As mentioned previously, on December 27 2013 Lani gave birth to her first kittens. Ultimately, there were two left alive. It was a joy to watch and experience their development. And so very different from the Burmese litters that I am used to. Not only because they wear a different coat, but also because of their build and character. Of course that makes sense. Two different breeds develop in their own way.

Lani was a relaxed and calm mother. Her brood was well taken care of and kept under close observation. Any one could come and visit, just as long as they knew how to behave. Lani's adoptive mum ( a 9 year old Burmese) dropped in regularly to see if anyone needed to be kept warm or to be washed. Others just took a look inside, said hello and moved on.


Al my litters are given names that originate from another country each. With this litter I had reached the G and I had looked for Italian names. The largest chap of who I had thought he was blue, turned out to be black. I gave him the name Gaspare. It means treasurer/treasure keeper. He made sure that his mums milk would end up in his stomach, even if he had to pull out the weirdest stunts. His brother (also black) I gave the name Giosue, which means God saves, God's blessedness. It was also a nod to his grandfather, who called Joshua. Giosue is the Italian version of that name.

The two young man grew op prosperous. The grew like weed and started to discover the world around them. Bit by bit they were given a bit more room in the living-room, until they were able to come over the separation. That's when I removed the separation and gave them the whole living-room where they happily raced around. They climbed, jumped, ran and played so fanatically, they looked inexhaustible. But even such energetic children need an occasional break and then they would look for a spot to have a lovely nap. That gave their mother, the rest of the cat gang and me again just a pleasant breather.

They grew bigger and older and I found there was a surprising lack of interest from buyers. I'm sure the economic crisis had something to do with that. However, they were not in my way and I enjoyed them to the fullest. They brought a lot of life in the brewery, without them destroying things or harassing the other cats. Of course they sometimes went a bit too far, but that was quickly corrected with the tap of a paw or a snarl.

There was no shortage of attention for them, because anyone who saw them thought they were beautiful. But looking and cuddling (if they had time for that) is something different all together from buying. A lady phoned me because she was looking for company for her active cat. It proved to be a house-cat aged 5-6 years old. And the active part was playing for the whole of 15-20 minutes. When I told her that the kittens would play for 2-3 hours, take a nap and start all over again, she was startled a bit. After I told her a few more of these “horror” stories and she had a think, I was glad she decided she needed to look for another cat. I couldn't have agreed more.

A gentleman phoned because he was looking for a companion for his young Russian Blue female. He didn't want to breed , but was really looking forward to a litter from these two. In my opinion that really is breeding and not a hair on my head was thinking of participating in this. So my boys stayed at home with us.

As a matter of fact, I decided to take them along to a show. I wondered if a judge would have the same opinion about them as I had. From the start I have had a preference for Giosue. His head is a bit rounder and his coat is warmer in colour and has bigger spots then his brother. In terms of character there was hardly any difference between them. But Gaspare had a better ear placement.

The judge agreed with me on almost everything. But Giosue's ear placement had improved. He was awarded and EX1 and won Best in Variety. He was even nominated for BIS, which he lost to a British Shorthair. I don't think I need to tell you how proud I was of my lads. Yes, of both! Because Gaspare won the hearts of the audience by having nice chats and playing with them

In the end both of them – only 10 days after each other – found a permanent home. Gaspare went to live with a family a family with teenage kids, a Bengal and a Jack Russell. Giosue went to live in a Cat-hotel and a host. Both have found a place where there is adequate activity and where they are really happy.