Snowy was one of the thirteen cats we had lounging around our house. I only know half of their names. Only Hajar and Bibik can without thinking say all of their names in a heartbeat. There are Tom, Blackie, Manja, Comel, Sandy, Tok Mok (the matriarch), Fluffy, Spotty and all the other names that sound very Indonesian.
Snowy was one of the few that Bibik pampered and gave special treatment to. One couldn’t really blame her for spoiling Snowy since he was such a beautiful and cuddly cat. When all the other cats were securely confined in their enclosure at night, Snowy would get the privilege of sleeping in the comfort of Bibik’s bed.
Snowy fell sick on Friday and took his last breath on the following Sunday morning. Bibik was at his side most of the time trying in vain to nurse him back to health. She couldn’t stop crying when she realized that Snowy was not going to recover at all. Her sobbing stopped and resumed intermittently all day long on Sunday.
I could not help but to feel amused by the fact that Bibik, a 37 year old woman, is much more affected by the death of a cat than Hajar, an 8 year old girl. Hajar too was sad when Snowy got sick. Snowy was also one of her favorites. Whenever she had to be away from home, Snowy would be the one that she would say she missed. But, when I explained to her about the fact of life and death and how a cat’s lifespan is shorter than human, she could quickly accept it. To my amazement, she even tried to comfort Bibik by repeating exactly the same explanation I gave her. And she looked so composed when she informed me of Snowy’s death.
We all loved Snowy. The sight of him sleeping at the front door every time I got home from work, his white fur glowing luminously thanks to the weekly bath given by Bibik, would stay in my mind for a long time. Good bye Snowy! We hope that you enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed yours. You have concluded your destiny and we are still trying to survive ours.
Snowy was one of the few that Bibik pampered and gave special treatment to. One couldn’t really blame her for spoiling Snowy since he was such a beautiful and cuddly cat. When all the other cats were securely confined in their enclosure at night, Snowy would get the privilege of sleeping in the comfort of Bibik’s bed.
Snowy fell sick on Friday and took his last breath on the following Sunday morning. Bibik was at his side most of the time trying in vain to nurse him back to health. She couldn’t stop crying when she realized that Snowy was not going to recover at all. Her sobbing stopped and resumed intermittently all day long on Sunday.
I could not help but to feel amused by the fact that Bibik, a 37 year old woman, is much more affected by the death of a cat than Hajar, an 8 year old girl. Hajar too was sad when Snowy got sick. Snowy was also one of her favorites. Whenever she had to be away from home, Snowy would be the one that she would say she missed. But, when I explained to her about the fact of life and death and how a cat’s lifespan is shorter than human, she could quickly accept it. To my amazement, she even tried to comfort Bibik by repeating exactly the same explanation I gave her. And she looked so composed when she informed me of Snowy’s death.
We all loved Snowy. The sight of him sleeping at the front door every time I got home from work, his white fur glowing luminously thanks to the weekly bath given by Bibik, would stay in my mind for a long time. Good bye Snowy! We hope that you enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed yours. You have concluded your destiny and we are still trying to survive ours.
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