Although it seemed like any other Sunday morning, it wasn’t a typical day for Sheela Vijayan: her beloved grandmother had passed away the evening before.

In a few hours, the house would be filled with family and friends wishing to pay their final respects. Her death was particularly hard because less than three months before, her dog, Boy, had passed on.

The house, Sheela knew, would feel even emptier after this.

As she fed her birds that morning, Sheela noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a cat with ginger-coloured fur. It was the same stray cat who had been appearing in her house for the past couple of weeks, the one who always scooted off when she saw her.

But that day, as though sensing that she needed comfort, the cat approached Sheela – gingerly (pun intended). And it marked the start of a beautiful friendship.

The cat started visiting Sheela every morning for food. And then, it began appearing in the evenings and throughout the day. And pretty soon, it had a new fur-ever home – and Sheela, a new pet.

“The thing is, I never had a cat in my life. I always saw myself as a dog person and didn’t even know if it was a male or female!”

A friend, who owned two cats of his own, taught Sheela how to check for its gender. Upon discovering that the cat was female, she decided to name her “Rise”.

“In the mornings, I would usually feed her just as the sun rose. So, I thought the name ‘Rise’, short for ‘sunrise’, was apt. Plus, her fur was orange in colour.”

For the first time in her life, Sheela found herself visiting the cat food aisle in the pet store, studying numerous brands to find food that Rise would enjoy.

She was also discovering how different cats were from dogs. For example, although Rise enjoyed cuddles, she liked having her space too – most of the time!

“If she wants to play when I am working on my laptop, she will usually jump on it as though wanting me to stop what I am doing. I sure hope my boss doesn’t read this!”

Just like (most) cats, Rise doesn’t like birds – including the ones Sheela owns. “If they chirp a bit too loudly for her liking, she stands in front of their cage and ‘meows’ angrily. They’ll usually keep quiet after that!”

Rise is also a cleanliness freak – constantly cleaning herself – something that her dog didn’t bother too much about!

Nevertheless, they both shared something in common: they instinctively knew if Sheela needed cheering up and often stayed close when she did.

Since Rise came into her life, Sheela has found herself modifying her lifestyle to become healthier.

“I wake up earlier to feed her and spend more time outdoors as I play with her. It has been healing. In a way, it is helping me to cope with the grief of losing my grandmother and dog within the same year.”

Rise enjoys a diet of wet food – with seafood being her favourite! Sheela switches the brands of food regularly so Rise doesn’t get bored. After a good meal, Rise enjoys taking a snooze (what a blissful cat life, indeed!). When she wants to nibble during the day, Sheela feeds her dry food.

She has also earned the well-deserved moniker of “pest controller” as she diligently kills rats and monitor lizards that show up in the house. There was one occasion, however, that gave Sheela quite a scare.

“Rise spotted a large monitor lizard outside the house that was bigger than her and bravely approached it. I was horrified,” Sheela recalled.

The monitor lizard moved towards Rise, swishing its tail angrily. It was clear it wanted to attack the cat, but thankfully, Sheela arrived just in time to chase it away.

Rise, however, was not amused as Sheela had interrupted her “mission”. The cat clearly did not realise the danger she was in!

Sheela particularly enjoys walking around the garden with Rise in the evenings just as the sun sets, never failing to rise again the next day.

“Rise has brought me so much comfort when I needed it the most. She also taught me the importance of ‘never saying never’. I never thought I would be a cat person but look at me now!”

This article was written by Sheela Vijayan. Read more pet stories here.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.