Post their late afternoon feed it’s always a lot of fun. It’s the time of day when after they’ve eaten I give their pen a final cleanup before they settle down. There I was shaking out their bedding (again) & sweeping the floor (again) while at the same time watching them all messing about in the smaller shallow litter trays. I could see them wanting to really get in and dig. It was also evident that 2 small trays were now insufficient when nature calls them all at once since they’re also growing at a rate of knots! Time then to bring in the big guns - in the form of deeper litter trays which, though providing a better dig, might also result in less litter scatter! (who am I trying to kid?)
Having new trays caused such excitement with all four lads soon having the time of their lives. I know of course that the adult cats will also decide these trays look good for them to use too (because all Sphynx suffer dreadful FOMO) but that’s ok, as moving on to these is a great next step in their process. I have a plan to open the pen this week and so I defo need them to identify these larger trays as being their en-suite facilities and then I will gradually move them across the room to where the resident cats litter tray area is.
I rather suspect that, if they follow form, when they can climb and jump confidently they’ll probably choose to use the top entry trays rather than continue with the open or side entry ones they have just been introduced to. The roof is currently not fitted onto the one that has the door flap as I want to get them using it as an open tray and then slowly get them acclimatised to being enclosed, then trusting they can walk through the flap door. I offer all the litter tray options purposefully giving them the choice certainly and I do make note their preferences but, really it’s because I want to make everything seamless & easy when they go to their new homes thus their new families can choose the style of litter tray they prefer for their kitten/cat and can be reassured that their new kitten will know how to use it. On collection day I also provide new families with a bag of soiled cat litter from their litter trays (scooped of course!) which they can sprinkle in their litter tray at home thus helping kitty to identify by the familiar aroma where in their new home they need to “go”.
Kittens are learning to identify the call of nature and to take action given that mum & Aunties no longer “do the deed” for them. They also make a mental map very quickly too so once they’re free roaming they’ll be able to gauge how far they need to run from wherever they happen to be in the home when nature calls and be able to navigate their way to the appropriate spot!
Toys!!!
Im so looking forward to them being “free” as I have some fun toys set aside for them to enjoy. I’ll defo be making a cute video or two of their new experiences! The toys that are getting most love now are balls ⚽️ And a DM shoe lace that Has a series of large knots tied along its length and at the ends. This was a toy idea I was introduced to by the new mum of one of the girls in Prunes previous litter. Ley (the new mum) had had a previous Sphynx whose most prized possession was her “string”. This Sphynx had sadly passed on but her string was kept fondly and used by her other Sphynx, a real gentle fella called Ash. When Elvira met her new cat family she was determined right away, in fact, it’s probably true to say that Elvi probably never questioned that she would be the centre of attention from the get go, anyway, she took ownership of this string and 2 years on still carries it with her (though perhaps she’s had a fresh new one since then?) My point in relaying this is that it’s a fun toy to learn to chase and grab, and cheap to buy. Kitten toys need not be expensive or store bought. Another fun idea is to make a pyramid of empty toilet rolls tubes. Stack 7 at the bottom, 5 on top of that, then 3, 2 and 1. You can glue or tape them to make it all hold together. Now you can put cat treats and mouse toys inside for your kittens to seek and fish out. This helps them with dexterity and focussed attention. You can also use empty loo roll tube cut shorter to make a set of different depth chimneys. Fix the chimneys to a flat surface by down about 1cm around the circumference then opening out these “flaps” which you can then glue to a flat surface. Or you can make round holes in an empty cereal box to slide the chimneys into which should hold them. Now you can drop in treats or small toy mice for your kitten to fish out. A little effort maybe but it’s a cheap toy that involves no plastics! Later you can make the tasks harder and the treats more difficult to get. Get creative! Or why not see what You Tube has to offer in terms of ideas!
Right, it’s time for some bedtime milk for the lads so I’ll say goodnight and leave you with some video taken this evening during the clean up and play time to keep you amused! Goodnight 🐾🐾❤️🐾🐾
