The Cat
This, is the cat.
One day my father opened the door of our home in Kerala, and there was this kitten lying on the threshold. He had been bitten and mauled so severely by a feral feline that he was bleeding from every pore. My father scooped the half-dead kitten into his arms instantly, called an autorickshaw, and took him to the veterinary hospital. The cat needed an operation, and stitches. My father waited for him outside the ICU and then brought him back to our home. He now stays in our house.
When I went to Kerala, around that time, the cat was firmly convinced that I was an interloper, come to take away his friend, my father. He used to keep a close watch on both of us, and scream blue murder if my father went out of his sight. He also made it a point to turn his back on me whenever I was by, or turn his face pointedly away when I was too close for comfort. Hence, the picture of regal disdain that I photographed, above.
I visit only for a week or so, every year. To the cat’s intense relief, I left a week later.
My father called up to say that he and the cat have spirited conversations. And my father feels less lonely now.
©️ 2022 Suma Narayan. All Rights Reserved.
This is a response to Liberty Forrest, Author’s prompt:
