The Babes Are Born!

Words are insufficient to describe the magic, the beauty, the sweetness and the Love that we have been experiencing since 7:30 pm last night (October 27, 2017), when Mitsy gave birth to her first kitten -a little black and white beauty.

 Shortly before going into labour, Mitsy became more vocal than usual. Her purring suddenly became unusually loud. I called her downstairs to the birthing room we had prepared for her -a bathroom with a walk-in shower that we padded with towels. Mitsy would only stay in there if I jumped in with her, so I gladly took on the role of improvised cat doula.

She looked at me with big, worried eyes, and then an intense contraction made her howl with pain. I did my best to reassure her, pet her, and when I cheerfully said "push, Mitsy!" the first kitten coincidentally popped out. She instantly knew what to do. She licked it all of, severed the umbilical cord and had herself a nice little placenta snack. The kitten was instantly on a nipple mission.

About 45 minutes later, Mitsy gave me a look that said "oh my gosh, another one is coming, please hold my kitten". So I did while she howled, pushed and watched number two come out at 8:15 pm. Another little black and white tuxedo kitten! Incredible. Mitsy was purring like crazy, and she truly looked so proud and happy.

 Around 9 pm, I got the look again "keep my babes warm, I gotta push like hell." I was so surprised and pleased to see a little ginger cat come out. To be honest, I was expecting much more yuckiness from these births, but it wasn't bad at all. Mitsy cleaned up everything as she went.

By 10:30 pm the new little family of 4 was looking very relaxed and sleepy, so I thought that was it. First-time mothers usually have smaller litters. I moved everyone out of the shower area and into a warm basket. Mitsy was looking at me with her usual loving eyes, then her expression suddenly changed to "oh my gosh, here comes number 4!" Another ginger sweetie was born at 10:40 pm!

What an amazing show! I felt so lucky to be able to witness this miracle of life. And then, right at 11 pm, number 5 came out -another ginger babe! I'm very grateful that everthing went smoothly, all the kittens are perfectly healthy, and Mitsy is one proud and happy mama. Today, the kittens are not even 24 hours old, and they are full of life and vitality! There is already some serious sibling rivalry going on for nipple access! What a gift this experience is. Théo and Emma are in complete awe -and that's pretty much all they say...awwwwww!

Stay tuned for weekly updates on the kittens. If you're close to Edmonton, they will be available for adoption in February 2018. We have 3 gingers and 2 black and white ones.

With Love,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

We Are Expecting!!!!

Meet Mitsy: the most affectionate, loving and zen cat I've ever known. But please don't tell that to our other cat Precious -a sassy Bengal with a teenage attitude.

We found Mitsy meowing in an alley in April 2016. She was one hungry and skinny little orphaned kitten. We thought it would be impossible to adopt her with Precious being so territorial, but we gave it a shot, and to our surprise, both cats are still alive and well today. Mitsy adores Precious despite the fact that she still regularly gets smacked on the head by her older "sister". And as for Precious, she kinda of likes Mitsy now, but she's just too proud to admit it.

These pictures were taken when we first found Mitsy. Even when she was just a kitten, she radiated unconditional love and gratitude through those sweet eyes. You can almost see it in the picture of Théo holding her. Cats can be pretty independent - needing you one minute and wishing you would scram the next- but Mitsy just seems to emanate this deep love ALL the time. Even when she gets bullied by Precious! She truly is a remarkably inspiring little zen cat.

Scratch that. BIG cat. She's HUGE now. We are sooooo excited to say that Mitsy is now a Queen! That means she's expecting kittens. She is about 59 days pregnant, so the babes should be born within a week! We took our Queen for a prenatal checkup at the vet yesterday and everything looks good and healthy. We have her birthing area ready.

I have never experienced the birth of kittens before, and I just can't wait! The kids are super excited too. We've taken this opportunity to learn more about cats, pregnancy and the birthing process. Théo now has a new favourite word : placenta.

This is a picture of Mitsy taken just today. She is ready to pop. When I put my hand on her abdomen, I can actually feel the occasional kick.

Why am I writing about this in my blog? Because birth is such an incredibly beautiful and miraculous event. Because I want to share the joy and the wonder of kittens with you. Because when we laugh, we love, we care and we share, we raise our individual vibration and this affects everyone around us in a positive way. So yes, there will be regular kitten updates coming up on this blog! If you are close to Edmonton, you can even adopt one. The fluffy bundles of joy will be ready to find forever homes by next spring.

Having the opportunity to care for other living beings has an extremely positive effect on our health. Reseach indicates that the mere owning of a pet decreases the levels of depression and hypertension of it's owners. Do you own a pet? What makes him / her so special and unique? What do you love about him / her? Don't hesitate to share in the comments below.

With Love,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

What's On Your Wish List?

A teacher asked his students: "Class, if I asked you to write a wish list of what you would like to experience in your life when you grow up, what would you put on this list?"

Fiona raised her hand and said:

"A fit body, good health, a job that makes me feel like I'm making a difference in the world, and lots of internet subscribers."

Very good, said the teacher, laughing. What about you, Michael?

"Relationships that make me feel loved and wanted, a quick and knowledgeable mind, and plenty of nice things that give me comfort and security, like a hot-tub!"

Excellent! Jordan, go ahead, Im listening.

"I want to feel like I'm in control of my life, I want lots of money, I want each day to be fun and entertaining, and I want to be happy most of the time, instead of being always depressed like my mom."

"I appreciate your honesty, Jordan," said the teacher.

"Now class, can you please tell me who is this "I" you speak of?"

Confused, the students looked at each other without knowing how to answer this strange question. The teacher added:

"What if this "I" that wants all these things on your wish list is not at all who -or what- you really are?

Daniel replied "but who else could "I" be than myself?

With a twinkle in his eyes, the teacher continued:

"What if you were the complete opposite of what you thought you were...

-Empty space instead of content...
-Silence, instead of noise...
-Nobody, instead of somebody...

The teacher went on to ask "if you eventually discovered that what you really are IS indeed this space, this silence, do you think the things on your wish list would be able to give you lasting fulfillment?"

"Probably not", said Tammy.

"What then, could bring you lasting peace?"

The class was completely silent, then Lucas spoke up.

"Simply to remember that I'm actually the opposite of what I think I am?"

"Excellent" said the teacher to Lucas. "And knowing this, what would be on your new wish list?"

Lucas closed his eyes for a moment, then replied "there would be no wish list, because I am already whole and complete, simply as I am."

The teacher nodded and smiled. "To remember who, or what you truly are is the end of suffering. End of class."

With Love,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com