I take it all back!

I went too at the end of my last blog to do a feed, expecting to give milk. I saw a little lad crouched into the correct pose in the litter tray and watched as he left his little puddle. I decided this was a clear sign they can handle something new. 

I opened a pouch of food (Nature’s Menu Kitten) and popped some in a dish, topped that off with some warmed kitten milk and mashed it together (good job there’s no aroma technology available). I filled 4 syringes as usual and, shutting out my helpers, taking each kitten individually offered them the “solid” food on my finger. Meanwhile I’m hearing more digging and can see crouching meaning that they recognise the grit as a natural toilet for them. Each kitten in turn was given this soupy smelly mush & the syringe of milk. And each kitten got into and used the tray. Having made a mess on the laminate floor and over each kitten who walked in it and spilled it as they learned to chew (much teeth grinding my Pud, I then welcomed in the clean up squad who set to work. Im not questioning their priorities where kitten care is concerned only reporting that they chose to wash up first, then see to the kittens, while I saw to the floor before anyone else did! 

So, the weaning has begun! 

*** Stop Press *** Stop Press *** Stop Press ***

On doing my final feed I shut doors to prevent there being too many cooks as I warmed enough milk for 4+ syringes & then warmed another offering of the meat, I walked through to see a little blue lad in the crouch/crunch position which when they’re so little is so unbalanced & was delighted to see a lovely whirl of Pooh coated in cat litter grit. Hail, the first Pooh, in the right place with no lessons or prompting. Ok, so he stepped into it while attempting to do the burying dig, and had got it all on the underside of his tail too, but I am so stupidly delighted & proud of this little fella!

Each kitten had a bit more meat, which they’ll very quickly come to love once they’ve got a taste for it followed by either a complete syringe full (at least most) of milk. I then let in my eager clean up squad & we got to work. Lastly, I’ve made the litter a little deeper which Floozy took as an official invitation for her to pee! Honestly these girls of mine suffer major FOMO - hahaha, maybe that would be a good future name since it describes the breed’s character to a tee!

Note, that I chose not to include a photo of the evidence

It’s been somewhat dish- appointing

Yes, defo this could be a reference to the weather this summer of 2021 for sure, but I’m actually referring to the stunning lack of progress I’ve made in interesting these babies in lapping from a dish!

I reckon they just really like the cuddles and close contact involved in teat feeding. I certainly like the purrs, but for them the fact that it’s fast, easy & fills them up quickly is preferable to the unfamiliarity of needing to lap which is difficult to master & takes too long. Today in fact one little chap was so determined to continue suckling as I used the teat with milk being dripped flow it to guide him down toward the milk in the dish that he got hold of the teat and refused to let go. I allowed him to sickly until the 30ml was gone, but he wanted more and kept sucking and biting so hard that he pulled it off of the syringe tip completely. I then had to gently ease it out of his mouth because despite no milk he was still unwilling to let it go! I don’t know if this is his way of underlining it as his preference… tomorrow I’m going to offer some meat for the first time. 

Whether it’s meat or milk, a mixture of each or even milk soaked dry food, whatever is given to kittens as weaning gets underway it’s a messy the first week or so… they will have no respect for the walls of a dish and will happily wade through the deep puddle of milk or muddy squelch of their soupy feeds walking it onto every surface they can before mum or an Aunt swoops in only too eager to do the clean up of messy mouths, and mucky paws and will go on to wash the dishes too. My clean up crew will be pretty thorough! However, they’ll then shun the toileting work they’ve been so keen to undertake so what help I gain I also lose! 

