Kito and Scooby are my furry four-legged additions to my family. Kito is a 3 year old tuxedo cat and Scooby, a 5-6 years old Tibetan Terrier cross dog. They are both adopted rescue animals, meaning, they were both found on the streets. Since there are hundreds of homeless animals looking for shelter, my family and I decided to save them instead of opting to buy them.
Of course, as any pet parent would tell you, having a pet at home is delightful and fun; they make your boring Saturday afternoons enjoyable even if it’s just watching Marley and Me together. And having two pets? That’s double the advantage! To start with, you always have two cute, cuddly, happy babies to hug and squeeze whenever you’re bored and thus get your clothes covered in cat and dog hair but I bet you, you will find it even on the top you wore last Christmas and haven’t seen since. They’re always excited to see you and greet you even if you just went out for 15 minutes (well at least the dog is!), you get to click loads of adorable pictures of them and Instagram them – no amount of cat pictures is too many on Instagram, trust me, and your social life receives a boost when people want to start meeting you, if only for your cute pets. Oh well.
You can celebrate their birthdays and as an excuse, put on a birthday hat on them, click embarrassing pictures of them and gorge on the food yourself.
You can replace that stuffed teddy bear you sleep with at night with an actual living animal, but only for as long as they don’t get sick of you trying to hug the life out of them.
They are more than glad to have anything off your plate, it doesn’t even take their almost-hypnotic puppy dog eyes for you to share some with them, and if it’s something you are not fond of, they are excellent at under-the-table tricks. Shh, Mom doesn’t have to know.
The thing about writing about your pets is that once you start, you just can’t stop, because one event you think of reminds you of another and it just – Did I mention bath time? Bath time is the most tragic happening in the life of a pet. Bath time to pets is what dooms day is to humans. Even saying “bath time” so many times sets off their danger alarms and run-for-your-lives mode is activated. They will get into the deepest nooks of your cupboards or the farthest space under the tables, cling onto anything their claws will support and fight even after the bathroom doors are shut, trying to climb on the door while you chuckle an evil laugh at their futile attempts.
All the boldness and “dadagiri” they might possess outside the bathroom vanish inside. Suddenly, they transform into timid mice, running around the bathroom, faking shivers when the water is warm and giving you those hypnotic eyes again, in the hope that you will melt and open that door.
But even when the bath is done, it doesn’t end there. Personally, what I do when Scooby is done with a bath is signal all my family members from inside the bathroom. The doors to all the rooms are then shut, except one, where we can trap him and dry him, because God forbid if you don’t, you have a wet dog on the loose! He will run at full speed in whatever direction he finds first, slip on the floor because his paws are wet and consequently create a water slide there, he will roll on the floor, jump on your beds, and that’s not the worst; the wet-dog shake is.
One shake and your room is destroyed, and if your laptop is lying open somewhere close to him, well then too bad for you, I hope it survives. Wet-dog shakes are really, really not as fun as they look on TV. Giving a dog a bath is an experience in itself, everyone should at least once in their lifetime. Cat baths are not as bad, but not much better either, their sharp claws and smaller size makes it difficult to catch them and dry them. Smart that they are, they believe licking themselves is the best way to do it.
Having these super adorable, mute siblings comes with a price too. You love talking to them so much about abso-fricking-lutely anything all the time, even if they’re sleeping or if you realize a little late that they’ve already left the room, that sometimes you wish they could understand your words. Throw in a piece of advice sometimes or just laugh at your jokes because no other human would. Tell you what they’re thinking about when they lie on the floor and just look at nothing, what they’re saying when they bark at other dogs or mew at odd times of the night, what they’re feeling when they tremble out of fear of the loud fireworks.
But then you realize, maybe the reason they make for such loving companions is because they wag their tails more than their tongues. Family vacations are never convenient because leaving your pet behind is just too tough for you. After a difficult decision, you leave him with your friends or relatives for a few days, and every day you demand to be whatsapped pictures and videos of him. “Oh my shonu, must be missing his mama so much!” When in fact, your pet is quite happy with his temporary family, and you’re the one missing him terribly and tearing up at any sight of a dog that doesn’t even remotely look like him.
