Milky nibbling away at her mid-day meal...
THOUGH I keeping harping about loving canines with a vengeance, I also have a soft spot for kitties. Especially a feline called Milky, aptly named because of her soft white coat and delicate gait. She and her fellow cat, who we named Tom were abandoned by our self-confessed animal loving neighbours who moved away, and am not kidding – literally vanished into thin air, one not-so-fine morning.
Tom and Milky went hungry for several days and began looking very haggard until my mom and dad decided to feed them lunch, everyday. So dutifully at 1ish, the two kitties would make their presence felt outside our home in Fatorda (South Goa). Both were a little scared and Milky had this eternal fear of being touched by humans.
But as the days went by they warmed up to the folks and Milky allowed pa to stroke her. My dad would often refer to her eating ways as “delicade” or delicate, because she chewed every morsel of her rice and fish bones with grace. Tom on the other hand, would act most boorish, polishing off his food in a trice, gradually edging closer to Milky’s portions, thereafter. My father stood watch for Tom’s antics and the crows who were waiting for a free meal.
Lassie (our pet canine and apple of our house) would turn into a green-eyed monster, having placed herself strategically at the window, eyes glued to the spectacle and barking her head off. As the days went by, Milky would appear on our doorstep, stretch herself languorously, sometimes I suspect to make Lassie even more jealous. But as time went by, the two began to share an odd kinship.
As the feeding ritual continued everyday, Lassie barked less and Milky showed off less, and often when Lassie did bark it was to scare off the crows.
Then one day Tom never came back and we suspected he was no more. So Milky would turn up alone.
Then one day after dusk, into the wee hours of the morning an unsuspecting Milky sat perched on a chair in our neighbour’s front porch. Our neighbour who has several cats also fed Milky once a day, and she was turning into quite a bonny ole’ thing. Then four street dogs showed up – encircled her and ravaged her to death.
Only the next morning did my father realise why Lassie was barking herself into a frenzy while the battle ensued. Our neighbours tried to scare off the dogs but to no avail. The lady who would feed Milky her meal sobbed for her, for she genuinely loved her cats. And my dad felt a hole in his heart, for Milky truly was his pet, even if she did not live inside our home.
RIP Milky for the happy moments you gave us, especially pop and for fighting so bravely until your last moment.
PS: Feeding street dogs as a practice can help tone down the aggression in them. One dog a day could keep the aggression away…
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