Jasmine's Kittens

For pictures of Jasmine please see her own page on this site.

Jasmine had five beautiful kittens on 5th July, 2007.  The sire of these kittens is Gr Ch. Koperkat Drake Ramoray.  Many thanks to Debbie Dixon for having Jasmine to him.   This is the first picture: 

 And five days later:

 

There is another picture taken on this day in the diary below.

Merrydancer Bae.  Usual boy

Bae, one week old, with one eye open.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old - see how their ears are migrating towards the right position.

Bae, four weeks old.

Five weeks old.

Bae, six weeks old.

Bae, seven weeks old.

Eight weeks old.

Nine weeks old.

Bae, ten weeks old.

Eleven weeks old.

Bae, twelve weeks old.  This will be their last photos taken by us because they'll go to their new homes next weekend.

Merrydancer Beau.  Black silver boy

Beau, one week old.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old

Beau, four weeks old.

Five weeks old.

Beau, six weeks old, with Baillee in the background.

Seven weeks old.

Eight weeks old.

Nine weeks old.

Beau, ten weeks old.

Eleven weeks old.

Beau, twelve weeks old.

Merrydancer Bunty.  Sorrel girl

Bunty, one week old.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old

Bunty, four weeks old.

Five weeks old.

Bunty is the kitten in front in this picture, six weeks old.

Seven weeks old.

Eight weeks old.

Nine weeks old.

Bunty, ten weeks old.

Eleven weeks old.

Bunty, twelve weeks old.  She's not been in the same place for a week, either.

Merrydancer Baillee.  Sorrel girl

Baillee, one week old.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old

Baillee, four weeks old.

Five weeks old.

Baillee, six weeks old.

Seven weeks old.

Eight weeks old.

Nine weeks old.

Baillee, ten weeks old.

Eleven weeks old.

Baillee, twelve weeks old.

Merrydancer Basil.  Sorrel boy.  

Basil, one week old.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old - we tried so many times to get Basil face forward, but he went off in every direction apart from forward.

Basil, four weeks old.

Five weeks old.

Basil, six weeks old.

Seven weeks old.

Eight weeks old.

Nine weeks old.

Basil, ten weeks old.

Eleven weeks old.

Basil, twelve weeks old.  He really has moved since last week's photos LOL!

Diary:

The birth went very well and Jasmine is a wonderful mum!  She is constantly purring and padding into the air with her front paws.  She is absolutely delighted with her babies.  They've been feeding almost continually.

8.7.07 - The kittens are all doing really well, with good weight gains.  We weigh them twice daily.  Baillee and Bunty wiggle their ears while they feed.  Beau is the 'Marco Polo' of the litter and likes to go walkabout in the pen, exploring:-)))  Beau purrs when he suckles.  We also think he's coming to the front of the pen when we sit and talk to them.  Bae puts his head up, as though he's listening, but Beau actually toddles towards us:-)))))))))))))))))  Bae is very funny when he stretches.  He rolls on his back and stretches his 'arms' back, and gives a huge great yawn, but when he wants to get up again he wriggles his little legs in the air and has such a job to turn onto his tummy.  We give a helping hand LOL!

10.7.07 - The kittens are SO photogenic now - just makes me want to keep taking pics of them:-))):

11.7.07 - Baillee is beginning to open one eye and Bae is starting to open two.  There are just little gaps where they are starting to open now:-)))))))))))  The kittens are all doing well and will have doubled their birth weight in the first week.

12.7.07 - All of the kittens are beginning to open their eyes now.  Beau and Bunty walk towards us when we talk to them.  Bae looks towards us, even though he can't see us, as though he's trying to look through his half closed eyes, but it will be a little while before they can actually focus.  Just out of interest to other breeders, the kittening pen is a Snowsilk.  It's all plastic, so can be wiped clean (we wipe it daily when we change the bedding) and it flat packs when not in use.  We've had it for years and years and it still looks like new.  You can see them here: http://www.snowsilk.co.uk/orderdetailskittening.pdf - we have the 30" x 30" one.  Our girls all love it and we never have any problem with them moving kittens about etc.  They are always happy in it.

16.7.07 - The kittens are developing so much more strength now.  They are beginning to sit up like 'proper' kittens, with their front legs straight, supporting them, and their heads up.  Basil sucks his thumb - it's so sweet to see.  We are picking them up frequently now and cuddling and kissing them.  Jasmine is very happy to see us do this:-))) 

18.7.07 - We are now sitting on the floor with the kittens on our laps for a while.  Jasmine is watching carefully (but we don't let them fall off!).  The kittens really like the close contact with us.  Jasmine is a very affectionate cat too, and always purring and very affectionate, and the kittens are obviously going to be the same.

19.7.07 - We've just put the weekly photos up.  They'll normally be done at a weekend though.  The kittens are exactly two weeks old and it's difficult to believe how they can develop from the tiny little mites they were two weeks ago to the cuddly chubby, aware little souls they are now.  All their eyes are open now.  Basil and Bunty were the last to completely open both eyes.

23.7.07 - Over the past few days we've started to take the front off the kitten pen for a short while and the kittens are just beginning to step off the edge of  'their world' on to the carpet outside it.:

They make straight for the nearest person:-))))

The difference in the kittens since the weekly photos were taken last Thursday is huge - they've developed so much!

