Alvie’s kittens are growing up so quickly now and it really does feel as though it is happening in the blink of an eye. All six of them are thriving, gaining weight, fully weaned, litter-trained and now enjoying their new freedom out of the kitten pen. They have the run of the bedroom these days and they carry themselves with all the confidence of tiny adventurers setting off into a great new world.
What makes me smile most is hearing them before I see them. When I’m sitting downstairs, the sound of little paws charging about overhead fills the house and it’s almost impossible to believe it is only six small kittens! At times it sounds more like a herd of elephants than a family of fluffy babies. There is always a scramble, a rustle, a bounce, or the unmistakable thump of another game underway. Their energy seems endless and every day brings some new little mischief or discovery.
They spend their time tumbling over one another, chasing shadows, pouncing on imaginary treasures and investigating every corner as though it holds some wonderful secret. Each one is beginning to show more of their own sweet little character, which makes them all the more impossible not to fall in love with. They play with such determination and curiosity, completely absorbed in the important business of being kittens.
And then, just as suddenly as the chaos begins, peace falls. One by one — or sometimes all at once — they give in to sleep, curling up together in a soft, sleepy pile for a little power nap. After all the thunder and nonsense, those quiet moments feel especially precious. It is such a lovely thing to watch them growing stronger, braver and more independent with each passing day, even if a part of me wishes I could keep them tiny for just a little longer.
