Tell Tail n Aug 2017 - Oct 2017 5Dear Readers,
M
y world was filled
with dogs when I
was growing up and
even when I was all
grown up. Things
changed only a couple of years
ago when I spent time watching
cats and realised that they don’t
just eat and go, they are actually
ridiculously funny as well. But
that’s only when they want to
be. Thank god I learnt that early
on in my relationship with cats,
otherwise the disappointments
that I am about to list would be far
difficult to come to terms with.
This lady fed cats in my society.
They had litter after litter and
since my son was little, I had
ample opportunity to watch them
in all their stages. Playing with
kittens is interesting. They mimic
their mom’s behaviour when it
comes to human interaction - they
run when she runs, come when
she comes. I am frankly a little
jealous of all those dog and cat
mothers. Their little ones listen
to the slightest suggestion mom
makes to head home. In the
blink of an eye the kittens would
vamoose inside a car or into the
bushes while I kept going “kitty
kitty” for ever.
Then as they grew up, some
chose to be friends with me, while
others looked at me like I was set
to abduct them. Still can’t figure
out this weird behaviour.
Over time, I started taking them
treats, in the hope that I would
be welcomed into their fold. My
offerings were eaten, my efforts
never rewarded. I understood
that some are born to be served,
others to serve.
The closest I came to a cat was
when I joined in the business at
Petsworld, in Pune. There was
Manusha/Mani who hung around
the shop. We became friends and
she started sitting on the counter,
on the keyboard and of course
on my lap. Every morning and
every evening, she would come to
share her tummy purrs with me.
In exchange, she got cat food and
treats. I got soo much love! Our
customers would ask for her and
we would proudly show her off.
We got her sterilised and things
went along smoothly. Till one
morning early this year, Manusha
didn’t turn up and hasn’t been
seen since.
Of course my heart crumbled.
And I wondered why she walked
off. She got love, she got
attention, she got food, she got
comfort and we never restricted
her movements. What more
does a cat want? So I roamed
around asking strangers about her
and finally went to Tina Malkani
Gholap who communicated with
Manusha and told me she hasn’t
been kidnapped, and is doing OK
where she is. I found relief in this
sentence and yet, I didn’t. My why
is still unanswered and people still
ask about her.
But I have learnt that cats are
like that. They go when they
want, come when they want.
Like they say, cats have slaves.
I know if she chooses to come
home, she will be back to being
my queen!Bests,
Uma
Editor, Publisher
+91 88889933 66
[email protected]Tell Tail is a quarterly newspaper owned, printed and published by Uma Karve, printed
at Ekvira Prakashan & Prasidhi Seva, Karvenagar, Pune, published at E1/502 Nikash
Lawns, Pashan-Sus Road, Pune-411021. Editor - Uma Karve.
n Reproduction of any content from Tell Tail without permission from the publisher is
not allowed.FRom The edIToR’S deSK
Manusha loved sitting on the tableA typical evening when Mani was
aroundMosey visits me sometimes