It's quite unbelievable, yet true...each of the three kittens has folded ears! At day 21 (fold day), they were still undecided. However, we can say now with certainty that each of the kittens carry the fold gene. This means that if they were bred with a straight-eared mate, they would produce (on average) 50% folded-ear kittens, and 50% straight-eared kittens. However, so much for statistics. This litter has bested the odds, and then some! Having folded ears also means that they are eligible to be shown in the kitten, championship and/or premiership classes in almost every cat registry in the world.
So, now the waiting begins AGAIN. We wait to see now if they develop into show quality kittens. We will discuss the attributes needed for being a show kitten a bit further down the road.
Another first: eating their first solid food. This picture shows Kitten #1 taking her first taste of something other than mom's milk. It was surprising that she took to it and started eating ON HER OWN immediately! This girl is going to be a smart cookie! Her brother and sister were not that enthusiastic about the new food. We start them off on Heinz Chicken and Broth baby food. Usually a taste of it needs to be forced into their mouth. Over the next week, a lot of time is spent with them, getting them to learn how to lick up the food. After they know how to lick off a small spoon, then they are slowly introduced to lapping it off a plate.
And then, another first...leaving the nest where they've spent the last 4 weeks. I wonder who will be the first to venture out... Then, another first...learning how to use the litterbox!
So, there are lots of new adventures coming up!
Kittens' weights at the end of day 25:
Baby 1: 10.9 oz.
Baby 2: 12.2 oz.
Baby 3: 11.8 oz.