Week 2 - 9/19/2021

Week 2 is a big one for these little kitties! Their eyes and ears are now fully open, although not fully developed, and that brings them A Whole New World for them to explore! (Btw- you’re welcome for me getting that song stuck in your head now…) With their eyes open, these little ones are starting to look like actual kittens… I mean puppies, and make you go “Awww” every time they look at you! They spend time awake and actually gnawing (or more like gumming) their siblings, the toys we started to put in their box, and Aelin (big sister) since she tends to be in there more often than Zazu. It’s pretty funny watching a 2-week-old puppy trying to “eat” Aelin’s big head or foot! :D

Once we see on the puppy cam that the pups are awake, we usually drop everything to go play with them for the 5 minutes they are awake! They like it when we get our faces down low as they can see us a little better, and they come over to try to eat us. They are not doing their cute little baby “mews” anymore, and are now starting to do little cute puppy barks and growls. Manx is pretty vocal so far, and will randomly bark at you and growl when chewing on something. Aby has started giving us some sass and will let us know when she’s not happy with the situation. I call her “little sassifras” as a nickname for now. But with little puppies, these traits or behaviors literally change by the week! My favorite is seeing their little tails wagging when they play or are excited to see us!!! That is the pivotal moment when we start to feel special in these little pups' lives.

With their newfound sight and hearing, they are also all “walking” around the box. They are still pretty wobbly while walking, and laugh-out-loud funny when you see them when they attempt to leap at one another and usually face plant, but they are on the move at least! Their early puppy stimulation exercises ended but now will be upgraded to new things like different surfaces, toys, and more people handling while also starting to introduce some startling noises to them daily like pans dropping, clapping, TV noise, thunderstorms, etc.

Mau is one big handsome dude who seems pretty chill, and Bir is the one that loves to tackle Aelin the most while playing. Manx makes us laugh and enjoys it when we play with him, and Aby is either giving us sass or sweetness and enjoys cuddling.

Photos

Videos

As the days go by, we’ll start to see more of their personalities emerge as they grow and explore. Zazu’s a good mom, but Aelin, who is totally obsessively in love with these guys, spends most of her day cleaning them or sleeping with them. She’s the one now that will give us the stare down if we take one of the puppies out of the box. It’s never dull in our house these days!

Don’t forget to check out our Puppy Cam which is on much of the day. Go to YouTube and subscribe to our channel so you can be alerted when the camera is on and watch some puppy adorableness!!! Also stay tuned to our Desert Sol Chinooks Facebook page to see more daily videos and pictures. Something I say often to these little cuties is a quote from looney toons, “I want to hug you and squeeze you and love you to bits!” I usually get a “grunt grunt grunt” when I pick them up though… I like to pretend they’re grunts of love. :)

The Kitty litter (as always in order of appearance):

Desert Sol Mau

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Pronunciation:

MOU

Sex:

Male

Weight:

4lb 3oz

Name Origin:

Eqyptian Mau: Egyptian Maus are a small to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. They are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat. It is considered a rare breed. The Eqyptian Mau is the fastest of the domestic cats, with longer hind legs and a unqiue flap of skin that allows the legs to stretch back farther. Maus have been clocked running more than 30 mph! The Mau is known to be a loyal, playful and friendly breed.

Desert Sol Aby

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Pronunciation:

A-bee

Sex:

Female

Weight:

3lb 2oz

Name Origin:

Abyssinian: The Abyssinian is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive "ticked" tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors. The Abyssinian breed is one of the top five most popular breeds worldwide. In the terms of domestication of cats, the Abys have been found to be one of the oldest types of animal in existence, with mummified cats in Eqyptian tombs. Abys are frequently regarded as "Clowns of the Cat Kingdom", and their dog-like characteristics include their particular need for affection and desire for interaction.

Desert Sol Manx

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Pronunciation:

MAYNKS

Sex:

Male

Weight:

4lb 0oz

Name Origin:

Manx: The Manx cat is a breed of domestic cat that has a naturally occurring mutation that shortens the tail, known as the "Manx taillessness gene". Many Manx have a small stub of a tail, but Manx cats are best known at being entirely tailless, the most distinguishing characteristic of the breed, along with its elongated hind legs and round head. Manx are prized as skilled hunters, and have been sought out by farmers as rodent hunters and a preferred ship's cat breed. They are social, tame and active cats.

Desert Sol Bir

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Pronunciation:

BUR

Sex:

Male

Weight:

3lb 12oz

Name Origin:

Birman: The Birman is a domestic cat breed with long-haired, color-pointed fur, distinguished by a silky coat, deep blue eyes and contrasting white "gloves" on each paw. Birmans were almost wiped out as a breed during World War II. Only two cats were alive in Europe at the end of the war, a pair named Orloff and Xenia. They were the foundation of the breed, and all offspring were of this pair. They were heavily outcrossed with other long-hair breeds, like the Persian and Siamese, to help rebuild the Birman breed.