626 Ohana

After attentively raising 10 kittens from 4 different litters (her 5, Tunga, Broxa, and Nohea/Kahu/Kamehameha), you might think Mama Kirin would be ready to take a well-deserved break.  That's what we thought, especially after we had her fixed and she started walking away from her kittens while they were nursing.  But shortly after sending her to Petsmart to find her forever home, we discovered that Mama was definitely still producing milk. Our medical team suggested antibiotics and letting her nurse her kittens.  But with her babies scheduled for their own journies to Petsmart, they also suggested offering her some orphaned 3 week old kittens.  By coincidence, the rescue was looking for a placement for 3 kittens that very same day, which happened to be June 26th. 

This may not be a special day for you, but it's a very important day for me! I happen to be a long-time Stitchn fan.  I did find out that some people in the public do read my blog, so there is a chance that someone reading this doesn't know me personally, and therefore, may not know about my Stitch obsession or even *gasp* who Stitch is.  Experiment 626, designed by mad scientist Jumba Jookiba in the movie Lilo & Stitch, is a small, fluffy alien creation designed to wreak havoc and cause trouble.  But after being stranded on a Hawaiian island and being adopted by a broken family, Lilo and Nani, he discovered the meaning of Ohana.  Ohana means family; family means nobody is left behind or forgotten.  I think every single person who has walked into my house has commented on the Stitch decor.  

So getting new kittens on 6/26, aka Stitch day, made naming my new crew a no brainer.  I couldn't name them Lilo and Stitch, as I had Lilo (white) and Stitch (Orange) in my early post-college days.  

I decided to use some of the fringe characters.  

Though I got these 3 to nurse on Mama Kirin, she was a bit agitated by their arrival. She stalked, hissed, and growled at them. If they got to close, she firmly but gently showed them boundaries.  Not firmly enough for the kittens to realize it though, as they blissfully ignored all of her "stay-away" messages and went wherever they wanted to go without a thought or care in the world.  Pudge the Fish, in particular, was very bold and confident- exploring the room and demanding friendship from everyone he met.  The Ohana litter took their bottles easily, but I started sneaking them onto the milk bar when Kirin was nursing her other children.  Needy Byakko was my ally in this, as he was always begging Mama for milk. Kirin seemed to begrudgingly accept them and her continued role as a mother, nursing her kittens and the ohana kittens for short bursts then getting up and walking away.  The Ohana kittens were getting what they needed from the bottle, but they easily transitioned back and forth between Mama, the bottle, and weaned themselves onto kibble.

Only a few days after getting them, while still mostly on the bottle, I took them with me to my cousin's house for a day of dungeons & dragons playing. They were extremely social kittens and loved being held by someone for almost the entire campaign. They brought our party good luck as we completed a heist and fought monsters. They did meet my cousin's dog and accepted his gentle nose pokes as easily as they accepted humans.  I was supervising the interaction so didn't have enough hands to take pictures.  Safety was more important, but I wish I had evidence of the adorable interactions. 

It didn't take long for Pudge the Fish to stand out, not just for his easy to identify markings, but due to his charming personality.  Pudge loves everybody and everything and embraces life with a vitality that is hard to resist.  He loves to play and his brothers usually take turns wrestling with him as neither can keep up with his energy, but he cuddles hard too, almost always curled up with someone.  He will follow Mama around, trying to nurse on her while she's walking or will nurse on your hand, ear, or lips while purring contentedly.  He knows his name and will often come running to you if you call him (as long as he is awake, as he sleeps just as intensely as he plays).  But his siblings follow his lead to the very best of their abilities.  They are all very sweet, social kittens who have shown no fear meeting any animals or humans so far.  Cobra Bubbles may not quite be as smart as the others, often getting lost and needing to be rescued from his lonliness.  

Things did change for them when I got another kitten- this one just 10 days old and very vulnerable.  Unlike her initial wariness when I've brought older kittens into the house, Mama Kirin was instantly drawn to tiny Uvie.  Though Uvie was in quarantine and separated in her warming bin, Mama kept trying to break in and let me know when Uvie needed a bottle by yelling at me incessently.  This seemed to reignite Mama's maternal instincts.  Since I wouldn't let her have Uvie, she began actively nursing the Ohana litter- letting them nurse for longer without kicking them off or walking away.  I stopped having to sneak them onto her while her other kittens were nursing, which was good since her other babies were all finding their forever homes. 

Long before I began fostering with Itsie Bitsie Rescue, my brother adopted 2 IBR kittens that were fostered by a girl name April.  My brother is the one who told me about IBR when I was looking for my dream kitten- a long haired white calico with bright orange spots.  I found Katsu, who was described as a medium hair, but ended up being a short hair.  Still loved her! When I started fostering, I let the other fosters know I was looking for my dream kitten, and April sent me a link for "Mink" and I immediately contacted that rescue and won the lottery, as they had 4 applicants already (after only being posted for a few hours).  I brought baby Mink, now Pigwidgeon, home and she's grown up into a beauty, and I gained a new friend (April). 

April saw that I was fostering the Ohana litter and reached out to see if I could take in a singleton that was the same age.  We reached out to the rescue for permission and I agreed to take him after he finished the quarantine period with her.  

Being an older kitten, Mama Kirin was apprehensive, as usual, about his sudden arrival.  But I'm not convinced that the Ohana litter realized that he was new at all.  He was just part of the Ohana.  He is a smart kitten who used the litter box shortly after he arrived (my husband laughs but the first poop always makes me cry; I feel like it's an important moment in a new, unfamiliar place).  

Although his previous foster mom said he was very loving and cuddled with her every night, Captain Gantu was so happy to have kitten siblings, he ignored me for the first few days. He's only come to sit in my lap the last 2 days, and it made me so happy!

When Uvie came out of quarantine, all of the Ohana litter instantly accepted her as well.  They truly understand the meaning of Ohana.  

8/13/24 Update

As of today, the Ohana litter have all been fixed and will head to Petsmart to find their forever homes in about a week.  They've all become extreme snugglers, often piling up in a delightful kitten pile or curling up next to their humans. When not in their kennel, they now have access to the entire house. They find this delightful as they were beginning to resist being locked up or separated from their people.  They love to explore and steal toys from the resident cats.  But they always come back to find their humans when it's time for a nap.  

Pudge spent a few days as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, trying to bring in the great weather (movie reference).  After his surgery he was investigating his missing trouble puffs a little too aggressively.   

Mama Kirin continued to let them nurse for short bits of time, but when she walked away Pudge often sought out other things to nurse on. It made computer work much more pleasant, but much less efficient.  

Kirin is finally showing readiness to live her own life instead of being a full time mom.  She'll head to Petsmart this weekend to try to find her forever home.