Updates

Rough, rough life, Liesl...

James P Sullivan II, aka Freddie is having a whale of a time with his new boy. I'm told Mum went into the boy's bedroom one night to find Sulley howling dismally, unable to work out why his partner in crime wasn't playing with him! LOL! He's also made friends with the other household cats, although I am advised that they are having rather more 'outside time' at the moment! Hee!

Bailey, aka Kurt is NOT distinguishing himself I'm afraid. Oh he's cute, he's adorable, he's tearing up and down the stairs like no-one's business and hungrily eyeing up the parrot... but he's had another weeing incident, on someone elses bed this time! He is currently banned from the bedrooms and as a result is now 'going' where he ought to. Still, he's being super friendly, a bit too friendly it seems, M says they've already had 'kittygate' in the house, where Bailey was buddying up to their lodger more than he was to M.

Lottie and Lola, aka Louisa and Gretl have only just gone so it's early days, but are doing fine. Lottie is being a bit more shy and spent the first day hiding but has been out and up the cat tree etc so she's clearly coming round fast. Gretl was much more comfy from the off and spent some time napping in her young lady's lap.

And finally CoCo, aka Brigitta, is being super- bold and has befriended her big sister really quickly, to the point they were playing with the dangly toy together almost straight away!

So there's just the two left, and I shall make sure I enjoy them this week as come Saturday that will be it for kittens for at least nine months! *sigh*

Twins

Marta and Louisa, my two blue solid girls. They really look very much alike. Marta's face is rounder though, she favours, slightly, the Burmese genetic strain I think. She has a very sweet, open face. Louisa's is more classically Tonk-y and Marta is still darker than Louisa but for all that I still confuse the two at times. Good thing Louisa has a red mark renewed every so often, so I can tell which she is eh?

I think Marta's been the subject of my post three days in a row now! That's just how the photos come out I guess! I'll feature someone else tomorrow, I promise!

Kurt- now Bailey- has been distinguishing himself... by piddling on M's lodger's bed. *sigh* Only the once though, and he's been OK since, so fingers crossed all round that he just got confused. This was after snuggling up with said lodger in the bed all night so what he was thinking I have no idea. He's stopped being nervous now and is very active, especially, it seems, at night. Everyone's feeling a bit sleep deprived at the moment I gather! Really having a small kitten is like having a toddler! (this is where having the one is more tricky I guess, or one way anyway) Hopefully Bailey will cotton on very soon that people become really very boring indeed in the middle of the night, and playtime is best kept to more sociable hours!

Oh, Behave!

In the comments section, Amanda Cox wrote:

How do they behave? I've found training older kittens (ie stopping them climbing curtains and getting on kitchen surfaces etc) very difficult, I'm going to see an older Tonk kitten at the weekend (way more than 13 weeks) and I only hope its not been allowed to run riot!
We got Dom from a home where all the cats were allowed to do what they liked because some rooms they were simply locked out of, but we dont lock or shut rooms so Dom has to learn boundaries. But its hard work. He even got into the fridge today and wouldn't get out!

And I thought it would be a good subject for today's post! *sniggers at thought of stroppy cat refusing to come out of the fridge* (Hope you had a good weekend visit AC, how did it go?)

Well, I must admit that at the moment, the kittens en masse can seem pretty overwhelming (less so now the boys have gone) As I open the kitten room-the living room- door of a morning, they pour out like a tidal wave, meowing their little heads off for breakfast.  And letting them into the kitchen has become awkward now because keeping an eye on all seven (five now) whilst cooking or whatever is positively dangerous. Even when I'm just getting their dinner plated up they can and do jump onto the work surfaces and if I let them in I am continually chasing them off. Apart from the safety issue, it simply isn't practical. So I leave kitchen behaviour in the main to the new owners who will only have one or two to deal with!

They aren't generally allowed into the bedrooms, as this is not only my older cats' space but they might be going to a home where the family doesn't want bedroom access. However they are occasionally allowed in, one by one, for some time spent learning how to meet and interact with strange cats. I discovered, accidentally, with this litter that Ava doesn't mind meeting and greeting the kittens as long as its in the bedroom- her territory I guess. If she meets a kitten in the hall she's horrified! Poor Ava!

