I am a Grandma Cat

STATUTORY WARNING: THIS ONE IS SUPER LONG
because its on my "pet" subject (pun intended) ..heh heh heh heh..I am funny no? Okay read on.

Meow!....Meow!....Meoooowwwwwrrr..!

The meowing was incessant and only growing louder! For a two month old tabby, Sundari could really meow! Her green brown clear and shiny eyes dilated to the maximum and her tiny pink mouth seemed constantly open! Warm milk and Whiskas for lunch. The crinkling of the packing was a stimulus she was so conditioned to. She knew the moment was nearing and the plate would be full soon. Food food food...!

Her tone was getting more and more demanding. Sudama was huddled up quietly next to the plates, as always. He knew she could single-handedly torture us into feeding them in record time!

Pets have been an integral part of our family. Pets brought joy to our home and eased any kind of tension. They were loving, lovable and great fun. My family once had a pet dog called Dabbu, before I was born. He died tragically in a road accident and since then as a policy my parents didn't bring home dogs. Cats ruled all the way and since age six, I have lived with pet cats.

For some years it so happened, the only pets my parents had at home were each other. And so, when I moved back in with them for a while, we decided to bring home some cats.

We got Sudama and Sundari home from SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). They were in an exclusive cage in the cattery, left recently at SPCA by a family that was moving cities. Both sat together like two balls of wool, one golden and one grey. Like two single scoops of ice cream, almond and black currant! Large glassy eyes staring out of a furry head that looked too big for their tiny bodies.

They were simply adorable!!

Sundari was named "Sundari", because she was just that. Splendidly beautiful! She was a healthy, furry, dark grey tabby, with stripes in black and light grey, had the most beautiful dark greenish-brown Kohl lined eyes, a soft pink triangular nose, and a white tummy!

Her brother in comparison, looked ever so slightly smaller, a pale golden brown, gentle soft brown eyes, and a thin quivering little tail on a frail body, like an antennae jutting out of an old toy jeep. He seemed to be very unconcerned with the world. Neither did we as strangers frighten him nor did our home as his new surroundings daunt him. He was in his own world and was of a detached disposition.

Sundari on the other hand, was at her nerves' ends for the first few days. She was nervous, un-trusting and irritatingly cautious. She hid and scurried like she was a secret agent on enemy territory. To reach her dish of milk, she would sneak up behind every possible object on the way to the dish and never make a straight line to it. The moment we moved to get closer, she would dart off to the opposite end of the room and hide in some inaccessible nook. Silly kitten.

Within two weeks they were settled and roamed around like they owned the place. Sundari was a new person. The new found comfort level made her confidence soar and she was transmogrified into this chatak fatak rapchik mirchi cat. As playful and naughty as ever, the little fur ball was a treat to watch. Tumbling and scampering all over the terrace floor.

Between the two, she was the bully, biting, kicking and pinning down poor Sudama after every little wrestling bout! Anything but a lady!

Poor Sudama was his same old self, just growing weaker by the day, barely eating. He wasn't interested in the games, would tire easily and though the same age as Sundari the chalu cat, Sudama looked a lot older and grave!

We took them both to SPCA, for the second course of de-worming and vaccination. Sudama, diagnosed anemic, was retained for treatment. In a few days SPCA called in to say they had lost Sudama during treatment, and were really sorry.

Needless to say we were shocked! We knew he was ill, but we never thought he would actually succumb to it. Our association with the little guy was brief, but we will always remember him fondly as the cool, level headed, mature older brother to prankster Sundari. I imagine, his illness taught him tolerance. He was at peace by himself, he was at peace getting pounded by his sister, he was at peace in his new home from day one. I get this feeling he must be fine where ever he is. May his soul rest in peace.

