The interesting thing about Sable's growing up is its impact on me. For the first 3 weeks, Sable was my Road Kitty...everywhere I went, he was right with me. Since he couldn't walk very well or for very long, I carried him a lot. Now, he's Mr. Independent. No carrying him around...at least not for long. His transition from a totally dependent little rug rat to Mr. Independent really saddened me.
Reality hit when I took him to NJ with me to attend a funeral. At that time, Sable had not been in his carrier for a week, except to sleep. The ride up was fine but during the return trip, he was quite vocal. I guess it didn't help that he did a doodle in his carrier that I couldn't completely remove LOL It was at that time that I realized that he would not be a Road Kitty anymore.
We're adjusting to the changes, although I think he's handling it waaayyyy better than I am LOL
Monday, June 22, 2009
It's Been a While
It's been a minute since I've last posted about Sable. Boy, has he grown into such an active and funny kitten. Over the past 3 weeks, he has been running and jumping, stalking, and using my ankles and hands as a scratching and biting post. LOL
I'm bummed because I lost my media card that contained so many pics of him, including his first wet food meal. I've got some recent flicks of him, showing just how much he has grown.
He's quite the character! Everyday brings about something different. The other day, he discovered his tail. Imagine waking up to a kitten running in circles on the bed. Yesterday I purchased stuffed toys meant for dogs so that he can scratch, bite and tumble with it. Well he has taken to those toys like crazy! One toy is about his size...he picks it up with his mouth and carries it around. Such a sight to see!
I'm bummed because I lost my media card that contained so many pics of him, including his first wet food meal. I've got some recent flicks of him, showing just how much he has grown.
He's quite the character! Everyday brings about something different. The other day, he discovered his tail. Imagine waking up to a kitten running in circles on the bed. Yesterday I purchased stuffed toys meant for dogs so that he can scratch, bite and tumble with it. Well he has taken to those toys like crazy! One toy is about his size...he picks it up with his mouth and carries it around. Such a sight to see!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Growing up Sable
Sable or Li’l Bits (his nickname) has been a part of my life for 2.5 weeks and has been growing by leaps and bounds. Over the past few days, he’s gone from a wobbly walker to a little sprinter. And he has started eating solid foods and started eliminating without any assistance!
From Walking to Climbing to Sprinting
On Thursday evening, he successfully climbed out of his nesting box that was in my bedroom, walked thru the partially-closed bedroom door to the living room where he scared the dickens out of me! Out of corner of my eye, I saw this brown fuzzy thing coming toward me and I almost jumped on the couch until I realized it was Sable. LOL I picked him up, hugged him to my shoulder and told him that he was such a big boy now.
He now follows me wherever I go, sometimes pausing to examine his shadow on the floor or taking a detour to sit between the fridge and the cabinet. There are times when he calls himself running but it actually looks like he’s a little bunny hopping around. It’s quite funny, except when I’m trying to catch him. LOL
Meal Time
Over the past week, Sable has become much more aggressive at formula feeding time, scratching my hands as he attempted to control his bottle. I introduced him to weaning formula, similar to cereal for babies. He refused to lap it up in a saucer, after many attempts but he drank it down when bottle fed.
Last night, I had it with his scratching while bottle feeding. His claws are so sharp, they broke skin. I poured some of his formula from the bottle onto a saucer but he wouldn’t touch it. Instead, he was scratching and hitting the bottle until I bit my lip and bottlefed him.
I woke up this morning, determined to get him to eat out of a saucer. I opened a can of Nature’s Choice chicken and lamb kitten food, put some on a saucer and placed him next to the saucer in a box lid. Sable sniffed it before he started nibbling on the food. I was amazed at how he quickly he took to the food. I put more on the saucer and he ate it up! He refused to drink his water though. I now think that the small bowl of water was too much for him.
This evening, he refused to eat his food, no matter how many times I kept putting him in the box lid in front of his saucer. Finally, I bottle fed him because many hours passed since he last ate and even more hours since his last formula.
Tomorrow I will serve his food in a saucer and place his water in a more shallow bowl. I do hope he takes to the food. I want to wean him from the bottle.
Litter Box Success
Sable has had a few “accidents”. Each time I wipe up his urine, I put the soaked item in his littler box, put him in it to sniff the pee and rub his forepaws in the litter. Instead of using the box for litter, the little dickens uses it to take kitty naps. LOL I tweeted about it tonight because I couldn’t understand it. Well shortly after his bottle, he was placed in his litter box where he scratched the litter before crouching down to pee. I had to keep from yelling “Good boy!” while he was doing the deed. LOL But after he attempted to cover it, I picked him up and praised him.
He’s such a big boy!
From Walking to Climbing to Sprinting
On Thursday evening, he successfully climbed out of his nesting box that was in my bedroom, walked thru the partially-closed bedroom door to the living room where he scared the dickens out of me! Out of corner of my eye, I saw this brown fuzzy thing coming toward me and I almost jumped on the couch until I realized it was Sable. LOL I picked him up, hugged him to my shoulder and told him that he was such a big boy now.
He now follows me wherever I go, sometimes pausing to examine his shadow on the floor or taking a detour to sit between the fridge and the cabinet. There are times when he calls himself running but it actually looks like he’s a little bunny hopping around. It’s quite funny, except when I’m trying to catch him. LOL
Meal Time
Over the past week, Sable has become much more aggressive at formula feeding time, scratching my hands as he attempted to control his bottle. I introduced him to weaning formula, similar to cereal for babies. He refused to lap it up in a saucer, after many attempts but he drank it down when bottle fed.
