Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Someone Burned My Paws




As cat lovers, we all know that different cats have different personalities. Colour is the name I gave to Snowie’s kitten. She has grown to be quite a lively and playful kitten. She would run about the Thai Muslim restaurant, putting her paws on some of the patrons’ thighs when she begs for food, and ‘bite’ (that is the way cats kiss) some of the patrons’ legs as a gesture of ‘thank you for feeding me’ or simply asking for some affection and love. And, that is how kittens play with their siblings -‘biting’ then chasing at each other.


However, not everyone who patronizes the Thai Muslim restaurants is cat lovers, and most of them may not have any knowledge about our furry friends. They see a lively and playful kitten as a nuisance or an annoyance when Colour walks about their feet, and when she is ignored, she stretches her body putting her paws on their legs meowing to be fed. When she kisses them on their feet prompting them to play with her, the kisses were misinterpreted as bites.


Some indifferent patrons would just brush her aside. Nicer patrons will play with her and do not mind being ‘bitten’ once or twice by Colour. But does it warrant those nasty patrons to burn Colour’s paws simply because they think she bites them, or find her liveliness and playfulness annoying and aggravating?


I was so upset and furious when I realized there were burned marks on her paws. At first, I thought they were mud clinging on to her paws. When I tried to clean them, she flinched away nervously. When I managed to grab on to her paws the second time, my heart shattered into millions of pieces once I realized those were not dried mud but her reddish flesh enveloped by charred furs.


May God bless our homeless furry friends! May God punish individuals who hurt our furry friends!