Diary

"Hello my dears. I'm sorry that you haven't heard from me in my diary for a few weeks now, but on my Instagram page I also keep you up to date about my life almost every day (https://www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/). There's been a lot going on with me in the last few weeks. You have to imagine that my mates and I now have a new flatmate...At first I found her quite strange, because she moves quite differently to us and also smells a bit strong. And she often eats my food, but now I do the same to her and always try to get hold of some of her food. My human always makes sure that we eat our own food, but sometimes we manage to trick her anyway...

Well, in any case, she has been living with us for a while now, at first only for a few days and then little by little she moved in quietly and secretly. At first I thought she was a bit strange, but I have to say that she's actually quite OK now. By the way, her name is Nockerl. Yes, you heard me right, Nockerl, like the Salzburger Nockerl...I often get hold of one of her treats, they are especially delicious. We always sniff around a hiding place together and whoever finds it first gets to eat it. You can imagine that I'm always faster than her...that's obvious, isn't it?

My other buddies are doing well too. Sometimes, though, they are pretty grumpy with me because I keep jumping on them. But it's just so much fun. I stalk them very slowly and bang, I jump from something high up onto their backs. They don't think it's so great...but maybe they'll enjoy it more one day. Apart from that, we play a lot with our cat fishing rod, which I also really like. But sometimes I'm really exhausted from all the playing and running around, then I always cuddle up to my human and suck on her finger. She always says that I'm a big boy and not a baby any more, but I don't care, sucking is just soothing and totally relaxes me. She often brings home a bit of grass, which always tastes delicious.

I hope you are all well too! Hopefully the weather will improve a bit soon so that I can chill out on the balcony again. It's been raining almost constantly here in Salzburg for a few weeks now. But I heard that summer is supposed to come soon. I'm looking forward to it, because it's the first summer of my life and certainly the best. In this sense, have a nice start to the summer and see you next time. Your Grafi."

PS: I've probably already cracked the 5 kilo mark by now...that's how I like it, after all I have to beat my buddy Louie who weighs 6.5 kilos. That should be manageable if I keep growing like this!

As you can see, Count Dracula is still doing really, really well and has already made friends with his new roommate. He is also growing a lot, we have to be careful that he doesn't grow too wide...

"Hi guys. I hope you all had a good start into spring! Or rather into the "winter-spring", because just a few days ago it snowed again in Salzburg. The last few weeks have really flown by. There was a lot of playing, cuddling and discovering on the agenda. In the meantime, I'm almost as big as my friends, or even a bit bigger. But I think that's a good thing, because now I'll soon be the boss of the house in terms of size... only fat Louie is still a bit bigger than me, but not for long!

At Easter, we went with my human to visit her family. There were also 3 cats there, I already knew them from my last visits, they are really cool. But this time they were somehow strange and kept sniffing at me. I had to put my scent marker in every room to mark my territory...And the next day we suddenly went back to Salzburg. I actually thought we would stay longer, but well, there must be a reason. Of course I had to mark my territory again in Salzburg. I don't think my human liked that very much, because the very next day she took me to the vet. I was there for a short time and then she picked me up again. I don't know exactly what the vet did, but something is different about me now. My friends at home also sniffed me from top to bottom....

Then I slept quite a lot because I was kind of tired. The next day I was allowed to come with my human to the office at Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf. Everyone there was really happy about my visit and came to see us in the office. Of course I had to defend my territory here too, especially my human, and I hissed and shooed away anyone who came too close to her. I mean, what do they all want from my human? She belongs to me all alone. I think they all understood that relatively quickly and I could finally chill out and sleep in peace in the office.

At the moment, my favourite thing to do at home is to watch the birds, either at the window or directly on the balcony. They fly around wildly. I always scream really loudly, and the other day they even screamed back at me, really strange creatures. Well, one day I will find out what they actually want from me...

So, my darlings, have a great weekend and I'll see you in a month. If you want to see and hear more from me, follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/ (@grafdraculathecat). Ciao Ciao and see you soon."

Count Dracula now weighs almost 3 kilos and that is probably still a long way from his fighting weight. He is getting stronger and stronger. Due to his good growth and his great development, his hormones have probably kicked in a bit earlier...That's why he was castrated at the age of 7 months. However, he has survived everything very well and is already jumping around again as if nothing had happened. But in our hearts he will always remain the little count, even if he is already a big tomcat...

"Hi guys. And another month has gone by. It's crazy how time flies. I am already 6 months old and have cracked the 4 kilo mark. I think that's really great, because I want to become the biggest and most beautiful cat of all...Not so much has changed in my life, I play, romp, laze and cuddle a lot. The last weekends I was allowed to spend a lot of time on the balcony with my friends, we have our own cat enclosure there, because we live in the middle of the city. I really like it there. I can watch everything very closely and enjoy the sun. But now it has snowed again and it's really cold, brrr, so I don't like to go outside. Neither do my friends.

