This week marks 3 years since we brought home Barfi, our beautiful mackerel tabby. Barfi, and Laddu, our calico kitty, are the stars of our home. Many of our decisions around the house revolve around them – and rightly so, I might add.
Barfi was found by a friend of mine, hiding in the bonnet of his car. Presumably the little kitten had been separated from his mother, so he was left in the verandah for a bit to let the mama come pick him up. But despite his constant cries, no cat came. I was more than happy to take him in. I’d always wanted a cat, I spent a lot of time drawing cats, people even gifted me cat-themed stuff on occasion. It felt like a dream come true.
He was so small and frail we couldn’t really tell if he was male or female. We considered a lot of names – fictional characters, typical Indian pet names, even tiger themed ones considering his vivid stripes. In the end it was my brother who suggested Barfi after looking at a box of sweets we’d received for Vijayadasmi, keeping it gender neutral and appropriately silly enough for a silly household cat.
What a learning experience the next 12 months would be! We got vaccines, certificates, tried out so many types of litter, food, and treats. We paid for nail trims in the beginning, which feels absurd now given how comfortable I feel doing trims myself today. We got him a leash to take him out on walks within our apartment, and discovered which neighbours loved cats – and which ones would scream and back away. We discovered that he is rather stoic and watchful, and enforces a strict bedtime by whining and yelling until we all go to sleep.
In about a year we realised it would be better to get a second cat, and so we brought home Laddu, appropriately named to keep with the sweet naming convention. In contrast to Barfi, Laddu was indoor from birth, and was one of 3 in a litter. I am partial towards calico patterns and was happy to bring her home.
When we took little Laddu to get her first vaccinations, we expected her to be exactly like Barfi – he was scared, protested a little, but basically froze when he was being injected. Laddu, on the other hand, squirmed and screamed and actually had to be held down by 3 people for her vaccination. She was only 7 weeks old, and super fiesty!
When Laddu was still a little kitten, the sight of food being served would turn her into some sort of feral monster. She would chomp down kibble at a rate that made you think she had never been given food before, sometimes growling a little. She would also push Barfi away and eat the adult cat kibble from his plate. Barfi would politely oblige, just watching her eat. This happened often enough that we tried feeding them separately. It made sense given that she was part of a litter and probably had to jostle her siblings for food. Eventually she grew out of it and now is more comfortable sharing food. Although she will still growl when she hears the doorbell or is taken away from the dining room.
However, we quickly realised that she is the sweetest, most affectionate cat you will ever meet. Barfi likes being petted on his own terms. He’ll accept some rigorous petting from time to time but then would prefer to be left to his own devices, merely tolerating being petted during this time. Laddu, on the other hand, practically demands being petted. She will whine softly if she hasn’t been petted in the last 10 minutes. She will stare at you expectantly until you ask her to come for “pets,” at which point she will gallop onto the table and headbutt your hands with full force. She will gently boop your nose if you go close to her, greeting you in cat fashion. I always say she is a well mannered cat who follows cat etiquette, unlike the more rough edged Barfi.
Even though I’ve lived with cats for 3 years now, I can’t say I’ve had enough drawing them. My sketchbook is filled with sketches of the pair. They are a constant source of laughter and inspiration. Part of the joy, I think, comes from the fact that we’ve been able to watch these little palm sized creatures grow into 5kg hairballs with loud opinions and louder personalities. And naming them after sweets reminds me of how sweet life has been with them.
