Kitten Development Calendar
San Francisco SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic

Week Nine

Here are all the happy new Kitten owners.

Week Seven and Eight

The kittens are now racing around and diving and pouncing on everything in sight. The other morning, I went into the bathroom and, even though I have the tp unwinding the "other" way (from underneath instead of over the top) there were several yards of it waiting for me on the floor and kittens gleefully running about with tp in their mouths and their tp trailing behind them. Those that didn't have tp were chasing those that did. It made me laugh so much. Hope to see you this weekend at the Fun Kitten Adoption Open House! Browsers and new human playmates welcome. The kittens love meeting new people.

Week Six

All the kittens now often purr when they are petted or picked up. Nika's name is now Nika-Maru, soon to be just Maru, as chosen by her future parents. Flash is quite bold and is the only kitten to chase the broom when there is sweeping being done. I'm encouraging him to stop with the ankle bracelet act as he is getting bigger and is leaving stripes on my legs. His climbing tickled when he wasn't so big. Essen is the first to reach the third landing on the cat tree. Startled now has nicknames: Sparkle and Stardust. She doesn't really answer to them, though! She is more gentle and sometimes knows to keep her claws withdrawn when she plays. All the kittens are learning this. Spot is still the smallest, but has as much energy as any of the others when it comes to the wrestling and running around. He has a cute, little, triangular face. Dot is very nice and sweet. Her face is more round than Spot's. Her quiet company is relaxing.

As of August 10, the kids are now in a larger tiled area. They did not know what to do with all the space at first! They have discovered the kitchen, nook and a new bathroom, a cat tree, and Sammie's larger litter box. The kittens move around so much now, it's harder to get photos. It's so fun to watch them play. They are now all eating store bought food and eat with great relish. Kalle and I are planning a Kitten Adoption Open House in San Francisco the weekend of Sept. 8, at which time the kids can go home with their new families.

Week Five

Lots of new developments. Some of the kittens are starting to eat solid food. Flash, Essen and Startled are eating pet food. Flash showed little interest in the canned food and today (Aug. 9) discovered Sammie's crunchy dry food leftovers and ate all of that! Nika, Spot and Dot look on and sniff with interest. The kittens are starting their litter box training and I'm happy (and thankful!) it's going very well. Essen is the kitten with the black tipped fur (white underneath). I was calling him Salt and Pepper at first. Then SNP (Salt and Pepper was just too long). Essen was the first to eat, SN are the first two letters, therefore I chose Essen which is German for to eat. Startled got her name because she almost always looks startled! Nika is a derivative of the Japanese for Happy Cat, (which she is). Spot has a tan spot between his shoulder blades. No Name/Nameless finally has a nice, new, Real name - Dot. I had been referring to her as Spot's Sister since they have similar markings, hence Dot. Her dot between the shoulder blades is not as apparent as Spot's.

The kittens are developing quickly and every week that the new pictures are put up, I can see that they have grown even since the photos were taken. Last night Nika managed to get out of the tub. I've since extended the kittens' play area to the end of the hall. They have toys and are discovering physical limits. I've set the carrier in the hall so they can become accustomed to it . They like to play and climb all over it and sleep inside. They also sleep anywhere and everywhere in the hallway, sometimes in groups, sometimes on their own. Flash likes to follow my feet and jump and grab me around the ankles! He looks like a mini-tree hugger. Essen saw him and copied him. Flash had my right leg, Essen my left. I am even able to walk around with them this way. They are the cutest, funniest ankle bracelets I've ever encountered.... Sorry, haven't been able to get any video of the ankle bracelets. The movie is family album theme.

Week Four

The Kittens now have names. top left: Spot, top right: Nika, bottom right is No Name and Nika, bottom left is Flash, Nika, Spot, Essen, Startled, No Name Yet. So far life in the bathtub has been fine. Flash is the most developed, about a week of the others. But they are all very active as can be seen in the video. They are brought out is groups to play but nurse and sleep in the tub.

They all had a field trip to the garage and had a chance to see and smell the cars. Over is the time when they would cry when alown. They all enjoyed the tour. It was assumed that they would want to get back to the tub after such a trip into the unknown but they seemed dissapointed when the field trip was over. As soon as the kitchen can be made kitten safe, they will be moving there to allow for more play space.

Enjoy the "movie"! Just click on the arrow.

Week Three

The kittens don't sleep so much anymore. They play alot and they are starting to get their teeth. They are still wobbly on their feet but I saw one of them do a jog across the tub yesterday. Their personalities are coming out. Flash (far left in the bed) is the biggest and is the least shy. They all started exploring the whole length of the tub since yesterday. I put them on my bed when I vacuum the tub. Once I put them in the sink, cat bed and all and they slept through the whole time I was cleaning. One of the kittens coats grows black on the tips but white underneath. I've seen that once before, at a cat show. Each kitten gets laptime, and soon more play space.

