all the mews that fits

Another week has passed, time for a kitten update, and this morning was the start of my 3 day weekend, so one of the first things I did, after giving everyone their morning treat, was to take some kitten pix!

They all continue to be healthy, happy kittens and while they still stick pretty close to their kitten box, they are starting to be adventurous and their play is becoming much more pounce and bite and there are lots of squeaks that say “Ouch! That’s too hard”…that’s how they learn what is “socially acceptable” play and it is very fun to watch!

They haven’t started eating solid food on their own yet, and there has been a couple of oops puddles outside the box, but there also have been a few clumps in the litterbox too, and a few tentative attempts to dig and cover what they did…but mostly, momma Coco is still taking care of their potty breaks. Soon as they start eating the kitten canned food, though, that will change.

When I am in their “nursery” with them, I set them in the litterbox numerous times, just so they get the scent and feel of litter and get the urge to go, hahameow! They are very vocal when they first see me and come running up to me and that is also a big change in the past week…so fun to see them grow and learn.

They just had their third nail trim and are finished with their Early Neonatal Stimulation exercises, though that is sort of how I handle them anyway, so they are still learning how nice human attention is and have yet to purr for me…just for momma Coco, when they are nursing.

They are 4 weeks old now, and starting to have distinct personalities. Valentino, the red tabby boy (with the pale undercoat, cream chin and marking around his eyes) is the leader of the pack–first out of the kitten box and first to pee in the litterbox. Right now, Love Bug, the brown tabby and white, seems to be the shy one and gets a little shivery when he’s out of the kittenbox. Cassanova plays well with everyone and is always in the midst of a kitten pile. Amore’ buddies up with Valentino in play wrestling though I am not sure who wins! Little Cupid is a tad shy too and he and Love Bug like to snuggle together while the others play sometimes.

So, without further Chit Chat, here’s the latest photos!

I’ve been getting lots of days off work, because of all the snow that’s been falling, but I’ve been busy fixing up the large master bathroom, painting the vanity and adding new accessories, so it will be all ready for the kittens to move into in another week or so.

The kittens are doing great and growing like weeds! They have all opened their eyes now and squeek when I talk to them…I’m always pretty excited when that starts to happen! And now the really cute photos begin!

They are all extremely well, gaining weight right on target and Coco leaves them for short periods when I’m home, so she can stretch her legs and use the litterbox. She will use the one in the kitten tent, but only as a last resort. It seems to me that Coco crosses her legs and holds it til I let her out of the tent because she doesn’t want to use the one that is in her “kitten den”.

Everyone who is waiting for a kitten calls mewmie to check on them often and one new family were going to come and meet her and the kittens last weekend, but Snowpocalypse happened and no one went anywhere if they didn’t absolutely have to!

So, without further ado, here are the latest kitten pix of Coco and her “Valentines”…

Well, a week ago, the kitten stork brought us Coco’s kittens and all is well in the nursery (my bedroom) I am happy to report!

Kittens should double their birthweight in the first week and even though Cupid had a slow start, even he is right where he should be with his weight. He was 52 grams at birth and is now 110 grams; Love Bug (the brown tabby & white) was 73 grams and now is 138 grams; Amore’, the black and white was 69 grams at birth and is now 147 grams.

And the 2 red tabby boys…well, at first I could tell them apart only because one weighed 10 grams more than the other one. Now they are the same and to me, look identical! Makes me glad I don’t breed Russian Blues or I’d be forever confused! Cassanova and Valentino weighed 71 and 80 grams when they were born, and now weigh in at 157 and 154 grams.

Mama Coco is eating well and has a smorgasbord of delights to choose from: Hill’s t/d (high in fat and calories–it’s what I feed as a treat and all the cats love it and it does help their teeth); Blue Buffalo Evolution dry; Paul Newman’s dry; and a new one I found that she likes, Freshpet Select, a gently cooked ‘homemade’ kind of food found in the refrigerator in the cat food aisle at Bloom Grocery here in Virginia (many stores stock the dog formula but they carry the cat one too, in a chicken and two fish varieties) FRESHPET SELECT and I also mix in some Pedialyte to increase the water content so she has plenty of fluids to help make milk for her babies.

I still think they are all boys, but should feel more definite about that in another week or so…and here are the latest photos, taken this morning!

Sorry for the lapse in mews about Coco and her kittens, but I was a bit anxious about the tiny black kittens chances and was pretty much focused on him (oh, and watching movies to pass the time up in the “kitten” nursery aka my bedroom). But finally Saturday, he had a day where he gained 9 grams instead of 2 to 5 grams and I think he will be fine!

Kittens should gain about 10 to 15 grams a day and when they were born, they weighed from 52 to 80 grams, with the little black one being the smallest. While everyone else was gaining the 10 grams a day, he was only gaining 5 grams and I could see the others growing before my eyes.

But I was very fortunate to have 3 1/2 days off work and made sure during the day that every 30 minutes or so, I would make sure he was nursing, even waking up in the night a couple of times to “attach” him to a nipple. He is strong and eager, and finally today he gained 21 grams in 24 hours, so I think we are over the 72 hour worry hump.

Our pet sitter’s kids always pick out nicknames for the kittens (remember Bluberrie, Blackberry, and Razzberry?). Well, these kittens were born so close to February that they picked Valentine names–Cupid, Valentino, Cassanova, Amore’ and Love Bug. Love Bug is the brown tabby and white; Amore’ the black and white, Cupid the tiny black kitten and Valentino and Cassanova the two red tabby boys. (In both photos, Love Bug is under all his brothers!)

Coco had her babies today, and as always, mewmie takes the mommy cats in to her day hunting place (the V.E.T.) during their last week of pregnancy, so she can keep a close eye on them.

Usually what happens is the momcats wait until about midnight to go into labor and keep mewmie up all night! But not this time.

Coco only had about 15 minutes of visible labor befor the first kitten arrived at 12:35pm, then the next one arrived at 12:50, #3 at 1:00, #4 at 1:05 and then Coco rested a bit and had the last one at 1:25pm.

Some of the staff at work had not seen kittens birthed before and they all congratulated Coco on her wonderful mothering skills and our mewmie on her wonderful midwifery skills.

Right now, mewmie thinks they are all boys…and 3 people were hoping for a girl. But just wait til they open their eyes and mew at you…who wouldn’t fall for that??

There are 2 red tabbies, 1 black, 1 brown tabby and white, and 1 black and white and mewmie hasn’t weighed them yet (she forgot to take her gram scale to work and her scale is even more accurate than the one at the V.E.T.’s) but they are all nursing and active and that makes her very, very happy!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Coco is expecting! It is hard not to count chicks before they hatch, but if all goes well and Mother Nature cooperates, the kitten stork will arrive around January 29th, 2010.

Be sure to visit our blog for updates and contact us if you would like to be added to our waiting list…

Mrs. Santa Claws, Coco!