During the day, when my human is at work, I sleep a lot and play with my friends. Unfortunately, one or the other plant still falls over, but I really can't help it, because they are standing everywhere and suddenly they fall...When my human comes home from work, I am always very happy. Together with my friends we wait at the door and I always stick my head out first so that I can greet them first. Then, we all get our food straight away, which always tastes particularly good to me. Each of us has our own bowl, but I always have to taste what the others get so that I can decide what I like best. My mates always let me go first anyway....

During the weekends, we always practise cool tricks. I can already do sit, paw, down and high five. We are currently practising a kind of roll, which is actually quite fun. But the best part is that there are always lots of treats. My buddies always join in and watch with great interest. After the training, I'm always pretty tired and make myself comfortable on the couch with my human. If I'm lucky, I'm also allowed to suck on her finger, which always relaxes me completely. What I also really enjoy is playing fetch. At the moment, I like to do this with a white ball, but before I bring it back, I always throw it into our water bowl so that it is nice and wet. I don't think my human likes that so much, though, because she's usually pretty wet then. But she's always laughing, so it shouldn't be too bad...So guys, I'm going to hit the hay again for a bit. I'll talk to you soon. If you want to see more of me, check out my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/ (@grafdraculathecat)."

The small or rather big Count Dracula enjoys his life to the fullest. He is still very cheeky, but all the better for it in quiet moments. Since he is in the middle of puberty, this is no wonder. But Jumper the tomcat brings him up pretty well, he doesn't put up with anything from him and also gives him a piece of his mind. Count Dracula is a very clever cat and learns all the tricks quite quickly and really enjoys them. He is very active and demands to be kept busy.

Hi guys. I'm already 5 months old, isn't that amazing? The last few weeks have flown by. I feel like I'm growing a little bit every day, because soon I'll be as big as my friends. They really respect me now, just the way I like it. Sometimes we cuddle, sometimes we fight, but all in all we really like each other.

I also had my first snow experience recently. It was really funny. My friends immediately ran back into the flat because it was quite cold on their paws, but I didn't mind. Of course I wanted to explore everything right away and see what was waiting for me outside. But after a while my human brought me back inside, because it was probably still too cold for me, well, then just next year again...

For a few days now, my human has also been putting something like this around my chest and I walk on a string. I think it's so that I can go outside later when it's warm. It still feels a bit strange, but I usually get a treat when I put it on, so it's not so bad. I also heard my human say that we go to Gut Aiderbichl when it's warm because so many people ask about me. I can't believe that so many people ask about me, that's so cool!

One of my favourite activities is still sucking. As soon as I see my human's finger within reach, I grab it. It relaxes me completely. My friends, however, don't understand this at all, and sometimes they come over and look quite puzzled as to understand what I'm actually doing. I think they are a bit jealous because they don't know how to do it. Well...

Yes, and otherwise there is still a lot of action. Flowers have fallen over quite often lately. But I really couldn't help it. They were just standing in the way when I was walking and then they just fell...

I hope you are doing as well as I am and that you are all safe and sound. If you want to see and hear more from me, just check out my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/

Count Dracula continues to grow and thrive. He is now exactly 5 months old and weighs 3,471 grams. We are sure that he will grow up to be a handsome tomcat. From time to time, he is very cheeky, which is probably due to the fact that he is in the middle of puberty. But you just can't be angry with him...

Good morning, guys. Boy, I am still tired today. Probably because I played so much all night. But my human wasn't so enthusiastic in the morning, because I knocked over 2 flowers. But I can't help it, they just fell over all by themselves...But thank goodness she only scolded me a little bit, then I looked nice and everything was fine again and we had a delicious breakfast. I've already lost more than 3 kilos, isn't that terrible? I'm also starting to notice that I'm getting stronger and stronger when fighting with my friends. Sometimes they totally run away from me and I am the winner. I also sometimes fight with my friend Louie for the place in the cat tree bag. There are actually two of them anyway, but the top one just has the better view outside. Most of the time Louie leaves it to me anyway, I'm just the boss in the house.

Yes, and otherwise I have a new game with my human. She throws me something and then I fetch it and bring it back to her. That's really fun. We also continue to practise diligently with the one thing that clicks. Now there's something new, I have to lie down, I prefer that anyway, it's cosy. After playing, I usually lie down on top of my human and we cuddle on the couch. In the best case, I'm always allowed to suck my finger, it's just so calming and pleasant. My friends usually lie down with me and then we sleep for a while.

