Aravis Has Found Her Home!

What a lovely day!


Today we had our first visitors. S and P have had Siamese before, but it was a neighbour's Tonk who introduced them to the breed. They came over today to meet the kittens, and chose sweet little Aravis to be their cat.

Huzzah!

I would never have guessed that dear little lovebug Aravis would be the first to be snapped up. She's the most sedate of the bunch, and I thought she might be overlooked next to her more boisterous siblings. However, she quietly charmed her way into S and P's hearts and that was it! Nicely done, sweetheart!


The kittens did very well with their visit. They were nursing when S and P arrived,  and some had drifted off to sleep, but after a few dopey moments were happy to come and play. There was one hiss (Lucy!) and after that they all romped and cuddled quite happily. Mama was her usual super friendly self, and Theo had his share of the fuss. Even Sofia poked her nose out right at the end, although I suspect she was more interested in food then anything else!


Sweet Aravis! I'm so happy for her and I know she's going to love her new family.

Susan Isn't Sleepy

Nope. Not a bit. Uh-uh.




See?


Night night, princess!


Please excuse the clicking sound, - it's the camera. I suspect it's because I insist on taking these videos in poor light conditions!


Kittens are having an exciting day today, they have NEW TOYS!!! Now they are toilet trained (bar the odd accident, they are babies after all!) it's safe to bring in some more exciting things for them, things that might be spoiled by anything more than the occasional widdle. They had balls and feathersticks and things already, of course. I'll try and get some photos today, right now they are all sleeping off their initial excitement!

Girls, Girls, Girls

Three solid choc girls. All gorgeous, all cuddly, yet all so very different! Today's post is all about the girls- Aravis, Jadis and Jewel. Visits start this weekend... I wonder who will be chosen first?

Aravis.


Oh, she is so sweet. She's a quiet girl, happy just to snuggle in your lap, giving you the look o' love. Then she'll sleep there. Then she'll wake up and give you love eyes again! The Teenager adores her, so do I. She's a little shy with strangers and is looking for a family who will appreciate her gentle soul, knowing she'll repay the love you give her in spades.

Jadis


Jadis was the first to purr, the first to take a nap in my arms, and is another lap dweller. She's more playful than Aravis, a lovely chunky cat who likes to follow up a bit of rough and tumble with a nice long cuddling session. She has a lovely purr and is friendly and confident with people, even those she doesn't know so well, so she'd do well in busier households as well as quieter ones.

Jewel


If you have been following the blog for a long time, or read back, Jewel is this litter's Wendell. She's a livewire, playing with her siblings, playing with toys, playing with her tail or her shadow, annoying playing with her Mama... Jewel is a lot of fun! She needs someone who will be able to give her lots of stimulation. Jewel is also very loving and is often the first into my lap at playtime. She's very demonstrative and will give licks and headrubs whenever she is feeling especially affectionate. Given her high energy, she would do best either as a sibling pair, or in a household with a lot going on so she can help/supervise!

On Silly Tails,plus stats

As I have mentioned before, Caspian has a kink in his tail. Now he's grown up a bit, you can't always see it, and he tends to whizz around so fast anyway he's just a blur! It's still there though!

Susan pouncing in 3... 2... 1

Kinks can be caused by many things. They can be genetic, they can be due to awkward positioning in utero, or they can be the result of an accident, such as a tail being shut in a door. We can rule out accident in Caspian's case, but either of the other two could be the cause.

Come here, sparkly ball...

Take positioning. There was precious little room in poor Mama with eight babies jostling for space, so it could be that our little prince was a bit squished at a vital stage of development. Or it could equally be genetic. The Siamese are prone to tail kinks (and indeed this was seen as a desirable trait for many years) and so any breed that has used the Siamese in its development are slightly more prone to them. But any breed of cat, and moggies too, can have a kink. It's common, it's just one of those things.

Here are some pictures of tail kinks. Note how many of these are Siamese or related cats! Some of those tails really are silly, far sillier than our little guy's!

There's a legend attached to kinks. The story goes that once upon a time, a Siam princess had gone to bathe in a stream, but didn't know where to put her rings. She was frightened they would be lost. Just then, she noticed her cat had crooked his tail to hold on the rings. Ever since then, so goes the legend, some Siamese cats have been born with a kink at the end of their tail, to hold the rings of princesses.

Just lookin' for my princess...

Most kinks aren't problematic. You should never try to pull or straighten a kink, of course, any more than you would bend a straight tail That's the shape of its tail, if you bend it you may break/ damage it. Messybeast has this to say about kinks:

KINKED/KNOTTED TAIL (WITHOUT SHORTENING)

Type: cosmetic
Breeds: Siamese/Oriental, Burmese and derivative breeds

Originally common in Siamese cats, but now considered a fault. Caused by deformities of tail vertebrae, usually closer to tip than to base. May be single or multiple kinks. Rarely cause discomfort and are a cosmetic issue only, but may ocasionally reduce mobility of tail in vicinity of the kink.

