Regarding Cats

I love cats. I love hearing them purr and having them around my ankles. I love combing them for fleas and then squashing them flat on the floor (the fleas, not the cats). I love tickling their back till they turn their heads and lick the ticklish part. I love caressing their fur, pinching their cheeks, and holding them close to me.

I have had many close relationships with cats.

When I was in elementary school, I had Kitty. She has three colors--faded and muted here and there, and strangely, a short tail. I thought it was because of an accident, but she was born that way. I knew when she gave birth to Hirun. Hirun also had short tail and similar coloring. Here in Indonesia three-colored male cats are supposed to be extremely rare. I am proud to say I had one as a companion.

Hirun failed to go home one day. There were many speculations regarding this. My father thought a biawak (a big lizard, well like comodo but not that gigantic) or a python swallowed him. My mother thought the Public Health department poisoned him. My brothers thought somebody else took him as a pet. I believed it was because my father did something to his limbs. He was fond of doing that, my father. Doing something to one's limbs, causing the person (or in this case, animal) to feel electric jolts in her/his/its limbs. I knew this because I was there, when he did something to Hirun's limbs.

Then there was Manja (Indonesian: adj. spoiled). Manja was black all over, chubby, and well, like the name said, very spoiled. She demanded attention most of the time. An American girl, my neighbor (who later would become my student, but that's another story) once saw Manja near my house.

Poor girl, she ran to her house, panting, exclaiming to her mother, "Mom! I saw a witch's house! There's a big, black cat there near a broomstick. And you know what? Even the tomatoes there grow to be black!"

She didn't saw any tomato plants in my house, 'cause we didn't have any. What she saw was actually eggplants. And the color should be dark purple instead of black.

Rebecca Helm dear, I hope you can read this. It's been many years since we contact each other. I miss you so much. I'm sure you've grown into a beautiful woman, where ever you are. ^_^

Back to cats. After Manja we have Kubul--although I prefer to call him Chang Pu Cie after my favorite Chinese hero on TV (also known as Thio Bu Kie). Kubul means 'kucing bule' (bule--slang for a caucasian, kucing--cat). He was such a beauty. He was an albino, you see. So his fur was white with faint yellow stripes. And his eyes--they were deep blue, so lovely.

One day he returned, looking sick. He didn't want to eat. I was shocked to feel his ribs--they seem to break somehow. Alarmed, I asked my father to drive us to the vet right away.

The vet said that Kubul was ran over by a car, probably two or three days ago. He was beyond help. She tried injecting things but to no avail. The ribs were broken. The lymph glands broke. It was clear that Kubul was dying. The vet said Kubul should be dead yesterday but it seemed he was so determined to get home and say goodbye.

I held him close, gently, afraid of hurting him. He looked at me as if he understood. I cried, God, how I cried that day, shouting and lamenting loudly. I am crying now, remembering that. He looked at me, purring his last purr. I exclaimed a lot, "No, don't!" I could feel his life slipping away. Gently then his soul was taken through his head. I could feel the energy leaving him.

I was so heartbroken that I vowed not to love a cat again, ever.

I kept that promise for several years. Until Takamiya Teppei came into my life. He came, sneaking young little thing, attempting to steal a fish or two from my pond. I threw a pebble at him. It got him. Surprisingly he came again and again, this time not to steal the fish. I began giving him leftover food. He was so lovable. Within days I could pet and hug him. His fur was longish, like a persian cat. The color was, how could I describe it? If you read the manga (Japanese comic) What's Michael I can say Teppei looks like Nyazira's mate, Taisuke, or was it Oosuke? I named him Teppei because he liked to accompany me in the house while I was watching this anime, Masami Kurumada's B'T X. (the main's character's name is Takamiya Teppei) He would sit there near me, licking his fur, eyes straying here and there to TV everytime the word "teppei" was mentioned. (He recognized his own name! I swear he really did!)

He was a tough cat. Once he got injured after a fight. Another cat bit him on his body, causing a big gash of wound. It was ghastly. We took him to the vet but he couldn't stitch the wound. He recommended another vet. We went there and waited for an hour but he never came. So we took him home and treated him on our own. We poured honey and some herbs to the wound. He got better after some days, with no apparent side-effects. And no stitches!

I haven't seen him for two years--he should be dead by now.

Then came Minerva McGonagall. Yes, I was that hooked to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter that time. She seemed to have this huge crush on Teppei, following him around with mystified eyes. She became the mother, and even a grandmother of many kittens. Most left my home after they reached their adulthood. Some are still there. Let's see. Nyazira, Sylvester, Mulan, Ginger, Puning, and Little Syl. Those are Miner's children... err, or should I say kittens? Bondel and Spotty, her grandkitten, sons of Nyazira.

Last year another stray kitten came to my house. He was so thin and dirty. He got angry looking at other cats. He even arched his back and growled seeing his own reflection. He is essentially white with some black marks. His face looks like a fox's, so I named him Foxy and called him Popox. He is my family's darling boy. I believe he was Marilyn Monroe in his earlier incarnation. He has a similar spot near his mouth, like Monroe.

He is one of the cutest cats in the world! (though he tends to disagree, saying I must have an acute delusion)

Will figure out a way to post his picture here later on.