Mphaka kupulumutsa

8.10

Cat Day

9 PM

On my way home, I pass by the supermarket and grab a bottle of wine for dinner. It's always busy at our place. Since we have space and enjoy having people around, Lina and my house has turned into a small Erasmus meeting point. Our other two roommates don't mind, and we're happy when we have guests. Today, Curly (or one of the 5 Joaos) went spearfishing, and the others are already cooking at our place. So when I come home, there will already be a lot going on. I enjoy the tranquility of the road for now. There's not much happening on the streets at night. Occasionally, a car passes by or a few people sit in front of a small bar, smoking and chatting, but other than that, it's quiet.

Our house is located slightly outside on a hill behind the university, and I wave to the night guard. Since I've been going in and out of the university for a while now, she knows me. I maneuver past the cars parked on the too narrow sidewalk and check if everything is clear in front of me. People here drive like crazy, especially at night, so one has to be careful.

Next to me, behind the wall, I hear the chickens clucking softly and a cat meowing. As I continue walking, the meowing gets louder. Actually, you can't call it meowing anymore, it's more like the cry of a baby kitten. Probably one of the neighbor's cats had babies. But as I walk along the wall, I realize that the cry is coming from above. A loud, screeching, and desperate cry of a baby kitten. Strange. I believe it's coming from inside the wall, which can't be right. It's common here to stack lava stones as dry walls, making it easy to climb up this wall. I take out my phone, turn on the flashlight, and let's go. I find it about 2.5 meters up. The pitiful cry comes from a small black-and-white kitten that is somehow stuck in a gap in the wall. Its leg seems to be stuck, and it can't get out of the small cave. That's how nature is, I know, but I just can't continue walking and ignore the pitiful meowing. So I try my best, but I can't get the little furball out of the wall. My foot slips, and I can't shine the light properly. Quite frustrated, I finally walk the last 50 meters to our house. I go around the back, and when Lina sees me, she immediately asks what's going on. Curly and Insi also come, and I tell them that I tried to rescue the cat but couldn't do it alone, so we go together again. We climb up the wall and see what's going on. Lina holds me from below while Curly and Insi shine the light, and I squeeze my arm through the gap. There's a fighter stuck here, as my hand is received with a loud growl.

The night guard comes by and shines her light as well. She tells us that she has been hearing the meowing for 3 days, which means that the little one has been stuck there for at least that long, possibly longer. Poor little furball! After much back and forth, I finally managed to free the trembling, growling, and meowing kitten from the gap. Don't ask me how it worked out in the end, but we're all relieved. It's completely frightened, but when we soften some cat food in water, it eats everything until the last bit. We put an old towel in a box and put it inside. The poor little one (It's a boy) is very thin, has fleas, and judging by his bloated belly, he has worms. Poor baby! Tomorrow we'll take him to the vet, but for today, we'll put the box in a corner in my room and hope that he gets some sleep.

In the end, I spend the night on the carpet with Cavy, as we call him, in my hand. He's frightened and mewing and seeking physical contact. But with the warmth of my hand, he soon falls asleep, and I do too. When I wake up on the floor in the morning, I wonder about two things above all. What should I do with you, little furball, and why does something like this always happen to me?

Afterwards, we take our little baby Cavy to the vet. He gets dewormed and treated for fleas. Apart from being very thin, our little one is healthy and probably around 8 weeks old. We also buy eye drops, as his eyes are slightly inflamed, special food for baby kittens, and cat litter, and then we go back home.

Let me introduce you. Mama Lina and Mama Regina with baby Cavy. Oh my!