Cats rule the world.

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

14 October 2014.

At least our world right now. But before I tell you about our catscapades …

The hujaaj have returned with so many awe- inspiring stories of their travels and experiences, welcome home! Everyone’s shaken off vacation elevation and back to work and studies Alhamdulillah.

The new term has started with a bang and we have two brand new kitties. They are only three weeks old and I feel like I am taking care of twins without diapers, mop and cloth in hand and a cuddle here and there until school is out. But in the main I leave the kids to learn to cope with them and just act the granny. I am concerned though about the dogs just jumping over. This morning we found a half-eaten rat, a gift no doubt from the neighbour’s dogs.

The strawberry run continues and everyone’s enjoying their fry. We are having a field day with broccoli. The chilli bushes have regained their foliage and chilli blossoms are being shed as tiny chillis appear. The back patch against the wall is making steady progress even though it’s hard to reach with the hose. Fennel  and danya, okra and Brussels sprouts are all growing marvelously. Remember the love in the mist/blackseed plants that sprouted? They have formed buds and will be blooming soon inshaAllah.

The wonderful October weather is marred only by the strong winds that topple plants and it really dries out the soil especially the strawberries that are planted in plastic grow bags, it seems asif they dry out extra quickly. The straw mulching really helps. Because we encourage lots of picking, the strawberry plants are so sturdy and they produce giant strawberries that are actually quite sweet. The wind also blows around the pollen that makes our eyes all puffy and noses itchy.

This weekend a dear friend brought the kittens for my children. And they are just adorable. My Dad used to bring home kittens for us, their heads peeping out of his satchel – surprise!  We would make all kinds of toys to get them to jump high from match boxes with string threaded through to cotton reels from my Mom’s sowing. We would pull it round and in circles. Oh we had fun. Later we had a kitten that our dog suckled. Ja I am such a cat person. I think though that Abu is a closeted cat lover.

 

When we were newly married we took a walk up to the blockhouse and stopped at that little restaurant for a cup of tea. There was a beautiful snooty grey cat lying with paws outstretched on one of the tables, the one we wanted to sit at in fact. Abu shooed it away, it lifted one eye and rolled over and stretched. At that moment I thought oh oh Abu loves not cats. But this cat was min geticket. She just made herself comfortable on his lap, wormed her way into his beard, and Abu just sat there and said "ek gaan die ding afklap". I looked into the menu with a grin.

When we lived in Schaapkraal many years ago we got two playful Dalmatians and I realized that he preferred dogs. He allowed them to lick his hand, not minding to ghusl many times a day, chased after them when they snuck out, running for miles and miles through the farms. And when they got home out of breath and all sweaty he would look proud as punch. And the next day they would take off again. They were far too friendly to be guard dogs so he gifted them to a people who would give them love. We then got two German Shepherds because they are so good with children and a honey brown collie.

I say he pretends not to like the cats because whenever we do get some cats, he is the one to open windows for them to come inside at 3 in the morning and when he chastises them for coming in late his voice his low and kind. Plus he knows he has to buy their food. Ha ha.

So when the little ones are mewing for attention I can see him cock his ears. They are teeny tiny just starting to clamber up and out of the box and need a lot of care. For now we have parked their box under my daughter’s mirror – a nook where they feel protected and warm, snuggling into each other’s fur. They take long sleeps and when they wake up have us scurrying around for water and food and diluted milk, they should still be suckling and so we teach them to lick the saucer. I must say they’re really smart and immediately catches our drift, no more peeing on the floor; this is the litter/sand box. Sometimes when it’s warm enough we take them outside in the shade to eat and play.

They can really make a ruckus though but we don’t mind because they sleep for long periods, and then play around with each other. When my children finish school in the afternoons they can’t wait to play with them. The jury is still out about names because I am so sure my daughter wanted to name her one Katniss or something but they are both male. The catnip that she planted is just perfect and bushy for them to brush their fur against. We can’t wait for them to grow a bit older and be die baas van die plaas! Plus they will keep the field mice at bay.

So shukran dear friend, these kittens really bring some wonderful energy into the home and Mikaeel adores them, just not getting their nails stuck into him. Cats are so amazing and a pet I think every child should have, your child has allergies, you say? So do mine, but we suck it up for a few days and then their immune systems start coping. It makes them caring and responsible and to have a cat to love and who loves them, who needs anything else.

Grow food and get a kitten, heck get a few!

Yasmine