A Year with Cats

 Growing up in a rural area (not a village but a small city), I was quite familiar with many animal species. Among them, sheep, goats, and cows were generally everywhere. I have a very clear memory of going to see a herd of sheep and goats on a nearby mountain area with my cousins. The shepherd did not have a felt cloak because Cizre where I grow up is a warm even hot city and the shepherd goes to his own home after sunset. Not seeing a felt cloak was disappointing because one of my favorite songs in Kurdish at the time was called “Çuxe min” which literally means “My felt cloak”. However, the whole experience was fascinating to me. Seeing sheep grazing on grass, the shepherd having a sandwich-like lunch and the way animals recognize their homes when they are in the city for a child was a new world.

The horses were around too, not as artists like BoJack, but as a sort of very primitive transportation method to transport small freight inside city. While Henry Ford said that “If I’d asked people, they would have wanted faster horses” around a 100 years ago and the cars arrived in my city, the main in-city freight transportation method was horses. The horses were the scariest animals. They were big, fast, noisy and unpredictable. I have never been close to one in my life.

Then there were rare insects, mice, rats, frogs and rarely sneaks. I did not like them. The rats were very disgusting; the sneaks were frightening and nobody liked insects and flies. Sleeping outside during the summer, we had to be innovative to protect ourselves from mosquitoes.

As pretty much every place on earth has, we had various birds as well. Among them, only the pigeons were somehow domesticated, they were on our neighbor’s roof had been fed every day and sometimes sold. Good that we had phones and postal offices, we did not need to use pigeons as the primary communication method. Of course there were swallows too. They tend to nest on our trees. Small, beautiful and not domesticated, I loved them growing up. The funny thing about the swallow is that they are called “hacireşk” in Kurdish. The direct translation would be “Hadji Black” referring their migration to south during winter. People believed that they visit Islam’s heart at Mecca (which is southern) and fulfill one of the most important Islamic divine services. People who do that during Eid al-Adha are call Hadji. So, they are also called Hadji because of that belief.

We had a few pets. One of them was a duck. I loved her. She was not very happy in our garden because she did not have enough water pond area to play around. She was angry, often fought cats and other small animals. She was a good recycling machine I’d say. She ate up many leftovers from our meals. We also had many chicks. They were yellow, fluffy and cute. I remember wanting to hug them. Many would die prematurely because of the reason we never understood. So, we decided not to have them anymore as we only managed to have only one of them grow up and become a rooster, not a chicken in the end. It was sad for my mom because he could not provide us with fresh eggs.

Among all these animals, I could hardly touch chicks for a short while and I always felt so weird feeling the animals’ body warmth. I always liked animals from far. For me they were dirty, they pose health risks, and they were very unpredictable which could bite or scratch me at any time I touch them. Filling up myself with these fears, I was hesitant to touch them my whole life.

But this year, the uncomfortable feeling when touching an animal came to an end because I met some of the most beautiful animals on earth. In this short memory I want to write about them.

Having lived on the first floor of a gardenless building, I practically could see the street every day. One day, a white female street cat came nearby the window where I cook. We gave her a little chicken we were cooking, and she ate. I decided to buy some sausages from a market nearby and give them to her next time in case we don’t have any cooked food. And she came again. I gave her a small sausage. She took the sausage and ran down a small hill across the street and got lost in our vision. 10 mins later, she came back and waited in front of the window. We gave her more sausages. But she took one and ran down again. And again, and again. The same process was repeated several times. First, we suspected that she did not feel safe or she is shy out there and she preferred to eat somewhere else. Then when she kept repeating the process, we thought she might be carrying food for her kittens. I tried to watch her till the end of the path she was taking to see her kittens and directly give them food, yet it was impossible because of the trees and the construction on the other side of the street. This process kept going for a few days and we wanted to see the kittens so much. Because their mom was so beautiful, we were wondering how beautiful her kittens are! And talking about her kittens and calling this beautiful mom as their mom, we gave her this name: “Their mom”. Till this day when we talk about her, we say  “their mom”. She was the first cat to visit our home, the first one to get used to us and the first that we fed. I don’t remember if I pet her, but I remember that I felt very comfortable around a wild/street animal for the first time. Also, she was the first cat to leave us, and we still don’t know where she is.

