Our Love Affair with Cats

I have a favourite stray cat in Jurong West. Her name is Mi Mi. She is an adorable grey cat with black stripes and white paws. She is always found lazing around at the void deck and benches. Slug and I love her to bits.

Mi Mi

This picture really does not do her justice because she looks so evil here. But anyway, it was late at night and as usual, we spotted her sleeping on the bench and so we went over to play with her. I would bear-hug her and fling her around, but she would just have this indifferent expression on her face. That is what makes her cute.

Suddenly, an auntie came by and exclaimed "There you are!". Mi Mi leapt off my lap and dashed towards her. Another cat also appeared from nowhere, and the two of them were soon sniffing the auntie's legs because they knew that she was going to feed them. So while she was feeding them canned food, we struck up a conversation. Unbeknownst to us, there is actually a fraternity of cat-lovers (read: kind aunties) in the neighbourhood who will take good care of the strays. They will meet up to do a headcount on the cat population, and assign each member to be in charge of certain strays, depending on which block they live in. If one of them happens to fall in love with a kitty and decides to bring it to her house for permanent stay, she has to inform the rest so that they will not panic when kitties start to go missing in the neighbourhood. Besides feeding the strays at their own expense, the cat-lovers will maintain stringent checks on the cat headcount and health, protect them from The Bully (a large mangy black-and-white cat which intimidates unwary cats with his ambush and snarling), and even bury cats that get run over by cars. If this kind of organizational network centered around cats isn't impressive enough, kudos to one Malay auntie who feeds strays all the way from Boon Lay to Jurong East daily. Slug and I emerged from this conversation totally bewildered. Shouldn't these people be laureated for their charitable efforts!

As I wonder how middle-aged women get so fascinated over strays, let me bring the focus back to home. My mother would make a respectable member in that kind of Cat Committee with her laudable efforts in rescuing cats, feeding cats and even bringing cats for sterilisation and clinical visits. These apply to every cat in our block. Her personal favourites are Meow Meow and Mini. Both are daily visitors to my house for afternoon naps, baths, tea time, and medication time.

Meow Meow

Mini

As I wonder how even my mother gets so fascinated over strays, let me take the focus to my aunties. 4th Aunt adopted three stray cats from the neighbourhood, and now has two staying in her house. The third one is a pigeon serial killer who only comes when she feels like it. Ah Ma is always missing Mini, and thoroughly enjoys her company when watching television. 6th Aunt also cannot resist playing with Mini. Now 3rd Aunt is also gaga over the stray cat at her workplace. I start to suspect it runs in our family.

May those screwed-up beasts who hang cats and starve dogs burn in Hell for eternity.