New kitty on the block

At one point I was feeding four stray cats who would come and visit my terrace regularly. There was sweet little Todi who decided to move in with us and then was unexpectantly called to cat heaven before her first birthday. There was her mother, who would have a litter every few months and who I planned to get spayed but she disappeared before I could. There was a wild black and white tomcat who would keep the whole neighbourhood up at night with his loud, screeching meows. He has also since disappeared. (Perhaps he’s not as missed!) Fluffy Tail Cat is still around. It took some time to get to know him but I appreciate his quiet and reserved but affectionate nature.

And now there’s a new kitty on the block! On a Sunday evening just over a week ago, I was on my way home and was passing a very loud Ganesha procession (it was the last evening of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival). My eye caught a small scurrying animal dodging cars and stray dogs. It was dark and at first I thought it was a rat, but when I got closer I saw it was a small scared kitten. I picked her up and took her home. She was so thin I could feel her ribcage. Once home she settled in almost immediately and now seems happy to have a new home where she is safe from all the hazards of street life. She must be just over 2 months old. She doesn’t even have all her teeth yet! She spends most of the day sleeping or playing with whatever she finds around the house. She also likes to play with Fluff who is very gentle with her and happy to have some company again.

Meet Squeaky:

And this is Fluffy Tail Cat:

I noticed that 95% of Indian cats are ginger-coloured. I mentioned this to a friend who remarked that this is not surprising, considering that everything is so colourful in India!