Our Prized Cat-ch

I thought it only happens to us... a one instance, a random and very isolated case, but as it turns out, a few of my family members are experiencing the same thing as we are.

It probably is a cosmic "trend" of sorts, but I would call it a "phenomenon."

Nothing serious or mind-blowing, just being a little dramatic here. It is about a cat. Yes, the common cat... stray cats to be exact.

For the past few months, we have been visited by this jack-black cat.

We would see it taking catnaps in between our flower pots, under the cool shades of the bushy plants. A nice and quite place. I would pick that spot too if I were a cat!

Since the cat did not use our flower pots as its pubic toilet, nor did it marked the pots as its territory, we let it keep the spot for its day time naps... away from other cats and busy human traffic downstairs.

One fine day, Sonny came back from school late in the afternoon. The cat followed him home.

It took the elevator with him and was stood beside him at the front our door when Wifey opened the door... looking at Wifey as if to say "Please don't shoo me away."

Looking at us with its big green eyes, hesitating a little, Wifey could not resist but to let it in our home trailing after Sonny.

We gave it the leftover cat food we had for Wednesday... our former adopted cat that left the house and has never returned since, this black cat eat it as quickly as it could.

It allowed us to stroke it as it was eating. Wifey admired it but kept herself at a distance. She had a phobia of black cats because the last one she held when she was a teenager scratched her badly.

I had an interesting surprise coming back from work several days after that day.

The black cat was already sitting and facing the front door. It did not scamper when I approached the door, instead it purred at my feet, expecting the door to open after I rang the doorbell.

Wifey opened the door and was stunned to see the black cat at my feet. She in turn stunned me by calling the cat "Lola" with such delight. Wifey and Sonny had already given it a name.

Apparently, Lola had visited our home for several days already. She already prepared the cat food in an air-tight plastic container, placed near the front door for easy reach. She was expecting Lola to come by to feed.

Yes, Lola is a female, the reason no territorial stink marks on the flower pots. Thank goodness.

Another good thing about it is that she had already been neutered, sighting from her clipped left ear. An indication done by SPCA on strays to prevent breeding while giving the cats their freedom and right to live amongst humans.

From that day onwards, Lola will come about two to three times a day for her meals. Like children during Halloween, Lola will meow at the door. We will open the door and greet her while putting food outside for her to feed.

I thought this was a unique incident until my Mom told me the same thing that happened to her and Dad. They have an adopted stray cat that came to their front door for food for the past weeks.

They have since called their cat Minah. A very common Malay lady's name. Their cat is one beautiful white feline with brownish-gray spots and green eyes. I witness what they told me one day when I visited them. I was fortunate to have my camera with me to take its pictures.

Not long after that, Second Sis told me she was visited by a female cat at her front door too. Meowing for food, Sis let it in and fed it. She has a cat of her own already but is now too old and frail.

The new comer is about a year old. It stayed for the night but fell sick with runny nose and often sneezing. Sis nursed it back to health in her home for the next four days.


The little cat recovered from her bout of flu and left her home after that. It keeps coming back only for food.

If I had known better, I would say it is the trend with cats nowadays. These cats prefer to be free to roam outside unlike "traditional" house cats I was used to when I had cats as pets while living in the village home then.

These cats come to feed, stay for a while for some human compassion and love, and then leave until their next meal. At least that is the trend with cats in Singapore, it seems.