Kittens born 11th December 2009

 Star (Abderus Aridane) x Ch Riverfern Lord of Kobol

Abderus Heracles (Usual male)

Abderus Phoenix (Usual male)

Abderus Cassiopea (Usual female)

Abderus Andromeda (Usual female)

Kittens are PK deficiency and PRA normal.

(For more information on PK deficiency see here and for PRA see here)

The arrival of Star's kittens was not without drama! She went into labour but it soon became obvious that there was something wrong. A trip to trip to the vet confirmed that a caesarean was needed. This saw the arrival of five kittens but unfortunately one didn't make it through the operation. The four remaining kittens were very weak, the tiny little girl in particular. As this was her first litter there was always the worry that, having had a caesarean, Star would not bond with her kittens, but we needn't have worried as she took to them straight away. As her milk didn't come in for a day or so, all the kittens were hand reared for a couple of days. After this the two boys started feeding from Star, shortly followed by the bigger of the girls. Unfortunately the tiny little girl didn't have the strength to suckle so I have been feeding her and after a couple of days where it was touch and go, she eventually picked up. However, she is now so used to being fed by me that it is unlikely that she will feed from her mum. Star is being a wonderful mum though and is devoted to all her babies.

Despite their traumatic entrance into the world, Star and her kittens are doing really well. I am still feeding the tiny little girl but Star is taking care of all her other needs. The other kittens are piling on the weight by the day and their eyes have now opened. They have also started toddle about and interact with each other. As you can see from the first photo below, they are even trying escape their nesting box.

It's been all ups and downs for the kittens this week. Much to our surprise, not long after her eyes opened the tiny little girl started to suckle from her mum and started to reject feeds from me, which came as a great relief.  By the middle of the week the kittens were becoming much more mobile so they were moved into the spare room where they could have more space. Unfortunately at the same time Star's milk production went down, maybe because she was upset about the move. Anyway, it was back to hand feeding the kittens, though this time all four rather than just the one! Thankfully this is keeping the kittens weights up and they are all enjoying toddling about and tussling with each other. With any luck Star's milk will increase or the kittens will  start eating solids soon.

The kittens have all been doing really well this week. With a lot of encouragement from me, the girls and the smaller of the boys started tucking into meat with a vengeance. The big boy (called Spot because of his spotty belly!) is not interested in the slightest as he seems to be getting plenty of milk from Star. Of course this means that I no longer need to top up their feeds with formula milk. The kittens have also started to use their litter trays and as yet there haven't been any accidents! The kittens are all very friendly and it is impossible for me to enter the room without them clambering all over me. So although I have managed to get some individual photos, they were all taken while the kittens were on my lap.

From left to right: Herman, Spot, kittens playing together, Rusty and Titch (the tiny girl that nearly didn't make it!)

All of Star's kittens continue to do well. They are all tucking into meat now and are growing. Titch is now not so titchy and is in fact the plumpest of them all! This week they all started to play with great gusto and love nothing better than chasing each other around. They have all started to venture out of the kitten room and have met some of the other cats and the dog. Our new boy Alfie, being only young himself, thinks the kittens are great and ideal companions to play games with, Spot being his particular favourite. Unfortunately he is too big and his play can be a bit rough so he has to be watched. Quite surprisingly, although Star has never met Alfie before she is more than comfortable letting him play with her kittens.

This week the kittens got their 'posh' pedigree names (see the top of the page). I decided on names associated with constellations of stars in to link them to their mum.

From left to right: Herman, Rusty, Spot and Titch

It's been been quite a week for the kittens. They got their first dose of wormer, which didn't go down too well, and have been out exploring a lot more and are enjoying investigating their new surroundings. Spot is by far the most adventurous of them all. They are turning into really stunning looking kittens and Titch is the spitting image of her mother at this age. The litter training is all done without many accidents at all. All of them have good appetites and love their meat but seem reluctant to eat biscuits, though I have caught Herman giving them a go.

From left to right: Star and 3 kittens in their old nest, Star and 4 kittens in their new nest (the travel box!), Spot and Titch play with Dillon.

The kittens continue to thrive and grow and are spending an increasing amount of their time playing around the house and experiencing new things. Rusty's favourite place is on top of the radiator and there is nothing that Spot likes more than to play with everyone that visits.

From left to right: Group hug, Four kittens go climbing, and Rusty in her favourite place.

This week the kittens have really started to grow up and show their individual personalities. They are all much more adventurous and comfortable throughout the house. Alfie, the new boy in the house, is a particular favourite of the kittens and they love to play with him and cuddle up for a sleep when they are tired. Star is spending less time with the kittens now and enjoys a break, though she is still feeding them.

From left to right: Rusty, Herman (just woken up), Spot and Titch

It was time for the kittens to have their first vaccinations this week. All went well and there weren't any nasty side effects from the vaccine, though none of the kittens particularly enjoyed their trip to the vet! Star is increasing the amount of time she spends away from the kittens, so Granny Rosa has decided that the kittens are now hers and is trying to adopt them. Titch didn't particularly want to be adopted so put up a bit of a fight, but as you can see from the photo below she soon gave in.

From left to right: Granny Rosa adopts, a family photo (l-r: Herman, Spot, Rusty, Titch), Spot looking manly.

The kittens have had lots of admiring visitors this week and have enjoyed all of the attention. Spot in particular likes to play with anyone who visits and Titch is never far behind. All the kittens are now reserved and have found new humans to be slaves to them. It won't be long now until they leave and Alfie in particular is going to miss his little playmates.

From left to right: Herman (looking sleepy yet again!), Rusty and Titch (who will be going to a new home together), and Spot
(looking like he has been up to something naughty!).

This is the final update of the kittens' page as they are nearly ready to leave for their new homes. It's amazing how they have changed since being born. Herman is now the biggest of the kittens by quite a bit and Titch is by no means titchy any more and is far bigger than Rusty and almost as big as Spot! They have had their second vaccinations this week and, apart from being a little tired afterwards, their were no ill effects. I am going to miss them all when then leave but they will make way for another litter of kittens hopefully to be born later in the year. Watch this space!!

From left to right: Herman (still half asleep!), Titch, Star with Spot, Spot and Rusty (the cutest of them all).