Monichiwa

All the O’Choc kittens have now settled into their new homes

Monika — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:13:20 +0000

We always love it when owners of our cats come back to us for another one, and we are especially happy that for some time now we have had such “repeat customers” in almost every litter. The O’Choc kittens were no exception. Ozzy, who was one of the first to leave, has just joined one of those families. He now lives in Tczew with Bogusia, Jacek, Amelka, and “our” Irresistible Ivanka, who had been struggling to cope with the loss of her longtime companion Ezzy, officially Egzorcysta, after he crossed the Rainbow Bridge. (The similarity between the names Ezzy and Ozzy is only partly a coincidence.)

Another familiar home welcomed Octavio. Agnieszka and Antek took him to Kraków, where he joined his biological aunt Morticia and another Siamese cat, Ginger. Slightly bossy, as befits a representative of this particular branch of our Oriental-Siamese family, Morticia initially greeted the kitten with hissing reserve. But once the ice was broken, the two became absolutely inseparable. As a result, Ginger finally reclaimed his favourite places on his human’s lap and at the foot of the bed, previously occupied by the rather persistent feline lady. Octavio, Morticia, and Ginger also share their home with Franek and Rysik, an adopted fox terrier-type dog who somehow has to cope with this lively feline gang.

Oriana also has quite a large group of companions. She lives near Pobierowo with Ola, Grzegorz, and Kuba, and joined the local feline crew consisting of Kitek and Kicia, collectively known as “the Seniors,” as well as Junior Kokusik, who became an admirer of his new companion from day one.

Oriana and Ozzy form the northern feline fraction, while Octavio and Ondine represent the southern one. Our little “late arrival” (the kitten who was born a day and a half after the rest of the litter) moved to Będzin to live with Ilona, Mariusz, and their son Krzyś, who no longer lives with his parents but joined them on the journey to collect the kitten and then visited “Ondusia” every single day during her first week at home. Ondine’s companion is Tofik, a ginger domestic cat.

The last kitten we said goodbye to, Oscar, belongs to neither of these factions because he stayed close to home. Or rather, he has become part of a much broader network of Warsaw-based cats from our other litters. He now lives in Ursus with Ganna and Vlad and, unlike all the others, is currently an only cat. Experience has taught us, however, that with Orientals and Siamese, this situation rarely lasts more than a few years. 😉

The kittens from the Naughty litter are already in their new homes, and on the website (see: Kittens), the O‑Choc babies are now in charge.

Monika — Fri, 22 May 2026 18:13:00 +0000

Since early May, we have been gradually saying goodbye to our N litter. First, over the May long weekend, we took Nori to Kashubia – near Lębork – to the friendly home of Ania and Mirek. Until recently, they had two Monichiwa cats: Elfin Eduardo, known at home as Tymon (the full brother of our senior Elaine), and Flossy Fabiola, affectionately called Havana. Sadly, she passed away suddenly last autumn, leaving poor Tymon alone. That said, he welcomed his new companion, Nori, rather reservedly. To put it gently – three weeks later the physical distance between them wasn’t large anymore (as you can see in the photo), but emotionally they were still keeping their distance. Well, step by step. It’s hard to expect a nearly ten-year-old, serious cat to enthusiastically greet a mischievous little kitten.

The day after we returned from the far north, little ginger Neo left for his new home – not very far this time. He now lives with Ksenia and Artur in Warsaw’s Praga district. A week after Neo, it was time for Nico. Our Siamese boy, the most energetic kitten of the litter, has settled in Lublin with Julia and Kuba, regularly visited by the resident cats Małaczka and Dużuteńka (their names roughly mean “little one” and “big one” and are great examples of “working” cat names that ended up sticking forever). And finally Nigiri, who after waiting 21 days following her rabies vaccination (a requirement for international travel), flew with Natalya and Konstantin to Bucharest – becoming the first Monichiwa kitten on Romanian soil. And what a journey that was – Warsaw to Bucharest! Nigiri’s companion is Kuzya, a rescue cat found on the streets of… Jakarta.

