Unexpected visitors to Kitzania!

Rasha al Raisi -

What makes our house special is the fact that nobody is bothered when the doorbell rings (except for Mansoor who’d run to the balcony to check out the visitor. I wish if cats were as intelligent as apes to learn sign language and report back what they see).

Last Saturday wasn’t any different, except that whoever was ringing was really insisting. Everyone around the house seemed to have vanished into thin air, except for my dad who kept yelling from the living room: “Who is it?.’’ To answer his question, I had to take a peek and was surprised to see four people in orange vests.

Still in my pyjamas with a pile of plates filled with cats’ biscuits, I sensed the seriousness of the situation and decided to answer the door. The visitors were taken back by my elegant morning look and the tower of takeaway plates filled with something that looked like colourful cereal.

They announced that they were from the ministry of health and that they were here to inform us about the Dengue fever.

My eyes darted to the huge pesticide container that dangled from one of the men’s shoulder and asked in one breath: “I’ve got cats in my garden. Is that thing toxic? Are you going to spray it in the water?” Sensing my panic, the only lady in the group assured me not to worry as the spray was safe for children and pets.

Men in her group walked around the garden — followed by my hungry cats — and kept pointing out instructions on getting rid of excess water in the plant pots and changing the cats’ potable water in the tubs every three days. The man with the pesticide container sprayed a bit in the dry fountain and I gasped: “What If the cats drink from it?”

The men exchanged uncomfortable looks not knowing how to handle the paranoid cat lady. The woman came to their aid and asked if she could speak to me about the diseases and show me some pamphlets. I took her inside and left my biscuits aside — to my hungry cats’ dismay.

She took the pamphlets out and with a smile asked what I knew about the fever? I told her whatever I’ve read about it and her smiled increased as she noticed the cats surrounding her (Naeemo was staring from upstairs, Kiki the blind was bumping into the furniture till she found her way to the stairs and fat Mansoor seized the chance of me being busy and started gobbling from the biscuit plates like there is no tomorrow).

She asked: “Does all of your cats have names?.’’’ “Yes”. “Do they all respond when you call them out?.’’ “Of course!”. “Back to the Dengue fever, the mosquito is called.’’ I had to cut her off: “Excuse me for a second. Mansoor! No!”. Mansoor gave me a dirty look before turning his fat back and walking away in a huff. The woman was astonished: “Do they really understand what you say?.’’

Sensing her fascination, I shared some of the cats’ stories and we didn’t get past the first page of the pamphlet. Dad cut off my story telling by asking loudly who it was. Sensing her embarrassment, I assured her that our neighbours keep spraying their house and the surroundings almost daily so the situation was almost handled here. She gave me the pamphlets and I walked her outside. Her colleagues were waiting by the door and I thanked them for their efforts. It was time to feed the starving citizens of Kitzania.

Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com