Just lovin’ life!

This is a dynamic time for the kittens. In their 7th week, they have already undergone dramatic change from the tiny almost helpless, yet doggedly  (cattedly?) determined newborns with tiny sealed folded in ears, eyes tightly shut to the marauding little hoodlums they are today with their satellite dish ears & keen sighted eyes that don’t miss a thing… I continue to be awed at nature’s capacity to not only create in a hurry (63 days from mating to newborn) to these independent characterful creatures learning the skills of life. Despite the life of luxurious domesticity they are destined to enjoy, evolution is in its full force as they play together rough-housing, they’re learning the skills of hunting & of overcoming their prey (or surviving a predator) practicing on each other. They swiftly learn the art of deception, crying out “I’m hurt” in order that a sibling loosens their grip only to take advantage moments later cashing on on their siblings duplicity by turning the tables. It’s endlessly fascinating & amusing as it looks exactly like the archetypal mischievous kitten. I love their attempts to look bigger as they arch their back & face their “foe” sideways on, how they creep & prowl, pounce & run, climb &…. One wait, I don’t know how to get down! Meoooooow - translating to “human, come save me”.

As I was searching online for something on my phone today, beside me there was the odd squeak & some jostling going on.. I lifted my arm & got to watch this….

All change!

So what’s happened since last I wrote - well first, baths that’s what! 

I learned early on in my career not to attempt all kittens at the same time… wet kittens going in every direction was a nightmare, so I do them one by one and at this little size I use the kitchen sink - saving water - and my rickety old back. 

Warm water in the bowl and a separate jug of water for the final rinse, a warm towel and Johnson’s baby shampoo at the ready one by one each kitten had their first experience of being immersed in water and I’m delighted to say that each behaved well. The first was happy to sit a while, whereas each that came after decided to get out but did not object when being put back and bathed. I let them get used to the feeling them I get on with soaping them by pouring some shampoo into my palm then rubbing my hands together then picking kitty up and standing them on the draining board I wash from neck down to tail all down the back and under tummy, then both front legs making sure to go into the folds at the armpit. I then soap the paws before doing the same with the back legs taking care at the leg crease folds. Lastly the genitals and it’s time to get back into the bath for a rinse off removing most of the soap. The jugged clean water used last of all after lifting kitty clear of the water. Wrapped quickly into a towel and dried off, next it’s face, ear and claw cleaning. The face is done with plain water in two half’s. The eye on the first side is wiped first with dampened cotton wool to remove any dried on debris, then around the side of the face and to the mouth and chin. Then a fresh swab for the other side. This avoids any infections that could be present being passed from one eye to the other. Next ears. Ear cleaner is dripped into the ear canal and this is immediately massaged in at the base of the ear. It’s important that this is immediate otherwise they will shake their head to remove the liquid. With the cleanser distributed, fresh dry cotton wool is used to soak up the liquid then this is wiped around inside the ear shell. I then make a twist and use this to go deeper into the ear to remove any gunk. This being the first ever clean I was rather impressed there wasn’t too much! Once the ear is done you can allow the head shake before working on the other. Next the claws are cleaned of built up gunk and clipped as necessary. I find baby wipes are the best at clearing the claws of this oily build up. Job done! Don’t worry, if you are a soon to be new parent of a Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire kitten, the full instructions for all of these processes is in the care book you’ll receive in your kitten pack. 

So, 4 clean kittens have been eating well and growing like mad. And getting stronger. Climbing is now a regular occurrence and so came the time to dismantle the pen. No one had got out of it yet but I did not want someone to make an attempt and come to harm if they got stuck. Better to remove it and allow them their freedom. And this is what we did this evening.

They were so not sure what to do with this newfound freedom. They seemed at first a bit frozen by the new scope opened up. However it never takes long to gain courage and soon they were off exploring the room , with one even going a few steps into the hallway. Soon skittish play began and both adults joined in with this to some extent especially when the first kitten climbed up onto the sofa - but had no clue how to get down - A fall from seat height soon solved that little conundrum. 8 lives left!

So here I am writing and in my lap warm as toast is a sleeping kitten sleep climbed up here and seemingly felt too tired to do more! 

Lost mittens? Not these kittens!

 There were 4 in the bed & mummy said Roll Over! 

What a wonderful few days we’ve had as the kittens appetites grow along with them. At each meal time I’m now giving at least 100g of food slot evenly between them already and they’re so excited about feeding times that I’m warmly greeted with their beautiful little eager faces turned up toward me they track my every move I make until those bowls are placed before them. At first each kitten would remain at his or her dish, but now one or two have been a little competitive. It’s a case of the grass is always greener, as one will push in, taking ownership of the next food dish along, and if pushing in with their head is not working, I’ve even seen a gentle teeth nuzzle too - not a bite, no yelp heard, just an attempt to be persuasive as they try to see what their neighbour has that they don’t. You always see the different personalities come to the fore around food, one kitten is a much slower eater than her siblings  and so I keep a close eye that her food remains hers & that she has more if she wants it. Around her, her siblings are much more gung-ho eating as if this was their last opportunity to eat! I am topping up their fast emptying dishes until they are done. And I continue to watch as sometimes they walk elsewhere, then change their minds & return for another mouthful or two. I’ve noticed one appears greedier than the others & interestingly it’s the lad who took so long to come around to the idea of solids - or this food - now there is no stopping him! 

Once food is eaten, the litter tray might be visited, a short half hearted play, then a nice long nap to digest the food. They then wake for more play & litter tray use, by which time it is feeding time once more, around every 3 ½ to 4 hours morning until night & each kitten receives as much food as they wish to eat. 

They’re living the cardboard box I have given them to play with… it’s closed but with a doorway cut in, the opening pulled up to create a barrier wall. Their first play fort. Once they are out of the pen, the box fort will grow, more boxes stacked on top of each other with various doors providing lots of opportunities for pouncing on a sibling from a hidden doorway or as they pass below. Such fun is to be had from cardboard boxes, however, a word to the wise: keep a close eye on any plastic parcel tape you may use in the creation of your mega structure  as they will eventually start to rip and can then swallow bits of it which could cause harm in their tiny digestive tracts. 

I’m going to be giving them a first bath in the next day or two as their bedding is getting very mucky very fast now that mum is not needing to do so much with them since they’ve been using the litter tray. Having snipped their pointed claws this week and seen the gunk on their claw beds, it’s most definitely time !