Temptation (s)

Indigo is an excellent mother. Especially at weaning time. She may be hungry- and I remember from my own breastfeeding days you get ravenously hungry- but she will stand to one side while her babies have their fill, chirruping t them to eat up. Then, and only then, polish off the remains.


However, she proved today even she has her limits. I got the Temptations down and shared them out. she had a few extra because... well, because. But once she had done with hers, she literally then took them out of her children's mouths. Nom nom!


Oh Indigo. How are the mighty fallen!

Week 4 stats

No escape from Desmond now, lady!

On Tuesday, the kittens decided enough was enough with this being in a cage nonsense. They had been coming out several times a day for a good while, and were starting to have almighty paddies when put back in! Michael decided to take matters into his own paws by scaling the sides, emerging at the top with a victorious squeak, so I hastily took the sides off before someone did themselves an injury.

We no need a baby pen!

Since the great escape, weight gains have been dreadful! This always happens. They are moving around now for large portions of the day, climbing, exploring, even starting to run, jump and play with toys (little knitted mice) and whilst they are having tastes of meat and biscuits they are still getting most of their nutrition from milk. I've noticed Indigo's appetite rocket these last few days so we're now on the kitten food and with any luck she'll soon be eating enough to meet the increased demand. It's lovely to see their musculature developing, and them becoming nice, strong, solidly packed little Tonks- even if they do then climb up my back. I am covered in puncture marks, those little claws hurt!!!

Leopold

Birth: 98g

1 week: 177g
2 weeks: 242g
3 weeks: 325g
4 weeks: 385g

Ariadne
Birth: 91g
1 week: 187g
2 weeks: 285g
3 weeks: 387g
4 weeks: 470g

Miranda
Birth: 92g
1 week: 171g
2 weeks: 255g
3 weeks: 338g
4 weeks: 395g

Michael
Birth: 106g
1 week: 187g
2 weeks: 275g
3 weeks:348g
4 weeks: 415g

Desmond
Birth: 104g
1 week: 208g
2 weeks: 303g
3 weeks: 401g
4 weeks: 480g

Nicholas
Birth 94g
1 week 187g
2 weeks: 274g
3 weeks: 377g
4 weeks: 465g

Kittens in order of size:

Birth: Michael, Desmond, Leopold, Nicholas, Miranda, Ariadne
1 week:  Desmond, Nicholas Michael and Ariadne, Leopold, Miranda
2 weeks: Desmond, Ariadne, Michael, Nicholas, Miranda, Leopold
3 weeks: Desmond, Ariadne, Nicholas, Michael, Miranda, Leopold
4 weeks: Desmond, Ariadne, Nicholas, Michael, Miranda, Leopold

Comparison by litter:

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

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

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
Halloween Party litter 91-106g. Average 98g
 

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

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g
Halloween Party litter: 171-208g. Average 186g

2 weeks

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

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g
Halloween Party litter 242-303g. Average 272g

3 weeks
REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.
Narnian litter 286g-366g. Average 323g
Halloween Party litter: 325g-401g. Average 363g

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g
Narnian litter: 340-444g. Average 397g
Halloween Party Litter 385g-480g. Average 435g

Slipper

Not a lot I can add to this really! So cute!

After Effects

After a good run around, and a bellyful of chickeny yumness, there's only one reasonable thing to do. Zzzzzzzzz....

Desmond, two seconds before sleep hits. Michael's already there.

  

Ariadne, apparently oblivious to being squished by her brothers

Chomp!

Hey lady! You can't let us out then expect us to go back! Unhook that cage NAOW!!!

Well, we had guests this weekend, my friend S and her husband came to visit the kittens. S was one of my first families, taking home Kensey and Lotti from my REM litter. You may remember, Kensey had some health issues last year, and last summer he very sadly passed away. There really are no words to express the loss of such a young cat and I'm not going to try, but it is comforting to know that in his short life he was utterly loved, always.


