May you always be happy, healthy and well taken care off Amour!

I named him Amour, which is "love" in French. A bit of a cissy name for a boy. But Amour was very very affectionate, having a penchant to spontaneously lie down on his back, tummy up, every time he came near me. I thus find that name appropriate. He was among three kittens of my neighbour's cat. My neighbour seemed very indifferent to them and they were always at the back of the house to fend for themselves. Amour and siblings were always loitering at the back of our houses, hungry, waiting for my neighbours to throw out food scraps onto the back lane road. So everyday, at least once, I fed Amour and his siblings. I had to stand guard while they were eating, so as to fend off other stray cats and stray puppies and the ever-present, notorious menacing crows that my area is famous for.

I soon noticed two big puncture wounds on Amour's thigh which were in danger of getting infected. Took him to the vet and soon the wounds were healing fast. I treated the fungus infection and the fleas too. About a week after that I got him his first shot of vaccination. By that time he was already living with me about three weeks. He had put on weight, becoming chubby and very cute indeed.

To my utter surprise, my neighbour then proclaimed that Amour was their kitten. It was ironic that only Amour was their kitten and not Amour's two other siblings living at the back lane. They bought him a collar and they now keep him in the house. However, every chance he could get out, Amour would dash to my house. Contrary to humans, animals do not forget kindness bestowed on them. So my neighbour totally keep him in their house. I had never seen him anymore. I also believed my neighbour had given him to somebody else as they seemed to have a new cat which is also very cute. Probably they got tired of having to cage him all the time. For a few days, I was crying. Because I already loved him and I was waiting to take him for the second vaccination shot. It is easy to love an animal when it is healthy, cute and cuddly. But will you take good care of it when it is naughty and destroying your furniture? Or spraying onto your favourite couch? When it is sick? When it is vomiting every now and then, or losing control of its bowel movement? When it is old and not that cute anymore? Human beings have a preoccupation of adopting or loving animals which they deem beautiful or having a breed or quick to learn to do tricks. They love Amour when he is already cute, healthy, chubby and because he was male. Human beings forget that they too can get sick and they too will become frail, weak, not so handsome or beautiful like when they were young.

Wherever you are Amour, may you have a good, kind owner. May you always be healthy, happy and well taken care off. For the short period that you are with me, I had loved you very much.