You thought you hated pigeons? Your dog definitely hates them more. Don’t be surprised if sudden, thunderous barks disturb your afternoon siesta. It’s just the pigeons. He will chase them off like they were a life threat to his beloved parents. You’re out of mid-evening snacks for them? Never mind that, they’ve got the flies and the moths. And once they’ve got their eyes on one, there’s no stopping them. They’ll jump, they’ll run, they’ll skid and snap. But they will not give up.
But after a year and a half of having two pets together at home, you reach a point where you get past just enjoying them to learning from them, and it may not seem like two harmless, naïve creatures could teach you more than which Instagram filter suits them best, but they really do. The first thought that comes to peoples’ minds when they hear that I live with a dog and a cat is how do THEY live with each other?!
When we decided to adopt Scooby, we had our doubts as well. How would Kito deal with a new dog that’s thrice, maybe four times his size? But we kept our faith and so did they. They kept their hearts open to each other and in a few months, they adjusted perfectly.
They remind me each day that no matter how different somebody is from me or how much society thinks the two of us might never get along, if I just keep trying and never judge, I might prove them all wrong. They taught me compassion and co-existence.
When my grandmom sits to cut some vegetables, Kito will come to inspect them curiously. If it’s something like French beans, he will go crazy. He’ll paw at a couple of them, drop them off the table and it’s time for football. He will lift it up, kick it away, chase it, pounce on it, attack it, kick it again. He doesn’t fancy those pet store toys. Even the cardboard roll that is left after the toilet paper is over is enough for him, yarn or pens are good too. He reminds me that I should just be happy with what I have, what I find around the house. If you don’t need something, don’t buy it, it’ll just be waste. Be satisfied and content.
No matter how many times you trip over them, step on their tails, shout at them or hit them (not beat them, of course), startle them awake, push them away when you’re not in the mood for their licks, even after you give them that horrific bath!, they find a way to forgive you. It’s like you never did anything to upset them at all. How is it that they never run out of second chances? They’ll come right back to you to be petted and will give you a chance to apologize though they don’t need it, allow you to forgive yourself for being mean to them. They teach me to be forgiving and never hold grudges.
Scooby has been to four homes before mine, all in the hope of having those families forever. If it were me, by my fifth house I’d be a total rebel and would hate all the families and people I ever came across till now and all the people who transferred me from one house to another, one family to another without asking me what I’d like to do. But I’m a human.. Scooby is a dog. I am amazed by his ability to forgive everyone, to forget everything, to pardon everyone that failed him and still accept my family and me like we are his first family. He doesn’t treat us like sinners or demand justifications for the way he was treated. He’s always there with his broad grin and bright brown eyes, welcoming us home. Fat though he may be, he will run to the living room to greet us, sniffing us and our bags…sniffing our bags a lot… Hmm, now that I think of it, maybe that’s just in the hope that we brought him something tasty, who knows.
But he teaches me. That people do bad things but that doesn’t mean that they’re bad people. Sometimes good people need to do bad things; we should look for the good in them too. Forgive and move on.
You’re home late from college, their dinners are delayed and their walks are delayed. They don’t complain. They’ll watch you hurriedly freshen up and cook their food, sitting at the entrance of the kitchen, waiting for their bowl to be kept down. Patience. Once you start petting the dog, you don’t simply stop. He will nudge your arm, tap your knee, lick your fingers till you continue. Never give up. On hugging your dog, you find dead flowers and dead insects in his fur too sometimes. His hair has started to knot and become greasy. He teaches me that postponing that bath for too long might prove hazardous. Who knows what he’ll bring home in his hair next time. Altogether, they teach me what it is to love unconditionally.
But the most valuable lesson your pets can ever teach you – No matter what life brings you, kick some grass over that shit and move on.
[After realizing that I was capable of churning out 2000 odd words about my pets, ‘crazy cat & dog lady’ with 72 cats and 67 dogs seems like the most likely occupation for me later on in life. And I don’t mind it one bit. ;) ]
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This article is written by Eden Dias. Photos of Scooby and Kito are clicked by her, other images sourced from Google.
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