Cat Tales

My Indonesian maid of twelve years, Siti, took in a stray cat recently. The little fellow had been hanging around my backyard for a while and Siti and mum had taken turns to feed him. After a couple of weeks or so, they decided to take him in and Siti named him Jacky (she is an avid fan of kungfu star, Jackie Chan). I had agreed on condition that Jackie is confined to the outdoors and can only come into the house occasionally under supervision, as I do not want cat odour in the house.

Jacky is a cute little fellow - playful, loving, amusing and full of life. We have housed him in a cage and had him "toilet trained". Three times a day, he is let out for short periods so that he can have his "exercise" - scratching on an old, beaten, chair placed near the cage, stretching himself out, rolling around on the grass, climbing on to your shoulder if you happen to be around, and just having fun.

Jacky

He used to meow himself hoarse when he is returned to the cage as he wants to remain outside. But just like well-meaning parents, we had to ignore the meowing, for his own good. After about a week of going through this routine, Jacky no longer protests when he is returned to the cage - in fact, he willingly goes back in when he smells the bowl of milk waiting for him.

We tried feeding Jacky cat food from the supermarket - but he prefers rice and fish (what a kampongie cat!). Next will be a trip to the vet to have him neutered. I have been told by my sister, who considers her two cats her children, that once a cat is neutered, he will become docile and will not stray very far -ladies, take note, this may be the remedy for those men with roving eyes!.

By Malaysian standards, Jacky is well cared for but my sister's cats in Australia, Ziggy and Harley, have a much better life. The duo is of British short-hair pedigree and was acquired from a cat breeder. One gets to choose from a catalog of various pedigrees and there is a waiting period before a cat can be taken home. Potential owners are carefully vetted; similar to that of adopting a child. The potential owner is interviewed on the number of family members in the house, where the cat will be housed, etc. to ensure that the cat will be properly cared for.

Take five.....partners-in-mischief

Ziggy (L) and Harley

Wakey, wakey, Zig....let's play

Once the breeder is satisfied that the cat will be well cared for, then the cat will be released into the custody of the owner. At my sister's home, a special play area is constructed for the cats. It is an enclosure outside the house which is connected to the house via a "cat tunnel". In the enclosure, the cats can have their "me-time" and enjoy their "scratching" toys, carpeted floor and even a tiny camp bed to rest those tired bones after a mischievous outing in the garden! The enclosure is constructed of plexi-glass so that the cats can enjoy the view outside - oh, what a life!

Cats can get attached to familiar people after a period of about two weeks. On my last vacation in Australia, every morning, Ziggy would come into my room and jump over me to take his place beside the window, looking into the garden, as if to say...."get out of my way, you are blocking my view"! After I had left, my sister told me that each morning, Ziggy would come into the room and still look around for me - although I imagine he must have been happier that there was no longer anyone blocking his view of the garden!

When my sister and her husband go on extended trips, the cats are checked into a cat hotel where they will be cared for just like guests in a hotel - with food, lodging and even exercise provided for. They cost quite a bit but the owners will have peace of mind knowing that their pets are cared for.

I never had a pet when growing up as I was asthmatic and could not be exposed to animal fur. However, when I observe the unconditional affection shown by animals towards their owners, it strikes a cord in my heart - the look of excitement when they rush towards you, following you around for a cuddle and a scratch and rolling on their backs with all four legs up in the air as if to say, "look at me, I am all yours!".

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, concluded that owning a pet reduces the number of visits to the doctor, prolongs survival after a heart attack, and wards off depression. Pet ownership also protects against a major problem of aging: high blood pressure. In one standout study at State University of New York, Buffalo, stockbrokers with high blood pressure adopted a pet. When they were faced with mental stress, their BP increased less than half as much as in their counterparts without animal pals. But pick your pet with care. There is nothing stress-reducing about a dog that chews your furniture to bits!

Owners can also get too attached to their pets and they grieve when the pets die. Our last cat, also a stray whom we named Belang (striped), was put to sleep due to old age and the whole family grieved when she was laid to rest in our garden amongst the rose plants - we miss you Belang!