But while you are all waiting, here are some pictures of your kittens!

In order:

Blue boy (Labrys Lafayette), Marfa (Labrys Fangtasia)

White boy (Labrys Mississippi King), Gucci (Labrys Sookie Fae)

All the blue kittens are spoken for, and have been for quite some time. As the “British Blue” is the protypical British Shorthair and the one that everyone thinks of first, they are the most popular. Our little white boy, Labrys Mississippi King (Russell) is still waiting but we are confident he will find a fantastic home. He’s the largest of all the kittens and he’s a real boycat — a total slob, affectionate and funny.

Gucci

He's still looking for a home

Marfusha

Lafayette

Our Labrys Warrior Princess took Best in Show British Shorthair today in Bangor at the Ulster Siamese and All Breeds Cat Show. To say we’re delighted is a serious understatement as there were some really lovely cats there today.

So Xena becomes International Champion Labrys Warrior Princess!

Our Silver Tabby boy, Homer, became International Grand Premier Graygees Mr Simpson today as well.

One of the kittens — Blue — already has a new name, Gucci! She’s going to be very glamorous just like her new mom.

This little guy is still looking for a home... can you believe it?

This little girl has been booked!

Not only is this girl booked, she has a new name: Gucci!

And this is the blue boy looking a bit mental. He has a new home too and his very own little girl!

Lucky kittens!

They’re fantastic kittens and are currently eating us out of house & home. They especially love the Royal Canin Babycat Mousse and a little bit of lamb mince. They get dry food too but they’re not as excited about that.

They are almost 6 weeks old now…

It was a busy day for Em who was there on her lonesome as I had to stay at home and play with kittens (it’s a hard life, I know!). She was also helping one of the judges on the day (stewarding) so she didn’t get to chat with many people unfortunately!

You might think cat breeding is all about being surrounded by adorable fluff-balls all day, and it mostly is. But we have to do a few things to make sure that the adorable fluff-balls are healthy.

Weight gain is the easiest measure of a young kitten’s health. Any kitten not gaining steadily needs to see a vet or be supplemented with bottle feeds.

A lot of people stop weighing after the kittens are weaned. And that probably makes sense. But because we had a rescue kitten in foster care here once who died at the age of 6 weeks, I keep weighing the kittens until it’s too unwieldy to do so.

So yeah, a few seconds every morning makes sure we know our kittens are happy and healthy and full. Going on last year and this year’s average (yup, I have a big ole spreadsheet on the computer too), the average gains are 10-11g/day.

White kitten looks set to be the giant. He was the largest when born and is now 60g heavier than his siblings. He also has massive paws and loves his food in a way that’s a bit unholy.

The rest are very close in size and a bit calmer about their food.

They’re starting to discover toys, and deciding which ones are theirs. There was a little bit of baby growling today as one tried to use another’s toy!

They are so much fun. Only 3 weeks now til those of you waiting can come and visit the babies!

It's vital to see the home the kittens were born in

This is a guide for anyone who lands on this page, whether you decide to buy one of our kittens or not. I’ve recently placed our ad on DoneDeal.ie and at the same time have noticed ads on websites that sound suspect or where the kittens look unhealthy.

I don’t want you ending up with a sick kitten. So here you go, some tips for kitten shopping.

1. Read the GCCFI’s Code of Ethics. If you are purchasing from a breeder, these are the absolute minimum standards you should expect. Our in-house policies go significantly further.

2. Read up on your chosen breed. If there’s one in your area, go to a cat show and meet the cats. There are breeds whose looks I love but their personalities wouldn’t fit with my lifestyle.

3. If you have never had a cat before, be upfront with the breeder about that. Most of us have a lot of cats and assume that people know the basics. It’s not big deal if you don’t, provided you’re happy to learn!

4. Never, under any circumstances, accept an offer to “meet you halfway” to deliver the kitten unless you have already been to the breeder’s home. It is in your absolute best interest to see where the kitten has spent the first 3-4 months of her life.

5. Ask to see the mother cat. You may not get to see the father as many breeders (ourselves included) take our girls to boys owned by other breeders.

6. Turn off your emotions for a little while. Don’t walk out with a sickly kitten. You’re only encouraging bad breeding and the suffering of more animals if you pay money for kittens who have not been properly cared for. If you feel pressured or manipulated, just leave.

7. If the breeder doesn’t ask any questions of you, think carefully about how much they care about the home that kitten is going to. And then wonder how much they cared while that kitten was in their care. The questions may be annoying and intrusive, but they help us match the right kittens to the right homes and make sure that the kittens we’ve cared for go to the best possible situations.

Any questions at all, feel free to email me.