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Welcome to the Gryphonwood Nursery. The photos and captions below describe how a typical litter of our precious babies come into the world and grow up to be such wonderful companions. There are many good ways to raise kittens, and ethical breeders are always researching, monitoring and adjusting their methods to improve. We hope you enjoy the tour!
Selecting the parents: A breeders work starts long, long before kittens are even a twinkle in their fathers eye. Both parents must prove that they are of excellent health, temperament and genetic quality to contribute positively to our breeding program, and to the breed in general. Moms and Dads are monitored very closely as they grow up - their family backgrounds (pedigrees) are assessed; veterinarians review their health and growth and they are tested for disease and genes that they may be carrying. We also take them to cat shows so that we can get expert opinion regarding how closely they meet the written standard that identifies Birmans from all other breeds. Not all lovely looking cats get to be parents, however. Then we look at which Mother and which Father we think will compliment each other the best. An important aspect to breeding Birmans is knowing and understanding how the blood type of the parents can affect the newborn kittens.
Breeding: Although our girls may go into season for the first time between 7 and 10 months of age, they are usually not bred until they are well past 1 year of age. This allows them to mature physically and mentally and ensures that they are ready for the challenges of motherhood.
Once they are bred we monitor the pregnancy closely - it usually lasts between 63 and 67 days.
Awaiting the Blessed Event: During the 9 week pregnancy our girls are given a high calorie, high protein diet to ensure that the babies and Moms are able to pack on weight and reserves necessary to grow and nurse a litter. Mom's health is monitored closely and we usually have a good idea of how many kittens to expect.
About two weeks before the big day our girls are moved into their private nursery room (also known as my home office).
Moms are free to roam about and hang out on the cat furniture (or my desk) when I am at home and able to keep an eye on them. When I am not at home, and at bedtime they return to our purpose built birthing suites. Our girls instincts tell them to seek out a private, safe, warm den prior to giving birth - so they seem to enjoy the cozy birthing suites we provide them and readily hop up into their nest to snuggle up for naps during this time.
Each birthing suite has a nest box filled with soft clean towels. Under each nest box is a thermostatically controlled heating pad.
During this time we also clipper the Mom's tummy fur so that when the babies come along they will have easy access to the milk bar. She also gets a good manicure and pedicure!
As the big day approaches Mom tends to spend less and less time away from her nest.
Much time and effort is spent fluffing up the towels and getting them in just the right place. This is generally when I move into the nursery 24/7 and put the WIFI night vision cameras in the nest to monitor things closely.
The Birth: Most of my girls will come and wake me when they are ready to have kittens - we tend to have the kind of relationship where they want me to be with them and comfort them. I have only missed two births over the last 18 years, and although I kicked myself each time, I was grateful everyone was safe in our setup. Thankfully the girls were tucked up in their nursery suites with heated boxes and not frightened under some bed having babies on the cold floor. Newborn kittens are unable to keep themselves warm and will perish quickly if they are allowed to chill. Each kittens unbilical cord is clamped with a sterilised hemostat and cut. The umbilical stump is swabbed with Betadine to keep bacteria from entering it. Each baby is given a few drops of glucose after birth to help stabilize their blood sugars after such a difficult journey. We carefully ensure that all babies are warm and dry and keep them in an incubator until Mom is done giving birth to the litter. The birth of the litter may take up to several hours, so we encourage the newborns to nurse between the birth of their siblings or we provide them with newborn kitten formula unti they can nurse. Baby Birmans are usually 3-4 oz at birth, but we have had them range from 1.5oz to nearly 8 oz.
The birth of a litter is quite an event in a cattery and a responsible breeder makes every effort to ensure that both Mom and babies arrive safely. A breeder must know what is normal and assess when to call the vet if things are not progressing as expected. We are extremely fortunate to be located within a block of the University of Guelph Small Animal Hospital and Primary Care Center where we are able to access the best Doctors and equipment for our cats and kittens round the clock, 24/7.
