Kitten Off to Her New Home!

Koroleva - Russian for "Queen"

With a name like Koroleva I know her new family will spoil her.

Cats were once worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt, something that I don't think they ever forgot.

As of yesterday June 29th, 2014 my little kitty went off to her new home!

Its a little bittersweet, I think that Ziva and I will miss her the most.

Ziva loves the kitten.

Her final weight with me was 1 pound 10 ounces, and we're guessing she's about 6 1/2 - 7 weeks old now. Still a little young to be away from mom (that would be me) but she's become very independent as foster kittens tend to reach milestones quicker than if they were to be with their mother.

 She had become extremely fast, running her way around my house and zipping up and down our stairs.

On top of becoming very independent she also is brave and curious, scared of nothing and chasing anything that moved including my two cats and Dante.

As far as feeding goes, she is eating wet food no problem and even drank water for the first time ever! We've been trying to get her interested in it, but she finally decided to try it out on her own!

First time drinking water!!

I think it helped her to try is by seeing Belle drinking from the water dish.

She went back for more the rest of the day!

And as you can see she's gotten much bigger!

Having a kitten was a wonderful experience, and a lot of work. Don't let anyone fool you, babies are work. Fun work, but work nonetheless. Puppies are even more work than kittens, they grow slower and aren't considered an adult until 2 or three years old depending on their breed.

Its nice having a quiet house back, Merlot hated the kitten and he's been very loving since she left. Its also nice not having to chase her out of things that she would get into.

But I already miss the little patter of her feet running around on our hard wood floors, on a good note she's living with some great friends of mine and i'll still get to see her!

We owe Koroleva a big thanks, she helped Ziva conquer her prey drive! Check out that story here. I'm curious if overtime she will remember Ziva. We plan on letting Ziva visit her.

Dogs have an incredible scent memory, cats though? I'm not sure...I know Ziva will remember her.

Wonderful Experience for everyone involved.

She's gotten so big!

Some pictures from her new family.

Kitten Update 6 Weeks Old!

Preparing Her for a New Home.

Well sad to say but this is it..the last week that I will have this pretty little baby. She will be transitioning to her new family this weekend.

We are all going to miss her, Ziva too!

Snuggle buddies, Ziva will miss her kitten.

She's been fun! As of 6/23/14 kitten weighs 1 pound 6.7 ounces.

Here's what she's been up to:

• Still not drinking water straight.
• lapping up watered down food just fine though! We're getting closer!
• No longer drinking milk.
• Steady diet of wet cat food slightly watered down into a gruel like consistency.
• Introduced kibbles into her wet food, sometimes she spits them out - sometimes she eats them.
• She can now sprint up and down our stairs.
• She can launch her way partly up onto the couch, grab a hold, and pull herself up the rest of the way.
• Likes to chase feet, and string.
• Loves paper bags and paper towel tubes.
• Loyally using her litter box!

Currently she has a little bit of feline acne, this is most likely due to the wet food - if their face is not well cleaned after eating then the oils in the food can clog her little pores.

Feline acne can also be caused by dirty dishes or plastic dishes, but we keep hers clean and it's ceramic so I'm pretty sure its just the food. In the mean time i'm back to washing her face, and it should go away with regular cleaning and after switching to kibbles.

Ziva's kitten

Kitten loves playing with Ziva's collar.

Dante hoping for a chance to lick the bowl.

Preparing a Home for your New Kitten

Environment is Important

Inspired by upcoming events I thought I would put together a fun list of things you should consider getting before bringing home a fuzzy fur-baby (kitten specifically).

Most kittens are potty trained by 8 weeks and should not be separated from their mother or siblings before this time - if offered a younger kitten decline for the sake of the baby if you can help it. They are still learning to socialize and take cues from their mother and siblings, you also don't want to cause undue stress issues with you new family member.

