Some animals, especially those that grew up on the streets, have characteristics that are simply captivating and fascinating. Such is the case with the most content kitten on my block, but who doesn't really belong to anyone.... I would call him by a name, if only he had one.... And it's not that we haven't tried, no, but the free and unbridled spirit of this beautiful kitten, goes beyond a label or a name. He is ‘kitty with a bandana’, or so we call him in my house. You know, free, beautiful, wild, and he is well fed by all the neighbours but belongs to no one.
That's how he is... A male, about three years old, who no one knows how he came to be but there he is.... Melting and winning our hearts since he was a little puppy with deep blue eyes. He has a docile but shy character. We, the neighbours, decided among all of us to neuter him, but he already had the street habits deep inside him. However, he is not a troublemaker or too wild. I am even told by the neighbours who have been in the urbanisation longer, that before I moved to my current neighbourhood, he was already hanging around and had already won everyone's affection.
And that is precisely what touches me about this beautiful kitten. He has the independence and wildness of the cats that have known how to live the harshness of the streets, but he is also noble, and in a way he is the companion of many lonely people in my neighbourhood. He is an icon of where I live. Just go out to take the kids to school or go to work? There, most likely, he will be.... Lying on the pavement of some house, relaxing; or on top of some window or in the cars. He knows that the whole block is his territory, and he is the biggest of all the other house cats. He's also the terror of lizards, small birds and mice; he's a crusher, he doesn't forgive them...
I have decided to pay a small tribute to the kitten with the bandana, because I found it extremely beautiful that in a closed communion, where not all the neighbours are so kind or so animal-loving, common sense and love for animals triumphs; in this case, giving food, shelter, affection, medical attention and cuddles to a cat that doesn't really belong to anyone, nor pretends to be one... Because he goes where he wants to go, and thanks to all of us he finds something different but positive for him from all of us. My daughter, just to give a brief example of the children in my neighbourhood, loves him. She is always telling me that I should sew her a new bandana or make her a new one in case she gets cold.
Oh, the innocence and gentleness that only children have, isn't it? He is a very photogenic little animal. I think you can see that very well in the photographs. He's cute, and healthy. Yesterday I saw him hanging around my yard for most of the morning. And as life would have it, he allowed himself to be petted, even stroked while I was holding him. Thanks to my daughter's help, I was able to forograp him and dedicate this short story to my dear, elegant, independent and beautiful little friend; the kitten with the bandana, the friend of all cats and the protector of a community that adores him.
In times where people are more cruel and where bad news abound, it is nice to witness how the good side of humanity remains uncorrupted. And I say this not only because we all take care of this kitten, and you can see that his welfare is our concern; I also say this because we don't exactly have money to spare and yet we don't deny the dignity of animals. On the contrary, we try to protect them, and thus give the right example to children, who learn from us and who will then be the adults who care for and protect ‘kittens with bandanas’ in the future.