25.7.07 - As soon as we take the front off the kitten pen and sit on the floor the kittens run over to us as fast as their little legs will carry them.  They try to climb on our laps, but if they can't get enough grip with their claws to get up then we give them a hand:-))))  Jasmine is very happy with them being out of the pen as well.  They play with each other now, tapping each others ears and tails LOL!  They'll have their first claw trim within the next few days, and be offered solid food.

The kittens are so funny!  They've discovered they can RUN, and JUMP LOL!  But they don't realise that their front and back legs need to be co-ordinated, so they'll try and jump with their back legs, but their front legs still walk, so they end up almost doing a somersault.  But they're having great fun practicing this.  Baillee was the first we saw trying to jump, and Basil saw her and thought he'd have a go too, and then that developed into  trying to pounce.  It's so fascinating watching them:-)))

27.7.07 - The kittens now wash their faces and their paws.  They're interested in solid food, but just not sure what to do with it yet.  We'll keep offering it.  They can now climb out of the pen with just the bottom panel on, so overnight we're putting the top panel on as well, to make sure they're safe.  Time for them to go in the kitten room now, where they can explore the whole room all the time.  The mesh door to the room, which is central in our home, will mean that they can see the other cats and see and hear the comings and goings for a couple of days before we let them out into the lounge for short periods as they begin their integration with the others.

28.7.07 - Four out of five kittens have tucked into their first meal.  We tried them on finely chopped up fish today and they loved it.  The fifth one will soon enjoy it too.  Usually there is just one, or maybe two who start eating first, but this time four tucked in.  They have Royal Canin Babycat left down all the time, as well as fresh water as well.  They are starting to play with toys now.  Basil was having a lovely time playing with a little plastic ball with a bell in it:-))))

1.8.07 - The kittens are really enjoying coming in the lounge now.  They run around everywhere, investigating different toys and climbing on us.

2.8.07 - Today the kittens ran out of the kitten room when we opened the door for Jasmine to come out, and they met Ozzie (Ocicat) and Teddy (Ocicat) and Noodle.  They're very keen to keep coming out now.  They can climb to the top layer of their plastic house now:

 

The plastic house has a window on one side, divided into four panes, and Beau hasn't realised that to get out through it he has to put his head and paws all through the same pane.  He sticks his head through a top pane and his legs through a bottom pane and wonders why he can't walk out.  He gives up and comes out through the hole in the front.  I'm sure the penny will drop soon:-))))))))))))) 

8.8.07 - The kittens are all using the litter trays now - they're incredibly good with them.  They are very much enjoying their time out of the kitten room, exploring the other parts of our home, but we don't let them share litter trays with the other cats yet, so they can't be out all of the time until they're a bit older, much as they'd like to.  They love playing with all the toys now.

9.8.07 - For the first time today the kittens started eating Hilife wet kitten food.  Bae especially seemed to enjoy it.

17.8.07 - The kittens are now six weeks old and we managed to get a picture of  them altogether:

19.8.07 - Well, it's no surprise really.  Beau was the most explorative kitten from the moment he was born.  He was the one exploring the rest of the kittening pen first, he was the first one to try and climb out, and now he's the 'escapee' from the kitten room when we put them to bed for a nap or at night.  I think he's going to lead his brother Bae astray when they go to their new home:-))))  Beau likes to explore EVERYWHERE.  If the kittens are awake in the kitten room it will be Beau waiting at the door to say 'LET ME OUT!'.  They are all darlings though.  Very affectionate and playful and wonderful babies.  We are enjoying them so much.

25.8.07 - Now the kittens are developing new tricks daily.  Beau was the first to climb up from the climber in the lounge to the radiator to get to the windowsill, and the others, full of admiration, soon copied him.  They are trying to climb up onto the sofa and chairs now and can almost manage it.  They're leather, so a bit slippery, so there is nothing to hang on to, but they're virtually there.  This morning, for the first time, in the kitten room, one of the girls jumped from the top of the scratcher in there to the worktop and the others gasped in amazement and are now working on it themselves.  She showed them how to do this nine times and they were truly appreciative LOL!  Their legs have grown a lot over the last week, so they're looking taller now:-)))

1.9.07 - The kittens seem to think they are ferrets and try to climb up the insides of trouser legs (while we're wearing the trousers!):-)))  They are so full of fun and energy.  Bae and Basil are eating anything that's given to them, whereas the others are a bit more fussy still, but they are gradually eating more and more.  We put down Royal Canin Babycat milk for them and Baillee in particular loves this.  They are all gaining weight well.

5.9.07 - No room on the top deck:

7.9.07 - The kittens had their first vaccination today.  They were SO good:-))))  They looked around with interest in the vet's surgery and didn't seem to notice the needle going in.

14.9.07 - This week we bought the kittens a nylon pop up laundry basket to play with.  We put it on its' side and prop the 'door' open and they're having a wonderful time jumping in and out of it, bashing each other through the sides and ends of it, jumping on top of it and chasing each other round it.  It's been well worth £3.99!

Bae woke up just as I took this photo of him stretched out on his back in one of the beds:-)))

Bae is about to climb on top of the boat to join Baillee, Bunty is sitting on her haunches boxing with the fish, Basil is just getting out of the boat and Beau is thinking about jumping on the top.

24.9.07 - The kittens had been tearing around for literally three hours, playing, and then, finally, they gave up and went to sleep:-)))))

28.9.07 - Today the kittens went for the second vaccination and health check and they were all very good (and fine).  We've just done the 12 week old photos, which will be the last since most of the kittens are going next weekend.