Inseparable Bond

Meow, meow

She was there, suckling her mom in our front porch. Her tiny paws kneading her mother’s belly. A litter of five just glued to mom, nourishing themselves to fill their tiny bellies. Mommy did not allow us to touch any kitten.

Her tiny paws kneading her mother’s belly.

Born in late October 2019, an unspoken bond developed between us and Robby became our fascination. Sitting on the front door’s mat, she sprinted toward the door at the slightest creak. We fed half a dozen cats daily for a month. Alas, Robby was the only survivor of five kittens.

She protected herself from the marauding Tom cats and hid among the money plant pots in the upper front gallery. She became the apple of our eyes. Milk, kheer, chicken, mutton; she has developed a choosy taste palate. We had to accept her persnickety nature.  Usually stray cats eat whatever they find by chance. However, at times, she refused to eat things if she did not like the smell. She loved places where she’d hid and observe us.

She was only two months old when she developed a severe cough and her voice was gone. We contacted vet and tried to take her in car. She get slipped from our hands and ran away and did not return for two days. I kept praying for her safe return. On the second day, she came back dirty, mauled and listless. She just lied on the floor near pots for the whole day; she was not responding and refused to eat anything which she relished before. One day, we just let her eat black channa and to our astonishment she ate and recovered within a few days.

Once, we couldn’t find her till midday. We heard muffled shrieks from the neighbor’s home. She was there, sitting in corner of their backyard, terrified and hungry. Most probably, her foot slipped from the wall and she fell in their doorway. Actually, she had once fell from the Alstonia tree in front of our house and got her leg injured. So, she couldn’t adjust her balance and tripped on the floor.

Over the course of a few months, she became more playful. She played with balls and small moving objects.  At two occasions, she kept playing with baby rodent and sparrow, just thumped her foot on those tiny creatures. However, to our surprise, she did not eat them. May be she was not hungry or felt pity for them.

The mother daughter bond only lasted for three months and then she was a sort of competitor for her mother to snatch food from each other. At times, both of them sat in close proximity, just like friends. But the ulterior motive was food.

She also had a wonderful habit of peeing over the gutter and excreting in the garden pot. She never urinated on the floor. When our maid washed clothes in the back yard, she just sat there, watching her and sometimes took a stroll of the yard to have a view of the surroundings.

The mother daughter bond only lasted for three months and then she was a sort of competitor for her mother to snatch food from each other.

As time passed, she became a beautiful grown cat, ready to be a mom.

I cannot forget, how she was in pain and whimpered for the whole night. We called a vet late at night. Thanks to Dr. Fahim and Dr. Ahsan, they took a great care of her and helped in every matter at such an odd time. They delivered a still born kitten and next day, our stray cat had a C-section. A team of three doctors and two assistants operated her. It was a new experience for us and our decision raised a few eyebrows. C-section for a stray cat! Anesthesia, oxygen and every possible assistance they provided to our lovely feline. Just one kitten survived out of the litter of three. The doctor told us that he thought the kitten was dead but as he noticed she was breathing slightly, he resuscitated her.

Robby came home with a newborn female kitten. It was the first time that she came inside the house. We named her ‘Tabby’. Oh! The tiny kitten with closed eyes became the new sensation at home. She shrilled at night and we took great care of mom and baby.

Sadly, the kitten couldn’t make more than three days. It was a hard time for Robby but with love, care and attention, she bore that loss to some extent. However, she stopped eating. We gave her yakhni and milk day and night. She just didn’t open her mouth, her teeth were clenched, and her jaw locked shut. With gloved hands, we tried to insert syringe in her mouth. It was a difficult time for both for us.

The doctor advised to medicate her also. She had to wear head collar to prevent her from tearing the stitches. After an excruciating period of ten days, she got her stitches cut apart.

We’d to be extra vigilant in keeping litter pan because she was inside the house. But she was such a wise cat and always excreted and urinated in the pan.

Meanwhile, Robby’s mom gave birth to another litter of three. That squad was around the house but her mom did not bother to look at Robby, growled at her, and even thumped on the door wire. One day, her mother along with her kittens drank all the milk from the milk plate and Robby just sat there looking at them. Not a tinge of empathy in her mother.

Now a clan of felines keeps sprinting around the house. They just cannot stand each other. Robby’s mom keeps scuffling with her daughter to protect her own kittens. But all of them are under the same roof so let’s see how long they’ll bear each other.

Most probably, Mama Cat will abandon her kittens after some time to be ready for a new adventure.