The Latest Update:
Four Weeks Old – Fear Makes Its First Appearance (And So Does Self-Preservation)
April 27th
New Instincts
Four weeks. Four weeks and three days, to be precise.
I have a confession: I almost didn’t post the four-week photos.
Why? Because every single kitten looks terrified.
Just a week ago, these little Hollywood hems were posing and flirting with the camera like seasoned professionals. No problem. Chin up. Eyes bright. Give the people what they want.
This photoshoot? The opposite.
But I’m posting them anyway — with a bit of explanation.
The Three-Week Cutoff
At DLuxxy, we’ve observed that three weeks of age is a turning point for our Maine Coon kittens. (I won’t speak for other Maine Coons or the entire feline population for that matter. Every cat is a law unto herself.)
At the end of week three — beginning of week four — something shifts. A switch flips. The kittens start demonstrating an overwhelming plethora of animal instincts.
Case in point: they want out of the basket.
That very home that kept them safe and calm? That soft, warm nest where they spent their first three weeks in blissful potato-hood? It has now become a prison. They don’t want to sleep in it. They don’t want to hide in it. They don’t even want to look at it.
They want out.
Week Four: The Great Exploration Begins
This is the week of new discoveries. Seeing. Smelling. Touching. Tasting (soon). Wandering out of the kitty lounge — the room in our house dedicated entirely to the cats — and falling asleep in a hallway, or under a chair, or some other equally inconvenient location.
Which leaves poor mom Onyx searching for them in a state of terrified haste, trying to gather her scattered children like a sheepdog with a migraine.
But exploration isn’t the only new instinct.
There’s another one. A foreign one. An uncomfortable one.
Fear.
Yes, at this age, kittens learn fear for the first time. Fear of the unknown competes with curiosity, forming the most primordial animal instinct of all: self-preservation.
That is why I didn’t want to post their four-week photos. They became afraid. Apprehensive. The camera. The flash. The unfamiliar smell of the new backdrop I arranged for this session. It was all too much for their tiny, freshly activated survival brains.
They weren’t being difficult. They were being alive.
But Here’s the Beautiful Part
This is an important developmental milestone. Self-preservation instinct, meet sense of security. Sense of security, meet self-preservation. The two will be working together for the rest of their lives.
Because this is also the week when the Golden Dawn kittens started imprinting.
On their mom. On the humans who handle them gently. On their safe locations in the house. And — perhaps most importantly for future gourmands — on food.
Yes, this is the week they start experimenting with different flavors. They aren’t eating yet — not really — but they are sniffing. They are observing. They are watching what momma eats with great interest and making mental notes for later.
Pretty soon, they will start mixing momma’s milk with the new dishes from the DLuxxy Kitty Kitchen. Their gastronomic journey is about to begin. Speaking of which, let’s check their week four weights.
Weekly Weights – Week 4 Update
All four kittens are now over 20 ounces — a significant leap from last week. Grizzly remains the heavyweight champion, but the others are closing in.
| Kitten | Day 2 (Mar 29) | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Mackerel Tabby Boy – Honey Calcite (Honey Bunny) | 5.47 | 8.28 | 12.14 | 15.79 | 20.66 |
| Orange Classic Tabby Boy (Ruby for now) | 5.38 | 8.31 | 12.17 | 15.16 | 20.68 |
| Solid Black Boy – Grizzly | 5.63 | 9.24 | 14.57 | 17.85 | 22.52 |
| Dilute Tortoiseshell Blue Girl – Princess | 4.40 | 7.51 | 12.03 | 15.67 | 20.55 |
So About Those Photos…
I’m posting them anyway.
Not because they’re glamorous. Not because the kittens look like Hollywood hems. But because this is their truth at four weeks old: wide-eyed, uncertain, and processing a world that suddenly feels very large and very new.
You may notice there aren’t many portraits this week. That’s intentional. I didn’t want to put them through a stressful photoshoot. A few honest shots, a quick weight check, and then back to the safety of their (rapidly expanding) world.
They are not afraid of us. They are afraid of change. And that is exactly as it should be.
Week Four Photo Gallery
A Lot Is Happening
Stay tuned for more incredible developments.
The kittens are growing. The instincts are multiplying. The exploration has begun.
And Onyx? Onyx needs a nap.
A Wish for the Following Week
May your new instincts keep you safe, but never keep you small. May you learn fear without being ruled by it. May you explore the world, but always remember where home is. And may you never lose that moment of wide-eyed wonder — even when the camera flash is entirely too bright.
