Pippa’s Second Litter – Kitten Diary

Birth – 26th May 2014

Pippa had spent the weekend looking increasingly more uncomfortable. We knew that bank holiday Monday was 65 days after her first full day with the stud boy so kittens were probable within a day or two. Sunday night she was very restless all night. I sleep in the kitten room for a few days leading up to birth just so she has company. She could not get comfortable for long and decided that if she could not sleep, neither could I! Around 6 am she started crying at me so I knew things were going to happen soon. The crying had woken Andy who came in to help play midwife. The first kitten was born almost 30 minutes later, like her first litter he was breach. Pippa coped wonderfully and all 7 kittens were out and washed by 7:30 am. She then settled in with her babies purring away.

Week 1 – 1st June 2014

Pippa has been a fantastic mom. She is so attentive and seems to love being a mommy. Babies have all been gaining weight nicely. They seem to be the most contented litter so far as they rarely squeak at me after the first 24 hours. They all purr when feeding which is so special to hear.

I think there are 4 girls and 3 boys though it could change. They are all developing their own characters already. Orange is a bit of a complainer! He is not fond of being picked up at all. He is also the fattest! Closely followed by Blue who is a little bit more laid back but always seems to be feeding! Green and Yellow also seem quite laid back and don’t find being handled too much. White, Pink and Purple are somewhere in the middle. Pink is a real character being the smallest in the litter, she is also the feistiest at the milk bar! I imagine she won’t be the smallest for long.

Eyes look like they may start to open in a few days. Then the real milk bar fights will begin!

Week 2 – 8th June 2014

All babies had doubled their birth weight by 8 days old. They are feeding really well.

Eyes began to open when they were 8 days old. Yellow was the first and seemed so cute with her wobbly head!! Her and purple are quite laid back girlies. They don’t mind being handled at all. Pink is still the smallest but is gaining weight appropriately. Her eyes opened slightly later than the other girls. She is quiet but does let you know when she’s fed up of being handled. White, on the other hand, is quite vocal about being messed with! She can be very loud though has quietened down now both eyes are open. I think she feels more confident now she can see you a bit. Blue is the most laid back boy but Orange has become quieter and more mellow. Green, on the other hand, is very vocal and loud! So very loud! His eyes took longer to open so I think this may have had something to do with it. The second eye only opened today almost a week after the first eyes were opening.

Pippa seems so relaxed and comfortable being a mommy. She is so attentive yet doesn’t mind me handling her babies for cuddles and weights. Not sure she will be so happy when they start toddling around the pen. Not sure it will be long as they are already curious!

Week 3 – 15th June 2014

Pippa is not so happy this week as the kittens keep moving around and exploring the pen! She would be happier if they would keep still please! I also think the heat has bothered her this week, must be hot having 7 wriggling hot water bottles lying on top of you!

Their individual personalities are getting clearer. Green is by far the most vocal and also quite inquisitive! Blue and Orange seem more laid back boys. Purple is a quiet laidback girl and her markings are quite distinctive. Yellow seems to be quite inquisitive and likes to be held. White can be quite vocal when she disapproves of something! And Pink is my little friend. She is actually quite vocal for a small baby. Last night she screamed at me until I picked her up and stroked her – she snuggled in and started purring, so special! All the others purr lovely when feeding but Pink is the first to purr for me!

I will extend the pen a little more tomorrow, little bit at a time so as to not upset mommy Pip. I think they are very interested in exploring!

Week 4 – 22nd June 2014

They are growing so fast. They get more and more confident each day. Pippa is still unhappy that they move around and won’t keep still though! They all have sharp pointy teeth which they love to show me by chewing my fingers!

Blue is still the most laid back boy, also being the biggest. I think he always has a full tummy so is a bit sleepy! Orange is quite a character this week, loving to climb on me whilst Green is still the most talkative! I noticed this week that he has a small kink in his tail – kind of adds to his quirky character. Not a problem unless his new owner wanted to show him.
The girls are all very different. White and Pink are the quietest but White has a healthy set of lungs when she disapproves of being picked up! Yellow and Purple are quite funny and love to climb on my lap. Yellow especially likes to sit on me, she even purred for me when I stroked her.

