Sometime last year, a friend who had been a caregiver to the community cats for some years got me interested in cats through his blog and facebook posts. Through him, I got to understand the cats better.
I have always been and still am a dog lover. I do not mind the cats though, but just thought that they have this attitude, where they either like you or they don't. If they do, they will come 'meowing' and rubbed themselves against you, and if they don't, they will scramble away upon your approach.
However, no matter how much I loved dogs, I would not approach any dog, stray or otherwise and pat them, one never knows when they will bite. Unlike dogs, cats are different. If they come 'meowing', you know they are friendly. There are some that like to bite and scratch in playfulness.
Ever since my interest in cats was aroused, I had been paying attention to them, observing them and stroking them when I could.
There was this calico that allowed me to pat it. As I straightened up to move away, it used a paw to pat my foot. I stroked it again and made a move. Again, it patted my foot - it did not want me to leave! Unfortunately, I could not stay long with it, so I stroked it again and made a quick exit. I walked away exhilarated - wow, this kitty certainly knew how to communicate its intentions. Smart kitty that was!
I noticed that cats can really focus when something catches its attention.
It was also this same calico that helped an owner find his lost cat. He had been searching for his missing cat for 3 days and had put posters up. I was passing by when I noticed this calico had its gaze fixed on something up on the crossbeam of the covered passageway. I followed its gaze and saw a ginger cat squatting on the crossbeam. I called the number stated on the missing cat poster. The owner came and confirmed that it was his cat. It's probably worth considering to enlist the help of a streetsmart kitty to find a lost pet cat.
We used to have a very sick cat in the neighbourhood. Sometime ago, the sick cat crossed my path and hopped onto the cement ledge skirting the void deck. I called his name and he 'meowed'. I called a couple more times and each time, he 'meowed'. I left it and later went down with some water for it, but it was gone. I searched for it for a couple of days and asked the cleaners, but nobody had seen it. I was told that sometimes when a cat knew its end is near, it would find itself some place and spend its last moments there. I wondered if the cat had come to say 'goodbye'. It seemed that they have the ability to communicate but humans may lack the ability to grasp their message.
And there was this white Siamese that liked to sleep on the switchbox which was located some 6 ft or so above ground. I was rummaging through my bag for my mobile to take a picture when a lady passed by, laughed and commented that the cat had such a perculiar behaviour and that the switchbox seemed to be its favourite sleeping place. It could be that the cat realized that it could sleep without being disturbed there. But its perculiar sleeping habit had turned itself into a conversation piece for humans, who would otherwise have passed each other with hardly a look or a smile.
I have actually made some new acquaintances through the cats.
Some months ago, I found a tiny little black kitten on the void deck of my block while on my way home late at night. I had tested the reactions of the resident cats there, but one hissed at it and the other took a swipe at it with a paw. I could not leave it there but I did not know how to care for such a young kitten. Fortunately, a few days earlier, I had spoken to a cat caregiver who lived in the private eatate nearby and had asked for her address. I decided to send the kitten there even though it was late and drizzling slightly. Her husband took the kitten from me and assured me that they would take good care of it.
About two weeks before the Chinese New Year, I chanced upon the lady walking her dog and feeding the cats. She told me that the kitten is now much bigger and has a slender long body. She invited me to her house to look at it. This kitten is now so much different from the scrawny and frightened little kitten when it was first found. It is so playful and noisy too. It is a female and not old enough to be neutered yet. They did not want to run the risk of it being impregnated should it run out of the house, so they bought her a 3-tier cage with a hammock. In the night, she gets to sleep with the caregiver's daughter. Looks like the kitten is living a life of luxury now. Am I glad I made the right decision to send it to her.
In the course of our conversation, she mentioned that her husband is stationed in Malaysia and while there, he is feeding the cats too.
As a cancer patient, I find stroking animals to be destressing and therapeutic. While I have a puppy at home, I find the friendly felines to be an added and extended therapy. I am aware that my cancer is a result of stress caused by human related problems. Sometimes I find life such an irony that animals can provide the therapy to undo the harm caused by humans to fellow humans.
When one has been down that path before as I have, one would have realized that there is more to life, if only one learns to appreciate the things around us.
I am fortunate to have benefitted from the fruits of the labour of love provided by the cat caregivers, who put in so much time, effort and money unselfishly to care for the community cats. For all their sacrifices, all they asked for is that the cats be safe from harm.
May the year of the great cat (Tiger) protect the felines from harm, human induced or otherwise, and may the HDB have a change of heart and remove its ban, and allow HDB dwellers to keep cats as pets.
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