11 weeks old!

My, how time flies around here. Already, the hooligans are 11 weeks old, and it's hit home that if they all find their forever homes when they should, I only have another two weeks with them. I don't know how I'm going to cope!

The Baby now has her name. It took its time in coming, but thanks to a good friend of mine, we've found something suitable. She'll now be called Millie. Her weight gain has been all over the place this week, and I'm doing my best not to worry unnecessarily. She's a lot smaller than the two boys still, and I'm just not sure how much of that is to do with the fact that she's the only girl and how much is potentially to do with some hidden problem. I keep consoling myself with the fact that the vet did say she could find nothing wrong with any of them when they had their check ups two weeks ago.

Introducing Millie!

Millie is such a character. She's really discovered shoulders this week. Before, she'd climb on you, yes, but now she wants to get up there and stay up there. I call her a parrot, because she'll happily sit there for as long as you'll let her. She supervises the making of coffee, laundry folding, hoovering, you name it, she watches it. She's also gotten very, very attached to me and will wake out of a dead sleep to run after me if I move from the room she's in.

Millie wants to play...

Hamster is a little doll. He's the most placid of all the kittens, never playing rough, never fighting what you want to do to him even when it comes to bathing. But when it's time for a simple eye clean? Well, that boy gets a massive case of the freaks! He wriggles like his tail was on fire, and it takes twice as long to do him as it does the others. Strange really. They all had a bath today, and he was the easiest to do out of the lot. You'd think that he'd fight that even more, but nope, he just sat and took the soaking, then when it was time to be dried, even though he was quite frightened (they all start out frightened of the dryer at first), all he did was hide his head under my chin or in my hand. It was a classic case of "If I can't see it, it doesn't exist", and I laughed so hard I almost pulled a muscle. He's a real sweetie though. He just gets run rough-shod over by the others here because he's content to hang back and just wait until you have time for him rather than being in your face like the other two are. I have a massive soft spot for him, and I make sure he has his individual lap time as often as possible without the others pushing him off or hogging the attention.

Fat Boy peeking over the edge.

Porker has turned into a right attention hog. If I'm sitting down and Millie or Tia aren't on my lap, you can guarantee that within about, oh, I don't know, a second or so, there's the most pitiful, "Help me, I'm just about to die of loneliness," meow from wherever Porker happens to be, followed by him walking onto your lap and then throwing himself down for a sleep. No, this kitten doesn't arrange himself in the typical, careful cat manner. He just lifts his legs from under him when he's ready to lie down, and you get his belly flop whether you wanted it or not! Of course, I want it. I find it incredibly cute, and he always gets a belly tickle, which he loves perhaps more than anything else. He was the hardest out of the three to bathe, and I think that as hard as I try, his bathing manners are going to be an ongoing training goal for his new owners. It's not because he's malicious. He's just so, so frightened. He got in such a state today that he actually pooed himself while I was drying him. I think next time, I'll pop him in a carrier to do it and see if that stresses him less. Funny, because as a tiny baby, he was the one who needed the most baths, so you'd think he'd be used to it by now, but not by a long shot. Gone are his tough boy days though. While I'm typing, he's pawing desperately at my arm for a belly rub, while Hamster cuddles on my shoulder.

Fat Boy Staring up for attention!

Last night, they were allowed access to the bedroom for the first time. I don't let them in there until I'm 100% sure there's no possibility of an accident, as the carpet isn't stain proof. They've been totally clean now for over a week, so I thought it about time that my sleep schedule became non-existent. They loved it! Porker had a super romp, climbing onto cabinets, dive bombing the others from the bed, attacking my toes under the blankets and generally having a wonderful party. Hamster did a more sedate exploration, preferring to mostly stay on the bed with me. He didn't want cuddles, mind you, or at least, not at first. He'd much rather run at full pelt round and round the bed chasing prey only he could see. Millie ran riot as well, feeding off Porker. If she could have bounced off the walls, she would have been! This lasted just until the point where I was seriously considering booting them all out again and giving the whole thing up as a crazy, never gonna work idea, when all at once, it stopped. Porker crawled under the bed to cuddle with mum, Hamster settled down beside my pillow, but Millie climbed right onto the pillow with me, burrowed in so tightly against my neck that I was worried she'd hurt herself, and then never moved until I got up this morning. I was up a few times in the night to pull the boys out of mischief, but she never moved a muscle except to snuggle in again when I came back to bed. She's such a little treasure.


So that's it again for another week. Pictures, as usual, will follow courtesy of my friend, so keep checking back! I'll give you the weights as I always do.


