Whenever the master leaves his seat on some business or the other, the cat stands guard over the cash.
A correspondent writes: It sits by its owner, eyes closed
enjoying the November sun. Occasionally it is given pieces of fish by its owner
whenever he can find some leisure from selling fish in Jadu Babu’s bazaar. But
the picture of somnolence is transformed in seconds, even if a friend of its
owner stretches his hand towards the cash box to badger the cat in the
fishmonger’s absence. A fish market becomes a scene of attrition with the human
beating a quick and timely retreat lest it is attacked by the cat. It is an
unlikely place to observe and contemplate, yet I do it whenever I walk into
this fish market in the heart of Bhowanipore. Amidst the smell of fishes and
haggling between the fish mongers and the buyers, I saw this sight which can
easily find a place in either of the National Geographic and Animal Planet
channels. I am at a loss how this whitish cat, a pet of a fishmonger in this
market, sitting by its master all day and occasionally gifted with choicest
morsels, becomes a vigilante within seconds.
Whenever the master leaves his seat on some business or the
other, the cat stands guard over the cash. An otherwise friendly creature, it
is transformed into a ball of fury at the slightest hint of any advance towards
his master’s money. Even if an attempt to dip into the cash box is preceded by
the offer of a saucer of milk or a morsel, it is met with a snarl and if it
fails to dissuade the intruder, the feline does not hesitate to bare its fangs.
Many a friend of its master has been rewarded by scratches and nicks when their
attempt to berate the fourl-egged guard crossed the feline’s level of tolerance.
Small wonder, its owner is firm in his belief that it is not the dog that is
man’s best friend but the cat.
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