Meet the Dawnmist Fluffy Kitties!
You are feeeline VERY sleepy... very very sleepy...
CARING for CATS... All our cats are rescued.
Sadly, Mori is no longer with us. We are keeping her page and pictures here on our web site as her memorial.
Mori had a long and happy life, almost fifteen years, after being rescued from a very tough start in life. She was a
beautiful and very affectionate pet whom we both adored, and was the 'grand old lady' of our family of cats.
I shall never forget her funny habit of going into paroxysms of ecstasy whenever her fur was combed, and the way she used
to jump on our laps and beg to be groomed, and I've never met another cat with such a loud purr when this was done.
She passed away peacefully on 16th January 2008 after a short illness, and her ashes are being scattered on the green hillside overlooking our
home, where she used to sit and sunbathe in summer. I am sure that her spirit is not far away, probably enjoying a plate
of fish and a nice lie down in the sunshine.
Requiesce in pace, preciosa Mori.
You WILL hand over your meal of freshly cooked tender fish to us immedietely because WE want your dinner!
(Preferably divided into equal portions and served on real porcelain Dawnmist Studio plates with our individual names on...
oh and make sure you blow on the fish to cool it to the right temperature for us before we eat it all up!)
Welcome to our special cat page which includes as many of the cutest and funniest pictures we could find of our cats.
Mori was found on a building site as a kitten. Maeve and Fluffball were going to be drowned by their owners who did not want them when they were born.
Macha was found wandering the streets as a kitten and was brought to us by our friend who was a vet's nurse.
Mina had been abandoned and was very starved; she was found while searching for Macha when she went missing (and was later found!)
Heather now finds herself caring for cats as well as for Natalie, who is disabled!
MORI
I'm Mori, a magical black cat. I came to Exeter when Natalie met with Heather and moved down here. Originally I was rescued as a kitten from a building site when I ran into one of those big long ceramic drain pipes and stayed there... next thing I knew there were a load of big hairy builders tipping the tube up and down and poking things down to get me out... of course I stuck my ground although it was like a fairground ride! Eventually they managed to persuade me to come out and I was found a home with Natalie who was able to calm me down and tame me. Life has been pretty good ever since and I'm getting on in years now so I guess I'm classed as an OAP! I also suffer from arthritis and prefer to hide inside in the winter where it's warm.
For a long time I was boss around here but then some other kitties arrived.
I tried to frighten them off my territory but they kinda took over the place - yes, the whole
place including all my favorite sleeping places... on the bed, in the wardrobe. They even scoff all
my favorite foods. After a few years I didn't mind them so much but I'm the boss and I still have to hisssss to keep them in
order.
My favourite pastimes are having a tickle under the chin and eating 'Iams'. I'm very partial to a nice piece of freshly cooked fish.
A long while ago I decided to pop out for an evening walk (like us felines do) and saw a cute fluffy field mouse. I decided to pick her up and take her home as a gift... when I got home Natalie saw me carrying her so I ran into the lounge and let go of my find there which ran off. This was at three in the morning so getting every one out of bed to look for a mouse was not appreciated. Thing is, this little mouse was only a baby and too young to be let go again - some other cats in the neighbourhood like to eat them whereas I like to play. So, she was kept as a pet and looked after. More about her below.
Well that's it for me, 'Yawn', I'm off back to sleep...
Here are the words of a song Heather wrote about Mori, they are very
simple so don't be shy, sing along...
Fluffy Mori
(repeat this song 50 times every half an hour for full effect)
Note : It is best not to repeat it 50 times every half an hour in the
company of others as I found out --- I just can't understand why they
did not like my song and join in? And what does OCD mean anyway?
Fluffy Mori
Fluffy Mori
Fluffy Mori, Fluffy Mori, Fluffy Mori, Fluffy Mori, Fluffy Mori
MAEVE
I'm Maeve and my name means Celtic War Godess. I am Charista's sister born from the same mother but I'm very
much a differant character to Fluffball. I'm cunning and usually the main hunter, Natalie has made a laser beam pen for me to chase...
I love this and it means I can have plenty of exercise and vent my hunting skills without causing trouble in the mouse community.
I'm the menace here, and have got the nickname "Fluffy Trouble Maker". I'm always up to something and if there's something broken or scratched or odd around here it's usually me
that gets the blame. My claws are always nice and sharp for sticking in people and the vet said I am the biggest and most
longest girl cat she has ever seen! It's all muscle, honestly, no fat at all. (yeah right, and what does the nickname
Maeve Podgepuss mean?)
