Childhood memories: (2) cats

When I was a child, my family was poor in the countryside.

When I was three years old, my mother made a decision and borrowed money to buy a house. It's not a bungalow, it's a row of two-story buildings, a row of six households, and five rows of buildings before and after. Two adjacent families are divided into independent courtyards with brick walls or fences. The blank wall between the first floor and the second floor reads the slogan: unite and strive for greater victory!

There are many rats in the countryside, and many families keep cats. Cats have been coming to my house for as long as I can remember. There is a saying in the countryside: "A cat grows taller in a year, and a dog comes in a year." Therefore, every time a cat comes to our house, we are happy to take it in.

I didn't know until I grew up that cats are very cloudy animals, especially black cats.

It is said that cats are treacherous officials and dogs are loyal officials. I also found that every time I came to see a cat, it was after I cooked fish at my house. But I still like cats and treat every cat with heart.

I don't know why, all my cats are female. As far as I can remember, there are three.

one

I was about five or six years old when civet cats came. I can't remember when she got pregnant and gave birth to a litter of lovely kittens. The newborn kitten's eyes are closed, and it takes about ten days to open them. I especially like one of them.

Mother wasn't at home that day, and the civet was probably hungry. They went out to look for food, perhaps for fun. They didn't come home most of the day, so the kittens were hungry.

I am in a hurry. I picked up my beloved kitten from the nest with both hands and slowly came down from the second floor. I'm afraid it will fall from my hand and hold it tightly. At this time, my mother got the civet cat back.

I quickly put the kitten in front of the civet, but the kitten was already dead. My mother scolded me, saying that I shouldn't take my kitten downstairs, and I strangled her.

I feel particularly uncomfortable. I want to take it to find mother cat. My starting point is good. I'm afraid it will starve to death.

I was sad for a long time, and I still feel guilty when I think about it.

two

When the black cat came, I was at school, about grade two or three. When it first came, it was just an underage kitten.

Soon, it became familiar with me. When I eat, no matter where I sit, it squats and stays with me. Mother said that it was too small to eat large pieces of food, so she had to chew it up before feeding it.

Once I ate fried leek at home, I chewed it up and fed it mouth to mouth. It really opened its mouth and took it. From then on, no matter what I eat, I feed it mouth to mouth. It is happy to hold it and never bites me.

I will catch mice when I grow up, but my mother won't let me feed them with my mouth. But I still love it. It sticks to me. Get into bed and let me hug you when you sleep. Children are forgetful and often forget to feed them. They are still very close to me. Fortunately, cats in the country can catch mice by themselves.

What moves me most is that it knows how to protect me.

Once, my sister and I invited our little friend Lily to my house to play, and we all lay on the kang joking. There is a kang cabinet at the end of the kang (far from the stove), and the cat is hidden in the gap under the kang cabinet.

After joking for a while, we began to tear wildly on the kang. Just then, the black cat rushed out from under the kang cabinet, quickly bit Lily's forehead, then quickly jumped to the ground, stared at her round eyes and squatted there watching us warily.

I suddenly realized that I might be helping me, so I asked my sister to pretend to hit me. I shouted for help on purpose. The black cat quickly jumped on the kang, bit her sister's shoulder, then quickly jumped to the ground and continued to stare at us on the kang.

I'm so happy that the black cat actually knows how to protect me, and it didn't hurt it in vain at ordinary times!

After that, I like it better.

But before long, it died!

It seems to have been poisoned by rat poison. I feel terrible! I want to cry and find a grave for it, but I dare not for fear that my mother will scold me.

I don't remember what the black cat did in the end. Unfortunately, it was not buried properly.

three

Yellow cat came to my house when I was in grade five or six.

She was already an adult female cat when she came. Spring has come, and its belly is getting bigger and bigger. Mother made a nest for it with a cardboard box, covered it with an old quilt and put it on the floor in the back room.

In the former countryside, this was already a very high treatment.

The yellow cat doesn't seem to like its new nest, and takes my bed as its nest.

One night, it jumped on the kang again and got into my bed. The next morning, I woke up in a daze and vaguely heard a kitten barking under the covers. I quickly uncovered the quilt. Oh, my God, the yellow cat is licking two wet newborn kittens!

Fortunately, my mother didn't scold me, but also gave my mattress to the yellow cat and spread it in its new nest. Mom's yellow cat finally stopped crawling under my bed, but licked its child every day and fed it. When someone approached, it immediately became alert and issued a warning sound in its throat.

Later, the yellow cat gave birth to a litter of kittens and gave them away when they were a little older.

Later, the yellow cat disappeared.

Because "you can't see a cat alive, but you can't see a corpse when you die", we think it may have been lured away by someone's delicious food.

Since then, there has never been a cat in the family.