Things you will need:

• Cat Carrier - for emergencies, transportation, and vet visits.
• Personally I do not like the soft carriers, the hard ones are a much safer option for your pet, they are also sturdier and easy to clean. Here is a great article about picking out a good one!
• Larger is not necessarily better. If the carrier is too big then its awkward for you to carry and the cat ends up being bumped and slid around inside. Cats also feel safer when their back is up against something.
• The carrier should typically be one and a half times the size of your cat.

• Litter box  - covered or non-covered it's your choice!

• Keep in mind if you want one with a door you may need to introduce it in steps.
• First step - uncovered
• Second - place lid on top (no door)
• Third - add door slightly closed so that they learn to push it open
• Each step will take about a week, don't rush it! Or you'll have accidents.

• I recommend a good stain & odor remover - sometimes kittens forget where their litter box is and you don't want them picking a corner of your room thus it is important to remove their urine scent in its entirety. I use: Nature's Miracle Advanced Formula

• Cat Litter - kittens sometimes ingest litter, do not use clay litter until the kitten is closer to 6-8 months in age. Young kittens learn by digging around and occasionally playing in their box. So stick to something natural. For example I have our kitten on: Nature's Miracle Natural Cat Care Litter its a corn based litter, dust free, and forms gentle clumps but won't harm your kitten if accidentally ingested.

• Cat Tree or Scratching Post  

• Cat Bed or Blanket - you want them to have a spot that is designated as theirs that is warm and cozy, kittens can get cold easy.

• Water and Food Dishes - always use stainless steel or ceramic, many cats have plastic allergies and develop cat acne on their faces from plastic dishes, plastic also hold in germs due to its porous nature.

• Toys! - Every cat enjoys something different have fun getting to know your little buddy!

• Good Food - See my previous post for picking out a food.

• Flea Medication - only use vet approved meds!
• Frontline
• Advantage
• & Activyl   are all safe to use on cats/dogs

It's important to use only vet approved flea medications, many store bought ones although less expensive are not safe to use on your pets. 

Hartz - is extremely unsafe! Many animals have been put into the emergency room with seizures and vomiting after having been medicated with Hartz.

If you must bathe your pet (most cats unless extremely dirty do not need bathes) use preferably an all natural and gently shampoo. Shampoo will kill fleas and make them easier for you to pick off of your animal, store bought flea shampoos are an unnecessary expense and you should always talk to your vet before using such a product on your pet or kitten.

Remember kittens are almost always born with worms and many also have ear mites. Your veterinarian can confirm these parasites in your kitten and can treat them for you or instruct you to a safe over the counter drug you can purchase at a local pet store (always check with your vet first!) just because it is sold in a pet store does not make it a safe product.

Kittens must be at least 8 weeks old to be de-wormed or given medication for ear mites, if you kitten has a bad infestation call your vet for approval to do it early.

*Ear mites are extremely contagious to other animals in the house (not humans) if your kitten has ear mites your whole furry family must also be treated.*

Kitten Update - 5 Weeks old!

  

Time is Getting Short

I am going to miss this little rascal once she's gone...

On a good note, she's going to some very dear friends of mine and I know they will care for her well! She'll be spoiled and loved and that's all I've wanted for her from the beginning. 

As of June 18th, 2014 my little baby weighs 1 pound 3.7 ounces!!

She's getting bigger, more adventurous, and extremely curious about new things in her surroundings. She's figured out how to go up and down the stairs at my house, she's loyally using her litter box, scratching on a scratch post I have and she loves playing in paper bags, playing with balls that she can move around, chasing string, and harassing whoever's feet are moving in the area (this includes my dogs).  

Her new routine is:
- Wake up
- Run around like a Thunder Kitten
- Eat
- Run around like a Thunder Kitten
- Get grumpy
- Settle down for a nap/snuggle time

Asleep in my hood

Sleeping with daddy...

