Many of us are too cynical to believe in luck. In fact, we call those who believe in luck superstitious.

But this certainly is not the case for Aimi, who encountered her lucky charm in the form of a calico cat.

As calico cats normally have three colours, predominantly white with orange and black patches, they are also almost 100% certain to be female.

“Some Asians believe that these calico cats bring good luck, but no one mentioned anything about the presence of this luck if the calico cat has a bad kink in its tail,” said Aimi.

“According to veterinary wisdom shared with me, such tails are the result of too much inbreeding.”

But to Aimi, Cumiee was a beautiful calico kitten, and she paid no mind to whether she was inbred or unlucky.

Cumiee had come to Aimi’s back door one night, wobbling as she walked. Aimi had ventured a guess that Cumiee was probably about three weeks old at the time, as her ears were already upright.

And, upon closer inspection, Aimi found that Cumiee had not a tail but “a crooked, short piece of bone pointing towards her furry back”.

“She mewed pitifully, but I did not have any kitten milk and could not rush out to buy any as it was already late at night,” recalled Aimi sadly.

Fortunately, Aimi managed to administer some water to Cumiee through a syringe.

“The next morning I went to the veterinary clinic and bought a tiny feeding bottle and a small tin of pet milk to bottle feed her. She drank the milk hungrily as I played cat mother.”

Unfortunately, the milk did not agree with Cumiee and she developed diarrhoea.

Aimi recalled thinking that Cumiee would lose the fight to stay alive, but something wonderful happened.

“One of the female cats that had started out as a visitor had decided to give birth at my house,” said Aimi.

“With plenty of mummy hormones coursing through her, this normally unsociable cat accepted Cumiee to feed together with her own brood. So Cumiee was saved!”

But all of that happened 10 years ago, and Aimi now has “an aged and sometimes moody Cumiee” who still remains very sensitive, especially about her tail.

“If she thinks you are giving her food to another cat, she will run away to sulk,” said Aimi with a laugh.

And when Cumiee is angry, Aimi related that the calico is good at giving repeated lightning slaps and sometimes does it on unsuspecting victims who happen to pass by her.

In fact, when Cumiee is in one of her terrible moods, the male cats would avoid her and become jumpy.

“Looking at her, you wouldn’t believe that she has such a temper! It’s like that Malay saying ‘pijat semut, semut pun tidak mati’, meaning that Cumiee wouldn’t be able to crush an ant on any other day but when she’s in a bad mood, she not only hits out but also lets out piercing screams!”

But Aimi insisted that beneath all those bouts of temper tantrums, lies a sweet and protective nature.

According to Aimi, Cumiee just craves attention and wants to be treated like a princess; her food must be served separately on a different container and her drinking water must be direct from the tap.

Despite all this, Aimi knows that Cumiee’s temper is just a cover as she feels like an outsider and not part of the bigger family… until one funny incident.

“One day, I left two pulasan fruits on the table. I was amazed to see three of my cats with their heads all close together, apparently banding together to investigate the fruits!

“They were Cumiee, her surrogate mum and her son. No evidence of bad feelings!”

Though all the cats loved the fruit’s scent, the one who enjoyed it the most was Cumiee, who lingered the longest and even rubbed her chin on the fruits with eyes closed in sheer bliss.

“I had never seen such a thing before and couldn’t help but laugh,” said Aimi.

“She may be an unfriendly girl at times, but I still love my old calico cat that has been with me for so long. She is my colourful companion, and my living, screaming, feisty lucky charm.”

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.