They're Here!!!!!!

I can't believe the wait is over and they are here! And there has been NO anti climax at all! They are as wonderful as I imagined - and MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, 10am I couldn't wait any longer and called Ami. They were home and the kittens were doing well! Starbuck was especially good - not nervous at all! Isabella and Torrey were a little more apprehensive but loosened up with time.

So, the day dragged on until I left school at 4:15pm as my mum picked me up and we headed out to Tung Chung and arrived at Ami and Sam's place with no problems. As soon as I walked in the door I saw Isabella run across the room and I couldn't believe my eyes! They were stunning! And so active! And so much smaller than I imagined which was perfect! I was so worried I had missed the small, cute, kitten stage but was pleased to find out I hadn't. Anyway, we then went out for a coffee and Torrey and Starbuck got their first roll in their stroller and were admired by EVERYONE! It was only a quick coffee before it was time to head home with lots of quiet, toys, chicken legs and boxes. There is so much more to tell, but here are the pictures so far! I'm learning (check out the link giving photo tips!).

So, here they are... my first pics of my boys at 12 weeks.

Relaxing!


Investigating the stroller.

Nap time

Falling asleep in the water bowl!

Playing behind the door!

Having a drink of water.

In the play tunnel (which he later peed in!

I couldn't resist another collage!

I simply couldn't resist posting another collage picture! I really am glad I figured out how to do this quickly and simply! This one is of all three siblings!

In black and white with a cream tone.

And the colour orginal.

And this is a picture that I fiddled with to give it some warmth and a little something! It's Starbuck. You can see the original here.

More Bengal Pics!

I have more pics of the boys! It's Sunday today and they will be leaving Australia tomorrow and arriving in Hong Kong Tuesday! Time flies! Now I'm thinking I'm not ready! I don't have food for them, the litter box is still at my parents house and I don't have a card for my camera as my last one is full! Well, all these things will work out and before you know it I'll be in Phuket for 10 days enjoying the sun and sand while Ami enjoys the kittens until I get back and get to bring them home! Anyway, here are the lastest pics...

Torrey looking mean! He's actually not - he's a real softy!

Starbuck - curious as ever!

Starbuck again!

Isabella - My Boys' Bengal Cat Sister

I couldn't do a collage of my boys without including one of their sister, Isabella (name to be confirmed at a later date =)

She's gorgeous with amazing spots! So clear (and a naked tummy because she just had her desexing operation!) and a beautiful head! Really stunning! I can't wait to meet her!

Isabella

P.S. To get a clearer view of the collage pics, click on them!

My Bengal Cats - More Pictures

I thought I would have some fun in Picasa! Here are the boys.

Torrey - Sweet, shy, quiet Torrey.

Starbuck- Outgoing, adventurous, active Starbuck!

More Pics of the Boys

Yay! I just received the latest pics of the boys and they're looking good! Great spots and a great pattern!

Starbuck's Spots

Starbuck - 7 July 06


Torrey - 7 July 06

Sebastian's Baby Pics

Only four days to go and then they'll be here! While I've been getting ready for their arrival, I found some old pics of Sebastian that I thought were cute and decided to post them. Here they are! I can't remember how old he is in them - probably around 3 months.

What a darling!


Possibly a little royal!

Look at that tail!



He's gorgeous!

Start Reading from the Bottom

Some people have been a little confused when reading this blog so I'll give you a hint... start reading from the bottom up!

Enjoy!
Dodie

Arrival date confirmed!

I'm so excited - the arrival date for Starbuck and Torrey has been confirmed. They will leave Australia on the 10th July '06 and arrive in Hong Kong at 5:30am on the 11th July '06. I'll be at work and so Ami and her husband Sam are going to pick them up. We have arranged for a traveling vet to do the usual checkup in the comfort of Ami's home which will be great and then I'll go over after work at around 4pm (fingers crossed I can leave work early).

No pics of the boys yet, so I thought I would post the early pics of Isabella instead.

Above: Isabella at 2 weeks


Below: Isabella at 5 weeks

She is truly gorgeous!

The plot thickens!

I have a wonderful 2 year old maine coon that I got from the UK. He was originally a rescue cat, but with a little reseach I actually found his breeder! That's another story. My initial reason for getting a bengal was to give Sebastian, my maine coon, a friend.

Sebastian

I have a large house in Hong Kong and so it was no problem having two cats and I knew that he needed company. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Tracie, my wonderful breeder, mentioned that if I got the last kitten in the litter - a marble boy, it would be great for the litter and there was a standard discount.

Of course I said 'no' - but I had been drawn to pictures of the marbled boy many times. He was stunning! I started to ask some questions and found out that he was show quality, had a quieter temperament, and was heavily glittered. I kept telling myself 'no' until I was sitting at work one day and I knew I had to have him! And that was that. I am now getting two kittens.

Torrey at 8 weeks. So much glitter! Yay!

When? On the 11th July '06. I can't wait! It's like the night before Christmas. I am still stunned as I never even considered getting 2 cats - it wasn't even an option. Infact, if I had gotten another kitten it would have been a spotted one as I had no interest in marbled bengals at all. But this little guy is something special! I'm just know I'm going to thank my lucky stars that I got him after he gets here! We'll see.

Anyway, as Tracie had to put through the pedigree papers for Isabella and Starbuck, she named the marbled boy "Wildkatt Torrey". I still don't know if it'll be his day-to-day name, but I do like it!

More pics of Torrey

Starbuck's Sister Isabella

Well, the next step was trying to find someone else in Hong Kong who wanted a bengal cat so the trip from Australia to Hong Kong would not be so stressful for Starbuck. I posted info pages, asked friends, tried to convince everyone I met with no luck! Then, I received an email from my breeder with good news! She had someone else in Hong Kong who wanted one of her kittens, and not just any kitten, Starbuck's sister Isabella! Amazing! I quickly gave Ami a ring and found out that not only did she speak English, but she was American! Needless to say, we spent many hours on the phone after that and have already started to plan their arrival together.

Isabella at 8 weeks


Isabella's gorgeous pelt!

More pics of Starbuck at 5 weeks

I love these pictures of Starbuck at 5 weeks! It was these pictures that grabbed my attention!

My favourite! Showing ocelli on the backs
of his ears and a beautiful pelt!

What a spotted tummy!


Look at those spots!


And more spots!

His name does not come from the coffee company (although I am a Starbucks junky!), but from the character off Battlestar Gallactica. I couldn't think of a name for him and was getting frustrated - then, Starbuck came to me! I don't know what his day-to-day name will be yet, but he is officially 'Wildkatt Starbuck'.

It all began like this...

Starbuck at 5 weeks

This all began a while ago when I started to look into purchasing an F3 Savannah cat. Well, it turned out that Hong Kong doesn't allow Savannahs to be imported and so I turned my attention to the bengal breed and found out they are very similar to the savannahs and was hooked!

After lots of reading, checking out different breeders, emailing and research (all done from the distant land of Hong Kong!), I found the cat I wanted. Believe it or not, it was the first kitten I saw online and it was the only breeder who had not gotten back to me! I almost went with another gorgeous boy from a super friendly breeder in Australia, Debbie, who has helped me so much, but in the end, I followed my gut. I'm sure he'll find a good home! It turned out that the breeder of the boy I wanted had gotten back to me but Yahoo! had filtered the email into my bulk mail box. So, I was thrilled when I called and found out that the brown spotted male bengal cat I wanted was still available. He was much more expensive than I had budgeted for as he was a show cat, but well worth it!

Starbuck's first pictures taken at 2 weeks.

Adorable!

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