Things Learned

How can I help but think my kittens are the cutest EVER!?! Everything they do is sooooo cute; even going potty; I got two to go in the litter box. Way to go for me! Seriously, I took at least 30 minutes of video of my babies just so I could put something cute up here.

I thought it would be nice to share the things I've learned since getting the kittens. And there are a lot!

• First thing I realized, it is a full time job. At first I fed them every 4-6 hours, so...I was only getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night to begin with and napping during the day. It didn't take long, 1 week, before I began to feed them every 8 hours. Now I can get at least 8 hours of sleep. Hooray!
• You WILL get peed and pooped on. One of the duties of the mama cat is to lick the babies bottoms so that they are stimulated to go to the bathroom. What I have to do is wet a rag and lightly wipe. It's not fun at all, and my hands get all sorts of yuckiness on them, but that's all part of being a surrogate momma cat. Let's just say that I wash my hands many, many times a day.
• The kittens will find you. Even though they still can't see very well, they can tell shapes and can definitely hear you. At first Nick and I would just sit on the couch or the chaise lounge. We were out of sight, and their hearing wasn't as good yet, so they couldn't find us. They would just play or sleep with us watching on. Now they may not see us as well yet, but they hear the slightest noise we make and come running (well, wobble running). They know we sit on the couch and lounge, so now they are always trying to climb up to be with us (sometimes successful, sometimes not). No matter where you are, the kittens WILL find you. I actually like to play a game with them where I'll make a lot of noise and crawl around the couch so they can follow me. It's fun and they get some good exercise.
• They do have personalities. It's true. Each of my babies is unique. One likes to eat A LOT and sleep A LOT, but he still likes to play. He also is a quick learner; one of the first to go potty in the litter box and the first to play with one of the toys we got them (the others still don't get it). Another one of the babies loves to explore. He is always venturing out farther than the others, and he is always the first to find mama. He is usually more quiet, and always loves to nibble on fingers (since their teeth are coming in now). The last one cries a lot more, and like to sit on it's own. He actually likes to stare at the TV (I guess trying to improve his vision), and he also likes to go potty...anywhere! I did get him to go potty in the litter box once so far.
• Kittens need burping too. After I feed them one of my favorite things to do is play with each one after they eat. I'll rub the belly to stimulate good digestion and lightly tap them on the back to burp them, and yes, they do burp and get the hick-ups. It's so cute! This also gives me some good one on one time as well.
• They need affection. In order to raise well balanced and happy kittens Nick and I try to play with them as often as possible. They climb all over us, bite our fingers, suck on our earlobes, lick our necks, scratch the heck out of us, lounge on us, and eventually fall asleep. They need the affection and the play time.
• Baby claws hurt! I can't emphasize this enough. The claws of baby kittens are so small that it feels like needles piercing your skin. My neck, legs, and arms get it really bad. Those suckers are sharp too. OUCH!!! But hey, it's all for the babies. We usually just put up with it.
• It is so rewarding. Having these babies has opened up my heart. I love them and worry about them so much. Nick does too. We sleep with them, play with them, hang with them. Our babies are our babies. It's definitely going to be sad when we have to give at least two of them up. I just want to make sure they go to good homes.