Kittens Learning, Kittens Teaching

The kittens survived their first night in my care. I think they were worn out from their adventures; they slept without a peep. This morning, they were ready for breakfast and for more fun. Everything is new for them, I think, everything exciting. There is much to learn. And there is much for me to learn, too.

They are instructing themselves in the intricacies of solid food; well, semi-solid food. I make a sludge of kitten soft-food and milk-replacement. (The latter comes in a powder, which smells like a vanilla milk-shake. It’s quite pleasant.) The process of eating shows me that the babies are developing along their own lines and in accord with distinct personalities already. Oleo has taken to the more advanced menu: he consumes the sludge quite readily, and is only infrequently interested in nutrition from a syringe. Bisto has nibbled at the fare in the dish, but still prefers the syringe. I am encouraging him in the former manner of dining, of course.

On the other hand, he (I am assuming they are both male simply for convenience at this point) is quite fastidious – for a kitten – in grooming, while Oleo’s attitude is more laissez-faire. To be honest, though, Oleo makes less of a mess…

They are quite the explorers. They have found the corners of the bathroom, the different smells and the odd shapes of fixtures. Oleo has conquered Mount Sock…

…and both have found the water-bowl. (Food is placed in a saucer; their litter-box is an old dinner plate. Water, by its nature, requires something deeper and less easy to access. But they have leaned on its edge and dipped inside; the heavier bowl allows this, and I can fill it to the brim.)

And, just this morning, Oleo demonstrated that he is a swift learner by using the litter-box! He even made the instinctive scrabbling motions to cover his business. He may not use it every time – I really don’t expect it at this point – but a start has been made. (Delicacy – and the lack of means to photograph the moment - prevents me from showing the actual event.)

But there is much for the kittens – and I – to learn. This will be a continual process. I told Oleo and Bisto this, and that they won’t be allowed out of the bathroom until I am sure that they are using the litterbox full-time. I think Bisto was a little dismayed at this startling demand on his resources.