Jenny and Kitty's story (How a Persian Cat changed a woman)

Hillside, Tanjong Bungah Year 2000

When I moved to my new house at Jalan Sungai Kelian which I had just bought after toiling for years to make it happen, I was aesthetic. It was a dream house which I had been searching for for years before taking the plunge.It was perfect for me as I needed ample space to house 12 cats and eight dogs.

After having had to make do with the limited space of my shop in town which was tiny when compared with the house, for which they adjusted admirably well, though, my dogs and cats would be in for a pleasant surprise.

I ferried my furred friends in my half-ton truck (lorry) in four or five trips. Each time I arrived with my baggage I felt like being watched with disapproving eyes by neighbors. Nobody came forward to welcome me and my baggage; nor did I expect them to either. You can't expect people to be overjoyed at seeing you arriving with what looked like a mini zoo, can you? But as long as they didn't try to stop me from moving in into my own property, there shouldn't be any problem.

As I was to discover later, these were peculiar people; they don't like complications, inconvenience or a baggage. They also don't like, beside cats because of the furs they say, trees. None of the houses along our road had planted trees in their back gardens, except the one I just bought (from a Eurasian family).

I don't understand, why most people don't like trees. They think nothing of cutting down a tree, although they know trees provide shade from sun rays. However, this article is not about telling people how to live their lives.

But, still, sometimes I wonder then why housing developers went to great lengths, when launching new housing schemes, to elaborately include trees and rivers or lily ponds , for example, with descriptive words such as living next to nature in their advertisements, to attract customers? Colorful artist impressions incorporating nature complete with descriptive words or phrases such as healthy living, etc were the norm.

Is this the right strategy?

But I digress.

This story is not about Penang people's likes or dislikes. I couldn't agree more with the cliche that one man's meat may be another man's poison.This s about how a woman who until I (and my baggage)came to be her neighbors, could not stand cats and, although she was not allergic to cats or their jettisoned furs, did not want to have anything to with them. I found this out when she accosted me one day, and we chatted over the fence.

Our conversation went something like this:

• My neighbor:"Hi, David! How are doing?"
• I said:"Hi, I am good, thank you"
in return.
• And she was like: "I see you have.. how many..er. let me see..1, 2, 3, 4..eight dogs. My goodness! How are you going take care of them, David? Why you like to keep so many dogs, David? You're keeping them for sales, aren't you? My father as you may have noticed, keeps only one dog and yet he struggles to care for the dog; to bathe him, take care of his ticks and other illnesses and you rear up to eight dogs. Not to mention the cats. Oh my God!"
• Me: "It is not that I like to keep so many dogs, what for?, but I had to.These canines came into my life by accident, if you will. Some people may have no qualm about leaving behind their pets when they move to a new place, I could not a thing like that. These animals, including the cats, are my friends."
• Me: "So, how's your job at the Penang Mutiara?"
• She: "Fine. I manage."
• She: "How are you going to keep the cats, David? How many..did you say..again?"
• Me:"Twelve."
• She:"Can they mix with the dogs? Can the dogs bite them?"
• Me: "No, they won't bite. They used to live together at my shop in town."
• She: Well..but for me, dogs I can live with but not cats. I don't hate them, though, they are just not part of my life, that's all."
• She: "OK, see you around, David! Thanks for your time."
• Me:"See you around, Jenny!"

And with that she disappeared into her house through the back door.I didn't talk to her again until a few months later. But we did exchange pleasantries like Hello whenever I saw her or she me.

Jenny asked me about a cat, a beautiful cat, her mother said she saw a few weeks ago behind her house where they had zinc roof and cemented floor.

I told her, yes, I also saw the cat. In fact, I rather like this cat; so he or she could stay if that's what she wanted. There was plenty of room for everyone.

It was a Persian cat.. you know, with those large face and a small mouth. Very cute. Extremely beautiful and adorable. Anyone who sets eyes on this adorable creature will sure fall for her beauty. I warned Jenny -- intended more as a joke, though -- not to go near her. But it's true she was so cute she became irresistible. What if, say, you fall for the Persian cat and want keep her but can't?

That's exactly what happened with Jenny (or I won't be writing this article).

Unbeknown to me, her mother and she had been treating the Persian cat well -- so well, in fact, she never showed up at my back garden again; which was understandable as my neighbors have been plying her with gourmets like seafood platter..which no cats can resist.