I can't see that it bothers him any, other than earning him extra kisses because he is SO DAMN CUTE. Of course any cat with a kinked tail, or crossed eyes, or extra digits on the paws, or anything like that shouldn't be used for breeding, just in case it is a genetic thing. There's no sense in deliberately passing on such traits. But our little guy won't be breeding, of course, so it's not something we need to be concerned about.


Weights, it's all change this week!

Digory

Birth: 84g

1 week:186g

2 weeks:264g
3 weeks: 333g
4 weeks: 419g
5 weeks: 560g

 

Caspian

Birth:72g

1 week:151g

2 weeks: 227g
3 weeks: 286g
4 weeks: 353g
5 weeks: 525g- you can see Caspian has been eating to some purpose!!!

 

Jadis

Birth:89g

1 week:185g

2 weeks:272g
3 weeks: 337g
4 weeks: 400g
5 weeks 550g

 

Lucy

Birth:83g

1 week:171g

2 weeks: 263g
3 weeks: 327g
4 weeks: 420g
5 weeks: 531g

 

Aravis

Birth: 84g

1 week:177g

2 weeks:248g
3 weeks: 322g
4 weeks: 404g
5 weeks: 504g Not fussed on food as yet

 

Susan

Birth: 90g

1 week:184g

2 weeks: 279g
3 weeks: 366g
4 weeks: 444g
5 weeks 533g Another one who isn't bothered by food. Indigo is still nursing the kittens as often as they like and shows no sign of wanting to stop!

 

Jewel

Birth: 80g

1 week: 163g

2 weeks: 237g
3 weeks: 293g
4 weeks: 340g
5 weeks: 486g






Weight order heaviest to lightest:
Birth: Susan, Jadis, Digory and Aravis, Lucy, (Polly), Jewel, Caspian
1 week: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Aravis, Lucy, Jewel, Caspian
2 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
3 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
4 weeks: Susan, Lucy, Digory, Aravis, Jadis, Caspian, Jewel
5 weeks: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Lucy, Caspian, Aravis and Jewel

 

Comparison by litter:

 

Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
 

1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g

2 weeks
REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g

3 weeks

REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.
Narnian litter 286g-366g. Average 323g

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g
Narnian litter: 340-444g. Average 397g


5 weeks

REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.
Narnian litter 486g- 560g. Average 527g

HISS, said Lucy!

*sniff* said Theo.

HISS said Lucy (I think Lucy...)

I come up here for a bit lady. That kitten is skeery!

Oh Theo. Theo, Theo, Theo. We were back at the vet's today for a follow up. Theo is no longer dehydrated, isn't vomiting, is bright and alert (and somewhat cross at being at the vet again) and has poop where he ought to in his system, so he's eating and his digestion is going. And he's still losing weight.

Yup, another 150g off since last weigh, 5 days ago. 3.55kg now. He was over a pound heavier six months ago. Test for Addison's Disease came back negative, thank goodness, but that does mean we're back to square one.

He looks old and frail in the pic above... I mean he's beautiful, but he looks old to me... and he's only five. Poor old floof.

Vet is at a loss. He's been on an antibiotic, and the only thing she could suggest was that perhaps that's been making him nauseous, so we're going back next week after a week OFF the meds, to see if he's put any on or what. I also have a tonic for him, a high calorie gloopy paste that smells like the nutri-plus gel I give Indigo when she's nursing, although it's a slightly different composition I understand. A teaspoon a day, so we'll see what that does for him. Fingers crossed he starts to put a bit on.

Are you my mummy? (with apologies to Dr Who!)

I need some new photos! This vid is from the other day, Lucy is trying to work me out. Am I am mummy? I act like a mummy. I'm warm like a mummy. But in that case, where are the milk things? It's all a bit confusing for a little girl of not quite 5 weeks.


We've had some visitors this weekend. Friday night an old friend came over, and the kittens enjoyed making their acquaintance. Today my Mama came by and they did it all over again! Digory was especially charming, and I know she took some photos (hint to copy them to ME, Mum!) He does pose nicely, does our Digory!


Inbetween visitors I've had a tutorial and the usual round of weekend chores and commitments... lots of time with the kittens, but none wielding the camera. I promise I'll get some new photos tomorrow.

Sleepy

Hoomans is good for warm place to sleep

I agr....zzzzzzz

Sleep well, babies! Nothing I like better than a snuggly kitty or five in my arms!

Morning!

Sorry about yesterday's lack of post. No reason, Theo is fine, kittens are fine... but with one thing and another I was just exhausted and got very little of anything done!


Anyway, take a look at this handsome chap:

That's Digory! Isn't he getting to be a good looking boy? More importantly he's friendly and playful too. Four of them (Digory, Caspian, Jadis and Jewel) will squeal and rush over whenever I come in the kitten room, which is most gratifying, I must say! I did try to get a video last night but the lighting was bad and it came out really dark. It's really nice though. The other three are more reserved and will come over after some consideration, but those four will always rush up for cuddles.


Digory is doing well on the litter box too, although he hasn't quite got his co-ordination sorted yet. Yesterday he managed to tread in his doings and track stinky footprints all over his bed! Usually this would require a wash in the sink but I've been using Water Wipes (like baby wipes but without the chemicals) and they've been working a treat.


