Mother's Day with Sable

When Sable joined the household 3 days ago, he was a teeny little thing that ate sparingly, could barely hold his head up and could barely stand. As each day passed, his appetite increased. During each of his 4 feedings since this morning, he drank a tablespoon in one fell swoop, as opposed to in stages during one feeding. He sucked with gusto…I could not believe it.

Sable has become more mobile by the day. He can hold his head up now for a longer period of time and can stand up and walk a few steps before he goes back to crawling. When he finishes feeding and going to the bathroom (no problem with poo-ing anymore!), he likes to explore his surroundings. He scooted down from my lap to the sofa this afternoon.

It is getting harder to contain him in his picnic basket because he tries to get out. I think that he will get out by mid­week, once he gains his confidence. I created a playpen out of a box with a fleece blanket that once belonged to Gadget and Snowflake. Sable looked around and whined a bit when I placed him in his playpen. So I picked him up and he calmed down. Okay, can you say “spoiled”? But my mother’s words came to mind “Don’t let babies dictate your life!” Alright, she was talking about human babies but those sage words applies to newborn kittens too. J So finally, I put him back in his playpen – this time I added his feeding towel - and went about my business. He whined but I didn’t let it bother me. After a little while, he roamed around a bit, curled up and went to sleep.

Sable discovered his hind legs and started playing and cleaning them. It was so cute to watch! And I think he’s teething because he has been gnawing on his forearms and my fingers. I feel the makings of little teeth! I don’t want him to think that chewing on my fingers is acceptable behavior, so he had his first discipline moment today. Okay, I pulled my finger from his little toothless gums and told him “No!” in a firm tone. He went on to clean himself.

Watching him grow, do new things and explore his world is so fulfilling. His progress is amazing. His tummy is getting bigger and his limbs are filling out. He stays awake for longer periods of time after each feeding, which is fun. Not sure that I’ll feel that way during the middle of a work night or when I’m trying to get ready for work. :-)