Geena babies

Here is Geena and her five - that's FIVE - babies! This is only the second litter of five we've had here at Sunfox!

If you look closely you can see all 5 - bottom to top, fawn boy, 3 blue girls, fawn girl hiding between Geena's paws.

At right you can see both the fawns. The boy is not letting go of that nipple for anything!

Newborn Somali kittens have short, close lying coats which will become fuzzy in a few weeks. They have Somali facial markings at birth.

The birthing box was getting pretty crowded - AND very warm in the summer heat, but Geena hasn't felt comfortable in any other space until today. Now she has a nice big bed where no one is cramped and hopefully it's not so hot. Since young kittens can't regulate their own temperature, it's important to make sure they don't get chilled by using fans or allowing a draft. Young kittens usually sleep in a pile to stay warm - frequently these babies like their own space, as they don't need each other's warmth in the summer.

I turned on more lights for these photos than the one above. Since they don't really walk yet (they just kind of drag themselves along) it was hard to get shots of their cute little faces. Above are 2 blues and 2 fawns.

Finally, the "full house" - 3 blues and a pair of fawns - in one photo. I love the way their little tails pop up straight! The ears are flat to the head at birth, but now they are opening up straight out to the side of the head. The 3 blues are very dark, and all the kittens have nice dark markings on their faces.

Here are the blue girls. I can't tell them apart in the photos, I have to pick them up to notice the difference. One little girl actually started purring when I held her, starting at about 3 weeks old - kittens this young usually only purr when nursing from mom.

Here is the fawn girl. The kittens have just started eating solid food, but this little girl is the hold out - she's just not interested. A few more days, and she'll have it all figured out.

Here is the fawn boy. He doesn't seem quite as colorful as his sister, but time will tell. Lots will change by the time they are grown up. He's very cute, I really like his head.