HEMINGWAY KITTENS (aka) POLYDACTYL KITTENS

Did you know that the great writer, Ernest Hemingway has a home in Key West, Florida (now the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum) that houses 40 - 50 polydactyl cats? Polydactyl cats are known to have extra digits on the front and back paws. I've been told that the record of most digits on a cat is 28.

This batch of kittens and their Mommy are all polytactyl cats, which means that they have an extra toe on at least two or more paws. And they really do look like they are wearing mittens!

I've never seen a polydactyl cat in real life, let alone foster six of them! And they are the sweetest kittens. So easy going and the two tabbies are very friendly. They are usually the first kittens to come out and greet me, besides Mommy.

I know these kittens are going to be snapped up as soon as they are available for adoption.

HEMINGWAY BATCH

Look at Whiskey Business's paws!

This batch will be vaccinated on Aug. 29 and turn 10 weeks old on Sept. 11, at which time they will start their viewings. I'm sure there will be a line up for these kittens. I wonder which one will be adopted first?

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association
https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:

http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

THE FLOWERS HAVE ALL BEEN PICKED

When I receive a batch of foster kittens, I study them and determine what their little quirks and personalities are and think to myself: "These ones will be adopted first" ... only to find out that those ones are adopted LAST or second to last.

That's what happened with this 'Flora' batch. The two chimera kittens, Rose and Tulip, were so unique looking that I thought FOR SURE they would be scooped up first. It wasn't that way at all. The first two kittens to be adopted were the ginger and tabby kittens, Lotus and Magnolia. They were adopted together to a family whose son instantly fell in love with Lotus and thought that Magnolia matched Lotus' energy level and decided to adopt the two together.

ADOPTED!
Magnolia & Lotus (July 17, 2023) 

The next kitten to be adopted was Azalea. She was adopted by a family who, in one fell swoop, adopted three kittens all at once from VOKRA. The family wanted each of their two daughters to have a kitten of their own and the third kitten was for Mom. They loved how cuddly Azalea was, so was picked to be a buddy kitten with a set of siblings from another VOKRA foster.

ADOPTED!
Azalea (July 7, 2023)

The 4th (or second last) kitten to be adopted was one of the chimera kittens, Rose. Rose has a very chill and relaxed nature, which is what the adopters wanted. The adopters had a very shy kitten at home and didn't want a new sibling to overwhelm their resident cat. During the viewing, it only took them 30 minutes to decide that Rose was the perfect fit for their family. They sent me a picture of Rose napping with one of her mommies on the couch. I LOVE receiving updates like this!

ADOPTED!
Rose (July 18, 2023)

One of my Instagram followers had an eye on adopting Mommy Poppy due to her loving and talk-a-tive nature. The adopter had to wait until Poppy was spayed first and then a 5-day waiting period for her stitches to heal before Poppy could be picked up and taken to her forever home.

ADOPTED!
Poppy (July 29, 2023)

My last foster kitten, Tulip had run the gamut of different viewings with potential adopters, but each viewing resulted in the adopter choosing another kitten to adopt. It got to a point where I had to leave on holidays and couldn't see Tulip to finding her furever home. She had to be transferred to another VOKRA foster as Tulip was still not adopted when my holidays came close.

Luckily though, I was advised that Tulip had eventually found her people and that she would be taken to her new home after her vaccination fully activated.

ADOPTED!
Tulip (Aug. 2023)

This batch probably saw the most drama with adoptions that didn't go through for reasons beyond the adopters' control. I am happy that Mommy and all her kittens have found loving homes and hope to see updates of them all as full grown cats in the future.

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:

http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

BATCH #27 IS IN THE HOUSE

I received a message from my Foster Coordinator about a batch of kittens that needed to be moved from their current fostering situation due to that foster needing to go out of town.

I was sent the pictures of the batch of five 7-week old kittens and their Mom and I immediately said "YES"! Although, truth be told, I would have said 'yes' to any batch of kittens.

These kittens have already been given names of flowers, so they are known as the 'FLORA' batch. And within this batch, I have another ginger kitten to foster. As most of you know, ginger kittens are few and far between in my household. These kittens represent #100 - #104 in my foster repertoire and only the third ginger kitten that I have ever fostered.

Being only 7-weeks old, they are rambunctious and oh-so-playful. I am constantly kissing their cute little faces.

They are constantly crashing into the food dish and getting soaked from falling into or running over the water bowl. 

Mom Poppy is so affectionate. She likes to butt my head when I'm leaning down to clean up after them. She's also a talker too. She will have little conversations with you about her day and will ask you how your life is going. Her first night, she was constantly meowing. I wasn't sure if that's her nature or if she was just voicing her concern about being in a new place, but thankfully after night two, she was absolutely quiet. I learnt to play with them and then feed them right before bedtime to keep them quiet throughout the night.

