Cat Talk

I'm an animal lover but I had no particular interest in cats, probably because my mother couldn't tolerate their presence in our house. The last pet cat we had was Minggay who died some ten years ago.

Then they came into my life - the cat family who claimed my room in Davao like it was their kingdom. And I allowed them.

The Mother Cat - black, thin and ugly. I have no right to judge her or anyone. But when I could turn away from the reality of her physical looks, I couldn't turn away from her bad attitude. How dare she treat me as if I were an intruder when she was the one who violated my privacy. She howled at me a lot - at all hours of the day, didn't understand that I needed time to rest or study.

The Father Cat - I concluded that he's the Father Cat because one of the kittens has his color, the other one has the mother's. He doesn't officially reside in our dormitory. He probably has another family somewhere else. At first, it seemed that the Mother Cat was mad at the Father Cat. She wouldn't allow him to go near her and their two kittens. The Father Cat spent many nights outside the room before the Mother Cat finally talked to him. After that, they started going out again, leaving the kittens behind. While the Mother Cat is ugly, the Father Cat is handsome. Makes me wonder....

Fred, Kitten No. 1 - I named him (assuming he's a boy) after the boy in the next window, a fellow reviewee (now a CPA) who hails from Zamboanga. Fred is the more active kitten - the first one to walk and talk. And because he's sweet, I favored him more.

Dana, Kitten No. 2 - I named her (assuming she's a girl) after a friend of my friend who I probably can claim a friend who spent a few nights in the next room. She keeps to herself and wouldn't come near me. Not even for a courtesy call to the legal lessee of the room.

The Suitors - How dare that Mother Cat entertain suitors when she already has a husband. These two suitors regularly visit the Mother Cat. But the Father Cat is better-looking and seem to have a stronger and deeper personality.

I left all of them last Monday. I miss them, even if there were times in the past when I wanted to get rid of them. And now that I have left my room, they too have left it. The new occupants wouldn't have them.

Now, the kittens will experience the harsh reality of our landlady's ill temper and low tolerance on their kind. Soon they will suffer the hot baths (lapwa) that their elders suffered and still suffer. Now, I wouldn't be there to protect them. I feel sad for them. I hope that they leave that place and find a better one for themselves. I pray that they find someone who will treat them like royalties the way that I did. #