We apologize for the shortage of new photos in the last few weeks. I fell and broke my ankle while doing "cat chores" early in July and recently had surgery to put in a plate and screws. Kiki had two kittens via c-section on July 20th. Older kittens have begun leaving to go to their new homes. We use different colors of nail polish on each litters' toenails to identify individuals as we track their daily weight gains while kittens are tiny. So if you notice green, pink, or purple toenails, don't let them send you into a panic! Julie

These are some of our favorite photos of our cats past and present.

Pictured here are some of our 2008 kittens.

Grand Premier Abirwood's Nighthawke was our last Abyssinian. Everyone who came to our home was greeted at the door by Nighthawke. He was known and loved as an outgoing, adventurous, fun-loving cat. It was Nighthawke who pushed out one of our upstairs screens and fell to the ground only for us to find him perched in a nearby tree awaiting rescue as mentioned elsewhere on our website. Unfortunately, Nighthawke was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14 during the fall of 2007. Following surgery to remove an aggressively growing tumor, Nighthawke bounced back and played with our Birman kittens once again. The tumor returned and Nighthawke was inevitably laid to rest on March 28th, 2008. We mourn his loss and miss him terribly. Abirwood will never be the same. ----------------------------The Rainbow Bridge----- Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content except for one small thing. They each miss someone very special, someone who was left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly, he breaks from the group, flying over the green grass, faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face. Your hands once again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into those trusting eyes, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together.....-------------------------------------Author Unknown

August and September were bittersweet for us. It's sad to send our babies away to their new homes. However, it's very rewarding to see our kittens welcomed so warmly by adoring new families. We love receiving photos which invariably demonstrate how spoiled our babies are by their new familes. Even as kittens leave us, we will keep our kitten albums on the website for viewing. Kitten photos are organized into individual albums for each litter. Photos are arranged in chronological order so that you can track development of kittens in each litter easily. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. We use red nail polish on toes to identify individual babies until their color develops enough to tell them apart. We look forward to lots of new Bir-babies this winter.