Through Perry's Eyes II - AMARYLLIS

Through Perry’s Eyes - Part II

  Amaryllis 

 by Laila Bouinidane

 

         R.I.P.

 

 PREFACE

 

This second part is the story of the shelter seen through the eyes of Amy/Amaryllis rahter than Perry. You would listen to Amaryllis ruminating as follows :

 

« For many people, we are just animals devoid of feelings and not worth living a normal life. Many people treat us badly in the streets and kids can beat us or throw things to us. We feel exactly like humans and we stick to life because we have feelings, we are afraid to be left alone, we are afraid of pain, we shudder at hunger and cold and thirst. We like to be loved and cuddled. We like to be surrounded and to be close to people. We like to feel that we are living and part of life because we are indeed created to be part of this world. »

Many people find animals unworthy and despicable, whereas they have many things in common with human beings. They might be far more sensitive and expressive than humans because they tend to find someone who can feel them and understand their feelings as well. 

This story raises many questions among which that of animal cemeteries, abandonned pets, the necessity for rescue teams and animal clinics. 

Amaryllis, a new rescue kitten, is acquainted with the rest of the shelter family cats. She relates stories told to him by his acquaintances in the shelter. Amaryllis (Amy) dies in a car accident. The life story of the shelter dwellers is being told by each one of them. 

 

 

Amaryllis 

 

Strange squeeky meows were heard among the bushes along the road. Rawya parked her car and heard the cries of a kitten there. She started inspecting the place and found a small fluffy orange kitten hiding in a garden full of amaryllis flowers near the parking place. The kitten escaped to hide under a car and, of course, towards the tiers. 

Often, Cats and kitten are drawn to tiers because they provide some warmth that is similar to a motherly warmth, not knowing that the danger is lurking just behind those warm round rubbers. She grabbed the poor little thing before he flees inside the locomotive engine. He meowed scaredly and then stopped when greeted with a tiny bit of tuna food. 

He, then, was stuck to her palm as if to her mum’s chest. She took him to the car and directly into the shelter. She called him amaryllis like the flowers  seen in the garden where he was hiding in. Amayrillis was strong and lively and, once, in the shelter he started showing his witty caracter, fighting and scaring other cats. He was trying to find himself a corner to sleep in having eaten a good deal of the tuna soft mash. « Amy, where are you ? » asked Rawya. Amaryllis was looking at her with shiny almond-like tiny eyes from behind a curtain. Amaryllis started meeting the shelter's family one by one.

To start with, Norman, the mischievous female cat. 

 

 

 Norman I

 

I was, actually,  born to be a stray cat. I was barely one month when I took refuge in the engine of a car at a rainy night. The following day I was so sleepy I could not figure out the engine will start off and that I will be transfered away from my mum to another area. I clung to the engine lest I fall and be hurt. 

I was afraid of pain. So I clang hard to the engine. All of a sudden, the locomotive stopped somewhere I have never been to before. I jumped and was wandering and crying. All of a sudden, a lady collected me and took me to this shelter. I miss mum a lot. 

In the shelter, I met Blanco, a black adult. He figured out I was a female kitten so he started courting me. I was so tiny for a male adult. I just took everything for a game and started playing with him.

I grew into an adult female and was deeply in love with Blanco, I was playing with Mili, Perido, Clyde, and others but I was fond of Blanco, so fond of him I would follow him everywhere. He used to go out a lot out of the shelter, a thing I dared not do. But one day, the window was broken by some mischievous kids, so I fleed with Blanco through that shattered glass, I had brooses all over while jumping because it was the first time I jump from above so high. 

Blanco ushered me to a garden in the back yard, I have never seen. I was scared by passers-by so I fled to the middle of the road and I was almost hit by a car. Our human thought we were in so she did not come the whole day, I was very hungry and had painful brooses, I ate something with some stray cats but I had terrible stomachache and had everything aching me. It was my first day out.

I suffered in silence in that garden the whole night till I surrendered my soul. Blanco stayed nearby and did not quit my body till my human came the following day looking for us and found my body and buried it in the same garden. My name is going to be given to another poor sick kitten found in the street too. 

 

 

 

Norman II 

 RIP

My name is Norman jr, I was named after Norman I, who died in the street. One day I lost my way back while playing and could not find my mum. I was surviving in the street, playing and eating anything given to me. In the evening, I would hide in the car engines to sleep warmly in the winter cold weather. One day, a locomotive started off and my paw was stuck in a long strap inside the car. It was very painful and I had my paw broken. 