Pippa had chicken this weekend and a few of them had a little try. I’ve been putting food in the pen for them all to sniff at but Pippa seems to eat it all quite quickly! Won’t be long before they are eating though! They grow up so quickly!

Week 5 – 29th June 2014

The chicken has become a big hit with most of them, although not all the time. The boys are quite keen, the girls need more convincing that food is better than milk! Pippa likes to help out with their food!

There are all so adventurous now. The boys are all pretty mischievous and can climb out of their pen if they feel the need! Blue is pretty relentless when he’s awake and been fed! Green is less talkative this week but far more playful than all of them. He makes a chirrup sound when he plays and has a real sorrowful look. Orange is busy playing with the girls!

Yellow is still very inquisitive and cries to be picked up. If I sit in the pen with them I will get Yellow sitting on my lap. Purple often follows as well. Her markings are pretty unique, there’s something quite pretty about her. Pink has unusual markings as well, kind of a diamond on her face and a stripe down the back of her head. She is such a sweet little thing though not much smaller than the rest of the girls now! White is really quite cute. We think she will stay here and be our next queen.

They are all trying out the litter tray. Green and White are the best at it but the other boys will also use it. The other girls are not so sure yet – it’s early days though.

It won’t be long before they will get to be chosen. Visits are being lined up for a couple of weeks from now.

Week 6 – 6th July 2014

What a difference in a week. I have 7 little hooligans running around. The pen was extended taller to contain them. It worked for a day then they found a way out, so they have free roam of the living room! They love it, they sleep on the sofa mostly but have tried out the Tigga Towers tree. Auntie Evie is useful as a friend to cuddle to, but Uncle Toby is not a fan of them at all!

They are all using the litter tray. I still remind them all every now and then but I haven’t found any accidents lately. Food can be hit or miss depending on what it is. They all love chicken, though are not so fond of cat food! So I am mixing the two at the moment. Green will be a little fatty as he eats almost anything! Blue and Orange are also fans of food but do prefer chicken. Blue found a friend today when some people came to visit us. He snuggled on her lap for over an hour.

Purple has become quite mischievous and loves to bite your arm whilst Yellow is by far the most animated at play – bushy squirrel tails are her specialty! Pink has discovered that she can climb higher and jump down so is a lot more confident this week. She spent an hour playing with my hair this afternoon! White seems to love Andy at the moment. She often hunts him out for a cuddle in the evenings.

One more week before people come to choose their baby, or their baby chooses them! Time is moving so fast!

Week 7 – 13th July 2014

The first visitors have been to see them, Pink being the first to find a home. She is going to live with a lovely family who used to have a Tonk called Lola who looked just like Evie! The next visitors could not decide between the other girls. They took lots of pictures and will let me know soon. The same went for the last visitors this weekend. They found it hard to choose between them so will think about it and let me know. I know of at least one person who cannot wait to find out who has been chosen!

They are all so funny at the moment. Blue likes to chew my hair, Purple likes to bite arms and Orange likes to bite toes! Yellow is still very animated at play and Pink gets more confident each day. She has found a love for cat food – iIn fact they all will eat cat food now so I’m not cooking chicken for them anymore. Pink really likes it though and is often the last to leave the plate. Green, although not the heaviest, is certainly the fattest! He loves food though. And little White is going to be staying here to have baby Tonks herself next year. I now need to think of a good pet name for her!

I have booked their vet visits – everything seems to be moving so fast! I’ll be counting the days before the leave me soon…

Week 8 – 20th July 2014

We had a bit of a stressful week due mostly to the heat. It upset a few tummies and put a few kittens off their food for a few days. White felt the worst I think but they all seem to be back to their usual bouncy selves.

Orange has a found a home. He is off to live with a lovely family who visited Pippa when she was pregnant. I think it was a hard decision. He is going to be called Harry. We are still unsure of the other ones chosen though.

