Yikes!
Peeps, we’ve adopted a baby cat! As in everything we’ve done before, it was the spur-of-the-moment thing. Last Friday, I was cross with Suami Terchenta for being late so I decided to take a walk to kill the time. It was drizzling and as I crossed the road, I heard a particularly loud, pitiful mewing coming from the longkang. I peered and saw a black kitten looking at me with very round, scared eyes. I lifted it up and it stopped mewing. I decided to take it home for a bath and some food, then send it to SPCA the following day.
Suami Terchenta came and he did not scold me for bringing back a dirty kitty because well, he was late. The kitten (nicknamed Rio because it can kick a mini football) was bathed and given a spoonful of tuna, then it immediately fell asleep. Kesian.
Saturday. We took it to the SPCA. Rio was scared of being in a box so it cleverly wriggled its way out and then sat in front, watching curiously as Suami Terchenta drove to SPCA. When we arrived at SPCA and after explaining how I found it, the staff made me sign a document that stated that Rio will be put down should no one ever want to adopt it. So with a heavy heart, I signed it. Then they stuffed Rio in the box and with it mewing frantically and loudly in fright, they whisked it away.
The less-than-humane way they handled Rio made my guilt tripled. As Suami Terchenta drove away, I began to sniff, then cried my eyes out thinking about how Rio would be better off in the ditch as it could have survived, God knows. Suami Terchenta then made a U-turn and said, ‘Oh well, we’ll adopt it then if you are that scared that he’ll be put down.’ So, 10 minutes later, Rio was once again in the car and when it came out of the box, it gave this accusing look at me and mewed so loud as if scolding me. Yeah, yeah. I know I did wrong, but shut up la!
So now we’re stuck with a kitten that loves to play at our feet and sleep on our lap and inspect every corner of the house. Luckily, Rio is one clever kitten because it knows where to do its business (in the toilet) although in typical clumsy kitten way (Rio managed to spectacularly mess the toilet floor with litter sand the moment it stepped off the litter box). It eats in the small plastic container and does not bring its food on the floor as most cats do. The only thing it hasn’t learnt is to come when we call its name, and to not use its claws so much. Rio is particularly attached to Suami Terchenta and doesn’t mind being bullied as long as it gets his attention.
Thank you Suami Terchenta, for letting me bring back Rio. I still haven’t decide whether to permanently call it Rio, or Mr. Smelly (because it still has this stinky, kitten smell even though I’ve bathed it thoroughly with nice-smelling shampoo twice a day). Or Salem (after Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s black cat). Or, what about ‘Othelo’?
Note to Suami Terchenta: Please don’t be late againt today. God knows what else I might find in the longkang should you ever be late.