S decided that as she had had some of Indie's first babies, she'd like to have one of her last too, and Lotti is now ready for a sibling. In fact two siblings, as the lucky kitten will be getting a younger sibling kitten from Tonkinini, which is very exciting indeed! It's too early to say who it will be, this weekend was just for fun and to meet up again. These internet friendships are funny things, I talk to S often, but haven't seen her since she took Lotti and Kensey home! So it was really nice, and I can't think of a better person to love one of these babies.


While they were here, I decided to put some cooked chicken down, just to see what the kittens did about it. No pressure! Nom nom nom! said Miranda, and planted herself face first in the plate. She wasn't the only one, Leo and Ari also tucked in, and Desmond spent some time biting the plate before realising he needed to bite the meat (there's always one!) but Miranda was hilarious. The other two weren't interested. I got a video, but it came out super dark :(


Then of course they all sat down and washed their paws. Adorable!


Now they are on the move, I can see their characters starting to come through. Michael is, I suspect, going to be a cuddler. He likes to climb up onto my shoulder and nuzzle into my neck, purring. It's lovely. I wasn't terribly thrilled earlier though, when he climbed up, nuzzled my chin and then BIT ME ON THE LIP!!! Those teeny teeth are like needles, and it hurt!


Miranda has really come out of her shell over the past few days, and it seems she and Lucy seem to be developing a really close bond. I worry that Lucy is being a bit rough (she isn't, I just worry!) but Miranda toddles after her at top speed anyway for some more rough and tumble. I need to get a video, it is very sweet and reminds me of Lisl (Hope) from the REM's and her utter adoration for her Uncle Theo.


Right, they are being treated to a bit of turkey tonight, so I'd best get on with it!

We come out again naow, yes?

Busy weekend

Tutorial, guests and a fancy dress party yesterday, family visit today and was going to update earlier this evening when I had a moment. But after seeing to the kittens, and giving Indie some love, Lucy decided she wanted a quick cuddle which turned into an extended cuddle session lasting the best part of two hours, so I didn't get to it. Lucy is an affectionate cat but she hasn't been very lap-catty in past months, too busy and teenagery I guess, and she'll pop over for a quick stroke before dashing off to do something else super important two seconds later. Anyway, so today was a wonderful chance to reconnect with my not-a-kitten-any-more baby girl, and a good de-stress for me after a busy weekend.


Lots to report though, so I will get down to things tomorrow!

Playtime!

Ariadne, Miranda and Nicholas, plotting how to get over the bar... which they have now done, and very pleased about it they were as well!

Whereas Michael is happy just to flirt.

I've been taking the babies out of the nest these past few days, for a run around. Today they seemed super confident about it, all of them moving off the towel I put down and wandering further from Mama before coming back.

There's a sort of sneaky purpose to this, with more room to run I can have a good long look at each kitten in turn and see how they are moving and developing. Desmond, for example, is still rather frog like with his back legs, which I am keeping an eye on, but then again Miranda was a bit froggy until yesterday but suddenly seems to have mastered it. Leo is very sturdy and zippy and has been for ages, but he s my littlest kitten, I guess having less bulk to move around helps!

I can also observe their confidence growing. Yesterday, as I said, most of them stayed on the towel, bar the aforementioned Desmond who set off down the hallway much to the distress of Mama and Sister! Today they all set off to explore, of course some gong further than others. Ariadne is another super confident one, and Miranda, who has so far responded to cuddles with shrieks, had a nice session in my lap and even went to sleep!

And I've noticed another thing... they are able to pee on their own now. Kittens are born unable to manage this for themselves, Mama has to lick them and then consumes the product (sorry. I know, gross eh!) But now they are able to go without mama helping them. Tomorrows task is to set up the litter trays.

I suppose they will be eating solids before too long as well. Michael was VERY interested in mama's kibble dish earlier. He didn't eat any, but from the excited squeals he was letting off, it smelled pretty good. I swear they get younger every year.

 

3 weeks old!