Last night, I had it with his scratching while bottle feeding. His claws are so sharp, they broke skin. I poured some of his formula from the bottle onto a saucer but he wouldn’t touch it. Instead, he was scratching and hitting the bottle until I bit my lip and bottlefed him.
I woke up this morning, determined to get him to eat out of a saucer. I opened a can of Nature’s Choice chicken and lamb kitten food, put some on a saucer and placed him next to the saucer in a box lid. Sable sniffed it before he started nibbling on the food. I was amazed at how he quickly he took to the food. I put more on the saucer and he ate it up! He refused to drink his water though. I now think that the small bowl of water was too much for him.
This evening, he refused to eat his food, no matter how many times I kept putting him in the box lid in front of his saucer. Finally, I bottle fed him because many hours passed since he last ate and even more hours since his last formula.
Tomorrow I will serve his food in a saucer and place his water in a more shallow bowl. I do hope he takes to the food. I want to wean him from the bottle.
Litter Box Success
Sable has had a few “accidents”. Each time I wipe up his urine, I put the soaked item in his littler box, put him in it to sniff the pee and rub his forepaws in the litter. Instead of using the box for litter, the little dickens uses it to take kitty naps. LOL I tweeted about it tonight because I couldn’t understand it. Well shortly after his bottle, he was placed in his litter box where he scratched the litter before crouching down to pee. I had to keep from yelling “Good boy!” while he was doing the deed. LOL But after he attempted to cover it, I picked him up and praised him.
He’s such a big boy!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Funny Little Thing
Sable is growing into a funny and active little kitten. After feedings, he loves to walk around (with his wobbly gate) and lie on his back to play with his hind legs. I can leave him for short periods of time on his sheet on the sofa without fear of him falling off. He walks to the edge and look down at the floor but won’t go any further. ..at least not yet.
Because he is teething (yes, he has 4 little teeny teeth coming in), he thinks everything is his teething ring. He has a little red, felt-covered ball that is about as big as his head that he tries to chew on. He opens his mouth as wide as he can to get around the hard ball but he can’t get his mouth around it. Out of frustration, he starts to fight with it, clawing it with his paws. Too funny! LOL
After his wee-hour-in-the-morning feeding Sunday morning, he wanted to walk around the bed before going back to sleep. I wasn’t feelin’ that…I was tired. But I let him do his wobbly walk, picking him up and bringing him closer to me when he wobbled too far. When he ran out of steam, he crawled under the covers by my stomach and laid there. My plan was to wait until he fell asleep before placing him in his makeshift crib. But I fell asleep before he did. When I woke up, he was behind the bend of my knees, fast asleep. Apparently he climbed over me and found his little nook, since I had not changed positions. I picked him up, put him in his crib. He fussed a little before curling up and going back to sleep.
Because he is teething (yes, he has 4 little teeny teeth coming in), he thinks everything is his teething ring. He has a little red, felt-covered ball that is about as big as his head that he tries to chew on. He opens his mouth as wide as he can to get around the hard ball but he can’t get his mouth around it. Out of frustration, he starts to fight with it, clawing it with his paws. Too funny! LOL
After his wee-hour-in-the-morning feeding Sunday morning, he wanted to walk around the bed before going back to sleep. I wasn’t feelin’ that…I was tired. But I let him do his wobbly walk, picking him up and bringing him closer to me when he wobbled too far. When he ran out of steam, he crawled under the covers by my stomach and laid there. My plan was to wait until he fell asleep before placing him in his makeshift crib. But I fell asleep before he did. When I woke up, he was behind the bend of my knees, fast asleep. Apparently he climbed over me and found his little nook, since I had not changed positions. I picked him up, put him in his crib. He fussed a little before curling up and going back to sleep.
Saturday with Sable
Sable joined D and I on a ride to Frederick to visit with family members on Saturday. He did so well. A full tummy and a warm carrier helped make for a comfortable 1.5 hour ride. Once there, he spent most of the time in the garage, where it was quiet. Family members were so curious about him because they couldn’t see him. A couple of cousins opened his carrier and cooed because they thought he was so cute…which he is. My cousin’s mother-in-law was so captured by him. She actually took his carrier outside (with him in it) while I was saying my goodbyes and was trying to see him through the carrier. He was so good, he didn’t whine or cry. What a trooper!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sable's One Week Anniversary
Mr. Sable has been part of the family for one week, as of today. Boy time flies! In one week, he has filled out substantially. And just this morning, he was sitting up like a big boy watching me as I ran around the bedroom in prep for work. I guess he thought I had lost my mind and decided to watch the train wreck occur...LOL
Sable has a few nicknames: Li'l Bits, Li'l Man, Sweet Pea, Sweet Stuff, My Baby and Li'l Dickens. Auntie Shana has dubbed him "Gumby" because he didn't have any teeth when she met him LOL Well, I can attest, the teeth are starting to surface and he is chewing on fingers, hands, towels, hair and bottle nipples.
Oh, and he is walking a lot more now. But he loves to be carried and held close. Me thinks part of the reason is that it's easier to get to my locs LOL
Sable has a few nicknames: Li'l Bits, Li'l Man, Sweet Pea, Sweet Stuff, My Baby and Li'l Dickens. Auntie Shana has dubbed him "Gumby" because he didn't have any teeth when she met him LOL Well, I can attest, the teeth are starting to surface and he is chewing on fingers, hands, towels, hair and bottle nipples.
Oh, and he is walking a lot more now. But he loves to be carried and held close. Me thinks part of the reason is that it's easier to get to my locs LOL
Monday, May 11, 2009
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. :-)
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