My year with Wenusia

Sometimes changes happen to your life that you would never predict. Big changes that alter the way you function, the way you organise your day and plan your logistics. This happened to me one year ago today, on 5 January 2025, when Wenusia stepped into my life. The little lost (or abandoned?) kitten that followed me home through Jakubowizna. 

Since then, she has become the matriarch of a small cat colony, having given birth of 14 June 2025 to five fantastic kittens, each one healthy and wonderful in their own way. I had Wenusia sterilised in early October to ensure that she'd not have any more kittens. And on this beautiful sunny and snowy morning, here we all are in my kitchen – Wenusia and her four sons, Arcturus, Czester, Pacyfik and Scrapper, and one daughter, the glamorous Céleste.

Below: portrait of Wenusia, taken this morning after breakfast. Mum of five.

Below: the Foundling. Photo taken on the morning of Monday 6 January 2025 as we come to terms with a new situation.

Does she feel any ill-will towards me for getting her sterilised? Does she resent her brood, with whom she has to share space in my house, whom she watches as they eat before finally approaching the cat food herself? After her sterilisation, Wenusia's attitude to the little ones changed dramatically. She breast-fed them to the end, into their 14th week. Even as she was recovering from the operation, she would still lie down and for a short while and express some milk from the front pair of nipples to any kitten in need of extra nutrition. But then things changed. She'd start hissing and growling, and lashing out with claws at any kitten that bothered her. She became intolerant of their presence.

Scrapper was always the most dutiful son. Whenever she came into the house, he'd be first to greet her, sniffing her posterior. Wenusia would turn around and display her anger at him. 

Matters came to a head in early December, when she disappeared for six days. I was getting round to accepting that Wenusia had left us, having found a new human to provide for her in a new home, unencumbered by five other cats, when she reappeared. Since then, she has never been away for more than a night. Wenusia usually spends the night outside, even in the snow and frost, but is always there in the morning, on the kitchen windowsill or at the front door.  She has become more tolerant of her offspring, there's less hissing and growling. Wenusia has come to accept that sharing a house with five other cats is better than living the feral life.

Posting about Wenusia's appearance in my life, I was met with many posts from people saying that I should get her sterilised as soon as possible. I didn't, and I'm supremely glad that I didn't. Had Wenusia been sterilised, there would have been no Scrapper (all-round good bloke), no Czester (czabi Czestuś, big, lazy and cuddlesome), no Arcturus (on his way to developing tool-use), no Pacyfik (who joins me every day without fail on my exercises), and no glamorous Céleste, the most beautiful of felines. Every one brings me vast amounts of joy; I could not part with any of them.

It has been a great year together.

This time last year:
Aligned

This time four years ago:|
Don't Look Up! 

This time six years ago:
The Inequality Paradox - pt. 1

This time eight years ago:
Warsaw's Christmas lights, 2017-18

This time 16 years:
Winter commuting in colour and black & white

This time 17 years ago:
Zamienie in winter

This time 18 years ago:
Really cold (-12C at night)
[last night's low: +5C]