For a while, everything was fine. Everyone was happy. And, I noticed change in the lady. Of late Jenny seemed to become chatty and always in good mood. Although she had been always happy all her life, she became so happy, like she was floating instead of walking and all those minor health problems she had had disappeared.

Jenny was like: "Oh, God, I am the luckiest girl on this planet; and then picking up Kitty and holding her tight to her bosom, she whispered in Kitty's ears..'And you're the luckiest cat on this planet..because Mummy loves you so much.'"

However, Jenny was also worried that it wouldn't last. Her mother even told me Jenny treated the cat literally like her daughter. They slept together in her bedroom, although her husband also shared the bed. As soon as she reached home from work every day, her thought was for the cat. She would call out and Kitty will climb onto her lap. Her life couldn't be more perfect. And it couldn't, until...One day and as out of the blue as she turned up (entered Jenny's life), Kitty left! Disappeared. Left without a clue if she was coming back! Jenny's world came crashing down, just like that. I told her to pull herself together, don't take it so hard. I promised to find him, or find another Persian cat for her. But I might as well be talking to a brick wall.

She even refused to eat any food until she could get back her cat. I couldn't blame her for pining for her beloved cat. I also pined and cried for my dog once.

Jenny took it so badly that I was worried for her. I was afraid her work as an executive at a premier hotel would suffer. I didn't want that. Her mother didn't want that. Jenny herself I am sure didn't want that, too, but was too overwrought to listen.

Jenny asked me to help her; so we went searching high and low over the place; we visited every adjoining house; combed the bushes and made ourselves very visible to Kitty by calling out her name: ...Kitty! Kitty! for heaven's sake if you're nearby please come to Mummy!" Jenny burst into tears, again. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, but there was no sign of Kitty.

So we reviewed our options and reasoning. I asked Jenny whether she showed any temper to Kitty. She said no. Before she left, did she show symptoms of being ill, she said no.

I reasoned with Jenny's mother -- since we treated her right she had no reason to leave, unless...Kitty missed her owner and went back. If that's the case, let us pray the owner never caged her (to prevent her straying again).

Jenny was so overwrought that she stayed in her room all days. I was so worried she might try something stupid, I decided to have a talk with her. She agreed to meet me but kept crying.

So I got up and asked her to look at me. I told her I would find Kitty if she was still alive. I promised to find Kitty and bring her back by all means.

She asked what I meant by all means.

I told her I possess a certain power to bring her Kitty back but, she must not reveal my magic to anyone unless absolutely necessary.

Jenny said she would do anything, give anything to anyone who had the power to bring Kitty back to her.

But I also warned her even I have no doubt my power, it would not be a hundred percent guarantee. I told her for example, if she didn't believe in me or my magic, then I might fail. But since I was confident in my power and seeing her overwrought like that, I went ahead to help Jenny.

I started chanting in her back garden and mine. I even went to the park to chant some more.

But there was no sign of Kitty yet. I told Jenny to believe in me and my magic, to never give up hope; who knows..

But after three days of chanting and waiting, Kitty failed to show up. Jenny was beside herself with pain of loss and almost was forced to fear the worst for Kitty. When all seemed lost and hopeless, Kitty returned to her Mummy!

A lady who lived a few doors away from Jenny's house came to ask me to rescue my cat on her roof. I told her I would be right over; the cat was Kitty! I leaned the wooden ladder against the wall and climbed up. Kitty was up there looking to climb down now that there was a ladder.

I reached out to her and we both came down (under the approving eyes of her Mummy).

Looking at Kitty while holding her, I told her: "You gave Mummy a fright by running away, don't you know that? But Mummy forgives you. Everything is forgotten. Just promise Mummy you won't keep doing what you did.

When I handed Kitty to her, Jenny couldn't contain her happiness; she cried and cried. And Jenny told me she owed me one.

For me, I had never seen a happier woman. I was glad I could be of help.

Because of my visibility of being animals, especially dogs and cats' protector and care-giver, people tend to turn to me if they need help concerning dogs or cats. The lady must have thought if there is any problem with fighting or violence, she could call, sic, Alejandro; if concerning cats she should call David!

After the problem was solved and the two were together again, Jenny morphed into...an animal lover like no other. When I told Jenny I felt like moving back to town but was worried about the hundreds of dogs and cats I used to feed daily, she assured me my cats and dogs would be in good hands. Her hands! Then I thought, to myself, how people could change. All it takes is something very precious to us and that contributes to our happiness -- or something that could make us whole, again (like Jenny's Kitty).