One day, Just like that, she appeared on the premises of our apartment. A black cat. I don’t think anyone considered her to be a bad omen or tried to chase her away. So she made her home in the basement car park.

Most mornings, I used to catch a glimpse of her, a black shadow, sometimes walking up the driveway from the basement, at other times sitting on the half wall that separated our property from the one next door. Later, when she was assured no one was about to harm her, she took to sitting quietly next to the entrance to the lobby, idly eyeing those who walked in and out.

Meanwhile someone had begun feeding her. I started noticing how she would be waiting expectantly at the lobby door every morning when I stepped out for my walk at 5-30 a.m. Sure enough, one morning I saw one of the residents -an early riser like myself, except that his reason for being up was going to the temple- feeding her.

By the time I finished one round around the block, she would be done and be diligently cleaning her whiskers. Then she would disappear for the rest of the day. Back to the basement refuge, perhaps? Or did she have other places to visit? I had no idea.

Within days though, her routine changed. Now it was not just early mornings, she would be around most times of the day. It was as if she had adopted our apartment block as her own. What’s more, in the evenings she took to sitting next to the sentry post in companionable silence with the security guard on duty.

“Looks like you guys have got yourself an apprentice!” I told one of them seeing her sitting all rolled up into a ball next to the entrance gate one evening while out on my after-dinner walk.

That’s Blackie for you, the cat which has adopted this place as its own. And now, it looks like we are in for a bonanza and would soon have little blackies running all around the place. 🐈‍⬛

©️ Shail Mohan 2025