me a meow if I haven't noticed him yet.  If that doesn't work, he'll sit on his haunches and reach up and gently grab my right arm with his paws.  If that does't work, he'll pull down on my arm.  That usually works.  Then I start brushing and he starts purring and rubbing and positioning his body for the spots he wants brushed.  This will continue for about 5 or more minutes or until 1 of us tires.

Later in the day when he comes in, if he's not too serious about a brushing, he'll just come in, sit between my legs and meow.  If I don't respond immediately, he leaves and comes back later.  He's fast about leaving, too.  I will think it's only been seconds since that last meow and when I turn around to look for him, he's not in sight. 

If I stop when he thinks he's in the middle of a brushing session, he will do the routine in the picture above, grabbing my hand, "kissing" it with a lick.  If that isn't enough, he'll start "love nibbles", those tiny little nips with his front teeth.  That usually sways me as those little nibbles can turn into slightly stronger nibbles that have some pressure in them!  He will be purring the whole time.  Sometimes I will stop the brushing and just give his body a total massage.  He loves that, too.

Sometimes, Butch will come in while Gypsum is being brushed.  He'll want to be brushed, too.  He's not into a daily routine but when he does want that brush, he'll push Gypsum aside.  His brushing will last up to 10 minutes if I can last that long.  He prefers to get on the table next to me for his brushing and rolls around in ecstasy as I brush his entire body.  Of course, he purrs constantly and louder than Gypsum while this is going on.

Diamond and Goldie are not on a routine of any sorts, maybe once a week.  Both like their head done for the most par; the body, not so much.  Rainey rarely will sit for more than a couple of swipes of the brush but then she's also  not heavy into being petted either.

There is an album on Rainey's Cat Daze page on Facebook of the brushing routine that Gypsum goes through if you'd like to see more pictures.  Just click on photos, then albums under the header photo.  It's titled "Gypsum likes the brush."

The Cats on Quilts

If you view cats on facebook, you'll come across pages that talk about Caturday.  Many pages ask their viewers to post pictures of their cats on Saturday -- on quilts, or quilts about cats. So, here's your introduction to my 5 current Cats on Quilts (even though this is not Saturday!).

Rainey and Diamond on my first quilt

Goldie, all ready for Valentine's Day.

Butch  during a July 4th photo shoot.

Diamond, not really wanting me to sew!

Rainey  came to us  September 8 of 2012, a stray found by our neighboring friends. She's now about 2 years old since we don't know her birthday.  We had been without any cats for about 10 years so were happy to have a cat again.

 Rainey is a Character Cat.  She's a diva type, noisy when she wants to be and grumpy when she wants to be but still quite sweet. She's also very observant of her surroundings and where she wants to be and learns quickly.  She does not like to be touched by the other cats except when she is totally ready for it.  It's taken her quite awhile to even let them sniff noses with her even though she watched them grow up. Rarely does she allow Diamond to groom her. At the moment, Diamond is the only one that she allows that priviledge.

Goldie came along 6 weeks later, on October 24, 2012, quite pregnant and wanting a new home.  She found us on her own and at the right time as she dropped those kittens 2 hours later, after we got her situated in her own private room with all the food she needed and fresh water.  Her age is unknown but she appears to be older than Rainey.  Though she appears to be all black, she does have some white spots on her.  We named her for her golden eyes.

Butch, Diamond, and Gypsum are Goldie's babies, born a little over a year ago on October 24, 2012.  There were 6 in the litter and 3 of those are now in other homes.  They were all relatively healthy, beautiful little kittens.

Butch, the black and white is a lover and also a Momma's boy.  He nursed on Goldie until he was about 5 months old and she finally decided enough was enough.  Butch has a nub of a tail, and the stubby body type of the manx breed though we don't know who the father(s) were.

Diamond is my sweetheart.  She's taller than her Mom, Goldie, and built like Butch but her tail is a few inches longer with a bend in it that causes her tail to look like a little flag when she's holding it up.
She's a tomboy though and doesn't mind getting into scuffles with her two brothers.  She can out leap either of them with twists and turns like a ballerina.  She resembles the Manx breed in her body build and the Snowshoe Breed in her coloring.

Gypsum this past autumn.

Gypsum is a beautiful seal point.  He looks like a Siamese but definitely not a pure bred.  He is most graceful and a wonderful "gentleman".  Never demanding but he does know how to get his way if he really wants something.  He's the largest of the 5 cats now.  Has a full tail that he controls quite well.  He loves to be brushed and comes in to the computer/sewing room several times a day to be brushed, gently asking, first with a little meow, then a gentle grab of my arm with his 2 front paws.  If that doesn't work (I'm busy typing), he'll sometimes pull my arm down and give me some gentle nibbles on the hand.  Who can resist?!

Both Gypsum and Diamond have pale cream eyes with hints of blue/lavender.  Their pupils reflect red while Butch, Goldie, and Rainey with their yellow/orange eyes reflect green.  Sometimes I'll reduce the red-eye in photos so they don't look so scary.

You may view more stories and photos of my cats and their escapades on Facebook at Rainey's Cat Daze page.