Just when I thought I was done with cats... another one sneaked into my life.
After I got married, we moved into a temporary rented flat in Sembawang while waiting for our new executive flat to be ready.
My husband had no issue with cats, but he was more of a dog person. He once told me, "I can't stand it when cats meow or scream during mating season—it sounds like a child crying!"
So, we both agreed: no cats or dogs in the house. That was the plan.
But cats don’t care about your plans.
One early morning, after a night duty shift, I was walking home when I saw him—a long-haired, long-tailed black cat sitting calmly on the pathway leading to my block.
“Hello, cat,” I said.
He looked at me.
“I’ve got some fish. Would you like some? Come with me.”
And to my surprise… he did.
We lived on the 13th floor. He followed me into the lift, walked out like he owned the place, entered the house, ate the fish and rice I gave him, and then quietly left.
Just like that.
After that day, he began appearing regularly along my usual route home. Some days, if he wasn’t around, I’d whistle—and without fail, he’d come running. Sometimes he’d follow me home and spend the day with me. Other days, when I wasn’t working, he’d come on his own to visit.
My husband had no idea. It felt like I was having a very low-key, furry secret affair.
But the neighbours knew.
They had seen the black cat getting into the lift and heading up to the 13th floor. Sometimes they’d even press the lift button for him. He had fans!
Then came the day my secret was blown.
I had a last-minute shift change from afternoon to morning duty. My husband was home that Saturday.
When I returned, he said with a smile,
“Your friend—the black cat—came to visit today.
I opened the door and he ran off. The neighbours told me all about him.”
I gasped, “Oh no! My secret’s out!”
We both laughed.
From that day, Blackie became my silent companion—especially when my husband was away on business trips. He’d come over, spend the day with me, then quietly leave before my husband got home. He never overstayed, never stayed overnight just enough to remind me that I wasn’t alone.
And then came the day we had to move to Kuala Lumpur. I told Blackie about it. I know that sounds strange but I talked to him.
Two weeks before our move, he stopped visiting. I searched for him, called out for him but he never came. It broke my heart. My husband later said he saw Blackie walking alone toward the forested area near our block.
Maybe he knew. Maybe it was his way of saying goodbye.
Even now, years later, I still think about Blackie. He came into my life when I needed a quiet friend, someone to just be there.
Yes, I talked to him. A lot.
He would sit on the cabinet and quietly watch me do housework.
Once, the Indian foreign workers in the neighbourhood asked,
“Madam, you talk to a cat? We see you talking to the black cat.”
I laughed. “Yes, he listens better than most people.”
I still miss him. He was special.
Blackie wasn’t just a cat.
He was a friend. 🖤
