Lakeland Animal Shelter

Hit Counter

1 week old (plus one day)

April 11th, 2008

Good news so far, as all of the kittens have made it through the first critical week. Mama is still as attentive and watchful, though when the door to her cage is open, she may get up and walk around for a moment or two when the babies are sleeping. When I take each of the kittens out and set them on the bedding in front of the box, she watches me, then being the practical mom that she is, rather than put them back in the box, she climbs out of the bed and lays down for them to nurse. She has a very healthy appetite, and is eating both dry and canned food. Since her body needs extra calories and nutrients to support her nursing babies, she is still eating dry kitten food rather than adult food. Mama and her babies share their house with a pair of rabbits, and she shows her displeasure when the rabbits become too loud while playing with the toys in their cages. Though we know they are not a threat to her babies (they don't have access to her cage), Mama remains a little bit suspicious of her housemates.

The kittens are thriving at this point. Their umbilical cords have fallen off, and they have doubled in size since last week! They are a little more active, though they are not

yet walking. Their sense of hearing is just beginning to develop, and at this point they might hear muffled sounds, though they cannot hear well enough to locate the source of a sound. At 8 days old, we often see eyes at least beginning to open on many kittens, but their eyes are still tightly shut. They are not outside of the normal range though--shorthaired kittens' eyes may start to open as late as 10 days, and for longhaired kittens, it could take even longer. By next week's update, we should see partially or fully open eyes.

Alumni | Meowsers Angels | Animals Needing Foster Homes |Site Map