As far back as I can remember there had been always a cat in our house to save our house from rat menace. Except me, for all of my family member, they were adopted for a purpose. They were always abandoned from care. But as a kid I was fond of cats. Among of all, there was a period when I was totally addicted to this cat. Her color was white with yellow, brown and black patches. She had a fluffy furry tail which makes her more adorable. My family let her on stay in our house because she was a meticulous predator.
She never goes near by anyone, except me and my mother. Because everybody turns their nose at her. She likes my mother because she is the person who serves her food, stays at home always, never chased or growled at her. She walks through the legs of my mother and rubs her furry body with the legs of my mother, while she is busy at working. When my mother gets disturbed and gets irritated, she runs off. That way sometimes she makes fun of my mother.
Though there was no need to address her so that nobody kept a name for her. I used to call her "Maanu"(in Odiya "Maanu" is used as terms of endearment, especially girl child). Sometimes my mother teases me, don't treat her as if that's your daughter, makes me blush. When I stroke her head or caress her furry body; she starts furring and allows me to do more. Those who don't know, let me tell, cats furr when they are happy. God knew whether she understood my language, there was always a reply with a 'meow', every time I spelled her name. As more as time I spent with her, I started understand what was she really trying to indicate, from her body language.
There was a trend, whenever I eat, I look for Maanu to be there and share some of my food. I sacrifice my pillow to keep her warm while sleeping. Surprizingly oneday I came to know that she has given birth to tree little kittens in the store room. It was so exciting moment when I saw three tumbling, squealing kittens for the first time. Gradually those kittens started growing and started hopping, jumping and plying in the yard. Sometimes Maanu lies down on the floor spreading her tail and moves it in a random way so that her baby can play with it.
One day, suddenly Maanu gone missing. I searched her everywhere, asked and inquired if she is seen by anyone at somewhere for the last time. Everywhere I got a negative response. Finally after two days I found her dead. Somehow she managed herself trapped in a narrow passage between two walls and stuck there for several days without food. That was a worst and painful death, one can say. Her death made me sad for several days and gave me little more responsibilities to take care of her kittens.
Sometimes in life, lot of things happens and we remember only some of those incidents, moments, places, people or objects which we like the most or we are so involved and attached to them. I'm writing this because Maanu touched my heart and moved me once. I still remember her.
