We Tried to Adopt A Kitten.

….but, we failed. And here are what we learnt from it.

I have been trying to start writing on this topic since a month ago but I lost motivation because the kitten is the dearest thing I ever had after both my parent. All of us and the kitten grew some fond together after we decided to adopt it in our house, feed it so that it can grows bigger and healthy like any normal cat. It’s been a month since I left her. This is the starting point where my mum and dad starts to love cats, having their presence around doesn’t feels like any issues.

It’s been 25 years old of my life, I, never pet a cat. I mean, like a real pet that lives in my house. The context of this story that you’re reading right now is from the point of view of me, my mum and dad. All of us taking care of the kitten during its life span.

How the beginning..?

It’s kinda weird. I mean, there are a lot of cats from our neighborhood, comes around and chilling in my house area. Some are tame enough to get close to me and even scratching their head over my feet. Some are the kind of fear of stranger, but comes to stranger house anyway.

There is this one night where, out of nowhere but I think I know that the sound came from my yard, some area that are covered that looks like a bush. Perfect place for kitten to hide, or hidden. But on the night I think that the crying sound could also came from the neighbor, because most of them does pet cats. So, we chill. We do what we always do like the normal day, Isya’s prayer, dinner, and do individual works.

Come morning, now we hear this agonizing crying for help much much louder that the last night. Around 10 AM or so, all of use decided to stroll around the yard, see if we will found the crying kitten. And… we are right. There’s a kitten crying non-stop in our yard since last night, for its mum, and… probably it’s thirsty. All of us look at each other, clueless like,

“What do we do now? Got a kitten here.”

A lot of ideas were brainstormed that day including my suggestions of sending the kitten to any adult female cat for a “wet nurse” thing. None of them make logical sense, that day. If I still remember it clearly later that day my dad went to pet house and bought home small size of milk bottle, and pack of powder milk. We named her Tamteh, from its color tone, White (puTeh in Malay) with Black (hiTam in Malay) spots on its back and head.

Since the kitten is still a baby, like a week old baby, so according to the advice from some seniors in pet, only feed it the milk and that is what we did. Every time it cries for the milk, we fed it, and it will stop crying and we played with it for a while like 10–15mins or so. Then we put it to its sleeping place again. We did this from the moment we took responsible for it till its last breath.

For the first few days, we kept the kitten in a tall bucket— to keep it from climbing and went away undetected. But our love for the small kitten grew bigger and bigger from day to day basis. Initially there is nothing inside the bucket, only the kitten. Then we put in some cloth and some old newspapers beneath it to make it feels more comfy when sleeping inside it.

We fed it milk triple times a day, sometimes fourth and fifth, well depending on how frequent it cries. When we brought the bottle in front of it, it will try to snatch it and hold it itself. Since there are a lot of mosquitoes outside, we decided to bring the bucket inside the house, mostly in our kitchen area cause that’s the place that all of us hangout together the most. Bring it inside at least will help it get the better sleep. We felt that way as human, we transferred our feeling to the kitten. Day by day we keep giving the kitten milk in that small bottle and plays with it for some times. We know that the kitten has no mum, it has no place to cuddle to, to be protected if harm comes, no place to hide from cold night. If we didn’t pour our love to it, then who will…?

Tamteh probably thoughts that all of us are its mother. It keeps following us, climbing our pants whenever it can. Trying to be clingy with us, like any baby does. It will run towards us no matter where we go when she sees us. That’s how we know that the it has no place to go if we didn’t take it in the first place.

I was away for 2 weeks.

Fast forward, as the Movement Control Order were lifted a bit, I need to return to my campus on 18 of June to submit my final report of my Final Year Project and doing online presentation at the campus. I literally feels so hard to actually leave the kitten and being far away from it, but I have to return to submit the report myself, even for 2 weeks it feels so longg.. that I missed it every single days.

Going back to my campus cost both my parents to send me. Initially I’ve decided to just return alone by driving because they will be no one to look for Tamteh alone when we leave for couple of days for the going and return trip, but they insisted instead and follow me to Kuala Lumpur and return later tomorrow. So, following suggestion from my mum and I believe they will be no problem for it, we sent Tamteh to my cousin house for her to take a look while both my parents are with me in Kuala Lumpur (but I stayed for 2 weeks).

After both my parents returned home from Kuala Lumpur after being away for 2 days, on the next day they went to fetch back Tamteh from my cousin. I keep contacting my family about the the kitten everyday, how its doing and vice versa. Though I was away from home, both my dad and mum will always keep checking on the kitten every morning, noon, evening and night before going to bed, just like I always do. Sometimes my mum will send photos of Tamteh, sometimes videos of its behaviors. Even I was far away, its looks always in my head. Now the signs came thru their minds that Tamteh is not feeling well since they fetch her from my cousin house.

Forever Away.

Now, one week I was away from my house, on 24 of June, the kitten which Tamteh the name we gave passed away in the morning around 9–10 AM. I opened the text messages sent by my mum that morning with unbelievable thoughts all around my head.

“How does it happened?”

The kitten died from a natural cause. It’s so unbelievable. I mean, we fed her every time, every time she ask for it. I woke up slowly from my bed, grab my towel, slowly left my room to the toilet. Took a shower and cried instantly for some times. I cried every time I took a shower for 2 days straight since it passed away. I hid my sadness away from my friends. I pretend to be alright everyday since. Tried my best to focus on my study research and complete it. Tried my best to hold my shit together even the assessor of my presentation told that I understand nothing from my research. But that’s OK. I almost done from it.

What we never expect from its behavior.

Since this is our first time “having” a kitten for a pet, we never expect these behavior from it. We’ve been observing its behaviors since day one we took care of it. Some of them are,

Tamteh never take a shit on different place around the house, always the same spot, that is in front of the kitchen door.

Though she knows that she is already in the brink of its life, she took shit at the same place, that is in front of the kitchen door.

The symptoms.

All of us are beginner level in petting a kitten or an adult cats so, it’s a bit hard or missed to detect for any weird things about the kitten, or a cat.

My dad thought that Tamteh could be having some issues with its health. Though my mum also sees that Tamteh is not as active as it normally does. This gave both of them some thoughts. They thought by trying traditional method could improves it life for a while, such as giving her coconut drink to neutralize any acid, if any. During the night before its death, my mum did some research on how to dealt with it, as at the moment the kitten is having diarrhea for 3 days.

On Tuesday (23 June), my dad took it out from the pail. Usually she will ask to be lifted out but that day she didn’t make any sound until my dad took it out. Her movement so weak. Not as active as when she still active. This is the day when my dad realized that Tamteh is not feeling well.

The Burial.

I still at my campus. One week away from my presentation and report submission. Every news about the kitten were delivered to me through WhatsApp. I’m not there during the burial but I got some photos and videos. My dad settled the burial nearby his small Lemongrass plantation crops.

That was it. From Allah He sent the kitten to brighten our life during this Movement Control Order, to Allah it return.