Babies stay warm between Mama and Sister

Babies are all piling on the grams like good little Tonks, hurrah for Mama and her gold top! The Halloweens are my biggest litter overall at this stage, and at birth, but they will have to keep it up to beat my giant REM's in the long run. Some are bigger than others, Miranda and Leo are slim and lithe whereas Desmond is a huge roly poly chunk of a boy, but all are putting on weight steadily which is what I like to see. Although I have no doubt that in a few weeks some of them will be nose first in Mama's food, they are currently dependent on milk alone, fortunately Indigo shows no sign of flagging or exhaustion- six is the perfect litter size I have decided, even one more seems to tax Indigo just a little too much but six she has no issues with, no exhaustion, tapering off of weight gain, being unable to eat enough to meet demand.


I haven't been weighing Indigo, and I'm not concerned about that while she's feeding, but I haven't yet moved her onto the kitten food. Theo's kibble is quite calorific anyway, and until the babies need solids, it seems just as well to keep Inds on the food she is used to... she is clearly still getting enough to feed the babies. I'm not restricting how much she eats, and she is eating a lot, but it is just the regular adult food and her own, rather ample reserves. Nursing cats do get a bit skinny at times, but I haven't noticed any such effect in Indigo as yet! I'm keeping a close eye on the babies' weight gain as a result, and have kitten food to feed Mama should it show any sign of wobbling, but so far they seem to be doing splendidly.

Leopold

Birth: 98g

1 week: 177g
2 weeks: 242g
3 weeks: 325g

Ariadne
Birth: 91g
1 week: 187g
2 weeks: 285g
3 weeks: 387g

Miranda
Birth: 92g
1 week: 171g
2 weeks: 255g
3 weeks: 338g

Michael
Birth: 106g
1 week: 187g
2 weeks: 275g
3 weeks:348g

Desmond
Birth: 104g
1 week: 208g
2 weeks: 303g
3 weeks: 401g

Nicholas
Birth 94g
1 week 187g
2 weeks: 274g
3 weeks: 377g

Kittens in order of size:

Birth: Michael, Desmond, Leopold, Nicholas, Miranda, Ariadne
1 week:  Desmond, Nicholas Michael and Ariadne, Leopold, Miranda
2 weeks: Desmond, Ariadne, Michael, Nicholas, Miranda, Leopold
3 weeks: Desmond, Ariadne, Nicholas, Michael, Miranda, Leopold

Comparison by litter:

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

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

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
Halloween Party litter 91-106g. Average 98g
 

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

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g
Halloween Party litter: 171-208g. Average 186g

2 weeks

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

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g
Halloween Party litter 242-303g. Average 272g


3 weeks
REM litter  338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.
Narnian litter 286g-366g. Average 323g
Halloween Party litter: 325-401g. Average 363g

Catwalk

When kittens are newborn, they move towards their mother by instinct alone, and when not feeding are generally found in a pile, sleeping. Eat and sleep, that's pretty much all the newbies do, except if they sense a predator (or are touched by a human!) nearby, in which case they scream for Mama at the top of their little lungs, and my goodness, they reach quite a volume. You wouldn't believe it of something so small.


But later on, they start to move around deliberately, thinking about it rather than following a blind instinct. The front legs are the strongest, and can soon hold up a bobbing head with two bright eyes taking in everything around them, sitting up like a proper cat. The back legs take a little longer to develop strength, and can look a bit splayed and frog like for a bit. The babies try to use them to shove themselves forward, but sometimes at first they end up going sideways or even backwards, and don't they get cross when that happens!





In the first video you can see Michael (black band) and Leo (yellow) sitting up and starting to play fight. Michael is managing his back legs quite well and is even starting to climb, Desmond still has a touch of the frog about him- being the heaviest kitten he has more to carry- but he is as least going in the right direction!





Ari (red) is supporting her weight on her back legs quite well, but she's still a little wobbly. And whilst she badly wants to get out of the nest she hasn't got the push in those back legs to propel her over that wooden bar. It won't be long though, and then we'll be in trouble! So far I've been leaving the kitten room door open, I'll have to use the gate soon and Inds and Lucy aren't going to be impressed. I suspect most of my day will consist of opening and shutting doors.