The Kittens aka Ksush, Ali and Natash:

One day, with M’lady we were taking a walk around the neighborhood. We wanted to come back home near the path Their Mom takes. There was a kindergarten, it was weekend and the kindergarten was closed. We heard a meowing voice. We checked the kindergarten. There were three shy and small cats. They wanted to come to us, but they were hesitating. I ran to buy sausages from a shop. We knew that at least now they eat sausages because Their Mom brought them over and over again. When I came back, M’lady was trying to call them and pet them over the fence of the kindergarten. Of course they were still hesitating. But we gave them food and now we knew their location. When we were leaving one of them tried to follow us, we were scared because there were also street dogs around. We fed them there for two or three days. But one day we saw them somewhere even closer to our home. There was an abandoned green garden next to my building. It was at the other side of our building. And the kittens with Their Mom came out of there. All together. We were thrilled! And we bought them some nice food and fed them. They came to us, we pet them, played with them and they got used to us a lot. But eventually we went home and the other day we decided to feed them and play with them.

After this day, they became an integral part of my life. I would call them, and they would come from far away, running towards me to be fed and pet. They were three beautiful, nice siblings. I called my favorite one Ksush, as short for Ksenia, because I know a little child from Omsk named Ksenia and she is so cute as well. The black and white one was Ali, because he was stretching all over the street just like Ali I know and I made fun of. Sorry. And Natash, she was not too friendly at first, and she loved eating. I know my friend Natasha, if she reads this, will be very angry, but I never meant to be offensive, she was called Natash because we had a friend called Natash.  Ali and Ksush left us one day, we have no idea where they’ve gone. Never saw them despite looking for them and worrying about them all the time.

But Natash stayed. Initially she was not as excited as her siblings when I called her. But later, she became our cat, our baby. In cold winter nights, I took her in home, and she wanted. I cannot explain how happy I was when she was sleeping safely and going out in the morning with me when I was going to work. As if she knew that she must get up and go, she was up before me and meowing in front of my bedroom\, waking me up like a rooster. Whenever she needed to go to toilet, I didn’t now buy one because I only let her inside when it is a cold night, she would want to go out from balcony, when she was done, she would come back calling me to let her inside again. Natash was with me the whole year, the memories of her would be as long as a book, if I want to write them all. I just want to say that she was my favorite cat on earth, and she could never be replaced. I tried to make people adopt her; I could not manage. I hope when I am back, I will find her again. Being the most clever and friendly cat, Natash was the cat that opened my heart to a new type of love. I will always be glad to her.

The Broken Leg and Small Small:

Broken leg was the most thankful cat out there. We called her Timur first and we wanted to have her leg fixed. But the veterinarians informed us that despite an operation they cannot really fix her leg. She was almost born disabled. At least when we saw her, she was like that, and I think she might be just 5 weeks old. But she was a happy cat. She was loudly happy when you pet her and give her food, she was dying for attention and playing games, but she never behaved badly. She was just happy to be around and given attention. Because of her leg, she would not go far, and she would come back whenever you call her. She would eat, sit a little next to the window even if she is not hungry or doesn’t want to play. Once she was fully content, she would go to the same garden next to the building. The last days before her departure, she was bigger, and she was more adventurous. She was out, playing and trying hunting. As if she was someone I brough up, I was feeling proud that despite her leg, she was surviving and trying her best. The last time I saw her was very late at night, I was coming back from a meet-up. I fed her, pet her. She was so happy that I didn’t want to go sleep until I was tired. Yet, after this night I have not seen her at all. I never wanted to believe that something bad happened to her and I still hope to see her one day (even though I have no idea how that’s possible).

Small Small was her sibling. She was very small when we saw them, I think they might have been abandoned prematurely. Small Small never came up with her fear so she never was anywhere near us. After some time, while Broken Leg stuck around, she left. We called her Small Small, well, you can imagine why.

