Animal buddies

I never had any pet animals or birds. But there were many animals in my life who almost became pets. Though they did not live in my house, I still considered them to be my friends. This is the story of one of such friends.

The time was April 2020. The world has come to a standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nobody was allowed to leave their house. Everybody was trapped inside their homes. Just like everyone else even I was a confined to my home. Of course I did not find it torturous but I was quite enjoying it. One of such reasons was friends I had made during that time.

During that time lockdowns were imposed. Our office had told us to start working from home. I would start my work at 8:00 and it would go on endlessly. I was enjoying working from home but at the same time I was missing my colleagues. I was missing on all the fun that we used to have in the office. I was missing the human face to face interactions during the period. Sometimes I was feeling isolated and disconnected.

This also was the time when it started testing our patience. During this time I had started doing some activities like meditation and yoga so that I can find peace in the uncertain times. I was also trying to connect more with nature. I had no idea that nature will find a unique way to connect with me.

It was one random workday. It was a busy day. After finishing a meeting around 4:30 I decided to take a coffee break. During my coffee break I would ensure that I am not exposed to any electrical devices. I would not use my phone, tab, or laptop during my break. I poured my hot cup of coffee and took it to the balcony. I sat in the balcony and was looking around for a sign of life. All I could see was some plants in the complex garden and some stray dogs. While I was looking around, from the corner of my eye I noticed slight movement on my left side. I turned around to see that a rock pigeon was sitting at the window of the balcony. Blue grey coloured bird with bright orange eye was looking at me. It was not looking scared but just curious. I moved a little closure to have a look at it. It did not get scared and stayed where it was. Upon closer inspection I realised that the pigeon only had one eye. The other eye was covered with a thick white membrane. It must be a pirate pigeon, I thought to myself and smiled. It was a handsome male bird and the female sitting slightly away from him. He was looking at me as if he was observing me, watching my every move, or simply judging me for taking really strong coffee. I finished my coffee and I left. Both the pigeons continued to sit there for a some time and later flew away.

Next day the same thing happened. Around 4:30 I was having my coffee and these two pigeons punctually came and sat by the window. They would not try to enter the house or would get scared because of my presence. They had claimed the place to be their and were more than comfortable sharing it with me. The pigeons really made my time worthwhile. Everyday I would look forward to seeing the pigeons while having my coffee. The pigeons would never disappoint me and show up everyday at the same time. The pigeons had given me a hope that the tough times will get over. The bond that I had formed with these pigeons was something that I would forever cherish.

Now the pigeons are no longer there, but I still search for them everyday. There are plenty of pigeons in my area but no other pigeons would replace them. They were special and they were my "pandemic buddies".

A lot of my animal companions have not been anyway connected to me. They were not my pets. They had not been staying with me. They were not living in my house. Yet they still manage to have an impact on my life. This story is about a pet but it was not mine. It was my friend's pet.

I was in school that time. I think I was in Grade 7. My friend told me something during the recess that made me excited. She told me that her dad had brought a bunny from her village. She knew that I am an animal lover so she had told me to go with her to her house after the school. I was happy to hear that and I was eager to meet the bunny.

After the school we had gone to her home. She took us to her room to show us the bunny. The bunny was sleeping peacefully in the cage. It was a cute white bunny. It was as white as snow. It had really soft fur. It had curled up against a blanket. It was so fluffy that it look like a small cloud. My friend told me that the bunny sleeps most of the time. It would wake up only when it is hungry. It wakes up, eats some carrots, and then again goes back to sleep. I was surprised to hear that. I was expecting the bunny to be energetic. I was expecting it to be very active and jumping all around the house. I was not expecting to see an animal that sleeps for a very long time. But my friend told me that they sleep a lot, even more than cats.

It was sleeping but still she took out the bunny from the cage. The bunny was still asleep. My friend placed the bunny on her lap and started petting it. She told me to pet the bunny as well. The bunny was asleep but was still willing to accept pets from both of us. Its fur was soft as cotton. I really loved the experience of petting the bunny.

