During our very first stay in our new house, there was this young and curious cat. At first he was just a fur ball in the distance and over three weeks, curious as he was, he came closer and closer to check out these new habitants of his house. We had guests from California and after every evening outdoor on the patio. He was purring and liked to hang out with us, eventually spending lots of time on our of our laps. And in the morning jumping on the window sill to see if someone wakes up. He became our outdoor companion, spending a lot of time following us while working outside the house and the garden. We did not let him inside the house nor feed him (he didn’t beg for food). After about 3 weeks we decided it is helpful for the island, if we bring him to the vet for neutering. A friend lended us a cat carrier and gave us the address from a vet in Acharavi. We managed to put him into the carrier and drive him to the vet while he made intensely havoc inside the cage and screamed his lungs out. We got him neutered. Back at our place, he was dazzled and dizzy from the anesthesia, tried to walk and crawl towards the garden, but he looked so weak and falling over….  Seeing him so weak, we didn’t want him back in the thorn bushes where he had his little nest to sleep safely. We felt he was to weak. That was the day, that we gave him some food and watched over him. From there on, we kept taking care of him and he became our beloved Thanda. We first named him Thanda because he was so loving. Thanda means love in Zulu. after a short time Harito noticed he acted like a lion, so his name became Thanda Mbube = ‚Love Lion‘. After he moved into the house, we realized he was Lord of the manor and his name then became ‚Inkosi Thanda Mbube‘, = ‚Lord Love Lion‘.

One evening, instead of groceries, John brought home a little/sweet problem (as he presented it to me in a shopping bag). Someone on the sidewalk pointed out that a tiny kitten jumped into his motor when he started the car. John immediately jumped out, opened the hood and grabbed the little one. He looked very ragged and so tiny. He had flees, was starved, and was bleeding out of his left eye, his nose and both ears due to severe infection. We brought him to the vet and gave him much love and care and medicine. Now he is such a happy, playful, adorable, little rascal.

Rascal will stay with us.