Have you ever experienced the magic of finding a loved one after you have lost them?

It was lockdown back in 2021, a time where we were all at ease, all at peace with a slow-pace. It was a time that made us realise our true priorities, loved ones topping that list. For me, this meant I had the privilege of spending my dog Fidos last few months with him at home. Putting him down was the toughest decision my family has ever had to make, but seeing the pain fade away from his eyes even as he fought to live on was relieving. We said our goodbyes with tears in our eyes, we talked about how he taught us to love unconditionally, how he's left an imprint of his big furry paws on our hearts forever, how he changed our lives for the better. Little did I know, he would continue to do so from doggie heaven.

It was twelve in the morning, a common time for my siblings and I to sneak into the kitchen and have our midnight snack – something which had grown into an elaborate meal during the lockdown. The smell of freshly toasted bread and smoked salmon flooded the kitchen. I made the sandwiches while my brother and sister poured us some drinks and set the table. We went about our usual commotion quietly, when all of a sudden, we heard the loudest "meow" coming from right outside our window – it sounded like a demand and a cry for help.

A hungry cat making an appearance at my window was new, and I was desperate to make a new furry friend, so I put my Master Chef skills to use, plating some smoked salmon and some bread soaked in milk in a tiny plastic container. I masterfully managed to unlock the three doors that stood between me and the backyard without making too much noise and headed outside. 

I cautiously approached the small white figure from which the sound had originated, trying not to scare it away, the way I usually do. On getting closer, I realised that this cat had either just given birth, or she was about to. Either way, my heart ached, wondering whether she had any form of shelter, and enough food for her and her kittens. I decided to leave the food and retreat so she wasn't scared to eat, but to my pleasant surprise she walked towards me, stopped right by my foot and proceeded to eat while I was still holding the container. No cat had ever welcomed me in their space this way. I decided I would get her a refill and a cardboard box in case she wished to spend the night, and I hoped and prayed that she would be there the next morning.

Not to ruin it for you, but she wasn't.

I was a little hurt, but more importantly I was grateful I got the chance to help her and her little family. I went about my usual routine – online classes, cooking, spending time with my family, but in the back of my mind my new furry friend kept making an appearance, keeping me worried. This went on for a few days, when one morning exactly three days later, my mom gently woke me up and asked me to come downstairs with her. I did the zombie walk, groggy eyed, the sleep fog still floating around my brain, and that's when I heard her. Her distinct "meow", which still sounded like a demand and a cry for help. She sat there making direct eye contact with me, and then shifted her gaze to a bowl filled with bread soaked in milk – clearly her favourite. I took the bowl outside, sat down on the lawn and placed the bowl far away, and waited. Without wasting any time, there she was lapping away to glory.

I sat, admiring her clean white coat and her spotted paws, not realising that she was done with her food and looking at me curiously. Gracefully, she made her way over to my leg and rested against it, and I held my breath scared that even the sound of me breathing might scare her away, but it didn't.

She continued to visit me every morning and evening. She would eat like she's never seen food before and then she would nap like she just had the best meal of her life. This evening however, was different. After my mother and I had given her an evening snack, she did not stroll away to find some shade. Instead, she sat, looking at me expectantly. I do not know why, but I had a feeling that she wanted me to follow her. When I told my mom this, she dismissed it, but instinct took over and I walked towards her. She immediately headed over to the next corner and then waited, prompting me to do the same. Like this, I followed her to one end of my compound and then she did what I dreaded she would do, she jumped the wall. Was trespassing on my to-do list for the day? No, but I was determined. I headed outside my gate and into the side gate of the next compound and there she was, waiting patiently, probably not amused by my lack of skill and flexibility.

I was beginning to settle down next to her, when she did it again. She jumped into the compound of the next apartment. The roles in the cat and mouse chase had been reversed, and she led me across four different compounds and into the parallel street. Following her got me into trouble with two security guards, while I had no phone with me and it was raining, but none of that mattered. She needed me.

I was now in the basement of the last apartment to which she led me, but there was no sign of her. After looking under every car, I asked the security guard if he had seen her, and his response led me to the most shocking realization...
She had led me to her kittens.

He told me that it was in this very apartment that she had given birth, but only two kittens out of a litter of five had survived, and they were somewhere in the building. I looked for hours with my mother, who by this time had located me after speaking with two very angry security guards, but all with no luck. We returned home drenched and dejected, hoping the other two kittens and their mother were okay.

Luckily, the story does not end there, because two weeks later, once I had already headed back to college to write my final exams, I was woken up early by my moms video call, saying she wanted to show me something. Once she flipped her camera, there, on our front porch, I could see two kittens and one very proud mama cat.

A few weeks later, upon taking the cats to the vet we were told that the cats happened to be born on the very day we lost Fido. It's been almost four years now, and the kittens have grown into menaces.

 

As Hindus, we believe that when we lose a loved one, that it takes them thirteen days to complete their journey to heaven. We send them away with food, but it is said that they return to us on the tenth day of their journey in some shape or form to refuel. I didn't even know this, let alone believe it, until my mother pointed out that this beloved cat made her first appearance at home on the tenth day of Fido's journey, and returned on the thirteenth day of his journey when he would have reached his final destination. There is a huge part of me that believes there's a little part of Fido's soul which made its way to the cats.

Fido, the white cat and her kittens continue to shape my life in ways I did not know it could be shaped. It makes me hope that everybody gets the chance to experience their loved ones in unexpected ways, to feel their energy on a random Sunday afternoon, maybe even after they have gotten caught and shouted at for jumping four compound walls. It makes me thankful to have loved something so much that I can still feel it, because after all,  it never truly left. It just found a different door into my life.

This true story was not just a coincidence, it was my ‘once in a blue moon' moment.