A Tale of Two Kitties

They both met in the compound of an old house that hadn’t been inhabited for years. The walls were bare, and the windows, broken and sightless. The area around the house was badly secured by a broken-down wall and a rusted gate. Weeds grew there in profusion, undeterred by the garbage dumped on them by neighbours and passers-by. But other than a few crows and rodents who visited, the place was left severely alone.

The young calico cat had been wandering for a few days, dodging huge vehicles with their killer tyres, unfriendly stray dogs and people who shooed her away if she ventured nearby. She was desperately looking for a place to curl up and rest when she chanced upon a road that led her into this neighbourhood. The abandoned house looked promising, so she clambered up the wall and landed on the other side- right next to another cat taking a nap in the shade of a thorny shrub. This one was older; she looked at the young calico and went right back to sleep.

Later that evening, the young calico and the older cat exchanged notes- no, the calico didn’t remember where she came from which was fine because she had no desire to return. Yes, this locality was quite peaceful, but one had to watch out for the usual dangers: hostile neighbours- both human and other species. There were these two humans who live in the house across the road, said the older cat. They seemed very kind. The young calico wasn’t much interested in the two kind humans, and she didn’t trust humans in general anyway.

The days passed and the young calico noticed that the older cat had begun looking tired and unwell. “I’m going to have kittens.” she said. “And this time I don’t know if I’ll be able to take care of them.”

“What will you do?” asked the young calico, feeling a bit alarmed. She had no idea how to look after kittens. She didn’t even want to!

“I’ll have to keep them in a safe place so that they have a chance of surviving.” replied the older cat. “Maybe on the terrace of the house where those two humans live.”

“You do that.” the calico replied and took off in a hurry. She didn’t want to be around when those kittens arrived, thank you very much.

More days passed and when the young calico returned to the abandoned old house, she saw the older cat busy with her kittens. She looked even worse than before.

“I’m taking my babies to that terrace,” she informed the calico. There’s a place under the water tank where they might be safe from birds of prey and stray dogs.”

It was night and the humans were probably asleep indoors. The mother cat slowly and painfully clambered the stairs to the terrace to deposit a kitten under the large, black water tank. She did this five times, staggering as she went up and down. The calico cat watched from a distance as each kitten was taken away and dropped off.

“I’m going to look for something to eat.” the older cat called out, once all the kittens had been left there. “If I don’t eat, I won’t be able to feed my babies.”

The calico cat was snoozing peacefully when the sounds of agonised gasps and yowls woke her. She peeped from across the wall and saw the mother cat stretched out on the ground, writhing in agony. She clawed helplessly at the ground, gasping for breath. The calico watched in helpless horror as the gasps became longer and then slowly stopped altogether. The older cat’s body twitched a couple of times and then stilled. Now there was only the silence of the night, but the calico cat couldn’t sleep. She stayed on the wall, watching the older cat sleep the sleep of the dead. As the sun rose, the two humans came down the stairs and saw the older cat lying there. It was followed by some hustle and bustle, the arrival of another human who bundled up the body and bore it away.

The calico cat wondered what to do. Should she check on the kittens? They were such tiny babies, she thought. They must be wondering where their mother is. Should she go and tell them their mother was never going to return? They deserve to know, she decided. She made her way cautiously up the stairs and towards the large black water tank. But- the kittens were nowhere to be seen. She looked around, wondering where they could be. Had the crows got to them already? Had they run away? What??

And then from the open window she heard soft laughter. Human laughter, followed by tiny mewling sounds. The kittens were with the humans!! What should she do? What were they going to do with the babies? She listened carefully, the kittens didn’t sound scared or in pain. They just sounded hungry. She heard the humans talk to the kittens. There was more laughter. The calico cat decided to leave before she was seen.

Later that day, she returned. And may times over the next few days. She listened from near the window. Sometimes the kittens were sleeping because there was silence. At other times they were awake and playing. She heard their mews and it brought back fuzzy, hazy memories of times when she too had brothers and sisters to play with.  She began to like sitting there and listening to them. It made her feel less alone. But she was careful not to let herself be seen.

As the days passed, the calico cat noticed that the mews of the kitten seemed to be getting fewer. It sounded to her as if there were less of them. She saw other humans come up the stairs and leave with a kitten. Till one day, when the last kitten left with another human and the place was quiet. No more mews were heard from the open window. The humans too seemed to be quiet. There was laughter but not as much as before. The young calico felt sad. And lonely. She had started liking her secretive visits to the terrace where she used to sit and listen to the sounds of laughter as the humans talked to the kittens. Now there was nothing here for her. She left, quietly and secretively as usual. She left the house with the terrace and she left the neighbourhood with the old, abandoned house.

The days became weeks and then months. The young calico was getting tired of scavenging for food, of always looking out for bigger animals and of having to sleep with one eye open. She remembered the old, abandoned house where she had met the older cat and decided to return there for a few days. Maybe she would be able to spend a few peaceful days behind those walls. By the time she reached the house, night had fallen. It could have been curiosity or habit that took her instead to the house with the terrace and the large, black water tank. She stepped out on the terrace and there were the two humans. But this time they saw her. The woman held out her hand and called her. The calico was too mistrustful of humans to go closer. She lingered on the terrace at a safe distance and then left.

The next day she returned. She didn’t even know why. And then the next and the next. Each time she stepped onto the terrace; the humans called out to her. They really did sound kind. She began to wait for night fall so that she could go to that terrace with those friendly humans. They had started keeping food out for her too. She liked that. But she was still wary. Then one day, she allowed the woman to get close to her. The woman stroked her head. It felt good. Comforting. And whenever she mewed, the humans would say something in response. She liked that too. There was always food and water kept out for her. She liked being there- they let her wander the terrace and even sleep under their chairs. She began to spend more time there with them. The woman would stroke her and talk to her. The man would take out food for her. She began visiting them during the day as well. But they didn’t let her in through the front door. She did try to slip in but when she succeeded, she was gently lifted and taken back outside on the terrace. It soon became like a sport for her. it was fun!

Then one day she was lifted and put into some kind of a cage. She didn’t like it much, but she was with them, so she wasn’t afraid. But she did wonder where they were taking her. And she got a little worried when her cage was handed over to some other humans and she was left there. Her humans had gone, and she was alone again. She spent the next few hours in a daze. There were unfamiliar voices, strange smells, and sounds. She even heard a few other cats but was too miserable to care.  And then she began to feel sleepy, so very sleepy.  She couldn’t lift her head or move her tail. All she wanted to do was sleep. Her eyes closed and she slept.

When she awoke, she was still in her cage. Her stomach felt sore and painful, her head felt heavy. She was given food and water and tended to by hands that were brisk and no-nonsense. She thought of her humans and how they would stroke her. She didn’t even know why they had left her in this place and what was going to happen to her.

Until one day- her cage was lifted and taken somewhere else. She was cowering inside, dreading what was to come next. But instead, she heard two familiar voices. her humans! They were talking to her the way they used to. She heard their laughter; she felt their hands petting her through the cage. They had come to take her!

And so, the young calico soon found herself back on the familiar terrace with the large, black water tank. Her humans even took her in through the front door and let her out of the cage. And they placed her gently on a small soft bed. She had her own bed! She darted around the rooms several times before she curled up in an exhausted bundle on her bed. This time she was back for good. She was HOME.