Millie: 1042 grams, the size of a 10 week old kitten, so she's catching up!
Hamster: 1272 grams, the size of a 12 week old kitten. So much for him starting out as the slow gainer!
Porker: 1336 grams, the size of a small 13 week old. He still earns his name!

Ten Weeks Old!

Well, the little monsters are 10 weeks old today, and time's flying by. I realised just the other day that I only have another three weeks with these little ones, and I'm dreading it. The time has flown up until now, so I know it's going ot go in much more quickly than I actually want it to.






Every week they learn something new. This week, Hamster learned to cuddle. Not with me though, with his mum. I came upon them the other day all snuggled together on the sofa. Nothing abnormal in that except that Tia had a front paw over Hamster, and he had his paws wrapped around her neck. It was too sweet for words, and one of those moments when I really wished that I could see enough to use a camera. He's been ever so sweet with her this week, and her favouritism is slowly shifting from Porker to him. He doesn't bug her for milk as much now which is also helping this. Whenever they try to suckle, she'll mostly get up and move away a few times before giving up and letting them get on with it, although I did see her discipline a kitten the other day when they got too pushy in the search for milk. I'm glad to see this. She gives me the impression that she's about ready to be rid of them, and I can't blame her. After constant suckling for 10 weeks from things that have had teeth for 6 of them, she must be very sore!





She won't share my lap with any kitten but Porker. She just about tolerates Hamster, but if the Baby comes for a cuddle when Tia's sitting with me, she'll flounce off my knee in a real snit, and won't come back again even when the Baby's long gone which she inevitably does as soon as Tia gets off. Obviously, mum has found something much more interesting to do than have cuddles from the boring old human, so she has to go check it out. This does her no favours in Tia's book bearing in mind that she's just tried to get away from her. Yep, I think Tia will be glad when they go.





The Baby too has learned a new skill. I was cuddling her the other day when she rolled right over on her back, reached up with a paw and bopped me on the nose. I laughed but thought nothing of it. After all, kittens' paws are everywhere. But when she very deliberately did it a second time, I was forced to admit that there was thought behind it. Cheeky madam! She's ever so cute though. She absolutely will not use claws when she's playing with your fingers any more. She doesn't even like to slap them very hard, but will lie on her back and let you do pretty much anything to her that you want. I'll admit, I exploit this a little. I know she won't bite me, so I handle her all over and do things I know she doesn't like just to get her used to having them done. The vet will have no trouble checking this little lady's mouth, I can tell you! Through it all though, she just sits until I'm done.

Three Little Kittens, sharing a group hug.

She's gotten very people oriented, well, even more so than she was, over the last few days. Yesterday she kept crying for me to pick her up. She did this so much that I actually thought she might be ill! In the end, the only way she'd settle was if she could lie on her side on my shoulder and bury her face in my neck. She stayed like that for maybe 10 minutes, but of course, she waited until I was in the middle of cooking dinner to do it. Why do they always hold back until you're really busy before demanding attention! Please, someone tell me why!





Porker's tough man image is crumbling. He's purred quite a bit, then caught what he was doing and stopped, but he always forgets again. For the last two days when he wants attention he puts his two front paws against my leg and scrabbles and cries piteously until I pick him up for a snuggle. As soon as he's in my arms he turns to mush. These boys are super sweet.

Porker on the scratching post.

You know, even though I'm a bit worried about finding new homes for them, part of me wouldn't care if they were never sold. I want to keep them all for myself. I don't want to miss out on any of their new little quirks. If there are any future owners reading this, be warned, I will be blubbing before you've even got your kitten out the door!

Baby getting ready to pounce.

Kittens fighting!

Well, that's it for today I think. Pictures will be added later on today courtesy of my super friend! Check back and you'll see 'em. As always, here are the weights. The Baby has gained spectacularly! Actually, I forgot to mention that, or at least, I think I did. Another breeder commented that she's had a few fussy eater kittens in the past, and that might be the reason why the Baby wasn't gaining. I put down some hills along with the Animonda, and I've never seen a kitten eat so much! So although I hate feeding it, it's gone down every day since, and she's gaining steadily. She's still far behind her brothers, but considering she'd dropped to 780g on Tuesday morning, she's doing marvellously!





The Baby: 942 grams, but she was 967 earlier today!
Hamster: 1150 grams.
Porker: 1249 grams (He's the size of an 11 and a half week old kitten!).

Kitten Update

I don't know what's come over me lately. I just have no inclination to write, and I can't think of a reason. Every time I've thought of updating the blog, something else has happened, or I've found something else to do, or I've been too tired... The list goes on, but underneath it all, it's this lack of motivation to write. This often happens to me, but usually when I'm in the middle of penning a short story, or, more commonly, the night before an article is due and I know I have limited time. I do know it passes. I just hope you'll stick with me until it does.






