The Escape Artists #1

If you think that all cats are the same, think again! No two cats are alike. All have their very own oddities.

Open your needle work box at our place and the next moment you will be fielding Bijli who just can’t stay away from needle and thread.
Let the cap of your pen fall to the floor and you will have our retriever cat, Litty, fetching it for you!
Leave a news paper lying around and Tinku can be depended upon to pull it down and tear it into shreds.
Sit down to catch your breath and you’ll have Chutka, Toady or Puddy climb into your lap. With Chutka and Toady its because they want to show you how much they love you (so they will paddle endlessly, vibrating all the while), with Puddy its because she wants you to reiterate how much you love her. You will have to keep patting her till you drop dead. Like that saying,”One who rides a tiger dare not dismount”, you cannot stop patting if you know what is good for you!

But the worst ones are the escape artists. They just don’t let you live in peace. l am not talking about those who accidentally find themselves on the wrong side of the fence, get freaked out and run blind. l am talking about those who plot and plan the whole day long waiting for you to make a mistake so that they can slip/jump/run/stroll out and lead you a merry dance.

Our new house has a fairly respectable garden by city standards and when we moved in, you could, if you looked closely, see the self satisfied smirk of complacency in each of our faces. We had sacrificed our city life so that our animals could enjoy life.

Cats smirk and moreover, do not appreciate anyone else smirking. l am sure they went into a huddle to decide on their next move.

We had spent a pretty packet trying to ensure that no cat could escape from our garden. We did not want indignant neighbours nor worry about errant animals.

Early morning, the day after we had moved, we let the cats out in the garden and watched indulgently as they spent the day exploring.

Many of them were wary of the new surroundings and tip toed round the garden. Some were fascinated by the birds and butterflies. Some decided to bask in the sunshine.

We gradually relaxed as none of them appeared to be interested  climbing over the fence.

We know the ones who love escaping and kept track of them. Trina, our bleating cat, could be heard moving around. Blondie was fascinated by a crack on the wall which she probably mistook for a lizard ( she has still  not given up and if she continues to sit with her  head up  we will have to get a collar for her for spondylitis). Jhandu sat  the ledge surveying the world and  last but not the least, Kutzn, appeared to be happy  the garden.

Each one of these beauties have mile long case histories.

Kutzn has escaped complete with her bandages and stitches for about 5 to 6 days straight after an operation.

Trina, who can usually be heard when not seen has been rescued from the terrace of a three storied house. We had gone calling out to her throughout the day and it was well past 8pm when we heard a soft bleat in reciprocation. You can imagine how entertaining it it must have been to knock at the door of a total stranger to rescue your cat! Brazening his incredulous looks, hoping, that you have not been mistaken. The old man was kind enough to hunt out the keys to the terrace which had not been opened for a year or two. The relief one felt when we discovered her on the wall cannot be overstated. It  not just finding Trina but also not being certified mad! Incidentally, her name is not Trina but Catreena. She had been rescued from a tree and refused to go back to wherever she came from. Well to cut the long story short, Trina has escaped a number of times. Usually  given some time, she would sit hidden in some garden or the other and would not be able to resist replying if one went calling out to her. In our old house we knew her territory.

All of a sudden l realized that l could no longer hear Trina bleat. My heart sank. She is a veteran when it comes to escaping. It used to take her less than three minutes to dart between your legs, run up the staircase, onto the terrace wall and then take a leap into the neighbor’s terrace and disappear from sight in our previous house. We had no clue about her travel plans in this new locality.

Well, as it turned out it was not too bad.  The locality may have been different but Trina remained the same. With a soft corner for my daughters and husband she starts bleating when her name is called out in a spoonful of honey. Also she has a bushy tail which comes in handy for catching and last but not the least, does not bite when caught! We, have learnt through experience, take one day at a time. We can have a good night’s sleep once all the animals are indoor. Tomorrow is another day.