The Big:

We had an on and off relation with Big. First, I thought she was male, then realized she is actually a female cat. She was around Natash and other kittens, but she was not their mom. She used to hate people, but in the end, she got used to us so much that she was the first one coming when we called her. We called her Big because she was bigger than Natash and her siblings. Before I left, she was a mom, but I never saw her kittens. She was a lone wolf for a long time and a survivor. She left her mark by being a cat that what people think of cats. She was not like Natash and Broken leg. But Big was with us for a year too. Together with Natash they never left even though some days you would not see her at all.

Big Gitler:

Okay, you might find this a bit too much for a cat, but there was a male cat who ate up everything we put there even for other kittens. This cat was not friendly and was old. He came to the same place wandering around, eating. Then he disappeared. The story of his name is that he had an exactly Hitler-like moustache (black on his white face). Why big, you might ask? Well, because he was bigger than all the other cats around.

Female Gitler:

Just like Big Gitler, the Female Gitler had a small black mustache like mark over her lips. She was much like Their Mom. She used to come to the window, waiting for us to give her solid meat. Mostly sausages, salami or chicken. She never liked cat food we bought from the shop (none of them). She was pregnant for a while, and we realized that she gave birth at some point. After she gave birth, she used to come near the house to relax for a short time. I guess she was tired of breastfeeding her kittens. The most interesting thing about Female Gitler was not having a mark over her lips. She would come near the window, sometimes very early in the morning, and just look inside the house and wait for someone to realize her and feed her. Unlike Natash and many other cats, she never sniffed around the bowl we put out there and never meowed for food. She would just silently watch and stay still until she receives some food. After some point, she stopped coming by. But she was by far the most well-behaved cat I saw last year.

New:

After Natash’s siblings and Small Small left, the neighborhood was all for Natash, Broken Leg and the Big for a long time. We were happy with the three of them. Then one day, a fully gray cat appeared. From the first day he was very friendly, he jumped on balcony, asked to be a pet and loved. Even though Natash was with me from the beginning, he was more friendly than Natash. Because for a long time we had not seen any cats, we called him New. He was the new addition to our cats, the people in the building and the office in front of our building also loved New together with Natash and Broken Leg. They became a trio for a long time. One time, Natash was sick and taken to veterinarian by another person from the Office in front of us and I didn’t know where she was for days, New was one of the consolations I had because I never thought I would lose Natash until that day when she was taken. New became friends with everyone so easily and left unexpectedly one day. He was loveable, independent, adventurous and knew how to be friends with people, that is why I never suspected that he would have any problem. I always thought he just migrated.

Pushestyi:

Pushestyi, or as in English Fluffy. A very strange cat. Pushestyi was black, so fluffy that you would not believe that he was a cat. Two days I saw her in a garden, watching around. Only one time she came near the window as I think she was wondering what other cats would do there and she ran very fast once she realized that I was approaching. I have not seen her anywhere around. But she was well and very beautiful. Some people might have taken her because of that.

Rijiy:

Rijiy was a big orange male cat. After Snow, he was the Lion around there. He was with many female cats, but by the time he came, they were all pregnant already. He got used to us thanks to Natash. He was a lone wolf as well. He often fought with other cats, and you could see scars on his neck. I only hope that he doesn’t get too injured one day. One time when I saw his neck, I could not relax all week. I had nightmares the same night, but eventually when I saw he was gradually getting better, (despite trying to take him to a vet, he would never be caught) I was relaxed. Rijiy had a nice round orange-like face, he was a little angry but charismatic.

Snow:

Came with broken leg in a snowy day, and Snow became father of many cats this year. In February and March, he called for mating, and he was fighting with other male cats for domination. He dominated the area around for a long time. In snowy cold days, I gave him food somewhere safe so that he won’t come and fight with Natash at home. He was all white with yellow eyes, very beautiful male cat that you wanted to hug. He had some problems with his legs because he was fighting with Big Gitler and Rijiy. I remember the day he tried to seduce Natash and Natash was taken by him. He was confusing our baby Natash, but we loved him a lot. His beautiful round face never appeared again after he mated. While broken Leg left quite before him, he never brought Broken Leg back. He was like a replacement. But when he left, he didn’t bring back our beloved Broken Leg.