Here's Kurt last week, actually, he's just touched noses with both Ava and Sofia, and now he's sitting at the far end of the bed keeping a respectful distance!

*glare*

Ava glares at the kitten from the security of her cardboard box!

The bathroom- well they are allowed in when I am in there. Again its a safety thing, after Marta jumped in the toilet one day I've really cracked down on that. All my cats enjoy visiting me in the bathroom though, and the kittens are no exception, they like to prowl along the side of the bath as I am washing, and fortunately no-one has fallen in yet!

This isn't to say they aren't taught boundaries- they are. Gretl's penchant for curtain climbing was heavily discouraged, for example- I've not seen her do that for weeks now. Freddie used to bite (not hard) almost constantly, and now he's just an occasional nibbler. And ALL the kittens know that if I clap my hands loudly together I jolly well mean business!

For me the trick is lots of one on one time with each of them, which as you can imagine is incredibly time consuming. Julia over at Rameses (read the website, so informative) says that a breeder should really spend half an hour PER KITTEN PER DAY as a minimum, and I reckon she's spot on there. That's a lot of time you have to spend socialising. Ok, some of it can be combined with other things- stroking and talking to a snoozing kitten on your lap whilst watching CSI of an evening is something I love to do lol- but a lot of it is time you have to specifically find to play with and interact with the kittens.

Of course it's a journey isn't it- I start the (hopefully) good work, the new family will continue that to fit in with their particular needs as a family (bedroom access etc) and fingers crossed by adulthood one has a well rounded adult cat! Of course Tonks are intelligent, which can make them mischevous, and that's part of their charm. And they are highly social, which can make them needy, which can make them misbehave when they aren't getting that attention and that's not so charming but that's Tonks for you. And all kittens have a toddler phase ( at the breeder's) and an adolescent, bratty, test the boundaries phase (at around 6 months, and again neutering on time plays a BIG part in keeping this in check) so when it's time, don't delay!

Any good breeder will tell you the same though- raising kittens well is hard work!

Missing You

Bye Freddie (yes, this was the best of a VERY bad series of photos... Freds would rather lick the camera than pose for it)

Bye Kurt! Kurt on the other hand has the pose down to perfection!

Settling in is always a little precarious. I never feel entirely comfortable until 1) the kitten has used the litter tray and 2) had something to eat. And by default I guess, 3) if they are hiding, which is normal, that they have come out for short periods of time.

Well I know that Kurt has used the litter tray and had a brief explore about, so that's all going brilliantly, thanks M for letting me know! I don't know about Freddie but he seemed very confident whilst I was at his new house. I haven't seen any horrified 'OMG kitten has piddled on my children's school shoes' messages on D's Facebook, only nice ones about what to call him and how much they love him... so that all seems to be going OK as well. Apparently he isn't to be Jack any more. I'll let you know what he does eventually get called!

So all seems to be going pretty well with my boys. Hurrah!

Oh and Indigo is calling. Joy of joys... she can't have the Pill yet, not until the kittens go, so we're in for a couple of very noisy days. Apologetic bottle of vino to the neighbours I'm thinking!!!

Bye Bye Boys

Kurt looking handsome and Freds looking... loony!

*sniff*

Both Freddie and Kurt went home today...

Freddie of course is a special case. Today I drove to his new home, a 3 hour journey each way, to settle him in. It had to be this weekend, as next and the week after I am expecting to be home for the girls to be collected! So it was either today or in three weeks.

I love all my kittens, but I don't think it will surprise anyone to know I was especially attached to Freddie. It wasn't just his leg... Freddie has such a lovely personality that anyone would love him. I could very easily have changed my mind and kept him myself. *sigh* But I know he has gone to the right home. Before I left he had already begun to tentatively make friends with another cat, and had won over his humans. He has a little lad to play with, who says Freddie will be his 'one true darling'- aww! But gosh I'll miss him :(

Now for Kurt. Now I know next Wednesday is the first pickup date, and I hope no-one will feel bad that Kurt has 'jumped the queue', but I hope when I explain they will understand. You see Kurt's family live 2ish hours drive from mine, but not 5 minutes drive from one of the roads I was driving down today. I passed right by them. So I thought, rather than Kurt's people doing an extra and unnecessary 4 hour round trip next weekend, why don't I bring Kurt too? His family were amenable, so that's what we did. It also meant Kurt had a buddy in the carrier with him for the journey, and Freddie had his brother half the time, which was probably a comfort to them both. It was my idea though, and not something I'd usually do. It's just the way things worked out this time.

