Kai the Foster Uncle!

We got our hands on some SPCA kittens.

First, we had them for just a day when they were only days old. Boy, were they cute! Kai was SO curious about them, but we wouldn't let him get too close.

They came back to chill with us for 10 days. Let me tell you...kittens are DIRTY. By the time they were gone, the room I designated the "kitten room" was covered in poop. No matter how much upkeep I tried to do, it was still pretty gross. I had to give them worm medication, too, because one kitten had some "number 3"s (hence the poop everywhere).

Lesson learned...foster OLDER kittens who are a bit better at cleaning and using the litterbox :) Still, they were TOO CUTE!

Once they were a bit older we let them out to run around. We monitored Kai because he is still a kitten himself, but gigantic with 12lbs of muscle. He played so gently with them....until he got too excited and started pouncing. We weren't sure the kittens could handle the pouncing so when Kai got too excited we would put him in his bedroom to calm down.

All in all, the kittens loved Kai. They followed him everywhere...especially the little marble one.

On the very left is Peabod, the middle is Tubby (the SUPER FLUFFY one), and on the right is the one we loved almost the most (as if you could choose) but had no name for....

 And this little cutie was Marble! I jokingly named him "Marble Bengal", but Marble for short. Every time I go anywhere people always tell me they have a "marble bengal", when they definitely do not have a bengal! I always find it funny how many people think they have bengal mixes.
There is nothing wrong with having a beautiful marble tabby that isn't a bengal...but people always seem to want a breed.

"Kangaroo Kai"--Doesn't he look like a Kangaroo here!!?

 "Hiding" on the bottom stair so the kitten could pounce on him. Then he pounced on her but she ran under the couch for safety.












These two, in particular, LOVED eachother. Marble was the only boy and for some reason these boys bonded. Marble followed Kai EVERYWHERE and Kai was most gentle with Marble.









Attack!!!!

 What is it with kids and piggybacks?

 Stalking....

Catching!!

Tricks!

We are working on some tricks. So far Kai is able to "sit", "spin", go "up", and "shake" a paw successfully.

I'd love to get him to jump into my arms. He just recently discovered he can jump high. I noticed it when I was lying in bed and saw a flying cat land on our tall dresser. Oh, the things he can get into now....

Is it spring yet?

Kai's been crossing his fingers that spring comes sooner than expected. I think he's getting cabin fever hanging out in his crinkle sack all the time.
He got a taste of the outdoors when we went out in the backyard on our first sunny, warm day and he's dying for more of it! He almost caught a bird, but the leash dragging behind him gave him away :) Now he just sits by the window and watches the bird feeder planning his next attack...

The sun can't come fast enough!!

From the beginning...

 I grew up with cats my whoooole life. Most of them strays that I found wandering around our house. We lived in a small town of 5000 and probably had another 5000 stray cats (exaggeration..but you get it).

When we moved to a bigger city I had to give up all my cats for a no-pets condo. It was the worst part of an overall good change. I was allowed to bring one cat with me that my grandparents promised to keep for me. The plan was to take her back once I moved into my own place.
Her name was Soleil and she was my youngest cat.

Soleil came with more health issues than I'd ever had to deal with in a cat. She even had a tumour on her ear that required amputation! I loved her little tiny leftover bit of ear <3

It was even before her amputation that I'd learned about bengals. When TICA has a Cat Show here in Kelowna, I was able to see a real life bengal! I didn't capture a picture of the first bengal I saw, but it was from JungleJem bengals (who, I believe, are out of the business now). What a beauty!
I went home and did my research. Then did more the next day. And the next. And the next....

You get the drift :)

That is when I decided my next cat would be a bengal! My goal was to move out, take Soleil and then get a bengal down the road.

Well the day came when Soleil very suddenly had a stroke and had to be put down. It turns out she had a form of massive heart disease that went undetected. She was paralyzed from the waist down. I still remember how cold her front paws where as I held them. I could feel death approaching.
After Soleil died, I waited years until I could finally have a pet. I had to buy my own house to get there!!

I found an awfully nice couple who bred bengals locally. I met a lovely mama bengal named Kasa. I knew I wanted one of her babies in hopes of getting her temperament, too. I put my name on the waitlist. I preferably wanted a brown spotted boy.

Not even a month after we moved into our new house did I receive an email from Belgo Bengals that Kasa had a baby available. She had a litter with only one bengal baby who needed to be delivered via c-section. It was a brown spotted boy. I went to visit him when he was but a few days old, and quickly followed up by putting down a deposit. This boy, Kai, was mine.

 

Kai was the sweetest little blog I'd ever seen. Because he was the only kitten, he absorbed more nutrients than if he had shared with sibblings. As a result, he was a BIG BOY! This is why he had to be born via c-section. He also opened his eyes by only 5 days old.

This boy was eager to get up and live life.

Kai: Born August 28, 2013

Testing....1, 2, 3...

Hello! Decided to start a little blog to share pictures and experiences of sharing a house with a bengal kitten. Kai is 5 months old and possible the best kitten in the world (although I always say I might be biased).

I'm just getting started, so this post is a test to start learning how to use this blog. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the bengal himself, Kai :)