Cats who teach me to fly…

It’s the same owner that hoarded 12 cats at her rental flat. We helped to rehome most of the cats. She is also the same owner who abandoned two mongrels. The whole experience of helping them was unpleasant. Right now, this lady has done it again. This time, she claims that Baby’s owner doesn’t want him anymore.

As a Buddhist, we don’t practise hatred. Therefore, I hardly hate anyone. I also don’t agree with feelings of like and dislike. As long as I do my best to help, I don’t want to hold on to anything.

The fosterer calls him Baby. This is my first time walking dogs. Baby is a sweet boy who gets along well with humans but not with some dogs and perhaps all cats. Someone told me that the reason Baby cannot get along with other pets is because his owner did not take him to socialise with them.

I have no experience in rehoming dogs, so I sought help from those who are experienced with dogs. Mdm Goh, who is a cat rescuer and also a stray dog feeder, recommended Purely Woof, a dog welfare group.

At first, they were hesitant to help as the dog has an owner and there might be legal complications. But after I explained the experiences I had with the fosterer, NParks and SPCA. I was glad they understood where I was coming from. Instead of leaving me out, they included me.

Today, a potential adopter came to visit Baby. I wasn’t around because I felt it would be easier for the volunteers to communicate with the fosterer and the adopters without my presence. When the meeting ended, I met the fosterer. The adopters were shopping at the supermarket, they came by to interact with Baby again. They were a mother and daughter. The daughter seemed interested in Baby, but not the mother. We knew that when the mother showed no interest, the likelihood of adopting Baby was slim.

I told the fosterer not to carry too much hope. The volunteers would continue looking for another adopter. Just a week ago, I took Baby for check-up. He had a comprehensive blood test and a 4Dx test and the result showed he was in perfect health, which is a plus point. I also had his nails clipped and ears cleaned. The total cost was $606.

I have always done what I could, but for the sterilisation, it is the adopter’s responsibility. The adopter must take responsibility for the dog they adopt, just as with cats. Purely Woof is a responsible dog welfare group, so I’ll leave to them!

I sincerely hope Baby finds a good, loving and responsible home.

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Distributing Buddhist books to buddhist centres and monasteries is not easy. At first, Buddhist Fellowship agreed to help with the distribution, but when the books arrived, the person-in-charge never replied! However, I managed to contact other centres. Most of the centres that had a resident monastic wouldn’t want to take the books, probably because they have their own books to distribute. I was glad that the staff from Mangala Vihara, the temple where I took my diploma in Buddhism, warmly accepted the books and helped with the distribution.

Other temples and centres include Palelai Temple, Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, Sinhala Buddhist Temple and Evergreen Buddhist. Two copies were donated to our national library and two copies were given to the public. Melanie gave six copies to her friend who are interested in understanding the Buddha’s teachings. Finally, Sister Foo who uses Ayya Khema’s teachings to teach at the Buddhist Library also helped with the distribution.

Melanie kept one copy for herself and I ordered another copy for public distribution which I intend to distribute one by one. I am not confident about ordering another hundred copies, as many may not want to take.

Ayya Khema spoke about her experiences in meditation that I have not heard anyone speak before and what she shared is very important to me. I guess it’s hard to come across such good teachers who not only have profound experience but are also willing to share it. In her autobiography “I give my life to you” she shared not only her personally journey but also valuable experiences – experiences rooted in the Buddha’s teachings.

It is the original teaching from the Buddha from 2500 years ago that we need to preserve. When one has experienced the Buddha’s teachings, one would know that the truth has been preserved and successfully passed down.

May the true Dhamma continue to flourish and benefit all sentient beings and lead us on the path towards liberation – that is Nibbāna.

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BB was a kitten when we fed him at Malcom Road in a school compound. The school’s rubbish chute was where he lived. Every night, BB would wait for his meal. He was cute, black and looked so much like Vara. A handsome boy! He was scared of humans. No one could go near him. I had to leave his food and keep a distance so that he could eat comfortably.

One day, the school security guard hurriedly ran towards me and told me that the school was trapping all the cats and they tried on BB. The trap door hit BB’s leg hard as he was escaping. BB left with a leaping leg.

Nothing good comes from trapping cats. Before things got worse, I approached the school management and volunteered to take in all the cats.

BB was still a scaredy cat when we first took him. It took me quite a while to gain his trust. We could feel that the cats rescued from Malcom Road often showed their appreciation to us. It made me realize that community cats living in the ‘forest’ had a hard life.