We’ve had some fun as they enjoy the extra room that’s afforded them in their new play space. My dear Grandson (3) came yesterday morning while his day old baby sister went to hospital to be hip scored. He helpfully filled almost every bit of floor in the pen with a cat toy. Afterwards, for the rest of the morning I had to call him  “medium Pud” (as opposed to small Pud, the black kitten). Medium Pud meowed a lot & was quite the cheekiest kitten I’ve ever reared! The actual kittens meanwhile have been exploring, and seen engaging in ever more play together. I hear various sounds as they learn to get about then the odd pig-squeal of indigence will ring out when the sharp teeth of an overzealous brother are too eagerly used. I love watching as they take turns in being the aggressor or victim who will conveniently roll onto his back only moments later to writhe and kick his back legs as he’s held in a head lock and his head, ears or neck are nipped! As personalities develop rapidly now, soon there will be a shift as certain kittens start to refuse to take on the victim role. I’ve seen 2 blue kittens coming to the fore as early leaders, while one of more hesitant to push boundaries. Pud, easily the largest kitten seems to be chilled out, not easily led into mischief! 

When not practicing at hunting or the kill, these tiny predators have shown a good deal of interest in digging in the shallow gritty litter of their first litter tray. I’m always amazed at how these things don’t need to be taught them & they pretty much start to “do the deed” there instinctively. 

Their new smaller shelter, which yesterday became known as the Kitten’s “shed” (Holden described it thus due to it being wooden I guess) has a flat top which has become a vantage point from which the on duty Aunty or mum can watch without being directly involved. Floozy though does still spend time inside the shed snuggled up with the kittens in mums absence. That said,  she is distracted from her kitten care work this weekend due to being in estrus, bless her heart. 

An exhausted mum takes a nap! 

I get spotted as I appear overhead… interrupting some bundled play. It must be feeding time! 

New Digs & New Arrival

Hot on the heals of Prune giving birth, in the early hours of this morning our family was blessed with a new addition. Adelaine Belle Westwood was born at 4:40am weighing 7lb 12oz and has an impressive shock of dark hair. She is my second granddaughter, my 3rd grandchild and I believe completes the set. I have Tia who will be 16 later this month, Holden aged 3 and now Adelaine.

 

Meanwhile, it’s a busy week for the lads who had their first effort at taking their milk from a dish yesterday.  One blue kitten picked it up reasonably well right away raising my hopes while the others were decidedly unimpressed. It’s a juggle fending off the adult cats who would like to show them how to drink it while at the same time holding the dish aloft at kitten height while also tilting it to make it easier for them and with the fourth hand, guiding the kitten gently toward it. Because last night became the one in which I was called away I needed to revert back to the syringe & teat to be sure that they had had their milk quota and in good time as I dashed away overnight leaving mum in charge. I did check in a couple of times with my web cam. 

Having dashed back this morning to feed them and scoop the poop (adults) I got back to the dish this afternoon. No one was interested with a “no ta, I don’t think much of that” it was an exodus leaving me to clean up the milky puddles. 

This evening, the chaps have had a house move upgrading into their new apartment complex in which they have a shallow dish of water (to watch & learn as I’m sure the adults will decide the kittens water is far superior to than their own). Hopefully they’ll want to investigate the dish and practice lapping so the transition from suckling can happen organically. I’ve also placed inside a shallow litter tray and light gravelling of litter. Aunty Noo has already shown them how to dig in it but given its small/shallow  and I’ve only put a small amount of litter I’m hoping that for now there’ll be no practical demos in there. 

The move went comically actually as I had gone round as far as I could with the cot bumpers I now have (one outstanding still to arrive), but there was a long gap due to them having also one cot bumper which was still in the “nest” crate. I quickly put the boys into the pen along with blankets they’ve been using (so that it smelled familiar). I’d hoped the new and unfamiliar place, which my dear grandson had filled with toys this morning. The adult cats alerted to change were keen to be part of the process jumping in and out of the pen so I’d hoped they’d stay put while I dashed back into my bedroom to untie and grab the cot bumper however, by the time I’d returned, 2 naughty kittens (pretending to be looking for lost mittens?) were out in the room! Now they’re secure - or as much as they can be given that one seems keen to climb and scale the bumper as it’s it’s an assault course climbing wall assembled specifically for their physical development! They’ve yet to discover too they can burrow under. That can be our secret for now though right? 

 

 

The crate is now collapsed down, (ready for next year?) & I can open my wardrobe again so after 4 weeks I can get a different outfit or two! They have a new cosy nest…(I’ve used the top layer of a 4 apartment cat condo) but what, or who is inside?