Unexpected Guests, Unbreakable Bonds

National Pet Day, celebrated annually on April 11, gives us the opportunity to celebrate the deep bond between humans and animals. We spoke to our member, Ms J. Dutta, who shared how a chance encounter with a stray cat changed her life forever.

You could say I’m an animal lover. When I hear stories of animals being harmed, it pains me. I form loving connections with animals quickly and have always enjoyed having pets. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, I had two dogs who gave birth to a litter of four pups—so we had six in all.
For many years now, I have fed the stray cats in my neighbourhood. We share a mutually beneficial relationship—I give them food, and in return, they keep the rats away. In 2013, I broke my leg and was confined to my bed. A fat-tailed stray cat used to visit me for food every day. One day, I spotted a bit of cotton on the bottom shelf of my almirah and asked the aayah, who was taking care of me, to investigate. She bent down and discovered a litter of kittens. I asked her to leave them alone, hoping the mother would return later and take them away. The day passed without any sign of the mother cat. In the meantime, the kittens grew hungry and started mewing loudly. The aayah grew concerned and asked me for some money to buy milk, which she fed to the tiny creatures.
On the third day, the mother cat returned and began feeding the kittens but did not take them away. And so, the aayah and the house help continued to care for them. Bit by bit, the kittens grew up healthy and strong.
In March 2014, I broke my leg again and went to stay with my daughter, who was living in Mumbai at the time. While I was away, my house help looked after the kittens. By the time I returned, they were living comfortably in the house, and I was overjoyed to have them around. There used to be three of them, but in 2017, one passed away. Now, I have two: Mishtimoni, who has black patches on her head, and Pui, a handsome, fat-tailed cat. The two have developed very distinct tastes in food—Mishtimoni loves steamed silver carp, whereas Pui prefers her cat food. The greatest joy of having pets is how easily one can communicate with them. My two cats are very loving but also quite mischievous. They often get into fights, but when I scold them, they understand my tone of voice, stop fighting, and slink away.
My two cats came into my life unexpectedly, and now they occupy an important place in it. Perhaps this is what love is like—it enters your life without warning and grows into something that fills your days.

(As narrated to Support Elders by our member)