I felt bad when I couldn’t go to feed stray cats at the temple.

Some days the rain just poured down heavily the whole afternoon making it impossible for me to visit the temple. I knew some cats were very hungry as they didn’t have any solid food for more than five days. These cats were living near the construction site and by the pier. The skinny monk didn’t go to the pier to feed these cats. He already had to look after almost twenty cats around his lodging. In the past years, two ladies came to feed cats at the pier twice a week. But they had disappeared for several months, the fish vendor at the pier didn’t see them for quite a while.

So, these five cats around the pier were very skinny and had to try their best to survive. The pigeons were too fast for these cats; only one stray orange cat was able to catch a pigeon sometimes. These pier cats were small and too gentle to fight for food with bigger cats at the rubbish tips. Outsiders came to unload their rubbish bags at the temple; these bags weren’t well concealed. So, older cats with more experience could scale the plastic boxes and took down some bags of leftover food.

The last in white car came once a week to place dishes of dry food for temple cats in the car park. But she never made it to the pier area. The pier cats would have to sneak quietly into the car park to look for leftovers. But they would be chased away by bigger cats in the car park. So, I always gave these poor cats by the pier extra helping of wet food. I had to tell them to eat a lot so they could survive for three to four days. I felt sorry for these skinny cats and prayed that more kind visitors came to feed these cats when I was away.

These cats seemed to have some idea about dates and calendar. I told them that I would be back on the third day so they should look after themselves and stay out of harm ways. Usually, they would be in their hiding places and waited for my calls. As soon as they heard my voice they would run towards me with gleeful joy at the prospect of eating wet food. Too many Vietnamese tourists have been using the pier for their boat trips. These tourists made lots of noises and walked all over the pier creating a market atmosphere at times. These cats were so sensitive to loud noises and strangers congregating around the pier. So, most of the time they would be hiding from the crowd.

The other day, the rain came down and made me hesitant about going to the temple. But the rain stopped around 6pm., I knew these cats would be disappointed if I didn’t turn up. So, I hurriedly gather the dry food bag, ten wet food sachets with two for backups. I drove like a taxi driver looking for a restroom. The sky would be darkened on an hour so I had to compete with time. As soon as I parked my car, I noticed something strange at the yard in front of the pier.

The two cats were sitting quietly at the store looking towards the car park. They were usually too timid to be out on the open like that. They were watching for my car and my movements; they could recognise my footsteps. This told me that they were very desperate for some food; they were very hungry. I was quite shocked to see these two cats waiting for my arrival for several hours, I would usually arrive in the afternoon. I was glad that I made last minute decision to drive to the temple in the evening. These cats were quietly waiting for me to feed them.

Their eyes lit up and they jumped down to greet me. They followed me to our usual spot for feasting. They waited patiently for me to dish out the food. They were so hungry that they gladly ate the dry food before I could take out the wet food for them. The new orange stray cat also came out of hiding to ask for food. The small black mother cat came out of the construction site to meow for food. I was glad to be able to feed these cats in cloudy condition without any downpour. They all had three helpings of food, so I spent about half a hour watching them eating without any distractions.

I had to tell some Vietnamese tourists to stay away from these cats. Some children wanted to touch these cats, so I had to tell them off. These cats felt very secured having me standing on front of the eating spot. So, they weren’t jumpy and didn’t have to hide from noisy people. I couldn’t understand why most people didn’t have the common sense to leave cats alone while they were eating. Most people weren’t thinking before taking actions. I had to explain that loud noises and sudden movements would frighten cats away. Some cats could be aggressive if they felt threatened so small children could get scratches.

When they had their stomach full, the cats settled down for grooming. I was glad to see them very contented and laying down for a rest. Then, I had to feed the old Samsi who had moved to the second floor of the Buddhist school for novices. An old ban told he that she was chased by a stray dog several days ago. So, Samsi refused to come downstairs and has been living on the second floor. I had to call loudly for her; when she heard my voice she would respond with her sweet meowing. I had to feed her on the staircase. I wondered where she would go for her toilet!

Then, I had to get back to the car park to see whether any hungry cats were around. I would feed around five to ten cats in the car park, depending on the weather. Some of these cats came from the skinny monk’s front yard. They were hungry and looking for leftovers at the rubbish boxes. These cats knew me very well and have become very tame. Most cats in the temple knew me and have become my friend. Even the skinny monk was quite surprised that I could touch or handle most temple cats.

I told him that it’s the tones of his voice that made cats uneasy. I could lure new kittens out of their hiding places by calling them nicely. I noticed about six new kittens from two mother cats hiding among construction materials. I hoped that they would allow me to touch them one day. They have begun to eat some wet food I put out for them. Other bigger cats seemed to know me too well and knew how to bet for more wet food. I continued to be amazed by their complete trust in me. Perhaps they were psychic and could read my mind.

It’s was fun watching small kittens and older cats eating seriously without making any noises. I always had to check the weather map on the day of my routine visit. Then I could plan my journey to avoid the rain and traffic jam. My old friend had sent me money for cat food without my request. She made it possible for me to feed almost thirty cats twice a week. So, I have been very grateful to her kindness and compassion towards stray cats. These were lucky cats with good karma from their past lives! I told these cats to be good so that they would have a more comfortable reincarnations in their next lives.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.