Traditionally, we wish our little ones long and happy lives in their new homes, and their owners at least as much joy from their presence as we experienced caring for them during the first months of their lives.

Peekaboo! We’ve got kittens (again)!

Monika — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:46:41 +0000

When it came to choosing the moment to give birth, Mumu turned out to be the perfect mum-to-be. First of all, she didn’t keep us in suspense for long — day 64 after mating (with a textbook feline pregnancy lasting 63 days) is a very good result. Secondly, she kindly held off on labour until I had finished work, and only then, at regular intervals, gave birth to four kittens.

We thought that was the end of it. An ultrasound three weeks after mating had shown “four for sure, maybe five” kittens, and after tidying herself up, instead of acknowledging the seriousness of the postpartum period, the mother casually escaped the bedroom and began playing carefree games with the older kittens. So I calmly tidied up the bedroom, moved the kittens from the “working” birthing box into the enclosed nest where they will spend the next four weeks, and encouraged the queen to take an interest in her offspring.

At some point, I succeeded: Muriel graciously agreed to lie down and nurse them — but soon enough she chose freedom again and relocated to our bed. We lasted about half an hour like this, after which I decided once more to move her back to the kittens. And that’s when the surprise came: the chocolate-coloured quartet had turned into a quintet. The last kitten, still wet and with the umbilical cord intact, was already energetically crawling among its siblings.

And that wasn’t the end of the shocks! In the middle of the following night – roughly 30 hours after the first five had been born – I discovered kitten number six in the delivery room. That was a real bombshell: not only did the baby arrive after such a long interval (we had heard of situations like this before, but it was the first time it had happened to us), but we weren’t expecting it at all – after all, the ultrasound had shown five. Of course, I worried that our “latecomer” might struggle to catch up with siblings born a day and a half earlier, but those fears proved unfounded, as he’s doing really well.

Compared with our other cats, Muriel takes a rather unorthodox approach to kitten care. In the first day after giving birth, she wouldn’t exactly have ranked high in any Mother of the Year contest – but we know this phase all too well: a post‑partum, somewhat disoriented queen who shows limited interest in her babies and needs quite a bit of encouragement from us to stay with them usually doesn’t last long. What we didn’t expect, however, was for her to become a permanently “part‑time” mother. Some cat mothers hardly leave their kittens at all; others, even though they enjoy their alone time, rush back at the slightest squeak. For Muriel, caring for a litter is simply one of life’s tasks – important, yes, but certainly no more important than playing with the Naughty kids or lounging with them, as well as Koko and Gapa, on her favorite beds in the living room. The kittens are perfectly fine with their mother dividing her time between these three activities. Well fed and meticulously groomed during Mum’s visits, they spend much of the day sleeping alone in the delivery room. We’re fine with that too, as long as their weight gains show that all their vital needs are being met one hundred percent.

More info about the kittens will come soon!

The first photos of the Naughty kittens are already on the website!

Monika — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:31:38 +0000

Nori, Nigiri, Neo, and Nico look quite clumsy for now, but each day they will start to resemble little cats more and more. At this stage, they mainly sleep, eat, and crawl a bit, which is my favorite phase of a kitten’s life, especially with self-sufficient litters where the mother cat takes full responsibility for caring for her offspring. But this will soon change – first, there will be occasional escapes from the birthing box, which will gradually become less occasional until it’s time for the playpen. Then comes the stage of escaping from the playpen, ending with it being fully opened, and before we know it, those tiny little critters will become a swarm of locusts racing around the whole house.

Until then, I encourage you to check out the photos of the one-and-a-half-week-old kittens HERE.

A few words regarding the status of the kittens on the website: “Available” means that the kitten is definitely available, while “Option” means that someone is already interested in them. At this stage of the kittens’ lives, this usually refers to people who already have a cat from us and are planning to expand their group with another one. This does not mean, however, that you cannot or should not inquire about such a kitten. Firstly, it is not yet a binding interest, and everything can still change.

