Cheeky – Page 2 – Peter Tan – The Digital Awakening

Cat Attack

No thanks to Cheeky the naughty cat, I spent almost 2 hours at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Trauma and Emergency Department seeking treatment for injuries to my left arm. He was agitated by a neighbourhood cat that came into the compound. When I closed the door, he pounced on my elbow.

Cat claw injuries.

He sank his fangs into my elbow and clung on to my arm with his claws. I tried to shake him off but he held on fast. When he finally let go, he ran into the bedroom and left me bleeding profusely from a deep puncture wound. It was still bleeding 2 hours later at the hospital. My blood pressure was elevated. The doctor who attended to me said it could be caused by the trauma. I was given a tetanus toxoid injection and had the wound dressed.

Dressed cat bite.

The agony from that attack was not the superficial wounds but the aching muscles which I suspect was sustained when I tried to shake him off. 24 hours later now, it is still tender to the touch and swollen. Luckily, it is not my dominant arm. If not, I would not be able to drive and perform many of my activities of daily living.

Our Christmas Tree

Cheeky the cat checking out the Christmas tree.
Photo by Wuan.

Wuan put up the fibre optic Christmas tree beside the bay window a few days ago. She had bought it from a pasar malam in Ipoh many years back. Over several days, she dressed it up with baubles and other ornaments. The illumination from the fibre optic was rather dim. It was not striking even with all the living room lights turned off.

Yesterday, she came back with a string of multi-coloured fairy lights. That atmosphere instantly warmed up when she turn them on, a stark reminder that Christmas is near. Cheeky, the forever curious feline, was at first fascinated by the blinking lights. He stared from the floor for a long time. When he could no longer contain his curiosity, he climbed onto the bay window and then perched precariously on the sofa to sniff at the tree.

Cheeky In The Garden

Cheeky checking out something from his new cage in the garden.

Cheeky has a free run inside the house but the farthest he has ever ventured outside was the garden. Even then, Wuan kept a close eye on him. We did not want him to go beyond the compound and traipse all over the neighbourhood and get injured, or worse, get hit by a car. This fear stemmed from our previous experience with Fei Por’s three kittens.

Cheeky posing for the camera in his new cage.

When he was younger, Wuan would put him in a harness and leash, and let him explore the garden. He would sniff and move cautiously among the grass, chew on a few blades at a time and was generally fascinated by the new sights, scents and sounds outside. As he grew bigger, he refused to let Wuan wear the harness on him. He has not gone out since.

Cheeky and Fei Por chewing grass.

Cheeky has not shown any urge to go out either. But we want him to get some sunshine and eat some grass every now and then. With that in mind, we got him a cage last week. It is only for confining him when he is in the garden. He seemed to enjoy being out again and happily chewed grass that poked up from under the cage.