With Sudama gone, Sundari was the center of our attention. If she did miss Sudama, she didn't hold onto it for too long. She was the happiest little fur ball bundling all over the house, spreading joy and some cat fur occasionally! We reveled in her little kitten antics, and could watch her play and frolic for hours together! She was a curious, brave, exceedingly beautiful, spirited creature. She grew to accept us as her family. I was her mother and took pride in seeing her grow.

Her antics or mannerisms earned her a new name almost everyday! The fluffy kitten was on some days called "Pushkala" or "Pushku" for being so round and soft. She would lap up her milk with such relish, eyes closed as if to soak in the contentment, at a steady pace.. "chup chup chup chup chup chup", not once lifting her head till the dish was licked clean! And for the constant chup-chupping she was "Chuppu".

As she grew a bit older, we started letting her out at nights to explore and learn to hunt.

For four mornings in a row the lady woke us up at around 4AM with her incessant howling and meowing like someone was murdering her! In the still, calm early morning hours known as "bramha muhurtam", one always slept the best. Each morning as the shrill constant meowing started, grew and worked its way up to resound in the small enclosure of houses, I would swear to strangle her on laying my hands upon her. I pity the neighbors. But when I would see her, I just laughed. She looked so stupid and scared it made her all the more adorable. She would be perched at a high point on the roof or at an inaccessible portion of the terrace not knowing how to get back. She would meow her head off to be rescued, hitting different notes, pitching from lowest to highest and back to the lowest. Mind you she would meow all through the rescue operation till she was safe in our arms.

The opera started at 4AM for four mornings.

She was tiny thus jumped up or down to places but somehow couldn't retrace her path. And these places she got stuck at were always so inaccessible for us large, not-as-graceful-as-a-cat humans. I always had to hang upside down, anchor myself to something, or stretch my body to its limits in my "holy" pajamas, not to mention in the chill of the early morning. What all love can make you do!
It seemed simple enough that if she could jump up or down to a level she should be able to do the same thing in reverse. But she couldn't. We decided she was an awfully cute, but awfully dumb cat and named her "Buddhilla" - no brains!

Cats are carnivores by nature, but this one ate healthy. She had a fetish for Papayas! You could get her to ingest anything that had even traces of Papapya in it!! In fact Papaya-Rice was one of the standard menu items. And so we called her "Papeeta". The fruits were cut at dinner time, and she would sit on one of the dining chairs and wait patiently for us to finish dinner.

The three of us would be seated at the table and ninety nine out of a hundred times Chuppu would be on the fourth chair, sitting like a football, a little bunny rabbit with her eyes tightly closed, as if meditating in anticipation of the fruity fantasy. For that matter whenever the family sat together at the dining table, Chuppu would come plonk herself on the fourth chair. For that she was called "Fochchair".

She should have had an identity crisis with all the "name calling", but as long as the tone was the same, she knew it was her we were talking to.

One morning there was commotion in the balcony. Hissing, meowing, screeching, there was some shuffling. As I ran outside towards more hissing and snarling, I froze at a loud crashing sound!

In front of me, a potted plant lay on the floor, amidst mud and pieces of terracotta, its moss stick was uprooted and dried leaves from the plant lay scattered around it. To my left was Chuppu. I was relieved to see her safe. Her back was arched, she was standing on her toes, elevated by a good three inches, body tensed and skewed in an angle ready to charge, her tail was puffed up and pointed to the sky, occasionally waving, ears flattened and pupils dilated as large as marbles, there was a perpetual guttural growl coming from deep within her throat. What a sight she was. A spooked creature possessed by some supernatural energy.

And then I shifted my gaze to what had her undivided attention! I followed her line of sight to find between the pots, her tormentor, a brown mangy cat almost three times her size. Large flat face, torn left ear, tufts of fur missing at several spots, yellowish eyes and a butt ugly look over all.

Enter Billy Bonda in our lives.

What started out as a battle of the sexes, turned out into something quite unexpected. A typical case of "pehle taqraar fir pyaar" a la Bollywood style. Billy bonda was the street cat, worn and torn, the tough gypsy biker wooing my house bred, clean cat living a life of luxury and good manners. I did not approve.

