A Meow, A Message

I’d been spending some time in front of the computer, writing blogs. I’ve found that writing just flows out of me, I rarely think about what I’m going to say.

It just comes out as whatever happened at the time. It doesn’t take long to turn it into a blog.

I never knew I had a creative bone in my body until I gave up who I thought I was and surrendered to the divine. Now when I write, everything pours out, laughter, tears, a full emotional release.

That afternoon, while I was typing away, I kept hearing a faint meowing. At first, I ignored it, there are cats everywhere in Tiru. But the sound didn’t stop. It kept going, again and again, like a little cry that wasn’t getting answered.

Eventually, I realised I’d been hearing it on and off, soft, persistent, coming from just outside. More meowing. That’s it, I thought. What the fuck is going on here?

I got up and stepped outside, looking over the edge of the balcony to see if I could spot anything. Eventually, I saw a kitten sitting on a ledge just below my window, pretty far down. Nearby, the mother cat was watching over it. I tried to work out what was happening, I don’t know much about cats. I’m a border collie guy. Dogs are more my thing.

I messaged my friend A and asked what she thought. Was the kitten sick? Hungry?

She wrote back: “They’re probably starving. The mother needs food so she can make milk.”

Fucking hell, I thought. They’ve been crying for help and I’ve just been sitting at my desk.

I walked down to the shop, bought some cat food, and came back. I threw some down toward the ledge, but it bounced off uselessly. I placed some on my balcony and the mother cat came up and started eating. I also got a small tub of water and set it nearby. But the kitten still didn’t seem strong enough to climb up.

After the mother ate, she went over to the kitten, I think to try and feed her but from what I could see, nothing really happened. I’m no expert in any of this but I just love God, and I let that guide me.

I left more food out overnight, hoping the mother would come back.

This morning, I wake up and would usually go straight to Ramana Ashram for meditation but something feels off. I don’t feel to go.

Instead, I plan to sit quietly in my room for an hour and a half, but as soon as I close my eyes, I hear it again: more meowing.

Hungry cats.

I get up and step outside. The mother cat is sitting right at my door, and the kitten is still across on the other building, looking at me.

I give the mother some food, but I still haven’t seen the kitten eat. That’s bothering me.

I’ve got plans to meet my friend for breakfast at Ananda Ramana.

When she arrives, she asks how my mornings been.

“I’ve got a cat and kitten situation,” I say.

“Oh no are they fighting?”

“No, they’re meowing.”

“They’re hungry,” she says straight away.

“Yeah… I worked that out. But I don’t know how to get the kitten to eat.”

“Give it some curd,” she says. “That’s good for them.”

I think it’s a great idea.

After breakfast, I pick up two cups of curd and go home. I jump back on the laptop but can hear the meowing again almost immediately. I grab the curd from the fridge and step outside.

I see them both — the kitten and the mother. I gently toss the curd down in a little tub. And to my great relief, the kitten starts eating.

Finally. I’ve worked it out.

I’ve only got four weeks left in Tiruvannamalai, but I’ll keep feeding them while I’m here. Hopefully, by then, they’ll have found another source.

I guess I’m a cat fan after all.