Lessons I Learned from Cat Named EEE-ONN

Few years ago I saw a a stray kitten in my basement as I was approaching my car to go for grocery shopping, while in supermarket I decided to buy a pack of cat food to feed the kitten I saw in the basement.

What started with feeding basement kitten has since snowballed into a full fledged stray cat management job. I now manage seven stray cat colonies, which comprise in total around 40-50 cats. I provide them food, water and medical care, especially sterilizing to keep population low. This happens everyday of the week, rain or shine (mostly the case here).

This activity results in me interacting with stray cats everyday, over a year ago a tiny kitten showed up at one of my stops, he seemed like a normal white and ginger kitten with one distinct attribute, he made the distinct sound EEE-ONN, hence the name.

Below is a YouTube Video of him. More videos at the bottom of the page.

Year or so forward, in April of this year, due to financial constraints I switched from giving cats "wet food" to "dry food" which is considerably cheaper. This change was not welcomed and resulted in severe protest. Broke my heart but I had no choice, this protest resulted in two basic reactions; most cats adapted to having dry food while some stopped coming. EEE-ONN on the other hand had his own plan, his strategy was different, unlike all other cat.

He kept on protesting, everyday I would go to his stop and he would not eat dry food, instead he would keep on saying EEE-ONN non stop till I was in his stop. Other cats in his stop will be eating but not him.

One day I saw him in the stop before his, which is two hundred odd meters away. He had come to assess if situation on this stop was any different, as in if wet food is available. Although, there was no wet food here but found this stop to be less crowded and he made this stop his own. Once I drove by after feeding and I saw him eating dry food, which means he was eating dry food but just not in front of me.

Around mid June one day I stopped at his stop, hot and humid evening and he came running as usual and starting shouting at me like he always does (Above YouTube video). This evening was different, unlike any other, this Mexican standoff came to an end by me conceding defeat, I looked at him and said, "I give up", I really said it out loud "I give up". Since that day, he gets wet food, nobody else but him.

What did I learn from him? quite a lot.

Stubborn BUT Flexible

Usually considered as opposite, but he taught me that you can be both. While he was stubborn and consistent in his approach but he showed flexibility by eating dry food when he thought I have left. He portrayed a shield of defiance but when my back was turned he assured his survival by eating what was available.

In this lies a lesson for all of us, be stubborn but be flexible too, you just have to find the right moment to be either this or that.

Be on the move

Cats usually don't move from their spot, very territorial in their behavior. But once he realized that other stop offers less competition, he was swift to move and fill the vacuum he found.

Lesson I learned here is simple, don't stick to your stop, whatever that means for you; job, business etc, be ready to move, always on the lookout and most probably you will find a better "stop". I don't think he ever read "Who moved my cheese " but he applied the principals perfectly.

Live another day

When I give him wet food away from other cats, sometimes another cat would come along and challenge him for food, he would always back off, most cats defend and fight for food but not him. He would back off always, and that is probably the reason why I never had to take him to vets for treatment.

He is smart enough to realize that food comes to him everyday, even if he gives this one away he will have it tomorrow. Lesson from this is very deep, opportunities comes to us every day, week, or months. if we lose one, there will be another one soon. Don't fight and give all for something which may not be worth the price you may end up paying.

Over the years I have come across hundreds of cats, he is not the most loving or cute cat but for sure he is cat from whom I have learned the most. It can be argued that his intentions for doing what he did may not be the same as what I have concluded, but for me that is beside the point, what he does, and why; is known to him only, what conclusions I draw from his actions is based on my interpretations which are independent from his intentions.

How his actions are interpreted will probably vary from person to person, what is your interpretation of his actions?