After a few weeks, there was no electricity, and we had to have lunch with open doors. Again, we saw that this cat had entered our house!!!!! We sent her out again, but what we did not know was that she was looking for a place to give birth to her kittens, and that she was going to change our lives forver!!!!!!!!!!!
Bittu was just a day old when my neighbour spotted him and his 2 siblings, in a corner of our building. Since she used to feed their mom (the same cat who had come twice to our house, looking for a safe place to deliver her kittens), she kept a watch on the kittens, and told me at the end of the day, that his mom has not been nursing the kittens. We decided to wait for a day and watch the kittens. The next day she told me that the cat was injured and would not go near the kittens, so we decided to feed and nurse the kittens and became first time mommies!!!
Both of us wanted to help, but did not know anything about cats except that they drink milk. So we got some warm milk and tried to feed them with a spoon, but they would not lap it up. Then one of our parents suggested an idea and we took milk in an ink dropper and started feeding the kittens. They were so fragile and cute, that we were worried that if we hold them a little tightly, they wud die, so we were very careful while handling them. They had also not opened their eyes and were very vulnerable. The kittens were put in a makeshift home that the building kids had made out of discarded chair seats. Every child in the building was excited and wanted to do something for them and wanted to play with them, but their parents always played spoilsport and would not let the kids come to help us. After about a week, one of the kittens was missing (probably picked up by a rogue cat or a bird of prey), so we took extra care of the other two. We got a small sheet of sponge for them to sleep upon, and placed a newspaper along with it. We would then place the kittens on the sponge for warmth, and covered them with a cardboard box with cutouts, so no human or animal could harm them. Both the kittens would be left near the entrance foyer of the building. We were actually very surprised to see that even without any training given to them, they would always sleep on the sponge and go potty on the newspaper (since they were too small, we held them gently and rubbed their tummies in circular manner to make them potty and pee. Luckily, I had seen a documentary on animal planet, and knew that the kittens needed to be stimulated for potty).
My neighbour and me shared duties and she took the kittens home in the morning and me in the evenings. It was good fun to watch both of them play and make mischief. but even when they were at home, they did not litter anywhere. We had to provide a
newspaper in a corner of the room, and only then they would go potty. Even if the paper was in the centre of the room, they would just play with it and not spoil our house. They never ceased to surprise me. They had not opened their eyes for almost 3 weeks, but when we went out with milk, they would just run directly to the person who had the milk bottle! I had to actually take a ball of cotton, dip it in water and clean their eyes. Only after repeating the process for 3 days, they gradually opened their eyes, and it was so wonderful to see them move around and play properly! (I later on learnt it from internet, that mommy cat licks the kittens
and that stimulates them to open their eyes also and go pee or potty)
It was amazing to see them grow, but as fate would have it, this happiness did not last long. We were naive and did not have any information how to bring up animal babies, so we never dewormed them nor did we give any vitamins. We just kept feeding them buffalo milk with water, and that was our biggest mistake. One of the kittens stopped eating food and had a bloated stomach. She would pass stools which were dark in colour and also had worms. Since we did not know how dangerous worms can be, we kept on giving the milk. Finally, we came to know of a vet, and called him home. He gave deworming medicine which we gave to both the kittens, but sadly, the worms had eaten away the internal part of the stomach, and even though the vet gave saline n treated her for almost 3 hours, she did not make it till the next morning.
That was the day when my sister went abroad for work and Bittu lost his sister. That night Bittu came home and changed our lives forever!!!!!
The night I dropped of my sister from the airport, I came home and got Bittu also home. He looked around the whole house for his sister to cuddle up and play, but she was no where to be found. I made my bed on floor, and got his bedding next to mine, so he can sleep in his bedding. But it was not to be. He would come and snuggle upto me, sleeping in my arms or below my neck or near my stomach if I m sleeping on side. He would look for warmth, and I tried to keep him in his bed, but he would always find his cosy corner and get comfortable :) For the next couple of days, Bittu would go and smell each and every corner of my house, hoping that somewhere he will find his sister, and that really touched us. These animals cant talk, but they also feel a lot of pain on loosing a loved one!