I'll tell you right off that there aren't any photos this week. I've had a job offer which has necessitated an awful lot of really quick organising as they want me to start in 3 weeks. My photo snapping friend is also back at work which means he's only available on weekends, so this weekend I'll get him to take a load for me. No doubt you'll see them at the 10 week old stage.





Well, they've had their vaccinations. Vets and other breeders, knowing what a worry wart I am and no doubt wishing to avoid the numerous, panicked phone calls from me, warned me in advance. "They'll be quiet and withdrawn," they said. "They might not play or eat the same for a day," they said. "You'll enjoy the peace," they said. Really? Nobody told the kittens that! They slept for about 2 hours after bringing them back from the vets, but then going there is a big adventure for them, so no wonder they had to sleep off the excitement. After that though, they cleared a whole bowl of food, ran around like lunatics, and generally partied just as hard as any teenager whose parents have gone away for the weekend. Peace? This word means something, yes?





The Baby's weight gain over the last week has been awful again, and even with nutri-drop dosing, it's done little good. I was worried sick (yes, that's getting familiar now, isn't it?) about her when I took her to the vets on Tuesday. I was thinking heart problems, lung problems, liver shunt. They checked her though and said they could find no obvious problems. I took advice from other breeders and increased the variety of foods I set down... And I found her weakness. This baby absolutely loves Hills food. Typical really, as I've worked so hard to get Tia off that and eating something with a better meat content. I'm not giving in though. Even though there's a bowl of Hills down, there's also a bowl of Animonda, and I won't take it up even if she does prefer the Hills. I've caught her sneakily eating Animonda quite a few times though, so perhaps she just wanted the choice. Either way though, she's eating like a little piggie and piling on the weight again. It really doesn't take them long to catch up, does it?





They got wormed again this week too. Thankfully, this time they're big enough to use Milbamax which means no battle to get them to swallow icky liquid. I've noticed that it doesn't give them the same level of diarrhoea either. Thank goodness!





Well, Hamster has turned into an absolute sweety. This week, he's the only kitten who actively seeks cuddles. In fact, sometimes he'll be sleeping on the back of the sofa and start whimpering in his sleep. As soon as you talk to him, he wakes up just enough to stand, half stumbles half tumbles off the back of the sofa, drags himself into your lap and snuggles down to resume dreaming. He will quite happily come for cuddles when he isn't sleeping too, and now the Baby's following his example again.





She's such a happy, confident baby. She flitters around the place, usually chirping, tail stuck straight up in the air. And she gets so, so excited when it's time to greet someone. When I come out of the bedroom in the morning (for the sake of my sanity, they're not allowed in there to disrupt my sleep... yet), she runs like crazy to be the first at the door, then stands at my feet, that little tail quivering, purr rattling her whole body. The boys are always close behind, but she's the first to get attention thanks to her winning ways!





Porker has decided this week that laps are for girls, and he couldn't possibly ever dream of sitting in one. That is until either someone else is in it and he thinks they've got something better than him, or until he gets tired and wants a cushy, self-heating bed to lie in. He has also decided that purring is not on the agenda, although I've sneakily caught him at it when he's half asleep and forgets that he's supposed to be pretending to be too tough to purr. They really do go through stages, don't they? They've all been through what Porker is going through at the moment, and I'd be surprised if it lasted longer than a week!





And breaking news. the Baby has just come and plonked herself in my lap and settled down. Yes, you did read that right. The busy little bee made herself comfy, then clambered to lie against my chest, started purring... And stayed there, without moving, for a whole five minutes! Amazing! Of course, the boys have mastered the staying still skill weeks ago, but for her, there was always something more interesting, a spot on the floor that needed investigating right now, a toy to play with that she hadn't seen in, oh, a second, that she had to beat up right now! It was always right now with her, so this is a milestone! And she's just done it again. Amazing!





The pen is totally gone now. It stayed up as long as it did just in case the wormer gave them the runs so bad that they had to go back in there until it had worn off, but when I saw they were still managing to make it to the trays, or almost, I knew there was no need for it. So down it came. Tia has thus reclaimed her scratching post as her own, as they can't jump that high on their own yet, and were using the pen to climb onto before stealing her post as a sleeping spot. She seems grateful to have a peaceful area back all to herself! The kittens now all sleep on the back of the sofa. It's terribly nice to lean your head back, have one of them cuddle it while you get stereo purring from either side. Tia will sometimes join them up there too.