But when I'm in the right mood I'll sit on Natalie's lap for a long time and have my tummy tickled... that is until I am ready to
groom myself and then "LOOK OUT" I'll get my claws out.
Sometimes I go for walks with Heather up on the hill and will show off my tree climbing skills!
FLUFFBALL
Here I am posing for the cover of "Fluffball Magazine"... what do you mean you have never heard of it?!?
Heather named me Fluffball but my proper name, which hardly ever gets used now, is Charista -- which
means joy and happiness! My favorite pastime is giving friends a lick. I'm one of Heather's favorite cats because I am fluffy.
Thing is, they think that
because my name is Fluffball that I am fluffy like heather too! They think I am a scatterbrained cat and a
complete tart because I keep falling off things and keep sleeping on my back with my legs
behind my ears. I'm actually quite intelligent really...
I used to hunt leaves when I was a kitten but these days they just kind of take a ride on my bushy tail, along with the local
slugs and any other wildlife that cares to use me as a taxi service!
I am not a lap cat, I sit on laps if I want to and people can only tickle my tummy when I want them to. I like to spend a lot of
time outside in the summer and often go to have a chat with the farmer's sheep. Trouble is sometimes those sheep ticks get toooo
friendly and I have to have the full treatment when I get home. That usually sparks off the song by that group Pink Floyd,
yunno the one... "all in all it's just another tick in the 'Ball".
Me as a kitten... shssssssssshhhh I'm composing
I'll ring for service when I am ready to lick you half to death...
I'm the lightest and fluffiest of them all!
MACHA
I'm Macha...
My name, chosen by Natalie, means Goddess of
trouble and strife! Well I'm far too cute for that and how could any cat
outdo Maeve for being a fluffy trouble maker? So Heather calls me more fluffy names such as "Fluffy Macha", "Fluffy Macha Boo",
and "Lubby Lubby Lubby Lubby"... hmmm.
I love to have digestive biscuit dipped in Heather's coffee and cooled for breakfast!
I also like to curl up on laps and be the centre of attention at all times or help out around the studio. Here I am helping
Natalie with her inventions!
I was rescued when I was abandoned as a young kitty to walk the streets... found my way to one of the nearby vets where there
was a friendly nurse who found me a home... I fit in well here and get the most attention because I am small and cute. But my
first night here was a bit unsettled as Heather will explain in her own words...
We had a bit of drama with her the second morning. We had to keep her in for a few
days to make sure she did not wander off or get chased off by the other cats but
on leaving the cat flap unlocked overnight she vanished.
We both searched around the house but there was no sign, so we began to realise she had gone off...
So I decided to get dressed and open the garden gate and go up into the field in case
she was nearby, but nothing was seen or heard.
so I wandered right up into the corner of the field where the kitties often go,
and Fluffball and Maeve followed me.
It was cold and windy and over the breeze after a few moments I could hear
something faint... looked around... nothing... then something made me look
up...
There she was, 12 feet up a tree in the farmer's field!!!
Cat located.
So I told Nali I'd found her and we decided to take the loft ladder and climb
over the barbed wire fence and I tried to reach her, but she was too high and she
looked cold and was shaking.
Nali then called the Fire Brigade because she is disabled and myself not too good on ladders! Then the RSPCA, and they said
they'd get back to
us. In the meantime I decided I was now awake enough after my bit of breeze
to take the ladder back... along with a climbing harness and some rope.
Nali joined me (on the ground, though!) and I went up the ladder again and after about 25 minutes of
grabbing her and having her cling with her nails to the tree and also my head, I
grabbed her and Nali let out the rope so I could get down the ladder without
her jumping back up.
Soooooooooooooooo... she was finally back indoors as if nothing had ever happened and was kept in for a few days longer. Her second and third ventures out were not so troublesome and she's been as good as gold ever since! I wonder why? We named the tree "Macha's Tree".
Sadly Macha suffers from epileptic fits as the result of an early throat infection. When she was first with us she was hardly
able to make a sound but she usually manages to be very vocal if she needs to go to the vet.
On one occasion Natalie was worried about her in case she was having a fit and used a small stool to try to reach her on a
special high shelf we have. We added a special safety rail so she would not fall off, however, on this occassion, Natalie fell
off the stool and broke her ribs! She had used to safety rail to grab on to when the stool gave way and it came off in her hand!
Macha was safe and sound, but Natalie needed a trip to the hospital.
You WILL give me strokies and tickles otherwise I'll stand here until you do!
