🐱Being Mom to Leo

21 April 2020


Hi everyone! How are we doing during this MCO season? I understand that everybody is going through these difficult times in their own way and with how things are progressing, I think we're all doing a great job at trying to contain this virus pandemic. As for me, things have not changed as much. I've always been an indoor sort of person who likes to go about her day in her own privacy.  

However, even for me, I have to admit, these past few weeks have put a rather strange pressure on me. I miss going outside, meeting my friends, going to class and spending my leisure time outside of my room. At the same time, I know this will be over soon enough and I'm paying a small fraction of what I can sacrifice to have the good old days back.

I would have posted an entirely separate post about my experience during the MCO or anything about the virus pandemic. However, after much contemplation on my part, I've come to the conclusion that I rather not talk about it if I can because I know we are already so much consumed with discussions on this very topic. I thought, perhaps a different fresh conversation between you and I would give us space to bring our minds away from all of that, even just a little. And with that, I want to talk about my experience of being a cat mom to Leo.


I've actually already posted an article of Leo's background in another post called, "🐈 It's Time You Meet Leo". He had a rough start as a kitten. To make the story short, he was dropped off by his mother (I said something else in the previous post) from the high wall separating our garden with our next door neighbour twice before we finally took him in before she would do it again the third time. Perhaps she was in the process of transitioning her litter of kittens to a safer place but couldn't commit to take care of all of them that she dropped Leo with us. We might never know. Whatever the reason was, we couldn't refuse him. I love cats and little kittens, we all do as a family but that day, when my parents took a look at the ball of shivering and starved kitten in my hand, they thought he wouldn't survive another day. It was hard for me to accept that, I guess I never had something die in my watch. I didn't want to give up either.


I made sure he was warm, took every few minutes to check on him in his little box filled with dry warm towels we had to spare. And during all that chaos, I was still hoping that his mum would call out for him, knowing that she had one little kitten missing. But she never did. Hours passed by and it was noon, he looked a little freshened up after his long nap. And he was immensely hungry. He was peeking at me through his half-opened eyes, almost closed shut with dried tears. We didn't have any suitable food or milk for a kitten, and he was hungry. I think I was alone at home that day and I couldn't drive (not even for toffee) to the nearest pet store to get what he needed. Leo was getting weaker and feeling a little desperate, I booked for the nearest Grab and bought the necessary things from a pet store. He got his milk warmed up, I made sure to rub his tummy with a warm towel to circulate his bladder and put him back in his towel where he started to wobble around and explore this strange box he was put in. 


We pretty much knew we were head over heels with Leo to give him away. He's a really sweet loving thing who absolutely craved for attention, especially mine at the time. I was like his surrogate mother in a way because in every 2 hours, I would be ready with a small cup and syringe to feel him milk, cleaned out the soiled towels from his cage (he moved to a cosier "room" after his stay in the box), reheated the water from a metal bottle before wrapping it with a warm towel so that he could hug it to sleep (it keeps him quiet when I finally left him to do my own thing). I realised, that even though it might never be the same as the real thing, being a cat mum is tiringgggg. It was a full-time job because small kittens need to be attended to every few hours and they're also adamant about getting your attention too. Leo used to scream/meow his lungs out if I finally thought it was time for him to settle down back in his cage. But was it all worth it? The many restless sleep I had in those short weeks he was in my care before I had to whizz back to university for my masters? Was it worth the little heartaches when I could only see him on the weekends? 

It was. He turned out to be a handsome little cat now. As he grew up, he got plenty of interesting nicknames that I'm sure he responds to each time: Yoyo, Squirrel (for the many times he literally fly from one furniture to another, with his tail behind him and looking very much like the animal he's nicknamed after), etc. He's good company for anybody who needs to stay up for work in the living room where he'll unintentionally distracts you with his cuteness. 


He loves having attention from his hooman family but we discovered he can be a little shy with new guests. Leo might be a little braver when he's older, just like his "sister", Dessi, our cat. Despite how he got us all swooning over him, I realised that even till these days, many months after we first took him, he could never really win over our Dessi. She's pretty much set on disliking him for life although she's completely fine to tolerate with his presence at home. However, that never stopped him from trying to invite her to play and hangout. 

