Cat-loving

Sharifa's old aunt from the Galaxy tower here in Onan Road coming over to the morning table at Mr. T. T. to convey thanks for the contact of her niece the other day after two or three weeks of silence. The poor old aunt could not ask the brother with whom she lives in the apartment for fear of disturbing him. — Cannot ask, so busy, the woman explains. An old-style deeply loving sibling relationship, it had been apparent from earliest sightings. Zubir the name of the man, early sixties, always got his head in a book reportedly, or else fixed on the screen. Beard richly hennaed, quick Hellos on the street going home or over to the Onan mosque near-by. A raised hand, a quip. The older brother, Sharifa's father Hamza, had been a prominent writer and film-maker in the early days here; a good one too, according to Mr. Jamal his near contemporary and colleague. Some while ago Zubir's wife survived a cancer scare: shy smiles like her husband in greeting without ever meeting the eye; like her sister-in-law always modestly covered. In California another cat has been taken in by the niece Sharifa; that was why no time to call. The aunt had mentioned the first cat some months ago. Sharifa was busy, busy with the cat. From the outset here the Cat-women in the quarter had posed questions; mostly Chinese they were in this particular neighbourhood. While the kampungs remained one would guess there was little of this particular channel of tenderness; in Singapore the same as anywhere else. Auntie Helen in the front room of the Carpmael house is another; indeed as an older woman and with such excellent English a leader of the local chapter. The better class of feed Auntie Helen has delivered to her door is financed by her Market Research work. Rounding back from work or outbound Auntie always stops when she finds the window before the desk open. The petite old hunchbacked Cat-lady from one of the Haig Road blocks Auntie Helen is beginning to subsidise with her premium feed. Often the cheap food the local NTUC supermarket sells will be left half-eaten by the mogs. Not Auntie Helen's mix. Auntie Helen will not leave her estate to the Cat Society or RSPCA. Instead she will leave it to the local, independent old Cat-women whose commitment and dedication she can trust. Thousand dollar fines apply for feeding wild cats and birds in Singapore; a year ago there were large five metre banners raised near the Haig Road bus-stop giving warning.