Meowth had the same maternal instincts as me… trying to protect the helpless little kittens from stray dogs and male cats, all by herself. The husband, Pe-ter Pan (so named by my kids because of his flat pan shaped face!) did visit occasionally, only to be aggressively slapped on one cheek by Meowth and as if following Jesus’s teaching, would turn to her the other, get slapped and leave quietly ! He played no role whatsoever in the upbringing of the babies.
Meowth’s job was indeed a tough one. The kittens suckled day and night and drained her out completely. Out in the open, she was forever on her guard, always on the lookout for their enemies. Many a times we thought of bringing them indoors and the times we did, all hell broke loose! They would climb curtains effortlessly, scratch furniture, pee on sofas (making them stink terribly) and make our home a madhouse! So, we decided they were better outdoors! A big shoe box lined with soft linen made for a cute bed for the mom and the babies, in which they slept peacefully for hours in our backyard.
It was 8 pm and the clouds started thundering and it started pouring dogs and cats…where were our cats? We ran out to bring them indoors. But Meowth the wise mom, had probably already hidden them somewhere. We had no clue and slept restlessly that night.
Mr. Sherlock began the search next morning, only to find Brownie and Kallu drenched and shivering under a neighbor’s car. Leo was stuck in the rim of the wheel and Mihir dived under the car and emerged triumphant with a hapless Leo in his arms (and of course mud splattered clothes that would need surf excel!)
All 3 along with mom, barged into our home! They were wiped with towels and their fur was blow dried and the shivering stopped. How glad we were of our achievement of having saved them from the storm and finally they all looked good… for now.
