Good day my fellow hive community members, I hope you all are having a bearable day, I hope and pray that what ever you are doing today puts a smile on your face 😁. Today my blood takes a different and unique turn because I want to really share this story about my experience so far as a pet owner.
I am from Nigeria, cats are known generally to have or be seen has demonic creatures or possessed animals. This notion had been pass down to us from our ancestors, generation to generation.
Thou in Africa and Nigeria precisely cat can be found in the domestic area of only very few households or group of people which I can say are in minority, the most part and majority of people don’t want to have anything to do with cats let alone domesticate them, most cats in this region are usually either hunted down or chased away religiously because of its demonic perception people have of this beautiful creature.
Growing up in such environment we were told and made to believe that cat presence are demonic from the underworld and they instilled fear into us, fear of myths and fallacies fully fixed into us from an early age that when we grow older we will find it difficult to take those thought away from us, not even scientific reasons or real life encounter with a lover of cat will change our mind.
I still had this fear in me all through my childhood, but gradually I began to understand that some of this things that they say might not be totally true because I see and watch people on international Station and television play with cats and have them as pets, what then is it with this people and there stiff resentment of this creature. Although the Nollywood ( Nigeria’s movie industry) did contribute lots of damage than expected because they usually use cats in fetish scenes or demonic parts where a person will turn to a cat and hunt there enemy down, or a scenario where a cat will cry abnormally and consistently at a house which will later result to bad luck to that house hold.
All this establish a strong image and impression in the mind of both young and old viewers that cats are bad.
In my neighborhood I did not know of anyone who had cats as pets, mainly dogs were the most common of animals to be seen around because people like dogs a lot and see them as a form of security outside the house, and also to reduce waste food. I made a promise to my self that one day I will try to have a cat or leave with one to see for myself how wonderful or evil this animal is.
This dream and promise came to pass just last year on the 28th of July, 2021,in my final year in the university. A stray cat had given birth to five little kittens in a compound beside my hostel. The owner of the house found the little kittens which have been abandoned by the mother cat and of course being a cat hater, he threw all of them away to the street. Coming back from school I found just one right beside the scrub land, I was astounded by its little eyes and body hair, cute, and feverish, funny enough I could not even tell if it was a male a female but I later got to know it’s a male from a friend online who I sent a picture to and told me it has testicles which make it a male cat. That did not bother me at all, all I knew was I finally get to have a pet and it 😊 happens to be a cat which I have admired a lot for a long time. I thought to my self maybe this will solve my mystery and get to know them for my own self.
I could not just let it wander there till it dies or gets eaten by a bigger prey. I saw this as an opportunity that I have always been looking for, should I take it, should I give it to someone who wants it too before comes and kill it, so any things came through my mind, I did not even plan to have a cat 24 hours ago, where can I get a cage, what will my roommate say or do. I just made a decision. And it was to adopt that cat, it turned out to be the best compromise I have made so far.
I remember when I told my parents that I have a new pet and it’s a cat, they were worried that it might hurt me, my sisters even made jest of that I should never come home again because they felt the cat would have possessed me. My roommate was very worried and also scared of cats, nobody wanted to come close to me or the cat, I had to improvise and make a cheap shelter for him outside the apartment pending the time I have money to get a better cage.
I feed him, had him feel a little comfortable. I was ecstatic, I was really happy 😊, I could not contain my joy 😂 fully, so I always tell people I have a cat but people tend to see that as weird and always tell me how risky and dangerous it is to live with a cat, I tell them if one has hurt them before or they have lived with a cat but their reply is usually NO. Just as the popular saying goes “you hate what you don’t understand”. This is a good example of such statement.
I would not say it has been easy but it has not really been hard caring for cat, I realized all I have been hearing about them are 🤥 lies. They are capable of taking care for themselves, they behave classy at times. Only when hungry or uncomfortable do my cat make unusual sounds or cry which I find funny amusing and funny at times, I jokingly join him occasionally just for fun but make sure I attend to it or give It what it wants.
I have really learnt to care for another creature aside from myself, we have built a bond and connection over a short period of time, it has really been comforting to have a beautiful cat that I thought was evil all this years. Whether I am having a bad day or a good day or I am coming back from work he always welcome me and makes my good day better, and worse day good never minding or judging me.
I have come to a stage were I have changed my perception about cats and I hope other people around me here in Nigeria will gradually see cats in a different way. My friends and relatives have been warming up towards the cat and bit by bit they are already liking the cats more than me.
BY the way the name of my cat is KITTY PERRY, the name was given to him by a neighbor.
Here are some photos of my wonderful cat friend:
I want to thank you for reading my blog, I know I would not regret keeping a cat, and I also encourage others not to ruin the younger generation opportunities of having pets that are as awesome as mine.
Till next time on my blog, bye for now👌👋.