Last night she got to meet her soon to be family for the second time, only at her soon-to-be new home! She loved it, she explored all over the house and we quickly determined what needed to be kitty proofed (which wasn't much - hooray!), discussed her feeding routine and types of food/litter as well as toys that she loves.
They will be going kitten shopping for her this weekend, and they are currently working on a name! My little kitty sure was a charmer, she was on her best behavior and snuggled up to her adopting parents.

Asleep on her adopting mama's shoulder.

As far as her development goes - she's about 5 weeks old right now. I'm going to be giving her to her new family in one more week, she's become a strong and healthy kitten - she'll still be a little young but they can finish weaning her and enjoy bonding with her while she's still a baby (she'll be just barely 7 weeks when they get her). My goals for this week is to slowly be introducing water.

Right now she is eating wet food just fine, and losing interest in suckling (I've been offering her the bottle every evening before bedtime). I think that the goat's milk is still a good supplement with its natural fat and vitamins so I will continue to mix it into her food, but I will also begin diluting down milk to try and teach her to lap it up a concept that she doesn't quite grasp yet.

At about 7 weeks her new family will being mixing in a couple dry kibbles into her wet food diet, they will do this slowly for about 2 weeks (depending on how well she takes to the kibbles) until she is on a dry diet all the while leaving out some kibbles to see if she takes interest in them.

Kitten loves her new family!

From what I understand the water drinking will come naturally, you're just supposed to keep fresh water out at all times, and encourage them to drink it by sticking your fingers in it and offering it to the kitten and maybe putting their paw in it (never shove a kittens nose in the water! You want it to always be a good experience). If you believe that your kitten isn't getting enough water in their diet then you should dilute down their food.

At 8 weeks her new family will take her in for her first veterinarian appointment! They will then have her de-wormed (she's still too young right now) and set up dates for her spay surgery & vaccinations.

#kitten #cats #kittencare

Cherry Jubilee!

Cherries Everywhere

It's that glorious time of year where the cherry trees are hanging with ripe fruit! My parent's tree being no exception. #Cherries

For father's day we spent a lovely afternoon with my family, and discovered they had a ton of yummy cherries. More cherries in fact than they knew what to do with! Well...not to let good fruit go to waste my hubby excitedly grabbed a ladder and started picking. Next thing you know with the help of my mom and I we had about 5 gallon size bags full of cherries! And their was still more to be picked! ---Sadly we were out of time..

Rainier Cherries - I borrowed this picture.

I'm pretty sure the cherry tree that my parents have produces Rainier Cherries.

Rainier Cherries - Rainier Cherries are a cross between a Bing and a Van cherry (both are sweet varieties). Turns out Rainier Cherries one of the most expensive varieties, and are known as the 'Princess' of all cherries. They are sweet to taste and have a particular yellow tinge to them. Further research shows that they are extremely difficult to deal with as the fruit tends to be rather delicate and bruise easily with a short season from June to July. #RanierCherries 

Next stop: to the fridge! We ran out of time on Sunday and had to deal with the cherries after work on Monday.

The Type of Pitter we used.

I learned that we made a mistake in picking out cherries. You are supposed to leave the stems on, once the stems are removed the cherry accelerates in its ripening and ultimately its demise. The stems also help when you are using a cherry pitter. The pitter that my mom let us borrow can pit the cherry from any direction but it is much more efficient if you put the stem in the stem slot and pop out the pit through the top as its designed.

My wonderful hubby was in charge of washing and pitting cherries while I prepped dough to make pie!

Step 1: Wash the cherries in nice cold water - a tiny bit of lemon in their soaking water will help them to not brown as quickly.

Step 2: Pit the cherries into a dish so that they may begin to dry.

My Wonderful Husband Hard at Work.

I love a man who can work in the kitchen!

You can't possibly not make a cherry pie with so many cherries! Speaking of which we decided that the first order of business would be to get them all in the freezer for preservation.

Cherry Hand Pies

What we really want to do is soak them in vodka with a whole vanilla bean thus making our very own vanilla cherry vodka! - Being out of vodka at the moment they need to go in the freezer until we have the ingredients and jars ready. - We made vanilla cherry vodka last year and it was amazing! 

