Anecdotes-5

Asantha U. Attanayake

Daddy’s Snub

Our Thingy-bingy is now passing her 5^th month. We are scared that she may get enticed by a hippie cat who will get her tum-tum (which I have made big with chicken and eggs) bigger. Not only that, our fears are thinking that a thug cat may woo her and take her away from us for good. Alas! We would be so heartbroken! Staying at home in this quarantine period was made more beautiful because of her: as the day breaks, she would wake us up by her ever so soft meow meow; and then, she would scream demanding food as if she has not been fed for a week; after that she would give war cries until my husband is convinced that he has no choice but take her out. Almost every day, about 2-3 hours, the duo spend time out: she would chase birds; she would climb the wall and the trees; she would hunt- mind you, she is the greatest leaf hunter ever. When she is tired, she would find a corner on the lawn and rest. My husband would sit by, guarding her while listening to his daily Philosophy videos, sipping the coffee I get him. Life is so beautiful with her with us.

You know, last week well into the night, around nine thirty, Thingy-bingy started to behave weird. She started to moan. We thought whether she was getting some kind of fit. My husband took her in his arms and while stroking her fur, checked her carefully. Her moaning increased and she was rubbing her head wherever it touched. Then suddenly she started to tremble and that’s when we got really scared. We called the vet and he said it could be due to some allergic reaction thus prescribed half a Piriton – anti-allergy medicine. If the condition persisted, he advised us to bring her over by morning. We gave her the medicine and put her to bed.

Well, my husband is not “I do not need Google because my wife knows all” kind of person. He surfed the internet and after a little while called me; “Wife friend, come here quickly!” When I rushed to him, he showed me what he was reading: all the symptoms that our Thingy-bingy showed said one thing: that she has attained adulthood and she was going into heat! Also, if she were to get pregnant while she was still too tender, it might affect her health, it read.

Oh dear! Our teeny-weeny Thingy-bingy who barely fitted into our palm a few months ago is blossoming into a young woman!

Well, well. Things have changed in our household since. Once I heard my husband was snubbing her; “Kitty please stop wailing! I saw a giant cat out there and we are not going out today.” Then again, “No point in crying my dear. Babies can’t have babies.”

I think it was yesterday. I heard my husband saying, “Stop walking like your mommy with your butt up in the air!”