Side suckling Louis

Louis is now 12 weeks old. But such a big baby!

He is VERY affectionate, purring before I’ve even touched him. In the evening though he tells me that NOW is when he wants me to fuss him and then will lay on his back right against me so that I can rub on his tummy and his back toes will be curled up in his blissful pleasure. After a short time he will then begin to self-suckle and this is what’s shown in the above video. He will use his side, his rump or even his forearm.

This suckling resembles the suckling that a kitten would do when feeding from their mother and is often accompanied by the front paws “kneading” as they would to encourage the milk flow during a feed. With this side suckling though not seen in the video, Louis will knead the air, his claws going in and out. It’s really similar to how human babies love to suck on a dummy or thumb.

I had a female Sphynx cat do this same self- comforting - however, she stopped completely after having had her first litter.

I’ve also had moggy cat’s do this too, one used to like a nylon bedspread and would make it wet with her saliva, which would dry hard. She would move to new areas each day. Another cat liked a particular jumper.

Second vaccinations ☑️

Just back from a final visit to see Mark, our trusted vet. All kittens have now been pronounced fit and well, have received their second vaccination & were given a worming tablet. He makes it look so easy, only Elvira put up any kind of a struggle!

As of tomorrow, their 12 week birthday, they are all fit & healthy which means that they are ready to go!

Full of sass Elvira’s (1.44kg) is being collected by her new mum, Ley, on Saturday morning. She will be travelling back to her new home in Plymouth where she will be welcomed home by her new adult ‘siblings’; Sphynx cat Ash & moggie cat Shady and her adult human bro’s Zebb & Kallum.

On Sunday, dear sweet purring Louis (1.2kg) will be collected by his new dad Maurice from nearby Basingstoke. He will be part of a family of 4 and will be given so much love & endless cuddles & playtime.

Due to a change in personal circumstances, I will now be holding Karma (1.49kg) & Lux (1.1kg) for 2 extra weeks before they will go off with their new parents Louis & Charlotte in Bristol.

Prune has come into heat today, not that anything is going to happen there! Her next ‘honeymoon’ when she will be reunited with Oz, will not be until the spring of 2020 after she has had plenty of time to replenish her body. She looks great though, her skin is in superb condition & even during the weeks of lactation she didn’t look weakened & skinny as some cats can do. Her food regime of whole prey Orijen (cat & kitten) obviously completely suits her needs. Even so, I do see her helping herself from the kittens bowls too, or, if I’m standing guard as each kitten walks away from the dish she will block their path in order to pay great attention to cleaning their faces, not at all mindful that their greatest need at that very moment is to visit the litter box!

Im so grateful to Prune (& Aunty Noodle). Seeing Pru give birth was an extraordinary privilege. The 5 beautiful kittens all beauties. While we lost one little lad very early on, the four kittens, which both cats have raised under my watchful eye, are exquisite.

I’m thankful, in awe & so proud of Prune; firstly when she came back from mating with an injury, which meant she was under anaesthetic & having her toe relocated and splinted within a matter of days. After than she was kept immobilised for 7 of her 9 weeks of pregnancy. That was hard for us both to endure. She looked so resigned to it, a forlorn look on her face as she had to be kept in a cage to keep her off her feet. I detested using it, however at the end Mark (our vet) a\congratulated ME on her successful recovery explaining that failure to heal is most often caused by the owner not complying to their instructions!  I did take Pru out of the cage every evening for a cuddle, but after about an hour she would get restless and need to be put back. She is normally such an active cat, loving nothing more than to be running full pelt on the exercise wheel, or jumping up and down from the top of the kitchen units.

Having been through all that,  she deserved to have a good ending to her pregnancy. I’d put the wheel away - it was way too soon for her to risk any form of running, but particularly with her increased weight and bulk.

For Pru is been 5 months in which she has healed, grown kittens, birthed & fed them, cared for and  toileted them, & as they grew, taught them how to be well-groomed & sensational cats. Thank you Prunella Prudence. You are a ⭐️

We have quite the hunter in our midst

I’ve noticed over the last few days that Mummy Prune has been bringing her ‘kills’ calling with her mouth stuffed with (toy) mouse to let her children know that it’s time to learn to get their own meals.

She obviously thinks that (a) she does, and (b) catching a toy mouse is sufficient. Last night on my bed were no less 6 different toy mice some that have ‘realistic’ sounds while others have stuffings impregnated with cat nip...

I’m guessing with them almost 12 weeks old mummy is keen for them to be independent... I’ve noted that there is a lot of comfort suckling that she does allow for a short time before either getting up (reluctantly) to move away or positioning herself on her front, then because they keep insisting with their burrowing little noses, she gets up and moves away.

Of the group, Karma seems the most impressed with killing mice, with Louis occasionally joining in. Lux and Elvi seem happiest chasing tails - anyone’s, even their own.