CAT-HO GAYA RAMJI KO PYAARA

unfortunately this time I have another sad incident to put on my blog. I had already mentioned the black cat that had been our visitor. On Monday evening, i.e 13th August, I came out at 6:30 p.m., just checking to see if i could see Madhu's car . However, as i opend the door, what caught my attention was the plaintive mewing that seemed to come from very near, but I couldn't see where. It seemed like the at,a nd i searched around. At one point, I thought it was madhu playing tricks on me. However, something made me look under our patio chairs,a dn sure enough , there was the black cat, mewing its throat out,and its whole body shaking. I was a bit concerned, and went near it. It was shaking, n mewing every 2 seconds, as if telling me, Dont chase me away. I mean, this was afirst of its kind. I was so close to the cat,a n it didnt move,adn it was flopped on its side in an eerie manner. I thought it was thirsty/ hungry, n came back ith some water,a nd biscuits. But still no reaction. I was anxious, but still scared to go too near, cos i was afraid that it might dart out at me. So i took the precaution of calling up Madhu, n telling him the cat is back, n its mewing every second. So he came,a dn with him watching, I slightly lifted the cat to its feet to direct its face towards the water dish. However, it mewed again, and flopped back. It was then I realised there was a trickle of blood from one of its hind legs. I alerted Madhu,a dn we phoned around to get to the emergency services of the Humane Society. In the meantime, we kept stroking it, talking to it,a dn it also became silent after a while. This was again new for us. The cat trusted us so much that when it got hurt, it came straight to our patio, and let us touch it. And didnt show any signs of being scared/ running away. However, the minute the officer from the Humane society came, out darted the cat on its 3 good legs,a dn disappeard into the night.It got scared on seeing him come with hsi uniform, a huge net,a dna plastic box. It smelled an unfamiliar scent, and scooted. By then, it was dark. Madhu, and the officer took flashlights,and looked around the areas where they saw the cat run, but it had vanished into the inky blackness of the night. Again, who said searching for a black cat was easy in the night?

So the officer left, asking us to call back if the cat turned up. And madhu n i kepta regular vigil- to see if the cat felt comfortable enough to return to our patio. Till wse went to sleep, it hadnt come back. Tuesday again we checked in the morning, and i kept an eye out for it in the complex. I waited and prayed for the cat to come back to our patio alive, like the way I used tp pray for it not to kill birds on my patio again. I checked for signs of its return, like the way i used to shoo it away. I even informed some of the management staff of the complex to keep an eye out for an injured, limping black cat.

Wednesday morning. I hope the cat is alive, safe some where, and has teneded to its wound by licking itself etc etc. This was the chain of my thoughts as i set out to go to the gym this morning. Howevewr, at the entrance of the gym, one of the staff memebers told me they had found the black cat yesterday under one of the bushes towards the back of the whole complex. It was dead. And they had the Humane Sciety come and take it away. It was then I felt close to tears. I mean, for all the incidents that we had with the cat, I didnt want it to have bled to death. Probably, if we had ourselves tended to its wounds,with our first aid kit, it would have been alive.

Well, anyway, may its soul rest in peace.