Oh, the shouting you can hear in the background is Lucy, who is in heat again. As you can see (well, hear!) she is every bit as vocal as her mother, if not a bit more... this is from the next room!

Cold

Sorry! Sneeze, splutter, cough. Sleep. Feeling a bit sorry for myself lol. Pics tomorrow?

Socialising

Bright light, bright light! (I had just opened the curtains!)

Handsome Leo says hello

Back up Desmond, you're to little to leave the nest just yet!

At two and a half weeks old, the babies are starting to learn about the world. Part of that world is the big giants that loom over their pen from time to time, and the babies are learning that they aren't scary monsters, but benign creatures that rub their ears and tickle their tummies. Gone are the squeaks and hisses of last week, and now when I sit by the pen, the babies rush forward to sniff, nuzzle and lick my hands- well, when they aren't doing something more important, like eating. Or sleeping. We do this 'playtime' several times a day.

They are handled daily too, at weighing time and other times for a quick cuddle. They aren't so keen on that, that that comes later, but it gets them used to being handled and not to fear it. For now though it's mainly a process of exploration, and it's fascinating to see their personalities unfold, even at this early stage. Desmond, for example, is big and bold. Nicholas loves having his tummy rubbed, Ariadne her ears. Michael is quiet and contented, and Leo and Miranda super curious and always at the front of the nest at playtime.  

Oh, and they LOOK like proper cats now, don't they? Proper Tonks. Look at those seams... and those pouty faces!





Girl!

UNHAND MEEEEEE!

 

Far too pretty to be a boy...

Ok. I've decided for now to assume Kitten 2 is a GIRL, although I may add I do not feel super confident of this. Her nether regions are still a bit ambiguous to be honest, but we'll go with girl for now.

Her name is Ariadne. If she is a boy it will be changed to Alfred, my reserve boy name. And of course whoever is lucky enough to take her home will have their own name to call her, so it doesn't really matter, but I am darned if I'm spending three months calling a kitten 'kitten'!

So there we have it. The Halloweens, from Agatha Christie's Halloween Party. Leopold, Ariadne, Miranda, Michael, Desmond and Nicholas. 





Miranda

I'm not at all sure Miranda likes being photographed...


One week:

So over this photo business

Two weeks:

*baleful glare*

See what I mean? Not impressed!


She'll have to get used to it, because she's very photogenic! Miranda has lightened off a lot in the past week, and I do think she's going to be TCR- mink coated. You can see where her nose and ears are starting to develop their colour as well.


I've had to put the bigger collars on them already because they are such fat sausages they were getting too big for the old ones. of course these are a bit too big, but they are growing fast.


Last kitten tomorrow, so I'd better decide M or F really! Erm...

2 weeks old- stats

How did they get to two weeks already?

It may not have seemed like two weeks to YOU, lady...

Look at the size of my Halloweens! They are massive, truly.

Indigo and Lucy continue to be very sweet. I suspect Lucy will have as much to do with raising this litter as Indie will, especially now that Indigo seems to have accepted Lucy isn't one of the litter but actually quite a help. Many times I've walked in on the two, with Indigo lying back taking it easy and Lucy bustling about washing bottoms etc. Theo would usually have been in the nest for a snuggle by now, it wouldn't bother Indigo after the first few days, but oh dear me no, Lucy will not allow it. If Theo is impertinent enough to poke his head over the top of the nest, Lucy cuffs him soundly and tells him to take a hike. Poor Theo!

Lucy takes her babysitting duties very seriously!

