Nostalgia on a saturday

I thought a long time ago that if I had a cat, it would make me a a less stressed- out person. I had quiet visions of a life with a cat being like ...

THIS.

A little be-ribboned bon-bon sitting quietly at a window with his/her little ball of string and meowing softly. It's not as if I had never had a cat but I guess I looked at the experience through pink-tinted glasses and saw only hazy pictures in pastels. I had lived with many cats before and I had enjoyed each and every minute of it but none of them were indoor cats, in a small apartment in the sky. There were kampong cats that came home and then went out a-roving and I suppose eating other people out of their houses and homes :) Kampong cats come in all shapes and sizes. They were like...

THIS, only more skinny.

My cats were adopted and saved from the streets, from alleyways (a tabby Megat Komeng, a ginger Bujang I and a ticked tabby Kundang) and yes..even from the University of Singapore ( Cik Siti, a siamese with bright, blue eyes with a persecution complex).

So now that I live in a flat way up in the sky, I thought having one cat would make me feel less stressed and ultimately a happer person :). So one rainy afternoon, I picked up Bujang II from a drain in a school. He was a small little thing, scratching and clawing his way with 3 very docile siblings. He was the only Tuxedo among them. His siblings were all black. I thought I should bring him home as he may not be likeable enough for anyone else to adopt. The other 3 were adopted quite quickly.

Now Bujang II looks like...

THIS. 6.45 kg of muscle.

He likes quiet and a lot of respect. He likes people but they must keep their distance. He likes lazy afternoons and rainy days where he could get a good long sleep without people coming to hug him at every turn. He eats almost anything I give him - cheese, fish crackers, anything from cattyman, brewers yeast, cod liver oil that he licks from a teaspoon, vitamins, lecithin, bran, fussiecat, Nutro, Avoderm and now Natural Balance.

He likes walking in the park, eating grass, the smell of ixora, sitting along the corridor looking at the plants, looking out the window and of course playing catching with Ms Akira and Toro.

He hates the groomer, hates having his nails clipped and hates noise.

My sister and I thought that Bujang might be bored all by himself and so after persuading grandma, I called the SPCA and got a another cat...

THIS.
Although THIS is not what Ms Akira looks like. However, THIS is Ms Akira's attitude to a T, to everyone she meets.

When I went to the SPCA, Gin, the cat specialist told me that the cats in the nursery were sneezing and she could not let me bring Akira home. Of course she was not called Akira (after my favourite Japanese director- Akira Kurosawa) then but some name that grandma could not pronounce. Gin told me it was best for me to adopt a younger female cat so there would be no fights over territory etc. So that was what I did.

But Akira was a formidable cat even when she was younger and does not tolerate fools gladly, especially when they're silly male cats :) Now she ignores the boys except Bujang whom she likes and trusts. I now call her Ms Akira because she expects it :) Sometimes we call her Kira-Kira for glitter.

After some time, I went to PL to get all manner of things for the two kitties and saw a couple negotiating the price for a British shorthair male kitten. I saw that they already had with them their very beautiful persian cat. I thought that having a beautiful cat like that must be quite a good thing but I didn't think I should be buying pets at all, although I was very tempted to do such a thing.

I spoke to M and we spoke of abandoned pets. She had asked me before if I had wanted a persian cat that someone wanted to rehome but I was not thinking of having another pet then, after having Bujang and Akira. After talking about the cats, she asked me if I would be willing to adopt another cat. I said to M jokingly "Yah, only if its like that." (meaning the persian in the couple's carrier)

In about 2 weeks, I got an emergency call and M was on the line telling me that she had rescued a persian mix and he needed a home immediately. So I told her to bring him and went down with a carrier and got...

THIS.
A male persian-mix with baby blue eyes.

He created a great deal of chaos and havoc. Namely because he was toilet-trained and I didn't know his toilet habits. Neither did M. I spent sleepless night trying to catch him at his toilet but was never successful. The next day I would always have to clean after him as he had done his business in the carrier. I had placed him in a very big and spacious carrier so I was not worried that he would be cramped for space. I failed to teach him to use the bin and had written my worries in this very blog. I am grateful that many readers came to my rescue with good tips, even to his name Totoro, which I must thank ksn for :)

He was not vaccinated, he had fur mites and ear mites and he was terrified of Bujang and Ms Akira. Of course now, he wrestles Bujang to the ground and tries to intimidate Ms Akira at every turn. It was Bujang who taught him to use the bin and Ms Akira who taught him to show respect to his elders :)

I must say Toro is my very laid-back cat who wants to be a mechanic and who likes to watch TV. He also arranges the cat fountain and has a sense of aesthetics when it comes to toys and cat stuff :) He is insatiably curious and likes to be in the know about anything and everything.

But he is lonely for a friend. So I told grandma that it would be nice if we can get Toro a good friend as Bujang and Ms Akira are pals. Grandma agreed and I was asked if I wanted to adopt a ragdoll kitten. But it was not to be as I decided to adopt ...

THIS.
A 10-year old cat with hardly any teeth and a bad attitude but a heart of gold.

Grandma named him Megat but he has since been named Shaolin Megat for his kung-fu prowess and his perchant for boxing the other kitties. After a great deal of re-education on how to be a more sociable being, Megat is now no longer as angry and aggressive as before. He minds his own business, he sits quietly and does his toilette in the bin. He grooms himself day and night every chance he gets.


I discovered he simply loves company, but only the company of grandma and myself and would sit long hours beside me while I eat, have tea, read a book, fall asleep and watch TV.

He has now learnt to play 'catching' with Toro and yesterday he even tried to persuade Bujang to play. Bujang of course was too freaked out and ran off to sit in his basket. He no longer jumps when Toro tries to sniff him and even tolerates it when Toro paws at him gently. I think Toro and Megat would make good friends as Toro has been trying to make friends with Megat eversince Megat came to live with us. I must say that Toro is the only cat who shows no fear of Megat and would sit with us at dinner quite comfortably. The two of them sometimes also sit on the bed side by side. :)

So now I am no longer like...

THIS
Aall the time...

Only some of the time when I catch Megat trying to de-fur Toro :) Then he would be put back in is cage to rest and relax. Patience is the key to many things.

So although I may desire that the amigos love and like each other like ...

THIS.


I have decided that I can live with it eventhough they are a motley group of cats like ...


THIS

With their own distinct personalities and eccentricities.

Like me...like my cats.

I love them all to bits.