Noodle's Kittens  

6/2/09 - Noodle started having her kittens at ten minutes past midnight this morning and finished at 5.30am.  She's had SIX beautiful kittens!:-))))     Frodo is the sire of these kittens - see his page on this site.   If owners would like a claw clipping demonstration when they come, please tell us a week before, so we can make sure we've got a cat around who has claws long enough to demonstrate on.

Note to all owners - Just in case there is any confusion - this is the cat food to buy, and this is the cheapest that we've found it: http://www.k9capers.com/shop/proddetail.asp?prod=548 

If anyone is unsure of the type of nail clipper this is what you're looking for: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pet-Guillotine-nail-trimmer_W0QQitemZ250398621575QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs?hash=item250398621575&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 The 'Classic' guillotine ones look the same as the Safari ones we use, but we don't recommend the Mikki ones.

Can we just remind people coming to collect kittens to please come in clothing that hasn't been in contact with other cats since washing.  Many thanks:-)

We've just received a letter from Petplan to inform us that they are stopping the 6 weeks free insurance and doing 4 weeks free instead.  They will still offer you insurance to carry on from that date though.

 

The first picture.  Noodle is very happy with her new babies:-)))) 

These kittens are all booked.

Merrydancer  Gem -  Blue  Female (the first pictures are taken shortly after birth)

Gem, one week old.

Gem, two weeks old.  She has her eyes open more than some of them at the moment.

Gem, three weeks old.

Gem, four weeks old.

Gem, five weeks old.

Gem, six weeks old.

Gem, seven weeks old.

Gem, eight weeks old.

Gem, nine weeks old.

Gem, ten weeks old.

Gem, eleven weeks old.

Gem, twelve weeks old.

 
Merrydancer  Glen - Usual Male

Glen, one week old.

Glen, two weeks old.  See how his back looks much lighter than some of the other Usuals here, and watch over the coming weeks how it darkens so he looks like them as the spine line comes in.

Glen, three weeks old.

Glen, four weeks old.

Glen, five weeks old.  You can see where the dark ticking is beginning to come in now.

Glen, six weeks old.

Glen, seven weeks old.

Glen, eight weeks old.

Glen, nine weeks old.

Glen, ten weeks old.

Glen, eleven weeks old.  (He looks SO grown up here!)

Glen, twelve weeks old.

 
Merrydancer Glade -  Usual Female

Glade, one week old.

Glade, two weeks old.

Glade, three weeks old.

Glade, four weeks old.

Glade, five weeks old.

Glade, six weeks old.

Glade, seven weeks old.

Glade, eight weeks old.

Glade, nine weeks old.

Glade, ten weeks old.

Glade, eleven weeks old.  There's nothing wrong with her front left leg - she was just in the process of getting up:-))))

Glade, twelve weeks old.
Merrydancer Garland -  Usual Female

Garland, one week old.

Garland, two weeks old.

Garland, three weeks old.

Garland, four weeks old.

Garland, five weeks old.

Garland, six weeks old.

Garland, seven weeks old.

Garland, eight weeks old.

Garland, nine weeks old.

Garland, ten weeks old.

Garland, eleven weeks old.

Garland, twelve weeks old.
Merrydancer Garth - Usual Male

Garth, one week old.

Garth, two weeks old.  You can see how his left eye is beginning to open - they start from the inner corner.

Garth, three weeks old.

Garth, four weeks old.

Garth, five weeks old.  This is my favourite picture of the week - I just love the symmetry of it with his legs and tail.

Garth, six weeks old.

Garth, seven weeks old.

Garth, eight weeks old.

Garth, nine weeks old.

Garth, ten weeks old.

Garth, eleven weeks old.

