Mina

Mina is a spectacular girl and a fabulous mother.  While a bit will-full, she has kept much of her "kitten-hood" intact in her personality.  As can be seen in her pictures, she still likes to "play" and is not always the best role model for the others.

As is typical with Norwegian girls, she will take on any kitten and do her best to care for it.  With her first group of babies, she also had two Sphynx's added to her brood.  While there were a few "issues" she had to overcome (mostly due to their lack of fur), everyone did great.

Attitude.

There really isn't much more that one needs to say to describe Miss Piggy.  As with her name-sake, she is full of herself, knows she is gorgeous and is not afraid to let you know it too.  And...  She expects you to recognize it!!

She is the grand-daughter of Olivia and we are hoping she can pass on many of the wonderful traits her grand-mother has

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Samantha
Brown Classic Tabby with White

Samantha is from one of Olivia and Winston's litters, who we are hoping to use to be able to carry on their lines.  Though Olivia and Winston's children do not always show well (they are late developers), they do, eventually, turn into spectacular examples of Norwegians...it just takes two or three years for them to develop.

Samantha's "classic tabby" markings are reminiscent of her brother's (Tobias) from an earlier litter.  Though we certainly like the "mackerel tabby" marking that most of Olivia and Winston's children come with, we find Tobias and Samantha's coloring and markings to be spectacular.  Whether she will ever pass it on in the future is another question, but we can always hope. :-)

A very sweet girl with the occasional "attitude", typical of all of Olivia and Winston's kids and an almost overwhelming desire to play with the cursor on the computer screen!!  "Be careful what you wish for" is far to often a line we forget...  We'll see...soon enough.

Update 12/09

Samantha's first litter resulted in 1 1/2 months of round the clock feedings, because her milk did not come in.  While it is entirely possible that another pregnancy would not result in the same problem, we will probably not take the chance.  Instead, we will watch how her daughter (Miss Piggy) develops and if she does well, will see about breeding her and not her mother.  We love the look of Olivia and Winston's lines and would like to continue with it, but if it is necessary, will stop working with it if too many problems come up.  Sad, because they are gorgeous, but there is no point in putting them, or us, through it.

Olivia
Brown Mackerel Tabby with White

Olivia is the first Norwegian girl we brought in for breeding.  She is a natural mother and has spoiled us rotten on how kittens are to be cared for and raised. 

In addition to raising her own children very well, she has taken on others, regardless of breed.  When Mitzi had her first litter, she became ill shortly after birthing.  Olivia "sensed" that kittens were in trouble, two floors away and demanded to be let out of her area.  We obliged and followed her up the stairs, let her out through that door and then to our bedroom door, on the floor above.  She went in, assessed the situation and took care of things.  This ritual continued over several weeks, with Olivia making the trek from her kittens, to Mitzi's, four or five times a day.  Never once did we have to carry her up... She knew and made it abundantly clear what she wanted from us.

In another instance, a friend of ours had their mother MC abandon their new-born right after birth.  They called to ask if we thought Olivia would care for another kitten (she had just had a litter of her own) and as there was little other choice, it was a chance we had to take.  We each left our homes and traveled to meet each other half way.  We took the new-born back home and while weighing it, Olivia came over and took the girl out of our hands and brought it back to her brood and raised it, as one of her own. 

She is a very, very special girl to us.

April 2010

As tough as it has been, the "decision" has been made - Olivia is now "Retired" as a Mom...  While not particularly old, she has not bounced back from her last litter, as she has in the past.  Her attitude towards this round of kittens was / is different and we just feel that she is telling us, she has had enough of motherhood and wants to simply relax.  Without question, she has earned that right.