Some of the cherries we are leaving out so that I can make pies.

After searching for the perfect recipe here is what I settled on: Cherry Hand Pies (click title for the recipes) & Homemade Cherry Pie Filling which I put into a pre-made frozen dough pie crust. #Cooking  #Recipes

Mine didn't turn out quite as pretty as the recipe's picture however they made up for it in amazing taste!!

My bounty! I made hand pies and a traditional cherry pie!

Step 3: Once the cherries have somewhat air dried. Take a baking sheet and put parchment paper on top, and then place the cherries on top of the parchment paper. I did two layers with parchment paper between each layer, and place in the freezer.

Step 4: Once frozen transfer to freezer gallon bags or other freezer acceptable storage containers. The cherries will be good for about 1 year!

Pitted and Ready to Freeze!

Yumm! Homemade Cherry Pie!

The Bean Wall II

We Have Snow Peas!

The garden harvesting has begun! I have strawberries, snow peas, basil, and cilantro so far!

My favorite way to eat snow peas (besides fresh of course!) is to have them in a yummy stir fry.

Like this recipe for example:  Gingered Stir Fry with Shrimp and Snow Peas...yumm!!

Anything to do with shrimp and i'm all for it! 

And as you can see my bean wall has gotten much taller and thicker!

It's very pretty and the birds love it. So far my dogs have been great at leaving it alone.

Its a really neat visually to have a wall of beans along one side of our deck.

Hopefully coming up soon we'll have tomatoes! My fall patch is doing well too, this group includes zucchini, pumpkin, and acorn squash.

Kitten Hard at Work

I'm Working, Honest...

As you can see..we're hard at work in the office today!

She won't stay under my desk very well anymore so i'm having to watch where I walk to make sure I don't step on her.

On a good note my boss is finding hilarity in the fact that we have a kitten in the office and she's potty trained and leaving the cords alone. All good things in his book.

Hopefully by the end of next week her feedings will be spaced out enough that I can start leaving her at home during the day, but we'll see. In the meantime i'm really enjoying having a little office buddy, it makes me wish I could work from home and enjoy doggy time too!

This morning we had a little mini adventure, my mom wanted to meet the kitten while she is still tiny so we visited my mom at her office today and everyone got to meet her. And of course she was charming!

She then proceeded to wail once I had to put her back in the crate for the car ride. Aside from getting grumpy about being put away, car rides don't seem to bother her like they do most cats.

Office Nap Time

Kitten Update - 4 Weeks old!

Warning: Baby at Play

June 12th, 2014

She weighs 1 pound 1.4 ounces!! She's getting so big!  

She is potty trained 100% and hasn't had any accidents for 2 weeks now! We're still working on weaning her which is going really well. She still isn't interested in gruel but she likes her warm wet kitten food. We're feeding her Blue Buffalo Wilderness canned kitten food, it has no chicken by products, artificial preservatives, corn, wheat or soy.

Hopefully this weekend we can get her interested in drinking milk from a bowl - a concept she hasn't grasped up to this point. Once she is drinking her goats milk from a dish then we can start introducing her to water.

* One thing to keep in mind is we are starting her pretty young so she may not be up for a dish yet. Most moms don't start weaning until they are closer to 8 weeks and we're guessing her to be about 4 weeks old at this point. We're starting early because we want to make sure she gets enough nutrition for her growing body.

Also the heat was getting unbearable in our bedroom where we were originally keeping her. My hubby and I decided that we needed to put our A/C back on in order to sleep better, since she is now eating every 4.5 hours at night we decided she'd be ok in our guest bedroom which is much warmer. She is still tiny enough that she can't regulate her temperature very well and needs to be kept warm around 90 degrees preferably. 

Peek-a-boo! Exploring her new room!

