The hot season has arrived making life very uncomfortable for those without air conditioning systems. The new types of mobile air conditioners were selling like hot cakes. I was very tempted to get one for my place but the prospect of higher electricity bill did put me off. I could stand the hot temperatures quite easily with thd help of a big fan. So, I shouldn’t create new habit which could cause more expenses. Because of the strong sunshine, I decided to go feeding those temple cats much later in the afternoon.
As soon as I entered the car park, I could see some cats wondering around as if waiting for someone to come to feed them. I wondered how these cats could stand the heat with their thick coats. I was glad to see the black cat with hook tail as she could recognise my car from quite a distance and would alert other cats to come out of their hidings.
Some bigger cats would act like tiny kittens and meow for attention. I was quite amazed how smart these stray cats could become when they wanted to attract sympathy and food. Luckily these cats didn’t get into fighting over food. I warned them that the one started the fight wouldn’t get any food. So, they waited patiently for me to get all the dishes out and give them the mixture of wet and dry food.
It took me about two hours to feed almost thirty cats around the Yannawa temple. I had to wait for all the cats to have their food to their satisfaction. If they had been starving for three days, they would take a long time eating their food. They even asked for second helpings. I would have to give them more wet food. It eas satisfying to see these cats being very full and starting to groom themselves.
The three cats near the pier didn’t get along with each other. The orange cat would chase after the old black and white cat while the small mother cat would slap the orange cat for coming too close. These cats seemed to be acting powerful to impress me. They were also big eaters and would take their time eating their dinner.
The other two stops were around the yard in front of monks’ residence and the area around the Chinese shrine. The small kittens around the skinny monk’s lodging have grown into young adult cats. But they still look very skinny as the monk only fed them once in the morning. They would get only dry biscuits so they tended to eat for survival! So, these cats were so excited whenever I turned up at the temple. The small mother cat had brought her kitten down from the roof. I could only see one tiny kitten so I couldn’t tell how many kittens she had altogether.
The four cats near the Chinese shrine seemed to be very lucky. They had an old lady and an old monk who kept feeding them regularly. They were the fattest cats in this temple. When they became thin, it meant the monk had traveled to the countryside or been invited to other temple overseas. But these cats didn’t get wet food often so they were glad to see me with the wet food.
I thought these temple cats might have some connections with me in their past lives. They did behave themselves and were quite obedient when I told them not to fight. In the past some of the big old cats would be quite aggressive and they would attack smaller cats. Nowadays, all the cats became very affectionate and gentle. Their meowing sounds also became quite sweet and gentle. They knew they didn’t have to fight for food as every cat would have a full dish of wet and dry food. Feeding these cats has become my best hobby which put me in very good mood too.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.