4 weeks old (plus one day)
May 2, 2008
The kittens continue to grow, but we have run into one minor snag--two of the kittens have symptoms of a minor upper respiratory infection. Since Mama had an upper respiratory infection at one point in time, and we added a new group of kittens to the foster home, the kittens probably caught it from Mama, who may have been a little stressed by the new additions. The symptoms are minor at this point, but mom and babies will be treated with a mild antibiotic to help prevent an outbreak of a more serious infection. Mama's foster people will monitor the babies for further symptoms--decreased appetite, lack of energy, signs of dehydration--that would require further intervention, but at this point, based on energy levels and appetites, we are optimistic that this will pass quickly.
The kittens are developing at an amazing rate now. Though not yet very
coordinated, they are running, climbing, and playing up a storm! While out
for playtime, they stay in one corner of the room, and Mama is always nearby.
Mama watches the babies closely, and when she feels they are wandering too far
away or getting into trouble, she comes out of her watching position to rein the
babies back in. The lighter orange kitten, Luigi, is turning into a determined
little climber, and he is constantly up and down on the smaller cat tree,
routinely getting to the top to play. When I place some of the other
kittens on the lowest level of the cat tree (about 8 inches high), they are
interested in playing, but they haven't developed the climbing skills of their
brother yet. Isabella, the only female, and also the smallest, has an
interesting behavior--she has chosen a favorite corner of the room, and when she
falls while climbing down from the tree or runs into something while playing,
she races back to her favorite corner to recuperate before coming back out to
play. Right now she likes to play, but is content to stay in an even
smaller comfort zone. The darker orange kitten, Alfredo is not quite as brave as his
siblings--though he comes out to play too, he spends a little more time hanging
back with Mama. Vinnie, the brown/black tiger boy, will probably be the
second to master the cat tree, and the others probably won't be too far behind.
All of the kittens have some teeth now, and it is obvious that they are still
cutting new teeth--like teething human babies, they are putting lots of things
in their mouths, and they are biting all of the cat furniture!
The kittens are now scratching a little in the litterbox, though I don't see
anybody using it yet. This may simply be because Mama is still bathing the
kittens regularly, though.
They show some interest in the canned cat food, but not a lot--this is also
because Mama is taking such good care of her babies, and feeding them so well
that the canned food doesn't have much appeal over Mama's milk. By next
week, the kittens will probably be eating some of the canned food with mom,
although they will also still be nursing.
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