| Monday, May 10, 2004 |
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Cats
and other critters
Yay. Finally getting down to this. Cos' other than ladybugs, I love cats even more!! =D I've always had an affinity with them. I like it that you never really own a cat. I love the majesty and mystery surrounding them.
When I was small, I often went exploring by myself as my parents were busy tending the shop. A few shops away, the owner had a cat who had kittens, and they let me go in to play with them. I had these big blue beads about 1.5" in diameter, and I rolled them around watching the kittens chase after them. Of course a lot of those got lost. Mother Cat would sit a watchful distance away, following me with her eyes. I think I brought them food from my lunch in little plastic bags too. The kindly owner offered to let me have 2 of them. I told them my parents would never let me keep them and he said I could keep them just for the night. My parents grudgingly agreed that I could keep them just for the night. However, it was not to be, as the kittens would not stay in their little box. After catching back the naughty things (and being scratched in the process) my dad went with me to return the kittens that very same day. It was embarrassing for me.
But my love for felines did not wane.
As I grew, a new luggage shop opened nearby and I made friends with the cats there too. Gradually I began to be known as "Mao Mei Mei" which literally means Cat Sister. I loved the cats, the cats loved me. After a year or so though, the owners moved, leaving behind Amber (that was what I called her). I was never angry at them for abandoning Amber, but I did want very much to keep her. My parents wouldn't have a cat though. Who would look after it when everyone else was at work and school, they said. Animals have fleas, blah blah blah. So I spent time with Amber on the way back from school. There was this place where I could sit, and once I did, cos' I was tired. Dear old Amber jumped up and sat on my lap. People passing by who saw me playing with Amber would tell me strays have germs and I'd get cat hair on me, which I did. I always just nodded, wishing they'd go away sooner. They were intruding in our private world.
The last time I saw Amber, she was trying to catch a poor sparrow. I wanted to stop her but I couldn't. The poor creature was starving. A crowd of people had gathered to watch and I can't remember what was said. I just felt so sad for Amber, that I couldn't take her home and take care of her. And the poor little sparrow too. (Sparrows are one of my favourites too..)
I never saw Amber again after that.
If I ever get a cat, I'll get one with amber eyes and call her Amber. There was a cat called Hunni somewhere in the picture too, but it's all jumbled up now.
I went to secondary school, and I was depressed there because I never fitted in, especially in my CCA. My studies, usually excellent without effort, went on a decline, and all this added to the sense of alienation and low self esteem that's taken me so long to shake off (still comes back sometimes). Anyhow, it's sad but most things I remember about those 4 years weren't very pleasant. One thing that's stuck though, was Mr. Samat's cat Kuchi (literally Malay for "cat"). Mr. Samat was a PE teacher and I don't know why he brought her to school, but I'm glad he did. (On the other hand maybe she wasn't his at all but only a stray. Samat was one funny oddball.) One day during assembly, we were singing the national anthem when Kuchi walked over to the flagpole and looked up at our red and white flag, as if in reverence. She also caused (I'd like to think welcomed) commotion when she started slinking between our lines until the principal told some teacher to carry it out of the school.
One afternoon during recess, my friends had gone to the toilet and I was alone in the canteen. Kuchi was hanging around under the table. I looked at her and said hi (I think) and we looked at each other for a long while. Gracefully she jumped onto my bench and sat down on my lap. It touched my heart. At a time when I thought I was ugly (GEEZ!) this cat befriended me. It was as if she could see from my eyes that I meant no harm and was lonely. When my friends came back, they were surprised. Forgot what they said.
There's a big black cat with white paws at the bus interchange near my house. I'm really fond of it. It gets fed by the bus conductors I think. Anyhow, it's a very 'cat' cat, as in it does what it likes and stuff which cats do. And sleep a lot. Haha. These kitties really know how to live it up!
Well, I remember this incident where I bent down to pet it and it mewed drowsily. I got the feeling it was only letting me touch it cos' it was sleepy and to 'oblige' this weird person who's always trying to molest it. Lol. Sometimes if I'm not in a hurry and it's around I'll stroke it. Pity that people nowadays are too busy to play with a harmless cat, or think it 'dirty'. Once I saw this bus driver playing with it, sticking out his leg, at which Cat would jump on it. They looked like they were having fun. Another time, another driver was sitting on a bench smoking, and Cat was seated near. I remember thinking that it would have made a good photograph. I'd call it "Man and Cat".
And I think it's damn funny when cats lie on their backs to sleep. It's so human!
Well, that's about. Of course I love dogs too. I love all animals with the exception of (caution: don't click on these links if you're screamish) cockroaches and mosquitoes and aphids (suckers). EW! I also don't like things like flies and maggots, but I haven't really had any horrible experiences with them so I don't dislike them so much. Had a few really gross experiences with cockroaches which I won't go into now. As for mosquitoes, they make me itch. Aphids kill plants. I think house lizards are kind of cute. They eat pests. I'm ok with snakes. Of the marine animals, I like manatees best. These poor things are all scarred from encounters with boats.
"No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch." - Leo Dworken
"The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their faces whether they see a moth or an ax murderer." - Paula Poundstone |
posted by esther @ 11:38 PM  |
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