Back to the story where it all began: a quiet dawn, a very busy mom, and one extremely proud dad.
The Golden Dawn Litter Has Arrived!
Happy Birthday!
Follow their journey from day one, and if you feel a connection, let’s talk about welcoming one into your family.
Dateline: March 27, 2026, 5:47 AM — In a world that desperately needed more fluff, more chaos, and exponentially more tiny mews, history was made.
We are THRILLED to announce that the Golden Dawn litter has officially touched down!
After what we can only assume was a highly coordinated, top-secret operation involving a great deal of purring, some questionable nesting instincts, and at least one dramatic midnight pacing session, mom Onyx delivered her masterpieces. And let us tell you — she is feeling well.
How well, you ask? Let’s just say she has graduated from “majestic queen of the household” to “exhausted but glowing supermodel who just dropped the hottest collection of the year.” She is accepting congratulations in the form of her favorite homemade gourmet raw chicken blend wet food, uninterrupted naps, and the occasional gentle head scratch (on her terms only, obviously).
As for the proud papa, Sorbus? The man is beside himself. We’re talking chest puffed out, strutting around the house like he just won the Kitty Nobel Prize — in both Medicine and Literature. He has not stopped telling anyone who will listen (and many who won’t) that he is the father of these absolute masterpieces. We expect him to calm down sometime around 2032.
The First Official Poke-Free Inspection: Weights and Glamour Shots
Weekly Log
I gave mom and the babies their space on day one — no poking, no prodding, just quiet admiration from a respectful distance. On March 29, I finally stepped in for their first official wellness check: weights were recorded, tiny paws were gently examined, and glamour shots were taken (they were born camera-ready, naturally).
Weekly Weights in Ounces
We’ll update this table every week for the first month so you can watch these little ones grow!
| Kitten | Day 2 (Mar 29) | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Mackerel Tabby Boy | 5.47 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Orange Classic Tabby Boy | 5.38 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Solid Black Boy | 5.63 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Solid (?) Blue | 4.40 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Welcome to the world, little ones! Four perfect kittens, four tiny personalities waiting to bloom.
One Week Old – Eyes Opening, Zero Worries
Weekly Log
The kittens are one week old today, and they are thriving.
Their eyes are just beginning to open — tiny slits revealing the soft promise of what’s to come. But personality-wise? They’re already showing their cards. These babies are relaxed. Not a single fearful bone in any of those chubby little bodies. You can pick them up, and what do they do? They wallow. They stretch. Maybe they emit a tiny, half-hearted protest squeak. And then? They melt right back into sleep, as if to say, “That was lovely. Now go away so I can dream about milk.”
Each kitten gained at least 3 ounces this week — a testament to mom Onyx’s excellent homemade meals and her around-the-clock dedication. (She is currently accepting applause in the form of even more raw chicken blend.)
We also have official sexes! Meet the Golden Dawn roster:
- 🧡 Boy #1 Mackerel Orange Tabby
- 🧡 Boy #2 Classic Orange Tabby
- 🖤 Boy #3: Solid Black
- 🩶 Blue Girl (the lone lady of the litter!)
Names are in the works — stay tuned.
Weekly Weights in Ounces
| Kitten | Day 2 (Mar 29) | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Mackerel Tabby Boy | 5.47 | 8.28 | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Orange Classic Tabby Boy | 5.38 | 8.31 | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Solid Black Boy | 5.63 | 9.24 | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Solid (?) Blue Girl | 4.40 | 7.51 | ___ | ___ | ___ |
May your first mews always be answered. May your paws grow strong, your curiosity boundless, and your naps uninterrupted. May you know nothing but gentle hands, full bellies, and the quiet safety of a mother who adores you. Welcome, little ones. The world is better with you in it.
A Handful of Tender Moments from the Golden Dawn’s First Seven Days.
Scroll through to see tiny yawns, sleepy stretches, and the very first hints of those soon-to-be-bright eyes.
Two Weeks Old – Eyes Open, Eye Contact Made, Mom Takes a Break
Precocious Maine Coons
March 27 — April 10, 2026
I have a confession to make.
I sat down to write this week’s update about the Golden Dawn Litter fully prepared to announce that they are three weeks old. I had the number in my head. I was ready to type it. And then I checked the calendar.
Guess what?
