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Fia
Frida
Fritte
Simon
Sessan
The birth

 

The Birth

The first meal

Shortly after 2.30 a.m. on October 31, 1995, I was awakened by the sound of licking below my bed. It was Fia who had started giving birth to the first kitten, Frida. The night before I sensed that something was going to happen, because Fia had been walking around examining different places in my apartment. Of course I had made up a bed in a cardboard box for her - and of course she did not use it.

She had also examined the floor in the corner between my bed and the wall, and therefore I had placed a towel there for her. When I woke up, the towel had slipped away, so Frida was born directly on the floor. As soon as Fia had licked Frida clean I moved mother and daughter to the towel and Fia started to lick Frida dry. This work was interrupted shortly after, since Simon announced his arrival.

When Simon had been born, Fia had a little longer to lick both kittens dry, since Sessan did not arrive until about 45 minutes later. After that it only took about 15 minutes before Fritte was born, and poor Fia could hardly lick Fritte clean, since the other three kittens were very hungry. Therefore I had to help, and keep away the kittens so Fia could clean up Fritte as well.

When Fia had taken care of all that I moved her and the kittens to the cardboard box I had prepared. After that it was time for the first photograph of the new family (the picture above) I did not want to disturb Fia with photographing during the birth. Besides, my hands were quite wet from handling the newborn kittens.

This was the first (and only) litter Fias ever had and it is impressing how she, thanks to the instinct, did everything absolutely right. The only thing she never learned was how to carry the kittens by their neck. When the kittens were old enough to start exploring on their own, Fia could not carry them back to the home. She tried to push them back with her paws, but it did not work very well. She then looked so helpless that I often stepped in and carried the kittens back to the box.