HAPPY ENDINGS

A touching ‘tail’ of compassion, rehabilitation and acceptance in the city of Mumbai

By Gital Parekh

The little kids in my building were making too much noise as usual, except this time they were trying to catch a little kitten, which was meowing at the top of its lungs. One of the spectator children rang my doorbell, as I was known as the neighbourhood animal do-gooder. I feed cats in my building everyday, so it was only natural that he came to me about the poor kitty. We spent the next three hours trying to coax it into coming to us, as it was hiding underneath a parked car. It was only when we finally caught the little thing, that we realised what a despicable state it was in. It was layered in fleas and grime, and was severely malnourished, as well traumatised. I decided to call the kitty Sasha.

I brought Sasha home, bathed him with cat shampoo, scrubbed all the muck off him and extracted all its fleas. He was so tiny that he had to be fed with a dropper. I fed him Cerelac mixed with warm, purified water through this medium. The next day, I took him to my vet, Dr. Chousalkar, as it had a bloated stomach. The doctor gave him some medication and instructed me to keep him warm.

As the days passed, Sasha gradually started putting on weight and playing with my two older cats. He seemed to be coming back to life! How joyous it was to see that frail ghost of a kitten metamorphose into this bubbly, vivacious creature! While I was waiting for someone to respond to the adoption feelers I had been sending out regarding Sasha’s adoption, I heard there were castings going on for the latest Pears soap commercial—they needed a kitten to star in it! I took Sasha there a couple of times, where he had a ball eating Whiskas cat food and frolicking with the other aspiring feline actors on the set. He didn’t get picked for the part—a pedigreed kitten got the role instead, but I am sure that to Sasha, the few pellets of Whiskas that he received on the sets and the feline camaraderie he experienced there was far more exhilarating than appearing on a 100 soap operas.

Being actively involved in the rescue and adoption of kittens and cats, I get numerous calls from people who want their kittens to be adopted or those that wish to adopt them. In the same context, one day, I received a call from a gentleman called Arshad, who was looking for a stray kitten for his daughter Yohanna. They came to see Sasha and instantly fell in love with him. They decided to adopt him and rechristened him Tin Tin.

Sasha aka Tin Tin was probably chased by some dog or tomcat, got separated from its mother and sought shelter beneath a car in my apartment complex. Like everyone else, I could very easily have ignored his screams for food and help, but thanks to the little kid’s intimation, he was saved in the nick of time. With the right medication, warm food and some tender, loving care, he not only recovered but also found a loving home, where he is treated like a prince. Tin Tin truly got lucky and a warm, pampered happy ending!