Meezer Monday & Merry Christmas!

Merlin:


Hello, I'm Merlin, and I've been told to introduce myself to you. My registered name is Miraclelove Bijan, but the big cats (oh, the other Sphynx here tells me they're humans) call me Merlin.

I'm a little guy, 15 weeks old, about half the size of the Sphynx already living here. This seems to be a nice place, although I miss my littermates - my brother and two sisters - and my mom. The big cats (humans) here are nice, and play with me a lot. I really like to play with the feather wand toy, and with the ball tracks! I love to purr, and I purr the minute one of the big cats (humans) touches me.



I like my room, there are lots of toys, a huge scratching post, crunchies and water available all the time, soft food twice a day, and a nice litterbox. Plus lots of places to explore. I'm not too sure about the other Sphynx, who says him name is Dragonheart. He keeps trying to whap me, so I growl and hiss at him. We did manage to sleep within a foot of each other yesterday afternoon though. I curled up in the female's lap for a nap, and the other Sphynx curled up against her legs. That was fine. But awake, he keeps trying to whap me, so I growl and hiss.


When I'm not playing, I definitely prefer to curl up next to a big cat (human). I spend most of my time during the day playing, though. I spend the night sleeping, curled up next to one of the big cats (humans). If the other Sphynx stops whapping me, I'm sure I'll love it here.


Dragonheart:

Can you believe my humans brought a KITTEN into the house?!? He's in the cat room, climbing on my big cat tree (there's a smaller one in the family room), playing with my toys, and cuddling with my humans! Normally I'm a very friendly and tolerant guy, but I'm not sure I like having this kitten here.

I've tried whapping him to show him who's boss, but he just growls and hisses at me, and then carries on. My humans say we'll become friends in time, but I'm not so sure. I don't like sharing my humans with this kitten!

From all of us:

We would like to wish all those who celebrate a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Joyeux Noël!

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Tags: Meezer Monday, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Cat Fashions, Cat Sweater, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Introducing Merlin!

Hello everyone! Dragonheart's mom here. I would like to introduce everyone to the newest member of our family, Merlin!

Merlin is a Seal Point and White Sphynx. He's 15 weeks old. He's absolutely adorable, very friendly and active, and has a wonderful loud, rumbling purr that starts the minute you pet him.

Sorry I didn't have time to post an introduction yesterday. It was a long day. We had to pick Merlin up at his breeder's place, which would normally be about a 2 hr 45 min drive, but because of highway construction and the accompanying slow traffic, the drive each way took just over 4 hours. Plus an hour spent at the breeder's getting to know Merlin and filling out his paperwork, and it made for a long day.

So yesterday we drove to Merlin's breeder's place, where we met the little fellow. The breeder put him in my lap, and he just curled up there, and after a while gave me a little purr. Once we were in the car on the way back home, he slept the entire way, curled up in his sleeping bag and under a fleece blanket (that had Dragonheart's scent on it).

We brought him home and placed him in the spare room, which we turned into a kitten nursery. We let him make his own way out of the carrier, then showed him his litterbox and food and water.

Merlin started exploring the room, looking into every nook and cranny, smelling everything, and playing with several of the toys in the room. He especially likes ball tracks and feather wands.

We briefly let him and Dragonheart meet each other. There was some hissing going on, and much to our surprise, Dragonheart seemed scared of Merlin!

The door to the kitten nursery has a large window in it. Dragonheart spent most of the rest of the evening standing at the door, looking in the window at Merlin. At bedtime, my husband slept in the spare room with Merlin, and I slept in our normal bed with Dragonheart.

This morning we let Merlin and Dragonheart meet again, and they hissed at each other, and Merlin growled at Dragonheart. We started playing with a feather wand toy, and Merlin had a great time playing, while Dragonheart just watched. Occasionally, Dragonheart would get ready to pounce, but he would just come close to Merlin, whap him with a paw, and then retreat. Merlin didn't seem fussed, he just kept playing!

So this morning, Merlin is having a great time, running through the room, playing with his toys. Dragonheart spends most of his time looking through the window into Merlin's room.

I know it will take some time for them to become friends, so we aren't rushing anything. We are very surprised that Dragonheart seems scared of Merlin though, and that he just sits at the door, looking in!

Merlin is very friendly. The minute you start petting him, he starts purring with a loud, rumbling purr. He doesn't have much of a meow yet, just a little squeak.

