The Day I met Sir Thomas

by Diane Tan
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

I was sitting in my ground floor flat with the sliding door open one evening in July. After a long, hard day's work, I was just about to tuck into my tuna salad when suddenly I got the feeling I was being watched.

I looked left and there he was a small bundle of fluff looking up at me with a mixture of hope and fear in his eyes. I instinctively put out my hand to stroke him, but he hissed at me and arched his back. OK I thought, let's see what a bit of tuna can do. I placed a bit of tuna on the floor and he inched his way slowly towards it, eyes flitting from the tuna to me and back. Finally the urge to eat overcame his fear and he made quick work of the morsel.

He then fixed his eyes on me as though to say "where's the rest". I obediently placed another small morsel in front of him, then another and another. Finally, he had finished my tuna.

He looked at me and made to leave, but suddenly he turned, jumped on my lap and started to purr and rub incessantly against my hands and face. As he was doing this I noticed his tabby coat and beautiful white vest which ran all the way down across his stomach. His four beautiful white paws reminded me of socks and high school. That was it. With a sudden jolt I realised I had just been adopted. He jumped down and began to explore my flat as though inspecting his new home. He knew that I was his.


He's been with me now for five months and he's grown from an adorable little kitty to fully grown tom. Such a gentle, playful, companion who gives me endless affection. My cupboard is full of cat food and biscuits. When I finish work he's waiting for me at the door and always greets me with lots of meows and leg rubbing. First thing in the morning he's there and after a feed and some cuddle time he instinctively knows when to leave as I have to go for work.

Well, that's how I met Sir Thomas. I had no intention of adopting a cat, but he just worked his way into my heart and I don't regret the day he came into my life