They are only two weeks old.
That’s right. These kittens are so large, so alert, so remarkably developed that my brain simply skipped a week. They feel like three-week-old kittens. They act like three-week-old kittens. But no — these little overachievers are just fourteen days young.
So let that sink in. Everything you’re about to read — the open eyes, the intentional eye contact, the calm stretching and yawning when touched — is happening at two weeks. Most kittens at this age are still blind, still purely reactive, still little more than wiggly potatoes. Not this litter.
The Golden Dawn Litter is extraordinary. And apparently, they’re also in a hurry.
Now, on to the actual update…
Their eyes are now fully open. No more sleepy little slits — these kittens are seeing the world for the first time. And you know what they’re seeing? A kind face. Gentle hands. A mom who has never let them go hungry. And judging by the relaxed way they blink back at me, they like what they see.
Because here’s the thing about this litter: they are calm. Deeply, almost ridiculously calm. They still sleep most of the day — that hasn’t changed, and won’t for a while. But when I touch them, when I gently wake them for their weekly weigh-in? They don’t startle. They don’t fuss. They stretch. They yawn. They make a tiny sound that says, “Oh, it’s you. That’s nice.” And then they settle back into contentment. No fear. No tension. Just trust.
Eye contact has also arrived. Real, intentional eye contact. Those little blue eyes (they’ll change in time, but for now they’re that soft kitten blue) find mine and hold for a moment. It’s not a stare-down. It’s a quiet acknowledgment: I see you. You’re safe.
And here’s something else I noticed during their photo session: they are already holding their heads up — for several seconds at a time. That’s early. That’s really early. Most kittens don’t manage that until well into their third week. But these four? They lift their tiny chins, wobble just a little, and lock eyes with the camera like they’re posing for a professional portrait. Born camera-ready, indeed.
That level of security doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of Onyx.
Onyx: The Responsible Queen
Mom Onyx continues to be an excellent mother — attentive, patient, and instinctively wise. She has nursed these babies tirelessly for two weeks, and it shows in every single ounce they’ve gained.
But something shifted this week.
She’s spending more time now resting near the basket rather than in it. She’ll curl up a few feet away, watch them with half-closed eyes, and allow herself a proper nap while they snooze. She’s still on duty — one ear always swiveling toward any tiny peep — but she’s relaxing into her role. She knows they’re safe. She knows they’re fed. And for the first time, she’s allowing herself a little breathing room.
It’s beautiful to watch. A mother who gives everything, but who is slowly, confidently, letting her babies become a little more independent. She’s not leaving them. She’s just… stepping back. Just enough.
We could all learn something from Onyx.
A Note on Our Little Lady
Remember the lone female we introduced last week as a “blue girl”? Well, a closer look at her coat tells a more remarkable story.
She is not a solid blue. She is a dilute tortoiseshell — a soft, ethereal blend of blue and cream, like morning mist touched by the palest sunrise. This combination of genes is exceptionally rare, making her a truly unique individual. She’s not just the only girl in the litter; she’s a genetic gem.
Consider her already special. Because she is.
Weekly Weights in Ounces – Week 2 Update
| Kitten | Day 2 (Mar 29) | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Mackerel Tabby Boy | 5.47 | 8.28 | 12.14 | ___ | ___ |
| Orange Classic Tabby Boy | 5.38 | 8.31 | 12.17 | ___ | ___ |
| Solid Black Boy | 5.63 | 9.24 | 14.57 | ___ | ___ |
| Dilute Tortoiseshell Blue Girl | 4.40 | 7.51 | 12.03 | ___ | ___ |
Week Two Photo Gallery in this order: Orange Classic Tabby Boy; Blue Dilute Tortie Girl; Orange Mackerel Tabby Boy; Solid Black Boy
Three Weeks Old – No Longer Squeaky Potatoes, Now Officially Kittens
Cutest Kittens
Something magical happened this week.
The Golden Dawn kittens have officially graduated from the “squeaky potato” stage. You know the phase — all belly, no neck, mostly asleep, vaguely potato-shaped. Adorable in theory, slightly ridiculous in practice.
But now? They look like actual kittens. The proportions are shifting. The faces are becoming dangerously cute. The eyes are wide open and locked onto yours. We have reached the good part.
They are spending more time awake now, which means more time for eye contact. And whenever I approach their basket, four little faces turn toward me. Four pairs of eyes lock onto mine. No fear. No hesitation. Just quiet curiosity, as if to say, “Oh, it’s you again. Come to admire us? Acceptable.”
