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We saw it sitting on top of a road hump outside our front porch, occasionally darting in and out of traffic.
We were so worried about him being run over.
Without hesitation, I quietly went over to try to catch it.
Although it was only a kitten, it was very alert, and feisty too.
Immediately, it ran helter-skelter but I was determined to rescue him, no matter what.
So the chase began.
We ran for at least 100m. It was good exercise for me indeed as I cannot remember when I last ran so fast.
At last, it got tired and hid under some bushes. That’s when I grabbed him.
It put up a good fight, biting and scratching hard, but I was determined to not let go so I endured it.
On reaching home, I put it down in a basket to keep him from escaping.
To calm it down, I gave him whatever I thought a kitten could eat – and it ate hungrily. Poor little kitten.
Since we weren’t sure of its gender back then, we named it Kiki, as Kiki is a somewhat neutral name.
Since it was still MCO 3.0 then, my nephew went online to buy it a cage, some cat food and other stuff.
Looking after it gave us a sense of purpose during the lockdown. It added some excitement and entertainment to our lives too.
As soon as the lockdown was eased, we made an appointment for it to see the vet for a quick checkup.
It was then that we found out it was a he. Luckily, it didn’t have any major medical issues, just some ticks, but still the vet gave it an injection.
Kiki in a cute pose. Photo: Instagram@hellokiki108
Initially, it wasn’t allowed indoors as it liked to romp about in our small garden and get covered with soil.
Later, my nephew bought a bottle of cat shampoo and a cat bath bag to wash him. Now it can come indoors after its baths.
As we saw Kiki grow, we also saw its cuteness and some kitty temperaments which were entertaining and somewhat humorous to us.
Occasionally, it is naughty but he listens when taught to behave. But it will vent his anger by scratching the mat we bought for it.
Kiki will only do sneak attacks on me (as I let it), by hiding and then pouncing on me at every opportunity it got.
Initially, the bites were just nibbles but as it got stronger, they actually hurt!
Occasionally, we feed Kiki some human food, like bits of cake etc, and it enjoys them.
Now that Kiki can come indoors, it frequents the kitchen when food is being prepared or cooked, especially if fish is on the menu, which is his favourite.
Kiki had the second vaccination two weeks ago. Each time after its vaccination, it would sleep for hours and feel lethargic too, somewhat like us after our Covid-19 jabs.
In the mornings, Kiki waits in its cage for me to feed it its regular kitten food before it wanders off into the garden.
Kiki loves to watch my wife do the gardening and would just sit quietly next to her while she tends to her plants.
During the afternoons, after food, Kiki will have its nap. We have installed a baby fan in its cage to keep it cool.
In the evenings, after feeding Kiki, we will play with it so that it gets some exercise.
Kiki loves evening walks. My nephew got it a cat bag with a transparent cover to carry it in when going for walks. When we put the bag down, Kiki just strolls into it and sits there waiting.
Sometimes, we also take it for car rides when we go shopping for our groceries.
At night, Kiki goes into its cage and waits for my wife to come around and feed it and to say good night and pat it before it sleeps. It’s a routine which Kiki loves.
Kiki is adventurous – it likes to explore new places so, at times, he will climb over the fence to seek out my neighbour’s compound but it has yet to learn how to climb down the fence to come back.
Kiki may be naughty and disobedient at times but it is a bundle of joy for us and keeps us happy in these difficult times.