Stats

Leopold

Birth: 98g

1 week: 177g
2 weeks: 242g

Kitten 2
Birth: 91g
1 week: 187g
2 weeks: 285g

Kitten 3
Birth: 92g
1 week: 171g
2 weeks: 255g

Michael
Birth: 106g
1 week: 187g
2 weeks: 275g

Desmond
Birth: 104g
1 week: 208g
2 weeks: 303g

Nicholas
Birth 94g
1 week 187g
2 weeks: 274g

Kittens in order of size:

Birth: Michael, Desmond, Leopold, Nicholas, 3,2
1 week:  Desmond, Nicholas Michael and 2, Leopold, 3
2 weeks: Desmond, 2, Michael, Nicholas, 3, Leopold

Comparison by litter:

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

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

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
Halloween Party litter 91-106g. Average 98g
 

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

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g
Halloween Party litter: 171-208g. Average 186g

2 weeks

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

Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g
Halloween Party litter 242-303g. Average 272g

Oh Boy...

This is Nicholas. he's a pretty boy who I need to go and kiss this very moment... 'scuse me!


Ok, that's better. Awwww, Nick, he's a little love. He's the palest of the litter and I am pretty confident he is a TCR (mink). There's one pale one (Nick), one that looks like being TCR as well but not as pale, two BCR's (Desmond plus one) and two inbetweenies that could go either way but will probably be BCR because that's how it went last time.


So that's Nicholas, Desmond, Michael and Leopold... all boys.  Tomorrow we'll have stats and I'll announce the final two. Today the kittens didn't put on much weight. This always happens at week 2 and you would think I would be used to it by now, but it always sets me worrying. It's because they get so much more active at this stage, instead of just lying around like podgy sausages, they are spending much more time in motion, exploring the nest and each other, not to mention trying to figure out this whole walking thing.


I was in two minds whether to use this shot today because, in the half a week since I took it, the babies have changed hugely! Much more prominent ears, bigger in general (of course) and more mature looking. I've got two more mug shots, but I suspect I will have to take more up to date ones for the others!


But I won't be doing it today because earlier I saw a flea. A FLEA. Ugh! just the one, thank goodness, but today will be spent moving and hoovering cat trees, boil washing bedding and spraying liberal amounts of Indorex on the soft furnishings, skirtings and anything else I can reach, basically! I did Indorex thoroughly early summer, and it's supposed to last 12 months, but better safe than sorry eh?


And all the adult cats have had their next flea treatment (due next weekend anyway) so they are thoroughly displeased with me at the moment. I have also started the hoovering, and that displeased them even more. At some point I'll need to relocate the kittens for a few hours so I can spray the kitten room and I expect Indigo (and Lucy) will let me know ALLLLLLLL about that, bless them. But what can you do? The most we've ever had here is one or two fleas, par for the course in a household like ours which has one cat going out (or a dog, or an outdoorsy type, or gardeners, or...!) but we've never had an infestation, and I'm kind of eager to continue that state of affairs!


Ugh. And on that note, I'd better get on with it!

Desmond

Yup... Desmond. He looks pretty pleased about it too!


Ah, he's a feisty one! He's the biggest and the noisiest of the clan. I'm pretty confident he is a chocolate BCR (solid) as he is the deepest in colour, similar to Caspian last year. He was hours old when he made a good attempt at hissing at me, which of course earned him a kiss. I suspect he likes kisses as he greets me with spirit whenever I approach the nest! But he's OK after he's had a good sniff- the kittens are learning to tolerate the big giants who sometimes loom over the nest and make a big fuss of Mama and sister.

Kitten 4

So we've skipped kittens 2 and 3 for the moment, owing to their questionable identities lol, and gone straight to the next boy. This is Michael. Doesn't look terribly impressed, does he?

Theme

Last year, our litter were due on Christmas Eve. I was very tempted to choose a Christmassy theme, but was a bit concerned that it would sound a bit daft come the end of March when the kittens came home! In the end I chose Narnia (on the suggestion of my Mum- thanks Mum!) which isn't really Christmassy, but the film of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is suitably snowy and wintry so it did quite well. It fitted with the season, but the names were not specifically Christmas.


This year the kittens were due on Halloween. They arrived the day before, but I was keen on doing the same- choosing a theme that linked to it in some way but y'know, not 'pumpkin' 'trick or treat' and 'OMG sugar hangover'. I like real names for my babies!


