There isn't much in the way of photos today however with our Deserts leaving home, I don't have a lot of time on my hands. In case you are wondering about the first 2 photos, they were taken just after the babies had been tucking into a plate of day old chicks and while it's rather gross to some of you I'm sure, if you look at the mess around Pacific's mouth, you will see just how much he thoroughly enjoys them. I managed to get those 2 photos before a very heavy grooming session started. This morning, I was concerned about him as he was just sitting there, ever so quietly, and I have been making lots of extra, small meals for him (food that the other Oceans don't eat) such as Hills a/d, evaporated milk mixtures, Natures Menu. I am trying anything and everything just to get him eating. He ate a little this morning but then went back and sat in the bed. You can imagine my total surprise when about 3 hours later, I saw a tiny little being scaling the front wire door, having the time of his life and it was our little Pacific. He then went on to spend the entire afternoon playing with peoples' tails, pouncing on his mother, and running around the house. It was as if he was a different cat. Whilst Rowena and Christian were here to collect Sahara, they got to see Pacific in action, and Rowena has repeatedly told me that "there's nothing wrong with that baby, he's just little" and she insisted that I take the photos of Pacific playing with his mother at the front door (despite me telling her that the cats would come out very dark) so you can blame Rowena for those 2 pictures :)

I really don't know what to think about him, he is so tiny, but as Rowena said, he is in perfect proportion, he's just small and she is of the opinion that he will catch up and be just fine. Having watched him during the afternoon, I actually think she is right. It will take a while but you just never know and if you were to see the way he tucks into his day old chicks (again something that Rowena saw today), you would be absolutely stunned. This boy loves them and when he is offered food that he really likes, then there is no stopping him.

As for our other Oceans, they are doing just fine, their appetites are excellent, they love to play, and today was the first day that the door to the kitten room has been opened up so they've been tearing around the house, even running up and down the stairs, and they've been having lots of fun lying in the sunshine that is streaming through the front door.

Soon, very soon, our kitten diaries will resume as per normal. Our Deserts litter are all in the throes of leaving home so between today and Monday, my days are filled with paperwork and kitten family visits. I will try really hard to get some photos of our Oceans during the next few days but can't promise anything.

Four of our Oceans are doing just fine however Pacific is concerning me. I'll be taking him to the vet this afternoon just to have him looked at and see what they think and if there's anything they can do to help him along a little bit. He plays, he runs, he eats, however, he is tiny, about the size of a 4 week old baby and he is seriously lagging behind the rest of his siblings now. I have mentioned previously that this is not a large litter with regards to weights but Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic are not giving me any cause for concern at all. They are little hooligans who tear around, climb up and down the wire, creating a huge mess. They also climb up and down my legs and first thing in the morning when I am wearing a dressing gown, the little monsters spring from the floor onto my dressing gown and as I'm walking around the room, trying to do litter trays etc, they are hanging off me and swinging around all over the place.

As you may have gathered, kitten diaries (or lack thereof!) are just going nowhere at the moment. This week has turned out to an incredibly manic week as we are having a honeymoon for one of our own girls and Ashanti, we also have babies leaving very soon which means a lot of paperwork and things to sort out, to say nothing of other stuff that is currently going on. Even today's entries are not particularly long, with only a few photos but it's better than no entry at all :)

Our sweet little Oceans have decided this week that the absolute only thing they will eat is raw quail <sigh>. They are nibbling at other bits and pieces but without a great deal of enthusiasm. This means I've been having to buy quail on a daily basis so they are turning into a rather expensive litter bless them. Never mind, I'm sure we will soon get them back on track with other meats as well. But hey, at least they are eating.

Pacific remains the smallest child in our litter, some days, worryingly so. However our Oceans are the smallest litter we have had since we became a raw fed cat home. I am putting this down to the fact that a) the stud cat is not a raw fed cat, and b) the stud cat is from totally different lines, producing a different type and size of kitten to what we are used to with our own Ashanti. I would like to see them much bigger (with the exception of Southern whose weight I am more than happy with) and I am going to be trying a lot of different foods throughout the next week to see if I can get some more weight on them. They are all full of energy and tear around the kitten room, annoying their mother and they are getting much more used to games of "Da Bird" now.

My day has not gone as planned and as such, there are no photos and entries are extremely short. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get some pics online.

I am just getting nowhere with diary entries today and am about to give up altogether and get off this darn computer. Apart from the fact that the Oceans keep trying to escape from the kitten room, they are doing just fine today. There's really not much else to say, mainly because I have a total mind blank :) I'll make a much better effort tomorrow.......

Six weeks old today and our Oceans are changing and developing so very much as each week passes. They are such funny little children, who are extremely active and playful, and they are so very confident. Southern continues to be the largest baby in the litter, she is still bigger than he brother, Arctic, who appears to be growing at quite a rapid rate. It is funny when I look at them while they are sleeping because Southern always seems to be the odd person out in the respect that she is the sole Self kitten in the litter.

It always amazes me that no matter how many babies are in a litter, each baby has their own very unique little characteristics, none of our Oceans are the same. Afrikoko is still being a superb mother and we are so proud of her for raising her first litter so well. Her babies are a credit to the love and care she gives them. She is feeling quite lonely in the kitten room and I did put Toussaint in there to keep her company however Toussaint, unfortunately, thought that the Oceans were her children and she totally pushed Afrikoko aside and she then tried to feed the babies. She carried them all into the kitten box, sat there with them, let them suckle (she has no milk) and poor Afrikoko as sitting outside the box just letting her mother get on with it. Our Oceans are happy to go up to any of our adult cats and get to know them, there is no apprehension or caution, they believe that the entire world will love them just as much as their mother does, and as we do.