Bathtime for Bowie

Bowie always turns heads with his brilliant white coat and striking odd-coloured eyes but there is a downside to owning a white Devon Rex kitten. As any Devon owner knows, these guys are into everything you do and always want to get involved. The other day, while I was cleaning out the fireplace, I turned my head for just a moment and... Bowie was straight in there to investigate.

The result? One grey kitten with black splodges. Pushka, my moggie had a big white bib and four white stockings and seemed to always manage to keep them snow white so I figured Bowie would get himself sorted. Two days later and he was still looking pretty manky so down the pet shop I went to buy a bottle of neutral cat shampoo.

I have never bathed a cat before so I heated the bathroom up for a good hour first and decided to run enough gently warm water to come up to the top of his legs. He was pretty okay about it... he escaped a few times but I let him as I didn't want to force him in the water and put him off bathtime forever more. I just placed him gently back in the water each time, giving him lots of fuss and talking to him gently.

My arm has been pretty badly scratched but I can't really blame him for that, poor boy. I did find that holding him gently by the scruff of the neck seemed to help him calm down a little. I figured getting him gently used to the bath will be better in the long run rather than getting him brilliantly clean now and having a cat so traumatised he'd never go near water again so not much shampooing or scrubbing went on and he's still pretty grubby but I reckon overall the first bath was a success and my baby is currently wrapped up warmly in a towel and snoozing away on my lap.

I love Devon Rexes!

Devon Rex Love...

Devon Rexes just have something about them that makes you melt...

My boys aren't exactly backward about coming forward when we're talking about affection. It doesn't take much from them to turn me into a pathetic, cooing mumma... when they wag their tails at me, do that special Devon Rex chirrup or jump into my lap I almost always forget what I was meant to be doing and smother them with kisses and love.

Sometimes I've got other things I have to do... (get dressed to go out, make dinner, try and have a pee in private) and can't devote myself to them 100%. That's when they bring out the big guns. Both my boys can climb my legs and jump into my arms in seconds if they feel like they're being ignored. They've been with me a month now and I've already lost count of the number of times I've been late to meet friends because of them. I lie of course... there's no way you can tell a non-Devon owner that you're 20 minutes late because while you were applying your makeup your cats just had to have a cuddle.

But the thing that really makes me melt every time is the way they look at me. I've owned dogs, horses and regular cats for most of my life and have always been very aware that for an animal direct eye contact is an act of aggression or domination. Apparantly nobody told my boys...

If I have one (or both) of them in my lap while I'm watching the TV, on the computer or reading they'll sit there, purring for ages. Then I feel like I'm being watched, look down and see a kitty staring straight into my eyes. The second I make eye contact with them, they go nuts, purring even harder than before, headbutting my face and generally telling me they love me and want me to love them in the most irresistible way possible,

I love my Devon Rexes. And they love me. What more can a girl ask for?

My Adorable Devon Rexes

I took this photo of my boys today and think it's the cutest thing I've ever seen... what do you think?

My Devon Rex kittens, Bowie and Blue

My Devon Rexes - The Bits I Missed

My boy's breeder, Patrizia of the Rarex Cattery in Italy just sent me these photos of my Devon Rex twins growing up before they came to live with me. They're just so adorable I had to share them!

Blue, my Blue Smoke Devon Rex as a baby 

140 grammes... Awww!

My cute little Devon Rex alien, Bowie

Bowie's first words on film

All three brothers together

This is the first photo I saw of Blue... how could I resist this face?

Mealtimes were a family affair

I just wish I'd been able to take all three!

One of the first pics I saw of Bowie. Cute here, DELICIOUS in real life!

Getting into trouble as only Devon Rexes can

So this is where the bad habits came from. I did have to train my boys that Mummy doesn't like sharing her dinner

Ski Kitty

Where do you keep the biscuits?

Growing up and looking more like the beautiful boys I know and love

Blue loves to snuggle under the duvet... and always has!

Seeing this photo I just knew I had to have both of them

Cats and Dogs - Introducing my Devon Rexes to my Irish Setter

Lola, my gorgeous Irish Setter girl is 11 years old now and as chilled out as a dog can be. My moggie Pushka was brought up with her and adored her, always snuggling up in bed with her or grooming her face. The feeling wasn't entirely mutual and Lola never really returned his affection, she just put up with it but if she ever saw him fight with another cat or get chased by a dog she was there in seconds to protect her baby brother.

