Congrats on the new additions. But, be warned, it may be addictive.

A cautionary tale/tail:

We started with two female sister-cats in 2003. Hubby had his neutered, my slinky, glossy black one had 4 kittens. I was the midwife from 11.30pm to about 2am one night.

We kept two - Hubby kept a male, I kept a female, another slinky, glossy black. She had 5 kittens and she was so tiny. She was out like a balloon. Hubby didn't tell me until a couple of hours after she started getting ready to have them so I came home from work with 3 kittens already there and one more arrived, and then I found one in a cardboard box on top of the wardrobe in the main bedroom. Hubby thought the mother might be ready to drop them so he carefully shut the bedroom door. !!

The mother had been up there, came down to tell him something weird/wonderful had happened and couldn't get back up there so she had to use birthing suite No. 2, the bottom shelf of a bookcase in my office. Luckily I heard the first one crying and found it.

So we took 4 to our local vet who has a clever cat adoption centre set up in the waiting room, with a cost per kitten which includes neutering when they are old enough. I kept the smoky grey female with a cream bib. Hubby went back without telling me and bought back the one he liked, which I thought he had decided he didn't want to keep.

Now we have 6 cats. The smoky grey one hasn't been neutered yet. I am waiting to see if a suitable suitor presents himself or maybe I'll change my mind.

There'll be no moggies around if the government has its way, and all we'll have are pedigree things that have had their genetics mucked around with by cat breeders. I'm doing my bit for the moggy lovers by sending a supply of ordinary household cats to the cat adoption centre.

I'm seriously considering building a cat run in the backyard, though. Six cats are a handful, especially with the personality clashes.

Helen