Here are some photos of the new little guy.

On the cat tree:

Next to the mouse track:

Using the scratching post:

Checking each other out through the window:

Tags: Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat, kitten, hairless kitten, Sphynx kitten, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Thursday Thirteen: Potential New Blog Names

As I mentioned before, when my little brother arrives, we are going to have to share this blog. So I asked for suggestions for a new name for the blog. Here are 13 of the suggested names. Tomorrow I will share my favourite and announce the winner(s) in the blog name contest. Feel free to tell me which name you like the best in your comment!

#46 - 13 Potential Blog Names

1. The Mystical Musings of the Sphynx
2. Sublime Sphynx Siblings
3. The Sphynx Catacombs
4. The Riddle of the Sphynx
5. Sphynx Stories
6. The Sphynx Brothers
7. Simply Sphynx
8. Chat Aux Magic
9. The Secrets of the Sphynx
10. The Naked Truth
11. The Word of the Sphynx
12. Magical Sphynx
13. Dragonheart's Domain (ie. keep the same name!)

Three of the above-mentioned names are among my favourites, but I would like to know what your favourites are!

Tags: Thursday Thirteen, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Mancat Monday: Gotcha Day Gifts & A Contest!

Thanks to everyone who left me a message yesterday for my first Gotcha Day and Blogaversary! It's been wonderful getting to know all the wonderful blogging cats (and woofies, and other animals) over the course of the past year.

I spent a wonderful day with my humans yesterday. I spent a lot of time curled up either on my mom or my dad's lap, except when my mom went out for her long run.

My humans gave me my Gotcha Day presents, which are wonderful! To the left, you can see me checking out my catnip banana! It smells wonderful and is a lot of fun to play with.

To the right, you can see me sniffing my new colourful organic worm toy, filled with valerian! I was certainly intrigued by the smell. I was even salivating over the scent! The manufacturer says that valerian is an alternative to catnip, and it certainly had my interest!

Finally, I received a special Advent calendar, just for cats! So every day, from December 1st to 24th, I will get one treat from my Advent calendar! There are four different types of treats inside. Sadly, one of the treats is made with chicken, so I won't be able to eat those because of my food allergies, but my humans will set the chicken ones aside for my little brother to have when he joins our family. The other three types are okay for me to eat, though. In the photo to the left, you can also see my catnip banana and my colourful worm toy.

I am looking forward to many more wonderful years with my humans, and many more years of blogging. My little brother will be blogging with me when he arrives, so although I will keep the same blog address, I will have to come up with a new blog name, since we will be sharing.

So, I am holding a contest to come up with a new name for my (and my little brother's) blog! We are both Sphynx, and I'm a tuxie (black and white) Sphynx, and my little brother is a Seal Point (coloured like a Siamese) Sphynx. If we like your name suggestion, you will receive a little thank you from the Siamese Rescue or the Animal Rescue site. So, leave your suggestions for a new blog name in the comments field of this post! You have until next Sunday (December 2nd) to leave your suggestions.

Tags: Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Meezer Monday

Here's another photo of my little brother, who will be joining our family just before Christmas! Isn't he cute? He's a Seal Point Sphynx, so he has the same colouration and pattern as a Seal Point Siamese. He just doesn't have any fur (except on his nose) so his points are harder to see than on a Meezer. But you can see his points developing on his nose. He also has lovely blue eyes. Not quite as vibrant or deep a blue as most Meezers, but beautiful nevertheless. We can't wait to have him join our family! No, he still doesn't have a name, but his breeder will be giving him his registered name, and we'll decide if we'll use that name as his "daily use" name or give him a different one. (My little brother is approximately 8 weeks old in this photo. Photo is courtesy of his breeder, Miracle Love Cattery.)

Tags: Seal Point, Meezer Monday, kitten, hairless kitten, Sphynx kitten, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Cats on Tuesday: Questions Answered

In this week's version of Cats on Tuesday, I answer the questions I have been asked for the past month or so.

Have my humans ever visited The Netherlands?

• My dad has been there several times with work, and he's seen some of the Canadian War Graves and Second World War sites there. My mom hasn't been there yet.

Am I excited about my little brother arriving just before Christmas?

• Oh yes! I can't wait to have someone to play with, wrestle with, cuddle with, and teach! I love playing and cuddling with my humans, but we Sphynx are very social cats and we love having others to interact with.

