All Heck Has Broken Loose

I took the Tempos out of the birthing bed yesterday evening. They are now free to roam the library at will, and that’s what they’ve been doing. They still have the cat-bed on its big, furry blanket, and that, I believe, is where they slept last night, curled up together with their mother. I was worried initially that they might not be able to find their path back to the bed, but they achieved this without trouble. But they like their freedom and are exploring the library.

Initially, Vivace and Allegro were the pioneers, then Presto joined them. Eventually, all the kittens left their bed and wandered about, encountering things they’ve never seen before, which is pretty much the entire world. It is fun to watch their efforts to cope with the strange and, so far as they are concerned, potentially dangerous land in which they have been placed. Even stepping off the folded, thick blanket is a challenge, as the distance to the floor is greater than the length of their legs. Andante tried walking along a shelf, between its edge and its books, but isn’t steady enough for that, and tumbled off. Already, however, the babies want to do what cats do.

What drives these little creatures is their desire to experience. They want to know, they want to do. They kept sliding under the lowest shelves of the bookcases, almost always with a multitude of peeps, as if to let everyone know what daring feat is about to be accomplished. They probed the great dark expanse under the couch, and played about in the shallow litter-pans (cookie sheets), which I hope they will turn to more practical purposes. (The pans are covered with litter from their mum’s boxes, so hopefully they will smell that hint.)

I am pleased to note that none of the Tempos are afraid of me, and some, such as Presto, will come up to me deliberately. He especially seems to like a human’s touch. For her part, Rhapsody is still watchful of them, and if there is too much peeping and squeaking, she looks to see what the matter is. Yet she is less worried about them than previously. She knows that they are by and large safe in the library and, probably instinctively, she is beginning to be less bonded to them. She still looks like she counts them when one is missing, though, and likes to clean them when they return to the bed.

The world is at their disposal now and, while it is mostly a two-dimensional world, due to their tiny size, that will soon change. Very soon, I expect.

(I apologise for the lopsidedness of the video; I can’t seem to turn it upright. In the video, you may note that the biggest (and most active at this time) is the dilute orange Andante; you can see how much smaller Largo (orange tabby) is.)