Billy Bonda visited our balcony everyday. He played with Chuppu, patiently let her jump around, bite him and towards the end would pin her down, nip at her ear and walk away. He was a lot bigger than her, but never hurt her. They ran around, practiced hunting techniques and were gone for hours together, after several hours you would find them sprawled on the door mat in the afternoon sun. He ate up all the food laid out for Chuppu, she didn't mind. Soon she was an expert hunter and was evolving into an adult cat. I was jealous she liked being outdoors all the while with Billy Bonda ignoring her mommy. I felt pangs of possessiveness and separation at the same time.

I also wanted Chuppu to date a more handsome cat, but at the cost of sounding totally silly, in my heart of hearts I knew he was perfect for her. He taught her "cat wisdom", and was a strong experienced companion for the outer world. I knew she would be safe with him around. Over the days I grew fond of him too, and thought he was filling Sudama's place in my cat's life.

In a little more than a month, Chuppu had a visible bump in her tummy and we were just too thrilled at the thought of little 'Chuppulets'. I was going to be Grandma!

Always a healthy eater, now her appetite was touching new heights. Two glasses of milk, four square meals of mashed rice, dal, milk and desi ghee, and a small evening snack of more milk and Whiskas. A little Papaya now and then. We could tell she was carrying at least two kittens.

Already pampered to the hilt, the soon to be mommy was getting star treatment. We doted on her and she loved it. She would sprawl out just about anywhere and want her tummy rubbed, if you didn't oblige, she would let out small meows telling you to get on with it, and the moment the stroking began, her purring would start, like a scooter, she would go on till she was fast asleep. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............

She preferred staying indoors mostly and was very affectionate towards my mother and I. She always wanted to be close to us, and ensured she was never left alone. Where ever we went a bulky furry apparition shadowed us, when we sat, a grey round cushion lay curled next to us, when asleep, a wet nose occasionally kissed the toes, and a warm purring tummy would be glued to your body!

Sixty four days were up and we knew the moment was nearing. One busy morning the family was caught up with things. No one paid attention to her calls and in a while the meowing died out. After half an hour or so we noticed she was missing and thought it was her usual short walk in the sun. The longest she had been gone post pregnancy was three hours. It was almost sundown and there was no sign of Chuppu.

We gave her till the next day.

The next afternoon, I combed the entire neighborhood. Interrogated watchmen, construction workers, neighbors, pesky kids, even glared threateningly at the street dogs and cursed them mentally. But there was no sign of Chuppu.

If she were fine she would come home herself. She wasn't home and it was worrying us sick! The fact that she was so ready to deliver made her absence even more worrisome. I was imagining the worst, had gory pictures in mind, and cried from time to time at the thought of what the poor creature must have gone through. I kept visualising her as little baby that came to our house, and felt guilty that I hadn't been a more responsible parent. I just wished so hard that she were alive and safe.

The house had never been more gloomy in a while.

On day two, we tried hard to convince ourselves she was coming back, but it became increasingly difficult to actually make ourselves believe that. We just pretended to be hopeful to make each other feel better.

The second night, I was sorting my books in the second floor bedroom. I was preoccupied and troubled. I slumped on the floor and surrendered to the cool breeze floating in from the terrace adjacent to the room. It was a moment of complete peace, in the golden glow of the table lamp, when I thought of absolutely nothing, but just felt the breeze on my face. It was very soothing. I closed my eyes and let go. It helped to move on and let go of things.

I was floating in the sub conscious world, when the netlon in the window tore open.

The scraping sound was really annoying, like duct tape being pulled out of its roll. It took me a few seconds to open my eyes completely and focus. I was on the floor, in front of me was the study table against the window, the lower corner of the netlon on the window was being torn open, and a super thin version of my pet cat stood there on the window sill.