I am a big fan of Agatha Christie's works, and one book is called 'Halloween Party' so it was an obvious choice.  It's been televised- one of the few David Suchet's Poirot TV adaptations that I haven't seen, but I believe it was filmed in 2010. Must see it, they play the latter ones around Christmas generally, so will try to catch it then. I don't know if it's the same characters though. My kittens are named after the book characters.


And here's the first. Leopold.

(bottom and legs on the ground... I'm not dangling him in mid air I promise!)

And I have to tell you, Leo is CUTE! The other day I was holding him, he was asleep, purring, tongue poking out and twitching his little legs. It was the most adorable thing. It took him a good ten minutes to realise that that scary hooman had him, whereas his siblings? About ten seconds! Even then though, he wasn't all that wholehearted about his squeaks. Of course it's too soon to tell, but I wouldn't be surprised if our Leo turned out to be seriously easygoing.


Leo has a yellow collar and is the firstborn. Can't wait to get to know him!

How (not) to sex a kitten...

Warning- this post contains discussion and photographs of kitten genitalia!

Ok, so for the last couple of years I have taken pictures of my kittens' back ends to try and shed some light on the whole boy/girl mystery. Last litter I posted them on the blog. It remains amongst the most visited pages on the blog, I assume from people trying to sex their own kittens and having trouble, because really, those silly little line drawings you find online bear no resemblance to a squirmy, fluffy real life little kitten do they?


I have found, as a general rule, if they obviously look like a boy, they are, if they obviously look like a girl they are, and if they look like they could be either... my experience is that they are girls. Every time I haven't been sure, it has turned out to be a girl. Of course, this is only over two litters (the first litter the girls were easy to spot- they were tortie) and so it isn't an especially tried and tested rule, but it's about the best I'm going to get at the moment! So what I'm going to do is make a reasonable guess, and name the kittens on that basis. If I am wrong, the names will change and I will look a bit of a wally, but I'm used to that!

My current litter has four kittens who are definitely boys. They look a little like this:

You can see quite clearly here the anal opening, testicles and the prepuce which contains the penis- kitten penii are retracted permanently until about six months, I believe, a fact which I am sure no-one will find remotely useful ever! There's quite a long distance between the dot of the anus and the dot of the penis and the prepuce is about the same size as the testicles.

This is Kitten 3- green band. Kitten bits can get quite swollen in the first week or so, all those maternal hormones, and Mama licking them to keep them clean, and for a while this kitten looked much more male. But she has the 'dot and slit' of a girl, there's a relatively short distance from the anus, and it is now resembling the 'three sided purse' of a girl's bits and pieces. I also had her down as a girl at birth, and my first impressions on the gender have never so far been wrong- it's day two I start to have doubts. Anyway for now, I am assuming she is a GIRL.

And then we have this kitten.

I just don't know! Sometimes it looks like the dot and slit of a female, but it also looks very... well very testicular lol, those two lumps... and surely that's the beginning of a prepuce beneath them? But then the distance is not as great as the brothers' are. I also note that in my last litter I did have a few girls that got a bit swollen and boyish. I think one was Lucy actually, and she's definitely female! And then Louisa from the Von Trapps looked like she might be a Louis for ages, even the vet thought so at one point, but she wasn't.

But then every time I think 'oh she must be female' I remember at birth I had this kitten down as male... before things start to swell up and get complicated... so I just don't know!

There are six kittens, so if I name the others first (rather than by birth order, as I usually do) then by the time I get to kitten 2 at the end things might be clearer.

Squeeee! One week old!

It's getting more difficult to photograph the babies now they have their eyes open. I don't want the camera to flash in their newly exposed eyes, but it's surprising how much they have their eyes open-  they are Tonks after all, nosey parkers even at just a week old. Sniff, sniff, sniff they go, at the approach of a human, gazing about with beady black eyes and then... MAMAAAAAAAAAAA! My goodness they are loud when they get going! Then Indigo tells me off, then Lucy does, and I have a pen full of cross Tonks. Oops.

