It was exactly five years to date that I marched through the doors of my forever home in Bangkok. For those of you who don’t know my life story, indulge me a little today:
I was born in Thailand in 2013 to a breeder who meant well and ran a respected cattery for Persian cat lovers. When I was barely a few months old, I was adopted by a friend of the cattery owner on the condition that I was not to be mated yet, since I was too young and whatever kittens I bore would not be viable. My new owner paid no heed, however, and still went ahead and paired me up with some unknown Tom. Needless to say, this tore me up inside physically and psychologically, leading to a miscarried litter, being spayed far earlier than recommended, and was summarily returned to the cattery as “damaged goods”.
The next owner was a kinder person whom I never really got to know. Although I had been officially adopted again, I was initially transferred to a foster home until my new owner was ready to take me in. My stay at the foster home was brutal and miserable, as I was bullied and attacked by all the other cats, in addition to the human who in charge of me also shouting and kicking me around. It reached the point where I was a walking bag of open wounds and scratches, hiding among pots and plants, and avoiding humans as much as possible.
By the grace of the Buddha, a small animal rescue team came to know of my plight and demanded I be returned immediately. After much negotiation, raised voices and insistence on the part of the team, my foster human finally agreed to hand me over, on the condition that the exchange take place in the darkest corner of the bus station at midnight. It was only when I was half way to Bangkok and the light shone on me that my rescuers saw my true condition. They swerved the car and rushed me to the next veterinary hospital, where I was stitched up, bathed and injected with all sorts of antibiotics.
I found my forever home with a family who had just lost their cat while moving from New Delhi to Bangkok. They were supposed to be just a foster family until the rescue team could find a permanent family for me, but from the moment we met, we all decided we would stay together. My human parents have since divorced, and the lawyers asked whether there would be a custody battle over me, but it was all very peaceful and I stayed with Mom.
We moved from Bangkok to Manila in 2016 and I had my first plane ride then, and have never looked back. Just when we were about to move from Manila to Berlin we found out about the EU quarantine regulations, so Mom had to travel ahead to Berlin, extend the rent to the flat we lived in, and find a cat sitter to live with me. She returned three months later and I was taken to the airport with VIP military escort and treated like a queen all the way to Istanbul and then Berlin. After the debacle in New Delhi with Thai Airways, there was no way Mom was going to let that happen to me. So Turkish Airlines assigned a staff member to personally escort me during each leg of the journey. Even the captain of the Manila-Istanbul flight singled me out and had someone check on me during the flight. Upon leaving the plane he personally informed Mom that all was well.
Now I am city girl who goes on bus, underground or subway rides and lives by the river in Berlin! Unfortunately I have two other housemates whom Mom decided to adopt last year. I am now a certified Emotional Support Animal and do my share of caring for those in need.
Meowingly yours,
Champagne
FrogDiva Thoughts 