Nooj

Between my shadow and my soul

Silly Kitty Hibbie Jibbies

This sounds so silly even when I say it to myself. When I tell it to my friends they laugh out loud. But I can't hide it any more. I am terrified of domesticated animals. Well dogs and cats to be specific. Developmentally, I blame my mum. I went through a phase around 6 when I reeeally wanted a white kitty with blue eyes but it was just a conditioned response to major gender role identification from my environment. Anyways my mum refused us pets.

This would be cool if a cat hadn't entered my life recently. This I also blame on my mum (Jeez I'm turning out to be a real Fraud, Oops slip of the tongue). Anyways my mum saw this stray cat outside and she had just listened to Mufti AK on CII and was therefore feeling a little lightheaded. And this cute greyish mixture cat miaows at her while she waters her herb garden. And she immediately imagines it's a farishta (angel) testing her generosity and she thinks about all the bala happening recently and decides feeding this cat could be the one small good deed that makes her look Albino on the day of Judgement. Of course this thing is conditioned to think like a Hillbrow squatter and now won't leave us alone. PS I know the Prophet SAW loved cats an looked after them. He also was awesome at archery whereas the one time I tried I skinned off half my forearm and killed some ants.

One morning in Ramadhan we were praying Fajr after Sehri and the darn thing sees the lights on and starts making a racket like it's in labour pains. And then it finds and open window and nearly attacks me while in Ruku. Okay maybe that's how it looked from my side. It just came really close with this I'm so hungry I could eat you look in its eyes. Lucky my screaming made my mum break her Salaah so peace reigned.

The thing is no matter how much I whirl high pitched shrieks of terror at the cat (I'm the one terrified) it refuses to leave me alone. The other night I was going to visit my neighbour and it followed me. And it gives me these puss in boots looks every time it sees me. And the scariest thing is that I'm realising that if I wasn't scared that this thing had rabies or lice or some other Ebola-like abomination, I would not mind feeding it. And I think, do I fear the cat, or do I fear the attachment that comes with caring for it.

19 shared ideas:

Nielfa Hanifa October 30, 2008 at 11:34 PM  

never feed a stray cat, unless you never want to me left in peace; and in your case, make Fajr :P

I love cats. Had so many of them as a child, I'd explain to friends which one is the aunty and whose cousin is who. Even though when they died or went missing, I was devastated, I'd love to have my own cat again, they're charming.

KiLLa October 30, 2008 at 11:59 PM  

Im allergic to cats.. And dogs..

(someone said thats why im not married)

word veri - 'aultrou'

Az October 31, 2008 at 12:08 AM  

LOL...this was a great read.

Personally, I hate everything that breathes and isn't human. Its not that I hate them, I just dont want them to come near me...like you said, the whole tick-fever, rabies thing has me petrified.

I do like horses though...I like looking at them - they're beautiful and almost magestic-like. Graceful creatures.

KiLLa October 31, 2008 at 12:13 AM  

I like snakes.. I love em..
Not em poisonous inbreeds that can eat a cow.. Basic slithery ones..
I had a pet one.. Zee mother freaked.. I had to let it go.. I still got pics..

word veri - 'ardernec'

M Junaid October 31, 2008 at 12:38 AM  

I love lizards. I had a pet bearded dragon named spike (i know- very unoriginal) but mum also freaked so i had to take it back. I should blog about the little guy. I miss him :(. I wish i had a python and i would feed him anon commenters, but then he'd get sick and die

M Junaid October 31, 2008 at 12:40 AM  

I used to hate acts. Now i like em. Go figure

KiLLa October 31, 2008 at 12:42 AM  

@MJ - u mean CATS isnt

word veri - 'trangl'

M Junaid October 31, 2008 at 12:56 AM  

Yeah. I meant cats. Typing from my phone

Work in Progress October 31, 2008 at 8:17 AM  

Lol I am exactly like Azra - if it's not human, it freaks me out. Although I'm not really scared by bugs.
A stray cat once squeezed its way thru the gate and ended up on my bed, I refused to go into my room till it was out. I'm allergic too so after like five minutes I start sneezing uncontrollably.

I wouldn't have pegged u for attachment issues, that's so much more me than it is u :P

Khadija October 31, 2008 at 8:41 AM  

Lol. Ditto WIP and Azra. It's not that I dislike animals, they tend to disconcert me. I mean I can hardly say to them, 'I'm entering the yard now, kindly do not yelp wildly and chase after me. I really am not fit enough to engage in a race with another species'.

