8 Days Old

8 Days Old

It's official. No more flash photography for awhile. The largest of the kittens has opened his eyes the tiniest bit. The others usually follow his lead the next day. Their claws aren't out all the time anymore and seem to retract a little bit, albeit involuntarily, methinks. 2 of them still stubbornly have their umbilical cord stumps.

Here's the weigh-in:
243g - Male [+12]
229g - Male [+13]
216g - Male - large white spot on throat [+11]
200g - Female [+14]
216g - Male - small white spot on throat [+17]

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One Week Old

One Week Old

Happy One Week Birthday, Kitties! I love the photo on the right because of the one in the back having his little mouth open. They don't snore, but they look like they might in this picture. Yawning, stretching, lurch-like walking, nursing and sleeping is still pretty much all these guys do. I think they are starting to open their eyes, but I'm still not sure how much they can hear. Once they do open their eyes, I'm gonna have to cut out the flash photography because any bright light might hurt their tiny little eyes.

Their skin (their nose and paws) are starting to turn from dark pink to dark gray like mom. Their weight continues to skyrocket, though today someone only gained 9 grams from yesterday. He was up 15 grams the day before, so still overall, well above average.

231g - Male [+16]
186g - Female [+15]
216g - Male [+18]
205g - Male - large white mark at throat [+14]
199g - Male - small white mark at throat [+9]

I'm wondering if any readers want to suggest names? It's still way to early to name them, if we get to name them - their new mommies and daddies may want to - but it's still fun to suggest and dream about what they might be called!

We do have a definite home for one of these babies too! Becker and Amanda are going to give one of these amazing kittens a home! They are great parents already to Dewey the dog and Lucy the cat.

They also have their first vet appointment in the books! Next Thursday I'll be asking Dr. Monica on when she recommends we get everyone fixed! Getting your pet spade/neutered is the best thing you can do for them and our #1 priority in placing them!

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6 Days Old

6 Days Old

It's hard to believe that these guys are going to be a week old tomorrow. This first week has gone by really fast! Today the largest one tried to stand up! He's not really walking, but he's not crawling all the time either. It's more like a lurching. He is the easiest to pick out and has been sniffing at the edge of the box! I'd bet he's the first one up and over! He also started kneading while nursing today!

2 of them still have their umbilical cords and one other one has a small scab where it was. I'm sure it's fine, but I'm keeping an eye on it. Speaking of eyes, they should be open their wee eyes soon! Everything will be blurry for them, but I can't wait to see their blue eyes! All kittens have blue eyes for awhile, and will eventually settle into their adult color later on.

While we were weighing the kittens tonight one of them started to cry and Willow came over from eating and carried him away! It was adorable! It was the first time I've seen her carry anyone. She kinda of tried to pick him up by his head, but then settled for the scruff. My reading says sometimes they don't know how to carry them and even carry them by their legs at first!

Today's Weigh-in:
190g - Male with small white mark at neck and has umbilical cord [+15g]
198g - Male no markings with umbilical cord [+15g]
171g - Female [+14g]
191g - Male with large white mark at neck [+13]
215g - Male [+19]

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5 Days Old

5 Days Old

Their eyelids are beginning to flutter! Their next stage of development is opening their eyes, but that won't happen for a few more days yet. Their ears waggle sometimes though which has got to be about the cutest thing ever!! Their sense of smell is strong though. They are likely able to hiss, though they haven't met any unfamiliar smells yet!

They are nursing vigorously. They don't knead yet, but do splay their paws and will start kneading while nursing soon. The kneading doesn't usually start until the second week because that is when the milk production begins to slow. These guys are growing so fast, I'm not surprised they haven't started up with the kneading.

Most of them still have their umbilical cord stumps. My reading says these should have fallen off by now, but they don't look infected or sore so I'm just gonna hope for the best. Here's today's weigh in:
196g - Male [+13g]
178g - Male - Larger white dot on throat [+17g]
175g - Male - Small white dot on throat [+20g]
157g - Female [+12g]
183g - Male [+21g]

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4 Days Old!

4 Days Old!

I'm sure all newborn kittens are cute, but these little guys (and they are mostly all guys) and unbelievably cute. It's important to remember that they can't see or hear still. They are really strong and active and are crawling ahead of schedule, but they are totally dependent on Mom so the most important thing we can do for them is keep Willow and happy and healthy as possible!

Here's the Daily Weight Report:
155 grams - Male - white mark at throat [20g gain]
145 grams - Female [19g gain]
162 grams - Male [14g gain]
183 grams - Male [23g gain]
161 grams - Male - white mark at throat and on tummy [10g gain]

I'm trying not to worry that there growth has become more uneven. While they do scramble for nipples, they all seem to be getting good nourishment. The Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, which I highly recommend, says that healthy kittens gain 7-10grams a day, so they are all still well within (and exceeding) growth needs.

They also had their first visitors today! Carrie and Dane who rescued Willow from the hotel came by to see how they were doing. It was a huge relief to hear someone else comment on how well they were doing and how strong and adorable they were.

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3 Days Old

3 Days Old

We are gonna need a bigger box. These little guys are growing sooo fast! I anticipate it might taper off here soon, but they are starting to crawl around and I'm proud of how strong they are. They spend just about all of their time sleeping or eating and anything in between is all wiggling. I weighed them again tonight and they've each gained about 20 grams, weighing in at 126-160 grams now.

Mom is doing well, but these guys are sooo squirmy she needs to vacate the box to get some peace and quiet. As they get bigger and more demanding, she will want her own time more and more. Right now, she doesn't go very far and is always alert whenever they make a peep. It's amazing how their instincts kick in so quickly. She's eating more than ever too! I can't blame her though as she has 5 very hungry growing babies to care for and nourish.

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2 Days Old

2 Days Old

Wow! These are clearly super-kitties as they are growing much faster than anticipated. My reading says healthy kittens gain around 10 grams a day. Here's the breakdown of their weights now (with my guess on their gender and their markings, if any):
141 grams - Male
114 grams - Female - Tiny white dot at her throat
125 grams - Male - Larger white dot at throat
125 grams - Male - Small white dot at throat
117 grams - Male - Small white dot at throat

They are crawling, grunting and rolling around. They eat, sleep and wrestle like champs. I'm surprised they have claws already. They are kind of sharp and make a scratching sound when they are against the cardboard of the box. I will trim them when they are closer to 2 weeks old. I expect these guys are going to be quite the energetic handful!

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