One big, happy family

Blue as a baby snuggling a dog at his old home

My Devon Rex kittens had also grown up around dogs as the breeder has some and when I saw the photos above of Blue and Bowie with one of her dogs and then met my chilled out boys I was sure introducing cats and dog would be a breeze. I was wrong. The breeder had small dogs, not much bigger than the cats themselves. Lola is a big girl and I'm pretty sure the cats never even connected her to the tiny dogs they had met previously.

As the kittens had had such a long day full of new experiences, I decided I would sleep with them in the living room on their first night home with me and Lola would go in with my boyfriend in the bedroom. That way I'd give the kittens time to get used to their new home overnight and introduce them to the dog in the morning.

The second the boys spotted her, they ran and hid. Any attempt to bring them closer to the dog or vice versa was met with lots of growling, hissing and flattened ears. Lola is as soft as a dog can be, but she's still a dog and although she's absolutely fine when the cats are holding their ground or in my arms, the sight of a furball fleeing is too much for her canine brain to resist and she will chase them when they run away. Not because she wants to catch them and she wouldn't dream of hurting them, she just thinks it's a game. That wouldn't help the canine-feline peace talk process at all so Lola was kept on a lead by me whenever the cats were around for the first few days.

After about a week of hiding/hissing/growling whenever Lola came near, the boys suddenly started to relax. I've tried to stay out of the whole process as much as I can and just let them all get on with it. No forced introductions, just making sure I have Lola under control either on a lead or stayed in her bed while the cats are nearby.

Now, nearly three weeks on, they pretty much ignore each other. Blue was definitely the ringleader when it came to hissing at Lola. When Bowie was on his own near her, he'd hiss and growl but two seconds later be washing himself or playing with a toy. It was like he was just pretending to be scared of her because his brother was watching. I'm pretty sure that if I had only had Bowie to deal with and no Blue in the house he would be snuggling up to Lola every night by now. As it is, they aren't scared of her but, aside from the odd sniffs at her by Bowie they really aren't very interested in her at all.

Lola and Pushka. Guess who's the boss?

I'm hoping that as time goes on they might become friends... I'd love to see them all snuggled up in bed together and loving each other but for the meantime I'm just glad the Irish Setter-Devon Rex war is over and I'll end the post with a picture of Lola and Pushka proving who was the boss.

Kitty Kisses

I've never, ever known a cat that likes to be kissed on the nose, but my Devon Rex boys love it. They'll stand on my lap with their paws on my shoulders for ages looking for kisses and if I go over to them when they're in their bed both of them turn their faces up to me expecting a smooch.

So what if I've had a bad day, a load of bills have come in or I'm having work worries. I take a break from the computer, snuggle with my boys and get a tonne of kisses to remind me that all the important stuff in the world is taken care of and the bad stuff will pass. How did I ever get along without these guys in my life?

Blue looking for a smooch

Why I Decided to Toilet Train my Devon Rex Cats

I'm talking toilet training, not house training here. My Devon Rex kittens were already 100% litter box trained when I got them. As I've mentioned before, my previous moggie was an indoor-outdoor cat so litter boxes weren't part of the deal and I hate the damn things. Before I even chose my Devon Rex kittens I already knew that they were going to be indoor only cats and that I wanted to train them to use the human toilet or "big boy potty" (yes, this is what I call it when talking to them... attempting to toilet train kittens will make you lose your mind a little).

There's several reasons I've decided to train my cats to use the toilet:

1. It's better for the Environment 
2.54 million tonnes of clay are strip mined in the USA every year, 85% of which goes into kitty litter. That's a mind boggling amount of resources and environmental damage just going into sopping up cat pee. Add processing and transport and the effect on Mother Earth is significant. In the USA alone an estimated 2 million tonnes of cat litter ends up in landfill every year and as it's not biodegradable that's where it stays for all eternity. Silica gel litter is slightly better as it lasts longer meaning a lower volume heading for landfill but as it's made from sand there's a mining component to it too and sand (unlike clay) seems to be mainly mined abroad so there's a lot more transport miles involved than with clay. It's also not biodegradable. I was shocked to find out the supposedly eco-friendly plant-based or "biodegradable" cat litters are only actually biodegradable in home compost heaps... if it goes to landfill (as most of it does) the conditions there actually prevent it from biodegrading. You can't recycle it in your organic waste either as most councils refuse to collect cat litter so it's not the eco-friendly option the manufacturers would have you believe.

