It seems amazing that last time I wrote they were still confined to their nesting box! That lasted a few more days. Glossy used to peer out and cry. Then suddenly one day Grey Legs decided it was time and he was out, and very pleased with himself.
For a couple of days more the others were working up to it. Glossy continued to cry, apparently not at all sure how to do it. Tabby looked out, wondered what the fuss was about and went back to sleep. Tortie got very excited about the idea and bounced on all fours, feet splayed… problem was she tended to be better at bouncing backwards than forwards at that stage so it didn’t seem to help much with getting through the door! I thought she’d be next… until I looked in and found this…
I cut down the door a bit and finally they were all coming out. Often they’d all follow Grey Legs in a little troop, and he got the nickname ‘The General’ for a couple of days. Of course by then Grey Legs was determined to get further, and was soon scaling the wall of the run, leaving Glossy wailing again! A few more days (and a few last minute tidies in the room!) and they were all coming out. At that point I cut doors in the run, and some little holes for paws to poke through and play!
Then there’s food… once they were out, they started sniffing mum’s bowl of cat meat. Then pointedly making burying motions… A week on and this was still happening, and I was getting worried. It was like they really wanted to eat, but they just didn’t see catfood as food. So, one day I bought a little goats milk to try adding to the food and, since I’d been reading about feeding raw food, some beef mince, liver and chicken wings to try Purdey on. Needless to say, I never tried the milk. As soon as I put down some mince with a smidgeon of liver the two kittens who were awake pounced on it and wolfed it down. Next day it was the same with all four. Chicken wings were considered a bit hard by Purdey, who at the time just wanted to wolf down food for all the milk she was producing! But the kittens seemed to know just what to do and nibbled and gnawed at them with their sharp little teeth. Tabby was especially forward. He might have lagged when it came to getting out of the nest, but I guess he may be a food orientated cat!
This was sort of a problem… reading about the raw food made my head spin with all the supplements and balancing of ingredients that might be needed! And I’d clearly have to source a lot of stuff from the internet, which can mean a problem getting deliveries with my job (especially if I was getting perishables…). I also wanted my cats to be flexible about food. But the kittens still determinedly turned their noses up at catfood! It’s taken a few days of mixing less and less mince with the standard catfood, but eventually it’s happened. All four kittens now nick some of mum’s plain catfood. They are still getting mixed 3 times a day (with a little cuttlefish for calcium until I get proper raw food sorted), while mum looks on and waits for the leftovers!
Then there’s litter… Mum reacted to wheat based SweetScoop by sampling a little, and had the same reaction to corn-based Worlds Best when the bag I ordered off the internet finally arrived. Luckily the kittens don’t yet see grain as food (they still are not touching the dry food) and were quite happy to pee on it. Mum had wood pellet in her tray for a while, but has now agreed with me that World’s Best is definitely preferable! With mum disliking what she saw in the tray at first, I can vouch for the kittens never having seen her use the litter. However they instinctively knew that something diggable was good for peeing in. And the first independent poo (I’m not sure, but I think it was Tabby) was a source of great delight for me! It was a rare creature for a while as mum was still toileting them (in fact she still washes them, though I don’t know if they are still ‘producing’ for her!). They did have some accidents too: towels, and the paper in the food area of their run have been frequently changed! Last few days (fingers crossed) things have been great. But I’ve spent a couple of weeks scooping up any kitten who looks vaguely like they are thinking of a pee and depositing them in the tray, sometime resulting in grateful scratching, sometimes in puzzlement! Grey Legs also likes to use mum’s tray sometimes now.
Of course they’ve developed so much themselves too! They really are little cats now. As soon as they were out they wanted to climb anything they could get their claws into, but especially me. I’ve had many experiences of multiple kittens velcroed to my leggings. And yes, I have a fair few scratches as a result. They can be relentless! I know some would have clipped their claws, but I feel they are not going to learn to handle their claws if they aren’t allowed to have them at this stage. And on the whole they do seem to have learnt well. They still scratch me, but they do seem to understand that while I might tolerate claws in my trousers, claws in flesh is not acceptable and will result in them getting removed.