As I meowed in pain, the driver stopped and had a look at the engine to find out it was me being stuck there. I rushed to leave scared of the angry man. I rushed running even if my paw was aching a lot. I was injured and my paw was almost cut from my forefront arm. I would lean on it at times so I was badly injured and the only idea I had in mind was to survive. Someone took me to a house where a lady was feeding stray cats, thinking I would survive there. 

The lady noticed my injury and figured out that it was very dangerous for me to stay there in that bad state. She took me to the shelter, and started taking care of me. She took off the dead parts of my paw and applied some antiseptic lotion with green clay and gave me some drugs to soothe my pain and antibiotics. My arm was cut because I would often lean on the injured paw. She took good care of me and I started playing with other kittens in the shelter I was feeling better. I met there yoshi and others. 

One good news is that I was secretly pregnant and had given birth to four lovely babies in the Shelter. Guess what! I put them like four roses in a pot in the Shelter. Rawya called them, Leo, Gringo, Ozzy and little Val.

 

 

 Yoshi

 RIP 

My other siblings were lost somewhere. All I can gather is that my human found me under a car almost under the tier and I was going to die if I stayed there. 

I was taken to the shelter, I grew into two months old but I contracted ring worms everywhere on my body. My human was applying lotions and oils and green clay and saved me from decay. I was playing and taken care of by Ruby my elder in the shelter. I am feeling a lot better now and my skin was healed and fur grew again. I am a lovely female cat. 

 I left the shelter from the rear window and I was trapped in a house somewhere I did not know so I have been absent ever since. 

 

 

 

 

Blanco

 R.I.P.

My name is Blanco, I am the adoptive brother of Ruby. My brother died under the tier of a car after we were born and abandoned by our mum. Ruby found us and took care of us like an elder brother. Ruby is a very kind and caring male adult. He takes care of all of us. I was saved many times by my human from Coryza, and I had allergy as well, so I was taken to the veterinary twice and was admitted to the clinic for days until recovered. 

I grew into a strong adult and fell in love with Norman I. But she died at her first night out. I miss her so much and feel lonely somehow though I go out often I feel bored. 

I cry a lot and Ruby is the only one to sooth my pain after the death of Norman. I stay out often and come in just for food and shelter. I keep fit because I wander all day long and discover new places around the shelter. 

I came to venture to go to the end of the neighborhood, there I find stray cats eating, I liked their company and eat with them. A malicious man who does not like cats, kept complaining about us to the point that he puts poison in our food. My human was looking for me for days while, I was intoxicated in the street and left this world.

 

 

 Ruby 

 R.I.P

I never knew my mum, I was born at a garden I found myself a small kitten fed by some folks until I met Blanco and the younger Griseo who died under the car tiers. I used to cuddle with griseo, because Blanco likes being alone. I Took care of Griseo until he died. There remains only Blanco I knew although we are not brothers as we are used to each other like real siblings, that we’re going to stay together. 

We were moved to the shelter because it was hasardous for us to stay in that site, because we were not strong enough to survive and we were chased by some nasty neighbours there. So a lady who used to feed us took us to her shelter and in this shelter I can cuddle with small kittens who remind me of myself and of Griseo. I feel like an adoptive mum or dad to them. I like being out with Blanco. 

I like my human and I miss her when she is away. I would rather stay outside rambling and waiting for Rawya to come back for us. I love Rawya and all the shelter family members. I tend to cry when Rawya leaves us alone, but I always care for the other members like a parent. They all love me as well. 

I am so witty I never loose my way back when am out. 

But one day I did not show up. My human was desperately looking for me for weeks whereas I was killed and died. She did not even found my body.

 

 

Johnny

 RIP

I was found in the street with nothing to eat, a woman talked to my human and told her that I was starving, I was so tiny and it was risky for me to stay outdoors, so my human took me to the shelter, where I enjoy the company of my fellows.

I play and spend hours sleeping but once the door is open, I venture outside jumping and running and I like to be under the sun. I am a little naughty you know, I like to go with Clyde and Perido jr out. 

They also find me beautiful and like to play with me. I usually stay outside for a long time until I find myself alone and lonely then I go back to the shelter to look for my friends. I took to being with Blanco who is courting me and playing with me at times. I feel rather safe with him. 

But am very careful not like Yoshi and Norman I, I tend to stay indoors because I am scared of stray dogs as well. I am also a wise cat.

 

 

 Clyde

  R.I.P.

I was born in a garden and my sisters were adopted because we look good and fluffy. I am very scared so my human tried many times to collect me but I would not let her catch me. I was sick with coryza and conjonctivitis. I was so week and one day I could not resist.

