4 Dec 2019
Last Sunday towards evening it rained and thundered.
A community cat crouched at the entrance of a bank for shelter. The lashing rain and swaying branches must have been a fearful experience for the one-eyed black & white feline.
A few steps from her by the pillar was a cardboard box, a bowl of water and a bowl of kibbles. This cat has a feeder.
But for a frightened cat in the midst of a thunder storm, the short distance from where she was to her cardboard refuge might as well have been from Jurong to Changi Airport.
Any attempt on my part to comfort her by stroking her might stress her even more because I was a stranger.
So I dedicated a prayer for her well being before I walked on. I knew I wouldn’t be of much help hovering over her in the only spot that she felt safe in. And the last thing I wanted was for her to dash into the rain to avoid me.
After moving away from the cat, I paused at a shop by the cardboard box to look at their window display.
A while later, a man emerged from the shop. He went to the fearful feline who was still immobilized at the bank entrance.
With a few gentle words, he managed to coax her to get up and scurry to her cardboard shelter which happened to fit her snugly. It even had a flap to shield her from curious eyes.
I moved on, very grateful that my wish was granted even if it was a coincidence.
Lisa Ong 