My Catobiography - The TomCat who loved me

It's a balmy day at the Cattery, and the sun is kissing my angelic whiskers. My tattered paws reflect the 14 long feline years since I first licked them clean. I had such a sublime life- never having to hunt for my meal except when I was a kitten. On the other hand, humans wake up to dreadful blaring noises from their phones in the mornings and somehow have detachable skins of myriad colors that they can easily peel off and put back on daily. Many even skip their first meals to rush out of the house and ride weird big animals they call cars. It wasn't until I was four that I realized humans needed a paper called 'money' to survive. What a pity! I just have to eat, sleep, and be my playful self to earn my hearty meal twice daily. I wish it were that easy for poor humans too. A few minutes ago, while looking out the window to catch my daily dose of drama in the human world, I saw a guy on the street giving a bunch of roses to a girl, and they kissed shortly after. I never understood this my whole life. Do humans always have to gift roses to earn hugs and kisses? I, however, get free hugs and kisses from the humans without asking. They even give me some extra treats every time I roll around and let them rub my belly. Maybe they have different rules for the cats and their fellow humans. I would never understand if even I tried to.

Watching these humans reminds me of Six Toes, the first Tom Cat I fell in love with. It was 13 years ago, and my feline dementia has started to rob me of his memories, but I still remember him- so unique with no hair and a high-pitched meow like me. He was what the humans called Sphynx cat. But when I first saw him, I thought he was a different animal, maybe even a distant cousin like a cheetah or something. He had six toes in both of his paws. I can't help but reminisce about the day I met him. Sleeping on the rock-hemmed riverbank and mesmerized by the fish swimming, I enjoyed the cool breeze whistling in my ears and the smell of wet mud.

" Hey, Missy? Would you like some fish? " He came out of nowhere and meowed.

I surveyed him for a while and, still questioning if he was a cat, meowed, "I am afraid of the water."

He gently rubbed against me, and we locked eyes. Within seconds, he leaped into the water, and I watched in awe as he swam so effortlessly and plunged deep into the river. I saw him wrestle for a bit and was afraid he would die. But moments later, he swam back victoriously.

"Here you go, Catfish for the most beautiful Cat in the world, Miss Silky Fur..." he meowed fondly and dropped the oily Catfish fish at my tiny paws.

Time stopped. This was the first time I had received a gift ever in my first year of life, and I couldn't believe it. We rested at the shore, enjoyed our meal together, and thanked mother nature. Mama used to say that not all Tom Cats are good and that some even ate kittens. But Six Toes had so much love and compassion in his beautiful green eyes that all my fears washed away with the gushing waters of the river. I trusted him. It was not complicated as the human world and was the beginning of new summer love.

- To be continued