A few days ago, I also found a new secret hiding place, but it wasn't easy to get in. My human opened the door and went to get something and then I jumped in very quickly. When she saw me, she laughed terribly, but I don't understand why. However, it was quite cool in the hiding place, I don't think I'll go in there again so quickly...

But now I'm really tired from talking, my eyes are already falling shut. I think I need to take a little nap now. So that I'm fit when my human comes home from work, because then there will be lots of action again. See you next time, my darlings. And don't forget: Check out my Instagram: https: //www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/

As you can read, the little or rather big Graf is doing very well. He already weighs over 3 kilograms, eats very diligently and is very active. Basically, he comes up with new nonsense every day and keeps the other three cats on their toes. In between all the action, he is also a big cuddler and demands his cuddles vehemently several times a day. His new secret hiding place, which he tells us about, was the fridge. In an unguarded moment, he simply put himself in it.

"Hello, my dears. I hope you all had a good start to the new year! I certainly did. I had my first Christmas and it was really great. I went with my buddies to my human's family and we spent some nice days there. There I also met new mates, they were a bit weird at first, but after two days they thought I was really cool and scampered around the living room with me. Just the way I like it. My human also said that someone sent a Christmas package for me...Imagine that, a package of my own for me and my mates. That's really great. I was allowed to receive the parcel myself and immediately stuck my nose into it. There was a lot to discover: treats, licking paste, mice, balls...really great! A big thank you to Monika and her velvet paws for this great surprise.

After the Christmas holidays, we drove back home, but shortly before we left, something really disgusting happened. I was playing with a funny beetle, but all of a sudden it sprayed me with its stinky poison and I just couldn't get rid of the smell. I was really sick and my stomach turned over completely...Back in my home I didn't feel much better. I cuddled a lot with my human, but I didn't want to eat anything, only drink water. After one day, my human packed me up and we went to the vet. He was really nice to me at first, but then he sneakily pricked me with such a big needle, it really hurt...But I have to say, as soon as we were home, I felt much better. But there was nothing to eat that evening and the next morning, that was really mean, and I was really hungry. In the evening, however, we finally had something to eat, which was a bit different than usual, but really tasty. Only my mates didn't like it, but well, that left more for me...And then came New Year's Eve, there was another special meal and I ate it all in one sitting. My human stayed up until midnight, I didn't quite understand that, but well, that's how humans are...

I also noticed that my human said that I had lost a lot of weight, apparently 500 grams. I don't know if that's much. Apparently, as of today, I have gained weight again and now weigh over 2,600 grams. Recently, we started playing this game with the "click" again. I really enjoy it because I haven't had any treats for a long time now. I have already understood "sit" and "paw", now I think we're practising something new, but I'll tell you about that next time...I'll keep you updated in my diary every 2-3 weeks, depending on my cat schedule. Of course, you can always check out my Instagram page, where I post updates almost every day and you can see what I'm up to all day long. So take a look: www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat

In the meantime, Count Dracula has developed into a real magnificent tomcat. He caused us a lot of worries again because he suddenly got an inflammation of the intestines, but with medication and a light diet we got it under control and he is as cheeky as ever. He grabs everything he can find to play with, whether it's hair ties, cotton buds, soil, shoe laces, toilet paper rolls...The list could go on and on. But the most important thing: he is doing well and feels really comfortable with his buddies.

"Good evening, my dears. Well, did you follow the Gut Aiderbichl Christmas fairytale live on Sunday? There was a lot going on, but it was really fun, because I was allowed to play with my human the whole time, and when I got home I got lots of treats. But then I was really tired and slept cuddled up on my human the whole night. Now I have enough energy for my friends again. When my human is not at home, we do a lot of nonsense. My buddies are sleeping a lot at the moment, though, so I have to wake them up more often so they can run around the flat with me. By the way, I've noticed that it's already Christmas in a few days. WOW, my first real Christmas with my family. I'm sure it will be great, and I hope there will be a little present for me too. But I think my human will have thought of something...

Yes, what else is there to tell. Apart from that, everything is going great. I play a lot, eat a lot and sometimes I sleep. I heard that everyone at Gut Aiderbichl was very happy that the gates could finally open for visitors, but apparently there is now a new lockdown. I didn't understand what exactly this is, but all the people are probably quite sad now because they can't visit the Gut Aiderbichl animals. But I send you all very best wishes home. I hope you will join us on 24.12. at 12:00 for the final episode of the Gut Aiderbichl Christmas fairy tale. I will definitely watch the episode from home. Until then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We'll hear you again in 2021 - hopefully a year of good health, great moments and lots of animal rescues. Stay well and see you soon."

