We first met her on Sept 28 last year, a Monday, when my sister decided to bring home a little lost kitten she had found. This was not the first lost kitten she had encountered but for some reason, she felt drawn to pick it up. We therefore consider it destiny that this kitty came into our midst. We would name the kitty Bella.
Bella looked frail, thin and in distress the night she arrived. Who wouldn’t be, if you were separated from your mother at such a young age. The vet said she was just about a month old. She did not know how to lick up milk from a bowl, so we had to feed her with a feeding bottle.
I bundled her up in a "Good morning" towel and snuck her into the house for a short while. It was not difficult to keep her unnoticed as she was so tiny.
Exhausted little Bella dozed off in my hands within a few minutes, that night. Despite being more of a dog person my whole life, I was already in love with this little bundle.
Over the next few days, the minute I got to my parents’ house, I would rush over to Bella’s kennel to see how she was doing.
Every day, I snuck her into the house. Sometimes my mother would notice and disapprove. But I would convince her it was all right as I was holding Bella at all times so she would not dirty the house in any way.
Bella was not a pedigree cat, but to us, she was the most adorable cuddly bundle. She was a short-haired tabby cat with black, white and orange stripes and spots, a black button nose and big black eyes with which she would look at us adoringly.
Not only was she physically growing, she was inching her way into everyone’s hearts. Bella became a part of the family. My mother no longer objected of Bella being indoors. Instead, either she or my father would bring her inside when we were not around and cradle her like a baby.
Bella was soon climbing all over the place – onto the coffee table, the sofa, the TV console and even the door and window grills.
She could easily be kept busy for the longest time with just a small piece of tissue paper, which she would play with.
She also seemed to be particularly fond of watching digital screens. Often, we would find her staring curiously at the LCD TV and sometimes sharing an Ipad with my nephews.
Slowly, I started sneaking her into my bedroom. She loved the comfort of the bed. From then on, Bella started warming literally all the beds at home, including my nephew’s baby cot. She would stretch out on them, and she could sleep for hours.
Bella also had a wild side. She would hide behind an obstacle, as if she was hunting, and then suddenly jump out and sink her sharp teeth into us. Oh, did it hurt! If we let her, she would chew on our hands like a chew toy. She behaved almost like a dog at times. We hardly ever heard her meow.
On her second visit to the vet's, when the doctor tried to feed her a deworming tablet, she growled and tried to bite. The vet said Bella had a fierce streak in her. If she was unhappy or we held her in a way she did not like, she would make it clear. It was this wild side of hers that made it impossible to keep her indoors after a while.
Bella wanted to be free to experience the outside world. After some time, we gave up trying to keep all the windows shut.
Bella led an action-packed life. She would climb trees, catch lizards and roaches, chase birds and chickens, and even go charging after dogs four times bigger than her, roam on the roof for hours, and only come back when she was hungry.
In the evenings and nights, though, she always wanted to be close to us. She would snuggle up next to one of us on the sofa and sometimes even on the bed.
Most nights, as my mother did some reading right before bed, Bella would keep her company on a small rug under the study table.
In the mornings, Bella would be waiting outside our nanny’s room, as she knew who was the first to be up.
Bella was really one of a kind and her presence enriched our lives. She made a family that never had a cat before fall in love with her. Nine months went by with bright little Bella in our midst.
But one dreadful morning, last month, I received a call from my mother just as I was about to start work. A call I will never forget... My heart felt like it had been stomped on. Our sweet little Bella had been hit by a vehicle in front of our house and she left us immediately. We were in disbelief. Tears flowed like a river. But nothing could bring her back.
Bella looked like she was peacefully sleeping. We buried her in our compound, next to our two dogs.
We miss her so much. My heart still yearns for her, to cuddle and kiss her.
To our dear baby girl, Bella, we still hear your bell around the house. Run free wherever you are and know that you are deeply loved. We pray you are in a good place. Thank you for leaving us with a lifetime of beautiful memories.
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