Weekend Slumber-party

At just over a week of age, the Tempos don’t really have much of interest in life except sleeping and eating, though they appear to be good at both. They are growing, which is also good. Rhapsody does not seem tired or drawn, and appears as chubby as the kittens. I feed her all the time, which may or may not be the right thing to do: I may be feeding her more than she needs, and she’s just putting on the pounds. But I think that’s preferable at this stage than under-feeding her.

Here are some pictures to show the babies at their favourite pastime: snoozing. One must admit, they are becoming experts at it.

That’s a close-up of Presto in the second picture. And in the third picture, the slumber-pile, look at Largo head to head with his brother, Andante, and holding him close. Well, at this stage, any closeness and grasping is probably chance and instinct. But it’s darn’ cute, nonetheless.

Infantile Dreams

The kittens can be rather mobile in their sleep. This time it was Presto’s turn. As usual, when I do manage to video-record what I intend, I keep the show going hoping to get more, and nothing happens, so most of the action occurs in the first few seconds.

Normally, I would guess that such movements as Presto’s are due to dreams, but I can’t imagine what he’s experienced so far that he could dream about. Then again, maybe they are smells, feelings, sounds, various stimuli that he’s picked up in the last week. The movements may even be involuntary and random jerkings of muscles and nerves trying to find their connections.

Whatever the cause, it seems normal, and he settled down after a bit.

Through a Window

While the kittens continue learning about their as-yet very small world, the other beasts continue living in their larger small world. They like the wide window in the sitting room, and someone can usually be found sitting or lying on a cat-tree looking out.

I sometimes see a beast or two when I come home. This is what I observed yesterday. Brazil can be clearly seen, but the reflections on the glass blot out most of Moxy, whose white bib and feet may be discerned. I don’t think they were looking for my return in particular; I happened to come home while they were at the window.

Nevertheless, it’s pleasant to see the cats at such a time. They make the house more of a home, little lives going about their business in safety and comfort. Maybe others feel that about me when they see me inside, through the window.

A Moving Picture

The kittens seem to be moving more now. Though they sleep a great deal, they also crawl, push, pull and drag themselves quite a bit. They appear to move aimlessly, and perhaps it is pointless movement, at least in the sense of direction. But they are developing their muscles, their nerves are connecting, their ligaments strengthening. Moving at this stage may be more impulsion than decision, and it all goes toward creating the grown cat.

And it’s fun to watch. Viewers may note that Largo (the solid orange fellow) tries to make a break for it at one stage, hoping to scale the great wall of the cat-bed. But he apparently falls asleep in the middle of his escape. These things happen.

Bum Wrap

Rhapsody’s kittens are always looking for warmth. I don’t believe that they are too cold for their comfort; after all, conditions for kittens outside are worse, and there they have just their mother, their siblings and whatever setting in which they live to keep them warm. In their nursery in the Cosy Cabin, though, they sleep in the birthing bed, which is on a thick and bulky blanket, and which contains a folded blanket, a soaker pad, and their fuzzy cat-bed. I eschewed a heating pad because, as someone else in the rescue-group pointed out, if it becomes too hot for the kittens, they have, at this stage of their development, no way of escaping from it. I do have the electric heater in the library on most of the time, however.

Nonetheless, the kittens enjoy their warmth. Partly, it no doubt brings a feeling of security. They are always looking for that extra bit of snuggly. This has led more than one to find the warmth in the fur of their mother’s rear end. In the picture here, Allegro is wrapped cosily, but I have seen his brothers and sister there, too, usually more enclosed than he is. The leg helps.

Among instinct, cunning, curiosity and intelligence, these kittens are going to be a couple of handfuls soon, and I am grateful that they are sticking close to mum for the time being.

Perspectives

Once the kittens were born, I of course let them become accustomed to finding nourishment, and being next to their mother. They huddled together against her for warmth and security.

It was vewy wawm and skwishy when I fewst wemember. Then, there was a big push an’ out I come into the big cold. I was scarwed but then a big lappy thing cleaned me and I felt wawm but dwy. There was a big big wawm fuzzy body an’ she kept me close and comfy.

Then I found a itty bitty tube an’ wawm tasty stuff came out an’ I dwank an’ dwank an’ dwank. Then I slept. I felt wawm and safe next to the big big warm fuzzy body.

But I wanted to get them used to human touch as soon as possible, so that their earliest memories would be of  being held gently in my hand. I wouldn’t keep them for long, just a minute or so, and then would replace them against their mother.

Then...then...I was lifted up up up up! I was way up and flying except I was on this wawm smooth thing that held me an’ kept me from falling. I yelled and yelled, an’ the wawm smooth thing put me down an’ I was against the big big fuzzy body again. Whew. I slept.

Repetition is important, I think, as it establishes a routine, and gives them a sense of  being held and touched as rather mundane and every-day.

Then, I was lifted up up up up again!! The wawm smooth thing held me an’ something stwoked my head. I yelled and yelled and yelled, an’ the wawm smooth thing put me down again.

They were of course frightened at first, but they became used to the process. I take each of them up in turn and softly run a finger along their little bodies and over their heads.

There are other little fuzzy things like me an’ the same thing happens to them! Some day, we’ll be big an’ stwong like the big big fuzzy body an’ if the wawm smooth thing tries to lift us, we’ll tear it to pieces!

Ya have to watch out in this new bright cold wowld. What a nightmawre. Whatever a nightmawre is...

I think the kittens enjoyed their first pets.

The Naming of Kittens

I have been thinking of names for Rhapsody’s kittens since long before they were born. I tend to prefer unusual names; not outlandish, but not common, so they will be unique. And I like the names of cats who come in groups - and there is no group like a litter - to be of a kind, of a theme. Since their mother is Rhapsody, I thought immediately of music. The trouble is that I have used musical names for a number of beasts already, notably the ferals of the small colony that I trapped and had fixed, and now help feed, at my work-place.

But that didn’t stop me from thinking of more musical names. I decided on the kinds of tempo music has. (It would have better if my former foster-cat Tempo (now adopted and re-named) had been the mother in this case, rather than Rho, but, thankfully, Tempo was never pregnant.)

Therefore, I would like to introduce to you the new Tempos, as it were: from top to bottom in the illustration, we have Presto (meaning ‘fast’), because he was first to be born; Vivace ([viv-aw-chee] ‘lively’), whom I believe to be the only girl; Largo (which means ‘slow’; he was the last to be born); Andante ([awn-dawn-tay] the name refers to a walking pace; he was born in the middle, neither in a hurry, nor dawdling), and Allegro (‘happy’).

Fortunately, they all have distinctive colouring and patterns; I feared half a dozen black cats… Instead, we have an orange and white tabby; a semi-diluted tortoiseshell; a light orange tabby; a dilute orange, and a white and dilute orange.

I’m sure their names won’t survive their adoptions, but for now, one might say, the timing is right for these little notes.