Patches, otherwise known as Kichi, made his way into Pushpa’s life in 2011.
She tells FMT how her sister Thilaga was about to leave the house after a visit, when she spotted a white kitten with ginger patches hanging around at a nearby field.
After a bit of cuddling, Pushpa’s sister left the cat where she had found it and drove off. But the smart kitty located Pushpa’s house and squeezed itself between the wooden door and grill and made himself comfortable there.
“When my brother Rajan returned home, he carried the cat into the house and the rest is history,” says Pushpa, explaining that it was her brother who started calling Patches ‘Kichi’.
According to Pushpa, the little tyke quickly won the hearts of all her family members and grew up to be a smart, handsome, mischievous and loving cat with a territorial side to his nature.
Pushpa says that any male cat passing by her house, even from across the road, used to face the risk of being chased, scratched, bitten or given a stern warning to stay away.
“In other words, he became the ‘don’ of the area, with many female admirers even after he was neutered!”
Pushpa shared the story about how one particular female admirer became very attached to Patches, to the point that they had to feed her and take care of her welfare as well.
The poor cat died in an accident last March, and Pushpa says it was difficult to watch Patches looking aloof but quite clearly feeling totally lost without her for some time.
However, while remaining a ferocious alpha male with the other cats, Patches showed a different side whenever he was around family members, neighbours and children.
“Patches became the lovable neighbourhood cat in no time. He was nicknamed as ‘kucing yang sedap dipeluk’, or the ‘huggable cat’,” says Pushpa, adding that all her neighbours carry and cuddle Patches whenever they can.
Patches also rushes to greet family members when they visit and has even taken on the role of personal bodyguard to Pushpa’s 85-year-old mother.
According to Pushpa, the second her mother steps out into the porch, Patches has his eyes fixed on her. He will get behind her in a flash once she opens the gate to go out and follow her around until she gets back into the house.
“The cutest thing to watch is when he picks a fight with my mum,” laughs Pushpa.
“He will purposely lie down on the broom and refuse to get up or hold onto it tightly while she is sweeping. The tug of war between them is hilarious to watch.”
But when it comes to Pushpa herself, Patches treats her like his mother cat and will often climb onto her left shoulder and rest his head on it. He also likes massaging her legs and shoulders.
“He loves us so much that he often presents us with sparrows and lizards. Once, he brought home a live gecko which escaped and lived in hiding inside my house for a few days, before I located it and chased it out,” she recalls.
She also says that Patches would often keep her company while she worked late nights. When it got too late, Patches would climb onto her keyboard and stare into her eyes, as if signalling to her that it was time to switch off and go to sleep.
He will also station himself outside her bedroom to greet her first thing in the morning, she says.
Patches is now 60-years-old in cat age and has problems urinating because of stones in his bladder – a common problem among male cats. He also has very few teeth left due to old age.
“My darling pet is getting old and is showing signs of slowing down,” says Pushpa sadly.
“But I have made a promise to myself. As long as Patches is around, he will be given all the love, care and the best treatment a cat could ever need. He is family.”
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.