A Soft-Toy Called Cat

It was my mother who realised that there was a requirement for a cat, when she had suspected mice trespassing in our kitchen area.

She used to spend a great deal of time in the kitchen, preparing our meals, of course three times a day. In between she also used to prepare snacks for tea and a "little bite" before lunch.

It was the early sixties. In that era, fast food was totally unheard of. Everything that was eaten at home was home cooked and fresh. Yes! Three freshly cooked meals every single day. Nothing left over to be re-heated and consumed at a later time! 

When my mother subsequently announced the need for a cat, my older brother volunteered to get one. A few days later, he duly brought one home from the grocery store.

No, the grocery store did not sell cats. My brother had requested the grocery store owner to get us a cat, and he did.

I remember that day when my brother wheeled his bicycle into the porch. The basket which was mounted on the front part of the bicycle was shut.

Always the basket used to be partly open due to the fact that it is all the time overloaded with groceries when my brother returns from his shopping missions.

This time, I was certain it contained "cat." One hundred percent "cat." How right I was!

Just before my brother mounted the bike on it's stand, he flipped open the lid of the basket and then "cat" puts his head out and withdraws it almost at once.

I recall my mother lifting him out of the basket and taking him straight to the kitchen, placing him on the ground and giving him a little forward-push, saying "go on and catch mice!"

Well, before "cat" could even get his eye in, his task was already assigned to him!

Nature's mousetrap has been installed ... with great expectations!

I was a little kid at that time and I was terrified of cats. He was neither a kitten nor a full grown cat. He was somewhere around the halfway mark. He was light brown in color, with brownish streaks around the neck area.

My brother named him Diki, but my mother stuck to the conventional "puss-puss-puss."

I remember how I used to spring on to the top of the table in terror whenever he comes to the sitting area. He often used to sharpens his claws on the rattan chair which my father used to sit on, when he smoked his cigars and read the newspapers.

I do not recall how I got over the fear as the months progressed, but I do remember incidents which followed the post fear era.

There was an instance when I brought him into the living area in order to introduce him to some visitors. There were other children present as well, who were not well acquainted with cats. In fact they were terrified of cats like I had been previously.

Their screams frightened him. He, struggling to escape, managed to scrape my arms with the claws on his hind legs, before he sprang away! My mother always took the cat's side. She said it serves me right for trying to show off to the other kids.

She always kept a close watch on everything I did which involved the cat.

When a big boy in the neighbourhood explained to me how I could get the cat to "reverse," she had been listening.

He suggested that I pull a sock over the cat's face! My mum immediately cautioned me against trying that out. She said to me, "if you do that, the cat might suffocate." She then stressed, that the wrath of the Manufacturer will be on you!

"Ngyaew!" ... that was all he said, in different tones, in different pitches and in different degrees of loudness.

A low voiced "ngaew" modulated with a purr, really means "thanks a lot for the food." This remark usually is made prior to eating.

I am really certain about this, as I have performed experiments involving many cats before I came to this conclusion.

uring this period of time, I had formed the habit of putting my tongue out, curving it backwards and moving it clockwise and anti-clockwise alternately, whilst it was in contact with the upper and lower parts of my lips.

I used to do this after meals. It was evident to all around that I had learnt this habit from "cat."

My sister, who was older, never approved of this. She still insisted that I should wipe my mouth with a damp serviette after each meal!

As a little kid, I thought to myself, the good thing about cats is that they don't rust ... and they don't need battery replacements either! I used to wonder what made this soft-toy click.

The Manufacturer certainly had done a good job with the "wrapping." Even to this day, I feel that way! ... about the "wrapping" of course!