Kwan has become very attached to me and liked to sleep in the living room during daytime. She even refused to go downstairs after her dinner. So, I had to carry her down to the garden so that she would get grounded with more energy amd electrons from the earth. I ought to walk bare foot more often to recharge my inner battery. Joan, the big orange cat, dropped by everyday for his food. But he seemed to prefer to sleep in the bamboo glove nearby. He only slept on his old spot once last week.
I tried to play ‘chase’ with my cats around the garden so they woukd get some exercise. I tended to give my cats snacks three to four times a day. So, they had both become quite heavy in one week. I ought to give them snacks only twice a day. But Kwan just wouldn’t move away from the bowl and waited there until I gave her some snacks. Joan would quietly waited in front of the door and waited for me to come out so I could give him his portion of snacks.
Luckily, the two orange cats could get along quite well and Kwan was always very affectionate towards Joan. They liked to accompany me on the front yard in the evening when I did my walking meditation. These cats became alert at night and Joan went on his hunting expedition. But it has become more diffucult to catch field mice. My gardener told me that some villagers have set up traps for field mice and squirrels. But squirrels were still plentiful in this area.
The other day, I saw Kwan coming up the front yard from the dirt road. She had something in her mouth. I waited until she came closer, she had a small bird. Kwan was very skillful at hunting birds. I had to take the dead bird from Kwan. It was a beautiful bird with nice feathers. It’s sad to see a beautiful bird killed by my cat. I told Kwan not to hunt birds again. Fortunately she quickly forgot about her catch and didn’t mind me taking the dead bird away.
Both orange cats have become fond of resting on the roof of the storage room. They could get a good view with the safety of the high roof. They had their separate schedules for lounging on the roof. Kwan liked to groom herself there in the afternoon while Joan liked to take a nap in the evening. I tried to keep my cats happy and encourage them to run around the garden.
The white stray cat with some dark spot seemed to be hanging around the garden and came to have some food at night. We always had some cat food available in two bowls in the downstairs kitchen. So, passing stray cats could have some food if they were hungry. This white and black stray cat seemed to want to live in our house. I spotted him many times around the house. But we couldn’t accept him as he had been quite aggressive towards my cats. Kwan fought with him twice already.
So, he could eat the cat food but he wouldn’t become our house cat.
The other pale yellow cat dropped by for food in the evening and he wouldn’t hang around the house. This cat was very noisy and talkative, he would complain quite a lot about his life. But he’s very aggressive and tried to chase the white & black cat away. The weaker white cat had to run away towards the river. I could sense that the white cat would like to live at our house. I caught him a few times on the veranda.
Kwan liked to roll on the floor and asked for a stomach rub and back massage. Joan was more reserved and just sat there waiting for back massage. Sometimes Joan slept on top of the rainwater tank to stay safe and away from the stray dogs. I could never find Kwan’s hiding place in the banana grove. I hoped that the pale yellow cat would eventually went away to other areas. I hoped that the white and black cat would become more friendly with my orange cats so we didn’t have to chase him away.
The matters about these cats and their problems kept me grounded in reality and practical. My mind tended to be too occupied by world affairs and political situation in my country. These cats made me keep my balance and reminded me of my responsibility towards their well being and living conditions. I had to do all my tasks and duty in the present and live life in the moment. My mental occupation with worldly concerns has been kept in check by my orange cats. In a way they were like some Zen teachers in disguise as orange cats.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.