"Hello my darlings. First of all, I would like to thank everyone who follows me on Instagram and sends me such lovely messages. You guys are the best. A lot has been happening lately, I was on TV and am a special guest at the Gut Aiderbichl Christmas fairy tale. My episode goes online this Sunday, 06.12. at 17:00, I hope you all tune in, that would make me very happy. Luckily my human was there, actually behind the camera, but without her I didn't want to be in front of the camera, so she had to be in the picture too, but you'll see more about that on Sunday. Yes, and things are going very well at home. My cat buddies run around with me and give me some of their treats. That's really great. Sometimes I lie in wait for them for a long time and when they move, I jump on them from above, which is really fun. We also cuddle a lot, but mostly I cuddle with my human, she is so nice and warm and smells soooo good. The other day I was a bit sad because I was thinking about Bella, my sister. I hope she's doing well up there in heaven and looks down on me from time to time... Cuddles and cuddles have helped though, I'm really glad I have my family. At the moment I get lots of extra treats and delicious licking paste, there's always a click when there's something, I haven't quite understood yet what my human is doing with me. But at least every click means that something good ends up in my mouth, that's something. As soon as I find out what it's good for, I'll let you know. But now I have to go again, I hear my human mixing my delicious milk, MIIIAAAAU, and see you tomorrow!"

Count Dracula is developing more and more into a real tomcat, much to our delight. He now weighs 1.8 kg and purrs like a big boy. He is currently very active and attentive and you can clearly see that he is looking for something to do. That's why we are trying to teach him a few tricks by clicking. Let's see what the little man can do. In a few days, he will go to the vet again for his next vaccination. He will tell you about it next time. Until then, stay healthy and enjoy the biscuits. If you want to get daily updates from our little man, just check him out on Instagram: @grafdracula_thecat. We would love for you to watch episode 2 of the Gut Aiderbichl Christmas fairytale online tomorrow.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/

"Good evening, my dears. It's amazing how fast time flies. I feel like we haven't heard from each other in ages. Well, what have I been up to in the meantime? A lot of mischief, as my human would say. The other day I got quite wet. Brrr, that was disgusting. You must know, my human always gets into such a long box and then water flows from above on it. I wanted to see this from close up and then jumped directly to her in the box, unfortunately I got all the water off. At the feet of my human I could climb directly back outside (side note of my human: OUCH!). There I cleaned myself first extensively. My friends Jumper, Louie and Coco rushed to my aid and helped me with the cleaning. That's what I call a real cat family...And what else happens in my life? A LOT of cuddling. By now there are even three of us lying on one pile, only the lady of the house is mostly lying aside, she probably prefers to have her own sleeping place. At least, there is more space for me. Sometimes I get on the couch but total cabbage, then I crawl directly to my human and suck on the finger, but unfortunately nothing comes out, but usually I get quite quickly an extra bowl of milk, sooooo tasty. Aja people, I now have my own Instagram (@grafdracula_thecat) and TikTok (@grafdracula_thesassycat) account. Because my human told me that so many people are happy when I share something about my life and I make them laugh. And just in the current difficult time, I would like to cheer you up and spread good humor. Therefore, I would like to let you participate even more in my life. Of course, I will continue to report 1 x a week here in my diary, but from now on you can also see what I'm doing every day on Instagram. So see you later, my darlings. "Follow me" they say there I think, in any case, I look forward to you, MIAUUUU! "

Our little Count Dracula has already gained more than 1,5kg in the 10th week and is growing really splendidly. He still has a lot of mischief on his mind, but in between there is also a lot of cuddling. Despite his little accident, he still doesn't stay away from bath tubs, something fascinates him about it, let's see how it goes on. Since so many people write us lovely messages saying that little Graf sweetens their hard everyday life and cheers them up on bad days, we have decided to report even more about him from now on. If you like, you can now follow the little man on Instagram and TikTok. Here are the links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grafdracula_thecat/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grafdracula_thesassycat

"Hello my dear human friends. I hope you are all well? I'm doing just fine. A lot has happened lately. There is so much to discover, every day anew. Sometimes I think my human isn't quite so enthusiastic, I can tell because she scolds me a bit. But only for a short time, because as soon as I snuggle up to her and purr, everything is forgotten again. Good tactic, isn't it? But the other day I got a bit annoyed with myself. Because then I was really dirty. You know, my favourite thing to do is climb up the cat tree and from there I jump onto a cool palm tree. It's great to dig in the soil and throw the dirt out. But the other day I suddenly lost my balance and toppled over with the whole palm tree. What a mess that was. My fur was completely covered with soil. My human then cleaned me first and then the whole floor, which took a really long time. At first I thought she was mad at me, but nothing happened, shortly afterwards I was allowed to cuddle again. That's nice. The palm tree doesn't stand as well as before, though, now it's on the ground and I can't throw the soil around as much as before. Well, it doesn't matter, I've already found a new occupation anyway: Climbing doors. From up there I have the best view of everyone and can see everything. The other cats always look enviously at how I got up there, at least two of them, because I learned it from the third one. I once watched her climb up over a clothes rack, which was a great idea.