He's an adventurer and I suspect he may be a shoulder- rider when he is bigger. He likes to play-fight with Mama, who is just rough enough to let him know who's boss. But after all that, he liked to snuggle and be petted. And he has an awesome name. My mother chose the Narnia theme this time, and I have to admit the name Digory for a kitten was what ultimately sold me on the idea!!!

Aravis

Someone pooped in the litter tray today! You're a good girl, aren't you Aravis?

Why yes I am...

Of course when one does it, the others start to get the idea. It's been used again since Aravis did, but I wasn't in the room at the time. Could have been anyone, they all seem to like to scrabble around in there, although I still see mama toileting them with her tongue (yuck!) as well.

Aravis is coming out of her shell. She doesn't rush over the moment I come in the room, as Jewel, Jadis and Caspian do, but she has been known to have a quiet cuddle and nap on my lap. She's now happily eating the chicken, but requires the first few pieces to be hand fed to her (I'm getting a lot of bitten fingers these days!) after which she will eat off the plate, but she won't unless she's started off in my lap. She also absolutely adores her Mama and purrs happily when she sees her... she's a sweetheart and will make someone a very lovely companion.

Theo is much better. He spent the day at the vet Monday, having several enemas in the hope of clearing him out so he started to eat again, He clearly felt a hundred times better once he wasn't so constipated, but still wouldn't eat. So he spent another day at the vet yesterday, having IV valium, which apparently can make some cats have the raging hungries.

It worked, he ate. It wasn't just about getting him to eat, although that was the major aim- even a day or two without food can cause havoc with a cat's kidneys and liver and Theo had gone nearly a week. But it was also a good opportunity to watch him and take notes. So we know for definite now he doesn't have any mechanical issues with chewing or swallowing,  and that he was able to tolerate the meal (chicken) without vomiting.

The valium made him very 'drunk' and that was good too, because they took the opportunity to give him an x-ray. This showed no discernible foreign bodies, masses, blockages etc. An x-ray tends not to pick up soft tissue, but it can pick up things that suggest disturbance of soft tissue, and it would pick up buttons and things Theo may have swallowed. So that was good.

Anyway he was VERY cross going in to the vet, and very funny coming home, he meowed for hours and hours, which is an uncommon but not unheard of valium reaction in cats. He was very affectionate and clumsy and purred a lot. The plan was to call the vet and give her a progress report this morning, and I was able to give a good report as he had had a little more to eat and a good night. So no vets till Monday, all being well. It was good to keep him home today. 

Omnomnom

As mentioned a few posts ago, the kittens are mostly now starting to show an interest in solid food.
So far, all the kittens but Susan have tried solids. Caspian was first, followed by Lucy and Digory, Aravis and Jadis joined in the next day but neither are too bothered about it. Jewel has had a lick or two but then loses interest and Susan would rather be tortured on the rack, if you believe her screams when placed near the plate!

I love the squeals they make when eating!


Both the boys have tried kibble too, in fact Caspian has his own method here...

Only you, Caspian...

Stats time!

Digory

Birth: 84g

1 week:186g

2 weeks:264g
3 weeks: 333g
4 weeks: 419g

 

Caspian

Birth:72g

1 week:151g

2 weeks: 227g
3 weeks: 286g
4 weeks: 353g

 

Jadis

Birth:89g

1 week:185g

2 weeks:272g
3 weeks: 337g
4 weeks: 400g

 

Lucy

Birth:83g

1 week:171g

2 weeks: 263g
3 weeks: 327g
4 weeks: 420g

 

Aravis

Birth: 84g

1 week:177g

2 weeks:248g
3 weeks: 322g
4 weeks: 404g

 

Susan

Birth: 90g

1 week:184g

2 weeks: 279g
3 weeks: 366g
4 weeks: 444g

 

Jewel

Birth: 80g

1 week: 163g

2 weeks: 237g
3 weeks: 293g
4 weeks: 340g


Weight order heaviest to lightest:
Birth: Susan, Jadis, Digory and Aravis, Lucy, (Polly), Jewel, Caspian
1 week: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Aravis, Lucy, Jewel, Caspian
2 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
3 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
4 weeks: Susan, Lucy, Digory, Aravis, Jadis, Caspian, Jewel

 

Comparison by litter:

 

Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
 

1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g

2 weeks
REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g

3 weeks

REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.
Narnian litter 286g-366g. Average 323g

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g
Narnian litter: 340-444g. Average 397g


It's all change this week. Caspian is no longer the smallest. I wonder if, when Jewel decides solid food is for her, she'll take over her brother again, or whether Little Scrap is little no more? You can definitely tell who is most into their solids. Milk-only-thanks Susan is still the biggest, but not by quite so much, and now Lucy, who is a big solids eater is second, weight wise.


