Cik Siti is a Mum

Milla, our youngest cat, enjoying an afternoon snooze( and having a nightmare): "Oh God....did that stray Siti have to deliver 3, not 1 but 3, kittens in this place? I will lose my place as the "cutie" now! There goes all those extra morsels for me...."

(Note: Most of our cats like t sleep on their backs like Milla above!)

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.Now, about Cik Siti ....

We really were not aware when it finally happened but the very pregnant stray in Kampung ( Cik Siti ) has delivered her first litter!

According to my brother, she didn't make an appearance for days in early March even though we had set up a few cartons with old towels in them, in case she needs a place to deliver her kittens. He thought she might have found her way home to where she came from. Cik Siti came into our lives in Kampung on City day, looking really thin and scrawny, and so, so, lost, so we fed her. She got along with the other cats and decided to hang around, finding shelter in the old chicken coops in the backyard or on top of an old cupboard, leaning against the empty kandang.

We realised that despite being scrawny (sharp angular face and spindly legs) she has a fat tummy. I had thought it was worms as she lives outdoors. But her tummy kept growing and soon her teats were showing. That was when it hits us that she might be in the family way. I told my brother to feed her if she shows up and we positioned a few boxes under the house, in the garage and in the coops so that she has a choice of "maternity beds" to choose from.

My brother only discovered that she had delivered when he returned to Kampung after a few days of visiting me in KL. When he entered the house, Cik Siti was under the TV cupboard, nursing three fat kitties! And they were already quite a good size, eyes already wide open and screeching sharply when he tried to dis-entangle them from their mummy's teats. Ijan wasted no time mms-ing me a quick shot of them, how cute they are! I will post their photo in future postings, still trying to fiure out how to bluetooth the photo onto the pc.

Two male kittens ( he thinks) and one female. Romeo and Cheetah, and Juliet.....very pretty names for very grey kittens. I would have named them Kelabu, Belang and Chomel. They look fine and healthy, and I am really glad. As soon as they are weaned from their mum, I will need to take Siti to be spayed. No more little kitties as there are just too many in Kampung. While space is not a problem, I think the cat population around the house just needs to be controlled a bit.

I sometimes used to wonder ( still do) why some people choose to breed cats ( of course for the money) continuously, with no break for the mother/queen cat to be a cat and enjoy life. As soon as the kittens are weaned, they are offered for sale, hence separating the poor mother and offsprings. The mother is then mated again for another round of litter. Only to be taken away from her just when they become adorable only to end up in dispay cases in pet shops around town. Surely there are better ways to earn a living? Would we do this to our kind?

I wonder too what makes a cat-lover love cats. As a pet for companionship? To save a life and protect a living thing who otherwise might be dangerously roaming the streets and get run over ( and not die instantly)? Because they are cute and can catch mice? Or they are nice accessories to have around the house, and depending on the breed, can be a way to shout one's status to all and sundry? I know that proffessional breeders do provide a service as some people are very particular about their pet cats. Like developing hypoallergenic cats specially for cat lovers who are allergic to cats (???!!!).

I am also aware that in the US ( January 2008 issue of Catworld) a new hybrid has been genetically developed as the latest "must-have" "Lifestyle" pet - the Ashera. Apparently it is "an African Serval cat crossed with an Asian Leopard cat" and stands at 4(FOUR) feet tall! The price for a kitten ( with a one year waiting list like the Kelly Bag from Hermes?!) is POUND STERLINGS 14,000!! Yes, you read it right, FOURTEEN THOUSAND, convert that to RM and it is close to 100,000!!! Well, the extent we humans go to sometimes to be more human(smarter) than animals. And yet animals can give birth in the wild with no need for midwives or hospitals...

Moi? Not particular at all. Most of my cats are rescued cats and luckily they seem to be healthy and hardy. I need the vet only when they sustain some injury or other. Alhamdullillah for moggies.

Back to the Ashera . I read the article a few times to make sure it is not a fiction featured in a cat magazine. It wasn't. So there you are, soon cats will not be cats anymore? Maybe some will have rabbit's ears or elephant trunks or crocodile jaws. Whatever. The Sphinx is bad enough, poor creature. It would have nightmares if it realises just how weird it looks . But to pay close to Rm100,000 for a cat (the Ashera) is the ultimate act of decadence ( for me). What will it feed on, caviar? Smoked salmon and fresh seafood platter? The owner? Hmmm.

I like cats the way they are - easy to find, easy to please and so very interesting to observe. And to look like the cat I used to see in my early reading books, the ones that say "This is a cat. The cat sits on a mat."