Chuppu was using her usual route back indoors. I jumped to my feet, held her with both arms to confirm she was actually there. Yes, she was!! I felt her all over to see if she was hurt! No she wasn't!! The sense of relief was immense! I was just so glad to see her alive and that she actually came back to us was just too much to handle at that moment.

I hugged her for long, until she let out a small meow in protest!!

She was just the same, minus the big tummy! She had delivered!! Where were the babies? It was just sinking in that Chuppu was back safe and sound, and now I had to deal with fretting over where her babies were, if she had managed a safe delivery and if the babies were fine.

Its not easy being a mommy to a cat I tell you.

Chuppu, oblivious to my concerns, had jumped down into the bedroom. She purred and rubbed against my feet a bit. That done, she gave me a "Get over it you Stupid Human" look and ambled downstairs. She instructed me in short commanding meows to feed her. I had to bring my mum into the picture...it was too exciting to handle.

My mum's reaction was disappointing, she just smiled and petted the cat. Maybe being woken up post mid night by a torch shining into her face had something to do with it.

We noticed Chuppu looked exhausted and frail, she kept lying on the floor most of the time. When we brought out warm milk, she lapped up like there was no tomorrow.

Once fed, she circled around us a bit, brushed against our legs and took off to the second floor once more. She paused after every three-four steps, turned around and meowed. She wanted us to come along. She had a plan. We followed.

We were lead by our eight month old super intelligent cat to a small brick enclosure in the corner of the terrace. Honestly, I lived in the house and never knew it existed till Chuppu jumped into it at that moment and vanished! We reached the corner and peered over the brick enclosure.

The sight is unforgettable. In the depths of the enclosure, Chuppu stood and licked and pawed at tiny little creatures, crawling ever so slowly. In the moonlight, and in the gleam of the flashlight, it was difficult to tell, but we counted three little crawlers. Tiny guinea pigs. Little furry worms. My grandchildren!!

She had lead us to her new-borns!

Like it is said, "Look no further, God is within you", all this while we looked everywhere but inside the house. Chuppu was home all through the two and a half days!
That felt silly and good at the same time. She had probably delivered a few hours back.

In the past few weeks, we had made four small nurseries at different cozy corners in the house, for her to choose where she wanted to deliver her babies and now she had picked a dirty brick pit out in the open!

Gawd, women were difficult to understand!

Chuppu had delivered on the day of RamaNavami and for a long time to come we called the three kittens Rama1, 2 and 3. Then there were variations - Ramanujam, Ramaswami, Ramachandran. All Rama names were tried on the little kittens till we got bored of it!

For four months after that day, we enjoyed the cat carnival at home!!! The four of them together were the most zesty, beautiful and graceful cat family ever!

As I watched the kittens grow, several thoughts ran through my head. I realised I was very protective towards Chuppu, but she never really needed it. As kittens, Sudama and she would play on the terrace with eagles circling over them, I would stand guard and watch from behind the door. They always hid behind pots or garden tools, played under the cover of larger plants, but always took care. Today she had managed to survive in the outdoor being a house cat, had befriended street cats, was a great hunter, tormentor of the rats, had mothered three kittens, raised them intelligently and was still having fun!

All without significant help from me. That was a relief.

Another one of those moments when I was filled with awe and wonder towards the ways of nature. Animals worked on instinct and nature had really prepared them well.

With time we parted ways with each single cat from the Chuppu family, one by one.
It was very painful.

The consolation was that, the last to go was Chuppu. It is terrible to part with a pet. I'd rather not dwell on the sad part. I will try to remember only the happiness we shared together.

The fourth chair has been missing the fur ball, I am sure the rats in the area are breathing easy and we have since been missing the joy, humor and contentment, Chuppu and her mad little cute family brought us.

She was beautiful, strong, loving, graceful and very very intelligent. She will be remembered fondly for years and years to come and I will forever cherish the feeling of being a Grandma cat.