Week 7 - 10/24/2021

Week 7 is the last hurrah week before the big week 8 when they start to head home! We didn’t have an official puppy party for this litter this time, due to timing of things as well as Covid, but they still had lots of visitors. Besides our extended family, we still had several other people visit as well as taking the puppies to visit others. Each puppy got to go to one of my son’s flag football practice or game, so they got to see crowds, hear more noises and be near commotion. They all did really well and got some loving as well from strangers who wanted to pet the super nice puppy!

My friend Val came by with her littles, which were 2 and 4 so the pups also got to experience young kids in addition to our kids who are a little older and teens that have visited the pups. The two year old thought the puppy playground was perfect for him! He could climb their ramps and crawl in their tunnels like a pro. The puppies found that amusing. The four year old enjoyed bringing the puppies toys to play with.

The pups had their 7 week old vet visit as well. They weren’t too bad on the drive over, especially being their second time in a car. Since there were only 4 pups, we put them in our little wheel cart and they actually stayed in and didn’t even try to jump out! They just sat in it and watched the world pass by. In the exam room it was the two black and tan boys that were the explorers of the room. The two tawnys were plenty content to just lay in one spot until it was their turn. Although all of them don’t really love the poking and prodding part, they all got their clean bill of health from our vet!

As they get older they get more energy and it takes more before they’re wiped out. Aelin has been really good at shaping her playing energy to match the puppies as they grow. What used to be mostly laying down and letting them chew on her, or gently biting them or getting them to follow her with a toy, has turned into more speed as she grabs a toy and runs for them to follow her, getting into play bows as they dive into the tunnels after each other, and less letting them chew on her without a little chewing in return! ;o) But overall she’s still super nursemaid and doesn’t hurt the puppies, she just was really good at ramping up the energy as they grew. But the little buggers like to whine at me when I put them away, since they don’t care I have a lunch “hour” and they want to be out causing mischief longer!

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Videos

Good thing it’s been really nice at night lately so they could play outside longer. Jon and I joke that we never had our lunch or dinner outside at this house, and we’ve had more “candlelight” dinners these past few weeks to be outside with the puppies, than we had in a long time! The said candlelight is our citronella candle to keep all the pesky bugs away, so not that romantic! Haha!

Since our time will soon be coming to a close, I made sure I got a few more “lick my face like crazy” moments from the pups like I used to do when they were 3, 4 and 5 weeks old in the whelping box. They are much bigger now so I lay on their ramp toy and let them come up to me. Their tongues are bigger so there’s a lot more slobber, and many times there’s a dog tongue in my ear and causes me to laugh so another one gets my mouth (yuck!), but it’s still super sweet how much they love their people and want to just kiss and kiss you. These moments are quicker since they’re much bigger and squish me a little, but I will always cherish those moments with my little kitties.

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

Desert Sol Mau

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Pronunciation:

MOU

Sex:

Male

Weight:

15lb 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:

12lb 0oz

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:

14lb 6oz

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:

14lb 6oz

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.