Captain Meow, Protector of Our Realm
“We learned that different animal species can exist in harmony as adults, as long as they are introduced to each other as babies. Just like humans.”
El Capitan
He was the grand emperor of the felines that succeeded him. Our current cats’ (adopted) ancestor and the first dictator of our family. His name was Captain Meow. The day he joined our family was one of the happiest in my brother’s life and mine. He entered our home at the most appropriate time... exactly when we needed him.
The Fugees
My brother and I, together with our mother, had just fled a war-torn country—reluctantly leaving our father behind—only to enter another one also riddled with strife. My brother and I didn’t want to leave the only home we’ve ever known. Who knew it would turn into a battle zone?
But we were forced to seek refuge in a nation that was supposed to be our ‘real’ home, only because it was our parents’—but which was foreign to us. We were expected to behave like the locals and to conform to their society, but how can anyone expect children to do so when they grew up somewhere else?
My mother was chastised for not teaching us the ‘traditional ways.’ So we weren’t made to feel welcome. We didn’t feel like we belonged.
The Great Dictator
Enter Captain Meow. He was a tiny orange tabby given by a neighbor who had one cat too many. I named him such because he dictated the schedule and frequency by which he was fed. He was our beloved, irrepressible tyrant. We adored him. He was our first ‘legal’ pet.
We ‘smuggled’ our first real one into our rented, pet-unfriendly apartment in the war country. She was a tiny, chirpy blob of yellow—a chick we hid in the bathroom. This time around, we didn’t have to worry about secluding Captain Meow anywhere in the house because it belonged to our parents. No pet police here.
Brother-in-Arms
As Captain Meow accepted and loved us unconditionally, bro and I didn’t care what others thought of us anymore. We had another sibling-in-arms. We were no longer misfits, miscreants. We became one with the new world... and it suddenly became a better place.
Mom’s Sacrifice
Mother initially didn’t want to take in Captain Meow because she knew she would end up being the one taking care of him. But she gave in, because she pitied my brother and me, as we were denied the opportunity to have pets most of our childhood. After all, we moved a lot and were cooped up in apartments or high-rises.
While their children experienced four-season weather and had to brave -4°F / -20°C winters up to that point, Mom and Dad grew up in the countryside where they frolicked with a variety of animals in a tropical setting.
“Every child should grow up breathing lots of fresh air, surrounded by mountains and lakes—and have both people and animals as friends,” Mom used to say. A naive thought, as we knew not everyone could have an idyllic childhood. She wanted the same for us. So The Captain was her sacrifice to show us a little window of what she had as a child.
Bath Time
Before we learned that cats don’t normally take baths, we were already washing Meow with Johnson’s baby shampoo. We chose it specifically for its no-more-tears formula, which was introduced to us in between Saturday morning cartoons on TV. Meow watched the telly with us.
We were glad he was spared the adverts in the war country, which were mainly government propaganda and clips about the royal family. Here in the tropics, we were regaled with the wonders of Tang and Fisher-Price toys.
New Pals
Later, we found that we could ask for more pets. So puppies joined the fray. Before we learned that cats and dogs don’t normally become friends, we let Meow mix with the pups. They got along fabulously, so we bathed and fed them together. (We learned that different animal species can exist in harmony as adults as long as they are introduced to each other as babies. Just like humans.)
Before we learned that cats and dogs don’t normally eat certain types of food, we fed them pineapples, mangoes, pork rinds, potato chips, and popcorn... which they loved. Our uncle vet educated us on the dangers of feeding animals human junk food after a helper snitched on us.
When the dogs became larger than Meow, they overpowered him during playtime. To protect him, we gave him the roof of the water tank enclosure as his new home.
The Unexpected Visitor
One day, when mom was out gardening, Meow made a big fuss and started jumping all over her prized flowers and herbs. She told him off, so he quieted down. But to her surprise, he sat beside her and stayed put for hours.
(Though Meow was affectionate with my brother and me, he usually kept his distance from our mother, sensing she didn’t initially want him.) Then, out of the blue, he pounced on her hand. Mom pulled away just in time to realize that Meow had caught a garden snake. Without Meow’s vigilance, mom would have surely been bitten.
The Mom Protector
Since then, Meow and mom became close buddies. He brought her a steady stream of dead lizards, bugs, and rodents—gifts of appreciation for finally being wholeheartedly welcomed. Meow wasn’t just the Dictator of our Realm, he was now designated Mom Protector.
When the war ended, we were asked to rejoin dad in a neighboring country. This time, in the desert. That meant we had to leave our beloved pets behind. They were used to living in the islands. They wouldn’t appreciate that much sand. (They liked the kind you find at the beach, though.) Fortunately, cousins volunteered to house and pet sit.
Captain Meow kept his titles (including Cousin Protector)—and abided by them —throughout his nine lives. We kept in touch through relatives. After he and Mom joined our Creator, we continued to keep them both in our hearts.
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Expat Scribe, the writer of this article, is also the author of the techno-thriller, “The Invisible Cyber Bully.”
The novel tackles the surreptitious bullying and illegal surveillance, DNA-extraction, and experimentation on ordinary citizens by law enforcers, scientific laboratories, various “hidden” associations, and global authorities. Some chapters discuss the garden-variety bully from schools and neighborhoods. The book also features a primer on how to fight cyber bullying.
Photo credits:
Captain Meow’s close-ups: Rihaij
Chick: Philipp Kleindienst
Kitten with puppies: Wepik
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