Garth, twelve weeks old.
Merrydancer  Gilia (LuckyOne) - Usual Female

We feel that this little girl was very lucky.  Hence the addition to her name.  When she was born she came out in the sack, but it was unattached to the placenta.  Obviously towards the end of the labour, the cord had been failing, but it held on long enough.  When she came out, in the sack, she was struggling to get out, to breathe and we quickly broke the sack so she could take her first breath.  Bless her, she was very vigorous and is gaining weight nicely so hasn't suffered from this at all.  She is slightly smaller (but still a very good weight!) than the others, and this again makes me think the cord was failing towards the end of the pregnancy.  We're just so pleased that it held on long enough.  She's a very special little girl.

Gilia, one week old.

Gilia, two weeks old.  Like Garth, you can see where her left eye is beginning to open more, from the inner corner.

Gilia, three weeks old.

Gilia, four weeks old.

Gilia, five weeks old.

Gilia, six weeks old.

Gilia, seven weeks old.  It's a good job there is a different background - it looks as though she's not moved since last week:-)))

Gilia, eight weeks old.  We'll try to remember to get one of her in a different position next week!:-)))

Gilia, nine weeks old.  I don't believe it!  I discarded the other pictures in favour of this one, only to find that she was in the same position as the last three weeks!  I promise there is nothing wrong with her right side LOL!

Gilia, ten weeks old.

Gilia, eleven weeks old.

Gilia, twelve weeks old.

Diary:

The birth of the kittens took a bit longer than we expected - 5 and a half hours, but Noodle did very well and she's a lovely mum.  The kittens are all doing well too.  They are a noisy lot and squabble over nipples (which tends to happen when you get more than four kittens in a litter), but one of them will start at one end, go along underneath all of the others who are attached to a nipple each, and knock them all off with his head, and then when he's reached the other end he goes to sleep, leaving a trail of chaos behind him:-))))

8.2.09 - We've finally sexed the kittens now.  One was wrong that we'd got up on the site, so there are now 4 females and 2 males.  There is now a 'Garland' female rather than the male we thought that kitten was.  The kittens are doing VERY well and putting on lots of weight and growth already.  As soon as Indie has her kittens we'll start sorting out who has what kittens - we're aware of preferences and will do our best to make sure everyone gets the kittens they like best:-)))

10.2.09 - The kittens are all looking really chubby with fat little tummies now:-))))  They're all feeding really well and are at the stage now where they roll onto their backs and struggle to get up the right way again:-)))  They are wandering all over the pen (which is 30 x 30 inches) now, and can find their way back to their mum with no problems at all. 

11.2.09 - Indie's kittens have been born now - see their page Indie's Kittens and we're sorting out who has what kittens as soon as we can, with two possibly going for breeding - one girl and the boy if we think they are good enough:-)))  Noodle's kittens suddenly look HUGE!  It's hard to believe they were the size of Indie's 6 days ago!

12.2.09 - Who was it who said 'the animals went in two by two, hurrah, hurrah':

Noodle came up to see what I was doing:-))))

The first week photos have just gone up.  They've changed so much in just one week.  They are now fat little dumplings:-))))  They still sleep for most of the time.

15.2.09 - The kittens are looking towards us, even though their eyes are still closed, when we talk to them now.  They are the size of large hamsters now:-)))))

17.2.09 - The kittens are beginning to open their eyes now:-))))  They're a very noisy lot (probably something to do with being six in a litter!) and when they can't get on a nipple they want, they YELL!

19.2.09 - We've just done the 'two weeks old' photos.  The time passes SO quickly when we think we've only got them for 13 weeks.  They develop so quickly!  They are all doing very well.  They sound like seagulls now, rather than squeaky doors when they make a noise.  They're starting to walk towards us when we go and sit with them and talk to them now.  They aren't as big as they look in the pictures - because the camera takes every detail so well, it always makes kittens look bigger than they actually are:-)))

20.2.09 - The kittens have got to the stage where they are very photogenic:

You can see that they are happily stepping out of the pen when we take the front off now, and they climb on to our laps with a bit of help.  I've no idea which kitten is which in these photos, apart from Gem, the blue girl.  We can only tell them apart by  seeing what sex they are, and what weights they are and comparing different markings with each other.  They will be slightly easier to tell apart as they get older though.

