LT COL NOEL ELLIS
19/X/2025
Sometimes you do come across a chance encounter with something unusual. Today was one of those days when I was surprised for a moment. What happened after that was a treat and the way to survive for our new guests. Here goes….
As usual, I was on the rooftop to attend to the garden in the evening. At first glance, the waterlily tubs needed some cleaning. Many leaves had yellowed and a lot of algae had formed which had to be skimmed and deposited in the compost bin.
The routine is that the tubs are topped up, the fish are fed, adeniums are watered and thereafter it is time to give the tubs a thorough cleaning. That was what I was on. A pair of doves came for a drink and we exchanged hellos.
It took me a fraction of a second to realise that I had more company. Not one but two more guests were sitting on a “Muddha’ which I use when working on the tubs. ‘A mom’ called “Chitkabri” and her cute little kitten were seated on it. She was feeding that angel.
It was a bit natural that they too were taken by surprise like me. The first thing I heard was a sharp “cat hiss” from the mom. The kitten whom I named “Cutie” instantly for obvious reasons, is a replica of brownie and spotty who are now ruling our ground floor garden. Cutie had the guts to also hiss at me with all the energy it had. Kittens follow what their mamas do to the dot.
I put two and two together. She was the mama of three kittens, spotty, dotty and brownie whom she had weaned off to mate again. Cutie was the result of that. All of them cannot be together, so she found our roof the best place to hide and bring this little darling up safely. There are a lot of hiding places for both mom and baby and of course places to bask and enjoy their siesta, besides feeding.
All hell broke loose as I approached the Muddha. Helter-Skelter is the right expression to describe the scene. Mama cat rushed to jump over the wall and cutie ran behind the compost bin. Mama called from across the wall to ask if cutie was safe. Mew was the answer which I assume was in affirmative.
Wasting no time cutie darted under the bigger tub. I bent down to have a glimpse but cutie was gone. Where could she go? It was too small to scale the wall. I realised, this smart baby had made use of the overflow pipe to wriggle out to the other side and join mom.
Our roofs being very close, they walked across to the neighbours portion which I must say was an “alternate hide” in military parlance. Both mom and baby had me in their stare. The little one was scared but mama was cool as she knew that both of them were away from any harm. I actually wanted to tell mama to allow me to tickle cutie but now the drama had unfolded into an uncomfortable situation. With ‘danger to their life’ as perceived by the duo, I let them be.
Cutie was looking up the wall and calling mama but then she was too small. She went in and out of the drain pipes as if it was a new game for her forgetting she just had an encounter. Mama sat on the parapet, guarding the scene, calling cutie with a different mew to tell her to behave. Moment, she gave a warning call, cutie should get into her hide.
This sweetheart would go in, wait for a while, and then peep out. She knew I was watching. Mama was concerned but sat from where she could watch the proceedings. It soon became a game of ‘Taaaa’ between me and cutie. She would reveal herself from the pipe, the moment our eyes met and she would rush in. Vice versa as she came out, I would sit on the floor to become invisible to her and she would cutely mew and ask me to reveal my position.
From one drain pipe to the other, she and I kept playing. The sun was setting, the fish had been fed, it was time to get back to key in this chance encounter.
Will this encounter happen tomorrow again and would cutie become my friend? I wonder!!!!!!
JAI HIND
©® NOEL ELLIS
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