Time Passes, Things Grow
Jul. 9th, 2011 09:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyspriteSo it's been about a week and a half since the little as-yet-unnamed baby came into our house. And so far, she has not only failed to die, but, remarkably and amazingly, seems to be thriving.
We still haven't quite picked out a name for her yet - she's still enough of a baby that she doesn't quite have a personality of her own yet, and I don't want to saddle her with a name that doesn't quite suit her - but at this rate we'll need to pick something soon.
Watching a kitten grow is like watching time lapse photography. It's alarming how quickly she's changing and growing and developing. She's half again as big as she was when we got her, having grown from 8 oz to a whopping 12 oz; she can still curl up in one of my hands, but instead of just filling the palm, she takes up my whole hand. She's starting to look more like a cat, too, and less like a furry kidney bean.
When she first arrived, she spent most of her time sleeping or half-heartedly nibbling at the bottle. Now she grabs at the bottle to try to eat, and if we don't get it to her quickly enough she will start suckling at anything in reach - hands, pants cuffs, towels, you name it. And when she's not eating or trying to eat, she's starting to play and bat at things. She's more alert, too - now when I go to take her from her box, she's as likely to be sitting up and awake as she is to be napping.
The most drastic change, though, has been in her mobility. A week ago, she could barely sit up. On Tuesday she stood for the very first time. She wobbled, and seemed to not quite know what to do once she got there, and quickly flopped back onto her backside, but she stood up. By Thursday she was taking a few cautious, deliberate steps. Tonight she has been wandering enthusiastically around the living room. She still trips over her own tail, and when she's uncertain she's likely to just sit down and push herself backwards with her front paws, but she's walking. The progress, just over a few days, is mind-blowing.
Most importantly, so far, she seems healthy. I haven't noticed any seizures since the first day or two. Developmentally, she's as close to normal as I could hope for. She's clearly able to see and hear. Her open fontanelle isn't closed, but the bigger she gets, the smaller it feels.
I think she's going to make it. And while we wait, and watch, it's a hell of a lot of fun to see her grow.
Enormous Godzilla Kitten! (Don't mind the messy milk face)
Sleeping hard after a challenging afternoon of eating and practicing standing up
We still haven't quite picked out a name for her yet - she's still enough of a baby that she doesn't quite have a personality of her own yet, and I don't want to saddle her with a name that doesn't quite suit her - but at this rate we'll need to pick something soon.
Watching a kitten grow is like watching time lapse photography. It's alarming how quickly she's changing and growing and developing. She's half again as big as she was when we got her, having grown from 8 oz to a whopping 12 oz; she can still curl up in one of my hands, but instead of just filling the palm, she takes up my whole hand. She's starting to look more like a cat, too, and less like a furry kidney bean.
When she first arrived, she spent most of her time sleeping or half-heartedly nibbling at the bottle. Now she grabs at the bottle to try to eat, and if we don't get it to her quickly enough she will start suckling at anything in reach - hands, pants cuffs, towels, you name it. And when she's not eating or trying to eat, she's starting to play and bat at things. She's more alert, too - now when I go to take her from her box, she's as likely to be sitting up and awake as she is to be napping.
The most drastic change, though, has been in her mobility. A week ago, she could barely sit up. On Tuesday she stood for the very first time. She wobbled, and seemed to not quite know what to do once she got there, and quickly flopped back onto her backside, but she stood up. By Thursday she was taking a few cautious, deliberate steps. Tonight she has been wandering enthusiastically around the living room. She still trips over her own tail, and when she's uncertain she's likely to just sit down and push herself backwards with her front paws, but she's walking. The progress, just over a few days, is mind-blowing.
Most importantly, so far, she seems healthy. I haven't noticed any seizures since the first day or two. Developmentally, she's as close to normal as I could hope for. She's clearly able to see and hear. Her open fontanelle isn't closed, but the bigger she gets, the smaller it feels.
I think she's going to make it. And while we wait, and watch, it's a hell of a lot of fun to see her grow.
Enormous Godzilla Kitten! (Don't mind the messy milk face)
Sleeping hard after a challenging afternoon of eating and practicing standing up
