Orange came into my live in November 2008 after Amie the cat. I have put Amie in the cage because of his behaviour, peeing here and there. Orange has two siblings, white and the other one is black in color but both of them has gone due to the infection from the Cat flu. Since that, I decided to adopt Orange and bring him to my room. I named him Orange because he was an Orange colored tabby kitten at that time. He grew up to be a very sweet kitty with an intelligence and charm that reach far into your heart. He loved to have his chin scratched and at times would nuzzle your hand and put his head under it so you would pet him.
I have never met a cat that was so smart. He was my alarm clock for a very long time. When I worked, he would meow very hard till I got up. When i put a pillow on my head, he would jumped on me and lick my fingers just to wake me up. At times he can be very annoying when he dropped few things from the side table of my bed. Orange usually stay in my room when i went to work and would stay there till I came back from work, I left him enuff water and cat food for him while I was away to work. My mom sometimes look after him when I was not around.
There was a time when kicking my cat seemd a cruel and demented idea. he'd curl around my legs while I was preparing a food for him and I'd nearly fell down on the floor. Looking down at him, annoyed, thoughts of punting him in the bathroom without a food would flash through my mind but he'd always win me over. Threading between my legs, unraveling his affections around me, my scowl would dissapear. I'd pick him up and mock scold him "Bad Orange, Orange good cat jua, mana buleh like that". A poke on his nose would get me a loving slap of his paw, claws carefully tucked away. I'd place him gently on the floor and gave him his food. How could I have ever entertained such demented idea? he was like a family.
Orange is like no other cats, I think. He is afraid of new faces and new people. When my friends came to my room, Orange would freaked out and try to hid somewhere. He'd meow very hard just to let me know that he was afraid and need to get out from my room. I picked him up and scratch his chin just to make him comfy. I asked my friend to scratched his chin too so that Orange wouldn't feel threatened and comfortable with new people around him and it works.
I remember when i brought back two kitties from the Animal Shelter to my room, I placed the basket on the floor of my bathroom. Orange came near to the basket and start to sniffed around the basket and felt suspicious what i brought back. I let the kitties out and there Orange starts to sniffed the two kitties and slap them with his claw. I picked up Orange and scold him "No Orange, Be good cat, they are your new friends now". I'd place him back to the kitties and Orange slowly moved away from the kitties. Next morning, when I was about to leave the house, Orange ran hurriedly and left the house from the back window of the dining room. He didn't came back after 1 day. I assumed he was mad at me and want me to put the kitties somewhere else. The next day, I put the kitties outside at our house verandah and waiting for Orange to come home. I heard Orange meow very hard in front of my door and let him in. I'd pick him up, hug him and put on the bed where i scratched him all over his body. I said to him "Don't run away from me again u silly cat, i missed u so much".
Orange loved to lie down on my chest while I watched TV. When it was time to go to bed, I would turn off the TV and say, "Orange, it's time to go to bed." I would then do my nightly routine, put him on his sleeping basket. When I switched off the lights and lie on my bed, there he would be already lying on the bed. When i feel down, sad or moody, he'd be there for me, he'd sit on my tummy and want me to scratch him. He sometimes curls around me, as if asking me whats going on. I looked at him, scratched him and played with him, my mood slowly fade away and again he'd win my heart.
As time went by so fast, Orange grew older. Orange is like an ordinary cat who needs companionship and of course a girlfriend. He would go out at anytime he wants and came back to my room when he felt hungry. I purposely left the window in my bathroom opened so that he could go out and came in thru there. He got use to his routine. Every morning, after he ate, he would jumped out to the window and left the house and would only come back after i came back home from work. He knew what time i came and as soon as i parked my car, i would call him and he quickly ran to me. Sometimes he takes his time sitting with a female cat and try to make a move and would only come back to my room thru the window at night.
Orange has always left the house mostly everyday and sometimes he only came home every night. There's a time when he came home after 2 days leaving the house, it worried me so much. I keep on searching for him, calling out his name sometimes even at midnight. The next morning, my maid found him waiting in front of the back door, waiting for someone to opened the door for him. I decided to put him in the cage for 2 days as for his punishment for not coming back home, yeah he was grounded from going out. After 2 days inside the cage, I let him out to my room, gave him food and as usual played with him, scratching him and gave him a bath. He didn't move or meow when i gave him a bath, he was just stood there till i finished giving him a bath and dried him up with a dry towel. The next day, he didn't get out from the house even I purposely left the window opened. When i went to my room, there he lie on my bed licking his claw and was glad to see me back home cos it was feeding time.
Last Wednesday, I was late to work, I saw Orange waiting for me to feed him. After I had my shower, I fed him canned food (cat food) then i left him and kiss him goodbye. On my way to work, i saw 3 dead cats on the road which obviously was hit by a car. One was at near perpindahan Lambak, the other one was at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Highway and the other one was at Kiulap area. I can only say "kesian eh, jahat manusia ani". Back at home, Orange wasn't around, I waited for him to come back and at 9pm my maid knocked on my door and gave Orange to me. His body was covered with mud. I gave him a bath and dried him up. He then licked his paw and body. I then gave him food for him to eat, surprisingly he didn't want to eat. He was sitting next to me, threading his body to my hand telling me to scratch him. While doing my work, he just lie on the carpet next to me, sometimes he sat in between my hips. That night, while watching TV, Orange climbed on my body and lie down on my chest, I moved him next to me but he keeps on climbing on my chest. I pet him gently, he put his face down on his paw, just watching me. Then i was about to sleep, he moved down and slept next to me till the next morning.