Green is now officially the biggest, partly due to Blue going off his food this week. I’m not sure anything would put Green off his food! Purple made friends yesterday with some friends of ours, she was super cute for them! Yellow and Pink seduced some other friends of ours and Blue seems to have become a parrot preferring to perch on shoulders to sleep.

We have registered them with the GCCF so new names are now on the individual kitten pages. This year is a sweet theme!

Week 9 – 27th July 2014

All our babies are now reserved, just waiting to hear that Purple’s new mommy is happy. They are very lucky babies as they have some lovely homes to go to.

Yellow has another cat and chickens to amuse her! Harry (Orange) is going to be best friends with a little boy called George. I think they will have lots of fun as Harry is becoming quite a cheeky boy! Blue is going to live with Miss Mimi and her rabbit brothers. What fun they will have! Pink will be a wonderful, if a little cheeky, companion to a lovely family who recently lost their beloved Tonk. Green has another boy cat to play with in his new home. He is going to live with a colleague of Andy’s, so let’s hope he learns to play nicely with his new brother and is not too rough! Last to get chosen was Purple, who is hopefully going to be a show girl with a lady and her Ragdoll.

They are loving the space in the living room and often play chase at full speed! It won’t be long before they are climbing over into the kitchen. The boys can manage it if they want to see what I’m doing but don’t seem interested all the time.

Vaccinations soon! I’m starting to collect things together for their kitten packs as well, I bet these next few weeks will go very quickly!

Week 10 – 4th August 2014

I think Monty (Green) is going to be trouble. He is so funny and makes lovely chirrupy noises as he plays. He also loves cuddles. Harry (Orange) is also another mischievous one. He loves to jump up my legs and tries to climb up me when I’m preparing their food. Blue has found out he can climb to the top of the Tigga Towers tree – he loves to be up high! Yellow, Purple and Pink are all very loving girls. They love to cuddle up to me on the sofa. It’s become obvious this week that Pink is a little cross eyed – it kind of adds to her quirky character. The vet checked her over and said there is no problem, she might grow out of it but she can see fine. Candy (white) has become a cuddly little girl as well – she loves to snuggle up close to Andy. We have entered her into her first cat show for September which is exciting.

They all went to the vets today for their MOT and vaccinations. Everyone behaved very well. Harry loved the attention and was disappointed not to be able to explore the room a bit more! Purple purred through it all and Candy tried to climb onto my shoulder to get away from the vet! A treat of Mackerel when we got home and they all fell asleep! Next vet trip is neutering and Microchipping in 3 weeks. They are growing so fast and will all be causing havoc in their new homes very soon!

Week 11 – 11th August 2014

The vet trip went okay and all the kittens were fine after their vaccination. They were especially lively the next day!

Blue was visited by Natalie and Neil again. He is to be called Teddy which I think suits him. He is such a cuddly boy. He might have been called Yoda but it didn’t seem to suit him. I think he is definitely a Teddy, it matches his personality. I think they all have such different personalities. Monty is by far the most mischievous of them. He has discovered he can climb curtains! Harry likes to jump at your legs and attack them as you walk. He also loves Auntie Evie and can often be found snuggled up with her. Yellow is very playful and especially cuddly. She is still the most animated at play although Pink is a close second to that. She is especially bouncy! She just seems to jump loads when she’s playing! Purple is so cuddly and loving. She just loves attention. Any new person gets a cuddle! She will hopefully be a show girl which I think she will be great at! And lastly is our Candy, she is very playful and cuddly. She will often hunt me or Andy out for cuddles – I think she knows she is staying here!

Time is going so quick now. It won’t be long before they are leaving us. I think all their new owners are counting the days down! It will certainly be quiet here when they’ve gone!

Week 12 – 18th August 2014

Another week has gone by too quickly. They would normally be visiting the vet for neutering this week but I am away for a few days so we are having to move it on a week. That means Andy has to look after the kittens for the beginning of the week. I think they will be extra bouncy and naughty for him as I do seem to spend a lot of time playing with them in the day!