It's odd to think my biggest Narnian is almost the same size as my smallest REM. Hope seemed so tiny, and Susan so very big and sturdy (she is, she's a lovely kitten) But when I look at the chart I see my Narnians are average sized kittens (here) pretty much spot on actually. I don't think I had appreciated just how big my REM's were. I thought they were normal!  I wish I could go back and tell my new-breeder self to stop worrying about Hope, she was a perfectly good size, bang on average if not slightly bigger than average... it's just her brothers were giants!!

Munch

Lady.... Jewel is bitin' me again...

Oof! Halp!

Wut? I no bitin'. This not a bitin' face.

Jewel might be small, but she's feisty! She certainly got the better of Jadis this time!


Sorry for the lack of updates. Theo had a bad weekend, resulting in a trip to the emergency vet yesterday. Last night, however, he actually had a drink of water, followed by a sleep. A proper curled-up-cat sleep, not a miserable hunched over crouch. You could tell this morning the two had made him feel a lot better.


We had vets first thing, and he has been admitted today. Having not eaten since possibly last Wednesday, his digestion has completely shut down and the vet feels he might be willing to eat now he's a bit better, but he can't because he's all 'backed up'. So he had an enema to try and shift things. it didn't work, so in a short while he'll be having another one and the idea is to get him eating today.  Fingers crossed.


The to-ing and fro-ing over the past few days has upset Indigo a lot, and she keeps trying to move her kittens... cats can do this anyway but especially when they feel stressed. Yesterday she decided the litter box made a good nest. The used litter box. Not cool, Inds...

I set her up another nest right next to the box and she seems happy with that, so we'll see. Anyway what with running Theo all over Essex and keeping up with Indigo's shenanigans I had no time for blogging. Hopefully this week will be a little less stressful!

Update

Ok, so I need to fill you in with what's been happening with Theo.


Theo has had another flare up and has been really poorly. He'd been sick a couple of times on Thursday, nothing too dramatic, and was obviously feeling uncomfortable. I have medicine for these flare ups, (antepsin) so was dosing him with that, and by the afternoon seemed to be much better.


Around teatime though, he took a turn for the worse. He started to retch, and couldn't stop, bringing up a large quantity of bloody fluid. It was awful, like something out of The Exorcist, truly. So I rushed him to the vet for an emergency appointment. By the time we got there, he was acting like he was just fiiiiiiiiiiine, sashaying around the room, rubbing up against the vet, etc, he is such a frustrating cat. Fortunately they are used to him by now, on examination it was evident his tummy was sore, and his temp was up as well, for all he was pretending otherwise.


So he had a painkiller, he had an anti nausea injection, he had more of the antepsin (which soothes the throat and stomach lining). He had an injection of fluid to deal with the dehydration, making a stiff lump on his shoulder. We went back to the vet Friday for a repeat of the same, and he wasn't allowed food inbetween (not that this bothered him, he isn't interested in eating as yet) I have meds at home now and have given him water via a syringe. He isn't eating or drinking voluntarily yet though andis obviously feeling pretty sorry for himself.  He is now properly hydrated though, so hopefully on the mend.


He has an antacid to go on his food for when he does decide to eat, and he has a blood sample at the lab. Remember last time when there was a slight anomaly with his blood potassium? This is a repeat test for that. if it is still elevated, this may point towards Addison's Disease. He'll need an adrenal challenge test to rule that out, and if it is, I expect we'll be going for that scan and cameras in his nether regions to have a look at what is going on up there.


Since the last flare up, he has regained some weight and had far fewer episodes so the simpler diet is obviously helping says the vet, as he had been losing weight, but there's obviously more to it. Although this episode could be related to the kitten food stealing episode earlier in the week? It's hard to say. The teenager and I are on our guard now... no Theo in the room when Mama and the babies are scoffing.


And yes, they are! I took in a plate of chicken last night for Mama, and little Caspian thought all his Christmasses had come at once. He made such a good meal his little tummy was quite distended! Lucy had a munch as well, and so did Digory, Aravis was interested but didn't actually get stuck in. I don't suppose it will be long though.


will have photos tomorrow.

A Message From Caspian

Hello, Peoples of the Internets! Is Caspian here.

I just had playtime with the Funny Lady who tickles my tummy which I likes. She is a funny lady because she doesn't have many furs and only walks on two paws heehee! And sometimes she carries a box that says clickclickclick.


The Funny Lady always calls me Little Scrap, which is RUDE because I is a big strong manly kitty even though all my sisters are bigger than me. She says if I spent more time having milks at dinnertime and less time bitin' my sisters on the bottom, I be bigger. One day I bite HER on the bottom, yes?

See my mad ninja skillz? The Funny Lady says I needs to say sorry for the blurry pictures and she can't take good ones of me because I never stays still. I not likes to stay still. I likes to run and pounce and bite my sisters on the bottom.

I also likes climbin'. If I was bigger, I wouldn't be able to pulls myself up so well, no? Being little is good for climbin' and also gets you lots of cuddles and kissings because you is the cutest.
Byebye,
Little Scr  Caspian

I wonder if this will work?

Yes, it does! Hurrah!