My human took me to the shelter, still I don’t like her feeding me with injections then I was sick. I would hide from her although I like her when she comes with food. I started following other cats outside going through the backyard window. I like sunbathing. I can stay for hours outside. I had a problem with lights, but now I can stay under the sun and explore the backyard. I go inside just for food or to take refuge. I am very scared. 

I enjoy my loneliness and only lately when I grew into an adult cat, I became stronger and enjoyed playing with my fellows in the shelter and I became open to others. Still am scared of my human, I am scared of being touched and fed with injections. I like Rawya though!!

 

 

Gringo 

R.I.P

 

My name is Gringo and I am a black kitten aged one month old, I was hidden in a car engine and the car started off to stop at the red light. I jumped into the road and suddenly the road became a mess. Everybody was preventing to drive over me and I was too small like a mouse wavering in the road. 

Then, a woman took me and threw me on the side of the road but I could not know where to go so I went back to the road. Then, my human stopped her car, took me and drove me to the shelter. I enjoyed the company of all of them, but I was weak and barely a month old and had some intestinal virus so I fell sick quickly. 

When my human came, I was unconscious, she tried to restore me to life for half an hour. I was resuscitated and my heart beats resumed and I could see her and cry and shouted of pain. She tried it all and thought I would be ok, I could even chew a small amount of food but immediately collapsed and surrendered my soul in the warmth of my human and the shelter. 

kittens of my age can be strong but can die overnight, may be because of cold, may be that’s our fate when our mum is not there for us. We cling to our humans as hard as we can and all we wish for is warmth and love.

 

 

 

 Little Val & others

    R.I.P.

My name is valery and my human calls me little Val because am the smallest aging one month. I was found near a car tier. Had she not picked me I would have been smashed to death. 

 I was scared to see the bunch of cats in the shelter being the smallest, I tried not to be bullied by them, so I am coping up waiting to be grown into an adult orange cat. One thing I should lay focus on is what we cat can do and humans may not be able to do is that we, in the shelter, quickly built one body and established our friendly links like one family. If one is missing we feel it and we strive to remain together like one corpse. 

There is a strong solidarity between us and we feel at ease when every one of us is present. When we hear the name of Norman, the rest of us would listen to the music of that name because we know that we lost Norman I and that she left to the point of no return. 

When our human calls Norman jr, a dead silence creeps into the shelter, because I guess the spirit of Norman is still with us and reminds us that death is part of our life on earth. When Rawya went on a three-day trip, a fatal virus overwhelmed the shelter and I was the tiniest and weakest so I was the first victim of that fatal virus. I struggled but died before Rawya came back from her trip. My brothers and sisters died too with the same virus.

 

 

 

Bianca 

R.I.P.

 

My name is bianca am a black and white cat. I lost my mum in the street and was hiding behind a car, when I heard stray cats begging for food and Rawya was feeding them, so I rushed with my infected eyes towards her meowing. She saw me, fed me and took me to the shelter. I needed only food, because when I started eating and playing, I started growing quickly. 

I have a lovely fluffly white coat with black spots in it. Now you can see my chrystal clear hazel eyes as clean as two little sparkling diamonds. I started eating with others and playing now am feeling better growing into a good lovely cat. I made a good friend kitten called snow. 

 I have been enjoying my days in the shelter with peace and love with my new family until one weekend, Rawya had to go for her family and left us food in the shelter. I was sneezing but she did not take it seriously and did not notice that a fatal virus was creeping into the shelter and I was the first to bring it. When Rawya came, she found me dead. She was saddened and took my body to the backyard and buried it there. 

 

 

 

 

 Snow

 

Snow was a very tiny white kitten with a small yellowish hew on her forhead. She was walking on a ledge just above some fierce dogs. Rawya was driving when she saw the snowy cat walking to her death. She stopped and took her to the shelter. Snow was playing and eating although she contracted ring worms but she was taking a treatment for that. Snow was feeling better and strong and could make a lot of friends in the shelter. Yet, She contracted a virus during a short trip of Rawya. When the latter, came back, she was agonizing.

Rawya tried to save her but it was too late. Snow died in warmth and after she saw Rawya back again. Snow was much loved. 

A new snow white kitten was admitted to the Shelter and was named after Snow, he is playing and enjoying the shelter's family.

 

 

Negra

R.I.P 

I am no other than a tiny black kitten with strawy spots. I was crying at the door of a house until Rawya saved me, I was so cared and hungry, she took me to the shelter but am still scared because am the tiniest kitten in the shelter and my mum is not with me. 

