My guest for the weekend

Last weekend, I had a cat as a guest. Not that I am a big fan of the feline species but I was doing a very dear friend, a favour. She wanted to leave her pet with someone she could trust while she went away for the weekend and I was happy to be of help.

This cat taught me a few lessons in the two days that he was with me.

Till he arrived I was under the impression that cats were super friendly. And then he made his entry! Yogi, as he is called, strode regally in to our living room as if he owned it. My daughter and I went after him, like smitten fans to their object of admiration, to pet him, but he just dismissed us with a shrug of his handsome coat. It is not that he did not like it but it was pretty evident that he did not need it. He settled down in our house and started exploring his newly acquired territory, bit by bit. He sniffed at pieces of furniture, tugged at the door mats and carpets, jumped on to the couch to see if that suited him and finally perched himself atop the ironing board surveying us humble fans from his position of elevation.

The next day dawned and I could see that Yogi was becoming quite familiar with our household. We weren’t ardent fans to the object of admiration anymore but we all were fellow players in the same game. He would follow me around in the house taking in everything and if he needed anything he either found his way out or asked me for it. Cats, as I mentioned before, are not as friendly like dogs. They gauge you before they decide to approach you. All those moments of careful observation from atop the ironing board and around the house finally told him that I was okay to be considered to serve him. We are used to having dogs jump at us in excitement when they see us and yelp for attention from us if they did not get enough. Here is a creature who is content being left alone. He looks out for himself and makes sure he is taken care of. He then doesn’t need you anymore.

Another valuable lesson that came my way was that all those cats that wander are not lost. Cats love to explore and they wander out in to their own little adventures at the first opportunity. I don’t think that they get lost but they choose their path. I was not aware of this and hence, one night, before going to bed, after I made sure that Yogi had all that he needed I did not bother much about closing one of the windows in my living room. The next morning dawned with no Yogi in our house. I couldn’t find him anywhere and panic struck me. I thought of the worst possible things: was he attacked by the stray dogs outside? What about that greedy street cat who looks ever ready for a fight? What will I tell my friend? Should I advertise for a similar looking cat in the next one day and hand him over as if nothing has happened? My head was reeling.

I gingerly stepped outside almost expecting to see him badly hurt in front of my door and then walked over to my neighbor’s balcony, a few yards away. There he was, sitting amidst a few flowering pots, a pretty picture for someone who had no context to what went before. My relief knew no bounds. I felt instant love gushing out of me and I grinned broadly at him. On seeing me his eyes which were globe- like eased a little bit and I took the cue to go up to him and bring him back home.

Yogi left for his home the next day and I now know cats a little more.