TONKYWAY and SIALAXY

I have dedicated this page to all those cat lovers who I have come into contact with, and who I hope I have helped to adopt a kitten, either one of mine or from a referral. Through those kittens I make some lovely new friends. Some of you have been kind enough to contribute a few lines and some photos of those kittens as they have grown into cats. Most of you are really good at keeping me updated with their progress, even if it is just a note at Xmas, and for this I would like to thank you. If you have not yet contributed to this page and would like to share your experience in adopting one of my kittens, or, would like to update the picture gallery, please email me. Many thanks, Julie

Tilly came to us in the middle of the early summer heat wave this year. We had lost our british blue to heart problems earlier. Our journey home from Bridgwater to Bristol was serenaded all the way. Experience with our previous cat was that it took about 6 weeks for the kitten to fully explore the house introducing each room slowly. Hmmmm,well, Tilly insisted on a full introduction and exploration of every room in the house during the first two hours. When it came to bed that night there was no decision Tilly immediately adopted our bed and has slept there every night since then. To say she is a confident cat is a vast understatement.

Over the following days she filled us with horror as she tightrope walked across the top of doors or wobbled across the stair bannisters. She just loves to sit purring on our laps treating me and my husband very democratically. Walking around the house she loves to ride on our shoulders by leaping up from the floor.......which can comes as a big surprise when your not expecting it. Culturally she loves to watch natural history TV program's, watching a recent David Attenborough program on big cats intently for nearly an hour.

She has a great sense of interior design stripping parts of the wall in the bedroom to give us the message that our style was not to her liking.

She has become a great house cat occasionally going out into the garden when it's not too cold and definitely not when it's raining. She is such a clever cat retrieving a piece of rolled up paper..........a game which can go on for hours!

She is very gentle with our grandchildren who are all under 3 and they are learning how to treat animals gently. We had hoped for an affectionate cat and she has more than met our wildest imagination. Tilly is a much loved cat and everything we had hoped for.

Julie really knows her cats well, she gave us lots of advice on character, feeding, neutering and general looking after all of which we have found invaluable and which we thank her for.

We remember a phrase Julie once said 'little monsters with angel faces' so very true but we wouldn't change her in any way.

Hope you and all are well, this is just to up date you on the progress of Sagitta (formerly Annie & she answers too it ),she is the most loveliest cat we could have hoped for absolutely perfect. She has now settled in & flies all over the house & is also the most vocal of any cat we ever had & the fastest.

Sagitta loves her chicken drum sticks & Sheba & felix, but is not so keen on fish cooked by us.

Just dropping you a line to let you know how we are getting on with our adorable tonks.

The trip home wasn't too bad, we got to the hotel around 11pm and settled down for the night, leaving early the next day back to guernsey. The tonks were no problem at all on the way home, occasionally the girl ‘Indie' meowed to express her thoughts of the carrier box (she wasn't too impressed) whilst Archie was almost silent the entire journey.

We arrived home at 10:30am saturday morning and opened the carrier box in one of our spare bedrooms which was earlier armed with a few toys. They immediately went and hid under a bed so jo and i left them to it so they could become familiar with their surroundings. Jo and I peered through the window from the outside to see if they had come out from their hideaways and to our delight they were jumping about and chasing each other around the room whilst exploring every nook and cranny of their new home.

Later on in the day, we let the door open to allow them to roam further throughout the house, they were very timid towards us but still friendly acknowledging us with polite and gentle greetings. We left them to it for a couple of hours while they explored the remaining rooms of the house. Upon our return home we were scented and greeted proper cat style with meows and leg rubbing. For the next several hours they were in ‘Play Mode', showing off their acrobatic skills as they chased a toy dangled from a wand - besides the balls, kitten tents, tunnel etc this is by far their favourite toy. Both of them growl like dogs when they catch the toy to deter the other from pinching it from their grasp.

Indie is a very clever cat, she leads Archie most of the time, she is very outgoing and is always the first to find something new to do or play with. She is very gentle towards us and displays her affection to Jo and I very lovingly, she is so sweet and very intelligent. She has a very loud and relaxing purr which we both love. She loves to chase and be chased by Archie around the house at speeds that would high brow a group of Formula 1 racing drivers!