Too Big

Sleepy Jadis, chomping on a paw

Too big to fit in the palm of my hand comfortably any more. Sniff! They grow up too fast! Already nearly a quarter of the time they have left with me has passed.


Their new trick over the last 24 or so hours is purring. they purr to Mama when feeding and she purrs back, it's adorable. But several of them have started purring to me as well now. Jadis started it, but Digory and Susan have also had a little rumble as well. Awwww! They still startle easily, and go tumbling back to Mama, but yeah, things are going nicely. Most of them are happy in my lap for short periods, Jewel has even climbed there herself. No-one has gone to sleep in my lap or arms yet, but I don't suppose it will be long.


I thought I had taken a video of the kittens at the milk bar on my fancy new camera (it's not that fancy,  but I am a dunce when it comes to technology so it all seems super-clever to me) but when I came to upload it, it was all dark. I tried to edit it and I thought I had but apparently whatever I did wasn't right.  So here's a photo instead. Will try again tomorrow!

Choc(k)s Away! (and week 3 stats)

So, you know I said I suspected it would be Digory who got out of the nest first? Well somebody got out yesterday at playtime, and it wasn't him.

It was Jewel.

Hi sweetie! Aren't you clever!

The front of the cage comes off three or four times a day for early socialisation (aka playtime) and it was during one of these sessions that Jewel decided to set forth. I don't have a photo of the event though, as I didn't have the camera in the room at the time. She was so pleased with herself, squeaking at the top of her lungs as she slipped across the laminate flooring. Unfortunately Mama got panicked at the noise and dragged her back in by the scruff.

Jewel repeated this manoeuvre twice more, each time being hauled back by an indignant Mama. Eventually she gave up and settled down at the milk bar instead. Can't be long before the others follow her lead though. Update: Caspian just has, all pleased with himself!

Totally unrelated, but guess who got into Indigo's kitten food yesterday, and guess who spent the night vomiting as a result. Mmmm, I wonder? Bad lad! He is fine now.

 

Guilty face or what?

Stats time!



Digory

Birth: 84g

1 week:186g

2 weeks:264g
3 weeks: 333g

 

Caspian

Birth:72g

1 week:151g

2 weeks: 227g
3 weeks: 286g

 

Jadis

Birth:89g

1 week:185g

2 weeks:272g
3 weeks: 337g

 

Lucy

Birth:83g

1 week:171g

2 weeks: 263g
3 weeks: 327g

 

Aravis

Birth: 84g

1 week:177g

2 weeks:248g
3 weeks: 322g

 

Susan

Birth: 90g

1 week:184g

2 weeks: 279g
3 weeks: 366g

 

Jewel

Birth: 80g

1 week: 163g

2 weeks: 237g
3 weeks: 293g


Weight order heaviest to lightest:
Birth: Susan, Jadis, Digory and Aravis, Lucy, (Polly), Jewel, Caspian
Week 1: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Aravis, Lucy, Jewel, Caspian
Week 2: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
Week 3: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian

 

Comparison by litter:

 

Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
 

1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g

2 weeks
REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g

3 weeks

REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.
Narnian litter 286g-366g. Average 323g


Narnians falling nicely in the middle of the REM's and the Von Trapps this week. Susan is still the biggest, Caspian is still the smallest, bless his silly little tail! They've started putting on more now, after rubbish weight gains at the back end of last week, so hopefully they are over the wobbly period now.

Proper Cats

'See my feets?' I do, Jadis honey, and very beautiful they are too.

As the kittens become more agile, they are starting to do unmistakeably 'cat' things. Such as curling into a ball nose to tail to sleep, although they prefer to snooze in a bundle with their siblings. And washing... I've seen quite a few experimental licks going on over the last few days. And then they have started rolling on their backs to express contentment and relaxation, as Jadis is doing here. Awww! 

Like human babies, they have discovered their feet. Also like human babies, they have discovered feet, like hands, can be used to thwap things with, namely one's Mama and siblings. Of course they don't have the co-ordination to be especially accurate yet, but it is very cute.

  

And speaking of feet, I really like this pic of Lucy standing by Indigo's foot... don't know why, just do!

Takes four times as long, but...

Ok, so the picture upload whatsit still isn't working for me on Blogger, and I didn't get to my mother's today because she has a lurgy and her house is the House of Plague at the moment. I do not want the lurgy, so have stayed away.


Get well soon Mum!


This no picture business is pissing me off- sorry and excuse my language- it may work itself out of course, but I've had this before. I know, I know, it's a free service and what can I expect... but I'm being nagged at on all sides for pictures of the babies and it's SO FRUSTRATING not being able to share them.


Ok, moan over. I'm trying something new...

That worked, didn't it? I'm hosting the pics elsewhere then pasting the code into the html page not the wysiwyg page. It does take four times as long, and is a bit of a pain so I probably won't be posting huge great long photo posts but I ought to be able to share the babies with you all the same. Hurrah!

Updates

And having gone through all the troubleshooting guide for blogger, I am STILL unable to post photos. I'm not sure what to do about it to be honest, it's most frustrating. There doesn't seem to be a helpline where you can speak to an actual person, even a paid line, just a load of troubleshooters which isn't helpful as they haven't worked. I even tried posting in another account... nada.