(of course I got lost and couldn't find Kurt's house, so it wasn't exactly the quick detour I thought it might be... but we'll ignore that! ROFL!!!!)

Anyway, my boys are gone, we are down by two. And I am cream crackered after all that driving today... and am off to bed. Goodnight!

Chair Stealing



Mission accomplished!

Me And My Sisters

Dear Kurt. He can usually be found having a snuggle with someone! Kurt's new person has decided to look for another Tonk to be a playmate for him, and I'm so pleased as I really think he'll thrive on that. I'm sure he'd be happy on his own, I wouldn't have agreed for him to go to M if I wasn't, but a sibling will just be the icing on the cake for him I'm sure. The litter in question have just been born so he'll have to wait a while, and no doubt there will be a period of introduction for them both, but that's OK.

In the meantime he'll have to have extra cuddles from his people instead. He won't mind this a bit I'm sure. I have an old wooden ladder in my hallway, which the kittens love to climb up and down. I found it in someone's garden actually, asked them if it was scrap (it was) and carried it off triumphantly, proof that you don't NEED to spend hundreds on a cat tree if you don't have that money. Kurt has a habit of perching on there when I use the bathroom, and when I come out he calls out, insistently, to be picked up and cuddled. It's very endearing!

10.5 weeks

My Von Trapps seem to be catching up with their predecessors on the weight front... very interesting... perhaps they are just late developers? Or did they all just have extra large breakfasts to confuse matters?

Six out of seven kittens are now in varying stages of vaccine site reaction- nearly every man jack of them (except- well, Jack! Freddie as he is at the moment) which must be a record. Some of them, like Brigitta's, are practically gone now and some, like Liesl's are still quite large although I hasten to add not harmful, very common and they will go down in time. Probably in time for the next vaccination LOL- whereupon they will promptly get another one I have no doubt! They feel like a squishy lump between the shoulderblades and unless you were looking for it, you'd be forgiven for not noticing it at all.

They've all been microchipped today and the chips registered directly to their new family- paperwork should be arriving through the door at some point. Poor Louisa bled a little bit- the needle for the chip is really quite big- but she was OK after a bit of TLC. The microchips can be felt as a grain of rice sized hard lump in the top of the neck, the neck muscles holding them in place (although they can 'slip' slightly and be a little off centre with time)

Inds was also given a clean bill of health. Hurrah!


Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g
8 weeks 880g
9 weeks 1050g
10.5 weeks 1310g (can this be accurate? its a bigger leap than I would expect...)

Friedrich
Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g
8 weeks 950g
9 weeks 1180g
10.5 weeks 1380g

Kurt
Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g
8 weeks 1020g
9 weeks 1220g
10.5 weeks 1460g

Louisa
Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g
8 weeks 820g
9 weeks 960g
10.5 weeks 1160g

Brigitta
Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g
8 weeks 890g
9 weeks 1070g
10.5 weeks 1300g

Marta
Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g
8 weeks 840g
9 weeks 970g
10.5 weeks 1130g

Gretl
Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g
8 weeks 780g
9 weeks 950g
10.5 weeks 1140g


Comparison:

Birth

REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

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

1 week

REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks


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

3 weeks


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

4 weeks


REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks


REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks


REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

9 weeks

REM litter 1070-1340g. Average 1238g

Von Trapp litter 950-1220g. Average 1057g

10.5 weeks

REM litter 1130-1530g. Average 1368g

Von Trapp litter 1130g-1460g. Average 1268g if Liesl's weight is correct.

Snuggling With Mama

The kittens sure do love their Mama! They'll have to do without her today though because- sigh- Indigo has been given painkillers and admitted for 24 hours at the vets for observation and tests :( She didn't get any worse last night, but this morning she started crying whilst trying to 'go' and was obviously in a lot of pain. So she needed to stay in so they can work out what is up. Last week's sickness may be connected- she had antibiotics and they made her feel instantly better but they may not have been enough to have killed off whatever she (possibly) had brewing.