We only accept final reservations for kittens once they reach 5 weeks of age. This time allows us to make decisions about the possible breeding potential of one or more of the kittens. Nonetheless, if you are interested in one of the cats, it is worth staying in touch with us now – if the object of your interest becomes available, we will definitely reach out to you.

The Naughty litter is already in the world. We have kittens!

Monika — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 10:39:56 +0000

This time everything went as expected: four kittens on the ultrasound three weeks after mating, four kittens in the world. Two girls and two boys, precisely according to the rules of probability; tortie girls and one red boy, which isn’t quite following the rules of probability. In both cases—gender and the inheritance of the red color—the chance of passing on the appropriate gene is 50%, so in a four-kitten litter, there should be exactly half girls/boys and half red cats. But probability is one thing, and genetic lottery is another, so it is what it is. And it’s uncertain if it will end here, because one of the kittens is a Siamese (25% chance, so again, perfectly aligned), therefore it’s white for now, and we’ll probably know its final color only in about three weeks. And it could be red, why not? Especially since these are the first gingers born here, even though we’ve had several chances, so it’s time to catch up.

From the perspective of raising kittens, 4-5 is an ideal number. A cozy little group, and there’s always enough space at the mother’s teat, so even kittens born a bit smaller, like one of our torties, aren’t doomed to brutal fights with the giants. I’m quietly hopeful for a return, after a short break, to the wonderful tradition of low-maintenance litters, where the breeder’s involvement in the first month is limited to weighing the kittens morning and evening, marveling at their development, and occasionally changing the blankets in the nest. So far, everything is going that way, and hopefully, it will stay that way!

Koko and her colorful crew

All Mighty kittens are in their new homes

Monika — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:55:06 +0000

How is our crew doing? – Everything is fine, thank you. It was a bit strange when our group decreased by four in just two days, but that’s how it is in breeding, and you have to get used to it. On Thursday, Muharib, aka Max, moved to Wilanów in Warsaw to live with Kasia, Robert, and their cat Luna, who is our black Irresistible Ivy. On Friday, Agnieszka took Morticia to Kraków as a companion for the ginger Siamese, nomen omen, Ginger. Right after they left, I packed Muriel and Midnight into a carrier, and we set off for Poznań. Muriel was to take part in her first ever cat show, and Midnight was awaited by Julia, Alex, and their six-month-old Maine Coon, Pablo. That same evening, Melody left with another Agnieszka for Klaudyn near Warsaw to join her dog.

Our babies in their new homes:
1. Midnight aka Shanie
2. Morticia’s first steps
3. Muharib and Luna
4. Muharib in the garden. His first-ever walk on the grass was quite an experience (we have a video!), but he apparently got used to it quickly.

Good things are worth waiting for – we have kittens!

Monika — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:03:30 +0000

“At a reasonable time of day”… When my alarm clock rang, the cat came to bed and announced that her time was near. She then allowed herself to be gently led to the birthing area, where she spent the next few hours until all the kittens were born. What a pleasant change after many years of negotiating with various mothers-to-be to ensure they would lie in the designated birthing spot on a clean pad, rather than wandering around the room or at least moving between the delivery box and the adjacent bedding used as a backup (where one could, for instance, temporarily place the kittens and mother). While most could be convinced to use the box, they rarely accepted its arrangement. Digging, rearranging layers, or burrowing was commonplace. But here: a model cat. Initially, she was a bit confused and ignored the first kittens, but that’s what breeders are for—to cut umbilical cords and clean and dry the newborns before handing them over to the mother.

Once the initial bewilderment passed, Koko proved to be an excellent, caring, and devoted mother. She receives significant support in raising the kittens from her own mother, Elaine. Allowing another of our cat family members near the kittens was something we never considered. We believed the mother cat needed peace and full focus on her kittens after birth, and we worried that the presence of another cat might not be safe for them. But Gapa is different. She and Koko are very close, and having proven herself as the best mother, when we had to choose between locking her in another room (otherwise she opens doors herself) and enduring her cries or letting her into the bedroom to see what happens, we chose the latter. Initially, under our supervision and only during the day, but after observing her and Koko for two days, we decided there was no reason she couldn’t join her daughter and the kittens as an additional source of warmth and grooming. The photo below clearly shows how things are going for us.