I dunno. Not sure what to do about it to be honest! I'm going to my mother's tomorrow as she seems to be able to post in hers, so I may at least know whether it's my BlogSpot settings, or my computer or what! If  can post photos from there we may have to do daily photoless updates and then a once a week photo-fest when I'm over at Mum's. Better than nothing, right? We'll see!


So anyway. Kittens are all fine, Mama is fine, Theo is disgruntled because I won't let him have any of the yummy kitten food I'm feeding Inds. He got into the nest the other day trying to get to the grub, which displeased Indigo quite a lot. There wasn't a fight, but she had a fair bit to say and none of it repeatable.


I thought I might do an update on each kitten very briefly. So:


Digory is a darling, getting very friendly now, and will often waddle over for a stroke at playtime. None of them have actually gotten out of the nest yet, but I am betting on Digory. He's a bit of an adventurer for all he screams at weighing time!


Caspian is still a little scrap, he's very agile though and tried to run today. Given he's not three weeks yet this went as well as could be expected and poor sillytail ended up on his side with a perplexed expression on his face. He's very keen on people and makes me laugh.


Jadis is a lovely big strong kitten, seems quite easygoing. She hasn't shown me much of her personality yet but I think she's going to be very sweet. She purrs at her Mama a lot... give her time and I'm sure she'll be purring for people too.


Lucy is the only kitten I definitely think is a mink, so it's interesting looking at her and thinking 'I wonder if you are going to be MY kitten?' Lucy is feisty and playful and has even been spotted doing some 'pouncing' (ie falling) and 'biting' (ie gumming) so I think she's going to be a lot of fun.


Aravis is another sweetheart. She has a very pretty face and is a bit shy but nevertheless is coming out of her shell. Time will tell what her personality will be like. She reminds me a bit of Kenneth (Alfie) from the REM's.


Susan is getting brave! Several times now she's come over and had several good sniffs of my hand without squealing. She's the biggest kitten, and the only other kitten I think could be mink- in some lights, in others the looks much darker. But I'm keeping a special eye on her too.


Jewel. Oh she is adorable. She sits on your lap, kneads with her tiny paws and licks your finger. She'll always pop over to say hello at playtime and likes to have her belly gently stroked. Not sure I've had a kitten so friendly so young, although Monty (Jonah) was... but she doesn't remind me of him especially, just of herself.


And that's the lot!

Sigh

And still not able to upload any pics. Sorry all!


I weigh the kittens every day, and I absolutely hate this stage of their development, weight wise.


For one thing, they are now so active, that their weight gains are small. Its a stage they all go through, but from fat little sausages packing on maybe 15 or more grams per day, they are putting on roughly half that. Sometimes less.


Sometimes, the scales can even register a drop. Mama is still toileting the babies, and a newly fed or toileted kitten can weigh perhaps ten grams or more in either direction. Combine this with a small weight gain in real terms, and the scales will show the kitten has 'lost' weight.


Of course you can't take this for granted, and a kitten who has shown a decrease in weight must be observed very carefully indeed to make sure she isn't sick. This is where records come in handy because sometimes you see a kitten making a small gain or even a loss, actually showed an unexpectedly big gain the day before.


Jewel worried me yesterday with a 5g 'loss', meaning I annoyed her thoroughly weighing her every few hours to check she was gaining and the loss wasn't down to dehydration or sickness. It wasn't, she was her normal charming self and put 9g on in the past 24 hours which isn't amazing but isn't a loss either. Jewel has never been a big gainer and she's very active. but still. I like a plus sign in my daily chart!!!


Anyway, this stage is generally over in a week or so, but in the meantime it makes me just a little jittery. There's always something to worry about though. Once this stage is over there'll be toileting, and introducing solid food, and... yeah well, you get the idea!

Grr!

For some reason I am unable to add photos to my post today, which is a tad inconvenient as most of the post was going to be photos!


Ok, so I've been looking for an alternative form of quick identification given ALL the kittens look so alike and it distresses them to be lifted up and have their armpits checked at present. I post on several Tonkinese groups on Facebook (yes, when I'm not spending time with the kittens, or blogging about the kittens, I am STILL talking about the kittens... it's a sad affliction...haha!) and anyway there are some other breeders there so a good source of advice.


There's a lot of products out there for newborn puppies, but the thing is kittens are just SO tiny and light they just aren't suitable. I had originally thought safety collars, and I found some plain ones that would do nicely but it seems a good 4lbs of weight or more is needed to have any impact on the clip So they were out, although I did order a set for Theo who is a Bad Boy and manages to lose- or I suspect 'lose' his collar on a regular basis. Incidentally this is why I no longer use the GPS, it wasn't terribly accurate round here anyway and I spent more time looking for the unit than I did the cat. Didn't work for us.


Non-safety collars- buckle ones, and sort of Velcro wraps, were not considered.