You may be sure I will give the kittens plenty of cuddles myself to make up for any they might be missing today. Thankfully they are old enough to fend for themselves, Mama still feeds them but they don't NEED her milk any more, for example. And sher still washes them, but they are more than capable of doing it herself.

Last night was very interesting actually. (setting aside the worry about Inds) I slept on the couch in the living room so as to keep an eye on Indigo. Well, I can't say I slept much, what with kittens jumping all over me and Gretl landing on my face at one point which was a bit of a shock, but they all reacted to my being in with them at night in their own individual way. Liesl curled up daintily next to my pillow, head on one side, and regarded me thoughtfully. Marta and Louisa spent the night snuggled into my neck and hair. Gretl leaped around excitedly rubbing her head affectionately all over my hands and face, Freddie insisted on licking my nose and chin a lot. Kurt got under the covers where it was nice and warm and Brigitta snuggled into the crook of my knees and purrred and purred. It was nice but I was basically immobilised by all these bodies and kept waking up with cramps from where I'd stayed still so long!

(I loved it really!)

Anyway, if you could all cross fingers for Indigo's speedy recovery, I'd be much obliged. The vet says every third cat appointment at the moment is for a UTI- apparently the combo of central heating plus very cold weather isn't a brilliant one for cats' urinary health. I shall do some more reading around that... perhaps there's something I can add to the cats food in the winter time that will help protect them? Does anyone know?

9 weeks old

...yesterday, but it was vaccination, vet check and weighing day today. There's so many of them, the vet has to block in a big chunk of appointments in order to get everything done!

Of course it's the coldest day of the winter so far isn't it? LOL we bundled up, or rather, I bundled up, and the kittens got a heating pad in each of their carriers and a blanket over the top to keep the heat in, and off we all went.They were all very good, despite being scared, and of course the needle wasn't very nice. But they all coped admirably.

Louisa still looks like a girl (lol)

Everybody's hearts all sound nice and healthy, lungs are all good, eyes are gunk free, teeth are lovely and so on and so forth, a lovely healthy bunch, in fact.

Freddie's leg, says the vet, 'gets straighter every time I see him'- bodies really are wonderful things aren't they? According to the vet, he's still actively healing as he grows, as when he was smaller the leg was much more at an angle than it is now. I'll have to try and get a photo and show you. It's all wonderful news and I'm so proud of him.

I'm expecting sleepy kittens for much of today, the jab really takes it out of them I've found, and they will have a nice bland chicken dinner later so as not to over tax their stomachs, not that I've known that to happen, but you never know. They will be back to normal tomorrow. Just as well, as Brigitta's, and Marta and Liesl's families are hoping to visit, snow permitting of course! We don't have any here yet...

Liesl
Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g
8 weeks 880g
9 weeks 1050g

Friedrich


Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g
8 weeks 950g
9 weeks 1180g

Kurt

Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g
8 weeks 1020g
9 weeks 1220g

Louisa

Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g
8 weeks 820g
9 weeks 960g

Brigitta

Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g
8 weeks 890g
9 weeks 1070g

Marta

Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g
8 weeks 840g
9 weeks 970g

Gretl

Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g
8 weeks 780g
9 weeks 950g


Comparison:

Birth

 

REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

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

1 week

 

REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks

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

3 weeks

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

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks

REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks

REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

9 weeks

 

REM litter 1070-1340g. Average 1238g

Von Trapp litter 950-1220g. Average 1057g

Brothers

Doing what brothers do best... fighting! The expression on Freddie's face is cracking me up. You needn't feel too sorry for him though, he gives as good as he gets and then some.

I'd like to thank everyone who has been posting recently, old and newcomers. It's been so good to find messages when I've opened up the blog, and I love chatting to other 'cat people' anyway. Thank you, and keep talking!

I had an email/ telephone conversation with the GCCF the other day. Remember way back when, when I mated Inds? At the time, we thought Monty was a chocolate. Well, it's since become obvious he is not, he is a brown. And he's been re-registered, and all is good. He's even had a litter of kittens registered since the change, so we know that's all been through OK.

