JOIN USMy husband Saurab and I have jobs with odd timings; often our 'Good nights' and 'Good mornings' will be said during opposite times. Being part of a nuclear family, I would find the house empty after I return from work.
A few years back, I came across an ad for a Persian cat available for adoption. Saurab was totally against the move, saying that it will be difficult to manage a pet since both of us are working. However, I cajoled him in to just going to have a look at the cat. He agreed, firmly saying that there was no guarantee of bringing it home.
The house was located in between some teeny-weeny lanes. Both of us stepped into the house, took a look at the 15-day-old kitten and looked at each other. And just like that we decided to bring him home; a decision taken on the spur of the moment.
When we picked him up from the bed, we saw there were tears in his little eyes. It got us really worried - what if he did not like his new family or his new home? But our fears were unfounded. In a matter of 24 hours, he took to us as much as we did to him. We were addicted to the old video game 'Prince of Persia' and this kitten was a Persian Cat, so we immediately christened him 'POP Prince of Persia'.
Over time, he became an integral part of our lives. He stood at the door when we came home, he walked over to us for cuddles, he talked to us in his language and also got angry at us at times. He was always near us except when he wanted to sleep - then he cared for no one in the world.
Soon, we had our little baby Erra. When we came back from the hospital, I took Erra straight to Pop but he didn't know what a baby is, so he snarled loudly at her. I was quite tensed, especially because I had read that cats hate kids. However, Saurab consoled me and said that we should give everyone some time.
Today, as Erra and Pop grow together, they both look out for each other; he looks for her when she's not home and vice versa. They play together and often Erra can be seen sitting next to Pop, asking him to talk to her or offering her food to him.
He has his own space to sleep in - right under the A/C in summers and curled up on his thick warm blanket in winters.
He has his quirks too and knows how to drive us crazy. In the middle of the night, when he knows Erra is sleeping, he will meow loudly to wake her out of her slumber. The minute Erra wakes up, he will go to his chair and curl up and sleep. This drives me nuts but I guess that's his way of seeking attention.
As pets, felines are less popular as compared to canines, but our little bundle of joy Pops has disproved this notion of ours.