Today the kittens learned how to eat, how to drink water and how to
poop.  They haven't quite gotten the hang of walking on water yet, but
they're working on it.  One of the kittens, after stuffing himself with
cat food, started making scratching motions, so I tossed him in the
litter box.  After a great production digging several holes until he got
it just right, he left his deposit and promptly stepped in it.  The
other two kittens followed.  With each one, the mother cat checked up on
what they were doing, scratching around in the litter box.

It's fascinating watching the mother cat interact with the kittens.  She
 has a particular trilling purr and the kittens all start meowing
(squeaking) and come running to her.  She likes to lay down and watch
the kittens play.

The interesting thing about the purr, it's exactly the same purr that
Shadow the feral used to make whenever he saw my cat Pip.  Of course Pip
was disgusted by Shadow's homosexual advances and won't have anything to
do with him, but Shadow keeps following him around years later.