Remembering “Huang Mama”: The Adorable Tabby Cat in College

When I was in college, my dormitory was on the first floor. Since my previous cat, Mimi, got lost and I had a large bag of cat food left, I adopted about seven or eight “campus – lingering” cats.

One of them, probably a tabby cat (I’m not sure), was the first to come. It took over a month of feeding her from a distance before she allowed us to touch her up close. Another month later, she brought three kittens to seek refuge with us: an orange one, a black one, and one that looked just like her.

We got along for half a semester, and she became the closest to us. Whenever we stayed up late drawing, no matter how late it was, she would come to visit us. Sometimes she would just stay by our side, playing on her own, either in the activity room or in the dormitory.

She would stick her little paw through the hole of a small plastic bench and tickle your bottom. Hahaha, she never used her claws. Or suddenly, from a corner of the drawing board, she would stretch out a flowery paw to grab your eraser, pen, or drawing paper. Hahaha

She also “fed” us. Have you ever seen such a caring and domestic – like cat? She caught mice and would put one under the table for each of us two girls (we were the only ones feeding them). The mice were bitten until they were half – dead and definitely couldn’t run away. It was obvious that she was probably worried about our “foraging” ability. Hahaha

She somehow managed to steal large, whole pieces of chicken breast from the cafeteria on the third floor. When we were drawing in the outside activity room, she would drag one piece in front of each of us two, and then have one for herself. She would quietly eat beside us. Sometimes, for some reason, she would vomit and then keep eating…

There were so many wonderful details like this. Later, the school was renovated, and the balcony was sealed. Our connection was thus broken. I miss her. I don’t know if she’s still alive after all these years and how she’s doing.

Huang Mama, that’s what we called her. We called her Huang Mama. I’m grateful to have met her in my life. She added such a beautiful chapter to my life. I miss her. I wonder if I’ll forget her when I’m old. So, I write this article to commemorate our “Huang Mama”.