mama, i am hungry…right now mama, right now!!

A normal day in our house begins at 3:30 am.

At 3:30 in the morning, our cats feel peckish. It’s time for breakfast! It’s really weird to be held hostage till you serve them food but it has happened several times. Say, you get up to go to the bathroom. When you shut the door there is no cat. Exactly three minutes later, when you open the door to exit and run back to bed, there are 58 pairs of eyes watching you most innocently. And happily. We have contemplated buying our cats wrist watches so that they can tell the time. Rather when its not the time!

How do you cross 29 cats and get back to bed?

You don’t.
You watch them swishing their tails, see a few extra exuberant ones come rub themselves against your legs. You hear some of them setting up a little orchestra of their own, and you wonder which is the closest building you can run to and jump off.

It’s bad in summers.
It’s way worse in winters.
So, shivering if it’s winter, you draw out the box full of cat kibbles. You are already surrounded, the circle just keeps getting tighter. Drowsy, you begin seeing cat bowls where there are none.

You dip your hand in and draw out a handful of cat food.

Just when you have reached the edge of the tin, Bittoo gives a sharp knock on your hand. She loves to eat. And is exceptionally lovable too but that is the one time in the day she gets shouted at.

With a loud yell, you drop the cat food which goes flying all around you and the cats immediately rush towards it. You check your hand for damages, now fully awake.

Some cats need to be served at an altitude. Some need to be served under a bed or book case. Some will only eat from a bowl. Some will only eat directly from the ground. While cat food is feverishly belted out, according to how it needs to be for maximum success, the dogs come bounding in. Yanni tries desperately to shrink and pass off as a cat. When you yell at him, he gives you a ‘I was only counting mam’ look and continues eating slyly. He then gives one big sneeze and Whiskas comes flying out of his nose. Some of the cats leap out of their skin, the rest just continue munching. Toady lies flat on his stomach and with his legs outstretched paws at the food most disinterestedly. Jhandu runs from one end of the room to the other, passing the pellets between his paws in a deft game of ‘paw-ball’.

I watch, grinning in spite of myself. I decide to  lift Bittoo up to kiss her nose. She struggles and kicks out but when put down on the ground comes immediately to rub herself against you.

The day has begun.