Then it became our routine. Everyday after the school I used to go to her house to see the bunny. I would stay there for 10-15 minutes and then go to my own house. Even when the school would have holiday I would still go to her place to see and pet the bunny. A couple of times I was fortunate enough to see the bunny awake. I had given the bunny a few carrots. It was a pleasant experience to feed the bunny. It was funny to see how it slept while eating the carrot that was not even finished. It was holding the carrot in its forelimbs and was eating the carrot during which it fell asleep. The bunny would sleep a lot so we were not able to play with it. But every day we will see the bunny and we will pet it.

One day I visited my friend's home to find out that the bunny was unwell. The bunny was taken to the vet but by that time it was too late. Bunny had died before reaching the pets clinic. That day me I and my friend both cried a lot. We had not only lost a pet but we had lost a friend that day.

After so many years the bunny still remains in my memories and it will stay forever in my heart.

During the 2020 pandemic period my life was really boring. Every morning I would wake up early, exercise, finish my chores, start working, and continue with my day. The workload was tremendous. There was no fun in the life. There was absolutely nothing to do. There was one good part about this pandemic. Because of the lack of traffic and movement, animals and birds were coming closer to the cities. One such incident occurred at my own home. I had seen the scaly breasted munia.

I had read about the scaly breasted munia in various books and nature related website. I had seen their photographs. I had never seen the bird in reality. However I did see it in the 2020 pendemic. I was working on my laptop. I had sat by the window. I had joined a meeting where in my presence was not required. To mark my attendance I had just join then meeting and I had placed myself on mute. I was simultaneously working on a report that I was required to submit later that day. I had not being paying attention to the meeting as well as the surroundings. Suddenly I heard a chirp. It did sound unusual. It was not from a sparrow or black myna. I could hear the difference in the chirping.

I looked up from my laptop. I wanted to see which bird it was. I saw two tiny birds sitting near my window. These birds were almost of the size of the sparrow. I had seen them in pictures. I had read about them. I knew exactly which birds they were. They were scaly breasted munias. I looked them and they look so beautiful. They had tiny feathers. The male bird had reddish brown coloured feathers on its wings. Its chest was covered with feathers which were white with brown border. It looked as if the bird was wearing a printed t-shirt with a brown jacket. It had a small black beak and big eyes. It look like a typical caricature of an angry bird. The female too looked similar but was smaller. Her feathers were not bright but they were little dull. The couple was sitting by my window and fearlessly chirping. I was shocked to see them. They were not timid at all. They were neither scared because of my presence nor because of the humming sound coming from the laptop.

I definitely wanted to give them something to eat. At the same time I did not want to make any sudden movements otherwise I would have scared them off. It was a dilemma for me to whether feed them or stay at my place. I did not move an inch. They stayed there for 5 more minutes and then they flew away.

Next morning at the same time the couple return at my window. This time I was prepared. I had already is scattered grains near the window. Again I sat still at my seat so that they do not get startled because of me. They were not scared. They ate the grains and flew away again.

This routine continued for a few months. Later the restrictions of the lockdown were lifted. Then I would see that munia couple as would not come every day. On some days they would come whereas some days they would not come to sit at the window. Then one day they stopped visiting all together. I would wait for them everyday but they would not turn up. Maybe they retreated to their home - forest. The city was no longer suitable for them.

Today I sit by the window at the same time waiting for them. I wish they visit me at least once. So that I can see goodbye to this beautiful birds. So that at least I get a closure

Indian alexanderine parakeets. The regal and exquisite birds of the town. These are found everywhere in Mumbai and nearby cities.

I have been a nature lover ever since my childhood. When I was a child the parakeets were not very profound in my residential area. I remember that when I used to hear the chirp, I would run to the balcony to see if I can spot a parakeet. Sometimes I would spot it, the other times I would simply get disappointed. I would love see those emerald green beautiful birds. They would chirp but would disappear in the trees. They would still continued to chirp as if they wanted to mock me.

