I wanted to tell you today about someone very exciting who has joined our family: Kala Jamoon, the most adorable little black cat you'll ever see.
Kala Jamoon, in case you wondered, is named after a black, round, delicious Indian sweet (related to the better-known Gulab Jamoon), in the tradition of our family cats being named after desserts -- except Billy, who, with Desi's help, managed to duck that trend. Kala Jamoon, or KJ, is an older cat who was living outdoors and had an interesting journey to our, and now her, home.
I first met KJ about two months ago, when she casually strolled up to our front yard to eat the food I put out every day for a handful of spayed and neutered feral cats who live in the neighborhood.
There are a couple of black cats among these outdoor warriors, but KJ was clearly a new entrant: her bright green eyes and a smattering of gray hair on her chest -- shaped like a necklace -- immediately set her apart. She is eartipped, which indicates a vaccinated and altered outdoor cat. But while most of the outdoor cats, with the exception of one or two who'll tolerate a few gentle strokes of their fur, tend to not seek human contact, KJ came bounding up to me when I first saw her and began to rub against my legs. When I reached down to stroke her, she was only too happy to give me her head -- in fact, she didn't want me to stop.
She appeared incredibly gentle and friendly for an outdoor cat, and she didn't seem to care much for the food either. On each of her visits, she was followed by another, larger black cat. The minute I'd put the food down, the other cat would run up to it, watching me warily all the time, while Kala Jamoon would make a beeline for me.
I made time to sit down with Kala Jamoon every evening that she stopped by. At about this time, a new next door neighbor told me she was missing a black cat -- a new cat to their home -- who had accompanied her father recently all the way from Singapore.
The next time I saw KJ, I knocked on my neighbor's door. The sweet cat had faithfully followed me all the way to their front stoop, but the neighbor's father took one look at her and told me she was not his missing cat.
I had been excited about the possibility of the friendly little kitty having a home, but since those hopes were now dashed, I wondered if we could introduce Kala Jamoon into our home. As an older cat, and being as gentle and sweet as she is, she seemed unsuited for life on the streets. Desi, never averse to the idea of more animals, agreed, but we were both a bit wary -- Leo and Lily are great with our resident feline and king of the house Billy, but they're not exactly wonderful with other cats they encounter on their walks, and since Kala Jamoon seemed to be older, I wasn't sure she could handle these two rambunctious pups.
We were forced to make up our minds that Saturday morning. While taking the dogs for a walk. I found Kala Jamoon sitting in the bushes outside, waiting for me. This was unusual because until then she'd only been a nocturnal visitor. And when she remained there for the rest of the day, we couldn't stop ourselves any more: so we locked the dogs and Billy upstairs and opened the door to ask Kala Jamoon if she'd come in. She spent exactly five minutes preparing for it by rubbing herself against the door before she walked right inside.
She's been an indoor cat since, never once asking to go out. She has been with us for about six weeks now, and she's made good progress with her furry siblings. We allowed Billy to meet her first, and he was not happy to find another kitty on his territory. He tends to get jealous when we give her attention, but over the weeks he's beginning to tolerate her and we see some small but hopeful signs that they might become friends after all. During our three weeks in India we found an amazing catsitter experienced with outdoor cats to look after them, and left by themselves most of the time, Billy and KJ no doubt warmed up to each other just a little.
Leo has been amazing with the new addition. Although the bigger of our two dogs, he is a complete sweetheart. After KJ batted a paw at him during their first meeting, he knows very well not to bother her and is even a little afraid of her.
Lily, however, is another story.
Very territorial by nature -- probably because of her early history as a street dog -- Lily was, especially at the beginning, very confrontational with KJ. But over the weeks she has become slightly more accepting. KJ still won't easily move about the house when Lily is around, because she is probably afraid of being chased, but she has a few spots that she is comfortable in, like a chair in the living room and the couch in the den, from where she will aim a well-timed bat of her paw at Lily when the little dog begins to sniff and growl at her. Knowing cats, I am quite certain that within a few months KJ will find a way to get along with her, because cats are nothing if not wise. And I don't think there's ever been a cat that's let a dog get the better of them.