2. It's much cheaper in the long run 
Citi Kitty claims you save an average of $2,000 over a cat's lifetime. Double that for two cats. If someone handed you $4,000 tomorrow I'm sure you could think of a million things you'd rather spend it on than cat litter and so can I.

3. Your house won't smell of cat pee
Unfortunately, no matter how anal (pun intended) you are about cleaning litter boxes, you can tell when there's a cat in the house the second you walk in and much as I love my boys, it's not the nicest smell in the world

4. It's more hygenic
My other half was dead against toilet training the cats as he thought it would be unhygenic to have them use our toilet. This is the argument that finally won him over to the great Toilet Training Experiment. Think about it, even the cleanest cat is going to end up with tiny bits of cat pee and poop on their paws after digging through a litter box. Sometimes they get it wrong too and I've had a couple of poopy paw prints on the floor round the box. Then they jump on your bed and kitchen counters. Yuck.

5. Cat litters are carcinogenic
But they don't tell you that on the box do they? Both silica gel and clumping clay litters (the two most popular types) contain silica dust which is a known carcinogen. If I'm having to pick between cancer and a toilet trained cat it's kind of a no-brainer

6. Dogs like litter trays too
Thankfully this isn't an issue with my dog, but I remember pet sitting for a friend whose dog ate cat poop from the litter box. Revolting and not great for the dog either I'd imagine...

7. Novelty value
I'm little ashamed to admit it but a part of me also thinks it's pretty damn cool to have a cat that pees in the toilet.

So toilet training it is... you can find out how we're getting on my reading our "Poop Diaries" here.

Learning to Speak Devon Rex

As I'd bottle-fed him and raised him from a baby I knew my "regular" cat Pushka pretty well. Like any good mum I could easily differentiate between his angry miaow, his upset miaow, his "where are you mum" miaow (this also doubled as his "where's my dinner" miaow). He also had the cutest little squeak for when I woke him up by stroking him.

Blue my Black Smoke Devon Rex at 5 months

Devon Rexes speak a whole different language though. They do have miaows but also chirrups, chatters, squeaks and... something I can't really explain but it sounds kind of like a chirrup with a stutter. Just over two weeks in and I'm still struggling to work out what they all mean.

They're not particularly vocal cats but seem to enjoy talking a lot more than Pushka ever did. He only ever talked to me if he had something urgent to tell me. My Rex twins seem to just talk for the pleasure of it.

Maybe it's because they are twins and always together, and because I'm pretty much always at home but it seems like the second one of my boys finds himself in a room alone, he starts chatting. I'm not sure yet if it's a "where are you", an "I'm bored" or just a "look at me" but I'm sure I'll get there. So far I just call back "I know" or "Tell me what's gone wrong in your life" and that seems to work... I'm invariably rewarded by a cat landing in my lap within seconds every time.

There's also the tail wagging thing... anyone used to "regular cats" knows that a wagging tail means you had better back off sharpish if you don't want a set of fangs sinking into your wrist or ankle. Devon Rexes, like dogs, wag their tails when they're happy which is insanely cute once you're used to it but can lead to a few errors in translation at the beginning. I love the sight of those super-long, elegant tails wafting back and forth every time I talk to my boys.

The difference between "catese" and "Devon Rexese" is like learning to speak fluent French and then finding yourself in a room full of Japanese people with someone asking you to translate. Yet another cute quirk of the breed that I just wasn't expecting...

Is One Devon Rex Better Than Two?

So I find myself the proud mumma of two beautiful Devon Rex boys... which is a little unexpected as I was only really looking for one kitten originally.

My Devon Rex kittens 

I work from home and have a house dog so none of the "your cat will suffer if left alone for long periods" arguments applied to me. I've also always been a dog person and the golden rule with puppies is never to get two at the same time as they'll bond far more with each other than with you so I kind of assumed the same applied to kittens. Other reasons for wanting just one cat were that animals already outnumber humans in my small household and I was pretty sure my boyfriend would kill me if I got any more pets.