More details and individual photos of the kittens coming soon!

Lucky kittens have been in their new homes for quite some time now

Monika — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 16:02:59 +0000

While calm little Lando had a visit from potential new owners the same day (it was a Wednesday) and changed homes on the Saturday after that Wednesday, exactly at the time he was supposed to be picked up by his would-be owner, Lewis wasn’t so lucky. He stayed at home, and the more no one inquired about him, the more he bonded with us and the rest of our group. Eventually, we threw up our hands and said, “If it’s meant to be this way, so be it—he stays.” I took down the remaining advertisements that were still hanging around, and we reconciled with the idea of having one more feline tenant. However, that wasn’t the end of it—one advertisement survived. It was free, unpromoted, and lingering on a German portal. That’s how Mark found Lewis, and as a result, our kitten ended up living near Zurich with Mark, Sasha, and their numerous animals, including two adopted Persian cats from a shelter and seven Spanish greyhounds. On the other hand, we have Lando quite literally nearby, as he lives in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district with Iza, Nicolas, and their three-year-old Peterbald.

Lewis and his new companions

Kokos wins the cat show in Rzeszów and Lewis is still waiting for a home

Monika — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 17:03:53 +0000

The show we participated in was part of the Felimpiada – an event organized by the Polish Felinology Union, which is unique in that shows of the three most popular cat organizations in our country: WCF, TICA and FIFe (in the case of the latter, it was not a show but a cat display), take place at the same place and time. Even though our cattery is affiliated with FIFe, we usually take the opportunity to also show our cats at the two TICA events held in Poland every year. The scoring system there is completely different from “ours”. Each day, cats are judged in four major classes – kittens, adult cats, neuters and household pets – by each of the judges. In addition to competing for points for the best cat of a given breed in a particular colour, colour group and breed, the best of them also meet in the finals of the class, where they are compared directly with the best cats in the class, regardless of their breed, sex or hair length and ranked in order from the last place (5-10 – depending on the total number of cats of a given class participating in the competition) to the first. This means that with five judges (as there were in Rzeszow), a cat can “pass” as many as 10 performances in one day – five evaluations and, if it pleases, another five finals. So you have to run a bit with these cats, but the fun is great, because each evaluation is another hope and chance for a good result. The joy is even greater if this running brings results, which was also our share in Rzeszow. We are very proud of our Kokos, no final could do without him. He won three of them, and in the rest he placed high (he was fourth at the lowest) and as a result he became the best neuter (or Alter as they are called in TICA) of the show, heard lots of compliments (for length, elegance, phenomenal eye colour, beautiful profile and size and position of ears), appeared in the Felimpiada final and brought home a trunk full of awards.

We are not resting on our laurels, because the last weekend of April awaits us another journey – this time to Slovakia, where at the exhibition in Žilina we hope to complete the title of International Premior of our parent federation.

Kokos inviting to FIFe cat display and as TICA show winner

Lewis and Lando are free again and looking for a new home!

Monika — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:08:13 +0000

Both lads are, of course, fully prepared to move. Well, let’s say almost ready – because they were supposed to go to the same home, the prepared starter kit reflects that. So, we have one fishing rod (but two attachments for it – with two kittens, its lifespan will be significantly shorter), a double bag of food, and a bed with two names. The possibility of a two-in-one home would be a significant facilitation, but it’s not the only available option, of course. What’s important to us is that each of them finds the most suitable home, as our little ones differ radically in temperament.

Speckled Lewis is like living silver – bold, curious, and omnipresent. The best home for him is one where there’s a lot happening. Lando is much calmer; he doesn’t react as vigorously to new situations. While playing with his brother, he often yields, preferring lounging on a warm radiator over prolonged chases and wrestling. He’s one of those kittens whom we would also release into a home where he’d be the only cat if necessary (although, of course, having been raised in a feline household and having regular contact with the rest of our furry residents, he has no issues with intercat relationships).