I do still have one challenge with KJ that I've been trying to work on. When I tried to get her in a carrier to bring her to the vet, she scratched me and ran away into hiding for the rest of the day.
While I've never known a cat who loves the carrier, I have never had a huge problem with getting Billy, and Pubm and Pie before him, into the carrier when we need to make a visit to the vet. I do need to get KJ in for a checkup so I tried asking some people at work, including our resident cat expert, and I was given tons of great advice, but unfortunately nothing has worked so far. I even bought a soft cat carrier-- since the hard one tended to freak her out -- and tried to get her used to it by giving her treats and her food in it. Although she sits in it occasionally, she usually runs out the minute she sees me. So that hasn't worked out very well so far either. If anyone that's adopted an outdoor cat has any tips, I'd love to hear.
You'll no doubt be hearing more about KJ as she settles in our home. She sends you a quick, short hello (because that's how she speaks, while Billy has a long, lazy drawl) and a friendly bat of the paw to say, give me a head rub please!
***
Here's a photo of Billy, who was feeling a little left out.
GuruKaram
Three words of advice that will rock your world in the best way - Mobile Veterinary Service! They can come to you and deal with all of your babies at once. No fighting and no carsick fur babies. I found it to be a huge leap forward. Good luck, KJ is a doll as are you!
Christine Chevalier
Thank you for this post, Vaishali! We adore rescues as well! We've rescued feral cats and kittens born in our composter and taken them to wonderful homes (we have 2 cats and 2 dogs - oh, and a snake - all rescues) ourselves! KJ looks much like our Samhain (aka "Evil Cat"!) and I am certain she is very grateful to have found a home with you. I look forward to hearing more about her and the rest of your furry family! And, of course, your amazing recipes! I've made many of them and love them all!!! (I do have to tone the spices down a bit in some!)
Sending you and KJ and the rest of your family Love and Light...
Michelle aka surfshrink
I was told to leave the cat carrier out as part of the furniture all the time. I know its not ideal for decor. We have 2 cats and a dog and there is no mistaking by our decor that animals are part of our family. I love your recipes, and love this animal story along with all the authentic stories from your life. Thank you for all you do for us and your fellow animals. xoxo
Debbie Mickow
ADORABLE!!! XOXO I simply Adore Black Kitties!!! They are both beautiful!! I am new to your Blog and am looking forward to making ALL of your recipes Eventually...lol LOVE Eating All (Meatless of course) Indian Food...Make it A lot!!!
We have 3 kitties...A Bengal Mix Zekaiah AKA (Boo), A Siamese Mix, Mia And, last but not least our youngest, Zeppelin, a Blue Russian!
We also have a 3 year old Boxer/Lab/Shepherd mix... XOXOXO
THEY ARE ALL RESCUES..
THE BEST KIND!!!
Thank you for your Blog...I LOVE IT!!! XOXOXO
Ira
Congrats on the new addition to the family! Kala Jamison is so very pretty. I am always reminded of Kipling’s description of Bagheera in The Jungle Book whenever I see a black feline:
“A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path, for he was as cunning as Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded elephant. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down”.
No ideas on how to get her into the carrier, I am afraid, except that with cats you have to try, try and try till you succeed. 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Ira, what a beautiful description of Bagheera-- the skin softer than down...I can see how it would remind you of a black cat. Except the cunning and reckless part of course, because every black cat I've ever known has been the sweetest creature. 🙂
Ira
Perhaps this calls for a vegan version of Kala Jamoon in the little lady’s honour? ? All the best getting her to the vet, I am sure it will be fine. Please give us an update.
Berrie
She's beautiful! So glad you've taken her in and that she's now safe from a life on the streets.
There wouldn't be any feral/street cats if humans took responsibility and had them de-sexedand didn't just abandon them!
Vaishali
Thanks, Berrie!
