We moved to a new apartment in the same neighbourhood in February 2020, one month prior to the lockdown. It struck us. We would often argue since lockdown, COVID, and the headlines around it were all so upsetting and annoying. Our parents lived in separate states and were elderly. We always worry about them.
One day we saw a cat in our backyard. We knew he was Bill, our neighbour’s cat. We met him long back when we lived in an apartment far away. He was looking at us from above but didn’t come near. Next day again he sat on the grill, watching us closely. We said Hi to him and started making small talk. Bill didn’t give us any bhav! Slowly he started coming down, one step at a time.
We both got excited. We immediately poured some milk into a bowl, opened the backyard gate, put the container at the door, and hid ourselves in another room. Bill was seen licking the bowl of milk. Once he had finished the bowl, he entered the drawing room and smelled the boxed carts containing our belongings. That is the point of entry. Initially, he was not comfortable with our presence while eating his food. Slowly, we became friends.
More suffering arrived in April, and nothing made sense. Bill was the only good thing happening to us. We never had any pets, nor did we ever think about having one. I therefore don’t know how to handle animals. We asked our neighbour, and she helped us understand his moves and sounds. We bought some cat food and new utensils for Bill.
He now comes, wanders, naps on the couch, watches TV, and never allows us to touch him. I will never forget the scene where Bill peacefully slept by my husband’s leg as he was lying in bed reading a book. The moon is visible outside the window.
On one hand, while we were trying to build a relationship with Bill, I lost my mother because of a sudden heart attack. I was completely devasted. My dad passed away a year ago. And now Maa also left me. I was denying it, finding it hard to believe. I couldn’t stop crying, and I thought there was no hope. Despite my husband’s efforts to support me, I felt abandoned in my sorrow. When I was awake in my sleepless nights, I used to speak with Bill and tell me everything I was going through.
I used to feel like he came to check on me to see if I was fine or not.
A week later, one day Bill didn’t come in the morning. We waited for him all afternoon, but he never showed up. When my husband went outside to see if he was around, he was nowhere to be found. We had concerns. Night gone; he didn’t come. We waited. We assumed Bill had arrived based on every sound, but he never showed up.
We were fidgety now. Second day we called the neighbours in the morning because they were scheduled to arrive only that day and were in Himachal. They assured us that he would arrive; he does this occasionally. It’s evening now and there is no sign of Bll anywhere. Around 8:00 p.m., we heard a cat howling. It’s Bill!
Bill was lying outside our gate in pain as we both ran towards it. My husband grabbed him up right away, and we hurried to our neighbor’s house, who owns an animal shelter. After making the doctor’s appointment, she began giving him drugs and an IV. Apparently, a dog attacked him. He was cut open. His IV started, and now we’re all trying to set up some life-saving injections.
The cat specialist said, he was badly attacked but still he comes to you, this is a rare gesture from a cat. All we wanted was for Bill to be okay; we were unable to understand anything. At morning 8 a.m., the specialist knocked on our door, we were sitting at the door side only. She said, ‘Bill has left us.” My husband cried, cried and cried. We both cried. We both were numb.
But something has changed my husband. Bill’s death made him understand grief or Bill wanted him to touch grief so he could understand my personal loss. Bill helped us to cope with the situation and process the losses, not just the personal but at the community and the loss of the normalcy we knew before COVID-19. Days after days We sat with each other, holding hands with each other and made sure to be with each other.
2 years have passed. In September 2022 We had lots of ups and downs. In between My husband’s father’s death shocked us again. He went into silence. Didn’t cry much nor talk about his father at all. True, everyone has their own process of making peace with the facts.
We don’t have kids and we are not planning to have any. We always thought that we were good for each other. The only animal we came so close to was Bill and the mere 6 months of our friendship have changed us completely. I was thinking of having a pet of our own. But, the thought was in my mind only. I never discussed it with anybody. Par koi to sun raha tha. One day one of our friend called and asked me ‘Do you want to co-parent a rescued cat?’ I am like what?!
I got excited. I asked my husband if he wanted to have a cat. He was very sceptical. Bill’s memories came back and he asked the first question: what if something happens to the cat or if we won’t be able to take care of the cat? I assured him that we will be good parents. Let’s say yes.
So, In ten days a one-month-old rescued cat from Manali entered our house sitting inside a basket. The friend is not sure kitten is male or female as in cats it takes some time to figure out the gender. Somehow in our mind, we thought he is male.
Both of us were super excited. He was moving here and there, roaming around. He was so tiny but at the same time very fast, so we decided not to wear slippers at home or walk slowly because we didn’t know he might come under our legs. This is the first full-fledged pet of our lives going to live with us the whole time.
He is a kid and he needs toys! Oh, we don’t have any. I searched my Almirah and found my college days favourite toys which I gave him to play with. He played with them for some time but then he lost interest. The only thing he loved was to jump on us.
The night came, we waited a lot for him to sleep but he was in some other mood. He was just doing masti. Finally, we went to sleep. But the moment I opened my blanket he jumped on my legs and started biting me. This went on for 2 hours. We both were too tired so somehow we moved him out of the bedroom and locked the door.
He thought he would eventually sleep, But he didn’t. He started crying. We opened the door and again he jumped. This time some Purr sounds were coming from his body. We got scared that we made him sick. The whole night we were looking at him just to make sure he was okay. Finally, at some point, he slept.
In the morning I went to my neighbour’s friend and asked what the sound means, is he okay? She laughed and said this means ‘the cat is happy.’ We realised Bill never made us come so close to him so we never figured out about this sound. Also, Bill was an 8-year-old grown-up cat. He has his place in our house. When we are at the back of the sofa or inside the bed he shouts loudly just to make the point that he is here, no need to disturb him.
So, on the second day, we learned that he sleeps in the morning for some 5 to 6 hours. Which again made us think why he is sleeping so long.
Now there was a new set of problems in our lives. Whether he has eaten the food or not, whether he is happy or not, whether he likes this toy or not. All the time before and after returning from office was spent in these problems. Then night would come and he would start jumping at our feet. From the third day, he started biting our feet even during the day. His nails were also very big. We didn’t know that her nails could also be cut.
We did not want to disturb our neighbours again and again. Then we started watching videos. He could tell something from it but could not understand anything special. Meanwhile, our sleep and overall life were becoming a hotch-potch. I was especially not able to understand whether I did right or wrong by saying yes to this.
Meanwhile, after a lot of brainstorming, we named him Chiku. But now I would come late from the office because as soon as I came home, he would either jump, bite or run here and there. Sometimes it all felt good, but most of the time we ended up getting hurt. Nothing had any effect on Chiku. Now he is three months old.
Our friends have stopped coming to our house because they don’t like the stomach. Chiku would jump on those who came home and then they too would not come.
One day I shouted at home that either Chiku or I would live in this house. I cried a lot that day. I don’t know whether our life has become easier or difficult with the arrival of Chiku? That day we sat together and talked about many things, I don’t know how Chiku also came and sat near us. This time it was not biting us.
After that day, we talked to the cat trainers, tried to understand Chiku and together extended a hand of friendship to each other. After a few days it will be one year since Chiku came into our lives. Together we have learned to love and be friends.
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