Musings Of A Cat Lover/Tribute To A Beloved Pet
Musings Of A Cat Lover/Tribute To A Beloved Pet
My love affair with cats began many, many years ago when my sister Anu brought home a cute, little white kitten with beautiful green eyes. We named him Tammy and he purred his way into our hearts and home. When we shifted to Bangalore, we took him with us and he drove us nuts trying to get out of the house to explore new smells and sounds. When finally adjusted we had to move again and of course Tammy went with us. Unfortunately he ran away one dark night in November and never came back again. Our hearts were broken and we never thought we could have a cat again.
Some years later a tiny, white kitten with one blue eye and one green eye sought refuge in our garden from dogs. We swooped on her and she became our beloved, adorable Mephy, an angel in disguise. We knew nothing about neutering and spaying and were shocked to see her delivering kittens one day in our cupboard.
Her kittens were adorable and soon found good homes. I kept the black one and called him Sooty and my sister kept one whom she called Snowflake and all kinds of nicknames. Our cats were the darlings of our households and very special. Sooty would watch over Serita when she was a baby and start mewing when she rolled off the mat. That was my cue to take action and rush to her aid. A piece of my heart will always belong to Sooty, our big, black furry cat with a bushy tail, who disappeared when we changed house.
Years later when we came to Kuala Lumpur, my daughter took it upon herself to feed all the stray cats around our house and even went to the extent of giving them names. She was severely bullied in school and by the kids in the apartments we stayed in and was desperate to have a companion she could talk to. That was when she took matters into her own hands and brought home a little grey and white kitten who we named Bitsy ( precious in Spanish). She was such a darling and we all fell in love with her. Unfortunately she got sick and went away far too soon. We then went to the SPCA and Tigger came into our lives. He lifted her out of her depression and became the VIP of our household.
Many years later a fluff ball was born in our house. She was so pretty that our daughter refused to give her away. She grew up into a beautiful, striped, good natured cat named Dustie who turned our lives upside down. She was feisty and knew exactly what she wanted. Many times, I told my daughter to be like Dustie- determined and consistent, fastidious and absolutely adorable. Sometimes I felt that she was a person disguised as a cat.
We enjoyed her presence for 6 glorious years. She would demand to be petted and fed and cuddled on her own terms. Sometimes she even woke me in the wee hours of the morning demanding to be fed and would escort me to the food container, miaowing loudly all the way. She loved food and wanted to eat whatever we ate, rushing to the dinner table to get her share of the booty at all times. Overnight her behaviour changed and she grew listless and tired and stopped eating. We rushed her to many vets and had numerous tests done for her. The vets were baffled as nothing seemed to be wrong with her. She stopped responding to treatment and one day she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We were devastated and filled with grief. My eyes well up when I see the place she liked to sit in. My emotions have gone haywire and I am overwhelmed. How long will it last? Probably for ever! To us she was more than just a cat. She was our beloved, annoying Dustie girl whom we will miss. The house seems so empty and quiet. There’s a hole in my heart that will always belong to Dustie. RIP Dustie darling. You will always be remembered.
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