I had plans...
I had planned two litters for spring 2025.
By plan, Theodor was expected to regain his potency by October 2024.
By plan, the girls were supposed to go into heat in December 2024 and be pregnant by January.
By plan, two litters of kittens were supposed to be born by March 2025.
The reality?
The hormonal chip Theodor received last year is lasting much longer than expected. That happens. Many breeders avoid hormonal chips for this very reason—they affect every cat differently. Some males bounce back in six months, while others need two to three years. It’s now April 2025, and Theodor is still not fertile.
And the girls?
They both went into heat during our trip to Italy. I suspect the sudden change in climate stirred their hormones, and they responded eagerly to spring’s call. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a suitable stud over there while we were away, so they had to wait until we returned home.
Missie came into heat again in February. I took her to a lovely Swedish Birman boy, and everything went smoothly. We are expecting kittens in April.
Lilou, on the other hand, has been more complicated. She first went into heat at just six months old in 2023, then again at eight months—far too young to mate. So, she had to wait. But once she finally reached the right age… nothing. No heat, not even a whisper. Until January 2025—right in the middle of our Italy trip, of course—when there was no male in sight. 😅
When she finally called again, I took her to the Swedish male, just as planned. But Lilou had never been away from her family—or from Mamma Mia. She was utterly shocked that I left her there. She sat on a windowsill, and nearly 24 hours later, she was still in the same spot. She hadn’t eaten, drunk, or even used the litter box. A little fear or shyness is normal when a queen meets a new male, but this felt different—she seemed genuinely traumatized. So I picked her up the next day.
I found another potential stud for her for her next calling, but ever since that experience, she hasn’t gone into heat again.
And here we are—April 2025. Around this time last year, Lilou volunteered to be a babysitter for Missie’s newborn kittens, and – I assume – her hormones shifted into full-on mother mode. No heats at all. That seems to be happening again now.
I’m impatiently waiting to finally see the kittens she’ll have—she has an interesting bloodline with Australian ancestors. But it’s just not happening. She’s already two years old and still tries to nurse on her mother when Mia allows her. 🍼 🙈😆 But I’m sure she’d love being a mother—she’s been a wonderful and caring babysitter. I have plans for her, and I truly hope they’ll come to life soon.
But sometimes, the cats just don’t cooperate the way we plan 😄🤷♀️🙈