Monichiwa

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).

Black beauty Just Jojo and Kind of kittens are in their new homes!

Monika — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 14:59:04 +0000

First, the exhibitions. In mid-November in Poznań, Koko (Kind of Khloe) made her debut, accompanied by Kim (Kind of Kimberly), who at that time did not yet have a new home. Surprisingly, the “accompanying person” achieved a better result than the one we were counting on. While Koko narrowly lost the comparison to Best in Show on both days (each time making it to the final comparison of two out of four cats, and each time the judge ultimately chose her rival), Kim on Sunday impressed judge Helene Lis enough to receive an easy nomination and her vote in the panel.

Then there was an exhibition in Siedlce, where we again took Koko and Lubcia (Eastern Family’s Lyubima), Jojo’s mom, who had almost half a year since giving birth, allowing her to return to show condition. We decided to take advantage of the last chances for her to complete the International Champion title under eased, “covid” conditions, i.e., without the need to travel abroad but with a greater number of certificates obtained in the country.

Siedlce turned out to be much more favorable for us than Poznań. Lubcia received two more certificates and was nominated for Best in Show on Saturday, where she lost in a draw. In the case of a tie and the absence of a judge with the appropriate authority to break the deadlock, the winner is determined by a blind draw – the draw selects a judge who then indicates the winner, the cat he had voted for earlier. Koko, on both days, received undisputed Best in Show and one vote each in the Best in Category selection.

The culmination of our exhibition journeys was one day in Łódź on Sunday, December 11 – when central Poland was covered in a blanket of snow. The winter (outside) and industrial (inside the EC1 Machine Hall, where the exhibition took place) scenery was not kind to us – we had to settle for Ex1 ratings and Lubcia completing her title.

Simultaneously with the exhibitions, we said goodbye to more kittens. First, the oldest, Jojo, went to a home we know well. Well, we know the owners – the house itself appeared in the meantime. When Elfin Eevee (called Rysia at home), Elaine’s sister, moved in with Iza, Jacek, and their long-haired oriental Leon, they still lived in Poznań. Now, they reside in Tarnów Podgórny near Poznań, in a house with a large (and secure) garden, which becomes our cat’s kingdom in the summer. We hope that Jojo will soon be a good companion for her outdoor adventures.

After Jojo, Kokos left for Rzeszów, becoming the only cat in Patrycja and Tomek’s home. “For now, the only one,” insisted Tomek, vowing not to add another. We hope that nothing has changed in this regard, although Kokos’s mischievous nature reportedly gives the new home a run for its money.

The day after Kokos, Kylie (our “Keks”) set off on a short journey to Bemowo in Warsaw, where she now lives with Iwan and his wife in the company of a handsome Siamese. Then there was a longer break – waiting for the registration of a new breeding facility, to which Kim was supposed to go. Finally, just before the holidays, we also said goodbye to our Siamese, Kind of Kimberly MonichiwaPL, who moved to Mysłowice. Alongside the lilac Siamese Lumos Grande FortunaPL from Dorota Matysiak’s breeding, she will be the beginning of GryfnyOrient*PL breeding program by Marcin Małek. We wish him breeding success and much joy with our cat.

http://monichiwa.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Facebook1.mp4

Just Jojo with her favourite toy lizard

We have kittens!!!

Monika — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 08:19:20 +0000

Lyubima was the one that started. Early in the morning (the tradition of night births must have been kept) on the 12th of June two cat babies: boy and girl welcomed the world. Both black as their mother despite the fact that Lubcia’s mating with a lilac boy Julbars could have bring us black, chocolate as well as lilac or blue (Lyubima is a dillution) carrier kittens. We counted very much on the latest, as no blue kittens had ever been born in our cattery so far. Unfortunately the boy did not make it – in spite of all efforts: hand feeding, warming, medicines and iv-s he passed away several days later. His sister, even if still a little weak in her earliest days, was more lucky and in the age of 2,5 weeks she is a greedy and vital baby. Her first photos (not the best ones actually – nothing is as difficult as making good pictures of a black cat, especially in younger age, when there is no contrast between its eyes and fur) are available on her individual Just Jojo page.

Finally concerning Elaine…

The expected delivery time of our cinnamon female was Friday the 24th of June. The earliest the 24th of June. The duration of cat’s pregnancy lies between 62 and 70 days, Friday was its 65th day, but the past experiences – both our own and from fellow breeders – confirmed that oriental females usually give birth even later. So when in the middle of the night (of course!) from Tuesday to Wednesday, my older son came to our sleeping room with a communicate that Elaine’s delivery started, we were in real shock. Two babies were already there: one of them already fully cleaned up by the mother, the other one still covered with amniotic membranes. I spend next hour very busy: between gathering all necessary stuff, assembling a delivery box (a booth of a scrathing tree is of course a cosy and nice place to give birth, but not necesserily the optimum one from the breeder’s perspective – in view of a hindered access to mother and babies) and helping Elaine take care of the newborns. Meanwhile two kittens turned into four: three females – a siamese and two oriental shorthair torties (for the first time in out cattery!) and a siamese boy – it’s him on the photo below in a serpentine hug of her mother. More pictures are available on Kittens page.