Week Two

Sammy and Kittens move inside the house and are living in the bathtub. Sammy is free to move about the house and does. She only only asks to go outside to do her business.
Top Left: I think this kitten looks like a white tiger cub in it. The center right photo the kittens just started playing and you can see the two kittens engaged. The kitten on the far left wasn't quite ready...!
Top right: sleeping so comfortably!
Middle left: Kalle and I like to call Flash or Flame. I think she's a girl. Her markings remind me of the comic book character "The Flash", and for Kalle, motorcycle detailing.
Bottom left: Sammie is a good mom.
Bottom right: Sammie actually "holds" one or another of her kittens this way on occasion. I've also seen her pat her kittens.

Week One

July 5th, about 1 am. Kittens are born in Kika's cat shed. Total of Six. Lisa discovers them in the morning. Sammy actually wanted Lisa to see them.

Kitten Calendar
Tom:	Unknown
Queen:	Sammy
Thu 5 Jul 2007	Make sure the kittens get warm as soon as possible after they are born. When they are still wet their temperature can drop rapidly. Put them under a ceramic lamp (if the queen lets you take her kittens away), or use a heating pad or cushion, a bottle filled with warm water (covered with a towel) or even warm (not hot) towels. Warm a chilled kitten gradually! When the queen is finished giving birth, return the kittens to her (after cleaning up). It's very important that the kittens receive the queen's first milk during this day. This first milk, colostrum, contains antibodies that help to protect the kittens against infections. The ability of the kitten to absorb these antibodies will cease after 24-48 hours. Determine the sex of the kittens. Lift the tail of the kitten. You should see two openings, if they are close together, the kittens is a female, if they are farther apart, the kitten is a male. You should weigh the kittens every day - or at least during the first two weeks. They should have doubled their weight at the end of the first week and gain at least 10 grams each day.
Thu 5 Jul 2007 - Fri 6 Jul 2007	The first two days of your kitten's life are the most critical for its survival. Try not to disturb the queen and her kittens too much, but do check every two hours or so to see if everything is OK - especially if it's the queens first litter. Keep a close eye on the queen. If she appears to be feverish take her to your vet.
Thu 5 Jul 2007 - Sat 7 Jul 2007	The umbilicus should be carefully inspected for evidence of inflammation or infection.
Fri 6 Jul 2007	Some kittens loose a bit of weight during their first day, but will catch up during the second day and fill out rapidly after that. A healthy new-born kitten is either sleeping or sucking. If a kitten appears to be apathetic or cries constantly, something is wrong (consult your veterinarian)!
Fri 6 Jul 2007 - Sat 7 Jul 2007	Umbilical cord drops off.
Mon 9 Jul 2007 - Sat 14 Jul 2007	The kitten's eyes will start to open. Their sight is still very foggy. Kittens are born with blue eyes. Make sure the eyes are clean, look for any signs of pus. Keep the kittens away from bright lights.
Tue 10 Jul 2007 - Wed 18 Jul 2007	The ear canals begin to open.
Wed 11 Jul 2007	If the queen can't handle the feeding of her kittens, you might want to take care of two or three feedings each day. Feed the kittens a commercial artificial queen's milk (like KMR). Use a syringe or with a soft rubber nipple. Don't overfeed the kittens (when it is full, bubbles come out around its mouth). Don't forget to give the queen some too (as much as she likes).
Wed 18 Jul 2007 - Wed 25 Jul 2007	The kittens are more aware of their surroundings and will start to explore.
Sat 21 Jul 2007	Ear canals should have completely opened by now.
Sun 22 Jul 2007	The kittens will be able to excrete without being stimulated.
Wed 25 Jul 2007	Kittens are able to purr now. Some actually begin at birth- but at this stage, they know they are purring. Kittens can stand up now. At this stage you may want to introduce a miniature litter box, but be very cautious - some kittens try to eat the litter filling. Switch to another type if they do (try the sort that is made out of paper or wood).
Wed 25 Jul 2007 -	Socialization with people and cats will should began during this period.
Wed 25 Jul 2007 - Wed 1 Aug 2007	Baby teeth will start to appear.
Wed 1 Aug 2007	Most kittens can start to eat semi-solid food.
Wed 1 Aug 2007 - Wed 15 Aug 2007	The color of the iris of the kitten's eyes will start to change color.
Wed 8 Aug 2007	Kittens can be dewormed now (or even sooner if the kittens are infested with worms). Make sure to use a preparation suitable for kittens this young (consult your veterinarian). Never worm a sick kitten (see your veterinarian first).
Wed 15 Aug 2007	Kittens can be fully weaned now and need lots of space to exercise.
Wed 29 Aug 2007	First vaccination against Feline Respiratory Disease - Rhinotracheitis virus (FVR) and calicivirus (FCV) - and Panleukopenia (Feline Infectious Enteritis) can be given now.(see your veterinarian first)
Wed 19 Sep 2007	Second vaccination against Feline Respiratory Disease - Rhinotracheitis virus (FVR) and calicivirus (FCV) - and Panleukopenia (Feline Infectious Enteritis) can be given now.
Wed 26 Sep 2007	Adult teeth will start to appear.
Wed 26 Sep 2007	The kittens are twelve weeks old now and just about old enough to leave the nest and go to a new home.