Stray Kittens No More - Part 2

This is a continuation of a hub I've written a few days ago. I am writing here a short story on each one of them and how they made an impact in our lives. I am writing this as my tribute to these creatures who had been a part of our family. More often than not they are neglected and are constantly under the mercy from it's owner.

To tell you the truth, i am not the kind of person who will go out of her way and voluntarily initiate the offer to look after a stray or abused animal's welfare. Maybe because I am a full time and hands down mom whose hands were already full attending to the needs of her three hyper-active wards. I don't dream our home to become an animal shelter.

My initial hesitation though had always been superseded by my maternal instincts. Besides, I always had this unexplained innate concern and fondness for animals. Maybe because even before I was born I already made a silent bond with them. My mother fondly recalled that she developed a strong fondness with cats during the first three months of my conception and this was confirmed to me by my aunt. Before my mother conceived me, she wouldn't dare go near nor touch a cat. So I thought, maybe, this was how I got this innate fondness for these animals. And I passed this silent bond to my children who have a special fondness for them too.

This one is Peanut, our first adopted cat. My son found him on his way home from school early in the evening. Our initial acquaintance was odd and unusual because this stray kitten's fur was covered with poops, I had to clean and wash him on a cold night. My son placed him inside a small paper bag and hid him beside the washing machine in the wash area. My son initially hid it from us.

My son sneaked the little creature in a paper bag into the house because we were banned from having pets inside the compound because our landlord had two sickly grandchildren who would sneak into our front yard to play, Peanut was so thin, his legs wobbly, he could hardly stand up. My children immediately bought an infant formula in a convenience store to feed him.

We were able to hid Peanut from our land lady for a long time because you would seldom hear him meow, (as if he knew that we are hiding him from our landlady.)but when he do, it is so faint, we'd barely hear him. My children developed a strong bond with him. My children learned to save just so they can buy him clothes and toys and jewelry.

Peanut was so affectionate, contented and submissive. He was very friendly and get along well with our dog and the rabbits in the house. He was generous too. He would let our other pet have or play with his food. But things change when his "heat season" arrived. From a very submissive and relaxed cat, he became restless and a fierce hunter for both male cats and rodents. He would fight and hunt down every male cat in sight. He also became an excellent hunter for rodents as big as he is but he won't eat them. He would just toss it up and down like he does with a ball and would left when it become lifeless. Because of his good hunting abilities, our land lady allowed us to keep him.

During heat season, Peanut's personality would change. He would become demanding. When he rubbed his body on our legs and we don't pick him up, he would scratch our legs, but my children learned to become understanding and attentive to him. They learn not to play and mess with him when he was in heat. He would not show up for three nights making my children so worried they would spend hours looking for him everywhere. Peanut would always come home very dirty after each "heat season" with scratches and wounds all over his body. When the heat is over, Peanut will be back to his old self.

When Peanut is away during a heat, the children will prepare his towel, his cat clothes, some antiseptic and elastic bandage because his body was always covered with wounds and his shiny coat filthy and stinky when he comes home after a heat. When Ludwig came, he became super protective of her and to Ludwig's kittens. He never mated with Ludwig. He allowed cats to mate with Ludwig when they won't let Peanut chase them away and bully them. Peanut got sick after a heat and never recovered.

Peanut taught my children to be more responsible, caring, tolerant, patient, understanding and some degree of self-denial and helped our family to officially become a part of a humane society.