We found Chimsi on the road below our house in 2018, a little frail stray. Little did I know that that day was going to bring so much change to my life.
Chimsi is a white, beautiful cat, sassy, feisty, and moody. And yes, independent too. She has her own quirks, but she isn’t naughty. She likes to be on her own most of the time. She’s the kind of cat that likes to sunbathe on the roof or stare at the sky and clouds. We named her Chimsi because she had tiny eyes like mine when we found her, but then of course, her eyes got bigger and prettier over time.
All my life, I have despised cats but today I’m happy to say I’m a total cat convert, thanks to Chimsi.
Chimsi has taught me patience, kindness and unconditional love, in ways perhaps a human could not have. I am certain that she was sent to me to show me my inner true self, to provide healing, comfort and warmth to my soul, even when I didn’t realise I needed it myself. It’s heartwarming when she looks at me with her green soothing oh-so-catty eyes. It’s almost as though we can read each others’ minds! Stereotypically, she has also convinced me and shown me how intelligent, resilient and intuitive cats really are.
We absolutely love our morning cuddles under the blanket, munching puffed rice at tea time, and reading together. She’ll even meditate with me if I allow her in the room. There are a few incidents that stand out for me as distinct memories of Chimsi, which have also given me a greater understanding of just how much pets can affect and touch a human’s life.
Once, after a heated argument, I stormed into my room and locked the door. While I was sobbing inside, Chimsi who hardly meows (I almost feel she’s a special cat, because her meows are so rare), was meowing and scratching at my door, asking me to let her in. That was the first time she had behaved that way. I understood later that she had wanted to console me. Since then, she’s always been by my side whenever I’m sick or stressed. I can vouch for their intuitiveness.
I’ve seen her entire journey to becoming a mother and observed a few lessons there too. It always felt as though Chimsi wasn’t really interested in getting pregnant. Unlike the other female cats we’ve had, she ran away from the male cats, as though she was asking to be saved by us. We let her have kittens for the first time but got her spayed that Winter. After her surgery, as the doctor had suggested, we kept her indoors just to let her rest and heal, but she left the house in the middle of the night while I was asleep. I was miserable the next day, wondering if I’d done injustice to her, if she’d ever come back.
We went to look for her everywhere. I thought of all the worsts. But she did come back, exactly 24 hours later! I felt her crawl into my bed. She reached out to me, asking me to lift the blanket so she could sleep warmly inside with me, rather than in her box on the floor. I almost thought it was a dream! Seeing her recuperate and jump back to being her normal self in just about a week made me wonder how strong-willed animals can be. Imagine if we had that kind of energy to bounce back.
Fast forward to now, we have three generations of her clan! One of Chimsi’s sons, Sushie stayed with us and he wooed the neighbour’s girl last year to live with us too. He called her every day until she moved into our house! She eventually chose somebody else to mate though and we have two of her kittens also with us now. With five cats now and some more in between that have come and gone, I know quite a bit about felines now and am grateful for the things they have taught and shown me.
Chimsi is about five years old this year, equivalent to thirty-six years of a human. Coincidentally, that is also my age. Seeing her grow up feels like watching myself grow. She’s a constant reminder to me to be kind and compassionate, to embrace self-love, to not fret or stress, to stay genuine, and to just generally be happy. Calm does it.
I feel blessed to have had enough opportunities to observe Chimsi and often find myself wondering what could possibly go on in her mind. Does she feel equally grateful and happy being with me too?
I’ve been so moved by her presence in my life that I’m writing a fiction book loosely based on her. It is my dedication to her, for making me become a better person today. Hopefully, that will make it there soon.
P.S. Chimsi translates as tiny-eyed in Nepali
Click here to view some of our #chimsiandi moments: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17935604431952191/