Skip to main content

Cats and Man

Kittu established his place at home too soon
The great philosopher Immanuel Kant said, "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." I was seldom overwhelmed by love for animals. At best I would admire them from a distance. I loved watching certain animals for their ferocity and majesty. My heart would resonate with William Blake's admiration for the "fearful symmetry" of the tiger. I have often wondered with Blake whether the same creator made both the lamb and the tiger. But I could never bring myself to domesticate any animal. I never dreamt of keeping animal pets. 

 Nevertheless, a cat whom I named Kittu walked into my heart two years ago. He had been abandoned on the roadside near my house by someone who obviously had not cultivated the sensibility that the great philosopher suggested. Even before I realised what was happening, I fell in love with Kittu. When I had to be away from home overnight, I worried about Kittu's well-being. 
Kittu got closer and closer 

 Kittu is a great survivor. He learnt to navigate the rugged terrains dominated by rather cruel creatures called human beings. He escaped two attempts of poisoning: some neighbour who was probably annoyed by his frequent trespasses poisoned him. I got him the necessary medication both the times. Kittu was also attacked more than once with some sharp object. I nursed his wounds. 
Kittu could arrest my movement 

 Nowadays I make sure that Kittu is well-fed before I leave home for school and as soon as I return so that he won't have to sneak into any neighbour's kitchen. He gets his first dole of milk at 5.30 in the morning so that he will be hungry enough for his breakfast by the time I have to leave home. Kittu taught me to care for someone without any selfish motives. 

 Yesterday evening, as the sky was just turning dark, my attention was drawn by the loud cries of a small kitten from the same roadside where Kittu had been abandoned two years ago. This time it was a tiny creature that still required its mother's milk and warmth. As soon as it saw me, it came running to me, crying all the way. I gave it some milk. It didn't know how to drink it initially. It learnt slowly. But it couldn't drink much. It is learning now to drink milk. Hunger is a great teacher, I guess. 
Kittu is apparently not quite happy with the new arrival

 How could someone abandon a kitten so small? That question worries me. Couldn't the owner of this tiny creature wait for a few days more, until it would wean itself from its mother?

 Little kitten, who made thee? William Blake haunts me again. Did the same god who made human beings create you too?

Comments

  1. Deepa GopalOctober 27, 2019 at 2:02 PM

    Lovely post! You are good giving them home. I can now see when you mentioned that you see 'those poses' at home. I am always drawn towards animals except reptiles, a bit scared of them! As a kid I used to bring the stray cats and dogs home much to my amma's annoyance! Now I long to have one at home but it's quite not possible in this flat in Dubai!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 27, 2019 at 8:09 PM

      It's quite tough to keep pets if you live in a flat. My cats live in open air for most part of the day.

      I happened to watch the Malayalam movie Jellikettu this afternoon. It shows the savage side of man. My cats are benign creatures in comparison.

      Delete
  2. magiceyeOctober 28, 2019 at 6:13 AM

    Such a pleasure to read this post about the bonding between you and the cat/kitten. It is said that man adopts a dog but the cats adopt their caretaker. So you are the chosen one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 28, 2019 at 7:08 AM

      I tend to believe that because the little creature follows me wherever i go.

      Delete
  3. Sunil DeepakOctober 29, 2019 at 9:56 AM

    Cats, dogs, ducks, rabbits ... a small opening in the heart is all they need and they know how to open it completely! I love both cats and dogs :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. GayathriJune 16, 2023 at 11:13 AM

    Calcium Supplements for pets online

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In this Wonderland

I didn’t write anything in the last few days. Nor did I feel any urge to write. I don’t know if this lack of interest to write is what’s called writer’s block. Or is it simple disenchantment with whatever is happening around me? We’re living in a time that offers much, too much, to writers. The whole world looks like a complex plot for a gigantic epic. The line between truth and fiction has disappeared. Mass murders have become no-news. Animals get more compassion than fellow human beings. Even their excreta are venerated! Folk tales are presented as scientific truths while scientific truths are sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. When the young generation in Nepal set fire to their Parliament and Supreme Court buildings, they were making an unmistakable statement: that they are sick of their political leaders and their systems. Is there any country whose leaders don’t sicken their citizens? I’m just wondering. Maybe, there are good leaders still left in a few coun...
12 comments
Read more

Death as a Sculptor

Book Discussion An Introductory Note : This is not a book review but a reflection on one of the many themes in The Infatuations , novel by Javier Marias. If you have any intention of reading the novel, please be forewarned that this post contains spoilers. For my review of the book, without spoilers, read an earlier post: The Infatuations (2013). D eath can reshape the reality for the survivors of the departed. For example, a man’s death can entirely alter the lives of his surviving family members: his wife and children, particularly. That sounds like a cliché. Javier Marias’ novel, The Infatuations , shows us that death can alter a lot more; it can reshape meanings, relationships, and even morality of the people affected by the death. Miguel Deverne is killed by an abnormal man right in the beginning of the novel. It seems like an accidental killing. But it isn’t. There are more people than the apparently insane killer involved in the crime and there are motives which are di...
7 comments
Read more

The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

  'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below.  Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl
47 comments
Read more

When Cricket Becomes War

Illustration by Copilot Designer Why did India agree to play Pakistan at all if the animosity runs so deep that Indian players could not even extend the customary handshake: a simple ritual that embodies the very essence of sportsmanship? Cricket is not war, in the first place. When a nation turns a game into a war, it does not defeat its rival; it only wages war on its own culture, poisoning its acclaimed greatness. India which claims to be Viswaguru , the world’s Guru, is degenerating itself day after day with mounting hatred against everyone who is not Hindu. How can we forget what India did to a young cricket player named Mohammed Siraj , especially in this context? In the recent test series against England, India achieved an unexpected draw because of Siraj. 1113 balls and 23 wickets. He was instrumental in India’s series-levelling victory in the final Test at the Oval and was declared the Player of the Match. But India did not celebrate him. Instead, it mocked him for his o...
6 comments
Read more

Whose Rama?

Book Review Title: Whose Rama? [Malayalam] Author: T S Syamkumar Publisher: D C Books, Kerala Pages: 352 Rama may be an incarnation of God Vishnu, but is he as noble a man [ Maryada Purushottam ] as he is projected to be by certain sections of Hindus? This is the theme of Dr Syamkumar’s book, written in Malayalam. There is no English translation available yet. Rama is a creation of the Brahmins, asserts the author of this book. The Ramayana upholds the unjust caste system created by Brahmins for their own wellbeing. Everyone else exists for the sake of the Brahmin wellbeing. If the Kshatriyas are given the role of rulers, it is only because the Brahmins need such men to fight and die for them. Valmiki’s Rama too upheld that unjust system merely because that was his Kshatriya-dharma, allotted by the Brahmins. One of the many evils that Valmiki’s Rama perpetrates heartlessly is the killing of Shambuka, a boy who belonged to a low caste but chose to become an ascetic. The...
8 comments
Read more