However, when I found an ad online for two Devon kittens needing rehoming together I started researching how viable it is to have two kitties together. A Google search and a chat with a vet friend convinced me that actually two kitties ARE better than one, especially when we're talking about a sociable, loving, playful breed like the Devon Rex. It turned out the ad was a scam but by then the damage had been done and my heart was set on two cats rather than one.

Here's a few reasons why, two weeks into owning my twins I think it's the best decision I could have made

1. They adore each other
My boys sleep on top of each other, eat from the same bowl and spend hours playing together every day. I've filled the house with toys and gizmos to make sure they have plenty to keep them amused but by far the best toy for a Devon is another Devon. I'm sure their quality of life is much, much better than it would have been as an "only cat" and my heart breaks to even imagine seperating them now

2. Two cats are less work than one cat
They keep each other amused with chasing and wrestling games for hours meaning I can actually get some work done occasionally without the guilt factor of abandoning my kitty. I've had a "normal" cat before and I've been amazed at just how much more intense a Devon's affections are. They do need huge amounts of love and interaction and just aren't as independent as moggies. Having two is like having a live-in babysitter at times.

3. Quality playtime

We might look like we're killing each other but we're just playing, honest!

No matter how many toys you buy or how much playtime you dedicate to your cat it's impossible for a human to replicate play with another cat. Having watched my boys wrestle, chase and pounce on each other for hours on end I'm convinced that having cat-on-cat playtimes is a definite bonus for both of them. When they decide that 2am is a GREAT time to play, although they do wake me up at least I don't have to get out of bed and play with them... I just let them get on with it.

4. Training is easier
I was worried that I'd find training a nightmare with two Devons. The phrase "herding cats" came to mind. However, one of them is always a wee bit quicker to catch on to a new trick than the other and when that happens it seems to me that his brother watches him, copies him and voilá... he gets the lesson much quicker. It's been a bit trickier with toilet training them as mine is a one bathroom house and we have to go at the speed of the slowest member of "Team Citi Kitty" but that's certainly not the end of the world.

5. They reassure each other
I'm convinced that the process of picking them up, transporting them by air and introducing them to a new home was made much easier for both by having a littermate there for reassurance (read more here) and as I'm in the process of exposing them to all sorts of new experiences and meeting loads of new people it's wonderful that they both have that added security and confidence from their brother

6. They keep each other company
When I do have to leave them alone at home I know they're not going to get anxious, lonely or bored with somebody still around to play with and cuddle

7. I'm not constantly worrying if they're warm enough
It being winter, me being an overprotective Mum and my boys being too young to have their full coats it's great to know I don't have to constantly faff about with jumpers and hot water bottles as they cuddle up together and keep each other snuggly and warm. Their little house feels like a furnace with the two of them sleeping away in there together

8. It saves wear and tear on your furnishings!
Let's face it if they're having a ball beating each other up and wearing each other out, they're less likely to take out that extra energy on my sofas, curtains and anything else that takes their fancy... at least that's how it seems to be working for me

9. Entertainment value
It's hysterical watching my two boys thunder past me down the hall like a miniature herd of elephants... and then thunder right back a second later coming the other way. And again. And again. Watching kittens play is the best recipe for guaranteed laughter I know. It's also really cool to watch them develop their own individual personalities and compare how they're developing

10. They will still bond with their humans
This was the big worry for me about getting two kittens... would they be so involved with each other they would end up ignoring me? Obviously I've only had two together so can't compare how they would interact with me as an "only child" but my boys are so affectionate, interested and responsive to me I really couldn't imagine them being any better. This might be an issue with other breeds but doesn't seem to be with a people-orientated breed like Devon Rexes. There will just be two of them in your bed, on your lap, gazing at you adoringly and riding on your shoulder rather than one.

11. Littermates are best
My twins have never been seperated so have a fabulous bond. Being the same age and the same lively breed they have similar energy levels and temperament which helps them get along as best buddies. I also haven't had the stress and worry of introducing them to each other or having one get jealous about sharing their home and people with a newcomer

So for me, two cats ARE better than one... maybe not with all breeds but definitely with Devons and I adore both of my naughty little imps!