Now, without further a due, here's the FLORA batch:

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:

http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

A DELIGHTFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

It's a normal Wednesday morning and I do what one normally does after getting out of bed to start one's day ... check email. I received an email from VOKRA entitled "VOKRA Volunteer of the Month of January". Oh, how nice. Let's see who is being recognized this month for their work. Low and behold, it's ME! I run over to my husband and shove my phone into his face and enthusiastically bellow: "READ THIS!"

It's from VOKRA's Board Director-at-Large, congratulating me for being nominated and selected as VOKRA's Volunteer of the Month for February and if I could answer a few questions in writing about my work with VOKRA.

Well, after a little happy dance around the room celebrating my nomination and selection, I answered the email with an enthusiastic "YES!"

Below are the questions, and my corresponding answers:

Q: How did you start volunteering with VOKRA?  

A: My two beloved cats, Runners and Hobbies, were with me from kittens until their passing at ages 14 and 16 years respectively. 

Although I missed the pitter patter of kitty paws around my home (and due to the constant travel for work, plus the commitment of another 15 - 20 years of owning another pet), my husband and I thought it best to go the route of fostering instead of getting another kitty of our own. That's when I reached out to VOKRA to offer my volunteering services. After a quick questionnaire and a brief conversation with a VOKRA volunteer, I was bestowed my first batch of kittens in Nov. 2013.

Batch Numero Uno

To say that I maxed out my phone's storage from taking so many pictures of these kittens is a total understatement.

Q: How long and in what capacity have you been volunteering?

A: Come this November, I will have been volunteering for VOKRA for 10 years! Twenty six batches of foster kittens to date, totalling over 100+ Mommy cats and their kittens. My capacity has simply been to care for kittens from the age of newborn to adoption age (between 8 - 12 weeks old).  

I also help out other VOKRA fosters with administering medication and performing manicures/pedicures, as I have years of experience executing these procedures with my own fosters and pets.

Q: What is your favourite part of volunteering?

A: Simply this: I have (or could have) kittens in my home ALL-YEAR-ROUND. The sheer joy that I experience from raising a batch of kittens to adoption age is insurmountable. I am a very hands-on, cuddle-till-you-drop, kiss-them-incessantly kind of foster Mom. I have 6 siblings, 5 nephews and 1 niece that are the same way. So, when they find out that I have a new batch of foster kittens, they all descend upon my home and give the kittens added cuddles and kisses. This is a great way to socialize the kittens and get them used to being man-handled by different people and small children.

Q: Do you have a favourite kitty(s) you have met or a favourite story from your time with VOKRA?  

A: All my foster kittens/Mommy cats had their own distinctive personalities that made them adorable and sweet, but two kitties stand out from the 100+ fosters that have come through my home.

The first one is Hamimelon (now called "Blaze"):

Hamimelon (and her whole batch) did not meow. When they tried to meow, it just sounded like a snake hissing. It was the most unusual thing. Hamimelon was so easy going, loved to cuddle and would tolerate any kind of affection/attention from little hands constantly grasping and groping her. I adored her.

The second kitty is Mama Pasta. Her new family decided to keep her foster name, so she's stilled called Mama Pasta to this day!

This beauty came to me at a spice level of 10. It took me approximately two weeks of constant interaction and talking to her to get her down to a manageable spice level where I could pet her and her kittens. I was even able to give her a manicure so that I didn't suffer the wrath of her sudden smacks against my hands.

Spice Level: 10

Spice Level: 10

In the end, she turned out to be the cuddliest Mommy cat ... always demanding that I pick her up, carry her over my shoulder and lavish her with love. She would lounge around in bed with me for hours on those lazy days when I didn't have a lot of work to do. I miss her adorable face immensely.

 Q: Anything else you would like to add?

I have a terrible memory, so to help keep track of all the foster kitties that have come through my home, I have an Instagram page (@fostering_kittehs) and a blog (www.miraclekitties.blogspot.com) to keep everything organized. I also make jewelry in my spare time and have an IG page (@jewels.for.kittehs) where I donate 5% of sales to animal rescue organizations. Since I have been travelling so much, I haven't had that much time to devout to jewelry making for the kitties, but I'm hoping when I am home for a longer period of time, I can start that up again.

I still get my cat fix while travelling as my husband and I pet sit wherever we go during our travel adventures (IG @miracle.sitters) and even help out local rescue organizations in cities/countries that we're travelling to. My husband even started an Instagram page of all the kitties that we've encountered throughout our time abroad (@worldwide_meows). Taking care of animals plays a big part in our lives, whether we are at home or overseas. We love what we do and hope to continue working with VOKRA and other rescue organizations for as long as we are physically able to.

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:

http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/