Cat----cat-----cat

At my native place we had a small garden where my late mother had nourished scores of coconut trees, couple of Mango, Gova, Lemon and some more.

I had been entrusted with the duty of cleaning the garden at fortnightly intervals, say a Sunday ritual, and build bonfire when the accumulations irked my mother's eyes.

That particular Sunday owing to heavy (Fall Season, when trees shed their leaves?) gale preceding the monsoon, dried gatherings of coconut palms had risen to huge heap.

When I started the fire, heavy smoke engulfed the surrounding area and to my surprise and shock a heavily built cat jumped out from the building fire. There marched out in slow pace, four kittens, two in different shades of grey, a pitch dark black one and a white one with black spots unevenly spread.

The kittens should be shell shocked when they escaped the smoke and the growing fire.




I was stunned as my wise mother used to scold me not to harass cats as even the fall of their hair would tantamount to unmitigated sin inviting severe punishment on the judgement day.

I was shivering literally, sweating profusely while wondering how I came close to roasting the four kittens alive, a cruel and unspeakable sin.

I was mentally distraught, disturbed very much and doused the fire .

I was successful in tracing the mother cat and her three kittens the next day in yet another backyard a couple of houses away.

When my agitated mind was longing to locate the black one not found in the company of the escaped family I was in surprise when it jumped out of the wheels when my doctor uncle was taking his car out.

That was a revealing moment for me that I should not have unnecessarily worried. After all, a cat has Nine Lives.

Despite his near death experience twice, by fire and again at the wheels, the black one refused to leave my house.

Though we never see eye to eye he, it seemed he has already chosen his future residence.

It is a famous quote that dogs run after human beings and cats run after accommodation.

The cat superstition is prevalent throughout the world, though many people have convincing arguments for and against the superstition.Many birds/animals have been chosen as vahanas for Gods and goddesses.

But only in Bengal we find Goddess Shahshti Devi as having cat as her vahana.

Goddess Shahti is stated to be the goddess of Fertility and she is worshipped on 6th day of waxing moon.

Though she is depicted as a form of Durga, she is also stated to be Deva sena, wife of skanda.

cats are associated with good and bad omens.Cats are associated with Goddess and therefore killing of cat was regarded as a sin, which can be atoned by gifting a golden cat.

We have read a story in Hindi" Billi Bhaag gayee'. A purohit saw a cat escaping from smoke. He kept the cat hidden in a place and frightens the family of having incurred a great sin and forcefully persuaded them to do a pooja at the end of which the family members gave him a cat of gold.The purohit leaves the place and the cat presumed dead enters the house again.

There was a guru who had mastered the scriptures.One day as he was teaching,a cat was moving around.As it was a distraction to students,he instructed his disciples to get hold of the cat and tether it to a pillar to be released after the classes were over.

Guru passed away as well as the cat.One of the disciples became the head of the Ashram.He found the cat missing.He said," Don't you know that a cat should be tied to a pillar before starting the class. Go and find out a cat for this purpose".This is just to show that we follow certain meaningless traditions without values.

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The cat, having sat upon a hot stove lid, will not sit upon a hot stove lid again. But he won't sit upon a cold stove lid, either.”

Many novelists and writers, especially Mark Twain was a great lover of cats.



In India there is a belief that if a cat crosses you , when you are going out, it is a bad omen.But it is interesting to know how this superstition came into existence.

Cats normally depend on human beings for their existence.We can find cats moving here and there in residential ares.When kings were ruling, very often there used to be battles.During wartime when army men marched through areas surrounded by cats, they would conclude that it was a residential area occupied by men, women and children.They avoided the route as to not to disturb the public.

This common sense issue has taken a wrong connotation of bad omen.

Now there are no wars, no armymen marching.Today, if you find a cat crossing when you start on a mission,what does it indicate?

It just indicates that the cat also also wants to walk in the street-and nothing else.

A few years back, a lady millionnaire in US bequeathed all her properties to her cat througha WILL.Many felt that they might have been born a cat in the lady's house!

Jayasala 42

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Cat----cat-----cat