Of course what neither Hilary or I thought was that my proof of mating certificate has Monty down as a chocolate. And of course, if you mate a choc to a lilac, you absolutely cannot have blue or brown kittens. So the GCCF weren't able to register the kittens.

All sorted now- Hilary will send me an updated certificate, I'll send that off, and all will be able to proceed. Phew! It's really good though, how careful they are with their registrations :) I hadn't even thought there might be a problem, hadn't crossed my mind, and yet I had to fill in the form twice as I know they don't allow any errors/ crossings out on the application form. D'oh!

It's A Rough Life, Kurt



I know, honey... so stressful...

Being cute helps though... keep it up!

Five Little Monkeys

Top: Gretl, Brigitta, Upper middle: Kurt, Lower middle: Liesl and one of the greybies but I couldn't tell you who!

Kurt has always been lighter than Brigitta. But he's obviously darker than Liesl. I do genuinely wonder whether he's a chocolate after all? A chocolate solid? Or is it just natural variation? I'm going to register him as a brown solid, but... oh bother it! I'm just not sure. Oh well, as ever, if he is obviously NOT brown as an adult I'd be more than happy to change his pedigree.

I do think, in my next litter, I really need to find myself a chocolate stud. I thought two of my blues were chocs, so I need a chocolate, or a chocolate and lilac ONLY litter, in order to get my mind straight as to what chocolate actually looks like... because you see I've only ever seen it at shows, not here, every day, for 13 weeks.  I'm not even sure if there is a chocolate stud in Tonk-world at the moment, or up and coming, at least as it will be next year minimum. Hope so!

Speaking of monkeys... Louisa was the first today to scale the 'cat gate' and get into the kitchen. She was incredibly pleased with herself. What a minx!

8 Weeks Old

Chaos! In the past 24 hours the heating has broken down, the washing machine has broken down, and, today, Indigo is unwell- vomiting. Indigo is never sick. When she then vomited a bright red fluid I whisked her off to the vet pdq. Several injections and a nasty tasting medicine later, she's back home, and I must say, looking distinctly chirpier this evening so something has helped.

She's lost quite a lot of weight- pre pregnancy she was 4.3kg, and she was a little portly if I'm honest. Now she weighs 3.5 kg, which is underweight for her and a significant drop. I know she's had 7 babies to feed, and mama cats DO get thin, but that's a big drop in just a few months. She's also rather dehydrated. If she hadn't improved over the course of today she would have had to go back in and be put on a drip.

Poor Indigo! She had that funny thing where her third eyelid was showing, then she had the dreadful morning sickness, then on/off diarrhoea, then her ear, then more tummy issues, all one after the other.  Once the kittens have gone I'll have to build her up a little and then consider her breeding career- perhaps not breed her again or give her a longer break between litters or something. Or perhaps it's nothing to do with that at all and it's just one of those things... I don't know, but everything will be carefully considered.

Oh- the heating is fixed, by the way. But until it was, the kittens stayed nice and warm with blowy heaters placed inside a cage so they couldn't get TOO close to them, much like a toddler fire guard... worked well. I understand our gas is going to be off next week for the day, so they will keep us all toasty on that day too, especially if the snow in the north heads this way! Stay warm!


Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g
8 weeks 880g

Friedrich


Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g
8 weeks 950g

Kurt

Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g
8 weeks 1020g

Louisa

Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g
8 weeks 820g

Brigitta

Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g
8 weeks 890g

Marta

Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g
8 weeks 840g

Gretl

Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g
8 weeks 780g

Comparison:

Birth

REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

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

1 week

REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks

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

3 weeks

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

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks

REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks

REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

8 weeks

REM litter 962-1149g. Average 1063g
Von Trapp litter 780-883g. Average 883g

!

Kurt, with one arm around Liesl. Are my kittens the cutest in the entire world? Of course they are :)

Blog entries might be a little thin on the ground this week- there will BE entries, but it might just be a photo. The teenager's school is shut this week (and back end of last week) and rather than let him waste a week and a half on the Wii he's being homeschooled. I may have mentioned this already! I'm such a mean parent making him work hehe. And I'm working my usual hours, from home as always, and what with the kittens as well I'm a little pressed for time!

