Saying goodbye...

29th December 2016 - I picked up this little boy called Bamboo from his owner who was leaving Malaysia for good. 

As expected, it caused a major brouhaha at my little apartment, because true to form, Pikachu was hostile to strangers coming into his domain. Kopi also learnt from his Tai Kor, but he was a little more kind hearted. I think at some point he was trying to make friends with Bamboo. 

However, Bamboo is a headstrong teenager with no concept of respecting others' territory. From the beginning he was already uncomfortable in my apartment because it basically reeks of my 4 other cats. And this fella is really sensitive to smells. I also made the mistake of not taking something of his from the original owner. So this guy was in a new place, which smells of other cats, without anything familiar to comfort him. And his owner didn't notice my messages asking for his cat tree and litter tray... Soon my little flat turned into a war zone...

In the beginning I had kept Bamboo in my tiny little study. After a while he started to resent the confined space and demanded to be let out. By demand I mean rattling the door really loudly, OK. Once he was out, he would insist on strutting around like a samseng, claiming the flat as his own. Oi. Hello! He would then invariably bump into Kopi and Pikachu, who were actually minding their own business. Being hissed at did not go well with the two, so they yelled back at him. Being well-trained at standing up to themselves, Michelle and Trina also hissed at him if he ever came too close. 

After a while, Kopi and Pikachu got enough of yelling matches and the confrontations escalated to real, vicious fighting. The type where fur flew all over the place. And they actually sported scratches and minor wounds for it. Adoi.... Mummy cannot do anything at home without stopping every 5 minutes to break them up. In the end Bamboo was confined to my room plus the study which he could access via the windows. I had to put his kitty litter in my room, which I hate. Doors were shut to minimise confrontations. Which still happened when the little samseng escapes and strolls over to the eating area or balcony. 

And so it continued for close to 3 weeks. At some point I got quite fed up and felt tempted to throw him off the balcony. But... he has a way of working his way into your heart. Either that or mummy is just one big softie for cats. Haha..

You see, he's just an insecure little cat who missed his papa, and could not fathom the idea of sharing space with other cats. When he's away from other cats, he's a real sweetheart. He would cuddle up to you and purr like a motorboat. And he's a chicken-heart when it came to vacuum cleaners. Once I was vacuuming up the hall, and I saw him run towards the kitchen. I didn't check on him until I finished. And where did I find him? High up under the washing area awning! Guess who had to bring him down lah. Note: I live on the 3rd floor. Good thing I'm not TOO afraid of heights. 

It was a bit of a conundrum that I had agreed to foster him just before the new year, because I had already booked a room up in Fraser's Hill for the new year week. I was thinking of taking one of the boys up with me, most probably Kopi because he doesn't make as much of a fuss as Pikachu in the car. It would be rather unfair to expect my sister to deal with the daily cat drama at home while I chilled up the hill. In the end, my mind was made up for me. 

Bamboo fell 3 floors down to the void area below. I do not know how it happened because I was in the study trying to clear my work before leaving on holiday. I took him up the hill with me. Seriously, it wasn't much fun. Bamboo can be loud, and the volume increases as he gets more and more agitated. Especially if I was driving fast. And when he was quiet I feared that he had died. Haha. Very stressful.

Finally we arrived at Sri Berkat and settled in for the next 3.5 days. It was very nice. Bamboo was happy because I allowed him to roam and there were no other cats to fight with. Unfortunately I had to bring him back down. The brouhaha continued.

I had to start spamming everyone to find him a home, and FINALLY, a colleague came through. A friend of his agreed to take Bamboo in. So I shipped him off, worried that he might annoy them so much that he would be abandoned by the roadside. Thankfully that didn't happen.

So now he is the cat of Pn Ijat and her husband. I hope he will be very happy in their house in Port Dickson. As for me, I am extremely grateful to have my house back, sans cat drama. Pikachu and Kopi are very happy to have their mummy back, taking turns to manja2 with me, demanding extra attention until they are satisfied that I won't be so daft as to foster another cat ever again.

~ THE END ~