Our guestroom is the perfect nursery room for her! I was able to pick up all cords so that she won't chew on them, its carpeted and will keep her feet warm while she explores, it has great natural light, its warm, and not so big that she can get lost! 

Because she is getting more active I want to allow her to explore more, exercise, and experience some independence. The guestroom is great for this because I can let her roam free without fear of our 2 cats or dogs bothering her. 

Haha! but on that note...Dante my big boy is still scared of her, and Ziva is doing great with her! As for my two cats I think only Merlot would be a potential problem. Because she has a fragile immune system and is currently un-vaccinated we can't allow the cats to socialize but they've seen each other and Merlot made it very clear that she is an unwelcome guest.

She's getting brave!

Loves her new freedom.

Kitten June 9th, 2014

She's Getting Feisty!

Her activity level keeps increasing! Today at work has been interesting, she's taken to exploring the office rather than staying under my desk as was my initial intention....Shhhh don't tell my boss! Haha  He's still being a good sport but I don't know how far I can push my luck bringing her in. 

On a good note, we haven't had any accidents since last week! And that one was my fault, she didn't go potty before I put her in her crate, then on the car ride home she started howling! I knew she had to go but their was no where to pull over, so she wet the bed and it was my fault. I try really hard to make sure she goes potty before we go anywhere but it just can't be helped at all times.

Here we are snuggling on the couch, she's between Ziva and myself. Poor Dante has decided that the kitten is the scariest thing in the whole world! He avoids her at all costs, poor dog.

Ziva isn't so sure what to think about her, she has a strong prey drive that we've been working on. At this point she'll stare and whine a little but I don't think she'd try to hurt the kitten. It's funny though because she's great with cats! She's met my mom's cats, my girlfriends' cats, and lives with my two indoor cats (maybe she thinks the kitten is more squirrel than cat...she loves to chase squirrels).

Snuggled up next to Ziva's warm butt.

My two cats are doing much better with her as well, we still don't allow them to socialize. The kitten isn't up to date on any shots yet because she is still to young. I don't think that anything could be passed between all the cats but its better safe than sorry, the dogs are fine though. My vet informed me that dogs and cats don't typically share stuff.  

She's still on goats milk, we're having a tough time transitioning her to wet cat food. Anything in a dish isn't interesting to her yet. So we'll just have to be patient.

Here's a funny video, she's starting to pounce and try to jump. It's pretty funny when she does though, her walk is also getting really fast and she's starting to climb on top of things and she's getting really adventurous.

Becoming interested in playing with objects.

Cat Diets

Cats are Carnivores.

Unlike dogs who are omnivores, cats require a diet high in protein and amino acids. It is possible to feed a puppy too much protein. If you feed a puppy a diet high in protein at a young age you can cause the puppy to have a fast growth spurt that results in skeletal disorders, rapid growth is bad for their development so is overfeeding. #CatFood 

Cat diet requirements are different from dogs - "Well duh!" you might say, but some people don't really understand what this means.

• Cat's require higher protein contents than dogs because they are a true carnivore. 
• "All cats require taurine, an amino acid that is important for normal heart function, vision and reproduction. Although most mammals can make taurine from other amino acids in the body, cats cannot. Since taurine is found only in animal-based protein, all cats need meat-based diets to meet their nutritional requirements." (ASPCA Cat Care)
• Cats vary in their personal activity levels. For this reason free feeding can be ok for your cat.
• Unlike dogs, most cats are good at monitoring the amount of food that they need. Free feeding cats is ok for some, it is your job however to monitor that they aren't over-eating which can lead to obesity and other health problems.
• Free feeding is only ok if you're feeding your cat dry food which unlike wet food will not spoil.
• Cats should not be fed Cow's milk.
• Cats do not possess high amounts of lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. Milk based products can cause vomiting and diarrhea problems in your pet.
• Goats milk is a healthy alternative for kittens rather than feeding them formula.

How do you pick out a good food?

Not all proteins are created equal, a safe way to pick a cat food out is to choose a company with a good reputation but this doesn't mean that the food is good or has quality ingredients.

