As far back as I can remember I’ve always thought myself to be a "doggy" person. Cats were around but somehow distant. Although I can’t remember when or how, during part of my childhood we had a cat called Snowy (it was white) who had the odd singularity of having one blue eye and one green eye. Sadly, because my mother suffered from varicose veins and Snowy loved to chase her up the flight of stairs to the first floor of our home, she was put to sleep (the cat, not my mother).

Many, many years later I then had an extraordinary cat called Popeye who travelled with me where ever I went (Belgium, South Africa, France). I say "had" because I don’t think you can ever "own" a cat in the proper sense of the word. Much to my chagrin, a year after I’d settled in France she was caught by a fox and mauled to death. I was left heartbroken and queried my life here and if it was worth the loss of such a dear friend. Like many people who have lost a special companion, afterwards I made the conscious effort to accept cats into my world but never to let them touch me as deeply as Popeye; that is until Little Miss Fleur entered my life.

The first photo shown is Miss Fleur when she was just 8 weeks old and newly arrived in our home. She was almost black with just a smidgen of pinky/orange on her nose. Since then orange flecks have appeared more evident along her flanks but her face is much as when we first adopted her.

She is, to put it mildly, exceptional and I am totally besotted by her. I can’t even say she’s beautiful yet there is something very charismatic about her, her gentle character and very loving nature. As responsible owners we have always neutered our animals (dogs and cats) and yet, when it came to Miss Fleur, I found it an impossible act to do - almost an outrage. This second photo as taken today while I was writing this blog. As you can see she is still quite dark and resting on my printing after enjoying my bowl of prawns that I’d brought down into the office for Nigel and I to enjoy as an aperitif with a chilled glass of Rosé - it being Friday and TGIF after all.

And so here we are, after a couple of weeks of singing, chirruping, flicking her tail and disappearing into the woodlands behind our home, Miss Fleur found her Beau and is now with kittens. As doting parents we are over-joyed. So this blog is a chronicle of this fascinating adventure, the different milestones both she and her kittens will go through, and watching them grow up and enjoying life to its fullest.

We believe she was sired around the first week of February. Now, at the end of February her nipples are "pinking up" which apparently occurs about the third week of pregnancy. She should also start showing a gradual weight gain and I must admit that her appetit has become, well, more noticeable. She especially loves prawns and I must own up to buying her fresh shrimps or prawns everyday when I can find them (cheap).

We plan to take her to the vet in two weeks time for her first check up and to find out how many kitties she may be carrying. In the meantime, we shall be reporting on Miss Fleur’s progress and if she will stop pinching my prawns set aside for me for dipping in my special mayonaise concoction!