I am meowing all the time and shouting and hissing to scare off other older cats away from me. But I discovered they are all kind and playful. I enjoy the company of snow. She is almost my size and age. I also like Amy. I follow the bunch of kittens when the door is open to enjoy some little sun rays outside. But we are soon dragged inside by Rawya who fears that we get out of control. 

We, sometimes hide under cars, to play more, but she manages to catch all of us. She is careful that we hide from dogs so she collects us and we go back inside. I felt more comfortable with my new family. 

I remember I witnessed a hard situation where Rawya killed a black big thing. Actually, as far as I could understand, there were works outside at a former cimetery. Workers were digging hard into the ground. So many bad insects fled to the shelter. 

Unfortunately, when Rawya went on a short there day trip away, I suffered from a hard setback, I contracted a fatal virus and there was no one to care for me. I died in silence. The virus would then crawl and contract other tiny kittens like snow and Robio, our last joining kitten. They all died after me. She buried us together in the backyard of the shelter. Another black kitten Rawya found in the street was named after me, she resembled me a lot and is ever stronger than me. I wish her good health and long life with the shelter members. 

Another black kitten was found sick in the street and was collected by Rawya, she was named Negra after me, now Negra Jr is feeling better and enjoying the company of Snow jr.

 

 

Negra jr 

R.I.P. 

After the death of Negra, Rawya found me in the path near the shelter with infected eyes, meowing for help and care in the street. She took me to the shelther, gave me food i liked and introduced me to the shelter family members. 

I was scared at first, but quickly integrated into the group. There was only Norman jr, who was pregnant and so nervous se beats me at times. Apart from this, I am glad and found the playful trio a good friend. I took drugs from Rawya, she gave me eye drops and antibiotics. I was soon healed. 

I learnt to eat by myself. I am happy in the shelter. I am not alone but surrounded with different cats. That is my new world which I like.

I died after becoming weak and sick and I climbed to the window and fled then, i took shelter under a car, which smashed me in the street.

 

 

 Hans

R.I.P.

 

 I was raised as the mostly cherished cat, I was born in the garden of an administration when someone took me in.. it was a cleaning lady who cared for me. I grew cajoled and everyone working there liked me and brought me food. I was fond of a special lady called Rawya because she could understand what I needed and I wanted her to adopt me. Although my adopting human cared for me but I would escape and go to Rawya’s spot. 

Then, I realized that some of Rawya’s colleagues found me around too often and started complaining. Some of those heartless creatures who care only for money .. Then, Rawya took me to the shelter, she did not know I had babies behind me. 

I could not stand other cats in the shelter, I wanted to be the master. Whenever I see Rawya caring for others I had fits of jealousy so I was at war with the other cats. I did not want to stay indoors but had to stay outdoors near the shelter. Rawya had very hard times finding me especially when she left food in the shelter for a day but I could not go inside. So she took me back to my spot where I was born. I could not stay inside the shelter, so Rawya took me back to my babies ..Then I would stick to Rawya and her colleagues would complain more and more to the point that my real adoptive human moved me to another spot away with my little ones. 

He would feed and care for me there although it was hasardous for us to stay in the streets too. 

I contracted a virus that was almost incurable. I was admitted at the vet for a week but the vet asked for some x-rays and my human was so sick she could not move, so the time for her to get strength to take me to do the x-rays I died, not being able to eat by myself, nor accept my human's feeding and out of weakness and sickness.

 

 

 Leopard (Leo) 

R.I.P.

 

My name is Leo I like Rawya very much because she has always took care of us. I was on the road with other stray cats. She came to feed us along the week and see if we need treatment or something. One day, a careless driver shook my body while I was laying on the ground. I had many fractures and no wounds but had many organs damaged. Rawya did not know because someone took me and hid me somewhere. I was not moving and could not eat. I did not eat for four days, until one of the passers by took a glimpse of my deteriorating state and carried me to where Rawya used to feed us. Rawya was shocked to see me in that situation. 

I was almost chilled and could not move nor meow nor eat. I thought it was a harmful passer by so I bit her wrist. Then I realized it was only Rawya. She took me and tried to give me some first aid. She fed me with a seringue but I could not. I moved my head to tell her to stop as I could not. She started giving me anti inflammatory drugs and fortifying things but I was agonizing. She had work to go to but she came after an hour, unfortunately I was dead. I had the chance to see her before dying. 

I am the victim of a person who either did not like animals and crops in his way each weak creature like me or a careless egocentric person driving heedless of others. Rawya just lost another stary cat in a car accident then and thought may be it was an anti animal person killing on purpose innocent creatures like us. Any way, my soul left my body after a lot of suffering but I was relieved to see Rawya before my death to help. 