Our little Count Dracula is getting bigger and bolder every week. No obstacle is too big or high. Every nook and cranny is scouted out very carefully. As you all saw, the little man was also at the patent meeting and turned our filming upside down quite a bit.

"Oh, where are we going today? The place is new, I don't know it yet. Oh, yay, now I'm finally allowed out. My human is handing me over to a man I've seen a few times before, he's really nice. He's really nice. He's quite comfortable on his shoulders, I could make myself comfortable for a while, but climbing around is much more fun. Maybe I should jump on his head? I'll just give it a try... that was fun. I think he thought it was funny too, because he really laughed a lot. Oh, there's my human again, now I can cuddle a bit more with her... Supposedly we're going to the vet today, I think I've been there before. But that wasn't so great. But apparently I have to go regularly, well, what the heck... as long as my human is with me, it won't be so bad... Ouch, that really stung today. I must have had a vaccination. What must, that must, an Indian knows no pain, my human said and that I would get some extra treats at home today. YAY!!! We can go to the vet more often... So, we'll hear you again next week, my dears. Until then, stay well and take care of yourselves."

"Good morning world. I'm really sorry that I'm only getting back to you now, but so many exciting things have been happening lately that I just haven't managed to write in my diary. How are you all doing? I hope you are doing as well as I am. I've noticed that everyone has to stay at home a lot now because there's a "lockdown". I don't really understand that, but as far as I've heard from my human, we all have to stick together and stay positive, because the Gut Aiderbichl farms have also had to close. But there is a lot of news to report about me: My cat family is simply the best there is. We run around the flat together, play a lot and cuddle. The only thing I find a bit disgusting is that they lick me all the time, as if I couldn't clean myself. But well, when I'm sleeping I usually put up with it, I don't want to upset them and hurt their feelings. They often share their treats with me too, which is really great. That's why I can't mess with them, even though I like to tease them...

Lately, I don't get a bottle from my human any more, but she puts a little bowl in front of me. At first I thought that was a bit strange, but in the meantime I've got used to it. The main thing is that the food tastes good. I usually get my milk in the morning and in the evening and in between I get other tasty food. I have also noticed that I weigh more than 1kg. I think that's good. I especially like climbing up legs, palm trees and boxes at the moment. It's a lot of fun and I always have a good overview. Yesterday I also discovered a new toy. It's big and round and moves around. I sat on it right away, but the ride was a bit too wobbly for me, but my human found it particularly funny. Let's see if I dare to take the ride again soon. During the day I sometimes cuddle with my cat family, but actually I prefer to lie on top of my human. There it is nice and warm and cuddly. At night, too, I always jump into bed with my human and cuddle up close to his face. However, my human often moves around in his sleep, so I always have to move in behind him, which is quite exhausting. But after a few hours I usually have enough of cuddling anyway and then always bite my human's nose, hands and feet. She usually gets up soon and gives me my breakfast, which works really well...So guys, now I have to go on, my mates are already stressing, because we're going to play another round. Meow, see you next week."

As you can hear, our little Count Dracula is doing splendidly. In the meantime, he has grown into a real little tomcat and is turning his family's life upside down. The little man is quite cheeky and is not afraid of anything or anyone. Thank goodness, because he already had a very bad start in his young cat life.

"Good morning world. Oh, what a lovely weekend it was: Lots of cuddling, lots of eating and lots of playing with my new family. I still can't believe that I have my own family now! It's really funny with them. But what I don't understand is why they are sometimes afraid of me and run away. They are much bigger than me. But I'm probably just that scary. Well, good for me, so now I'm the boss in the house! My favourite thing at the moment is to play with the black cat's tail, it's so nice and long and wags really fast. That's really funny. Most of the time we have a real race. I'm already allowed to cuddle with the other cats, but sometimes they lick my whole head clean, which I don't like so much...The food still tastes really good, too. Whenever my human is in the kitchen, I know that something is about to be served. I rush over there as fast as I can and climb onto my human's shoulders by my feet, up there I can see exactly how my food is being prepared, yummy. My human often shouts quite loudly and laughs: "Ouch, Count, don't climb up on my bare feet, it hurts. But good, I know you're hungry, little one." I don't think the climbing is so pleasant, but what the heck, I always want to be with my human and I'm very hungry...".

In the fifth week, our little Count Dracula has continued to put on weight and has been fully accepted into the family by the other cats. It feels like the little man is already the boss in the house and can do whatever he wants. He is often reprimanded by the other cats, which is very good for his own development and behaviour. His favourite activity at the moment: Climbing up his legs over his belly and back to his shoulders. A bit painful, but still really cute.