As usual my alarm clock (Orange) wakes me up by meowing very loud, when i ignored him, he dropped things from the side table of the bed. I immediately woke up, took a shower, put on my shirt, pants and neck tie, getting ready to work. Before i left, i gave him food. He didn't want to eat. I picked him up and said "whats wrong orange, why dont you want to eat". I then kiss his head and put him down to his food. Still he doesn't want to eat. I scratched him and again kiss his head and said "Don't forget to eat" and warned him not to go to the road. Back at home, i fell asleep and went to sleep. I dreamt about Orange, he was just sitting there watching at me. I tried to grab him but I couldn't reach him. I then woke up and it was Maghrib prayers. Took a shower and do my Maghrib prayer. I pray to God for Orange safety and will bring Orange back home to me. At 9pm, no sign of Orange. At 11pm, I went outside the house and looking for him, calling out his name but still no sign of him. At midnight still no sign of him again, so I left the window open so that he can come in thru the window.
On Friday, still no sign of Orange. Day and Night, I keep on searching for him but to no avail. Orange hasnt come back home since Thursday evening. Yesterday, On my way back home from work, nearby my home, I saw a dead cat lying on the road. It was horrible, all the fleshes were squashed all over the road (nya urang hancur sudah). I saw it was like a brownish and white fur. At first I said to myself "naah that couldnt be Orange, Orange would never go far from the house". Beside it was at the highway near the Industrial Park at Lambak, why would he go there?? I parked my car at the garage and called out his name. He didn't showed up. It was 9pm and he still hasnt come back. Feeling worry, I looked through the entire house to no avail. I started looking outside, no luck. I went back inside my house with my heart sinking into my gut. I keep on denying the dead cat wasn't him and was hoping it wasn't him. Every hour i keep on searching and looking for him cos I know he is hiding somewhere. He just can't be too far away. It was midnight and still no sign of him. My heart was telling me it wasn't Orange that I saw, I keep on praying to God that the dead cat wasn't him and to bring him back to me. I find myself thinking of Orange every waking minute. I look out the windows frequently, walk looking for him at night. I dream of him when I am sleeping. My heart is a fluttered sinking mess, my gut is pitted with worry and despair. My emotions are like trying to scate on paper thin ice. It takes everything to not cry all day long. I have to be strong.
As I go through this, I keep telling myself that Orange is near. I have to believe this. It is all I have right now.....Hope. I want more than anything in the world to have my Orange back. I deeply miss my Orange. He brings me joy every single day. To not have him at my side, as my furry shadow, I am lost. As lost as he is right now. It helps that my friends keep telling me, don't give up, never give up, he will come back like before. I think to myself how unfair this feels, I want him back NOW.
This morning, first thing when i woke up, i opened my window and called out his name. Then went down and looked for him. I wont give up. I just know Orange is somewhere close by. I think he is hiding and scared. With the dogs in the area and neighbourhood cats, there is plenty to scare the little guy in the big bad world of the unknown. I came up with one solution which I play the waiting game. Searching, hoping, praying, waiting. This is the hardest thing I have had to go through. The reason I say this is, the uncertainty, the unanswered questions, wondering where he is, whats happening to him, when do I get him back? Is it really him that I saw yesterday? Will I ever see him again? My heart aches for his return. I feel incomplete without my precious Orange. I can't stand playing with this game anymore. At 5pm just now, I went out to buy car fuel and then I thought to myself, I should go to that road again, who knows it might be Orange, God Forbid. On the way there, I keep on hoping it was not Orange until I saw the fur of that dead cat. It was orange and white strip colored. It was the same color as Orange. With long tail. I can only see the fur, i couldn't see the head, the fleshes were gone. My heart starts to beat very fast sinking in my gut. I hold my emotions telling me not to cry.. i hold it up till i reached to my house. Went to my room, hold my emotions again. I still want to deny it wasn't Orange but it was proven it was him. Tears started to fell down slowly when I think of what i just saw. I couldn't believe Orange has gone now. He was just only 18 mths old. I blamed myself for not putting him in the cage and let him out that day. If only I put him in the cage, this won't happened to him. I keep on telling myself to let it go, accept the fact that Orange is dead. Let him go peacefully. And i did, even its hard for me to accept it but i have to.
It was strange that he left us around the time he and I always used to go to bed. I will never in my lives have another cat as sweet, as smart or as good as this little guy was. He was the best friend I had. Whenever I use to have problems, I would talk to him. He was the best psychiatrist I ever had. It is very hard to believe he is not with me. It was so hard to look at him and know he was gone. I shall remember him until the day I die.
He came into my lives at 8 weeks old and left at 18 months. The time went by so fast. For a small kitty, he was such a large presence in our home, and always let us know he was here. Orange lived such a good, short life with lots of love and lots of kisses. That is the story of gentle, sweet Orange
Thank you for reading my story. Below are the pictures of my loving cat. Thanks again for reading.
This is Orange the cat
Orange loves to lie next to me
This is where he stood and dropped things from the side table of my bed just to wake me up
This is where he like to stretch and scratch his claws
REST IN PEACE ORANGE
YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED
LOTS OF LOVE
FROM ME
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