My Experiment with Cats

 

My Experiment with Cats

—Sahil Sharifdin Bhat

I raised a few cats over the past year. Some of them disappeared suddenly but this gave me time to closely observe two of them. The male cat stayed around for nearly ten months, rarely leaving the spot he had claimed as his own and then vanished without a trace.

The female cat on the other hand formed bonds with three or four street cats. Sometimes, she brought them home. Their relationship was fascinating to watch — they interacted in ways that often seemed surprisingly human. Eventually she became pregnant and gave birth to three kittens.

At first the kittens would run away whenever they saw me. But over time they came to realise I meant them no harm. They learned to trust me and now they visit me regularly along with their mother.

What shocked me:

1. How can a cat achieve in a year what we humans take nearly twenty years to achieve—exposure to society, romance, kids, parenting etc?

2. Who teaches a cat the art of parenting — without school, college or even the company of older cats?

3. Who guides a cat to choose safe hiding places for her kittens?

Watching these cats has taught me more than I expected — about animal behaviour, the subtle order in nature and the silent government of God that governs life on this planet.