I've left her without her jacket this week just to see how things go. I've also allowed kittens to suckle when and where they want. Thankfully, her milk isn't coming back in in great supply, even though when they suckle, they do it hard!





They've also now been given access to the hall which they love. Firstly, there's more room for all their toys, and secondly it means that they have a nice long stretch to run up and down, stalk each other, and generally create mischief. They move so fast now. I hadn't got the full experience of a term that so many cat owners use, Thundering Herd of Elephants, until these kittens showed me how it goes. It's crazy to here the noise one mum cat and three tiny bodies can generate when they run!





Hmmm, what else to tell you. I think that's about it really. I feel like I've talked for ages! Hope it was worth the weight, and I promise, pictures will come as soon as they've been taken. As usual, here are their weights. Remember that these are from Monday, just for consistency's sake.





The Baby: 833 grams Hamster: 1032 grams (he gained loads!)
Porker: 1114 grams (Well, he's called Porker for a reason!)

Day 31: Lots of Firsts!

Well, over the last few days, there have been lots of firsts! I can't remember exactly how many days ago it was when I last updated and I'm too tired to go back and read, so sorry if I tell you something more than once!






As you know, Hamster was the first to poo, but when I checked the bedding last night, I found the first real, solid poo. Who did it I don't know, but whoever did produced a lot for such a wee kitten! They've all been going in the tray to do wees though. It's sweet in a weird sort of way when you see the size of their teeny tiny clumps compared to Tia's massive ones. They haven't mastered pooping in there yet, or if they have, I haven't found it. But the litter tray has become a fun place to play and romp and beat each other up!





Today there were quite a few new things. It started this morning with the Baby. I've taken the bedding out of the day pen and just left a bedded bit at the front for them to snuggle up in. This was because when they were fighting, they were throwing the bedding around the place, knocking it into the water bowl, burying the food dish, getting stuck underneath it. They also couldn't manage to play with the ping pong balls I put in there for them because they wouldn't roll on the bedding. They're much steadier on their feet on the solid floor, and the ball rolls better. When I put them all in there this morning, the Baby ran around like a mad thing. She dived into the litter tray, then threw herself out of it again... Right on top of the ball! What a shock she got when it rolled away and dumped her onto her little fat belly on the floor. This simply wasn't on, so she chased it, then beat it into submission with a paw. Except that it didn't submit. it moved again, so she had to run after it and whap it a second time. This is the first time I've witnessed toy play with this litter.





Once this was done, I was interesting again, and she came running to the front and squeaking. When she climbed the bars and screamed at me, I knew she wanted a cuddle. But as I picked her up, she purred a little! Again, it didn't last long, but this is the first time any of them have purred when anywhere but their safe, cosy bed. She kept it up for a good few seconds too, and groomed me like mad when she was done. She's also pretty much stopped biting when she's playing with me now. She'll bat my finger with her paws, but when she grabs hold with both and drags it in towards her belly, it's almost like she checks herself before biting, then just licks instead.





They're all learning to put up with kisses. The boys fight it. Well, they're boys, so that's understandable, right? the Baby just puts her face up, then snuggles it against mine for a second. Don't worry. I don't kiss my cats on the lips! Too grosse, even for me! But when that little face lifts, it's awfully cute. I'm so glad that I know she's staying, because I think it would be very hard to let go of this one if she wasn't.





Their weights have been all over the place recently. I know it's time that they should begin to wean, but they just aren't interested in food since Porker's choking episode. Today though, myself and JP, a friend of mine, took them out of the pen one by one so that they wouldn't have the distraction of others to contend with. Surprisingly, the Baby wasn't the one with the first in this department. Porker was the quickest to catch on when I put a saucer of fresh, stinky food in front of him. After about five minutes of coaxing, his face was in the dish and he was sucking up that food like a little piggy! Only problem is that he almost needs to be held down when at the dish. He still thinks he's suckling, and for him, he's used to fighting others off. his strength was in pushing up tall so that the others couldn't climb on top of him, but when he does this at the dish, he loses where his food is and has to be guided back. Once he got started though, he seemed to love it! He hasn't been back to the dish on his own though.





Hamster was the next quickest. JP started him off, and he did have a small go at the dish, but he preferred just to eat straight from his fingers. The Baby was the hardest. She point blank refused anything, even a lick of food. In fact, she ran away from it like it was something horrible! She's the one I'm most worried about, as her weight is all over the place, so I opened her mouth against her will, and slipped my finger in at the side where, even to push it out, she had to lick it. I knew that that first lick was all it would take, and I was right. As soon as she got a taste, she was off, but she too wouldn't eat from the dish. She wanted nothing to do with it, and in fact, it seemed to scare her. Whenever I sneaked her closer to it while she was licking and wouldn't noticed, she'd lift her head, look down, then scuttled backwards as though it was chasing her. She was only happy when her back was pressed up against my leg.





