Four Weeks Old!

Nadya's five kittens are four weeks old today (5/7)! The two orphans (Zotz and Zagnut) turned 5 weeks old on 5/6.

All of the kittens are getting more mobile. Still a little wobbly, particularly when walking slow, but several have really mastered running. Uh-oh! They're getting more accustomed to eating solid food.  Double Stuff and Fudge Stripe are the two remaining hold outs. They both refuse to eat solid food. I think Double Stuff has issues getting dirty. He doesn't want to mess up that white fur! He's the only one of the kittens that never spills a drop and never gets a milk beard while being bottle fed. Fudge Stripe is a bit like Piglet from Winnie the Pooh - very small and very afraid. She doesn't think canned food is for kittens.

They're all developing little personalities, too. Biscoff is going to be a MAJOR lap cat. He (I think he's a he) seems to prefer to fall asleep on my lap after (or while waiting) bottle feeding. Zagnut loves to play. Double Stuff is very clingy. Shortbread always seems to have a worried look on his face. Fudge Stripe is very quiet and a bit reserved... and then unleashes some spontaneous crazies. Stroopy is a sly one, seemingly quiet and reserved but can definitely kick up his heals with his pal Zagnut. Zotz is two dimensional - she is great at instigating the other kittens into a playing frenzy but is also quite capable of playing by herself.

Alliances are forming! The three biggest kittens seem to like to play together - Zagnut, Biscoff, and Stroopy. Zagnut and Biscoff are often curled up sleeping on my legs after bottle time. The two smaller kittens play together - Shortbread and Fudge Stripe. However, Shortbread can handle his own and often plays with the biggest of them all - Zagnut. Zotz is a liason. She can be rough and tumble with her big brother Zagnut but also spends a lot of time wrestling with the smaller kittens (probably because she can win). Double Stuff... Double Stuff seems to prefer bottle time....

Of course, the kittens are young. Alliances certainly haven't been set in stone yet. It will be interesting to see how the kittens pair up in a month.

The kitten room is divided in half - literally. I have wood planks stacked up, separating the room with one side kitten proof (or as kitten proof as something can be) and the other side where all the electrical cords and more breakable supplies are stored. This morning, three kittens followed me over to the wrong side of the planks... (Of course, Zotz has been doing this for a week now). Darn it! I'll be adding extra kitten security tonight to keep them on their side of the room. Well, for at least a few more days.

Three of Nadya's kittens are right on track (or even a little above) for weights. At four weeks old, they should be one pound (16 ounces). Biscoff is 18 ounces, Stroopy and Double Stuff are almost 17 ounces. Unfortunately, all of Nadya's health issues have affected Shortbread and Fudge Stripe. They're a little under 14 ounces. This often happens and is nothing to worry about. They're perfectly healthy and have plenty of time to make up their weight. At five weeks old, Zotz and Zagnut should be 20 ounces (they gain 4 ounces a week). Zagnut is well ahead of the game at 22 ounces; Zotz is surprisingly underweight at 18 ounces. She's just too busy exploring and playing to eat.

Nadya's temperature remains well within the normal range. She's still on antibiotics (which she says tastes horrible and often runs around the room after I've given her some meds). She also gets sub-Q fluids (under the skin) once a day. She seems to be in good spirits. She loves play time. After I've fed her and bottle fed all the kittens, she likes to block the door or sits by her toys as soon as she sees me stand up (the cue that I'm probably leaving the room). To keep her spirits up, I make sure to play with her every night.

The kittens are happy, healthy, and very energetic. Everyone is doing well.