After getting him home, my neighbour would come to take him since she did not approve of me taking care of him alone. I would let her take Bittu to her house when it was her time to feed, I did not have any problems with that, I was just not going to leave him out alone! Gradually, she stopped coming to pick him, and that was also ok with me. He was my son now and a family member :)
Since Bittu did not get proper nutrition earlier on, he would get all kinds of infections and rashes. He hardly had any hair on his body. He also go some wierd skin infection, where the skin under his armpits, would get dry, turn red and then start flaking (check the picture) and he would need strong medication for that, but even then, every couple of months, he would get this infection back.
When people would see me going out with Bittu for his morning and evening walks, they would look at him and pity him and tell me that Bittu is too weak and that he wont survive and will probably die, so we should not waste our energy on him and leave him at a fish market. When I heard such remarks, I wanted to proove to everyone around that proper care and lots of love can overcome any hurdle!
When he started growing up, there was no one to teach him how to jump or climb. He could climb on the chair or cot easily, as they were only 18" above ground, but if he needed to get onto the table, he could not. He would jump on cot, and then get onto the table (which he still does), but he would not know how to go back. I would put him on the table, and have to make sounds hitting the floor to make him understand where floor is. Still, he would not jump, so then I had to push him, so that he gains confidence. Slowly, he came around, and could get off from the table, without us having to push him. What we did not realise at that point of time is that Bittu was hesitant to jump because he could not understand what height he is at, as he could not see. When I discussed this with the vet, he would dismiss it saying that cats normally cant see properly, so he is scared.
When he wanted to get to seat in bed room, he would climb on open bed, and then jump onto the seat (check picture)
Even when he was still a baby, he would love to sleep on bed as compared to anything else. Infact, he would love to sleep on my pillow, but the pillow needed to be covered in my old clothes. If the pillow was left open, he would not go near it, but if my old dress was placed on it, he would go and sleep on top of my pillow
Other times, he would love to go and sleep in a corner where there were lots of pillows kept. Anytime we had to look for him, we needed to find stack pillows, and Bittu would always be found sleeping among them :)
Bittu also loved to sit near the plants, and we would keep him on the balcony ledge regularly. He loved smelling other cats and plants sitting on the ledge.
Bittu at 8 months
Bittu at 2 years
We are Gujarati Jains, so for us getting anything other than vegetarian food for Bittu, was unthinkable. Till Bittu was around 7-8 months old, he was only on rice, dal, cerelac, khichdi, milk, biscuits etc. Everthing that a cat is not supposed to have.
One day, I had sprayed Baygon in plants due to a lot of red ants. As usual, Bittu went on his rounds in the balcony.
That evening, we had guests, so I took Bittu out for his walks. He went to the mud and started scratching. I did not think too much of it, as that was normal cat behaviour. Then, after 15 mins, he again tried to pee. In the 30 mins that we were outside, he tried to pee atleast 7-8 times, which was not usual (but at that time, it never struck me that he would have been poisoned!). When I got him back home, he asked for the litter tub. After he used it, I went to wipe him, like I always do. That time I noticed blood, and panicked! We immediately called the vet, who came and told us that it may be poisoning. Then it dawned on me that the drop of baygon may have fallen on floor, Bittu may have walked on it, and licked his paws, like he normally does! It was 6thDec, and my parents anniversary was in a couple of days, and Bittu was in such a condition, that it was touch and go. The vet was at our house till 11pm, and after giving injections and saline, he went home. He prescribed a couple of medicines which needed to be given to Bittu every hour, which I did. Bittu seemed to be getting a little better, and we informed him of it. Then, the vet asked me to give a couple of drops of Gelusil to take care of his stomach, and that was it! Bittu vomitted and started having spasms, and we were uncontrollable. The vet asked us to keep him warm as his body was getting cold, and we would heat the cloth and keep it on Bittu. We made him so warm, that he started panting due to heat, his tongue out and eyes rolled up, that night, was the worst night of our lives!