21.2.09 - The kittens are all at the stage of walking rather than crawling now, but they are very precarious and wobble from side to side and their back legs aren't co-ordinated with their front legs yet, so they look very funny:-)))

23.2.09 - It's funny how the kittens are aware of each other now, and tap each other.  They look so cute as they wash their little paws and faces now, and play with their toes LOL!

24.2.09 - Noodle decided that her kittens needed to play with Indie's kittens and one by one moved them all over to Indie's pen and this was the result (to see another picture look on Indie's kittens page):

25.2.09 - Two of Noodles kittens have had their first taste of kitten food.  I put some Hilife Kitten on my fingers and two licked it off:-))))  It's time now for them to be able to get out of the pen and into a litter tray if they start to be able to control their bowels and bladder, so we'll have to soon put the large heatpad on the carpet and they'll settle on that and go to the tray when they want it.

26.2.09 - The three week old pictures have just been put up:-))))   The kittens are all doing very well and developing beautifully.  They'll have their first claw clipping done today because they're getting quite sharp now.  I'll send pictures out to owners later today.

We've just put some finely chopped freshly cooked warm chicken breast down for the kittens and five of them loved it.  The other one won't be far behind.  Usually it's just a couple that like it at first, but we were amazed at so many of them tucking in already.  Noodle and Indie, who were watching, were astonished and somewhat concerned as the pile of chicken got smaller and smaller (we were giving them some too but they knew they would get what was left as well).

1.3.09 - We've moved all the kittens (and of course their mums) into the kitten room now.  Noodle's kittens were wanting to explore more and more and Indie's kittens weren't far behind, and they've settled very well in there.  The room is in the centre of our home and we removed the proper door and put up a wire mesh door, with a perspex sheet at the bottom, and they can now see our other cats and the other cats can see them, so it's a way of a gentle introduction before they start meeting the others properly.  We still go and sit with them and spend plenty of time with them.  The two litters are fully integrated now and Indie and Noodle feed whoever is wanting to be fed.  Noodle's kittens are eating solid food as well.  This morning we put down Hilife Kitten and also some freshly cooked chicken, and they ate both.  They walk through the dishes of water now, paddling as they go:-))))  They're at the stage of not walking round anything but just in a straight line, straight through it.  They are very playful now, playing with each others' ears and tails etc.  One of Noodle's kittens was trying to use the litter tray today.  Her litter was amazingly good last time too, with not one single accident.  They were practising using the tray before they even had control of their bowels and bladders.

2.3.09 - The kittens are developing so quickly now!  When we opened the kitten room door this morning one of the kittens trotted down the hall, came face to face with Teddy, one of our Ocicats, wasn't concerned at all, just keen to explore:-)))))  This is another reason why it works so well with our kitten room - they can see outside of it and are interested to see further.  It seems to expand their horizons.  Noodle's Kitten owners - do keep an eye on Indie's kittens Diary too, because I don't like to repeat some of the things that apply to both litters on both pages, so I put some on this page and some on Indie's kittens page too.

5.3.09 - The four week old pictures have just gone up.  We had a slight problem with the camera - one of the settings had somehow been altered, but we've sorted it now (with the help of the instruction book) so are getting clear pictures again:-))))  It's so sweet when we go into the kitten room and they run towards us to be picked up:-)))

6.3.09 - It was absolutely amazing this morning.  When I got up, came out of the bedroom and got to the kittens' room 10 little kittens ran towards the door, squealing, for me to go in and pick them up:-))))  They are such a joy!  There are several trying to use the litter trays now, raking round in them and squatting but wondering why nothing is happening.  It won't be long before they can manage to use them.