It's important that they wean soon for their own health. Tia just doesn't have the milk supply any more, and even with a dose of urtica last night, it hasn't stayed flowing. She fed them last night, but today they're back to how they were before; feeding for only short periods, disinterested even when she's in there with them. I'm going to give it another day or two, and then I'll separate Tia from them for a good few hours and feed them the food. This speeds weaning considerably, and provided the separation is only short-term, will not cause any lasting damage. If they were still gaining weight then I'd not worry, but as they aren't, they need to move onto solids whether they want to or not!





So as you can see, day 31 has been quite an eventful one! I wonder what's around the corner for tomorrow?





In closing, I'd like to answer questions left on a comment. Kittens will poo from the moment they're born, but they will only do this when mum stimulates them by licking the lower belly and bum areas. By about four weeks, they've developed the muscle control to do this on their own. This is the time that breeders will normally notice their first poo piles in the bedding, and it's then when the fun of litter training starts. Thankfully, mine have been very easy so far!





They're confined to the pen until they are totally continent in the tray, and steady on their feet. The pen provides a safe area for them to romp, play and learn about staying on all four feet, and it also provides a small, contained place so that they can learn to remember where the tray is, and use it! Cats are clean animals, so do not like to poo in the bedding. Kittens, even when they do it in the bedding, will do it at the edges of the cage and try and hide it. They will eventually learn that the tray is the correct place though. Cats originally came from thedessert, so when they find a place where they can dig, instinct takes over and says, "Hey, this is sort of like sand, and you can bury poo in sand". They will come out of the pen only when they are all the way convinced that it's a good idea to pee and poo in the tray.





I'm not going to keep all of the kittens, no. The little girl is definitely staying, and if one of the boys turns out to be an extreme cuddler, then he'll probably stay too, but otherwise, the two boys will be sold. here, it's a given that the kits will be registered before sale. Paperwork is held back until proof of neutering is sent to the breeder, but under the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy rules, cats need to be declared or registered before selling. If a cat isn't registered, then the new owner can put them on the register themselves, and could place them on the active, which means they could be used for breeding. That's something I don't want to happen without my knowledge, as breeding cats need to be of outstanding quality to be considered for this.

Day 25... I Think

Well, today the kittens were kept very busy with their first long stay visitor. They've been handled by people for brief periods, but I had a friend over today who spent a whole afternoon adoring them, and what little flirts they were! Porker climbed out of the box at one point. Ok, he needed a little help and a boost, but that's what happens when you try and grip with your back feet and they slide out from under you because you just happen to be standing in the cat food bowl. Poor little boy didn't know what to do when he managed to get up and over. He hung over the side for a moment, claws scrabbling wildly until I came to his rescue and helped tip him out. But then there was this great expanse of carpet to contend with. He took one look, plopped himself down, and didn't move. We sat on the floor with him and arranged our legs so that he had a boundary to work with. Once we'd done this, he was off, but it was me he was interested in. He came right up and nuzzled in against my leg. i tell you what, if I didn't already love them with all of my heart, it would have totally been theirs at that point. To have him come to me when there were so many new and interesting things to do, well, it just blew me away.






When it was the Baby's turn, she came right out and had a sit on my knee for about five minutes. This is the longest she's ever stayed with me without crying, and as you can see by the photos, she was enjoying herself! Hamster had a snuggle too, and seemed very keen to look all around him, but less keen to explore on his own just yet.





When my friend left, it was time for me to be the big, mean scary person again, because it was claw clipping time. I've been putting it off for ages because the idea of clipping claws that tiny terrifies me, but it really needed done. So, one by one, I subjected them to the torture of being held still and cooed to while tips were snipped painlessly away. Well, by their screams of protest you'd have sworn it was torture anyway! Porker did twitch at one point and I took a claw off rather short. it bled a little, but I stopped it quickly enough. I felt guilty as anything though, but it didn't seem to bother him. I hope those claws grow slowly, because I don't want to do them again until they're much bigger! By the time I was finished, I'd broken out in a cold sweat and everything!





The Baby wasn't so interested in solid food this morning, but Hamster ate a load of it! I'm wondering if I got the pair of them mixed up yesterday. It's easy to do because they're so similar in size and shape. you know, it wouldn't surprise me to find that Hamster is also a girl when they go for their check up at nine weeks old. He's more similar to the Baby than to Porker. What do you think from the photos? They were taken today when my friend was over. I think you can see that their points are starting to come in nicely now, but I'm still not sure what colours I've got. I wish they'd hurry up, because I need to register them soon!





