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!

Snowie And Her Kitten

I have been feeding Snowie and her kitten for the past one month. Three of her kittens were taken away from her by some patrons of the Thai Muslim Restaurant. I sincerely wish that they will take very good care of those kittens. Otherwise, they are better off with Snowie on the street.

Her remaining kitten is very cautious and alert of her surroundings. I am glad that Snowie taught her well, and to be aware of human beings. Even though, I have been feeding her and Snowie for almost every day, she keeps a distance. She sees me caressing her mother, she sees her mother rubbing her delicate body against my feet and she sees her mother resting comfortably next to me, but she stays a foot away from me. I believe having no physical connection with humans at this tender age is the safest way to stay unharmed.

The first few days, I had to leave the biscuits next to a car, walked a few feet away from it in order to get her to crawl out from under the car to nibble at the biscuits. If I made the slightest move, she would quickly go into hiding until it was safe to crawl out again to continue her meal.

Four days later, she was brave enough to eat in the open but I had to leave the biscuits inside the doorway. And, she had to wait for the mother to start eating as if to check if it was safe for her before she dashed across the pavement to join her mother.

For the next two days, I could just leave the biscuits outside the doorway. Upon hearing my whistle, she would run toward my direction but not without caution. She would nibble at the biscuits only if she was quite sure it was safe to do so and accompanied by Snowie.

Three days after that, I believe she began to learn that I am a harmless creature. The moment she heard my whistle, she ran to me even her mother was nowhere to be seen. I laid the biscuits next to the chair I was sitting, and she started nibbling at them.

The next 20 days, she became quite a brave little kitty. She stretched her paw out to touch my fingers. She sniffed my palm when I showed it to her. She meowed at me asking for food. When I showed her my camera phone, she sat still and allowed me to take her pictures.

I am sure we will become good friends!

Where Are Snowie Babies?

This was Snowie’s third pregnancy.

I had not seen her babies from the first two pregnancies and had no idea where she hid them. And, I had the slightest idea as to what had happened to all her babies. The security guard whom I always talk to told me that he saw Snowie’s babies from the first pregnancy for only once or twice. My gut feeling told me that she was inexperienced in nursing her babies and eventually lost all of them. I didn’t want to think it was possibly due to inhumane acts of the human race.

I came back from my short trip and found her pregnant. The moment she saw me, she meowed as she ran toward me. She purred softly when I caressed her. I could tell that she was very happy to see me as she walked all around me, rubbing her head and body against both my feet and hands.

My friend offered to bring some biscuits and water down from the apartment in order for me to feed her. Both Snowie and I went to the TNB area, our Secret Rendez-vous, where she happily ate her biscuits. I filled the empty container with fresh water, not only for her consumption but for all cats. I spent some quality time with her and I could tell she missed to be loved.

Then, I lost sight of her for few days. The workers from the Thai Muslim Restaurant had no idea where she went to when I asked them about her. All I could do was to pray for her safety. But one fine day, I found her begging for food from some of the patrons of the Thai Muslim Restaurant. She had given birth, and she was so frail and skinny. I took some biscuits and fresh water for her. How delighted she was to see me!

I began to enquire about her kittens and was truly happy to hear from one of the Thai Muslim Restaurant workers that Snowie hides her newborns at a deserted corner inside the restaurant. And, I was very thankful for their generousity toward her. I was told that every morning when he came to work, he could hear the cries of the kittens. I continued feeding her until I had to leave town for a week.

When I came back to my apartment, I ordered food from the Thai Muslim Restaurant and requested it to be delivered. The worker who delivered my food informed me that Snowie has four beautiful kittens, and they are very, very cute. I have not seen them but I couldn’t wait to have a look at them and Snowie.

I hope she will learn to nurse her babies and keep them away from harm and danger.

Where Is My Mommy?

I was walking to the sundry shop when the sharp cries of a kitten caught my attention. I searched for the kitten by following the direction where the cries came from, and found this grey coloured kitten curled at the corner of the back of a Thai Muslim restaurant.

