In our previous blog you could read how we attached the puppy pen around the bench to create a nice space for Apollo in which he could explore calmly and safely. However, Apollo started climbing over the pen in week 7, to our and Gaia's surprise. That's why we opened the door of the pen in week 7 so that Apollo can explore the entire bedroom together with his mother. The adventure continues!
Developments week 6 and 7
Weeks 6 and 7 are also marked by new developments, such as going on adventures alone, occasionally being allowed to drink from mom and regulating the body temperature by himself.
Normally, a kitten only goes on an adventure on its own at the age of 6 weeks. We noticed that Apollo had that need a little earlier. This may also be because he has no litter mates to play with and therefore prefers to explore the world around him. For Apollo, going on an adventure also means getting to know the other cats in the house better and seeing if they want to play with him when mommy doesn't feel like it.
Now that Apollo is eating more and more solid food (wet food and kibble), he drinks less from his mother. We also notice that Gaia lets him drink less because it often ends in a wrestling match when Apollo gets the chance. But a few times a day he is still lucky and he is allowed to drink from her.
After a few weeks of sweating in the bedroom, we can now turn the heating down a few degrees. Because one of the most important developments of a kitten is in week 7, namely regulating its own body temperature! Because of this, Apollo is now no longer dependent on his mother to keep him warm.
Visit from hobby photographers Sisters Portegies
In week 7 we also had a visit from hobby photographers Zusjes Portegies. The Zusjes Portegies have been coming to us for years to take pictures of the cats, even when we didn't have a cattery yet and only hous cats. This makes it extra nice to be able to share this adventure of the cattery and the kitten(s) together. Many of the pictures on our website were also taken by the Zusjes Portegies.
Below we share a small selection of their beautiful pictures. It was again quite a job to be able to capture Apollo well on camera, but together we did everything we could to let the Apollo pose as beautifully as possible, alone and together with his mother. Even the clipping of the nails was captured on camera, so that we can use this photo nicely for the kitten page on the website.
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