I present to you, Queen Dessi, the empress of this household. She insists on being featured on my blog if Leo was to be showed off to.
I always imagined that this would be how their conversation go if I could understand it. I'm pretty sure it's 99.99% accurate judging by the look Dessi throws at Leo.
One thing I can take from this experience as Leo's "mum" is that caring for a kitten as young as he was might not be for everybody. It was stressful and you have to be ready at all hours in case he's hungry, needs his bedding cleaned, etc. Having support from my family made a huge difference and I had time for myself to prepare for my upcoming semester at the time. I also learned that in contrast to how I've always viewed of myself - hesitant and awkward to display affection towards those around me, I grew to be a huge softie over Leo.
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33 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Hehe thank youuuu! Leo said he's a big boy now who still likes to play around people's skirts. hahahaa

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  2. He's so adorable omg. His cute face melts my heart aaaa T_T

    lenne | blog

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    1. Hi Lenne! Yes, HE is. And he knows it well too. That's the same face he uses to get extra meals. T_T

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  3. OMG! Such a handsome cat <3

    I think you did pretty well of being his mum. I can never be so attentive like you.

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    1. Hewo Farah! Thank you!!! Truthfully, I wouldn't have gotten through alone, I had my family taking turns to care for him. hehe Leo has been a great cutie addition to the family ever since. He's really great at cheering people up.

      Happy Fasting as well!

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  4. ya Allah comelnyaaa geramnyaaa eeeee xD
    I LOVE CATS SO MUCH

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    1. I spot a cat lover!!!! I KNOW. I feel like I want to hug them forever!!

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  5. awwww Leo is adowable and pwetty omgggg.
    I'm also a mom of 3 cats and yesterday another 3 was born.
    I can't wait to go home and meet my little babies.

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    1. Hello Mummy Cat!! Do you know, most pictures on my phone are Leo's. I'm crazy over this cat. 🤣

      Oh and say hello to your little kitty babies!! They must be the absolute cutest!

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    2. hehe.. I love it when they called us parents at the vets. I feel you. Gonna take tones of photos of my little babies when I get home. Hopefully my applications will be approved.
      I'll let them know that leo's mummy says hi ^^

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  6. Sameee i'm a homebody but suddenly appreciate going outside, meeting friends etc. Btw, geramnya tengok kucing tu eeeeee comel sangat

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    1. Hewo Ziera! Thanks for dropping by! I think everybody is at their wits end on what to do for the next two weeks. Hahaha I guess we just have to keep on being patient.

      Hehe Leo said hello! And stay safe at home!

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  7. Haha, same here, even tho im an intovert, i just cant take this anymore haha. Your kitten is so adorable!! How lovely! Im a cat lover too! Love to see more update about Leo!! <3

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    1. Hewo introvert sister! I totally feel you! I WANT OUT as much as the next person does. At the same time, I'm glad that the number of new cases are going down over the past few days. Not long now!

      And thank you for the compliment! Leo just had a nice shower today and he smells DELICIOUS. hehe He hopes you stay safe at home with your loved ones too!

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    2. Hehe, i know right. So glad!! Aww, what an adorable little kitten!! I would love to hug Leo!! Thank you and for Leo too! Send my regards to Leo! <3

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  8. cats are such an apple to my eye. They are great stress relievers

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    1. And you're absolutely right! Their overly-vibe of cuteness takes my worries away. hehe

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  9. aww cute, I would love to have a pet. but my parents do not agree to have any pet!

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    1. Perhaps you can have your own pet later on when you have your own place. They make absolutely great company. And if you're lucky, your cat can be a pest control at home too. hehe

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  10. A kitten at my parents house also have similar story with your Leo. The kitten's mum left it under my dad's car. Not sure if she just forgot about her baby or she intentionally left the kitten there. My little sister always wanted a cat but my mum dislike them and now my mum can't do anything except to accept the kitten. Hahaha. Funniest thing is my sister call the kitten Corona. I hope she will change the name later.

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    1. What a cutie story! The kitten must be lucky to have you and your sister taking care of it. Hahahah How recent was this? The name corona might stuck. hehehe

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  11. comelnya Leo 😍😍😍

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  12. I agree that most people who loves cat are one with soft heart :) hehe

    hanisamanina.com

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  13. Leo grown so much and indeed he's so handsome! I giggled at Dessi's feature in this post, it sure was hard for Leo to try be friend with her! I can't wait to live alone so I can get a cat too. I love cats! I can't for now as I live with other people and pets weren't allowed.

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  14. This is so me. Saving one kitten leads me to have at least 20 cats in house until my dad bought them a huge cage but not huge enough. They all died/mysteriously disappear that I was devastated for weeks.
    But I still buy and keep cat food in the car and inside the house for all the strays sebab tak sampai hati tengok stray cats beg for food.

    Leo is so cute!!!! and dessi reminds me of Putih and Vera. Tuan rumah keluarga Zahar.

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  15. umh wak pon ada kucing nama Leo., ;p

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  16. This post makes me miss my cats *cries*

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  17. Leo is sooo cute! my family didnt give me permission to keep pets, lucky you dear :)

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  18. i could never mom a cat. that's it. i adore your hardwork and leo is blessed to have you. it got me wondering if the mother really did make that decision to leave him there knowingly you could care for him. leo is so handsome though.

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