I’ve had a similar policy on wires. I thought of removing them all when I go out, or smearing them with something nasty, but it seems to me that them being safe with wires that are just normal wires is much better if I can achieve it. And removing them all might draw attention to them and make them more exciting. It was quite good that the kittens came out in stages, as it gave me the chance to watch and, at first, hiss at any kitten that came close to a wire. It also probably helps that my open-frame couch lost it’s webbing long ago and is ‘webbed’ with rope. They find the loops and loose ends of that much more exciting than any wire could be! By the way, the hissing is my idea. Going into this one of the things I’d hoped to observe was how a mother cat disciplines her kittens. Does she tap then on the nose as many people say? Well, with Purdey the answer seems to be she doesn’t do discipline! No help there, LOL! On the whole I do think the hissing has worked a bit (along with sometimes removal and distraction…) and they are pretty good with wires. My old girls Bea and Lizzie could be trusted to play among wires without playing with them. I had them from kittens and managed to train them in that much I think! Or maybe most cats don’t really like wires if there’s something better to play with… Anyway, all electrics are still turned off when I’m out just in case!
Purdey continues to be loving but sometimes worrying as a mother! I’m really not sure if she’s meant to act some of the ways she does… She’s still a playful young cat at heart. When the kittens first started bouncing out and about it worried her. But she never retrieved a single kitten that I saw. I don’t know if it was that she knew it was time, or she was deferring to my greater knowledge (I still feel Purdey sometimes thinks I know what I’m doing more than her, not realising I really wanted to see what SHE did!) Or maybe it was still that she just is not comfortable with the whole carrying thing! When they really started bouncing around, then it seemed to trigger her play drive, and then it gets rough. She’ll grab hold of a kitten in her mouth (maybe not quite getting the instinct to carry it right?), wrap front legs around it, roll with it and kick it with back legs. She keeps her claws in but it’s scary for me, and quite often the kittens too, who frequently squeal.
It probably got worst during that week when the kittens were ready to eat, but holding off, mum was desperately wolfing food and suckling them half the time to keep up with their demands. I think she probably was getting a little tired with them, and would sometimes grab and play with them when they wanted to suckle. There were times they did look a little wary of her! Now it’s changed, and if anything she’s anxious to get them to suckle occasionally (sometimes she gets heavy with milk, though I think she’s starting to dry up a little). Quite often they want to play, and provoke games with her, in spite of sometimes still ending up squealing! They sleep all over the place, sometimes in piles, sometimes alone, and sometimes cuddled up with mum.
So many things happened… they’ve met plants (which didn’t come out of the encounter well!) the vacuum (still working on that one), my alarm (no longer afraid of it)… many other things. Tortie discovered her growl. She’s now a perfectly formed but tiny little cat, and had discovered a scrap of paper. She carried it around in her mouth, growling at anyone who came close. Tabby is looking very fluffy, though apparently you can’t tell until 8 week or so if they are going to be longhaired. It certainly looks like he might be! Eyes are starting to change colour, though I think it will be a few days till they are fully settled.
Mum's turn with the plants...
I’m still open to a good home for a couple of them, if one comes forward. Though to be honest, I hate the idea of saying goodbye to any of them! And I know there are so many cats need homes, maybe I can provide for all of them… I am hoping to move out of London in a couple of years. I think I may be embarking on the adventure of keeping them all happy and occupied in my limited space! Anyway, visitors are welcome, whether you just want to meet them and socialize, or whether you are feeling a call!
Yes, this was actually written over 2 weeks ago… Finally got it and the photos sorted, and have got more half written to post soon! If you would like more kitten pics, I’m doing ‘sponsor a cute kitten pic’ at my fundraising page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Moonrising
I will still be posting more here… like this one: