I lost my cat today

I called him Sunset because of his golden fur. The day we met, it was a few minutes after seven and I was returning from the supermarket. My head was clouded, my heart filled with pain. I was mourning the end of a close bond with a friend.

I was strolling into my estate, when I heard a rustle in a bush. I saw a shadow moving towards me so I jumped away in fright, thinking it was a rat or worse a snake.

Under the street light, It revealed itself to be a cute little kitten trying to find its way, looking lost.

My heart was filled with immediate love and empathy. I reached out for it and carried him home in my dress.

When I got home, I fed it sardines, that unfortunately didn’t sit well in his stomach . He ended up soiling my room with watery shit and it made me so mad, I thought of letting him go.

The next day, my housemate saw him and shook his head.

“Bella, free this cat, you can’t take care of it” He appealed

The cat was tiny, fragile, thin. And I had no prior plans to nurture a cat.

So we took him outside and placed him on the floor, giving him his freedom. We watched as the cat played in the grass. It rolled and stretched. He ran miles round the yard, but he didn’t run away. After a while, he got tired, strolled to me, rubbed his head against my feet as if saying

“Thank you, I like it here”

I made a decision to keep him. I gave him a proper bathe, created a bed and got him a litterbox.

Sunset was a pleasure. He didn’t disturb or scare people away. All he wanted was food and cuddles. His appetite was manageable, he enjoyed eating chicken, sausages and rice. He loved climbing, staring out the window and playing in the grass.

His Death

I left him in my housemate’s care for the holidays when I travelled home to Delta.

Why?

Because unfortunately most Nigerians don’t have a friendly attitude towards cats. I knew there will be chaos if I brought him on the ride home with me. I would hate to hear ignorant comments on how cats are witches and use to spit in people’s eye.

I journeyed back to Lagos on the 4th, because I couldn’t wait to see how he was faring. I’d left him alone for too long and was feeling terribly bad.

When I saw him, he was so fat and thique, I actually danced for joy. I cuddled him till his purring rhymed with my heartbeat. He was happy to be close to my chest and I was happy to be home with him.

* * *

I carried out a lot of tasks today, had work meetings, went to the bank, visited the market, cooked two different meals, and deep cleaned.

By 8:27, my back was aching, bent over with stress from all the physical activities. I plated food for Sunset to eat and I retreated to my room to have a nice cold shower.

I was washing my face when I heard a rapid knock on my door. I decided to ignore it but the person persisted, so I stepped out of the bathroom.

“Who is that?” I asked

I couldn’t really hear what the person was saying but I made out -

“Come, the cat has entered into the mattress”

Hearing this, I assumed the cat made his way into the tatters in the bed that gave entry into the inner foam. In trouble but not dead.

I told the person to give me a few minutes to finish in the bathroom. Then, I heard retreating footsteps.

I finally got out of the bathroom and hurriedly wore a dress. I rushed to the common area, only to find the mattress flat on the floor, my cat underneath it.

The mattress in question belongs to one of my housemates. It was placed in the common area because she planned to give it up for sale.

It is a heavy king sized bed weighing over 100 pounds. I tried to move it initially when I was cleaning and I could not.

Before now, the mattress was placed in a upright position, leaning on the wall for balance.

Earlier, I found Sunset climbing it and I ordered him to get off because I didn’t want him to damage it. However I heard from my new housemates that he liked to sleep at the top and there hasn’t been any issue so far.

Stupid me!

Call it adrenaline, call it motherly love but I lifted that mattress alone in one move. I did a sweep on the surface with my hands trying to feel for where the cat laid.

When I touched his body, I knew.

I immediately got a knife and tore open the mattress. But it was too late. He was crushed and suffocated.

The imagery will never leave me. His eyes were still open and I could see the trauma in his face. His body was so limp and weak. I couldn’t control the tears as I brought him out. I’ve never seen something so stiff and lifeless. So dead!

I wish I cuddled him more. I wish I spent more time with him. I wish I had more motherly instinct, maybe he wouldn’t have died this gruesome way.

Sunset,

I’m sorry that I let you down. You were full of life, you were fun, smart and knew how to defend your boundaries without hurting anyone.

People will say you were just a cat. Fuck them because as I ripped that mattress trying to save you, I realized that I love you more than I imagined. I’ll still love you even in death.

You didn’t deserve to go this way.

RIP Sunset/Ginger/Simba. You went by many names because you were loved by many people.