5 years ago, on Jan 9 2021, I adopted a cat. I always wanted a cat, an orange cat. I didn’t like the so called standard issue cats. My friend gave me this fool, who we used to call “kitty” until he got home.
My friend’s cat was named Yudishtira. My mom took that as inspiration and named kitty Vibhishana. We mostly call him Vibhi or Vibhu.
He’s my son. The apple of my eye. Whatever other cliche you want to throw out there.
I cannot explain how much I love Vibhi. It is stupid. He is a very troublesome cat. He’s a dasher, so I have anxiety about opening the door since he’s escaped out at least 5 times. One of those days I really thought I lost him for good.
Vibhi is also a lap cat. He’s the sort who will sit on you to have his bum pat. He doesn’t like guests right off the bat, but if you stay home for a while he will come to you, whether you want him to or not. He sometimes pulls out his claws to dig into you when making biscuits. He doesn’t really make biscuits on you, but he tries.
I got him neutered and the doctor had said he’d mellow down one day. But really he didn’t. If anything he’s even more of a nightmare. He will parkour around the house, reaching up nearly 6ft high on the walls. I have paw prints on my wall, I do not know how. He has toppled a recliner with his zoomies.
At night, when it’s really cold, he likes to sleep between my legs. I am a side sleeper so that’s very uncomfortable. He loves it if I sit in a reclining chair, so he can sit between my legs or on my crotch.
He also likes to sit on my parents’ laps. Especially when they’re sitting on the arm chair with their feet up. It’s his spot.
Whenever I wonder about my job and whether I should take a lower paying one, I think of him, he is the most street cat you will see. He has consumed cockroaches, lizards and I’m certain during his time outside, he’s tossed with rats, but he likes good cat food. He’s not very picky, and he will make do with cheaper variants if I can’t afford the expensive stuff. But I don’t want him to eat unhealthy.
He has bad teeth, I get him dental scaling once every 18 months.
He’s also a cat’s cat. He loves having company around, whether it’s his sibling Ganga or his elder sibling, my dog, Subbi. It’s a joy to watch him smack Subbi like she’s his size.
I lost two stray cats I was feeding before I got Vibhi. They were two gingers named Honey and Ginger. Their mother, I’d taken to calling Lankini. She was a tortie. All of them died because no one adopted them. I swore to adopt the next cat I found in need, and that was this standard issue monster.
He is my most beloved, it’s odd saying that I have a favourite pet, especially when I’m in a cafe typing this with my adorable dog trying to seduce waiters so they give her some more chicken, but it’s true. Vibhi came into my life when I needed him, and I would sacrifice anything for him.