The first ingredient is most important. All cat and dog foods are required to list their ingredients by order of weight. A healthy cat food will always read a protein like chicken, lamb, or fish (some cats do have fish allergies) as the first two ingredients at least. Reading labels.

One thing to understand is that cats can't easily digest grains, important ingredients to avoid are:

• Corn
• Wheat products
• Soy products
• By-products
• Sugar
• Artificial preservatives
• Food coloring 

These ingredients are simply a carbohydrate overload for your cat and can lead to healthy problems including but not limited to allergies and obesity. If your cat food has any of these ingredients I would choose a different cat food. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom, as these ingredients sometimes will crop up.

Rice is a little different, it is easier to digest than wheat.

Ingredients to Look For:

• Real meat - chicken, lamb, fish
• Whole grains -  brown rice, barley and oats (cats need some fiber in their diet)
• Veggies & Fruit -  these provide essential antioxidants, enzymes, natural vitamins, minerals, and fibers.

Allergies  

It may seem ironic, but many cats are allergic to fish. So watch for the signs! My cat Belle has a fish allergy, her symptoms include:

Belle, is allergic to fish.

• Hive's on her chin (they look like a bunch of little zits)
• Swollen upper or lower lip
• Eye problems - she has experienced cloudiness in her eye before, the vet explained it as some sort of an allergy although we have yet to determine what for this one (it's only happened maybe 3 times in her whole life).

Recommended Brands:

Personally we are a huge fan of Blue Buffalo's Wilderness line of Cat Food.

Other Great Cat Food Brands:  All are grain free, with high protein contents, no artificial flavors or colors added.

• EVO Cat Food 
• CORE Wellness
• Blue Buffalo Wilderness Line - their "Wilderness" line is gluten free, and has less carbs and a higher protein content than their regular line. 
• Natural Balance Ultra
• Natural Balance Grain Free
• Canidae - Felidae Cat Food

My two adult cats are on Blue Buffalo's Wilderness cat food. The kitten will also be placed on Blue Buffalo Wilderness once she is eating solid food. Each line has a diet to make your kitty happy, knowing my cat is allergic to fish we stick to the chicken and rice formula (it has fish meal in it but this doesn't seem to bother her, the salmon formula however was a disaster!).

Your cat will thank you! Feeding your animals a healthy diet will make them live longer, happier healthier lives. Their skin will be happy, and their coats glossy and soft.

Belle age 3 1/2 

Merlot - 4 1/2 years old

Other Sources:  

kitten protein req.
#Cats #PetFood #Kitten

Kitten June 6th, 2014

I Call Her Baby.

I keep reminding myself that we aren't keeping the baby, and yes that is how I now refer to her, "the baby". I would love to keep her but I just think that 3 cats and 2 dogs is too many animals in our house...its more cleaning mostly, and more fur during shedding season.

Cat's aren't that expensive, we feed our cats a high quality diet of Blue Buffalo Wilderness, its like $42 or so a bag and lasts 3-4 months between our two cats. If you set aside $20 each month then you'll be covering future litter costs, and once a year vet visits. The initial cost of owning a kitten is a bit higher, being a kitten you have your spay/neuter costs that are I think around $200, plus initial vet exam and vaccination costs - this is why I like adopting animals. If you adopt then you are paying for about what went into getting the kitten up to date on shots and the spay/neuter fee, rather then shelling out $1000+ for some designer animal.

Spending literally every waking moment with my little baby has led to quite the bond, I can't wait for her to go a little longer between feedings (I miss sleeping) but on a good note she's just so sweet and incredibly fun to have around. She's a great snuggler, and is getting playful. My only hope is to find her a great home that will love and cherish her as much as I do, she deserves to live the spoiled and pampered life of a cozy house cat.

As of last night she now weighs 13.4 ounces, 16 ounces = 1 pound she's getting bigger!

