Kittens born 11th April 2011

Rosa (Pontaby Testarossa) X Alfie  (GrCh Glendavan Socrates)

Abderus Suki Amieti

Abderus Sunny Jim

Abderus Sunset

At the very sociable hour of 11am Rosa gave birth to three healthy kittens, though she spent the previous 24 hours keeping us on our toes by threatening to have them at any time. She had got very big during her pregnancy, so we were rather surprised when she had just three kittens instead of her usual five. Although the births went well it took Rosa a while to settle as she wanted me to be with me AND her kittens at all times. Thankfully, despite their mother's fraught behaviour the kittens are putting on weight just fine.

Despite a rather fraught 24 hours after giving birth, Rosa soon settled into motherhood and is the epitome of the perfect mum. Her kittens have been feeding well and have turned into fat little balls of fur. The sorrel girl is the biggest of all and more than doubled her weight in under a week. She reminds me of one of Rosa's past kittens (Norman) so she is the first to be named (Zoe).

The kittens have been doing really well this week. They have all been gaining weight at an alarming rate and have become increasingly active. Towards the end of the week their eyes started to open and they have acquired the rather unattractive 'piggy' look that Abys get at two weeks old. Rosa is still being an adoring mother, but being the intelligent little madame that she is, she has figured out that she can be with me AND her kittens at night by bringing them into bed. Endearing, yes, but rather annoying when it happens time and time again at 2am!

Left to right: sorrel girl, usual girl, blue boy, kittens cuddled together, and fat kittens feeding from mum.

In the middle of the week Rosa decided it was time for the kittens to find a new home. She chose the bottom of the wardrobe in amongst all the shoes (see the photo below)! Not the best place for kittens to be raised, so her nesting box was moved into another part of the bedroom and she seems to have settled, for now anyway. The kittens are none the worse for the adventure and continue to gain weight and are starting to toddle about and show an interest in things.

Left to right: Rosa with her kittens in amongst the shoes, cuddling kittens, sleepy blue boy, and sorrel girl.

The kittens have been getting more active this week, even managing to escape the nesting box. On a few occasions Rosa decided her kittens might like to keep me company in the evening and has been bringing them onto my lap to watch TV! So at the end of the week it was time for a move to the kitten room where they can have more freedom. They are all starting to show their individual personalities. Zoe, the sorrel girl, is by far the bravest and most active and already has a cheeky streak. The blue boy (Sunny) is a thinker who likes to sit back and suss things out, and the usual girl (Suki) is the laid back, fat, lazy one who loves having her belly tickled.

Left to right: Suki, Zoe and Sunny.

This week the kittens have been out and about starting to explore the house. Despite his initial shyness when he was younger, Sunny has been by far the most adventurous and was the first to scare the dog! Having just three kittens this time Rosa's milk has been keeping them well fed as they haven't been showing any interest in solid food. By the end of the week Sunny had started to nibble on biscuits of his own accord, and with a lot of encouragement the girls were giving meat a try. They have all been using the litter tray on the odd occasion, but Rosa must still be doing her bit on this front as so far there haven't been any accidents. The real work will starts with the litter training next week.

A montage of kittens at play

The kittens have really started to grow up this week. They are all tucking into solid food, though the boy Sunny is still only interested in biscuits and absolutely refuses to eat meat. The girls on the other hand are much less fussy. The training part of the litter training has been virtually non-existent, as the kittens just seem to know exactly what to do and where. They are all enjoying their time playing around the house and exploring. The real mischief will start in the coming weeks!

Left to right: Dillon investigates Suki, Suki and Sunny, Suki (again), and Zoe.

It's been a rather uneventful week for the kittens. They have hit the phase when they spend all their waking hours playing and honing their running, jumping and climbing skills. They have all discovered the curtains and only time will tell who will win the race to the top. Rosa is spending less time with the kittens now, although she still insists on feeding them when she gets the chance.

Left to right: Kittens playing, Sunny and Suki cuddle in to Dillon, feeding kitties, and sleeping kitties.

The kittens have been all go this week and it's been difficult to get photos of them that aren't blurred and out of focus. So this week there is just the one photo of them all in a rare relaxed moment. They have had their first taste of wormer, that didn't go down too well, but then it never does.

It's been a couple of weeks since the last update of the kittens' page and lots has happened. They have all grown a lot and have started to become more cuddly, spending more time purring on laps and less time acting like mad things. Of course, being typical Abys, they are still very playful but have realised that time spent getting cuddles is time well spent. They have been for their first vaccinations and even seemed to enjoy the trip to the vet, showing great interest in all the new sights and sounds.

Left to right: Zoe, Sunny Jim, Suki, and all three still sneaking the odd feed from mum.

The kittens have been learning some new tricks this week. Zoe has discovered the joy of sitting on shoulders but unfortunately likes climbing from the floor up legs to get there. Suki, despite being the smallest, was the first to make it up onto the work surfaces in the kitchen, and Sunny has finally started to eat meat after weeks of only eating biscuits. All of them have been outside in the cat run to play with their dad Alfie, who enjoyed the company and the chance to behave like a kitten again.

Left to right: Sunny and Zoe (who rarely sits still), Suki showing off her ear tufts, and sleepy Sunny.

It will soon be time for the kittens to leave for their new homes, so this is the last update of their page. They paid a second trip to the vet for their second vaccinations and all went well. They have  really started to grow up and are eating us out of house and home. Being typical Abys they are all full of life and up to mischief all the time. The house is going to be very quiet when they have gone.

Left to right: A rare group photo (all be it a bit blurred!), Suki, Sunny, and Zoe.