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The Newborn Period: The newborn baby Birmans are born with their eyes and ear canals still sealed. They are snow white and it will be a few weeks until their colour comes in. They have tiny whiskers and claws already. Babies are weighed twice a day during this period in order to monitor their growth. Birmans generally put on 10g a day during this time. Any baby who has not gained weight for 12-24hours needs to be vigorously assessed for bacterial infection and/or difficulty with feeding. A breeder may need to begin supplemental feeding with formula to get a baby over a difficult period or until the Mothers milk comes in. A veterinarian who has experience with newborn kittens and puppies is invaluable. We use the Rubbermaid storage boxes in the birthing suites for the kitten nest boxes. I have found that they are easy to wipe clean and sanitize between litters.The linens are changed daily in the box and the heating pad is kept UNDER the box (not inside) and only at one end. This allows the babies and Mom the ability to move away from the heat if they are finding it too warm. Newborns should spend the majority of their day nursing or sleeping. Fretful, frantic babies are a sign that something is amiss. Generally Mom will only leave the box for very short periods of time to visit her litter box or grab a quick mouthful of food or water. All the needs of the babies are met by the mother cat, she keeps them warm, she nurses them and she keeps them clean.
Around 9-12 days our babies eyes tend to open and the bleary eyed little tykes begin crawling around the nest box. They are usually at least double their birthweight by this time.
Toddler Stage: Around 3-4 weeks of age the babies become more aware of noises and voices and begin to explore the nest box. They become increasingly active and by the end of this stage are often doing chin ups on the side of the Rubbermaid box as they try to get out. Their fur has grown and it is usually clear what colour they are and most of the foot markings on the seals and blue point kittens can be seen. At this point they are ready to leave their little nest box and move to our toddler pen. This is a safe confined area for the babies to learn about eating from dishes and using the litter box. The front gate on the pen allows Mom to hop out and take a well deserved break out in the nursery room. She will usually rush right back at the first squeak or cry from her babies looking for her. 5 weeks is also the time they get their first dose of de-wormer. Our veterinarian provides them with a gentle, but effective medication that is kitten safe at this age.
At about 5-6 weeks of age the babies are well under way in terms of learning to be little cats. They are generally using the litter box reliably by about 6 weeks and eating both soft food and baby kibble. They are ready for the 'big nursery room' now where they spend the next 3 weeks running, climbing and learning important things such as biting
and scratching inhibition. Mom begins to be less tolerant of baby nips and begins to discipline them when they bite or
scratch too hard. At 8 weeks the kittens receive their first of three sets of vaccines - which begins protection against Feline Viral Rhinotraechitis, Feline Calici Virus and Panleukopenia (Feline Distemper). The babies stay in the nursery room until about a week after they receive their first set of kitten vaccinations.
Young Kitten Age: At 8-9 weeks the babies make the monumental move from their familiar nursery to our kitchen and family room area. Here they are expos
to daily life in our home - vacuum cleaners, dishwasher, phones ringing, televisions and visitors. This is the time that kittens begin to learn 'house manners' - i.e. that people don't appreciate leg climbing, that they are not welcome on the breakfast table etc.The kittens good litterbox habits are reinforced by them learning to 'hold it' until they get to a litter box that is now placed outside their immediate sight and area in a bathroom around the corner. This gentle time of learning what is expected of a well mannered house cat is something that just can't happen unless they are exposed to these situations. This is also the time that prospective new pet families usually make an appointment to come and meet the babies and their parents and have a visit with us to talk about bringing a baby Birman into their home and lives.
Teenage Weeks: 12 - 16 weeks - the kittens continue to learn important lessons in the safe environment in our kitchen and den. During this time they receive their second and third (last) sets of core vaccines, ensuring that they are protected for the rest of the first year of their life. They also continue to learn bite and scratch inhibition from Mom and siblings. At approximately 16 weeks the kittens go for their final check up and are permanently identified with a microchip implant. This will identify them for the rest of their lives and assist with their return home if they ever become lost. Also at this last visit the kittens get a thorough veterinary assessment and receive their certificate of good health that goes with them to their new home and veterinarian.
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Thank you for your interest in our Birmans! Please help us get to know you by completing our adoption questionnaire. We receive many inquiries and this questionnaire helps us stay organised. Your information will be retained for 24 months and we will contact you to arrange a visit when your dream Birman becomes available. Gryphonwood is a very small hobby cattery and we appreciate your patience - we promise it will be worth it!
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