Anyway one of the ladies on the forum directed me towards hairbands- one specific brand, in fact, (scunci) that is very soft and doesn't contain metals so won't irritate the kitten's skin. I went out to try and find some today, and came home with two sizes. Small size is now on all kittens bar Caspian, who carries his identification proudly aloft without any help!


I have seen hairbands used before and I hadn't thought to use them myself as I was worried about strangulation but they seem nice and stretchy so if they did get caught the kitten would be able to wriggle free. Not that there is anything to get caught ON in the nest, but once they are out and about it's a consideration. By then I expect they will be on the next size which are very roomy and probably wouldn't stay on if I tried them now, in fact I'm looking out for a middle size but we'll see. I might find another solution.


And they look super-cute. But I can't show you... because I can't post photos!!!!

Mostly Photos

 

Taken the other day.  I have no idea who most of them are. They all look alike!

 

 

dark(er) and light kittens

 

Look how dark their noses are getting!

 

hello hooman!

 

Their faces are all slightly different. Once they are bigger I'm sure I'll be able to tell them apart by sight. I can't now.

 Parts of all seven in here!

 

 

This is Caspian, I know. Caspian still needs a bit more meat on his bones. He's not actually smaller than the others, size wise, just a bit scrawny! 

Caspian is attracting a good deal of attention already. The other day a friend commented that if I didn't sell him, she'd be more than willing to add another Tonk to her family. She lives quite a way away, with other breeders much nearer, so it was definitely Caspian who was the attraction. I replied in the positive but said I wouldn't be surprised, actually, if he was the first one to be reserved, as he was such a darling.

Lo and behold, I had a phonecall later, from someone who was interested in Caspian! What a coincidence! Now as it happens I've already had interest registered for all six of the available kittens nonspecifically. Usually though, someone drops out, or has already found kittens elsewhere, (which is absolutely fine), but in the interest of fairness I feel I must see people in the order in which they registered interest. It is a most peculiar feeling though, to have so much interest so long before visiting opens. Nice, but peculiar! MyCat got in touch the other day wanting to know if I needed advertising space this time and I had to say no, sorry!

Unicorns, I love them! (and stats)

Haha, OK so a Despicable Me litter would be awesome, right?



Meet Jewel

Jewel is only in the last Narnia book. She's a unicorn, and a very loyal and faithful friend.



Our Jewel is an extremely personable kitten. That isn't to say she 'enjoys' being handled too much at the moment- none of them do, but if I sit by the pen quietly, she and Caspian are likely to mosey on over to see what's up. Yesterday she explored my hand thoroughly, climbing on it, (well, 'falling' anyway) licking it, and sniffing for about 5 minutes before getting frightened and waddling back off to Mama. Such a brave little baby!



Stats time!


Digory

Birth: 84g

1 week:186g

2 weeks:264g

 

Caspian

Birth:72g

1 week:151g

2 weeks: 227g

 

Jadis

Birth:89g

1 week:185g

2 weeks:272g

 

Lucy

Birth:83g

1 week:171g

2 weeks: 263g

 

Aravis

Birth: 84g

1 week:177g

2 weeks:248g

 

Susan

Birth: 90g

1 week:184g

2 weeks: 279g

 

Jewel

Birth: 80g

1 week: 163g

2 weeks: 237g

 

Comparison by litter:

 

Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
 

1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g

2 weeks REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g

Go Narnians!

They would have weighed more, but the past two days have seen piffling little weight gains as they all find their feet and burn off all those calories moving about. Their appetites have gone up and they are nursing voraciously, so in a few days Indigo's milk supply will have increased to meet demand, but until then I'm not expecting them to gain hugely every day. Being on the third litter now, it's a pattern I recognise. Aren't I calm about it this time? Although if anyone actually LOSES weight I'll be there with the KMR and no mistake. Of course when they start on solid food they have a big weight gain, so it evens out in the end.

Having said that, they have overtaken the VT's, although with them poor Inds was poorly and really struggling to eat enough to feed them at this stage. So it is perhaps an unfair comparison. I suspect, though, that as a litter the Narnians will be bigger as a whole, but whether they are as big as the REM's remains to be seen. A few of those REM's were absolute whoppers, especially since they got going on the solid food. Jonah and Kensey, I'm looking at YOU!

Inds seems to be managing the increased demands without exhaustion, this time. So far, anyway. She is on four 'snacks' a day, a snack comprising of a full sachet of kitten food, or some canned kitten food, or chicken or ham. She gets a good squirt of a stinky brown vitamin squidge called nutri plus gel per day, and she also has a well filled bowl of kitten kibble. Added to that she's drinking a lot of water, and she's also been out to investigate the others' bowls too- not nearly as interesting as hers, I hasten to add. So she's fine.

Susan The Gentle

This is Susan.

 

 Not lookin at you...

In the books, Susan becomes a Queen of Narnia, Susan The Gentle. Which amuses me because our Susan hasn't shown any signs of that at all! She screams twice as loud as her siblings at weighing time, hisses at my hand in the kitten pen (whereas the others will sniff me curiously and squeak, now) and her prowess at the milk bar has to be seen to be believed. Anyone who hasn't seen newborn kittens feeding won't know this, but they squabble and fight over the milk, flailing and gouging away at each other, pushing each other hither and thither tp get the best position at Mama's belly.  It's really quite impressive. Later on, they develop a few table manners, of course.