A friend of my dad's has a game farm that we vist occassionaly. A few years ago, an impala that was abandoned by its mum was adopted by the manager's family, and having spent much of its life with the dogs, grew up thinking it was a dog, in desperate need of therapy.. but I digress, a group of us once ventured to take a walk around the farm, not withstanding the farm is huge and populated by wild game, and when we finally did come across mum and dad driving through, we were eager to catch a lift back, dad was teasingly refusing, but that silly yip yip (a fitting name) who was trailing the car, chased us all the way back, there was a wild look in his eyes. I've never been more terrified in my life!

Waseem October 31, 2008 at 8:56 AM  

This reminds me of the scene from Italian Job, with Mos Def and some other guy.

Left Ear: This dude got dogs. I don't do dogs... I had a real bad experience, man.
Charlie Croker: What happened?
Left Ear: I had. A bad. Experience. Damn it. "I'm" deaf.

You're right this post was kinda un-noojy.

Is this Im not an animal person Anonymous? Hi my name is Waseem and I dont like animals much either. I dont have a single story that comes to mind. I hate insects ... alot, especially the swarming kind, or buzzing kind.

My dartboard October 31, 2008 at 10:54 AM  

I'm an animal person. big dogs especially. Small yappie dogs grate me. But i still like animals. Dont feeding them as you can teach them to behave. Half the problem is poor training, too little time spent with them.

Humans on the other hand... Can't stand most of them. It's that fear of catching something.

KiLLa October 31, 2008 at 10:57 AM  

Yo - I just noticed your TAG on this post..

U schmuck

word veri - 'stspars'

KiLLa October 31, 2008 at 10:58 AM  

Its funny tho
(just now people interepret it as im publicly slating you)

Shafinaaz Hassim October 31, 2008 at 12:29 PM  

lol

i dnt know wen last i heard a person use the term 'hibby jibbys'

:P

cat commitments.. well they say that cats arent loyal so maybe u shud trust ur instincts!

qk October 31, 2008 at 1:53 PM  

i share your "phobia" of cats...i can admire them from afar, and coo at how cute they look in pictures, but after experiencing my hubby's pet cat (along with his vomiting, fleas and scratching), i literally jump every time a cat comes near my feet :P

Nooj October 31, 2008 at 4:18 PM  

Nielfa- lol yeah I told my mum that but she has an incredibly soft heart. I think it’s like eating baji and other weird sounding Indian veggies- if u get used to it at an early age it’s cool, otherwise it’s just gross

Killa- I love snakes too. But the scaly not the muscly ones. Only thing is you gotta feed them mice. Which is unhygienic. And I’d feel sad to kill mice even tho that mufti dude said they’re bad. Also well a lotta them wanna eat you. How would u like it if a Nandos burger kept u in a cage and fed you like livers and stuff.

Azra- thankee. Yeah I think it’s related to not getting what’s going on in their heads. Why do cats brush up on you like a dirty old man? Horses are beautiful.

Mj- pet bearded dragon? Doesn’t it have a cooler name? but then again. We went to the pta zoo 2 weeks ago- which btw has an entire section on dragons and monsters and there was this Angelina jolie in Beowulf creature and it was called “Monitor”. Go figure is New Yorkian.

Wip- I’m worse. Once a teeny bird casme into my room at 7am through the window and it was jumping and chirping hysterically coz the door was closed and it couldn’t come out. And I phoned my dad to open the door from the other side so it doesn’t poke my eye out with its beak. I’m such a wuss. Even tho birds are so delicate and pretty.

Kay- I really am not fit enough to engage in a race with another species'. LoL

Was- LoL. It’s turned out to be hey. Guess I’m not so silly. Or maybe we all are? Is that what ur boggart would become. Oh no it’s those 3 other things that I can only remember one of now

OH- lol I can just imagine you in a smoochy voice saying who’s daddy’s good boy now hmmm. I think it’s too late I’ve caught everything. Life is an STD that leaves u vulnerable to infection. I still think I’ve caught more good than bad tho. And the catching is fun.

Kim- I think it’s spelt heebie jeebies but I wanted it to be four “i” sounds. For the heck of it. Lol that is adding much to this discourse :D

Qk- yay me too. My friends say I’m such a girl when it comes to eeeking.

M Junaid November 1, 2008 at 11:16 PM  

i just saw hibby jibbies and it clicked what that word is -

remember when King Julien says it in Madagascar :) (i think its him)

Zahera November 3, 2008 at 12:09 PM  

mwahahahaha my husbands cat is like a baby! She bloody miows constantly. For food, for water, for affection- you name it. Its like already having a baby!
She has a tendency to come and trouble me just as im about to pray salaah- she knows how to time it perfectly.

SOmetimes i scream at her and tell her with her constant whining and having to feed her- if noone else, she better take me to Jannah! loooooll

You know how she said "Ramadhan Mubarak" to me this year? ( was meant to blog about this but never got round to it)- she peed on me!
And yes, the puss in boots eyes are the worse. Darn sympathy seekers.