He passed stool, and we were sure he would not make it, because a lot of animals pass stool before dying. As such, I m not a very religious person, but that night, I was chanting our prayer loudly in Bittu's ear, continuously. If he were to die, let him die peacefully!
But he survived, WHAT A MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had spent the night giving medicine every hour, and next day, the vet came home. More medicines were given, but it was ok, if he pulled thro the night, this was a piece of cake! Actually, on my parent's anniversary, Bittu was totally fine, and they would not have got a better gift, than Bittu's life! :)
The vet suggested that since he has survived, we should start feeding him catfood. After taking care of him for 9 months, I could not let Bittu die just because we did not have non-vegetarian food, so finally we got cat food for him. When we started mixing his catfood with rice and gave it to him. The first time the vet got pellets,he had got Eukanuba dogfood and he just gave them to Bittu, and he ate it with gusto. Result? He got loosies and there was blood in it! I panicked again seeing so much blood, but realised that it was because of the dogfood. The food we had given Bittu till now, was soft, and the dogfood was hard. Bittu had just gulped some of the food, which scratched his stomach lining, and hence the bleeding. We then crushed his food and sprinkled on his rice and fed it. Still he could not digest the vegetarian part. He would pass stools as loose as water, and that also 4-5times a day! He was almost dehydrated due to this.
Then, we changed our vet, and went to a new one, referred by someone from my building. This vet, asked us to shift to Royal Canin Fit 32 and stop all kinds of vegetarian food for Bittu. We also had to give him strong medication to control his motions and get him back to normal. After 1 week of medication and only catfood, Bittu was normal, what a relief!
Since he was already 7-8 months old when he got the catfood, the damage was already done due to our negligence. Cats need taurine in their food for good eyesight and liver, but Bittu never had it in his food. So he is not able to see properly and cant digest all cat food. He also became lactose(milk) intolerent. So much so that now even if he smells milk, he vomits. He now stays on Royal Canin Fit 32 or Hills pet food, which suit him and he really loves it (I have gradually started him on Whiskas jelly pouches also). We try and pamper him the best way we can, but we can never forgive ourselves for our ignorance for which Bittu is paying such a high price.
Now more about Bittu. Even though he cant see properly, he goes around the house checking each room atleast 5-6 times a day. For him, we dont move the furniture, or else he just goes and bangs against it! He has his own chair kept near the window,
where he climbs and informs us that he wants to sit in the window. He did not have a mother to teach him how to jump up, so he can climb only upto seat level, then we have to pick him up and put him wherever he wants to go. He uses the bathroom mori to pee or potty and shouts when his litter tub is not available. He never does anything without informing us. Even when he climbs to a new place, he shouts and lets us know about his whereabouts and wants us to check on him, almost like a small child when he feels that he has done something that he would be patted for:) He always needs a pillow to sleep on, and if it is not in its usual place, he will sit there for a minute or so and then shout out loud, asking us to put pillow in its proper place. The moment the pillow is put, he just puts his head on it like an elderly person, and goes off to sleep:)
He also needs a clean bed, or he will not sleep there. His water bowl needs to be washed twice a day, or he dosent drink from it. He realises when I m going to give him a bath or give him a deworming dose, and hides below the cot so no one can spot him. Also when it gets hot, mostly during summers, he will sit in front of my dad when he is reading newspaper and look towards the AC:) If my dad dosent notice, he just shouts loudly, and the moment dad gets up, and turns the AC on, he would go on the bed and go to sleep. Also if the AC is on the fan has to be off, if dad forgets to switch the fan off, he again shouts and calls attention. These are just few small things, but it really makes me wonder whether we are correct in stating that we are the smartest of all. These animals cant speak, but they have a way of telling us about their needs and they also express their love. We only need to keep our eyes and hearts open to them, only then we will be able to love them, and probably ourselves too.