7.3.09 - All of the kittens have just eaten some chicken breast.  Garland made us laugh so much.  She was the first to tuck in, and then as others joined her, she slapped her paw down saying 'this is mine' and gradually as more and more joined in she got further and further on to the middle of the plate, claiming the lot LOL!  Don't worry, we did make sure everyone had their share and as much as they wanted, including Garland LOL!  This is normal behaviour with kittens when they start really getting into solid food:-))))

8.3.09 - Yesterday the kittens came in the lounge for a time of exploration and today they came in the kitchen for about half an hour.  We gave them some fish in there, which they all enjoyed.  They would happily have stayed longer, but Noodle was anxious for them to be back in the kitten room, so we put them back because we didn't want her to get stressed out with them being out.  We always let the mums guide us to some extent on how long the kittens are allowed 'out' for:-))))

9.3.09 - Noodle's kittens are managing to use the litter trays now.  They've been trying for a while, but obviously couldn't quite understand how to control their bladder and bowels, but now they are managing to do it.  Garth makes us laugh a lot.  Every time the mums come out of the room he wants to come out too (and Noodle won't allow them out too much) so as the door is open he trots out along the hall, or into the dining room opposite.  He had another ploy this morning.  As Derek was vacuuming in the kitten room he got on the vacuum cleaner and thought he'd manage to get wheeled out on it and we wouldn't notice LOL!

10.3.09 - The most difficult part at the moment is when I go into the kitten room to sit with them, they've got onto the backs of my legs while I'm still on my knees, before I've turned round to sit on the floor LOL!  So I have to get them off and sit quickly before more get on the backs of my legs:-))))  The kittens are enjoying coming out and exploring but the mums are still anxious - not ready to loosen the apron strings yet, and after 20 minutes Noodle is wailing for them to be taken back into the kitten room.  We manage to prolong it for another 10 minutes by distracting her, feeding her with treats of chicken or fish, and she'll gradually relax allowing them out for longer and longer:-))))   It's a bit like mums of children saying 'be home by ......'

12.3.09 - We've just done the five week old pictures.   The kittens are all developing beautifully and the dark ticking is beginning to come in now.

14.3.09 - The kittens are beginning to get to the 'thug stage' now, where they love to chew each other's tails, ears, and anything they can get hold of.  This is all a normal part of development of the kittens, but it's lovely when they grow out of it:-)))))  They never actually hurt each other, but we do clip their claws every week to avoid eye injuries.

19.3.09 - The six week old pictures have just been done.  The kittens are changing so much at this age, with the dark ticking coming in, that we have difficulty in knowing who is who and rely on their weights to some degree, to confirm we've got the right ones:-)))

22.3.09 - The cats and kittens have thoroughly enjoyed lots of visitors this weekend.  They've slept on all sorts of laps and played with lots of different people, having wonderful fun.

26.3.09 - The seven week old pictures have just gone up.  The kittens are all great characters and constantly make us laugh doing funny things.  They are at the 'thug' stage now and one was chewing my toes a couple of days ago and then when another came up to have a chew the first one slapped his paw on it, much as to say 'that's MY toy', totally ignoring me when I said 'ouch!'.  They do grow out of this stage though:-))))

1.4.09 - As I've said on 'Indie's Kittens' page, the kittens refused the Hilife Kitten food so in desperation we put them on Felix As Good As It Looks, and they are doing remarkably well on it, all gaining huge amounts of weight (because they like it so much!).  In fact, they are eating so much of it that we've stopped the usual meals of chicken daily and they are just having that as an occasional treat now (chicken and fish should only form a quarter of a cat's daily diet because kitten/cat food is better balanced to include enough calcium and taurine, which cooked meat or fish on it's own doesn't.  We are getting through huge amounts of As Good As It Looks Kitten every day, but so long as it's working well, that's fine.  They are also eating Royal Canine Babycat and enjoying that too.  (Do keep an eye on Indie's Kittens' page for extra info too).  The kittens are all enjoying having the run of our home for periods now.  We've just put the '8 week old' pictures up, and we'll send them out to owners tomorrow:-))))