I Love My Devon Boys

Okay, so anyone following the toilet training experiment on my blog will know that today is a bad, bad day and I'm feeling demoralised and sleep deprived.

Blue and Bowie, my lovable little elves

But one thing I am very quickly learning about Devon Rexes is that whatever happens they will find a way to make you smile, to make you feel loved and to make you wonder how you ever got by without them.

They've been super cute today, wrestling a huge roll of kitchen towel to death (messy but hilarious), following me as I do my chores, sitting on the dish rack as I wash up, jumping in the washing machine as I try to get my clothes in around them and getting into even more pickles than usual. They've been chasing each other all over the house sounding like a mini herd of elephants and on one zoom round the kitchen they managed to upend the fruit bowl and then chased the oranges round the kitchen floor. Blue is now draped around my neck nuzzling my face and nibbling my ear and Bowie is curled up under my jumper in my lap.

A little Devon love will chase those first world problem blues away in an instant every time and it's impossible to go for more than 5 minutes without grinning from ear to ear with these guys in my life!

Devon Rexes - Indoor or Outdoor Cats?

I've always thought keeping an indoor only cat was unnatural at best and downright cruel at worst and my previous moggie Pushka was an indoor-outdoor cat meaning he could come and go as he pleased. I live in a hot country so I just left the door open whenever I was in the house so he was free to roam or chill out on the sofa, whichever he wanted to do.

He was a happy kitty who never strayed far and was always waiting at the door to greet me when I got home. The only downside was his penchant for catching rats bigger than he was and depositing them on my bedroom floor on a regular basis. They weren't always entirely dead either.

So I never even considered keeping cats any other way... until I started researching Devon Rexes. It seems there's a growing movement towards keeping cats as indoor only pets. I was surprised to find out that the average life expectancy of an indoor-outdoor cat was just 3 years compared to the 15 of an indoor only cat with cars, dogs and poisons as the most common cat killers out there. There's also a tonne of horror stories about cats being stolen and used as bait in dog fights although I'm guessing that depends on where you live and surely can't be all that common? My Pushka also became seriously ill once with an abscess from an infected bite, presumably from fight with another cat.

With pedigree cats you can add theft to the list. Some people will recognise your cat as the expensive, pedigree animal it is and pinch it either to keep themselves or to sell on. Or, in the case of the slightly odd-looking Devon Rex they may think it's a normal moggie that's been so badly treated by their owner that it needs re-homing or taking to the pound.

As I currently live in an area with a busy road nearby, gardens filled with unfriendly dogs and... (how can I put this nicely?) not the best class of neighbours I've made the decision to keep my Devons as indoor only cats for now. I'm currently renovating a house in the countryside with no neighbours and miles from the nearest road so once we're there I'll reevaluate the situation.

I do believe that access to the great outdoors does add an extra dimension to a cats life and would love nothing more than to let my babies run free. The cons outweigh the pros for now though, and my "kids" have always been kept as indoor only cats so don't necessarily know what they're missing. I have attached mosquito screens to several of my doors and windows so they're free to look outside and listen to what's going on, I'm training them to walk on the lead with me and I've done my best to make sure they have everything they need for a happy, fulfilling indoor life.

I'm happy with my decision considering the current situation but can't wait to get into my new house and watch my kitties run free through the fields

Blue getting some fresh air and watching the world through the mosquito screens. I call this "Cat TV"

Meeting My Devon Rexes - Love at First Sight

It's always pretty amazing meeting your new furbaby for the first time, but I was terrified going to pick up my Devon Rexes. I had to get a flight over to Milan where the breeder had kindly agreed to drive 2 hours out of their way to drop them off for me.

My chilled out boys safely in their new home

The problem was that the only flights from my home to Milan departed at 7:30 am and returned at 9pm. That's a long time to spend in an airport... and even longer with two scared kittens away from home for the first time. I'd already had a couple of hours to scout around the airport before the kittens arrived and had worked out that the only place that was going to be secure and quiet enough to meet them was in the disabled toilet so as soon as I'd said goodbye to the breeder, that's where I headed. Once inside, I covered the floor with absorbent puppy training pads then opened the cat carrier nervously. I'd never actually met a Devon Rex in real life before and even though I'd seen hundreds of photos and videos, I was wondering what these two new creatures who will share my life for up to 15 years would look like. Even more importantly, how would they react to a new place, new person and new smells after a 2 hour car journey. This was the first time they'd ever been out of the apartment they were born in.

