A Week of Growth

Sometime when I wasn't looking my babies turned into little kittens on their way to growing up!  What changes in them in the last week.  They are 4 weeks old today which is hard for me to believe as it seems it has only been a couple of weeks that I have been loving them.  A week ago Kyler was 402g and today he was 550g.  Keaton was 334g and is 460g.  How much they have grown!  They no longer have the heat lamp and have adjusted quite well to the warm split pea bags that I microwave and use to keep them warm.  No more making them pee as they are big boys and using the litter box a lot.  Kyler is a better in the litter box than his brother.  Last night I got to sleep through the night and not get up at 4 am.  4 weeks of getting up at 2 is over for this batch of kittens. Now I can be caught up on my rest and be ready for the next tiny babies. The boys like to be let out of the cage.  I put them on the floor in the bedroom and they walk down the hallway to the livingroom and wait for their bottle if it is meal time.  They are walking well and are starting to explore their world.  Today Kyler climbed up my leg as I sat on the couch.  Both love to roll onto their backs and have their tummies scratched. Soon they will be eating canned food.  How much they have changed in such a short time. 

Little Update on Kyler

     Only a mom would get super excited about this.  This morning I fed him first and as I was feeding Keaton I noticed Kyler was unsettled and meowing a bit.  I put him in the tiny litterbox I made for them out of a small paper box lined with foil.  The second time I put him in he pooped a perfect huge log.   Now he has the idea I think he will start using the litterbox (especially since he left his bed to go and poop) and showing Keaton what is to be done.  I have a smart boy!

Keaton and Kyler 3 weeks old!

They are growing up.  They are little kittens now, no longer helpless little babies.  Keaton is darker than Kyler.  They are walking on their legs now.  Taking pictures was hard as all they do is run when I have them on the table to take their pictures.  They have no fear of the edge.  I put them on the table furthest away from me.  They see me then scoot right to me.  I have to be ready to snap their picture.  Many turned out blurry as they are action shots I guess.  No sitting for these babies now they have found their legs.  Kyler is so funny when he runs as he looks like he is a bit tipsy but he is just discovering how his legs work.  They are eating well and I still get up at 2 am.  They both gained 100g in the last week which is wonderful as 10g/day is a good weight gain.  They have consistently gained weight every day so are growing at a good rate.  They purr a lot too.  I have cut down a little box and put some litter in it.  Hard to believe they will be using the litter box on their own very soon.  They are indeed young kittens, not little babies.  How fast nature enables them to mature.  Yesterday they were playing with each other a bit.  They had their paws around each other's necks.  It is so entertaining to watch them learn to play.  Three weeks is a time for a lot of learning.

The Good and The Bad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will start with the bad so I can end on a good note.  Kensington started getting weaker and declined last weekend.  I tried everything I knew but lost her on April 7th.  My heart was broken as she was an adorable little girl.  She purred for me right to the end.  I lost Hunter on Thursday.  He, too, started failing.  I think he was premature as he was the tiniest baby I ever got.  I thought he was just a runt and each day that went by gave us one more chance for him to survive.  He gained weight so very slowly but he was going in the right direction.  But seeing how the K babies grew and matured only showed how Hunter was not developing as he should.  He never lost the newborn baby look either.  At least his eyes had just opened enough in the corners (very late for his eyes to open a crack which also showed that he wasn't an average baby) that we could look each other in the eyes before he died.  He purred right until the end.
     Now, for the good.  Kyler and Keaton are growing at an enormous rate!  They are 2 weeks old today and have they ever changed.  Kyler has gone from 104g to 270g and Keaton from 82g to 214g.  Their eyes opened a couple of days ago so now they look like real kittens.  They are very plump and eating a lot.  They are learning to walk on their legs and are moving around the cage a lot.  They can hear me now so there is no sneaking into their room.  I call their names as I am going down the hallway into their room with their bottle.  They wake up and start meowing as they wait for me to feed them.  I still get up at 2 to feed them so they can continue to grow and eat well.  They purr so much and it makes me smile.

Kyler, Kensington and Keaton

Here are 3 pictures each of Kyler, Kensington and Keaton at 6 days old.  Kyler and Keaton are boys and Kensington is a girl.  They are eating incredibly well and a lot  They were (in order) 104g now 162g, 88g now 126g and 82g now 122g.  They are all growing before my very eyes.  It is paying off to get up during the night to see all the babies thriving, growing and happy.

Hunter--One Week Old

My he has grown in a week! He has gone from 62g to 112g (almost doubled in size) in just 7 days.  He is a good boy and very calm.   He is a sweet little boy.  He is eating well and is very happy.