"What I also really enjoy is biting. I bite everything that moves or smells like my human. The nose and the neck are especially great. You can really bite into them. My human often screams a bit and gives me something else to bite into. That's a good idea, but as soon as I get a chance, I immediately bite into the nose again. A film crew even visited us the other day. They were really nice. They let me bite my nose a lot, which was fun. By now I can even get into the big cats' toilets. Sometimes it's quite a feat, but I also want to go into the big cat's toilet and not just my own little one. But what's really funny is that the big cats want to go into my little toilet, I don't really understand that...But well, to each its own. Oh, now I'm really tired from all the talking. I think I need to take a nap...I'll talk to you again next week."

"Oh hello, who are you? You have beautiful blue eyes. No, don't run away, I just want to play with you. Oh, and there's another one, hello, do you want to be my friend? Oh yes, sniff me, I smell sooo good. Or do I? And he goes away...Oh, here comes the other one again. I think it's a game. Then I'll play along and run away too...It's amazing how fast I am already and I can see every corner. I've also heard that I've now cracked the 500g mark. I think that's good, at least I hope so. But what's really bothering me at the moment is my tummy. It hurts a lot... And somehow I can't go to the toilet, that's annoying. Oh, now I'm being lifted up into my box, I think we're going on a trip, but where to?"

"Okay, we're getting out, but it doesn't smell so good here, kind of strong. And now I'm being lifted out and patted down, Mamiii? Where are you? Help me! Ah, there she is. But I still like it better at home. Yuck, now I have to eat something strange, but it doesn't taste so good. And ouch, what was that? That's enough, what are they doing to me? Mamiii, help me! Oh, now I'm finally going back to my box...and my tummy feels better and emptier too...now let's have a little sleep."

In the 4th week our little man cracked the 500 gram mark. Unfortunately, he also had to struggle with severe digestive problems at the same time. Due to the complete lack of real mother's milk, his digestive tract got a bit bogged down. Unfortunately, fennel tea and massages didn't help anymore, and so we had to go to the vet. There, he was lysed and also dewormed immediately. At least his intestines were empty again and there was no acute danger for him. From now on, however, it was important to get the digestive tract going even more. Our little Count Dracula was always massaged 20 minutes after eating with a special massage technique (the Triangle Method) and luckily this helped every time. In addition, he was given drops against colic, some milk sugar and very special digestive wet food. Fortunately, this combination helped and everything went like clockwork.

"Miiiiau, I'm hungry! Oh, yummy, what's that? It tastes really good to me. But now I'm really full. Fortunately, my human always gives me lots of massages, and that always makes me feel better right away. She always puts me in a funny box now, I think it's my new toilet, it takes a bit of getting used to, but I've seen that the other cats have one too, I think that's how it should be. What's also really cool is that the others aren't so shy any more. By now I'm allowed to sleep between them on the couch and they follow me everywhere and watch me. The other day, one of them even threw me a ball and we shot it back and forth, which is fun! I always keep a close eye on what the others are doing, they eat and sleep a lot, groom themselves all the time and in between they jump around in a funny way, I think I need to take a closer look so that I can do that too soon...".

Count Dracula has now also made the first direct contacts with his new cat family. He was immediately sniffed at and taken in. Everything is still a bit distant, but you can see how the distance is getting smaller every day. The black male in the video was a bottle baby himself and was raised by the other one. In the meantime, they all sleep together on the couch or in bed and the little Count has already learned some behavioural traits from the big cats...

"Ouch, what's that? It's been picking in my mouth for a few days, I think I'm getting my teeth. Then I'll soon be able to eat like a big boy. My human also praises me all the time for brushing well, I think that's what you do when you're a cat. Well, if she likes it that way, then I'll keep it up. In the meantime I can really walk a long way, I literally float over the parquet floor. The other cats are watching me from a distance, I don't know why they are so shy, I am a handsome guy. Since yesterday, however, my tummy has been hurting quite a bit, thank goodness I always get a good massage. And I believe that my human gives me something, because after eating I always feel a little better, and then I fall fast asleep..."

On the 21st day, our little Count Dracula's teeth slowly broke through. In addition, he was struggling with flatulence and tummy ache, but a little fennel tea in his milk helped him immediately. A look at the scales also showed that he is still gaining weight and growing super: 419 grams. The independent grooming has also increased with each passing day. The other cats, with whom he lives together with our co-worker, have watched the little man carefully and let him do as he pleased. They watched everything from a distance and waited...