Will my little brother's eyes stay blue?

• Yes they will! As I've mentioned, he's a Seal Point Sphynx, which means his colouration is that of a Seal Point Siamese. So he will have blue eyes, just like Siamese do.

Will my little brother grow into his ears?

• Sphynx are naturally "frootbats" - we have big ears. :) However, just like I did, he will grow into his ears somewhat, but he will still have large ears. The CFA Sphynx breed standard says: "EARS: large to very large. Broad at the base, open and upright."

How old is my little brother in these photos?

• He's about 8 weeks old

Does he have a name yet?

• Not yet. His breeder will give him his registered name, and once we know what it is, we'll see if it we want to use it as his daily use name as well. My registered name is HairNSkin Dragonheart, and before they got me, my humans wondered what they would call me that was shorter, but when I came to live with them, they found that Dragonheart suited me just fine! So it may be the same with my little brother. If not, we're thinking we'll either choose a name that "matches" mine theme-wise, like Merlin, or something Egyptian, like Ramses. But we'll see. I'm sure he'll let us know his name when he gets here.

When will my little brother arrive?

• Right now, my humans are hoping to pick him up on December 22nd, if that date works out with the breeder. My dad will have two weeks off, starting then, so both my humans will be home to make sure we both get lots of attention and are properly introduced.

Does my mom scrapbook in paper too?

• No, my mom only does digital scrapbooking. Paper requires too much "stuff" and is very expensive! Digital is so versatile, and much less expensive. My mom also worked for many years as a web designer and web projects manager, so she has "played around" a lot with graphics software and she loves doing it.

Do I have a coat to wear in the winter?

• I have a couple of sweaters, but they are from last year, so I've outgrown them. They should fit my little brother this winter. Honestly, though, I don't really need them. My fast Sphynx metabolism helps to keep me warm, and, if I'm a little cold, I will burrow under the covers, or find a nice warm lap to curl up in. The rule of thumb is this: if a human is comfortable going around without a sweater on, then a Sphynx will be fine. If a human needs a sweater to be warm, a Sphynx probably will too, or will want a warm lap or other warm spot to curl up in.
  

How did my humans meet?

• This is an interesting story. One of my mom's friends was marrying one of my dad's cousins. My dad had just come back from a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, and was on his way to Kingston, Ontario, for a four-month military course. Kingston is about 2 hours from where the wedding was taking place (Wakefield, Quebec), and the wedding was the weekend before his course was due to start, so he was going to be in the area anyhow. My mom was living and working in Ottawa at the time, and Wakefield is not far from Ottawa (about a half hour drive). So my humans met at the wedding, and really enjoyed talking with each other and dancing at the wedding. At the end of the night, my dad was smart enough to ask my mom for her phone number! The next four months, while my dad was on course in Kingston, they saw each other every other weekend, or so, since Ottawa is only about a 1.5 hour drive from Kingston. They very quickly fell in love, and the rest, as they say, is history!

So, that answers a bunch of your questions! Let me know if you have any more, and I'll answer them in a future edition of Cats on Tuesday. I hope you all have a great day!

Tags: Cats on Tuesday, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Cats on Tuesday: Road Trip & My Little Brother

I'm enjoying my virtual road trip with Roxy, Lucky, Mickey, Georgia, Tillie, Mindy and Moe, Karl, the Meezers, Parker, Monty, Mr. Chen and Ollie, and Millie. I have to remember that there are speed limits everywhere in the U.S., instead of just in certain regions of the Autobahns here in Germany. You can check out all the road trip details on Roxy's blog.

While I'm busy with all my friends, I thought I would share some new photos of my little brother with you. He is still living at his breeder's place, and will join our family around Christmas. He doesn't yet have a name, but his breeder will name him. Of course, if we don't like his registered name, we'll choose a different daily use name for him.

He is a Seal Point Sphynx, which means he has points, just like a Siamese. The points are harder to see on a Sphynx, due to the lack of hair, but you can see his points starting to come in on his nose and his ears. Isn't he a cutie? We are all excited to have him joining out family soon! It will be wonderful to have someone to play with, snuggle with, and wrestle with! Photos are courtesy of his breeder, Miracle Love Cattery.

(Click either photo to view a larger image)

Don't forget to vote for me in Skeezix' Hallowe'en Costume Contest! You can view my entry here. Thanks!

