The day my staunch-vegetarian mother asks to bring meat for Mishu

A short story based on true life events 

Akshay Azad 

In her 67 years age, my mother Smt. Pushpa Devi wife of Late Sh. Bansi Lal Sharma had never eaten or even touched any non-vegetarian food item. Even the items such as cakes in which eggs are used were never tasted by my mother. It is unimaginable to think of cooking any non-vegetarian food in our family kitchen. 

Even raw meat was never brought inside our house.  All family members including my mother, late father, one brother out of four, all sister-in-laws and children are so far vegetarian except me and two other elder brothers. Even when doctors suggested my eldest brother Raju Bir, to consume meat when he had a fractured leg, same was separately prepared in a dhaba and consumed there.

The sanctification of the family kitchen was so much maintained by my mother that whenever we would skip dinner, it was obvious that we would eat meat. So the next morning, we were treated outcasts as the last night meat eaters were not allowed to enter the kitchen without taking a bath. 

My mother has been strongly religious and a staunch vegetarian since her childhood but in the summer of 2018, a time came for two months, when she started asking to bring some meat for Mishu.

Mishu was a little kitten, who was found along the divider of Lakhanpur-Jammu highway, just outside my house in the first week of June 2018. To spend few summer vacations at my home in village Chak Gota of Kathua, I had brought my Cat (Kaki) and her two kittens (Chintu and Mintu) to Kathua as there was no one at my rented house in Jammu to feed them.

Left Mishu and (right) the first kitten

In merely two days, Kaki almost got adjusted in the new place. It was the afternoon of first week of June when I had gone to take bath and enjoy swimming in the Kashmir canal, which was on opposite side of National highway from our house. It was almost more than two hours, when my brother called me and said, 

“Your black and white cat has been killed in a fight”.

Though I was aware that Kaki is not black and white but death of any cat made me sad. As I entered the house, my mother complained, “Your Kaki has killed a very docile cat, which used to visit our store in search of rodents”.

In the Bramdah, a black and white coloured cat was lying dead with blood oozing out of her nostrils and mouth. It was indigestible to accept that a cat has killed another cat of same age in a fight but the dead body was testimony for everyone. I sorrowfully picked up the dead cat and threw it into a nearby nullah and mopped the blood stains. My mother was expressing her grief over the killing of a cat, which was very much docile and had never spoiled anything.

In the night once again, I along with my nephew Gaffu, called Kaki and Chintu-Mintu to my bedroom and slept there. As we were sleeping, Gaffu said there were some cries coming out from the store, which was just behind our bedroom room. I ignore his words, considering it the cries of rodents but in the morning, I also listened to cries. 

I opened the door of store and found a little kitten (partially) under a big steel box. The kitten was not even able to walk. When I took it on my hand its cries grew louder, probably the kitten was hungry. It was ascertained that most probably the black and white cat, who was killed after fight with Kaki, had been going to feed her kitten in the store.

The mother of this kitten had already died and it was almost 24 hours since the kitten was fed by someone. The kitten was unable to suck even a drop of milk and it appeared to be merely 15 days’ old. A small piece of cotton was soaked in milk and drops were poured in kitten’s mouth. Four or five times a day, the kitten was given milk with cotton. It was so small that it can easily be caught in my fist.

It was third morning since the mother of this small kitten had died and this kitten had been regularly given milk. Though Kaki was also feeding Chintu and Mintu and when I tried to keep this small kitten under Kaki, she outrightly rejected. Kaki was little uneasy in the surrounding of her new home and in the night, when I had gone outside, Gaffu and Shangi came to me and said, “Kaki had gone outside on the national highway and was not found”.

So along with Gaffu, I went to find Kaki on the national highway. While searching Kaki, we heard some cries and we thought that Kaki had crossed to other side of four lane national highway. So we crossed one side of lanes and reached the divider. Cries were coming out from under a flattened steel billboard of Punjab National Bank (PNB). As I peeped under the billboard, I found another brown coloured kitten, crying louder and louder and was probably searching something to eat.

Now in my mind, all the threads which had spread, after fatal fight between Kaki and another cat, three days back, had been tied together.  Kaki had probably only a little fight with that cat but the mother of these kittens had not died in that fight. It transpired that the mother of these kittens would have been shifting her kittens to a new place and she would have kept her one kitten inside the store and would have gone to bring another kitten. 

When she was crossing to bring the kitten from under the PNB bank’s billboard, she was hit by some vehicle and died.

In my mind, I felt that Kaki had done remorse by saving the life of another kitten of the cat. After few minutes, Kaki was again available in the house. I informed my mother, who very compassionately said, “Give him some milk as the child is hungry for many days. His cries have saved him”.