I'll get back to updating properly after this week, I promise.

They Might Not All Fit

But they give it a jolly good go! What a striking looking bunch they are. Here we have Kurt, Brigitta, Liesl, Gretl and one of the greybies, not sure which from that angle.

I've realised I haven't weighed them this week. Oops! Sorry about that. This week has been manic what with one thing and another, and I just totally forgot. I'll probably wait till next week now, as weighing has become a total farce anyway, and after that I will have them weighed at 9, 10.5 and 12 weeks, at the vet. They have bigger scales, what can I say!!!

Not Long Ago

ALL my kittens fitted on this cat tree... with room to spare!

*sigh*- my babies are growing up...

6 Weeks Old

(sorry about the colour- it was dark, the photo didn't come out and I had to tweak it. The colours are all wrong but you can at least see the kittens!)

As you can see from the weights this week, we've had a great improvement! Now that they are all well away on the solids they are piling on the grams, with no kitten gaining less than 100g over the course of the week and some gaining over 150g. They have three meals a day now, breakfast, dinner and tea, with kibble available 24 hours for snacks.   This will carry on until they leave, when you can drop it down to two wet food meals a day if you like, as long as biscuits are freely available. My cats get the wet food once a day and are entirely biscuit fed other than that, so it depends on what is going to suit your family.

Two meals are kitten food and one is chicken, but I shall be phasing out the chicken in a few weeks time- it's a great weaning food, but not terribly nutritious long term as it doesn't have the complete range of vitamins and minerals a cat needs. They do love it though!

and... *whispers*... toilet training is going much better! I thought they'd never get it, but they are now pretty reliable with poos and are no longer peeing on the cat tree since I put their food on there (that, incidentally, is quite a good trick- kittens do not want to eat in a lavatory so if they are going somewhere inappropriate, and you can't put a litter tray down there,  put their food dishes there instead) We're not 100%, but it's moving in the right direction, certainly. (Famous last words... this is where I find they've set up a toilet behind the sofa or somewhere...)


Liesl

Birth 96g
1 week 172g
2 weeks 226g
3 weeks 250g
4 weeks 325g
5 weeks 420g
6 weeks 586g

Friedrich


Birth 101g
1 week 187g
2 weeks 239g
3 weeks 271g
4 weeks 349g
5 weeks 449g
6 weeks 630g

Kurt

Birth 102g
1 week 205g
2 weeks 280g
3 weeks 341g
4 weeks 448g
5 weeks 570g
6 weeks 740g

Louis

Birth 82g
1 week 157g
2 weeks 219g
3 weeks 260g
4 weeks 334g
5 weeks 394g
6 weeks 530g- Louis has discovered kitten food isn't poison after all...

Brigitta

Birth 83g
1 week 179g
2 weeks 248g
3 weeks 301g
4 weeks 374g
5 weeks 497g
6 weeks 641g

Marta

Birth 91g
1 week 178g
2 weeks 249g
3 weeks 311g
4 weeks 389g
5 weeks 468g
6 weeks 603g

Gretl

Birth 81g
1 week 150g
2 weeks 220g
3 weeks 269g
4 weeks 342g
5 weeks 402g
6 weeks 516g- Gretl is also now eating. Mama Indie is relieved! I am also relieved.

Comparison:

Birth

REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g

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

1 week

REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g

Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g

2 weeks

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

3 weeks

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

4 weeks

REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g

5 weeks

REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.

6 weeks

REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter  516g-740g, Average 606g

Kurt... and Brigitta

Oh those brown kittens! Some people love them, some not at all. The last two visitors on Saturday had only the brown solids left to choose, and they both had the same question to ask- how dark will they get?

Well the truth is, it's like asking how long is a piece of string. It really is. Google 'solid brown Tonkinese' and you will see a wide range of colouration from a rich warm brown to a very deep, dark shade indeed. Google 'natural solid Tonkinese'- the phrasing they use in the USA, and some of the cats look almost black- although still with distinguishable points. I suspect they have slightly different colouration standards over the pond as I've never seen such a dark brown solid here in the UK (on exhibition at shows etc) but it is possible, at least.