Guy Zoller
Beautiful kitty! I’m sure she’ll become integrated into your family in a big way. I have a recipe I’d like to share with you if you’d like another. It’s speghetti with roasted garlic cream sausce, combined with roasted veggies on the grill. The first has long been a favorite at our house, but the addition of the grilled vegetables took this one over the top. Obviously heavy cream is not a vegan ingredient, but I trust you can come up with an appropriate substitute. Let me know if you’d like to try it out. I live in Reston btw.
Vaishali
Thanks, Guy, nice to meet a "neighbor"! 🙂 And that recipe sounds delicious, esp with the grilled veggies. I can't wait to try a vegan version.
Ellen Lederman
What a gorgeous cat! Cute name too. Thanks for adopting her. I know it's a leap of faith to introduce a new cat into your home, especially a feral one, but now the rest of her life will be so great...a fate a lot of lot of black cats don't enjoy, because of people's stupid superstitions.
So glad you are back! Like others I worried that maybe you were just burnt out on blogging, but then I realized you were probably in India. I'd love to hear more of your observations about your time there, especially the social climate. For instance, are people as narcissistic/ self-absorbed as the US---like constant selfies (I believe some Indian men were killed recently taking selfies). ? Equality for women? Health/obesity? Mental health----like China, I believe there are many more males than females, which can create a host of problems? I get a kick out of people who think all of India is this spiritual place where people have all this enlightenment, but with globalization/Westernization/materialism, I suspect that this isn't the case. People are people everywhere and modern life brings many issues...
Vaishali
Hi Ellen, so true about black cats and truly sad. My black cat, Pie, was the most amazing, sweet, loving cat, and so is KJ. For some reason, my two black cats have always been more dog-like in how much they love human contact, while other cats usually only give you the time of day when they feel like it. 🙂
I will certainly write more about India-- it has changed a great deal and one of the reasons I find it hard to share at times is because I feel so strongly, and not always positively, about the changes. In fact, I started to write a long post when I came back and then discarded it because I was sounding like a grumpy expatriate.
I've always found the western notion of India being a spiritual place amusing. Life in India is too gritty to be spiritual, and most people there, like humans everywhere I guess, are focused on material success and a better life for themselves. Most of India still lives in poverty and spiritualism is really an indulgence, as it is here, for those who don't have to worry about getting food on the table.
Ambika Devi
This is adorable! Thank you for sharing with us Vaishali!
Vaishali
Thanks, Ambika!
JB
So glad to know there are many more Cat lovers like me. Thanks so much for writing your story about KJ. I look forward to reading more soon. Also, the photos are great of the Cats.
Also all of your Recipes are great.
Vaishali
Thanks, JB, cats are the best! 🙂
Lydia
She is so pretty! Congratulations on the new family member. 🙂
My cat Munchie is afraid of the carrier, and even when we get him in, he gets very upset and hurts himself on the sides of the carrier. We bought him a small dog harness and leash, and he goes to the vet that way! He sits in the back seat of the car like a dog. He enjoys being on the harness so much, I take him for walks in parks and he has even attended one of my university lectures!
Vaishali
The harness is a great idea! Desi takes Billy out on walks on a harness every day, but I hadn't thought about getting KJ used to it yet. It might be a challenge right now to get her to sit still while I put the harness on, but it's worth trying. Thanks!
Smanders
Hello and thank you for this post. So happy to hear you've been able to profoundly help another life. Annnnd I loved the timing. I'm on day 5 of a water fast and reading and seeing more of your delicious creations of my literal food dream life would be painfully wonderful. Hearing your already beloved family has grown again is very wonderful.
Best to you and yours. ?✅??
Vaishali
Thanks, Smanders! 🙂 🙂
Ida
Love reading about your furry family ?. Perhaps a spray of Feliway might help with the carrier anxiety?
Vaishali
Thanks for the great tip, Ida! I have to definitely look into that.
Mia
Thank you for caring for and welcoming KJ into your home ?
Vaishali
Thanks, Mia! We love her to bits.
Teresa Wagner
Many blessings to KJ, and to all of your animals for a long, happy and healthy life with you! I just love that you shared this. Black cats and black and white cats are so very special ~
Vaishali
Thanks, Teresa, and agreed! 🙂