Pardalis Ocicats

Where does the time go?  The kittens are running around the house, getting under our feet and being gorgeous, furry bundles.  They’re getting lots of visitors, even the neighbours grandkids are getting dragged in to help the socialising.  We’ve got homes for all bar 2 now, both Classic patterned, one girl, one boy.  The girl is a mini-Lexi, just as beautiful.  The boy doesn’t have the best of patterns but is a very lovely creamy chocolate colour and has the most wonderful purrsonality.  He’s the first to greet us, always wanting to see what we’re doing.  If one’s climbing up my back, helping me clean the litter trays or trying to read what I’m typing on the computer -it’s him!  If there’s a clatter, something’s fallen over, it’s him!  He’s naughty, he’s cute and he’s very, very, loveable and I really won’t mind if I can’t find a suitable home for him……I know I need to be sensible though, if I keep every kitten that steals my heart I’ll have to keep them all! These are the two we’re still looking for homes for, they can’t leave before 2nd September so plenty of time yet.

We’d put a barrier up on the kitten pen so Lexi could come and go but the kittens were kept in safe while they’re still small.  The last couple of days one or two have managed to climb over but only wanted to do it when one of us was sat by the pen.  Today the biggest 4 climbed over so I thought I might as well take that barrier down and let them explore.

They were having great fun exploring the conservatory and settled down with Lexi for a feed at the bottom of the big cat tree. When I came back in later to put food down for them all I realised one of the kittens was missing.  I looked everywhere!  I pulled the desk out and had the room upside down.  I convinced myself she must have escaped through my legs when I left the room an hour or so earlier, even though I’d been really careful. I’d had the back door open for a while and started to really worry that, as I couldn’t find her in the house, she must have got out somehow. I spent 2 hours looking for her, I think I looked everywhere at least 6 times. then phoned Graham in a panic.  He asked if she could have got inside the settee. Doubt it I said, don’t think there’s a way in……….it’s a bed settee, and where the back joins the seat there’s a tiny gap.  So I gingerly opened it and found her looking really comfortable nestled in the spare bedding without a care in the world!!  Phew!

I dare say they’ll give me a few more scares over the coming weeks and then I get to do it all again with Fizz’s litter!  She’s pinked up nicely and should be due around 12th August.

Yesterday we decided to bring the kittens downstairs. They’ve got a nice roomy pen now and will stay in there until they’re ready to explore a bit further. We’ve also started weaning, just tiny amounts to see if they’re ready. After a few sucks at a saucer of mashed kitten food I put one of them in the litter tray and scratched her paw in the tray. A few seconds later she performed! She promptly sat back down in it and poor Lexi and had even more mess to clean up! Ah well, they’ll get the hang of it soon enough.  We’re half way there with trying to get them to eat solid food and litter train - they’re eating the litter (glad I switched to a non-clumping paper-based sort!)

Lexi’s kittens are now 9 days old and all putting on weight at a steady rate, so far so good!

No eyes open yet though the little ears are starting to unfurl. I can just about tell them apart, the classic pattern does differ slightly between the 4 and 2 are boys which helps too I’m pretty sure the rest are all girls. The 2 spotteds look to have a lovely clear pattern though it’s early days yet.  One is slightly smaller than the other and has lighter spots so they’re not too difficult to tell apart.

Fizz went off to stud at the weekend, we chose Curry again as he proved a worthy suitor for Lexi She came off call pretty soon after so that looks promising! If she’s pregnant her litter will be due around 12th August so we’ll have 2 sets of kittens for a few weeks until Lexi’s leave for their new homes.

On Monday evening Lexi was starting to use one of the nesting boxes in the conservatory more, she was meowing a bit more than usual but I still thought she was just gearing up for the birth in the next day or two. She seemed to have picked one of the boxes upstairs in our bedroom as her birthing box, so when she curled up in the box downstairs with Fizz in there too, I never thought she was about to have them.

I had the TV on, Graham was in the kitchen when I heard a little squeaky noise. I thought it was something Graham was doing in the kitchen or that he had the TV on in there. When he came back to the lounge a minute or so later the noise continued and as I got up to see what it was it sounded more like a bird. Then I saw a new born kitten writhing about on the wooden floor in the conservatory with Lexi on the sofa nearby, wide-eyed as if to say “what’s happening to me?”! I yelled for Graham to get the towels, heat pad, hot water bottle and all the other paraphernalia from the bedroom where I’d been convinced she’d give birth, grabbed a clean towel from the conservatory birthing box she’d obviously decided she wasn’t going to use, and started the dry the baby.

Lexi had dealt with the cord and placenta but not attempted to lick the kitten dry. Another was coming almost straight away so she didn’t have enough time to it. We managed to coax her into the box by putting a heat pad in and another was swiftly born. Again, she managed to chew the cord and break the sac and give the kitten a half-hearted lick before tucking into the placenta. Then she was more concerned about cleaning up the mess and washing herself than drying the kitten and this pattern followed for the rest of the births. So we ended up with all six snuggled together on a warmed hot water bottle under a towel while we rubbed them gently. Just an hour later all 6 were born and she looked like she’d finished.

We let her clean herself, made her comfortable with fresh bedding and gave her the babies back. She’s been wonderfully attentive ever since, they’re all feeding well and have put on weight at the expected rate. They’re all so cute!! All chocolate in colour, 4 Classics, which is amazing, and we’re so pleased with all the squeaky, furry bundles and very proud of Lexi.