I was watching Rawya struggling to carry my body to bury it. I was a strong cat weighing more than the others. The back yard of her house had a solid ground so she could not dig into it, she put me and put a lot of sand on my body, thinking she had built a tomb for me there. She was glad to have me in the back yard. Unfortunately, a couple of days later, some street workers noticed the « tomb » and decided to clean all the yard. They took my body with rubbish and a lot of garbbage. This raises the issue of animal’s cemeteries. Rawya was shocked that even after our death there is no safe cimetery where to leave us resting in peace. 

 

 

 

Sam 

R.I.P.

 

My name is Sam and am an adult siamese. I have been used for reproduction and my owner used me to have little siamese for sale. I was not cajoled at my owner’s house so I would go to the Shelter because I liked food there. I would eat and leave from the back window to ramble in the backyard. I liked Rawya and I was bored to see her go away for the journey until the next day. I used to meow so that she can take me with her wherever she goes. Rawya used to cajole me and liked my chocolate color coat. She would comb my fur with her fingers until I resort to sleep. 

One day, while Rawya was away I chose to go rambling in the backyard. There was a bunch of youngsters dragging their pitbull by the yard. The pitbull run and cut its chain at my sight. I ran away but the pitbull caught me and bit me. I was tortured when caught in the pitbull’s claws, he would not let me go until I was a dead body. His owners were watching heedless of my pain enjoying their animal’s agressive behaviour. 

The next day, my owner found my body but Rawya did not know I was dead. One day, she asked my owner about me and he related to her my sad story. Rest In Peace. 

 

 

 

 

 Perido jr

 R.I.P.

I was named after Perido who was lost at his first day arrival at the shelter. I was wandering in the street looking for some food to eat, I used to hide in cars. My human saw me going along alleys and crying for food, so she took me to the shelter. I enjoy playing with Mili, Clyde Johnny and the others. I am a big eater as well. I am very strong and My hair is fluffy. I am soft but after I met hans, she was so agressive to me, it influenced my personality and I started treating Norman jr and others agressively as well. I like to contemplate landscapes outside and I enjoy bringing insects and rubbish into the shelter. One day I brought a big scorpian inside. I did not know Rawya would bump into it. Fortunately, she saw it and was shocked to see how big it was. She killed it and I had nothing to play with. I thought it was a moving toy. Rawya killed it and warned me from fatal insects. After that, Rawya went on a short vacation and left us food for three days, and upon her return, many of us have contracted a fatal virus, some died immediately. 

I contracted the virus but persisted and struggled to recover. The veterinary doctor told Rawya that my liver was damaged and that there were very little hope for me to survive. Rawya strived to save me through some natural remedies but my liver was too weak to bear the drugs and the natural treatment. I also could not eat for a week. Rawya was trying to help but I would not let her on the eve of my departure. I ve had enought of that seringue. So She did not insist and the following day, the verdict came to Rawya like a thunderbolt strike. She found me dead in the basement. She carried my body. I was still strong, so she wandered how I could not survive. She cried and was very sad that day. Rawya was already sick and her health was deteriorating with many of us dying one after the other. Mili was shocked to see Rawya carry my body away as he was my favorite buddy and we used to play together. 

I left behind me a bunch of cats though : Amaryllis, Johnny, Mili, Clyde, Blanco, Rubio, Ruby, Trio and Norman, jr. I left that world to another one. She buried me in the backyard hoping the cleaning locomotives would not dig again into the earth to take my body away like Leo. Little Amaryliss looks like me in his playing attitude and whims. Rawya did not discover that he is a female cat like myself until recently. She thought it was a female. Amaryliss or Amy as Rawya call him, replaced me in her heart although Rawya never forgot me. Our unconditional love to each other is ever-lasting. 

 

 

Rawya

 

Rawya felt very sad after the death of Perido, jr. She thought God sent her another Perido to forget the first one. Unfortunately, she needed a third one to forget them all. 

The day Perido,jr died, Rawya had a dream at night. She saw Perido in a human form like a handsome gentleman. The gentleman, she felt, was Perido talking to her. 

Perido was saying to her : « I chose to sacrifice myself for you. I would bear anything in your stead. I would do anything for your well-fare and happiness » said Perido. 

Rawya woke up and remembered those words in her ear. It was a nice dream although it was sad. The following day, she started accepting the death of Perido as a good thing that Perido was conscious of. 

When she woke up, she said : « I agree, and I accept your sacrifice Perido and I want you to know that I love you very mush. » then she smiled. As such, she started dusting off the saddness in her eyes. 

Her heart was melting for many cats and kittens dying in terrible conditions. She would save as many as she can and spare no effort to help them.