Two bonded kitten siblings were pulled from a crowded shelter and landed somewhere far cozier. Now their favorite way to spend an evening is stretched out along the back of the couch, quietly watching true crime documentaries with their foster.
Mahi Mahi and MackerelCredit: Orphan Kitten Project
Mahi Mahi and Mackerel came into rescue after a local shelter, packed well past its comfortable limit, put out a call for help. With so many animals arriving at once, the shelter hoped to find these two a softer place to land, and reached out to ask whether any foster homes might be open.
That call reached Orphan Kitten Project, a vet student-run rescue at UC Davis, California, that runs entirely on foster homes and has no shelter building of its own. "We are 100% foster-based, so we do not have a shelter facility. When we take in kittens, they are always placed in a foster home," Orphan Kitten Project shared with LoveMeow.
For a group that loves nothing more than getting kittens out of crowded shelters and into real homes, the answer was an easy yes. The two siblings were placed with a devoted foster, and in her care they settled in and began to blossom.
Mellow to the coreCredit: Orphan Kitten Project
Mahi Mahi and Mackerel turned out to be the most wonderfully easygoing pair. They are sweet, mellow, and delightfully low-key, the kind of kittens who bring a calm presence into a room, and they seldom meow, choosing instead to gaze up with big eyes when they would like to be scooped up for a cuddle.
Their foster calls them easy keepers, content to entertain themselves for hours. "They are not destructive or demanding, and can keep themselves entertained as long as they are supplied with a scratcher and each other," the rescue shared. That last part matters most, because their bond sits at the very center of who they are.
Favorite toyCredit: Orphan Kitten Project
Their laid-back charm is only half the story. Hand either of them a wand toy or a bouncy spring, and the calm gives way to a lively chase, all pounces and skittering paws across the floor.
When the game winds down, they melt into whoever is holding them, easy to pick up and glad to be held. Watching the two of them tear around and then flop into a lap, it is clear these are kittens who feel completely at home.
[VIDEO — Mahi Mahi and Mackerel at play: editor to embed] Caption: Playtime
Bonded gray tabby kittens playing with toy | LoveMeow Credit: Orphan Kitten Project
Their gentle manners have won over everyone they meet. Neither one plays rough, and they do not scratch or bite, which makes them as easy to live with as they are to look at. They get along beautifully with other cats, too.
That easygoing streak runs deep. "They have also proven to be good with high-energy kids and high-energy yappy dogs," the rescue shared, the kind of pair who take a noisy, busy household in stride.
Taking it all in strideCredit: Orphan Kitten Project
New and startling things barely faze them either. Even the vacuum cleaner earns no more than a moment's pause before the two return to their contented selves.
The detail that truly wins people over, though, comes in the evenings. When the day slows down, Mahi Mahi and Mackerel like to stretch out along the high back of the couch, curled close together, keeping their foster company through a true crime documentary or two.
Come back hereCredit: Orphan Kitten Project
Lined up along the top of the cushions, calm and unbothered, they turn an ordinary night on the couch into their favorite part of the day.
It is a small, cozy ritual, and a long way from the crowded shelter where they started. Mahi Mahi and Mackerel are a bonded pair and will be adopted together.
Ready for a couch of their ownCredit: Orphan Kitten Project
Mahi Mahi and Mackerel started as two more kittens in a shelter with more animals than room. Now they are an easygoing pair with a favorite spot on the back of the couch, and a whole evening of documentaries waiting for the family who will watch along.
Share this story with your friends. View more on Mahi Mahi and Mackerel by visiting Orphan Kitten Project on Instagram @orphankittenproject or on Facebook.
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