"Miaaau, I'm hungry! Hello, can anyone hear me? Oh, here comes my human already, it's really quick, as soon as I make a sound, she's already there. That's exactly how I like it. But somehow I have the feeling that my human is sad today. Something is not like usual. I hope nothing bad has happened. Oh, what is it? Something is ringing, I think it's a phone. Oh, my human is talking, but she sounds very sad:

"Oh God, no, really? Pixel didn't make it? That makes me very sad, I'm so sorry. Poor little guy...but at least he was able to fall asleep content and safe...And yes, little Count can stay with me, I've fallen head over heels in love, he can meet his cat family here soon, if he's fit enough, my little man."

"What did she just say? I get to move in here? YAY! Well, that's great news. But who the heck is Pixel? That sounds very sad, I think I need to comfort my human a bit today. But she said something about family - a nice word. I have a family now! I've already noticed that there are others here who look like me, but they keep quite a distance, I think they're a bit shy...but that's okay too, then I have the whole cuddly blanket to myself."

On the 16th day, we received a call that another teeny-tiny kitten had been found in the meadow. Like the little Count, it was still covered in blood and only a few hours old. Nobody knows how it got there all alone...Of course we helped immediately and took the little "Pixel" in. He weighed only 105 grams. We had great hope that the little one would make it and that he would then be able to snuggle up with our Count healthy and fit. Unfortunately, the kitten was drinking very badly, only a few tiny drops every hour...we knew that we would need a lot of luck now. We tried everything, gave him lots of love and security, warmed him up and hoped and prayed all night. Unfortunately, little Pixel didn't make it, he was just too weak by the time we found him. This made us all very sad. But we know that we did everything in our power. The little one was able to go over the Rainbow Bridge in peace and in our arms and is now in a beautiful place, together with little Bella. Such moments are always especially hard, and it is precisely in these moments that the other, rescued animals give us comfort. The look on little Count Dracula's face that day was particularly deep and grateful, as if to say "Thank you for saving me. Don't be sad, I'm fine. And I am so happy to be with you."

"Good morning world, or is it noon already? It's quite bright today. Oh wow, I can see a lot better today, I like that. Now I can finally see my human who feeds me all the time. And since yesterday I have such a cosy sleeping nest. I'm very close to my human's body and can really let myself fall into it, it's soooo nice and warm and cuddly. I also heard my human on the phone earlier, I've probably already weighed 290 grams, I think that's a good sign. Unfortunately my sister Bella didn't show up anymore, but I'm sure she's doing well. Just like me, every day I have several delicious meals and afterwards my tummy is cuddled. I also get to do a few rounds on the carpet, which I like very much. Afterwards it is even better to sleep. Most of the time I'm allowed to sleep directly on my human now, I like that very much...".

Count Dracula continued to develop super well and ate well. After the first few days, it was clear that one of the two staff members who were fostering him had lost her heart to the little Count. She would probably have stayed awake 7 days a week just to make sure that the little man was doing well. And little Dracula had also become more and more accustomed to her and from that day on went home and back to the office with her every day, and also spent the whole weekend there.

"Today I slept really well. But now I'm soooooo hungry! Hello, hello, can anyone hear me? I am starving. Ah, there's my human. As soon as I scream, she rushes over. That's exactly how I imagined it...What I always like best is that I get stroked sooooo much after eating. My little belly is cuddled, which by the way has become quite fat in the meantime. Other people always come by and are nice to me. Most of the time I get food from the same person, I can smell it and I like them very much. Although the others are all soooooo nice to me, I can't decide who I want to cuddle first...".

Of course, our little Count is in the office every day and is cared for and nurtured by everyone. As soon as he wakes up, he shows his appreciation loudly and of course he immediately gets his next load of food. We are sooo happy that the little man can now cry so loudly and that he is doing so well.

"Good morning, Count Dracula, did you sleep well? Now it's time for dinner, but first we have to weigh you. WOW, 223g already, good little man!" - Aha okay, but please hurry now, because I'm hungry. Oh man, it's delicious again today. Wow, but it's really bright today. That's funny, I think I see something. Oh yes, really, I see a figure in front of me. I think it's a person, so that's what they look like who feed me all the time. Quite nice, but quite big. I imagined them differently somehow, their voices sounded like something small. But still quite okay, I'd like to have a closer look at them, but I don't see that far yet. I hope that I will soon be able to take a closer look at my humans, they certainly smell very good. And now I'll snuggle back into my cosy blanket...".

On the 10th day, our little Count Dracula opened his eyes. We were all very happy that the little man is developing so well. He is sleeping a lot at the moment, but that is exactly what he needs for his development.

