Day 12 the kittens are growing

It has been pretty cosy here with the kittens next to me in the office as I work. They all have their eyes open now and are getting so fat. You can see the additional pics we have been taking in the Kitten set if you click on this link - click slideshow at the top.

Gaylord the black and white boy was the first to show us his eyes so he must have been first born. Next came Margaret the calico kitty and then Geraldine the tortoiseshell. Of course they are both girls because calico and tortoiseshell cats are always female. Based on our genetics calculations, their daddy would have been black or black and white.

Every now and then I can hear little sucking sounds or squeaks and Mischa talking to her babies but they are pretty quiet and spend most of the time sleeping, drinking or getting washed by mum. Every now and then one will head out of the box onto the sheepskin on the bed, crawl around, cry a bit for mum and head back in. We are starting to think they might fall off the bed but so far this isn't a problem because they don't move around a lot. Of course we pick them up and cuddle them a lot so they don't hiss at us when we go near the box as kittens do if a strange smell gets under their nose.

They did not like it when one of the dogs got too close to the box - little hisses then. As if that is going to scare anything off. Angel really wants to carry them around in her big, briard mouth I can tell but the room is out of bounds for the dogs. So we have to remember to put the gate up to keep them out.

I am amazed at how shiny and clean the kittens are and how loved they are by Mischa. She is a fabulous mother and very attentive. It is good to see her getting back to her playful self as well. When taking a break from the kittens she leaps around on the furniture and stalks us or lies around as if to say "boy I'm exhausted". She doesn't go very far though when she ventures outside and is quick to come back in. I would hate to think she might want to take a trip and leave us to it - bottle feeding.

I am really loving the new wooden pellet litter system. There is no odour only a lovely wood smell and the pellets disintegrate as they get wet. So far one lot in the tray is lasting ages - I got several 10 kg bags from mitre 10 mega for about $6 NZD. So real cheap as well. Maybe they are all peeing in the pot plants or behind the stereo. No doubt we will soon find out as the house heats up. Pong!