BB loved food. He often took a little of everything and also got the food that he wanted. He was a chronic sniffer. We took him to a few vets but nothing could be done. We gave him antibiotics and all kinds of supplements including Chinese herbs but nothing seemed to help.

Beside chronic flu, he also had kidney disease. Despite all these conditions, BB still ate well and lived happily. Just like all the other cats, I never failed to receive his love.

When I no longer see him at the same spot where he used to wait for his food or watch the way he, I’ll smile. Their deep paw prints remain in my heart. I will always cherish and appreciate having them with me. Always!

May the merits accumulated be dedicated to BB’s favourable rebirth. May the conditions that he had, lead him to the true Dhamma.

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Kangkang would always rub her body against my leg when I was angry and I couldn’t bring myself to ignore her. I would pet her head in response. She was a happy, active and a positive girl and she loved to follow me around.

Someone found her at the carpark when she was barely a few weeks old. I took her and instead of rehoming her, I made her the last cat i would keep.

She still had blue eyes. We named her Kangkang (康康), which means ‘healthy,’ because we wished for her to grow up strong and healthy.

And she grew up just a little. She was quick in slipping in and out of the room and most of the time I didn’t even notice.

She was small in build and loved jumping around.

When she was ill, Tedted, the same lovely boy who groomed and slept with Mr Tom also groomed and slept beside Kangkang.

Of all the places , they chose to rest on the small foldable table. Tedted is a special boy. He often gives comfort to the sick.

Kangkang loved to rest at the door and most of the time, I would open the door and let her sleep in front of the gate. I also let her walked along the corridor, hoping to fulfil her wishes. Even after midnight, I kept the door opened just for her and she seemed to sleep comfortably and at ease. It was as if she was telling me that there is nothing to fear even the door is open late at night. We slept with the door half opened.

We don’t know what is infesting her lungs. Both her lungs were covered with what looked like tissues and her lymph node on her neck was enlarged. I was sad and kept hoping a miracle could happen…

Mel thought the photo was Flow(the movie). Nope, that was Kangkang!

May the merits accumulated be dedicated to Kangkang’s favourable rebirth.

Every cat is special. With Kangkang, night is merely the absence of sunlight!

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Someone came to us and asked for help while we were feeding the community cats. There was urgency in her voice and she said that the cat needed to be removed from the sofa outside her house. Mel went with her to her place and the lady told Mel that no matter how they sprayed the cat with water, it never moved a muscle.

Bluey was abandoned at the corridor, hiding at someone’s place. The family was so scared of cats and found them unwelcoming. We took Bluey home.

Bluey had a beautiful pair of blue eyes and a coarse voice. She was skinny then. No matter how we trained Bluey to use the litter box, she wouldn’t use it. Even when we kept her in the cage with the litter box for two days, she still refused to use it. We had no choice but to let her pee and poop in the toilet.

We found her a family but she was returned back to us. When potential adopters visited her, she scratched their handbag and was unfriendly. We knew Bluey didn’t want to go to new home. We didn’t want to force her and decided to keep her.

Bluey was aloof. She didn’t allow any cats to go near her and if they insisted, she would simply walk away. She hardly initiated a fight but only to hiss at them. Throughout the years living with us, Bluey only had flu once. She spent her days eating, sleeping and entertaining herself. She often slept on top of my head when I was sleeping on the arm chair and I would lean my head against her and hug her.

With everything looking normal, we don’t understand how Bluey hurt her abdomen. In the evening, out of sudden she was grasping for air. We rushed her to VES immediately. The vet stabilised her with sedation and oxygen. Sadly nothing worked. The vet resuscitated her and we managed to say goodbye to her before taking her home.

The vet did an ultrasound and told us that there was fluid in her abdomen. When Bluey collapsed, the vet drew the fluid and found blood. I suspected that it may be a rapture in her stomach.

Everything happened so fast. We cremated her the next day. Bluey had been with us for 11 years and she was already an adult when we took her in. As pet parents, we always hope they can live a little longer with us. I often saw her sitting behind me at the gate when I was in the meditation room. I turned around again and she was no longer there, it’s okay. Our connection is a cause for us to meet again.

May the merits accumulated be dedicated to her favourable rebirth. May the conditions she had this lifetime be the cause for her to meet the Dhamma.

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