Power of maternal love
I witnessed the ultimate of motherly instinct last Sunday. The neigbourhood tabby has given birth to 2 kittens. One which is greyish in colour, another, bearing a striking resemblance to the mother. I've spotted her pregnant a few weeks ago. As usual, I went forward to have a closer look. The white and brown (WAB) kitten quickly went into hiding. Where? The usual drainage hole that has been always been used since Mrs Dump was around. Come to think of it, the mother could be one of Mrs Dump's descendants. Daughter? Or grand daughter? I think it's most probably the latter.
While the WAB kitten was safely tucked away, the grey one stood its ground with the mother. Perhaps it felt safe in the mother's presence. Perhaps it didn't fear me. They were some 2 metres apart and the mother hissed at me. I didn't pay much attention to it though. But it did struck me that it was very protective of its young. Usually, most cats would have abandoned their kittens and made a getaway. But not her.
I proceeded nearer to the grey kitten which was still crouching down. The hissing grew louder and suddenly, the mother attempted a lunge forward. It was like it was going to pounce forward but self restrain brought it back. I'm sure that it would have pounced forwarded and attacked me, should I take one more step towards the kitten. I decided to leave after seeing it so upset and furious. She inherited Mrs Dump's fur coat but definitely not her nonchalant attitude towards human.
I encountered the kittens again today. The two where on the edge of the drain while the mother was in the drain. Upon seeing my approach, the WAB kitten dashed straight for the hideout. The mother raised its head above the drain and stared at me. Although I could only see its eyes, I could hear its hissing again. As usual, the grey one just remained crouching at the ledge. I walked nearer and squatted down to get a closer look. To my surprise, the grey kitten is blind in its left eye! Sad... I suppose malnutrition is the primary reason. Being mischievious, I decided to give the mother a fright. I feigned a sudden step forward. I expected to run away but it did not. Instead, it hissed even louder and for the first time in my life, I saw the hair on a cat's back standing up. I've seen pictures but none can be compared to the live demonstration.
After that sudden fake attack, the mother decided to seek refuge in the hole as well. Some kind of mother, leaving its vulnerable young in the face of a potential predator. Not quite, it seems. With the mother away in the hole, I moved closer to the grey kitten. It opened its mouth, baring those tiny fangs, an action not unlike it's mother. At first I thought it was meowing but it turns out that it was issuing a warning to me. I could almost laugh. A kitten? Threatening me with a hiss? Even its distant relative which is the king of the jungle has to fled upon sighting humans. What makes it think that it could fend off a human given its puny size?
I crossed the drain and got onto its side. I wanted to circled it and walk to its rear. With its vision locked onto me all the time, it turned its head wherever I went. It must have been to engrossed in watching my movements that it lost balance and fell into the drain. Recovering quickly, it scrambled into the drain hole. With the entire family in the drain hole, there wasn't much I could do and I left quietly.
While the WAB kitten was safely tucked away, the grey one stood its ground with the mother. Perhaps it felt safe in the mother's presence. Perhaps it didn't fear me. They were some 2 metres apart and the mother hissed at me. I didn't pay much attention to it though. But it did struck me that it was very protective of its young. Usually, most cats would have abandoned their kittens and made a getaway. But not her.
I proceeded nearer to the grey kitten which was still crouching down. The hissing grew louder and suddenly, the mother attempted a lunge forward. It was like it was going to pounce forward but self restrain brought it back. I'm sure that it would have pounced forwarded and attacked me, should I take one more step towards the kitten. I decided to leave after seeing it so upset and furious. She inherited Mrs Dump's fur coat but definitely not her nonchalant attitude towards human.
I encountered the kittens again today. The two where on the edge of the drain while the mother was in the drain. Upon seeing my approach, the WAB kitten dashed straight for the hideout. The mother raised its head above the drain and stared at me. Although I could only see its eyes, I could hear its hissing again. As usual, the grey one just remained crouching at the ledge. I walked nearer and squatted down to get a closer look. To my surprise, the grey kitten is blind in its left eye! Sad... I suppose malnutrition is the primary reason. Being mischievious, I decided to give the mother a fright. I feigned a sudden step forward. I expected to run away but it did not. Instead, it hissed even louder and for the first time in my life, I saw the hair on a cat's back standing up. I've seen pictures but none can be compared to the live demonstration.
After that sudden fake attack, the mother decided to seek refuge in the hole as well. Some kind of mother, leaving its vulnerable young in the face of a potential predator. Not quite, it seems. With the mother away in the hole, I moved closer to the grey kitten. It opened its mouth, baring those tiny fangs, an action not unlike it's mother. At first I thought it was meowing but it turns out that it was issuing a warning to me. I could almost laugh. A kitten? Threatening me with a hiss? Even its distant relative which is the king of the jungle has to fled upon sighting humans. What makes it think that it could fend off a human given its puny size?
I crossed the drain and got onto its side. I wanted to circled it and walk to its rear. With its vision locked onto me all the time, it turned its head wherever I went. It must have been to engrossed in watching my movements that it lost balance and fell into the drain. Recovering quickly, it scrambled into the drain hole. With the entire family in the drain hole, there wasn't much I could do and I left quietly.
posted by hg @ 19:19
