What a world when you're 2 weeks old!

Saturday morning, staring down at wrestling kittens, when one of them looks up at me...with tiny little open eyes!  Obviously they can't focus on anything yet, but somehow they are even more adorable:)  Right now, their world view consists of a wall, some binders, a cardboard box, and a giant looming over them who grins constantly and speaks softly.  What a world, indeed!  I don't have an "eyes open" picture yet, but I'm working on it.  Here's one from Mother's Day, she's giving Yin a hug!

I did try to convince Fluffy to nurse them in a more ideal location, but she chose that corner and once I put a towel down there it's been fine.  I'm sure that she decided to remain there as she knew it would be more difficult for me to reach them.  Again, being a protective mom, which I can't complain about.

I have to say that Yin and Yang are progressing at the top of their development class.  They're 2 weeks old today, and they are starting to groom themselves, which is, again, adorable!  Tiny pink tongues!!  Their strength is increasing every day...they can raise their heads and upper body without being too wobbly.  I can see their ears move around a bit, they can hear and are beginning to respond to sounds.  I make sure I talk to them a lot, and often watch shows or listen to music in here during the day or evening so that they get used to a variety of sounds.

I found some interesting facts about eye-opening in cats, from Cambridge University Press, by a professor of animal behaviour.  I knew about the dark vs. light rearing but the rest is very interesting!  If you read further into the article, it really sucks that so many of these discoveries in animal behaviour were discovered due to experimentation:(  But that's a whole other topic....

"The variety of factors influencing the course of development is well illustrated by the age at which kittens open their eyes. Under normal rearing conditions, the time of eye-opening varies considerably between individuals, ranging between two and 16 days after birth. A considerable amount of this variation was explained by four factors: the father's identity (paternity), exposure to light, the kitten's sex and the age of the mother. Dark-reared kittens opened their eyes earlier than normally-reared kittens; kittens of young mothers opened their eyes earlier than those of older mothers; and female kittens opened their eyes earlier than males. The number of siblings (litter size) and kittens' growth rate were not related to the time of eye-opening. Of all the factors influencing eye-opening, the one which explained most variance was paternity, indicating a strong genetic effect."

http://www.fathom.com/course/21701782/session2.html


She still really won't let me handle the kittens, but is definitely relaxed with my presence in the room now.  I can look down at them and talk as much as I want, but almost as soon as my hand goes anywhere near them, she's right there.  If I push it, she'll swat at me...so I don't.  She needs to stay relaxed.  Also, I think my presence and speaking to the babies will still have a positive effect on their development.  Once they are a bit more independent and mobile, I can scoop them up for cuddles, and get them used to being handled:)

I'm wondering, when they are about 5-6 weeks old, about having friends over who have kids.  That way they are socialized with people of all ages.  Ideal socialization in kittens and puppies is between  approx. 8-12 weeks old, but I'm not sure if I'll still have them when they are 8 wks (sad face!).  That time frame is considered the most ideal as part of the "sensitive period" for coping, growing and learning about their environment.  During the years that I worked as a veterinary technician, I helped advise countless new kitten/puppy owners on proper socialization.  In fact I'm still counseling clients at the doggy daycare, happy to impart knowledge, as usual.  It's been years since I've actually had to practice what I preach in this area, however...so it's like I'm learning all over again:)  So I'll do what I can while I have them in my care, and I'm still working every day on helping Fluffy become used to human contact. 

I'm also volunteering to do assessments for potential fostering/adoption cases through TCR, which will utilize more of the skills I've learned through the years.   Even though I quit working as a vet tech over two years ago, it seems fate has made it clear that my calling is to help animals:)  It just feels right.  So...as I still love my artwork and traveling, "photographer/animal rescue guru" is my new profession, and I'm looking forward to many adventures in both aspects!