The Story of our cat, Zorro, his wives and kids (kittens)!

This is our Saadhu Maharaj, Zorro!

Our family's first cat was Koyla (she was a black cat!), who came home on a rainy day! She was with us and entertained us for around 3 years and then fell into our neighbour's well and died. Her story will come later! Everyone knew how she was pampered at our home. After she died, a person who knew how much we missed her, presented us with another black kitten! He was named 'Zorro' by my son!

He was a tiny skinny kitten, very scared about any moving thing. My husband started feeding him so much that he was bored to - forget about running - even move himself. He loved to sit on my lap and if I lifted and cuddled him, talked to him, he used to touch my cheek with his hand, with a happy, small meeyaav sound! In the beginning, he used to open our bedroom door at night, by jumping on the handle, come inside and sleep with us! Slowly, we changed that habit by locking the door and he stopped waking us up at night!

He comes home often with wounds on his face (it looks a bit distorted now with all the war-wounds he had with other male/female cats!) and my husband promptly applies 'Nebasulf' powder on them!

Two years back, we had gone on a holiday tour for around 3 weeks. My son said that whenever he came home, he saw Zorro sleeping on the diwan and another black cat, which we had seen roaming in our backyard sometimes (we had misunderstood it to be his kitten because she was black and small made!), lying on the sofa set or sometimes on the diwan! Both of them must have come in through the netlon window. After we came back, she did not come inside but was visible in our back yard. Then we saw her bulging tummy and one day she came inside through our window with her kittens (carrying one by one with her mouth) and settled down at home with her husband!

This is Ammaakkaari, who invaded our house with her (and Zorro's?!) kittens!

We called her Zorrotti in the beginning (Zorro's kutti) and then changed it to Ammaakkaari after she came home with her kittens! She was a very smart cat. She delivered for the second time in the wardrobe in my son's room upstairs, where we kept old bedsheets. 3 black rat-like kittens. After maybe two or three days, one day she came down the stairs, making some weird sound as if she was trying to convey something to my husband. My husband was looking at her, not knowing what to do. She just started going back up on the stairs, looking back at him. My husband and I followed her. She went and stood in front of the wardrobe. I bent and checked the kittens. One was missing. When I searched for it, I found it under the 3 bedsheets' bundle! I took it out and showed it to her and she was so happy! I could sense it. She just sat with all the three kittens, licking them and feeding them. Who said that the animals don't talk...Ammaakkaari did talk!

This is Ammaakkaari with Zorro, at our backyard!

The above photograph was taken, after her first batch of 3 kittens were almost 2 months old! I had seen a tigress lying down like this in front of a tiger, in a programme in Animal Planet. Ammakkaari was rolling on her back on the ground. Zorro was just watching her!

She delivered twice - 3 black velvet bundles each time and we distributed them to our friends and relatives after the kittens were 2 months old. Kept Nero from the first batch and ET, from the second batch. But they went missing after sometime. They were beautiful black velvet kittens with fluffy tails. Somebody must have taken them home. We sent off Ammaakkaari also to one of our friend's house, because she kept on delivering once in 4 months...phoof!

This is Jinju - Zorro's (known) second wife!

We had seen Jinju, sitting on our compound wall often in the mornings. She was just sitting there, watching the surroundings or dozing till afternoon. Sometimes she used to make some familiar sound, when I went out for plucking flowers in the morning. She was also small-made like Ammaakkaari, when we saw her for the first time.

Once Zorro went missing for 3 days and on the 4th night, came back and asked my husband to open the backyard door (my husband always stands in attention in front of all our pets, whether it was our dog or cats and they used that attitude of his to the hilt! He runs to them to open the door or feed, even when he is watching a 'winning stage' cricket match!). Zorro was standing on the first step, trying to come inside and then my husband saw another cat behind him and it was the one which was sitting on our compound wall! My husband blocked Zorro and said 'nee varathunna vaa, un friend varakkoodathu! (you come inside if you want, your friend should not come in)!' You won't believe, he turned and went off, with the other cat behind him! He came back home after another 2 days, this time alone!

After this incident, the new cat was visible on our compound wall, for another week or so. Then, one day, my husband was standing on the front door steps and the new cat came down from the compound wall and started talking to him. My husband was just watching her. Then she slowly came up, brushed herself on my husband's pant, walked inside the door and my husband turned and saw Zorro standing inside the door, just looking at her! Hmmm...'paavam, irukkattum ithuvum' my husband said (poor thing, let her also be here)! That is how, Jinju settled down in our house! Now she is VERY pregnant and we might have more kittens roaming in our house any day and I can do another 'kitten' post!

This is Zorro and Jinju, relaxing!

I have noticed that the female cats are more ferocious (like female dogs) than their male counterparts. Ammaakkaari used to hit Zorro on his face with her left hand often, when she was bored! Jinju also does it! They do this when Zorro just sits and watch them or when he walks past them! Sometimes they hit him 'tup tup tup' continuously 2-3 times! Zorro just walks off! I have got photographs of Zorro, Ammaakkaari and the black kittens together, in the album of 'Zorro's family'! Have a look and enjoy!

Nero is learning to play guitar, seriously, from his Anna!

More interesting photographs of 'Zorro's family'!

You can also access this album directly and post your comments for each photograph, if you so wish.

Edited to add a new photo of Jinju with her new kittens (18.01.10):

 

Earlier posts of the kittens!