Ok, so picture order is Porker, then Porker with mum, Hamster and lastly, the Baby. I'm thinking about a propper name for her, and I don't know why, but I've settled on Dora. It wasn't what I'd planned. I had a list of beautiful pedigree names all picked out, but Dora just feels so right for her. We have a programme for kids called Dora the Explorer, and it fits this little girl so well. She's been the first to do everything! Also, if we're getting sentimental about it, Dora is contained in adorable, and she definitely is that! Opinions?





They all put on a fair bit of weight again last night. Those nutri-drops are a godsend!





My mum and a family friend are coming down this evening, so kittens will be subject to more cuddling and adoration. Somehow I don't think they'll mind one little bit! I'll write tomorrow to tell you all how it went. Right now, I could do with some sleep. Tia had me up every hour like clockwork from 3:30 this morning, and I'm really feeling it! These cats are more work than human babies!

Day 24

Looks like my promise to update every day has been broken. It's hard to find the time sometimes though, what with kitten caring night and day, keeping mum happy, cleaning trays, feeding a ridiculous amount of food at all hours, and keeping up with my own life on top of it. I will still try to update every day, but sorry now if I don't manage it always in the future.






Well, today we've had huge steps forward! As usual, it's my little girl that's made them.





Lately, the weight gains have yo-yoed a little bit, so although it's early,, I thought it about time they started solids. They're so big, or at least, the boy is, that I'm sure they're about ready for them, and their teeth have come in already, or Porker and the Baby's have, so they're able to handle the food. Up until now though, nobody was interested. Porker would lick my finger if I got some gravy on it, and he had a wail of a time yesterday when I put a bowl of blended food down and he went paddling, but he didn't appreciate it as food, and mum didn't thank me for the cleaning job he needed once he was done playing!





I got a new brand today, Nature's Menu, just to try and see if fussy pants Tia would consider eating it. Well, as soon as I put it down, she was straight in there! I've never seen food disappear so quickly! It is a patae consistency, perfect for little mouths, so I thought I'd try some with the kittens. Hamster wasn't interested at all, and just cried when I smeared some on his mouth for him to taste. Porker was more interested and had a good lick of the mush on my finger, but whenever he got anything more than juice, he pushed it out of his mouth and had to be coaxed to lick a little more. But the Baby, well, she loved it! She doesn't know how to chew, but boy does she know how to lick, and as soon as she got a taste of that food, she started to suck for all she was worth. I kept giving her gobs of the stuff, and she ate about a teaspoon full. She got more on her than in her, bless her, but it wasn't for the lack of trying! However, she wouldn't eat from the bowl at all. She backed away as though she was scared of it, but let's hope the smell draws her back.





They've all lost weight today, all except Porker, and he's only gained 3 grams. The two smaller ones got dosed with nutri-drops which usually makes them ravenous, so let's hope they gain a lot during the night. I'm glad that when they do gain, they put it on massively, as it means they can lose a bit without it becoming dangerous. Still though, it concerns me until I see that they've gained again.





So, it looks as though I'm going to have to start litter training soon. Oh joy! Only problem is that Tia won't let the kits out of the bed yet. Whenever they head off for an explore, she drags them back, plops them down and washes them until they give up trying to escape. I can't put a litter tray in the bed, so I forsee problems just round the corner!





Pictures are likely to be another few days in coming, I'm afraid. The ones that were taken on week three still haven't been sent to me, and the next time I have anyone up to see me, it'll be Saturday, so probably Sunday by the time I get someone to put them on the blog for me. It really frustrates me that I can't get the pictures when I want them!

Three Weeks Old

Yet again, I've failed to update when I really should have. This time really wasn't my fault though. I had a post all written, and just as I was about to hit publish, the computer crashed and deleted the whole thing. To say I was fuming would be a drastic understatement, as I stayed up till well past 11 last night writing it up so that you wouldn't miss another day.






The kittens turned three weeks old yesterday. Well, in all honesty, they officially reached 3 weeks old at 10 this morning, as that's when their 21st day had been totally completed. They're walking much better now, and Porker is even happy to be picked up. To say he enjoys it is probably pushing the boat out too far, but he's very sweet. He will cry and cry until I snuggle him in against my neck. Then he's happy to sit still or just crawl around. As long as he has his face against my skin, he's a contented little lad. I used to snuggle him like this when he was a really tiny baby so that he'd have my smell before his eyes opened and I turned into a giant scary monster, and I guess he remembers.





