On Friday, April 14, we started our two-day journey from Sweden to our new home in Austria. The cats were amazingly quiet at first and we wondered how long that would last 😉 . But they all surprised us, they seemed quite relaxed and content in their carriers in the backseat, and in the trunk where Noor sat with the dogs. Even the 50 minute boat trip from Rodny to Putgarden (Denmark to Germany) didn’t bother them a lot. There was a lot of traffic in Germany and it started to rain, and rain, and rain… it wasn’t a pleasant journey from there and we were glad when we arrived at our overnight stay not far from Leipzig.

The cats were finally able to stretch their legs and go to the litter box. They were curious and checked every corner of the apartment. The trip was okay for the dogs anyway, they are much more used to longer car journeys and they have their little walk every few hours.

The next day we left for the second part of the journey, which was a little shorter. But the weather was still terrible. So no nice views…. And now there was some protest from the back seat, especially from Verona.
Around 2 pm we reached the Austrian border. As with the previous border crossings there was no check so the passage was fast. No long traffic jams or unpacking… thank goodness!

Early in the evening we finally reached our goal and it was the first time I saw the surroundings, the small village, the lovely house and the impressive Petzen mountain ‘in our backyard’. It looked so beautiful and peaceful. And finally it had stopped raining during the last part of the journey. It was a great relief that we all arrived safely and without too much stress for the animals.

Our stuff arrived a few days later from Sweden and the first weeks were full with unpacking and making the house feel like a home. And of course there was/is a lot to arrange with this new international step.

A week before leaving Sweden I gave Verona her last pill. I expected her to come into heat in the last week of April. It’s always wait and see, but on Sunday April 23 I saw the first signs. It continued a few days later and on Thursday 27 (Verona’s second birthday) it was time to give it a try with Ganna.

Both were inexperienced. Ganna wanted to go too fast, Verona was unsure, so it didn’t work right away. A second attempt later in the day got a little further. I had chosen the quiet room upstairs where Ganna was waiting, but Verona seemed to be done with it as soon as I went upstairs with her. Maybe she didn’t like the place?
In the evening I decided to bring Ganna downstairs in the living room to Verona. And they succeeded, within half an hour there were two matings. Later in the evening a third.

The next day there were five more matings and then it was a bit over for both parties. The heat subsided and Ganna calmed down, a good sign.

Two and a half weeks later, I noticed the first deep pink discolorations on some of Verona’s nipples, a sign of pregnancy. Her appetite had also increased somewhat.

She’s now three and a half weeks pregnant and everything seems to be going well. The kittens are expected around July 1. So exciting again!

To be continued….