Please Adopt Me..

Mummy cat enjoying the morning sun.

Temporarily caged to avoid 'kena luku' by Awang and Lillie.

Chowtime on the sidewalk at Nawwar's office.

Two weeks back, some despicable scrap of humanity had placed a large covered box right smack in the middle of the road fronting my daughter Nawwar's office in Mutiara Damansara.

Inside were a young mummy cat and her litter of four. Thankfully, the road is a side street and not the main thoroughfare, otherwise all five would have been mincemeat before the day was over.

A colleague of Nawwar saw the box, took a peek and quickly moved it to the sidewalk. And that was how Nawwar ended up feeding the poor darlings daily with kibbles bought from a nearby convenience store.

She also prepared a box behind the door of her office entrance so that the kittens would not wander down the stairs to the road.

Before leaving for home each day, she would take the box out and place it in a nook on the sidewalk, together with food and water, bringing it back in when she arrived for work the following day.

Two of the four kittens, the cuter-looking ones, went missing a few days later. We would like to think that they had been taken home by some Good Samaritans because they weren't to be found nearby.

With the Chinese New Year holidays looming last week, we were naturally worried about the safety and well-being of the remaining three. We just didn't have the heart to leave them be.

But taking them home would be tricky too, for, not only we live in a highrise, there are already two cats at home, despite the condo having 'no-pet' bylaws (which everybody broke and the management had thankfully chosen to close one eye).

In the end we decided to take them to Dr Christine of Christie's Ark, our regular vet in Damansara Uptown, to be examined, dewormed, cleaned and boarded until the holiday break was over.

Just as well, because mummy cat had a pretty bad gash on a front paw. The cut required a few stitches and she had to be anaesthetised for it. The swelling, thankfully, has subsided.

I took them home yesterday, all clean and sweet-smelling. Awang and Lillie, territorial spoilt brats that they are, weren't too happy with the presence of these 'intruders'.

The mother is very sweet-natured and trusting. Fifty years of experience with cats told me that this mother wasn't a stray but someone's pet that was discarded not long after having her litter.

She's comfortable around strangers; you can cradle her without a fuss and she enjoys being stroked and rubbed. I let her out of the cage for brief periods so she can take in the sunshine on the balcony.

I am looking for a home for this adorable mom and her two frisky kittens and I'm willing to send them, as far as Kuala Selangor or Seremban (or anywhere within a two-hour drive), if need be.

I hate the idea of sending them to SPCA; the very thought of cats in cages for months upsets me. They are not meant to be imprisoned. They must be allowed to roam free.

However, if there are no takers, I may have to reconsider, unpalatable as the option may be. I would love dearly to keep them, but that's just not possible.

So please, people, if you want a pet and know of any who do, let me know. I can't thank you enough for it. May Allah swt bless you.