Just 10 days later I look back now and smile. In spite of my obsessive internet research I really didn't know ANYTHING about Devon Rexes that first day. These guys popped out of the carrier, took a slightly nervous look around the bathroom, hopped onto my lap and fell asleep. And stayed asleep. For 5 hours. I was ready for terrified balls of fluff flying around the room with their claws out, or hiding behind the toilet and refusing to come out or refusing to come anywhere near me. In short, I was ready for anything except two totally chilled out kitties taking everything in their stride.

I was still in "normal" cat mode and hadn't yet plugged into the world of Devon Rexes. I was so taken aback I actually called the breeder after an hour to find out if they had been sedated. I think she thought I was a bit crazy at that point. Have you seen the film "The Pursuit of Happyness"? The one where Will Smith and his son spend the night sleeping in a subway toilet? That's kind of how the next 5 hours went that day. There were a few interruptions... the last one from a cleaner who took one look at my boys, promptly fell in love with them and hung an "out of order" sign on the door for me. What a lovely lady!

I'd brought a book along with me to pass the time but didn't even get it out of my bag. I couldn't get over these two sleeping babies. They were so much smaller than the pictures made them seem, so delicate with beautiful little elfin faces. I'd been prepared for odd-looking animals that you love because they're ugly ducklings but these guys have an elegance and beauty all of their own. In an unconventional way compared to moggies, yes, but these were the most beautiful cats I'd ever seen. I also wasn't prepared for the elegant way they curl their long tails whenever they sit down. Everything about them was just beautiful and with them seeming to trust me and to have chosen me as their new Mum, I was well on my way to being head over heels. Yes, the disabled bogs in an airport aren't the ideal setting, but love stories have begun in odder places I'm sure.

Bowie and Blue playing on their second day in their new home

Even though they had been so relaxed up to this point, the thought of venturing out of the toilet for check-in was more than a little daunting. Again, I was treating them as I would a "normal" cat so back in the cat carrier they went and we stepped into the noisy, busy, bustling departures hall of Milan Linate airport. To say my old moggie Pushka wasn't a fan of the cat carrier is an understatement. He'd alternate between mournful yowling and psycho fits of razor sharp claws slicing at anything he could reach through the cage door. My Devon Rexes took it all in their stride. Blue curled up and asleep in the back, Bowie just watching everything through the door. It took forever to walk through the airport with people stopping me every two seconds to say hello to my pretty boys and I beamed at them all like the proud new Mum I was. It took us forever to get through the metal detector section... it turns out the woman working on it has a Devon Rex too so there was a good 15 minutes of cooing over them from her, as well as every passenger in the queue behind me who wanted a peek at my boys.

Once we got to the gate, I decided to take a risk and have the cats in my arms rather than the carrier. I wouldn't even have attempted this if they hadn't been so chilled out up to this point but they again just curled up in my arms to watch the world go by. The bustle and noise of an international airport didn't worry them one bit. Everyone noticed them and so many people came over to say hello and ask about them. They were a particularly big hit with a gaggle of little girls... I was a little worried that my boys needed peace and quiet and not enthusiastic petting but the lapped the attention up. Amazingly, the flight was just the same with my boys curled up and sleeping in my arms with all the passengers nearby asking me questions about them and paying me compliments and people further away standing up in their seats to get a better look.

Finally we arrived home and I had my babies to myself. To have them curl up close with me under the duvet was just magical and even though it had been a long, hard day I spent most of that night just stroking my new boys, gazing at them with a silly grin plastered all over my face. They were here, they were mine and they were absolutely perfect!

What should have been a nightmare of a day, terrifying for the cats and nerve-wracking for me was a total pleasure. Thanks to the chilled out, trusting and friendly nature of my Devon Rex babies I was able to relax, enjoy meeting them and receive compliments from literally hundreds of people on not only the beauty but also the impeccable behaviour of my boys. What a fabulous introduction to life as a Devon Rex owner!