Thinking that he must be starving, I bought a can of wet food for him. I scooped some out from the can and gave it to him. He sniffed it but refused to eat. His cries were getting very loud, almost deafening to the ears. Perhaps, he was afraid of me and finding himself defenseless, he cried for his mommy’s help. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any female cat answered his cries.

The pictures clearly shown the kitten was searching for his mommy - nervously. Fearing that I might scare the life out of him, I packed everything and left him alone. That was the first and the last time I saw him at the Thai Muslim restaurant.

Abandoned

These pictures were taken by my brother in Penang, at a building not too far away from his office. According to him, these kittens were abandoned by their owners because almost every day, weeks old kittens were dumped there. I believe that particular place/building has become a dumping ground of unwanted kittens by cruel and irresponsible owners.

My brother told me some of the kittens were really cute, beautiful, adorable and friendly, as you can see from the pictures.

Some of them were weak and sick and were down with diseases or mange. It was so heart breaking to look at all these cuties being cruelly treated.

According to him, some of the kittens which he used to see every day were not there anymore. Both of us hope they were adopted by some kind pet lovers. But, I can’t deny the fact that some of them met with tragedy, killed by speeding cars, or by some territorial adult cats and/or dogs.

I honestly wish that pet owners would stop abandoning their pets’ litters and send their pets for castration to avoid breeding - the least they could do!

To The Rescue

10 September 2010 - the first day of Hari Raya, I was at my parents’ house in Penang when I heard repeatedly a kitten crying in distressed. I went to the balcony trying to determine where the cries came from, when a female cat suddenly caught my eyes. She was at the brim of a huge drain and was looking down at the bottom of it. I knew immediately that the kitten had fallen into the drain and was crying for help.

Together with my brother and my niece, we brought along a piece of wood of about 6 feet long and some used towels to rescue the poor kitten. The moment the mother cat saw us approaching the drain, she ran away.

The poor kitten was half immersed with water. Without a minute to lose, I thrust the wood in to the drain, prompting the kitten to grab hold of the wood. Unfortunately, he failed to understand my intention. I had to prompt him several times and talked softly to him. Then only he put his two front paws on the wood followed by his two hind legs. Slowly and steadily, I pulled the wood up holding it horizontally to make sure the kitten wouldn’t fall and carefully put him down on the ground.

The mother immediately ran to her baby but was cautious about us. My brother managed to take a picture before the mother picked him up with her mouth and walked away from us. Then, she put him down, licked him for a short while giving him the assurance that he was safe. The kitten, in return, rubbed his head and body against his mommy!

The Rescue of Two Kittens

The two kittens which I rescued from the big drain were not in any of these pictures. I had no idea where they were.

Anyway, I was very glad that I heard their pitiful cries and the distressed meowing of Sweetie Pie. They must have fallen into the drain while crossing it. Since it was covered with steel planks, there was no way Sweetie Pie could jump down to rescue them.

When she saw me, she stared at me meowing frantically, I guess, asking me to help her babies. I lifted the heavy steel planks, jumped into the drain, and tried to grab the kittens. As shaken and frightened as they already were, I was not surprised to find them running away from me.

After several attempts, I managed to grab hold of one of them, climbed up from the drain, and put it on the ground close to Sweetie Pie. The kitten hurried to her mommy, reunited with Sweetie Pie and it was so heartwarming to see her started licking her baby.

As I climbed down to the drain again, the other kitten ran inside one of the draining holes and hid there. I tried using my slipper to entice him to crawl out, using biscuit and meat to lure him out and using a towel to try to hook his claws and pull it out but all to no avail.

Finally, I had no choice but to put a pair of socks over my hand and wrapped it over with a towel, put it inside the hole. Before I could grab this kitten, it plunged its sharp teeth into my flesh. Ignoring the pain, I grabbed its tiny body and dragged it out from the hole. It was shouting, crying, and shrieking while trying to break free from my grip.

I climbed out from the drain, quickly ran to Sweetie Pie and released the kitten. Cheerfully, it ran and sprang toward its siblings.

The happy reunion of a family conquered the throbbing pain and blood trickling from my finger.