Remedios La Bella:

Remedios La Bella, for me, was the most beautiful cat I have seen. That’s I called her Remedios La Bella, or as in English Remedios the Beauty from the one Hundred Years of Solitude. She was living not far from the house, but she always made herself scarce. She never went to eat from the bowl. She came to the window and called us to give her food. Once she was full, she would go back, not playing around or caring about Natash or other cats. The last days, I was taking a journey to find her because it was obvious that she gave birth. I was so excited to see her babies, but I never saw them despite going very near her area. She is still the most beautiful cat in the world. Remedios after Natash was my favorite cat. Even though I had not hugged her once.

Black:            

We called this cat black, because he was the only fully black cat all around the neighborhood. Contrary to the superstitions, whenever we saw him, we felt lucky, because he was as beautiful as Snow, which had his round face and yellow eyes. He rarely came to eat, fought with Natash (actually Natash attacked him because she was worried that the Black might come near her kittens). Black ran away after Natash fought him. I think before I moved out, he came only one more time and ate a little food. He never asked for food, he only was eating what was already there.

Tuman:

Tuman or as in English the Smoke, came to eat the food from the bowls we put in front of the window. He never wanted to have a relation, never let us approach him, he hesitated when we called him to come and eat, or when we put food out there near him. For a week we saw him, we were constantly worried that he does not eat enough because he was slimmer than other cats. He had nice gray and smoky hair. His hair was like Ankara’s sky in winter, but contrary to the sky of Ankara, he was very beautiful. We could not even go near him when he was eating, because he would immediately run away.

New Rijiy:

New Rijiy was a new, smaller and thin orange cat. He only came by three or four times to eat. His hair was not completely orange. I think he just came by accident and when he saw there were many cats in the area he left. We just saw him for a few days and fed him. He just disappeared one day.

Female New:

A cat the same a New once appeared in the neighborhood, we thought New re-appeared. We were happy, yet, after we saw her second time, it was obvious that the cat was a female. So, she could not be New. She also hung out with Natash and other cats. She was nice, but never too friendly like New. She got pregnant at the same time Natash was pregnant, before Natash gave birth, the Female new left the area. I guessed she was just looking for a safer place. I always wondered whether she had babies from Snow. Gray and white cats match, their babies must be breathtaking. I have neither seen her nor her babies in the last days of my time in Ankara.

Natahs’s Babies aka Columbus and Murlenka

I just want to say they were Natash’s babies, and it should be enough to understand how much I loved them and how beautiful they were. We called one Columbus, because he wanted to go out of the house we prepared even when he was 2 weeks old. He was very courageous and wanted to discover the world. His sister Murlenka was more hesitant, but she cuter than her brother. As one of our favorite deserts was Marlenka cake from Russia, we decided to call her Murlenka as she was always saying ‘mirrrrrr’. They had the most beautiful eyes on Earth. I did not want to leave for my new work because I felt I left them even though Natash was doing an amazing job taking care of them and they were quite big and well-fed. There is not one day that I do not think about them.

Last Words

The very last minute I had outside my home at 7 a.m. in the morning, I had a last chance to look at Natash and her babies. They were calmly sleeping under a short tree’s branches. When she heard my noise, she got up but recognized me and did not mind. I said goodbye to them. Three beautiful black and white cats that I never thought would have a connection. I was sad, not devastated, because they were not too dependent anymore and my brother would continue to provide food for them for another two weeks at least and then I was hoping some other people would do it. Yet, I still miss them. At least I want to see Natash again, I don’t want to think that I will never see her again. The first thing I will do when I’m back in Ankara, I will go back to the same place and look for Natash. After this year, I am more comfortable with other cats too. But throughout the year, I said that we will never have cat inside the home, I would not let them go to bed etc. But I let one of them on my bed and inside the home, because they are so beautiful and they need care and help. They, especially Natash, showed me a new world of love.