Archie, now here is one adorable little poopoo! He is the quiet shy one. At first he followed his sister everywhere, if he got too far away from her he would meow and Indie would come to his rescue (they do this a lot actually, for instance if one of them finds something and the other is out of sight they call for the other as if to show them what they've found, I'm fascinated by this and it gives me a smile every time it happens). In recent days Archie has come out of his shell and is a bit more independant, he's not soley relying on his sister for entertainment anymore and occasionally he will find something new to do and want to show his sister what it is he's doing. When we came to see them the first time he was a right little scallywag, clawing up legs and scratching but I'm happy to report that he's learning to play gentle with us now, keeping his claws retracted while we tickle him which is good news. He has quickly learnt that toys are for playing with but human hands, flesh and skin is for loving.

We have had no trouble at all with them, they have not soiled the house once, the litter tray i completely second nature to them, in fact they have already started toilet training (we are teaching them to use a real toilet) and this is going well, they are very clean when they do their business which must be down to your good care and upbringing, something Jo and I are very happy about.

They have settled in so well, they have been visited by friends and family members and have welcomed all with open arms (or should i say paws :). They are both so adorable and we love them totally unconditionally, Jo and I can't wait to see them when we come home and when we arrive they greet us and instantly want us to play with them - and being so much fun how can re refuse!

We just wanted to say thank you ever so much for these little darlings, you've done an excellent job with these two happy and charming pussy cats, you are a credit to the Tonkinese breeder fraternity and it has been a pleasure to have met you and your wonderful family. No doubt you will hear from us again at some point in the future.

Hello Julie

Here hopefully are the latest pics of Koko for you to see how he has changed. He has been such a joy to have and thank you so much for letting me be his 'mum'. He gets up to all sorts of mischief daily, the latest getting into the airing cupboard. Launching himself with a yowl ( no other word for it) up on to the top cupboard in the kitchen. As there isn't much room for him his ears are touching the ceiling, he starts to wail 'cos he wants to come down.

Also his latest pastime is playing with any piece of paper preferably folded over a few times which he pats with a paw under a door and he goes behind the door and pushes it back. This can go on for about 5 mins then he brings it to me and I can spend the following half hour throwing it for him which he catches it in both paws and we start again.

He sits on command, which is useful if I have to answer the front door so I have time to shut the lounge door to stop him charging straight out to meet whoever it is. He always follows any visitors up the hall and stops when they turn round to say goodbye Which really looks so comical.

Feel free to add this to your list of happy owners. Many thanks once again for him..

Love from both of usXX

To my breeder mummy:

I am settling into my new home very well; my new mummy and daddy are very nice and had lots of toys ready for me to play with. I was a little bit scared when I first arrived, as there were lots of strange smells and even a new big brother, so I did lots of hiding, and have now become the Hide and Seek Champion (I managed to hide for half an hour while mummy was looking for me!).

On my second day in my new home, I felt a bit better, so I did lots of exploring and have been upstairs and got to know my brother a bit better. I wasn't sure he was going to like me, but he was more scared of me than I was of him! I found my new toilet very easily, and have been eating well. Last night I slept on mummy and daddy's bed and curled up with my brother, and all day today we have been chasing each other around the house and playing together with our toys.

I still miss my kitty mummy and my sister and you, but I think I will be ok here, I have sent you some photos of me and my new brother, Hunter.

Lots of love,

Arrakis

Calypso (Marmite) and Telesto (Mushroom) are doing really well, they have grown a lot in the last couple of months and have been enjoying the garden with us when the weather has been nice. Marmite is very keen on chasing flies and watching the birds and Mushroom just likes galloping around the garden chasing her! They both play fetch. Marmite for some reason has taken a real liking to one of my old gloves (despite having plenty of real cat toys available) and frequently brings it to us to play. Mushroom is very cuddly and loves any new laps that he can find to sleep on. They both sit on command for treats and are just generally a joy to have about!

We wouldn't be without them now. They are popular with all of our family and friends too and frequently get spoiled with treats and toys! They can be naughty though.....we can't leave any toilet rolls or kitchen roll laying about unless we want it shredded! And they love pulling the washing off the airer and towels off the towel rail! I have included a few recent pictures for you!

A picture for your gallery! Jinx is an absolutely adorable member of the family. He has the dogs completely under control and plays fetch far better than they do. As you see, he is a very handsome boy!

Aren't they beautiful? They love the outdoors, eat like anything, and are fabulously soppy too. Thank you for letting us have them!

Purrs from us all, Simone.

