Amy

Amy - my very first Birman

Kitten adventures - click to go to our kitten web site

Links page

Cat accessories - favourite things!
Facts page - shows details of our breeding
FRIENDS page

Amy - my first Birman

Katy and Lucy's page

Great Danes

Video Clips - See the trio playing with 'Panic Mouse'

Comparisons - how we have changed over the years

Amy was my very first Birman so really you could say that it was she who first introduced me to this lovely breed and since her I have always, give or take a few weeks here and there, always had at least one Birman around.

When I was first married and we decided to have our first pet and I, at long last, got my wish to own a Great Dane. Needless to say this developed into lots of Great Danes as we started to breed and show them (perhaps at some stage I will include the odd Great Danes page on the web site!)

After 10 years when I got divorced from my husband I took all the 'pensioners' (the dogs that were too old to breed or show) and he had all the show dogs - he still goes to the shows and we still keep in touch each Christmas. When the last of the pensioners died I was lost without a pet in the house - I was by this time remarried and we both led busy lives so we did not immediately do anything about this. Next door's cat used to visit us regularly and was in fact waiting on the step when I got back from having the last dog put to sleep - she seemed to know I needed her. She used to pop in and out and it was like having a cat without the responsibility but then the neighbour went away for a fortnight and put the cat in a cattery! I was lost without an animal around and just happened to be looking down the 'pets' adverts in the paper and saw a Birman cat looking for a 'good home'.

I had seen pictures of Birmans before and had thought they were beautiful cats but all my previous cats had been moggies and it had never been in my thoughts that I would ever buy a pedigree cat. Needless to say I rang up about her and got well grilled by the lady on the other end of the phone to make sure I could offer a suitable home. Having reassured her that we did not live on a main road, had no other pets and no children she agreed that we could go and look at the cat. When we arrived we saw this gorgeous Birman called Amy, she had been rescued by the Canine Defence League having been living rough for about three months. That was about all we knew about her but she was a typical adult seal point Birman with a lovely coat and a voracious appetite to the extent that she would devour anything that fell on the floor immediately as if she thought each meal was going to be her last. We took her home and she spent the first two weeks hiding under the bed in the spare room. I would go in sometimes and sit quietly and chat to her in a soft voice and then leave her food beside the bed so that she could come out once I was gone. Gradually she learned to trust us and once she did she was lovely to have around, typical Birman, loved a cuddle and a joy to own.

Amy made herself very much at home. She still liked her independence and would go out and about on her own but she never went very far from home and much preferred a lap to the floor or to sit close by you and have her head rubbed. We loved her a great deal and she was very much part of the family although sadly this was not to last for long.

About two years after we got her we went on holiday and left her in a cattery. When we got home we had been burgled and the house was in considerable disarray but we picked her up the following day and brought her home. The next day she was very quiet, just not her usual self, nothing you could really put your finger on but I was worried so I took her to the vets to make sure she was OK. He checked her over and said she was just fine, she was purring away on his table and he couldn't find anything wrong and thought I was just overanxious.

About 3.00 am the next morning she woke me as she was crying, not a normal cry, more of a wail and she was laid on the floor obviously in pain. I picked her up, put her on the bed beside me and tried to comfort her. I couldn't comfort her in any way and just as I was about to call the vet she had a massive convulsion and died in my arms. I was absolutely devastated. I have never been so upset about losing an animal.

When we used to breed dogs if ever we lost one without knowing why we always had a post mortem but for Amy I just couldn't bring myself to do it. She was a lone pet so we didn't have another pet at risk. To this day I have no idea what the problem was. She didn't go out so I can't think she was poisoned but the onset was so unexpected. It could have been linked to the cattery I suppose but I really don't know. I later learned that cats do purr when they are in pain as well as when they are content so the purring she was doing at the vets was probably because she was in pain then.

Having had Amy and lost her I knew that I had to have another Birman, for some reason no other cat would do, however I did not want to bring another cat or kitten in so soon after losing her for an unexplained reason so I waited for three long months before I scoured the pages of Cat World to see if I could find a breeder nearby with kittens for sale.

Luckily I found one not too far away so if you go to Katy and Lucy's page you will be able to read what happened next!