Tags: Sphynx kitten, hairless kitten, Canadian hairless kitten, Seal Point, Seal point Sphynx, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Tuesday: Questions Answered

Hello all!

I snuck on the computer to answer a couple of your questions. No photos today, because my mom took the camera with her, so I don't have any pictures.

When will my new brother arrive? He should be joining our family in late December, right around Christmas.

Does he have a name? His breeder will name him - he doesn't have a name yet. Of course, if we don't like his registered name, we'll come up with a nickname or daily use name for him that's different.

What will he look like? He's a Seal Point Sphynx, so he'll be a Sphynx with dark brown points, just like a seal point Siamese. It's harder to see the points on Sphynx, as opposed to on Meezers, though, because of the lack of fur.

Where in Canada are my humans from? My dad is from Newfoundland, but he's been posted all over the country as an army officer. My mom was born in Selkirk, Manitoba, spent the first eight years of her life in Winnipeg, then moved to Ottawa, attended university in Guelph, Ontario, and then moved back to Ottawa. Before being posted to Munich, my humans were living in Ottawa.

So, a few questions answered. :) Let me know if you have any more questions - I'll answer them at some time in the future!

Thursday Thirteen: My Future Sibling

#35 - 13 Things About My Future Sibling

(Photos to the right courtesy of Miracle Love Cattery)

1. My future sibling will be a little brother! We don't yet know which of the two little boys you can see to the right that he will be, but he will be one of them!
   
   
2. He will be a Sphynx, like me, since my dad is allergic to cats, but fortunately isn't allergic to Sphynx! (Some people with allergies can tolerate Sphynx, others can't.)
   
   
3. He doesn't have a name yet, but he will be named by his breeder, Miracle Love Cattery.
   
   
4. He is a pointed Sphynx, which means he will be patterned like a Siamese.
   
   
5. He is still very young, so we don't know exactly what colour he will be yet. Pointed kittens are born all white (pink in the case of Sphynx) and their points slowly develop as they grow older.
   
   
6. He will have blue eyes.
   
   
7. He will come to live with us sometime in December. He needs to be between 12 and 16 weeks old before he can leave his breeder's.
   
   
8. He was born on September 2nd.
   
   
9. I am really looking forward to having a little brother!
   
   
10. It will be wonderful having someone to play and wrestle with!
    
    
11. I love cuddling with my humans, but it will be nice having someone about my own size to cuddle up with, especially when my humans aren't around.
    
    
12. It will be fun teaching him all about our home and how things work here.
    
    
13. I am very excited and happy to be getting a little brother!
    

Tags: Kitten, Hairless Kitten, Sphynx Kitten, , Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,

Cats on Tuesday: My Exciting Announcement

I few of you already heard this announcement in the chat room, but I am making my official announcement here.

In December, I will be getting a little brother!!!

The kitten won't be coming from my breeder, unfortunately, because her August litter consisted of only one little girl, who is a furry Sphynx. (Yes, Sphynx will fur are still occasionally born - remember that Sphynx have been crossed with other breeds to create a healthy, robust breed with a wide gene pool. Also, the Sphynx gene is recessive to normal hair, although it is dominant over Rex-type curly hair.)

Another German breed had a litter of kittens on September 2nd (two girls and two boys) and one of the little boys will be coming to live with us in December! He will be a pointed (Siamese-patterned Sphynx). We don't know exactly what colour he will be yet, because he is still so young. Like with Stella's Meezer babies, the pointed Sphynx are born solid white (pink) and slowly develop their point colours as they grow older. The kittens' sire is a red-point and white and their dam is blue-point and white.

In these photos, the kittens are just one week old, so they are still pink and very young. We don't yet know which of the little boys will be coming to live with us (we'll see how the kittens develop) but one of them will become my little brother in December!

These first photos are of the two little boys. There are courtesy of the breeder, Miracle Love Cattery. (Click photos to view a larger image)




The next photos are of all four kittens, along with their momma cat.



You can see more photos of their mom, as well as photos of their dad, at the breeder's web site:

• Photos of Dad
• Photos of Mom (scroll down until you reach MiracleLove X'Opium)

I am very excited, and can't wait until December! :)

Tags: Cats on Tuesday, Sphynx kitten, hairless kitten, Sphynx, Canadian Sphynx, Canadian hairless, cat, hairless cat,