© Ev Russell, Kinross Folds
Scottish Fold Kittens Pictured the First Day after Birth
The kittens are weighed morning and evening for the first week. Documentation is important, because if a kitten should begin to lose weight, it is absolutely imperative that a determination of the cause be found quickly. It could be that the kitten is sick with a virus or bacterial infection, have a cleft palate, making it difficult to suck, or mom's milk may be dried up, and even though the kittens continue to suckle for a time, they can very easily and quickly lose ground unless a regular weigh-in is done.
At the end of Day 2, the kittens' weights are as follows:
Baby #1 - 4.2 oz.
Baby #2 - 4.5 oz.
Baby #3 - 3.9 oz.
Getting to know the babies:
Each kitten has its own personality. This is evident almost immediately in some cases, as you could see from the reaction of Baby #3 after being released from her sac (She is easily the dominant one of the three).
We will attempt to keep you posted on the development of the kittens' personalities and individual quirks (they all have 'em!)
- Baby #1: Blue and white girl - she is easy going and takes handling very well, no crying or fighting
- Baby #2: Cream and white boy - he is getting fat and is content to stay close to mom
- Baby #3: Dilute calico - She will be an interesting kitten to get to know. She is already showing her feistiness every time she is picked up to be cuddled, kissed and weighed. She thinks we are going to kill her and never return her to her mommy. What a screamer! This is partly due to her coloring. It is often seen in girls that are 3-color, i.e. blue-patched tabby, brown-patched tabby, calico, dilute calico, tortoiseshell or any combination thereof. They have an extra "gene" (sometimes referred to as the tortie gene, or the HRH gene) which can give them a bit more to say than cats of other colors.