Monty has continued to be a little naughty. He reminds me of Evie when she was a kitten! Jelena said she loves lively kittens so I’m hoping lively is the same as naughty! He is very cuddly as well, in fact, all the kittens are. They seem to love their human cuddles so much! Purple and Candy are especially cuddly and purry. I think Candy may be learning her name a little. Pink definitely seems to answer to Pinky so I might have to stop calling her that! Teddy has been living up to his name. He has had cuddles with every visitor lately! Yellow and Harry both cry at me to pick them up for cuddles – looks like I’ve bred some very friendly time wasters this year! I hope the new owners don’t mind!

I’m sure this week will go very quickly for me. I will miss them all whilst I’m away but I’m sure they will have fun terrorising Andy for a few days!

Week 13 – 24th August 2014

I think everyone survived the week without scars – well, everyone but Andy! The kittens all behaved whilst I was away and seemed very pleased to see me when I returned!

I have had some very lovely tonk pile cuddles though it does make doing anything very difficult! Candy especially loves her morning cuddles. She is beginning to answer to her name which is lovely, though I think she is responding more to my voice than her name! Teddy and Harry will sometimes but depends if they have too much to do! Monty has been busy teaching Yellow how much fun curtains are! I think they play some kind of tag game with it as they are never on them at the same time! Purple and Pink are far too girly to be naughty though much preferring cuddles to climbing curtains. That said, Pink does like to jump at you when you are walking!

They are off to the vets on Tuesday for neutering. It’s a big day for us all as Mommy Pippa will also be neutered. Poor Candy will be on her own all day. It won’t be long now before my beautiful kittens are providing their new owners with love and attention! I will sure miss them.

Week 15 – 7th September 2014

Wow, the last 2 weeks have gone so quickly. Neutering went well. Everyone except Candy was neutered, even Pippa. Harry and Monty were naughty and wrestled, so had to wear the cone of shame at the vets. The girls were naughtier though as they opened their carrier on the way home and got out! I had to stop and pop them all back in. All wounds healed lovely and the second set of vaccinations went well.

Harry and Teddy both left for their new homes last Sunday at 14 weeks old. They have both settled in fine. Harry has made friends with a little boy called George and has filled a hole in his new home! Teddy has become Neil’s best friend! His older sister, Mimi, is less than impressed but has forgiven her humans. Not sure Pringle and Noodle have noticed yet! Monty left for his new home on Thursday. He seems to have made himself at home very quickly and under the watchful eye of his new ginger brother Lux! My pretty little Purple left for her new home today. She is going to a house with a lovely blue solid Tonk called Parker. She loved her new owners when they came to collect her and was purring happily for them. I am sure she will be fine in her new home and we might see her at a cat show soon.

We got to see Teddy at the Wyvern cat show. He did very well winning Best of Breed in the Tonkinese kitten class. Candy got a Merit for the pointed Tonks and also came 1st in two side classes. Not bad considering they are only just old enough! Mimi (Lilyput Jaffa Cake) got her 3rd Premier Certificate so is now a Premier! Well done Lilyput babies!

Yellow is going to her new home next weekend. Her owners are on holiday at the moment, I think they will be very excited next weekend. She is the biggest girl and such a sweetie! Pink has a big week this week. She is off to see a specialist about her eyes tomorrow. We want to make sure that nothing serious is wrong before she leaves for her new home. Not that it slows her down much, I removed her from the curtains today! Monty must have shown her what to do before he left! She races around the house at speed with the others with no problem at all!

Things are much quieter in the house now; it’s going to be a bit weird after Yellow and Pink have left. However, some exciting news in the Lilyput house as we are expecting a new kitten in October. We have a blue tabby girl coming to live with us from Germany. It will be lovely for Candy to have someone her age to grow up with and an exciting new chapter for us. We’re expect them both to have kittens themselves some time in 2015.