Starting this evening we're going to be attempting once again to get her interested in wet food, keep in mind I haven't done this before so we'll change it as we go if necessary.

Step 1. Introduce her current diet of goats milk to her on a plate, this way she learns to lap it up.

Step 2. Introduce her once again to gruel (mixture of wet food and milk) while offering water in a dish as well. You can't introduce a new diet to quickly or you can cause tummy problems and diarrhea which can lead to dehydration and other nasty issues.

Step 3. Slowly decrease the amount of milk given.

The idea is that you slowly decrease the milk content while increasing the wet food, after a week or two she can be completely transitioned over. 

Don't rush the kitten, and watch their poo consistency for diarrhea in which case you'll need to call the vet. The key is Patience, Patience, Patience and persistence. Here is one website I have been reading about it. 

Kitten Update June 5th, 2014

"Feed the Baby!"

Do you remember the old show called, "Dinosaurs"? Their was a baby on their whose phrase was, "feed the baby!" and "not the mama!"

I am reminded of this show because of how loud my little baby is getting! She knows me, and sometimes i'm the only one who can get her to quiet down. Her lungs are developing just fine, on that note though so is her purr! She has a great little motor. But just like every other baby their is a lot of wailing involved when she's hungry or if she has to go potty.

She is now capable of going potty on her own without any stimulation, but likes to cry a bit before actually using the litter box. I guess she just wants to inform me that she's doing her job.  

We're still working on introducing wet kitten food, last night my husband had the idea to smear a minute amount on a large plate so that she would have to lick it up instead of snorting it up her nose, that kind of worked but she wasn't very interested. So last night I hit the internet in search of other techniques, her little teeth have come in and are getting rather sharp!

Wonderful little snuggle baby.

How big is she?

Well I need to weigh her and will do that this evening but here is where she is in growth:

• Full sense of smell - she knows right where the bottle is! And recognizes my scent and voice.
• Eyes are becoming a more pronounced blue rather than dark blue.
• Can potty on her own.
• Grooming herself.
• Loud purr developing.
• Nearly full set of teeth are in.
• Walking - although still a bit wobbly.
• Speed walking
• Beginning to climb things.
• Starting to explore more of her surroundings.
• Playing with fingers - not quite following objects though.
• Still must be kept quite warm or she can catch cold and develop pneumonia. 

According to About.com she is approximately 3 1/2 weeks old.

She still must be fed every 3 hours, on a good note she is sleeping more soundly at night and we are getting 4 hour stretches of sleep in sometimes. Because of this I have to take her everywhere still, this means school (my professor was a good sport thankfully), and work (this baby owes my boss a big thank you!) after she is grown I think I'll bake him a cake to take home as a thank you.

Sleeping under my desk.

She's starting to get super active in between meals, and developing a rather feisty personality!

She likes to chew on fingers, this is a bad habit but since she doesn't have litter mates to play with we're being kind of lenient..

Look at how tiny she is! Barely bigger than my coffee cup.  :-)



Her new setup is a small crate, we have the heating pad located under the towel that she sleeps on. We switched her to the tiny cat travel crate because it gives her a bit more room if she decides to move around, it closes better than the duffel bag (I didn't like the idea of zipping her in even though its breathable), and I can open the gate so that she can get to her litter box on her own.

Peek-a-boo!

So far the new setup is working great! She's staying plenty warm and it is making the car travel much easier on us both.

So far she doesn't mind being in the car, this could change as she gets older although its possible she could get used to it too.

New Feeding Idea:
Starting this weekend, probably Friday night we're going to attempt a new way to teach her to eat from a bowl. One blog suggested putting her milk that she is already used to drinking (only from a bottle) in a shallow bowl, she'll recognize the scent and associate it with feeding time. Instead of using a bowl though we're going to try putting just a tiny puddle on a plate for her to lap up, keep it really shallow so that she can't plunger her whole face in again (she has no sense of depth yet), and hopefully she won't inhale it too badly.

Sweet baby.