"What's happening today? The smell is somehow new, but it smells really good! Oh, now I hear something "Miiiaaau!". What? Hello? Who is it? Mum, is that you? No, it doesn't smell like Mum. But it smells like me. I'd love to see what's happening right now, but unfortunately I don't see anything yet. Oh, now I'm being turned off. It's really nice and warm here. And here comes my delicious food again, mhhmmmm. Now it's time for a nap again...But wait, I really have to go to the toilet. Hello? Can anyone hear me? I don't want to pee in my cosy blanket, please get me out. Ah, wonderful, quickly take a few steps and ooh, I like it here, I'll do my business quickly. Now go to sleep! But heeey? What's happening now? I hear a rustling...what is that? It's approaching. Oh, now my feet are getting warm, I think it's water. And something soft is approaching my tail... "It's all right, Dracula, we have to clean you up a bit." - There's that pleasant voice again. I've heard it before. I don't know why I need to be cleaned, but well, I like the voice, it's nice, but now I want a little cuddle please, before it's back to my little bed."

Little Dracula heard another cat meowing outside his door for the first time that day. Since he has to be fed every 2 hours, our two staff members took turns taking him home overnight. As he is still so small and weak, he has been given his own room and has made himself comfortable. He doesn't like washing so much, but it is indispensable because he can't clean himself yet and he doesn't have a mum to do it for him. After washing, there is always a lot of cuddling on the agenda and little Graf can already purr like a big boy.

"Holy cow, what is that? Something rustling in my ears? That sounds strange, but ooh, there's delicious food again. Well, there's that noise again, but not quite so bad this time. Now let's eat...That was delicious again! But this noise just won't stop, now I'd better take a nap..."

What's going on now? "Draculaaa, my little Draculaaa darling, how are you?". I think someone is talking to me...Can it be? Oh, there they go again, those gentle, warm things that lead me to my favourite thing: EATING."

On this day, the sense of hearing slowly developed in our little Count Dracula. What exactly the little man really heard, we can only guess, but we hope that these were his thoughts...

"Good morning world. Unfortunately, my sister hasn't come back, maybe she found our mum again, but she's certainly doing well where she is now. I'm also doing really well where I am, the two different smelling things keep taking me out to eat and massaging my tummy. I notice that I'm getting stronger and stronger, but sleeping is still the best thing...".

Our Count Dracula gained a lot of weight in the first few days and soon reached 181g, which of course made us very happy. By the way, the two longish things he talks about all the time are the hands of our two female staff members who took turns feeding him.

"Hello world. I feel really good today. My tummy is full and it's so nice and warm here. My sister feels so warm too, though I notice that her tummy isn't quite as full as mine. But why? We get food so often and it tastes delicious. I notice that she gets taken out by these long, warm things much more often than I do. Does she get more food than me? But that doesn't bother me at all, she's a bit smaller than me... Now she hasn't been with me for a long time. Where is she? Oh, I'm being moved again, there's food again..."

Unfortunately, little Bella did not make it. She was too weak and just stopped eating and breathing heavily. She fell asleep peacefully and securely in the arms of our animal keeper. Goodbye little Bella, we hope you are in a better place now, where no one will ever harm you again. We will take good care of your brother.

"I'm starting to worry about my sister. She's been gone for so long. Thank God it's nice and warm here and there's always something to eat. But something has changed, those long things that always move and feed me smell different now somehow. I think there are two of them now..."

"Hello world. At least I think I have just arrived in the right world. However, I thought that the real world felt better. That it's comfortably warm there, like in my mum's tummy. But right now it's quite cold and it smells funny...Luckily my sibling is lying next to me, so we can warm ourselves a little. But I can't find my mummy, where is she? I'm really hungry already... Oh dear, what happens now? Something is grabbing me, what is it? I feel that I am being moved, but where to? I don't know what's going on, I just want to eat something and then go back to sleep...Oh sleep, I'm so tired, I can't go on..."

Count Dracula and his sister, we named her "Bella", were found together by a very dear animal lover in a bio-waste bin at the cemetery and brought to us. You can't imagine what was going on in those two tiny little cats' minds...Lonely and alone in the cold September, still with their bloody umbilical cord. Who is in a position to simply throw two freshly born kittens into the bin? We don't know. What we do know is that these two kittens needed immediate help!

"Oh, it feels much better here. What a pleasant warmth. And something longish is holding me, that also radiates a warmth. And oh, what is that, something big suddenly lands in my mouth. What is that? I don't want that. Oh, but what happens now? Something warm spreads in my mouth, mhhhmmm, that tastes good. My tummy is getting fatter and fatter, but something is caressing my belly, it feels so good. Now I can go back to sleep..."

Count Dracula had 132g when he arrived, he accepted the injection from the first second and ate well. We fed him every 2 hours and he smacked and sucked like a big boy, like a real Dracula. Little Bella only weighed 113g, but after some initial difficulties she also accepted the injection well and we had great hope that both siblings would make it. But we also knew that we would need a lot of luck...