4.4.09 - This will give many of you a laugh.  We ordered £50's worth of As Good As It Looks, that will arrive on Monday.  The kittens have  now decided they really do like Hilife Kitten, after all LOL!  Nevermind - they'll get both of them and I'm sure it won't take long for them to eat through that lot:-)))  I got the little 'dorm tote' pop up mesh thingy (http://www.handylaundry.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=43&item=Dorm-Shower-Caddy)  out for them today and they think that's great.  I'm asking a friend in the USA if she can send some over because the companies there want to charge between £50 and £60 just for postage and packing.  The actual product is very cheap!  But they have a wonderful time with them.  I cut the handle off so they can't get it stuck round their necks, and they play in it, over it and round it.  The 'old favourite' - the 'bird on a wire' is a much loved toy with these litters as with our other cats - http://www.metpet.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/birds.html - they will send these to the UK if you email them and the cost of postage is very cheap.

8.4.09 - The nine week old pictures have just gone up.  The kittens are going for their first vaccination and health check next Tuesday - I can't believe it's come round already!  They all look absolutely beautiful and I know the vet will enjoy seeing them all. 

14.4.09 - Today the kittens all had their first vaccination and health check.  We use Purevax because we believe this to be a safer vaccine and our vet gets it in specially for us.  The kittens were all very good and very brave and are bouncing around just as usual now.

15.4.09 - The 10 week old pictures have just gone up.  The kittens are looking so grown up now!  They are back on the Hilife wet food but are showing a preference for the Hilife Adult rather than the Hilife Kitten.  I prefer them to be on this than the As Good As It Looks Kitten because the percentage of meat of Hilife is 60% whereas in the As Good As It Looks, it's only 4%!  We've used the Hilife Adult before when we couldn't get the Kitten one, and they did very well on it.

16.4.09 - Do keep an eye on the Diary for Indie's Kittens because I sometimes add bits on this one and different bits on that one because what applies to this litter also applies to them, because they are all together.

19.4.09 - I couldn't resist taking this picture today, of some of the kittens asleep on the kitty castle:

23.4.09 - The weekly photos have just been done for this week.  The kittens are beginning to look so grown up now.  They are real terrors when they're put to bed in the kitten room.  We get one in and two run out, but Billy (Dylan) is like a Welsh sheepdog - he tracks them down and keeps them there until we can get there to put them back again but this only works with one at a time.  Some days Derek and I are just left standing their in fits of helpless laughter as the kittens make fools of us, rushing towards us and then darting between our feet - they think it's a brilliant game.

27.4.09 - The kittens are thoroughly enjoying being fussed and roll over, purring, to have their tummies tickled.  We've spent some time over the weekend preparing the paperwork ready for the kittens to leave us.

29.4.09 - The '12 week old' pictures have just been done.   I'll send them out to owners later today or tomorrow.  These will be the last pictures because the kittens are going to their new homes at the end of next week.  The kittens are all having so much fun playing in the cats' garden and the conservatory.  On sunny days that's their favourite place.  They are mixing with all the other cats now except for Billy and Dove.  Noodle doesn't like Dove much  (which is Dove's fault!) and doesn't want her near the kittens and Billy can only be allowed to play with them under supervision because he can be a bit boisterous (he is only a kitten himself and doesn't understand that there is a need to be gentle with those smaller than him:-))).

3.5.09 - A few pictures of some of the kittens:

5.4.09 - All of the kittens have just had their second vaccination and health checks.  The vet remarked how laid back they were.  They are always so relaxed about everything and don't seem to even notice the injection:-)))  This is almost the end of another chapter for us as they will soon be going off to their new homes.  Never forgotten though:-)))  We look forward to receiving pictures and updates from the new owners:-)))