Even though there were many times when our building people objected to us having a cat home, because they think that cats are very inauspicious, it has not deterred us ever. Infact I feel that after I got Bittu home we have actually started 'living' our lives. We have come close as a family and stay very happy. Bittu has also helped me in interacting with our building kids and teaching them that we should not hurt but love our four legged friends. Bittu is the star in our building, and all kids come and play with him in the evening, so much so that they sometimes just come to our house when Bittu doesnt go out, and play with him. Having Bittu at home is the best thing to have happened to our family, and I hope that he remains with us forever.
if you have gone through the whole blog, and want to see more of bittu's pics, then click on the link below, and check his latest pics.
AN INCIDENT WHICH HAPPENED RECENTLY (MARCH 2010) WHICH I WANT TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE.
After Bittu came home, we started noticing other animals in our building, so slowly, Rani started getting food from us. Rani, is now 13 yrs old doggy. When I did not have too much knowledge of sterilisation etc, I let Rani have pups. Out of the many she delivered outside and within my building, a couple are still with us. Tutti, the elder one, who is now 6 yrs old and Julie, who is 4.5 yrs old now.
There are other cats also, Tiny, Kali, Simba, Stumpy/ Champi, Kalu, Goldie, Babu, Aslan. Bittu was attacked by a male cat when he was just one yr old, and he was in a real bad condition at that time. So, naturally, we kept him safe from any other cat or dog. Specially Julie, since she had a habit of killing pigeons and kittens. There were times when I have rescued pigeons from her mouth and given them to NGO's for recovery (if Julie was a stray dog, hunting for food, I wud have let her kill the birds, but since she gets enough food, there was no reason for her to kill). When Bittu went out for his walks, mom or me would be with him, and at night, when the dogs would come running on seeing me with Bittu, I would panic and carry Bittu home. Gradually, I started to let Bittu be (I am always around him as he cant see properly and cant protect himself), and let the dogs come near him, but not too close. At times, Tutti would come and lick Bittu, but she was the gentle one, so I never worried about her hurting Bittu.
This is story of Bittu and Julie.
Bittu loves to roam around the backside of my house. So everytime the door is opened to fill water for the dogs, he manages to run out :) This time, I went and strolled with him for sometime and then put him on the water tank. Julie, as usual saw me going out of the house, so followed. She jumped up and came to sit next to me and Bittu. Julie loves to sit next to me and get her head rubbed, gives shake hands and wants to lick me, which I dont allow.
Julie came and sat next to Bittu. Even at night, she runs after him, trying to make him play with her, but he gets scared and just runs away! Right now, u can see Bittu's reaction to Julie sitting next to him.
She moved in closer to try and play
This is how she showed her love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not imagine how she licked his forehead and tried to make friends with him!
TO EVERYONE WHO BLAMES STRAY DOGS FOR KILLING THEIR CATS, PLEASE SEE THIS PIC. IF UR CAT HAS BEEN KILLED BY A STREET DOG, ITS YOUR FAULT THAT U LET IT OUT WITHOUT SUPERVISION, AND NOT THE DOGS!
Julie has since then, tried to smell Bittu everytime she is around him, and she always tries to play with him. Though he is scared of her, Bittu tolerates her and this was an amazing moment for me!
Bittu gets really wild when he hears other cats having a catfight or even smells other cats, but when the dogs are around, he dosent react wildly! He lets Julie n Tutti lick him and does try to escape at times but now I know that my cat is safe from other cats, when these dogs are around! Now, I move away, leaving Bittu with the dogs, and I dont have to worry about other cats coming and attacking Bittu, as I know that the dogs are going to protect him, come what may!