They also eat constantly. Mom Onyx is nursing around the clock, and it shows — these babies are growing at an astonishing rate. The scale does not lie.
Weight Update: Approaching the One-Pound Milestone
Three of the four kittens are hovering just over 15 ounces — so close to that glorious one-pound mark that we can almost taste it.
And then there’s Grizzly.
This boy is an eating champion. A true heavyweight in the making. He tipped the scales at a whopping 17.85 ounces — a full three ounces ahead of his siblings. He is not messing around.
| Kitten | Day 2 (Mar 29) | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Mackerel Tabby Boy – Honey Calcite (Honey Bunny) | 5.47 | 8.28 | 12.14 | 15.79 | ___ |
| Orange Classic Tabby Boy (Ruby for now) | 5.38 | 8.31 | 12.17 | 15.16 | ___ |
| Solid Black Boy – Grizzly | 5.63 | 9.24 | 14.57 | 17.85 | ___ |
| Dilute Tortoiseshell Blue Girl – Princess | 4.40 | 7.51 | 12.03 | 15.67 | ___ |
Reservation News: Two Homes Found!
The two orange boys have been officially reserved.
Reservation News: Two Homes Found!
The two orange boys have been officially reserved — and their personalities could not be more different.
Honey Calcite (aka Honey Bunny) is the laid-back philosopher of the litter. This boy is very relaxed. His preferred sleeping position? Belly up, paws in the air, completely unbothered by the world. When he hears me coming — even through a deep sleep — he doesn’t startle. He yawns. He stretches. Luxuriously. Like a tiny furry monarch granting me permission to admire him. Which, to be fair, I do.
His new owner is a geology enthusiast and rock collector — and named him after his favorite stone. Honey Calcite it is. (Though around the house, he answers just as readily to Honey Bunny.)
The other orange boy — a bright red classic tabby with stunning markings — plays harder to get. His provisional name is Ruby (a red gemstone for a red kitten), though his forever family may choose something else when he comes home. At first, he ignores you. He has better things to do. Priorities. But then you start petting him. And something shifts. He leans in. He purrs. He gives you his full attention, as if to say, “Okay, you’ve passed the test. You may continue.”
Two orange boys. Two completely different energies. Both absolutely wonderful.
That leaves two still waiting for their people: Grizzly, the gentle giant in black, and Princess, our dilute tortoiseshell girl.
Meet Grizzly: The Gentle Giant
Our black kitten — the heavyweight eating champion, the 17.85-ounce marvel at three weeks — now has a name. And it fits.
Like the bear, he is big. Like the bear, he commands attention. But also like the bear (the best kind of bear), he is calm, steady, and surprisingly gentle. He doesn’t fuss. He doesn’t fight. He just… eats. Grows. Thrives.
When you pick him up, he doesn’t squirm or protest. He settles into your hands like he belongs there — which, frankly, he does. There is something grounded about him. Something solid. Something that makes you want to say, “This one is going to be a big, beautiful cat someday.”
Grizzly is still looking for his forever home. Someone is going to be very lucky.
And Then There Is Princess
Our dilute tortoiseshell girl needed a name that matched her quiet elegance. She is not flashy. She is not loud. She is soft, demure, and regal — with the most delicate cream markings brushed across her blue-gray coat like morning mist.
Princess. Sometimes the simplest name is the truest.
She is also still looking for her forever home. A true princess deserves a true kingdom.
Onyx: The Trusting Queen
A word about mom.
Onyx has always been an exceptionally trusting cat. I was there during the birth — she wanted me there. She lets us pick up her kittens, carry them around, take endless photos, and interrupt her nursing sessions for weigh-ins. She has never once shown anxiety or possessiveness.
She knows her babies are safe. She knows we are safe. And that kind of trust is earned, yes — but it is also a gift. Onyx gives it freely.
She is eating ravenously these days, keeping up with the demands of four rapidly growing offspring. She is happy. She is content. She is the rock upon which The Golden Dawn Litter was built.
(And yes, that was a geology pun. She deserves it.)
Three-Week Photo Gallery
A Wish for the Next Week
May your bellies stay full, your naps stay deep, and your tiny personalities keep blooming. May you always look at humans the way you look at me now — with curiosity, not fear. And may your forever homes love you as much as Onyx does.