Hamster is so used to being handled that he rarely complains, unless I'm helping Tia out by doing their bums. He'll scream then, but he sounds more indignant than really upset, and miss Tia rarely complains as she knows I'm taking away one of the most unpleasant tasks of being a cat mum. Yesterday, Hamster peed so much that I thought he was going to flood the baby wipe! And poor Tia would have had to clean all that! No wonder she isn't drinking a lot!





The Baby still screams every time I pick her up, no matter what I do with her, but then, she's had the least handling of them all as she's been very self sufficient. It's something I'm going to have to change though, but it's hard, as when she cries, mum comes running and generally gets in the way. Whenever the kittens interact with me now, Tia will come and lie full on that particular kitten, or plop her head on it until it gives up. I suspect she's jealous though. She's purring the whole time, and obviously wants cuddles from me, as if I'm stroking her with one hand and tickling a baby with the other, she really doesn't care. She doesn't mind if the Baby squeaks while she's still in the box either. She's started to let me pick her up a bit more too, so I think she's realising that she needs to work a little to get the sole attention that she's used to now.





It's odd, but even though she's the squealer, the Baby has purred twice now when I've been stroking her. Granted, both times she was very sleepy, but still, it's progress! It only lasted for about 10-20 seconds, and then she opened her eyes, realised it was that big, evil, mean, tummy tickling giant monster, and screamed as though I was murdering her slowly and painfully, but she did purr! Porker did once too, but then decided it would be more fun to roll over, grab my hand and lick my finger into submission. He's such a scary big boy that I trembled in fear and he won the battle. He graciously allowed me to tickle his belly without interference after that. A true gentleman to give me such a pleasure!





I'll give you the weights from yesterday rather than today so that you can see just how much they've grown, and boy have they done just that! Are you ready for this?





The Baby: 316 grams.
Hamster: 325 grams
Porker: 384 grams.





Aren't they getting enormous? Porker is racing ahead of the others, but he'll need to start eating solids soon. He's cutting his teeth already, even though they're not supposed to appear for another whole week yet, and he's constantly nursing, so I suspect he's very hungry. But he's now a whopping 59 grams ahead of his closest sibling, and my little sickly boy has overtaken my feisty little girl! Everyone's just doing fantastically well!





I know I promised you pictures, but the person who was supposed to take them for me said that his computer is broken, so even though he's got the pictures on his camera, I can't get them sent to me as there's no way of doing it. I'll get another friend to take some on my phone tonight, and I'll get them up as soon as possible.

Day 19 and sorry!

I'm so sorry that I haven't kept you up to date with kitten progress. I won't make excuses other than that life has been hectic, I've been tired, and the combination has meant that I haven't had much computer time or any inclination to write.





You see, the kittens have all gone through a spate of losing weight, and when that happens, I'm called on to make sure it doesn't continue. It started with Porker. Now that's a huge worry, as he out of them all should have the least trouble feeding, given that he's the biggest and all. Then little Hamster lost on the same night that Porker lost for a second time. Something had to be done, so I got to stay up, just as I was doing before, and latch not only Porker, but Hamster, then make sure nobody fought those two, stop them fighting each other, and still leave room for the Baby to get a feed. It was mighty difficult, I can tell you! Hamster gained a little, and so did Porker, but it wasn't enough really. However, it was a gain, so the next night, I'd planned to only get up three times. However, over the course of that day, the Baby lost weight too, so it meant another pretty much sleepless night and more helping. I had commitments to fulfill during the day, and I was just shattered to put it mildly.





However, it was worth it, as they're all gaining again on their own! This means that i can sleep for three hours at a time now. Oh what luxury that is! I'll usually put them to bed between 10 and 11. The moving triggers them to suckle which means I can sleep in until 2, then again until 5 and then I next get up at 8. That gives me time to latch them on and clean out the day pen for them before the 9 AM get up time when the kittens are weighed. Then it's off to do the night pen while they have a comfort suckle with mum. The routine that these kittens need is astoundingly rigid.





Porker is playing consistently now, and they're all getting better on their feet. They'll now patrol around the kitten box. Well, more accurately, they'll wobble round it, fall over, cry because they've fallen, get bored of crying when it doesn't achieve anything, get up and start the whole thing again. The Baby is cutting her teeth by the feel of things when she gummed my finger to death today. Poor little girl cries a lot whenever I touch her or do anything with her, but she did come towards the front of the box last night and this morning and climb up the side to stand just under my chin. Of course, she was squeaking all the while which brought mum running, but I think it's because she's a moaner rather than because she's afraid of me. I'm almost getting a purr out of someone when I tickle them, but I'm not quite sure who yet, because as soon as I go to check, they stop and I can never be sure if it was them or someone else.