We are very sad to announce that our Macha went missing one afternoon early in June 2005 and we have not been able to find her.
Update: August 2005. Macha was never found. We appreciated the response from all who made contact with us reporting missing cats,
and have now taken in a stray, Mina, as a result of looking for Macha.
On 11th August, late that evening we received a phone call... it was from our vet... she told me that our cat Macha had been
brought in and that she knew it was her because she had scanned her identity chip. We were stunned! The vet went on to say that
she was in bad shape and had lost a lot of weight. She had been brought in by someone who had found her having one of her fits
and she had been found not far from where we live.
It took a while to get our thoughts together because we honestly thought she had passed away and life was moving on. To hear
this news was a shock but a wonderful one at that! The next morning we went over to see her and amid a tearful reunion little
Macha's eyes lit up as she remembered us. She had indeed lost so much weight she could barely walk but she had a good appetite
and the following day we were able to bring her home again and begin the process of nursing her back to full health.
Macha had survived on virtually no food and the hot summer for about 9 weeks. She had been dearly missed, thinking she had died
alone somewhere close to home but we could not find her body. Now fate has given us another chance... a reunion with our beloved
kitty that is something I will never forget. Some pictures are shown here of our Macha back at home!
Sad News...
Because of the fits she had we are now having to assume that she passed away somewhere on the overgrown hillside behind our home
where she often went to sit in the grass. As you can imagine she is missed very much and despite an extensive search, an article
in the local media, localised posters and over 250 missing cat notices posted through letterboxes in the area she was not found.
Every vet in the City of Exeter has been asked to look out for a small black cat being brought in that suffered from epileptic
fits. She does have an indentity chip and is registered to Natalie Winter of Exeter.
Wonderful News!!!
Macha - safely returned and alive!
MINA
I'm MINA... my name means "Child of Love"
Mina is our latest family member. She was found while looking for Macha and had been confirmed to be abandoned in the area for quite a long time so was skinny as a snake but is much healthier now thanks to all those Whiskas sachets she's been stuffing. She is coming to the end of her settling in period now and thankfully is getting used to the other kitties around the place apart from occasional loud hissing! We hope that when she is let out to explore the garden she will come back! Stay tuned for more news on Mina :-)
Since Mina's arrival we have now found our lost cat Macha! This means there are now 5 fluffy kitties in this family!
Other Fluffy Creatures
I'm Chipie, a field mouse (don't even ask how I got a name like that), still, I can't complain. I was
caught by Mori while I was wandering too far from my nest. My mum kept warning me but
I ignored her, next thing I knew I was in a luxury palace of a cage with lots of nice
warm bedding, endless supplies of nice food and plenty of attention. I often popped out of my nest, night or day,
and had some food and I was watched by three sets of hungry kitty eyes, but don't worry...
I'm safe cos after being around for 3 long mouse years I'm in the little mouse nest in the sky now.
I passed away peacefully in my sleep and there are lovely wild flowers planted all around my resting place.
Heather thought also that visitors to this page might like to have a special treat and join in with my Fluffy Shrew song...
Feel free if you want to sing along with me... the words are nice and simple
"Fluffy little shrew"
"Fluffy little SHREW"
"Fluffy little Shroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohohohohooh"
"Flllllluuuuuuurrrrrrrrfffffffyyyyy little Shrew"
There, does that feel better?
It also helps if you sway a little while singing it and take a deep breath between verse 100 and 101.
"Fluffy little SHREW"
"Fluffy little Shroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohohohohooh"
"Flllllluuuuuuurrrrrrrrfffffffyyyyy little Shrew"
You can visit Heather's recording studio on another page of this website and buy her music too! (PLUG)
Anyway... life goes on here in Devon and while Mori is less able to run around due to her arthritis, the other cats sometimes
bring other mice and shrews for a visit. Most often they are found running around the house and rescued but sometimes a few of
us don't make it.
Here are some cute pictures of some of the ones that got away after having bed and breakfast.
MORE KITTY PICCIES
"Long" Maeve kindly shares her window place with "little" Macha
Always good to make friends when there is food around
Cats on TV... of course we always try to ensure we get on film when local TV presenters come to visit.
Kitties enjoy "kiln-bathing" when the pottery is being fired... sometimes they will all get on with each other so that they can get a warm place.
Little fluffy paw-prints in the snow... but who is who?
A Yule cartoon by Heather... spot the cat
Hope you enjoyed our web page and do have a look around the rest of the Dawnmist site...
Click here to go to the main family starting page