Ch1: Mew the Cat

It was the first time we officially had an animal to be called a pet. The first thing that happened related to them was that I was returning home and saw a cat (It was Simba you will know while reading) crying on wall of my neighbor. I know starting seems boring but it is not a creative fictional writing, I am documenting some events that have a deep impact on my brain. (I might add my prospective to certain things.) It was a cold morning; my uncle (Chacha) brought a kitten to our home. We thought (me and my cousins) it is a temporary guest like a refugee. She was named Simba. She was too small. You (reader) must be thinking this story is about Simba but no. Here comes the protagonist, his name was Mew. He followed Simba and came home. He was a little older than Simba. Here are some key differences between behaviour of Simba and Mew which are important as you will see a change in them further.

Simba Mew

Loving Doesn’t care much about love

Gentle Shy

Physically weak Physically Ok

Human friendly Doesn’t trust human completely

It was winter and initial few days were difficult, we stole milk and fed the cats secretly because if mothers would have found out they would have beaten the shit out of us. Simba came to us quite easily but Mew was quite cautious. They both slept together in a thermocol box which was kept in our garden. Whenever they attempted to enter inside, Mom and Aunt used to get very angry. Our family is divided into 2 groups

1) Animal lover include : Me , brother , both Dads , my Cousin sis

2) Initial animal hater : ( initial as after some days of hating they eventually fall in love with them ) Both moms , sis , elder cousin sis

One usual morning I found out that a cat (Don Type of cat) has attacked Simba brutally. Poor child, she was already weak and distressed by separation of her mom then that happened. When I saw her she was sitting at base of the Neem tree as if she was hiding herself. She was not able to walk, eat or say. Just isolated herself. I called Dad immediately, and applied all my limited knowledge. Gave her Paracetamol mixed in milk, banded her feet with a stick and cloth. Days passed she decreased her diet day by day, and eventually stopped eating completely. In the mean time hid her at different places (We always found her). It seemed like she lost her will to live. I wonder what kind of animal are cats who attack their own kind without reason. Her condition was unbearable to watch; now the people who initially hated cats developed empathy for them. It is very hard to watch someone die in front of your eyes. One day I got up and heard Simba was nowhere to be found. (A story made by my elders to make us not feel bad about Simba’s death). I got to know Simba died that morning and my Dad buried it somewhere and told us that made up story. Everybody knew what happened, and cooperated with the lie.

Same timeline: What happened to Mew – A sudden change in behaviour was noticed. He started rounding around people, becoming clingy, gentler, and licked his sister a lot. He began trusting humans. He rounded a lot with long meow sound, as if he was telling us to save his sister. One day when Simba went missing, Mew lied down flat and cried a lot. After sometime we found Simba in a nearly corpse state and lied both siblings in a box. Now situations changed. Simba was secretly removed (By my Dad when he died) and Mew had no idea what happened.

Now all our love and attention shifted to Mew. He was literally a monkey trapped in skin of cat. Even at that time we were not allowed to touch him. (Yet at that time I and my Guys hung him in our arms like a baby). He ran to me whenever I called him. (Not all people could do that.) Whenever Non Veg things were made, it was kind of a party for him.

Places he used to hang out: (After Simba’s death)

In first month Second month Rest of the months

Under the car In veranda On my bed

On bike seat cover 1st floor bed On lap of people

Anywhere outside In my room Under my shoe rake

Days passed, he was becoming more mischievous and cute. His area expanded, he went out in nearby yard to hunt mouse, sometimes went to neighbor's house. When I used to study upstairs, he would come silently and sit on top of the book/copy whatever I used to study. Then he would sleep on my bed until Mom came and shooed him away.

My Aunt didn’t like him a bit. Things you hate comes a lot in your life. Whenever he tried to enter the house, if caught by my Aunt he was thrown out followed by a 10 min scolding to Mew , and the people who first bought him in. ( Basically my Uncle she pointed and us who fed him ) .She adopted a less violent way. Whenever she saw him she threw water on him, that didn’t affected Mew a lot as he would reattempt invasion after 5 min of scolding. That same day Mew was sleeping under my Aunt’s bed in mid of March I guess, fans on, lights off, everything was perfect for a good nap. Then I heard a loud scream by my Aunt. (I already knew it was related to Mew). She was holding a mug of water and running behind Mew, he knew where to land in such situation so he ran to my room, jumped on bed and hid behind my back. He thought he was safe now but then my mom entered the room and he had to run outside in the veranda. I once fed him ice-cream which he spilled on newly washed bed sheet. We both heard a few “good words” by mom.

He was a predator by nature so he hunted birds, cockroaches, mice. One day he was chasing a mouse; mouse ran and hid itself under my Dad’s shoe. Mew was after him like a devil. He was grasping him by his tiny hands. We had to take the mouse out of the shoe and release it because our Mew wasn’t ready to spare his life. He only did 3 major things each day –

1) Eating

2) Sleeping

3) Hearing a loud human language( scolding)

Pee and poop in between any 3 task. One day when he returned home he had oil spilled over his entire body. We thought some Bad people of my neighborhood must have done that but later figured out he was the villain here. He went to somebody’s kitchen in search of some food (he got tired of veg options offered as non veg was cooked once a week at our home ) , in that process he must have stepped on bowl of oil and that way he returned home smelling like kitchen oil.

One night my elder sis after studying was getting ready to go to bed. It was around midnight. Everyone was asleep.( Except me , I used to study till 1-2 pm at night, without permission so nobody knew about it) She went inside her room, closed her door , lied on bed then right beside her she saw 2 bright glowing eyes.

Rest events are as follows:

1) As soon as she saw his eyes her soul left the body.

2) She screamed at top of her lungs

3) All family members woke up; Dad thought a thief might have entered. Some thought it was a ghost.

4) I was really trying hard to look like I have just woken up even though I was looking pretty fresh.

5) Culprit ( Mew ) ran in middle of discussion.

6) My little cousin and I were holding our laughter. Unfortunately in such situation if one bust then all bust.

7) Some were scolding, some were laughing, and one person was still asleep.

At night around 9pm he used to sneak into my room as I was the only person who would let him. After playing with my pen, pillow, shoe rake he would sleep under my bed. When my little cousin came for “day talk” she would sit right beside me. When Mew saw that he used to jump on bed and sat right between us. If we would not have done that he used to bite us. In fact he bit us while playing. Initially it wasn’t fun but after some days it became an honor. Person with most scratch marks is most loved person by Mew. Clearly it was me. Some people were jealous of it. (My brother, sister) When I slept beside him, he used to knead my hands. It was cool guys but it was hurting a lot. Days of getting scolded, doing same next time passed. Story is not that happy.

Most of the bad things I have faced occurred in the morning. I am not going to elaborate this part much because it hurts a lot. I woke up and Mom told me Dad wants to talk to me. I went to him and he told me that 2 street dogs entered our garden and attacked Mew ...........rest conversation was rubbish and time wasting. Damage was done, no words of console work at that time. Animal hater group was caring about Mew more than Lover group. Called vet twice, ordered his favourite fish, talked to him, all of us were showering him with love but nothing seemed to work. 4th day after the attack he died in front of me.