Weaning kittens, one of life's hilarities..

Snowy's kittens Luna and Rajah are growing up so fast. Just two weeks ago they were wobbly, half-blind, squirmy little things that couldn't stand up straight. When placed on the floor, they looked like confused creatures paddling away in non-existent water. Now their legs are strong and straight. They can run, play and tumble. They've started climbing and exploring and their eyes are bright and clear. Rajah's eyes are turning bright blue. Could he be any more gorgeous?! Luna's eyes are still dark grey and i can't wait to see what their permanent color will be. They scamper around my feet and follow me as i work my way around the upstairs hall, cleaning all the litter boxes. I took some photos of them last night but forgot to bring my camera with me to the office today.. darn it.. those will have to wait till tomorrow.

I checked inside Luna and Rajah's mouths last night and saw teeny tiny nubbins of teeth starting to grow. That pretty much shows that they're ready to start eating soft kitten food and will be nursing less. The first time kittens are presented with 'real' food is really funny. Some kittens take to it immediately.. Just a few sniffs of the fishy stuff and they start licking the food. Some are interested but confused.. They smell something they want but don't know where it is even when its RIGHT in front of their faces. They mew in frustration looking for the source of the delicious scent even walking in their bowls and through the food but it still eludes them. Others lick the edges of their tiny bowls but don't go that extra millimeter in to taste the food.

The first few times i give them smelly soft food will be very messy. That's normal. They'll play in the food, get it all over their faces, some are so confused that they try to suck up the pasty stuff instead of opening their mouths and taking bites. Last night, Luna and Rajah did everything I expected them to do. They made a huge mess. They tracked through the food then shook their paws in disgust at the wet, clammy feeling.

When i woke up this morning most of the wet food remained uneaten and of course had attracted ants. Since the food was beginning to smell kinda gross, i decided to flush it down the toilet instead of throwing it away in the trash can. Also, I was sure the other cats would end up rummaging through the trash can looking for the leftovers. So, as i was scraping the stinky fishy stuff into the toilet, my brood of fat felines gathered around me, looking at me in horror, obviously shocked and deeply saddened by the waste. Foster kitty Luckytoes Midnight couldn't help herself. She had to put a stop to the madness. She immediately launched herself into the toilet and landed in the gross fishy toilet bowl water. SIGHHHHHHHH......... oh monday mornings! how you continue to amaze me. as if i wasn't already in a hurry to leave the house and get to work on time..