When I moved to the different part of the city, the parakeets sighting became a daily phenomenon. Where I stay I would see the parakeets everyday. I see them in the morning and even in the evening. In my society complex we have a jamun tree. This tree is the favourite tree of all birds including the parakeets. The parakeet feast on the fruits this tree all day long. This is one reason why we see so many parakeets in my complex. The parakeets are not at all scared of humans. As if they know that they can live in a syndicate life with humans. Humans are their feeders, they know that very well.

One day I was working. I was staring at my laptop screen trying to understand a complicated worksheet. I heard a chirp right behind me. I turned around see where the parakeet is. It was sitting at the balcony window. It was quite a big parakeet. I was hardly a few feet away from it but it was completely unfazed. It continued to chirp while looking at me and my laptop screen. It sat there as if it was his everyday activity. I got up and brought it a chilly. I have read somewhere that they like chillies. I placed it on the other side of the balcony, so that I would not scare the parakeet. I slowly returned to my seat and watched the bird from a distance. I saw that the parakeet gracefully moved towards the other side of the balcony. It picked up the chili in a leg and started biting into it. From its movement it was apparent that the bird had enjoyed a treat. I got delighted that I was able to feed an exquisite bird. I even thought that what if this is the beginning of a new friendship. I wondered what if the parakeet would return every day for this spicy treat. What if the parakeet brings its friends along with it. How beautiful my balcony would look if so many birds gathered around here. I was thinking a lot about them.

But what I did not know was that the parakeet was not only coming to my balcony. It had been visiting almost all the houses in my complex. It was not hungry but it was greedy. So were the other packets; they were hanging around to get extra food.

The parakeets do not come to my balcony everyday. But when they visit I enjoyed to give them chilly. Maybe one day they will decide that my home is the one to be chosen for meal everyday. Keeping my finger crossed!

I have always red that the Tom cats (male cats) are very territorial and dominant. Tom cats do not like other Tom cats in their territory. If they see even male kittens in their territory, they attack them as well. According to the Tom cats any male feline is a threat to their reign. This is something I have read and also witnessed. But I came across a Tom Cat that changed my perspective.

I had recently moved to my new home. In this area there were many cats. I am a cat lover so I was delighted to be residing along with these cute and graceful furry creatures. One specific cat caught my attention.

It was a Tom Cat. He had white fur on his body excluding the ears and tail. His fur of tail and ears was of brownish orange colour. It would look like he had applied henna on his ears and tail. He had beautiful light green almond shaped eyes. It was not his beauty that caught my attention but his character did that. He was a very calm cat. I had always seen him sitting peacefully in a corner. He would either sit peacefully, sleep, or roam around without causing any trouble. Unlike most of the tom cats he was very peaceful. But the most rare quality that he possessed was his loving nature. I had seen that a lot of female cats would come towards him and drop their kittens in his custody. As if he was the kitten sitter. The female cats would leave the kittens to him and they would go around to hunt. This Tom Cat wood take care of the kittens, he would clean them, and let them sleep on him. That's why I used to call him the dad cat.

I had seen that he was a very gentle with kittens. He would never scratch them. He would never attack them. The kittens were often seen playing with him or even practicing their hunting skills with him but he never scratched then once. He was very gentle and patient with the kittens. Sometimes the kittens would hog his corner and sleep in his place. He would sit somewhere else without moving the kittens. He would act as if he was their father, caregiver, and sitter.

Once I had seen another Tom Cat near his territory. This other cat was trying to attack the kitten. The dad cat attacked the intruder Tom cat and was able to successfully retain his territory. Not only that but he was able to protect the helpless kitten which was left in his custody by a mother cat. In this fight the dad cat got injured a bit. But at least he had won the battle and protected the kitten. He was the dad who stepped up.

I had seen the dad cat till the time 2020 pendemic started. During the pandemic, I did not know whether he was fed or he was able to hunt. After the lockdowns were over I went to the dad cat's corner only to find out that he was not there. I had been looking for him for quite of you days but I did not find him. I presumed that the 2020 pendemic killed the dad cat just like it had killed a lot of people and animals.

I wish that the dad cat finds his way in heaven because he definitely deserved that.