Now we have two little kittens, which were kept in a cardboard’s box. They were kept in my bedroom during night and routinely given milk with cotton. Even a dropper was also brought to feed them but cotton’s dropper was found more helpful. Till I was at Kathua, the duty of feeding the kittens was on me and when I was planning to return back to Jammu, my nephews and nieces said me to take both kittens to Jammu along with Kaki and Chintu-Mintu.

A dilemma had grappled my nephews and nieces’ mind as who would feed the kittens, after I would have gone to Jammu. Though my mother would have feed them but they were also going to Jamshedpur Tata to attend marriage ceremony of their cousin brother. So the responsibility was finally thrown on the shoulders of Gaffu and Shangi with full supervision of my brother Rajnesh.

My mother returned from Jamshedpur and they took responsibility of feeding kittens. In their absence the responsibility was on my brother Rajnesh, or Gaffu along with Shangi. One day I got a phone call from Gaffu, who told that the first kitten was sucking little milk. Some days later, Rajnesh called me and reported the same matter about the first kitten. I told him to give some meat to him. 

He followed the advice but the condition of first kitten deteriorated. Rajnesh finally brought the kitten to vet, who administered some injections and some medicines but on the second day, this black and white kitten died.

The condition of other kitten, which was found on the third day from the road, was almost good and he had started eating pieces of meat. He was named Mishu and was so friendly with Rajnesh that during evening hours, Rajnesh brought one or two pieces of meat for him, which he ate very eagerly. A cautionary note was also circulated that beware of Mishu, when he was eating meat as he would scratch your hand with his sharp nails.

During evening hours, Mishu waited hours together staring at the gate, for some meat pieces.  Mishu became so friendly with my nephews, my mother, Rajesh, Neha Bhabi that it would climb on anyone’s shoulders. When children were eating dinner, Mishu would be found playing in legs. Mishu used to climb the bed of my mother during night hours. Initially, my mother didn’t allow him on their bed but Mishu was very naughty and kept on climbing again and again.

During night hours, sometimes my mother permitted Mishu to sleep with them. During the day, Mishu used to follow my mother and during evening hours followed Rajnesh, Neha etc. Whenever Rajnesh returned from duties and parked him motorcycle, he used to make a loud call, “Mishuuu...Mitchuuu...” and within seconds, Mishu was in front of Rajnesh.

When Rajnesh was not available in the house, Mishu used to play with children or Neha Bhabi.

Even my second eldest brother Shotu bir, who was once upon a time not fond of cats, had accepted Mishu in the house. Mishu used to give a refreshing experience to children and other family members but for my mother, Mishu was a naughty companion, who always got lovable admonishments from mother for various naughty plays.  All were not happy with Mishu, who used to harass Rubi who was allergic to pets. Mishu used to climb her back, whenever she was sitting for worshipping.

It was the love for Mishu that one day, when I visited my home that my mother asked me to bring some pieces of meat for Mishu. “Eh Besharam Dekhna Rehna Da Gatee Passe.......Kute Ha Ek Do Piece Aani Des.....Dekh Hotel Uper Ole” (This shameful one keeps on peeping towards the gate. Bring some piece of meat from somewhere. See it on the hotel). Though I brought the pieces but it was an unexpected revelation about my mother. For whom meat related items were untouchable for whole life. She didn’t allow us to enter kitchen without bath after consuming meat but she had started asking for the meat for Mishu, a little kitten.

I had only one conclusion over the change of heart of my staunch vegetarian mother’s heart that she is a mother and her love and compassion for Mishu had changed her.

But last time, in the month of August, when I entered the house and took a glass of water and the first thing I asked to my mother, “Where is Mishu?”

With heavy heart and depressing tone, they said, Mishu had died. A big stray cat killed him three days back. Though their eyes had turned moist but they stopped tears from coming out of their deep old eyes. I was shocked and stunned. Since the time, I had started my journey from Jammu and even for days together, I had been longing to meet Mishu. I had one utmost desire of seeing Mishu, taking it in my hands and kiss it with love but all desires are not meant to be filled. My mother told me that Rajnesh didn’t speak for two days after Mishu died.

It was around 10 PM, when a wild cat attacked Mishu near the parking lawn. As everyone was about to sleep, my mother called Mishu but he didn’t respond on that night. Next morning, once again my mother called Mishu and finally asked Rajnesh to find him. As Rajnesh called Mishu, he came out of a side room but limping. 

When Rajnesh catch hold of him, he found that the one hind leg of Mishu was almost torn apart by wild cat. He rushed Mishu to the vet, who gave him some injections but little Mishu succumbed to the major injuries. A pit was dug up and Mishu was buried there. How much the memories of Mishu haunt my mother and family members especially Rajnesh, I am unaware but one day, when I along with Rajensh had passed from the area, where Mishu was buried, Rajnesh sadly said, “Here our loveable Mishu is buried”.