I'm really missing cuddling time with my Tia though. Even though she doesn't want to be in the kittening box, she doesn't want picking up either, and the kits aren't at the stage where they enjoy it yet. Truth be told, it's getting me down. In my darker moments, it feels like I'm doing a lot of back-breaking, exhausting work for no return at all. I know that's ludicrous, as my kittens are thriving, but the stupid part of me asks if it would really be so hard for Tia to snuggle me from time to time, to show her appreciation for me outside of crying at me, waking me up or demanding food. I'm stupid, but there you have it. Well, this is the only time I'll have to go through it, as when the next litter comes along, there'll be other adult cats still around to heal my lonely heart syndrome!





The two little ones should break 300 grams by the time the morning hits. Do you know, that'll make them over 3/4 of a pound, and they're not even three weeks old yet! I'm going to start them on solid food soon too. Watch this space!





PS: Sorry about the lack of pictures, but the friend who's putting them up just hasn't had the time to do it yet. I promise, you'll have them soon!

Two Weeks Old!

Well, they've all made it. They're two weeks old today!






In the post following this, I'll hopefully have a friend put up some pictures so that you can see them all, but my have they grown! The Baby has now trippled her birth weight, coming in at a whopping 240 grams. Quite an achievement when you remember that she was only 71 when she was born! Porker is still the biggest at 268, and Hamster still the smallest at 234. However, he did gain 13 grams in the last 12 hours mostly on his own, so I'm chuffed to bits!





They had their first real handling session tonight by someone other than me. I had a visitor over who is cat mad. The kittens were all quite sleepy after a big feed, so stayed nice and quiet and relaxed as she picked them up for a cuddle. They were surprisingly well behaved! Their colour is just starting to come in, but it's not defined enough to tell what it is yet. These are exciting times, as I'm desperate to know what I've got!





Tia shouted all of last night at me as well, so I have tentatively decided... I think... to let her have free run of the bedroom tonight and see if that shuts her up. I will monitor kitten weights very closely though, and if they lose, then she'll be penned again. I just don't trust her enough to stay in with them as she should, but I guess I'll have to sooner or later. Really I have to work out whether my nerves can stand knowing that she has free run of the place! I don't know if I'll do it, but that's the plan anyway. Wish me luck!

Two Weeks Old!

Well, they've all made it. They're two weeks old today!






In the post following this, I'll hopefully have a friend put up some pictures so that you can see them all, but my have they grown! The Baby has now trippled her birth weight, coming in at a whopping 240 grams. Quite an achievement when you remember that she was only 71 when she was born! Porker is still the biggest at 268, and Hamster still the smallest at 234. However, he did gain 13 grams in the last 12 hours mostly on his own, so I'm chuffed to bits!





They had their first real handling session tonight by someone other than me. I had a visitor over who is cat mad. The kittens were all quite sleepy after a big feed, so stayed nice and quiet and relaxed as she picked them up for a cuddle. They were surprisingly well behaved! Their colour is just starting to come in, but it's not defined enough to tell what it is yet. These are exciting times, as I'm desperate to know what I've got!





Tia shouted all of last night at me as well, so I have tentatively decided... I think... to let her have free run of the bedroom tonight and see if that shuts her up. I will monitor kitten weights very closely though, and if they lose, then she'll be penned again. I just don't trust her enough to stay in with them as she should, but I guess I'll have to sooner or later. Really I have to work out whether my nerves can stand knowing that she has free run of the place! I don't know if I'll do it, but that's the plan anyway. Wish me luck!

Day 13

Well I'm tired and discouraged today. Just as I thought everything was going swimmingly, the babies have stopped gaining weight. Overnight, Porker actually lost 4 grams, and that's never happened before! They've gained a little today, but hardly any at all. I've given Tia some urtica to help her milk come in a bit stronger, but either it's not working, or milk isn't the problem with these little ones. Who knows? I'm at my whit's end! I'm going to leave them to it tonight, helping only when they cry, and hopefully things will be back on track by the morning. Man, I can't wait till these kittens are weaned and eating on their own. then I'll worry much, much less, as there's less depending on Tia.






She's been out of the pen today, but not half as much as usual. She didn't eat much this morning, so I made her some fish and chicken and mixed that with her food. She's eaten a little chicken, but all the fish is gone, so I'm hoping that will sort her out. I've given her another fish food mixture for this evening, and I'll feed her again in the middle of the night too. Let's hope it's enough!





I had their eyes checked today, and they're all opened nicely. Perfect! They'll be two weeks old tomorrow, so you'll have some pictures to look at then, hopefully. Boy have they grown!