It's Caturday!

Welcome back for another edition of Caturday, where we catch up on the week's latest cat news, and get to meet some of your amazing kitties! This week's cat news recap has been preempted, in order to bring you a very special Caturday guest post, all the way from Pakistan!

One of my favorite cat ladies and Twitter friends, Khizra, writes in to tell us the story of how her five beautiful cats, Laddu, Bhondu, Rano, Gabru, and Laali came to be a part of her family.

Take it away, Khiz!

We’ve always been a one-cat family. In Pakistan, we have joint families. Kids don’t move out after college and only the girl leaves home when married. Keeping that in mind, one was enough for us, and Laddu, our tabby, was the king of the house.

Laddu

Laddu’s status in the house grew ten fold when he was diagnosed with Arthritis, and the treatment steroids resulted in him losing his eyesight as a side effect. My entire family decided then that he would never feel this handicap, and we made sure someone was always around him lest he bump into something or fall. But cats are naturally strong on instincts and very soon he figured out where everything was, and had memorized all the "routes" of the house down to litter tub location, and exactly where in the kitchen my mom feeds him. Today, he fools even us with his confident maneuvering inside and outside (supervised) the house. You wouldn’t know he’s blind unless we told you.

Rano trying to claim the basket cat title

Four years later, while paying a pizza delivery guy, I noticed a poofy/fluffy 2 month old blackish grey tiger patterned kitten watching me with the nonchalance only an adorable kitten could have. I spoke to him, and two more kittens appeared from under the neighbor’s car. I disappeared to get them milk, and came out to find them gone. When I went back inside, disappointed after a short search, I realized that they had already walked into my home and were resting on my grandmother’s lap.

Bhondu thinks he's dishes

That was two years ago, and with the loss of Sheru (short for Sher Khan) who died of a bad stomach flu, the other two - Rano (short for Queen Rania) and Bhondu (a term used for a simple person; think Forrest Gump) - have replaced me and my sibling as my mother’s favorite children.

Leftover Rano

Bhondu doing his best Shironeko impersonation

Having three cats was a hilarious and completely novel concept for my already "abundant" family. That was until 6 months ago, when Gabru (means stud in local dialect) and Laali (means well spoken), showed up. Driving home, a tiny month old black and white kitten ran in front of my car, and I would have to take his malnourished self home. He would have it no other way. Taking the next turn home, I saw a grey and white kitten running blindly on the road; New kitten’s sister whose eyes were glued shut with infection and her skin infected with a bad rash. We knew she’d die, but took her to the vet.

Kitty ninjas Laali and Gabru

Today, Gabru is as big as our 2-year-old Bhondu, and Laali has beautiful eyes and won't shut up (doing justice to her name). You can often hear the family members shouting, “Shut up, Laali!” because she needs to have a conversation with everyone!

Gabru

Laddu, Rano, and Bhondu taking a coffee break

We’re a family of crazy cat people and we love it. There’s more cat food in our kitchen than there is human food, and much to the chagrin of guests, our cats pretty much have their (well mannered) way. Sitting on couches next to the guests, sitting at the kitchen table while mom prepares meals, taking ownership of the biggest bowls or taking the better pillow. We’ve pretty much forgotten the difference between our species. They are the five younger children of the family, and you couldn’t prove otherwise!

Rano thanks you for your time

Special thanks to Khizra for taking the time to share her beloved Laddu, Bhondu, Rano, Gabru, and Laali with us! It's often said that cats "choose" us, and as if by fate, these lucky kitties all seemed to find themselves in the right place at the right time, knowing that her family's home would make the purrfect cat paradise!

It just goes to show that whether you live in Pennsylvania or Pakistan, the language of cat appreciation is universal, and I'm just thankful for the opportunity to be able to share these cat stories from across the country and around the world with you every week!

p.s. Don't forget to stop by and enter the Cat Versus Human Book Giveaway I have going on right now! I'm drawing the lucky winner on Monday 10/24, and you can click HERE for all the details!

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Want to see your cat(s) on Catsparella? I'm always accepting submissions for Caturday! Just email your best kitty pics to catsparella@gmail.com, and include your cat's name and anything else you'd like to share! I can't wait to hear from you!

It's Caturday!