Now me, I like a really dark cat, but when some people think 'Tonk' they are really thinking of the siamesey colouring, and a solid can throw them a little. And then they have to decide whether they want a cat that is so dark. Because if truth be told, the light colours seem to be the most favoured ones. (Some breeders though specialise in the browns... it's all a matter of personal taste after all)

Now this might seem irrelevent... after all does it really matter? Well, yes I think it does. There are lots of reasons for choosing a particular pedigree cat, but aesthetics surely play their part. I first fell in love with the Tonkinese breed because they were beautiful, before I ever found out about their wonderful temperaments and decided to get my Indigo. And when I chose Indigo I specifically wanted a lilac, and I would have waited for a lilac if one hadn't been available. I didn't want a brown or a chocolate, and while I do have a soft spot for blue that wasn't my preference either.

So I showed our guests pictures in books and on the net, and made sure both knew how dark a solid brown can get. And with both parties I said that if at all unsure about a cat, I strongly advised NOT getting said cat. It's worth hanging on for the right one, is my feeling, even if you have to wait a few months. And indeed one family decided that would be most appropriate... and one decided she liked Kurt very much whatever his eventual colouring might be and he was going to be her next cat. Both decisions were undoubtedly the right ones :)

So Kurt had been claimed by M, and that just left Brigitta...

I'd had a call on Saturday from C, to find out if I had any Tonks left in the litter. Her family are bringing home a lilac boy any day, and they had been expecting a dark pointed siamese boy at the same time, but the breeder of the siamese decided to keep him for breeding at the last minute (bit unfair that, they'd had a contract and everything...) One single cat wasn't their idea at all, so the hunt was on for a playmate.

Well, the kittens were utterly delightful. They played, they snuggled, they romped and they climbed. They ate their dinner nicely, and some of them took themselves off to the litter tray as well. Basically they did themselves proud. Yes please we would like Brigitta, said the family, we'll PayPal you when we get home.

And then... THEN... the Siamese breeder decided the boy was available after all, and given he'd be the same age as the Tonk they are getting, they had decided it would be more appropriate to have him as they had originally intended. By which time I had turned down another two prospective families for Brigitta, who have now arranged to see other cats and will probably choose them, so I'm really quite annoyed about it. Not with C, I'm sure she was most embarrassed about it (I would have been...) but with the Siamese breeder.

So anyway, sweet Brigitta is still on the lookout for her family, and I've learned a thing or two. As a result though, I'm no longer accepting payments- deposits or balances- via PayPal. For reserving a kitten, its cash at the time and no reservation till payment is made, and equally balances cash only please. I'm sorry to be a pain but I had a lady ring who was desperate to have Brigitta who has now chosen another kitten- that could have been Brigitta's home if I hadn't assumed payment was on the way. I'm sure someone else will claim her, but even so, I could kick myself for being naive.

The Browns

Ok, more colour musings today!

As far as I can tell at this point, I have three brown kittens- Liesl, Kurt and Brigitta. I was pleased to have a good number of browns and chocolates this litter as my last litter were all dilute. No idea what I will go for next year- it depends on the available studs I suppose.

Liesl

Deep brown points with a pale body- Louisa must be a brown mink. This is the colouration of her father Monty (Hylily Priceless Picasso) and she does look awfully similar.

 Brigitta:

Brigitta is my darkest kitten, with noticeably less contrast between her points and body than her sister. She could turn out to be a brown mink, but my guess is that she is a brown solid.

Kurt

And Kurt is somwhere inbetween! The jury is out with Kurt at the moment- I'm thinking mink now but I coud easily change my mind. But he has the 'golden Siamese' look about him- and the golden Siamese were mink cats.

The pens, by the way, are so I can tell which cat is which! When they are all together I can pick out individuals no problem, but when there's just the one it's a bit trickier, plus in years to come, will I necessarily remember just by a photo?

Here's Monty, the kittens' father, owned by Hylily. He's an adult brown mink. A couple of links- and these are not my cats, I'm just using them for illustrative purposes- this is an adult brown solid http://www.flickr.com/photos/cox-on-the-box/2604815833/  and this is an adult brown pointed http://www.mimaperks.co.uk/