Life has changed radically here a total take over, chaos reigns and at great speed till they crash out with exhaustion and then peace for a while. Ruaridh is very aptly named as when in doubt he just stands there and bellows, whether it's to summon his sister, demand attention or declare he's found something new. He is clearly having a growth spurt like a weed and eating big time. Characters are developing Zoe is a considered together girl and will I think ultimately be boss but meantime she sits back and let's Ruaridh get himself into a pickle with his boisterous impetuous approach !! Then she joins in when she sees what is going on. Lots of racing about chasing each other too very funny to see going one way him in lead and coming back madam in the lead. What fun we are all having.

Robert , Ellie and Cooper have gone back to Bristol now but as you can see no real problem with the dog for kittens. They didn't mind having faces and bottoms licked just a bit unsure about toes which isn't surprising considering cats toes.

They both love to play football with coloured ping pong balls and our tiled and wood floors make the ball roll well. I'll try and send a video clip in another email.

They have made it upstairs now Cooper has gone but are only allowed up under supervision as they think the carpet is for sharpening despite a sharpener in every room. They just love our conservatory as it has all sorts of different options for both play and rest as you can see from photos. Just as well the sofas are elderly the way they orbit round at speed! They are already watching us go out on the decking and are trying to sneak out so we are being very careful.

Happy new year. Hope you had a good festive season and that all is well with you. I thought that I'd send you a photo of Altair. As you can see, he and Maia are now friends. It took a few months, but she got there in the end! He is thriving and full of beans, and I think that he's going to be a big lad. He's got really long legs and he's already bigger than Maia. He's full of mischief as well as a real cuddle monster and everyone loves him.

As you can see China has totally accepted the kittens, she washes them and all three share everything including a food bowl. I am so pleased that China is no longer lonely on the days that the dogs and I go to work. She plays with them, tearing around the house! The kittens aren't scared of the dogs and regularly steal their food! Azha has really come out of his shell and is really faithful, he'll always be with me (when awake that is) whichever room I'm in and even comes upstairs in the morning to wake me up (maybe because he wants breakfast!). Alya has grown sufficiently so I'm going to have her spayed in February half term. They are both still gorgeous and have fitted into our family beautifully, often in the evening I will be sitting on the sofa with two dogs and all three kitties (Alya likes to sit/sleep on my shoulders like a parrot!). Thanks again for letting me have them, hope all is well with you,

Just thought you might like an update on Margot and Jerry's progress. They had their operations last Wednesday and recovered very quickly. Margot swiftly got rid of her collar and then worked steadily to unpick her stitches. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she is healing well enough without them - the vet thought so, anyway. Jerry didn't notice a thing about his procedure.

They are fabulous, hugely active, and are now sitting on our laps to watch telly, which they love. Margot is very small compared to Jerry, but is even more active, if anything, and I know that her mum Helene is small too.

They are much admired and seem to have settled in well. Next step, the wide blue yonder!

Alfi's new home is very local to me so this christmas I took the opportunity to pop in for a cuppa and mince pie. Alfi and Carolyn made me very welcome. At 10 months old he is a stunning boy with a really lovely temperament and is obviously much loved. I managed to get this lovely photo of him.

Thanks again for allowing us to have Calypso and Telesto. They settled in fairly quickly and have made themselves right at home. Me and Dan often find ourselves pushed to one side of the bed as they hog all the room! They are very playful, inquisitive, talkative and mischievous and there's never a dull moment with them! We love them and couldn't be more pleased.

thought I'd bring you up to date with la bella Bella. She has changed the game here; my husband who was OK with the cats is pinioned beneath the paw. He cannot believe how intelligent she is which is his way of saying that she runs rings round him. She is pretty amazing , though. The favourite games are played with us, in both senses of "with". She races Jeff to his chair when he heads for it, leaning back and shrieking abuse at him when he gets there. If he's silly enough to raise his bottom 6 inches from the seat she's under him, she's skidding across the floor to get there. With me she retrieves, dropping the rolled up cling film, silver paper or whatever the current favourite is, into my lap so I can throw it. One night we did it for a solid hour, and I don't exagerate. And she's got lots of other weezes.

She gets on very well with Psipsina, who behaves like a two year old with her. She's always been a shrinking violet so it is lovely to see the two of them thundering around the house and garden together, with the usual wrestling matches leaving a trail of long black fur on the carpet.

I've attached some of today's photos for you. As you can see, she is an adored favourite subject. She still takes my breath away every day with her beauty.