So Susan's a little madam, in short! What's the betting she'll make the most affectionate and loving of the bunch, now?

Susan is our heaviest kitten, and was at birth. In fact five of the seven tripled their birth weight today. The past few days have seen a slight tapering off of weight gain- they still gain, but less- as they have gotten more active. Susan isn't that active yet, except in the lungs department, and prefers snuggling against Mama and with her siblings than exploring the pen. She can move when she wants to though, and has lovely strong legs. Aww Susan... do get over your fright soon please, I want to snuggle with you!

 

I stick with Mama for now, lady

A High Class Lady

This is Aravis!

Aravis is named after a character we meet in The Horse and his Boy. She is the daughter of nobility, about to be forced into marriage to a man she hates. She runs away, meeting a boy called Shasta on the way, who turns out to be a king.

Kitten no 6 is one of the paler kittens, so if this indicates anything at this stage, and it may not, I suspect she will be mink. It's hard to tell, they are all more or less the same colour anyway. Digory is the darkest, then Caspian, kitten 7 and kitten 8 are a middling-dark colour. Aravis and Jadis are a middle-light colour and then Lucy is the very lightest. Polly was the same colour as Lucy. It's odd to say the least having kittens that are all so similar... when they are all together I can generally pick out Lucy and Digory, and Caspian's tail gives him away, but that's it! Good thing they are all marked so I know who is who when weighing in.

Queen Lucy

Of course! We had to have a Lucy!

Lucy is the youngest Pevensie child, and we meet her first in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Lucy is the first to enter Narnia through the wardrobe, and we see her in several other books, too.

Here she is:

Incidentally, the position she's in? That's how they move at the moment, splayed out, shunting their bodies along the ground with opposite feet. It's almost a snakelike motion, only no snake would dream of wobbling as much. They are developing strength rapidly, and when in the nest can push up quite nicely on their front paws to look about, but moving remains caterpillar like, for now. Oh, and their tails go ramrod stiff and quiver, too, as they walk. It's clearly a big effort for them at the moment and it seems amazing that in a month or so they will be agile young kittens, rough and tumbling with their siblings as if they had been doing it forever.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The Wicked Witch

That would be me. The kittens have their eyes open now, and their ears are unsealing... suddenly they can not only smell, but SEE and HEAR humans... and they don't like it! The other day several of them developed a new skill... the Ever So Scary Kitten Hiss, which earned them a most unwelcome cuddle from me, because really, so adorable!

 

Anyway, every morning, first thing, I come into the kitten room with extra yummy sachet kitten food for Inds, and while she is tucking in, I weigh the kittens. Well that is the idea anyway. Of course it doesn't always work! The kittens SCREAM at the top of their little lungs, and it is amazing how much noise they can actually make. This agitates Mama, and so she's fussing around, and trying to cart the kitten back to the nest, I'm trying to weigh it... well, yes. It is a bit of a farce anyway. When I'm done, all the kits are screeching and Mama has the job of settling them down again.

 

Before too long, the kittens natural curiosity and friendliness will overcome their fright, but for now, I am very much the wicked witch.

 

 

 

Oh great, you woke the babies. Thanks a bunch.

 

Anyway, this is our own White Witch, kitten no. 4, Jadis!

 

 

In the books, Jadis is the wicked queen who trapped Narnia into a hundred years' winter. Our Jadis isn't wicked at all of course, although I have a suspicion she might be occasionally naughty when she grows up a bit. After all, she is an Indikon kitten...

 

I believe Jadis is pronounced jAH-dis and not jAY-dis, but we don't stand on ceremony here and she will undoubtedly be shortened to Jade before too many weeks are up.

Prince

Our third kitten was born with a tail that sticks out to one side at the tip. Here it is!

The rest is a normal tail, only the tip is kinked. I'll do a blog entry on kinked tails some time, they are really quite interesting.

Anyway, a boy with such a silly tail needs a name with a little dignity, don't you think? Please welcome Caspian, who is singularly unimpressed at this whole being picked up business...

Unhand me, I say!

Caspian is a prince, and later a king, in several of the Narnia books. He's a wise ruler and a brave sailor. Quite a good name for a Little Scrap.

Sorry for the delay in today's post. My phone camera had decided to malfunction- it was taking photos but it wouldn't transfer them to my computer and neither could I send them via email. of course it is unthinkable to not have a camera with kittens around, so I hotfooted it to Argos for a new camera.The teenager and I will be on beans on toast for a bit now, but after all, one must get one's priorities straight.

Second

 

Indikon Polly

 

23/12/13-24/12/13

 

'Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia'

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'

 

Polly is named after Polly Plummer from The Magician's Nephew/ The Last Battle. Polly is the first one into the Woods between the Worlds when she puts on a magic ring. She sees Narnia created and is there when it ends.

 

Goodbye, Polly.