“She just jumped into my arms,” recalled Sharmila Ravindran, 45, a litigation lawyer who was there with her husband.
“How do you leave a little one like that behind?” That day, the abandoned kitten, Dusky, found not just a home but a place to thrive. “She was so tiny and scruffy, with chunks of fur missing,” the Seremban-born Sharmila shared.
Dusky was likely just a few weeks old, and with no mother in sight, it was clear she’d been abandoned. “We suspect it’s because she’s black. It’s always so sad – black cats are the last to be adopted, and many people don’t give them a chance. People just need to get over their superstitions.”
From the moment she arrived at their condo, Dusky acted as if she belonged. “She wasn’t scared or timid,” said Sharmila. Dusky quickly adapted to her new home, mastering litter training with remarkable ease and charming her way into the family dynamic. “She blended in almost immediately,” Sharmila added.
Now, two years later, Dusky reigns as “queen of the house”, ruling over not only her humans but also the older cat, Pepper. “She bullies Pepper,” Sharmila laughed. “But I think Pepper secretly enjoys having a partner in crime.”
Dusky’s playful personality keeps everyone on their toes. From her nightly zoomies to her obsession with a tattered paper bag, she’s a bundle of energy that brightens up the household.
Admittedly, Dusky is “very naughty, vibrant, and bouncy” given her young age, jumping off furniture and onto tables, unlike Pepper, a cat that’s more concerned with getting enough shut eye.
“She’s destroyed my sofas,” Sharmila admitted with an affectionate sigh. “The entire bottom portion is shredded. And yet, she insists on sitting on a torn paper bag on the dining table, like it’s her throne.”
Dusky’s antics are not limited to her love for destruction. She has a knack for being at the centre of attention. “If I’m giving Pepper too much love, Dusky will plant her whole body between us,” Sharmila said. “She’ll look at me like, ‘I’m the one that you need to look at!’”
Despite her mischievous streak, Dusky has a tender side. “She loves to curl up beside me while I watch TV and purrs endlessly when she sits on my lap. It’s so calming,” Sharmila shared. “Her purring is constant, even if you just touch her. It’s like she’s embracing this life we’ve given her.”
Dusky’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. As a kitten, she once tumbled out of the balcony. “Luckily, we live on the ground floor, but there’s a water feature just outside,” Sharmila explained. “She was petrified, frozen on a ledge. We had to climb out to rescue her. She was trembling but curious, like all cats.”
For Sharmila, rescuing Dusky has changed her life for the better. “I don’t see her as something I own. I’m her guardian. I’m honoured that she has come into our lives, and she brings us so much joy. When I’m with Dusky, I’m not thinking about my worries.”
Sharmila also said Dusky is a reminder that she should embrace life to the fullest every single day. “My husband always says, if we hadn’t picked her up that day, she wouldn’t have survived. But she’s thriving now and she reminds me of the joy of life.”
This article was written by Dinesh Kumar Maganathan @ FMT Lifestyle. Read more pet stories here.
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