Nimbus

Fate brought Huey to me for an overnight stay until a foster could be found- but I couldn't let him go and he joined my largest foster group- Mama Kirin and her collection of kittens she raised.  I renamed him Genbu, aka Tank and fell in love.  His adorable kitten pictures shot out across the country to my aunty, who ended up flying from Virginia to California to adopt him.  Before he was ready for adoption and they could make that trip, Genbu's brother's joined him- triplets.  My aunty planned for 2, but I knew she'd never be able to leave one behind- she took all 3 home.  Genbu became Nohea, and his brothers Kamehameha and Kahu are growing up into spoiled, mischevious, and affectionate cats.  My aunty has sent me pictures and videos every day since they adopted them, and I love the connection it's fostering between us.  

Nohea and his brothers were hard to give up- they were really special kittens. I've loved every foster I've had, but there are some that just have something magical- and these 3 boys had that sweet acceptance of life and love that I found enchanting.  I loved seeing them grown and evolve, but it's not quite the same as being there in person.

When Marvin showed up in rescue, his foster sent a picture to me- remarking at how much he looked like the triplets. I was instantly smitten with this kitten I had never met.  

I host kitten wellness clinic at my house, so nearly all kittens in the rescue come to me every 3 weeks.  But Marvin's foster is also a mentor/volunteer and sometimes leaves her kittens at home if she is working clinic... so Marvin was left home that first clinic.  She brought him to the next clinic, but by chance I was out of town and asked my friend to let everyone in and host clinic- so I didn't get to see him.  I knew he'd be reaching surgery weight and be leaving foster care soon, so I pretty much invited myself over to see him.  Jennifer was so gracious and allowed me to invade her house for some much desired Marvin snuggles. He did not disappoint.  After he finished playing with his littermate sisters, I picked him up and he melted like butter in my hands.  Jennifer's neighbors came over to also look at kittens and asked if he was still alive- he was passed out and floppier than a limp noodle.  I did eventually hand him over and let them meet him, but my heart was breaking.  I knew Seth would never let me have another kitten and the sensible part of my brain knew that was more practical.  But his soul reminded me of my favorite cat of all- Tomo.  Tomo was extremely attached to me, spending most of her nap time tucked into my shirt/bra and purring like mad.  She got sick with FIP and we fought it as long as we could, but she lost control of her limbs one night- long before I ever heard there was a treatment, and I've never found another kitten that wanted to cuddle that much before this one.  He was also a connection to my aunty- a family connection I've relied on a lot since my mom died. 

I went home, a little sad, but hopeful that he'd find a good home with Jennifer's neighbors and maybe I'd get some updates.  I didn't want to overload my poor husband, who has kept me sane in a time when life is very difficult for us for a number of reasons, so I didn't ask.  But I did share every minute detail of my visit and how I felt about him.  That led to a conversation about our adoption habits and how frequently we have adopted kittens, including the 4 that were really adopted by my mother, and we had a pretty strong pattern for adopting a kitten every year.... until Gizmo in 2022.  I pointed out that we had NOT adopted a kitten in 2023 and Seth looked me straight in the eye and said "it doesn't sound like we'll make it through 2024". 
WHAT?!
I didn't want to blow it, but my heart leapt in my chest. He's been so adamant about not keeping any number of kittens that have been my favorite in a litter- it's a game we like to play as I fake pout and call him a "Mean Old Dad", or MOD, and he grumps at me and says he's the meanest.  Could he be saying what I hoped he was saying? I hadn't asked directly, he hadn't said anything directly... but he casually opened up doors to this adoption- doors I expected were triple locked.. but by the end of the night we were already discussing names and I was looking at collars/tags.  

Not long after that, when Jennifer went out of town, she transferred Marvin, unofficially named Nimbus, to me.  

My little cloud came home and made friends with everyone instantly.  He loved to be held or tucked into my shirt/dress, close to my heart.  But he soon showed me why he was named Starvin' Marvin- as he stopped eating, lost weight, and had to be hand fed tiny bits of food to stay alive.  I reached out to my team in a panic and we tried many things, including a 5 day treatment, but he decided to start eating again after 2 days of starving himself.  Then, only a few days after treatment ended, he dropped weight again and went back to his squirrely refusal to eat unless I was hand feeding him- which was also dangerous as he didn't really know how to differentiate between fingers and food.  Another flurry of panicked messages- and eventually he responded to a course of antibiotics and bribery- freeze dried chicken/livers.  Now, he's a food hound- always wanting to eat, though he will still often wait to eat his kibble until I crush up some freeze dried chicken or livers into his food.  We ended up getting him a microchip feeder, since the freeze dried niblets were so popular our other cats continually broke into his kitten food area to steal his food. Nimbus took to his new feeder immediately, which made him immensely popular with Gizmo, Daisy, and Beignet- who figured out they can still at least a little food while he's eating.  This did cause a little confusion when we started feeding Toasty wet food with a microchip feeder, as Nimbus cannot figure out why this stupid feeder won't open for him! 

While he might have given me trouble with growing and eating, he's never had a problem with love and affection.  He is a great companion.  He took to a collar and harness without qualms and purred incessently when we put plopped him into our brand new dangle harness. It's too big for him and he slides around a bit, body parts sticking out of different holes- but he seems to enjoy being strapped in and going out on little errands.  He hated being in a carrier and yowled- but he'll fall asleep in the car in his little harness.  

Nimbus is quite the mama's boy, always following me around and begging to be picked up.  He has never failed to greet me at the door and cries if he's separated from me.  He has been shut out of the kitten room when I got the little glamour clouds and they were having health issues.  Nimbus was distressed at his forceful separation from me and paced and cried at the door- climbing up on the fan and trashcan right outside the door and contemplating his ability to jump over the gate.  He's so happy now that they're recovering and he can come in and play with them and be with mommy at the same time.  

Sometimes he does get overheated during cuddles- but he solves that problem by cooling off nearby.

Nimbus does have a hawaiian name, Aolani, or heavenly cloud.  But I sometimes call him Nohea by accident! He's not really very smart and has no sense of self preservation... he always lands face first when he jumps down from things.  But he's so sweet and I love every part of his boneless floopy body!