Lucy went into heat shortly after the babies arrived. She's had calls regularly since 6 months, but this one was a proper, full on screamathon. I may have to rethink my breeding plans for her and bring it forward a little bit! She's clearly totally mature now and given her care of her siblings, (between shouting!) more than capable of being a good Mama to her own litter. So I'm now thinking a December mating, not a January one. She will be well over a year old by the time the kittens arrive, and is well grown so I don't think it will matter.

Plus, Lucy is enjoying all the food that is knocking around here at the moment. She's enjoying it a bit too much! Indigo is getting Theo's kibble which isn't kitten food but is quite nutrient dense, and a mixture of adult and kitten wet food, with occasional chunks of ham, chicken and tuna to whet her appetite as we go into the next week, historically I have found milk demand ramps right up at this stage as the kittens start being more active, and Indigo becomes exhausted and can struggle to eat enough to meet demand. Tempting her with favoured foods can help, so lots is being offered, which Lucy is LOVING of course, and we've already had a break-in from Theo, which of course set his tummy off for a spell. Sigh.

Stats time!


Kitten 1
Birth: 98g
1 week: 177g


Kitten 2
Birth: 91g
1 week: 187g- doubled, yay!


Kitten 3
Birth: 92g
1 week: 171g


Kitten 4
Birth: 106g
1 week: 187g


Kitten 5
Birth: 104g
1 week: 208g- doubled as well


Kitten 6
Birth 94g
1 week 187g- 1g off the double.


Kittens in order of size:


Birth: 4,5,1,6,3,2
1 week: 5, 6 4 and 2, 1, 3.


Comparison by litter:


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

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

Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
unnamed litter 91-106g. Average 98g
 

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

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g
Unnamed litter: 171-208g. Average 186g

Tonkpile

With Mama and big sis. Life is good.

Wiggle

I tried to get them all lined up from the darkest to the lightest to show the variety of shades the kittens have come in...

But it quickly descended into chaos!

Mostly over the last couple of days, I've been photographing kitten bottoms, and do you know, I STILL can't work out the gender for a couple of them. At birth I thought five boys and a girl, then I thought two girls, then I thought five boys again and right at the moment, I really don't know!


It's frustrating because they have names which I want to share with you, but the theme itself will change if the genders do because there aren't enough good boy names in the theme I want to use to account for another boy, in which case we will use a different theme but that one doesn't have good girl names if we need to account for that. Then there is a third I could use instead which is a bit more flexible but- dammit- I just don't like it as much as the other two!


I went on a breeding site the other day, and I think the general consensus was I'm entirely daft for wanting to name them at this stage but... nope, can't apologise for that, to me they are individuals from the get go and I feel they need an individual name. It seems so heartless to refer to a baby as 'red' or 'girl' or whatever. Also I am impatient and want to knowwwww!


But I guess I'll have to wait, and names will not be forthcoming until I get genders sorted out in my head!

Unhand Me!

Red collar

The kittens are getting a bit more aware of their surroundings

One kitten, blue collar, is a right old hissypants and will have a conniption if you so much as look at him. Some of the others are more easygoing. It's a bit scary to be a kitten this small, you can't see, you can't hear, and when a big hand comes and scoops you up what else can you do but squeak and spit? That is, if you are awake. Of course a hissing kitten is about the least scary thing in the whole world, but they don't know that do they?

I can't remember who this is.

Speaking of blue collar, he has the teeniest chink of an eye open, the first of the bunch. Hello, baby!!!

Couple of videos

Ah, sibling rivalry. It starts early. You'd think that nine nipples would be enough for six kittens, but apparently not.

Apparently upside down is the only way to feed these days...

Milk bar

Mama's doing a good job of feeding the babies. They are huge! Nice round tummies and solid weight gains- and yes, this litter will contain just as much nerdery as the last when it comes to stats. I love stats, and can't wait to see if this litter will be big, small, inbetween...


Possibly big, as it's mostly boys. Yup... one of the 'girls' has had a visit from the sex-change fairy and now we just have the one girl. Well it was about time really, the girls have outnumbered the boys hugely in the last two litters, about time the lads evened things up a bit :)