THE MISERY OF MISSING ....

Talk about taking things for granted ... not in my wildest dreams did I think that the dear momma cat, her elder son and three babies with whom I play with every day would disappear into thin air just like that ... and I had asked dad to get me a cam just so that I cud take their photos ... and I was waiting eagerly for my cam to arrive and hoping that I could capture all the antiques and pranks and cuteness of my kittens ... but alas ... that is not to be ... they went missing 2 days back, on Saturday, when they had there breakfast at 6.30 and was out playing ... and an hour later they were no where to be seen ... all five of them ...

We waited till evening but still none came back ... we looked far and wide ... into open wells ... yards ... asked to some of the neighbors ... at the nearest shops ... no one had seen them ... we heard some really frightening theories that they may have been caught by drunkards who make "vattu charayam" and that they eat cats ... or someone found them too cute and caught the kittens and the cats went with them ... but all seem unlikely as no one could catch all five of them together ... maybe one or two ... but not all five ....

Then the new theory came ... there were a few mini buses parked near our compound wall ... and the cats used to climb in those sometimes when they play ... so maybe they got in and no one saw them and took off with the bus ... and they got off somewhere ... yes ... that was likely ... but we needed to confirm this theory and the bus owner was a grumpy man who would never tell us even if the cats were in his bus ...

Then my neighbor suggested that we ask the boys who work in the bus, and don't ask as if we were desperate but act as if we were planning on giving away the cats but were a bit disturbed because the cats disappeared suddenly though we weren't planning on keeping them ... and that's what mom did ... she asked the bus boy if he had seen them, and sure enough he said yes there were all five in the bus, but they saw them only when they were going to pick up travelers at a distant stop, they were about to throw all of them out when one of the families took a liking to the mother cat and decided to keep her, and since the kittens where with her they took the kittens as well, and the male cat ran off ... I am a bit concerned about Browny but he is kinda OK with taking care of himself ...

Mom was seriously worried sick ... and ya I mean really she was all pale and weak with too much tension ... and kept talking about Pammi 24x7 ... she was really attached to the cat since it was her sole company when my bro left for college, and I was in the hostel and she was home alone ... and she used to always have the cat following her around and crying to her when ever it was hungry and come running when ever she called out to it ... and she was missing the cat and the kittens and Browny terribly ... but she was also really worried about what happened to them, so she was really relieved ( and so am I ) to know they were in caring hands.

But though I am relieved they are safe I still miss them terribly, and I guess mom probably misses them way more than I do ... and she decided not to have any other pets ... she cant take the tension ... Guess there is a void when I go out and don't see there cute faces peeking out ... or see them playing around ... I expect to hear Pammi mew and come and walk and rub around my leg and wait for me to pat her ... And I wish she is happy where ever she is ... because she is the most dear and sweet and harmless cat I have ever seen who cares a lot about her kittens and even her first born son who is bigger than her ... and I hope time would heal the void of missing them ...