I went down to feed Kelly mid-morning yesterday, but she wasn’t there. The guard said she has probably gone to the VIP’s house for her siesta.
So today, I went around lunch time and Kelly was there!
A tuna treat for her.
This is one of the few spots that Kelly likes to sleep in. It’s a very shady and well-protected spot.
As Kelly was eating, the VIP came out of his house. He later approached me and asked if I could take Kelly home with me. I said I’ve already tried once, overnight (after her spaying) but she was not happy living being confined inside a house. I told him that Kelly loves her freedom and her life at the guardhouse, but I assured him that Kelly has already been spayed and that she would not be having anymore babies (the guard had told me last time that was the VIP’s biggest concern).
I also praised him for his utmost kindness in letting Kelly “berteduh” at his house, especially when it rains.
Just then, the VIP pointed out another cat to me and says that cat also hangs around. I looked and it was a grey tabby, or a Bengal, but he definitely had a dark blue collar on.
As usually, Kelly confronted that cat, let’s just call him Bengal for now. There was no aggression, though. The VIP said it was this cat that impregnated Kelly. The guard had earlier told me it was Socks.
I tried to take photos of Bengal but he was evasive.
There he is, inside the drain.
Peek-a-boo, Bengal! I see you.
Well-built, well-fed, with a dark blue collar, he must be someone’s pet. I checked and he’s not neutered.
They actually appear more like friends than adversaries!
Neutering pets is far from being a part of our Malaysian culture. Firstly, there is the cultural issue whereby not every culture will agree that it is the correct thing to do. Recently, I read an article written by a young person who said that we should not neuter street animals because it’s interferring with nature. He agreed that we should be kind to them, but he was very much against neutering. Well, by neutering, we are still being kind to the street animals, because we are just preventing them from breeding nonstop, which isn’t exactly good for their health and wellbeing, and what about the number of litters that die on the street due to the harsh natural elements or human cruelty? All these can be prevented by getting the animals neutered.
Secondly, kindness to animals and neutering should be taught in schools, but that would be like striking a lottery, wouldn’t it? I wrote to the (then new) Minister of the Education and her deputy when they were first appointed to their posts. Of course I did not get any response at all. I wrote to a number of politicians, including the current Prime Minister, and of all the politicians, only Puan Siti Kasim responded positively. She would, because she champions the minority.
Our chances of seeing a purple unicorn would be higher than having the Malaysian politicians, as a whole, accept neutering as the most compassionate way to address the wellbeing of street animals and enforce it, so let’s not wait for that. Let’s just do our part, in whatever ways we can. Every animal neutered is thousands prevented from sufffering on the street.
At the end of the day, when we die, all that’s left would be the ethical legacy and contributions we have left behind.
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