The Care and Keeping of Island Pets
Late last August, I got a cat.
Why do I need a cat? Well, cats are practical. They eat cockroaches and other bugs. They scare away rats. They are also just fun. They follow you around and act dumb and elevate your mood with lighthearted physical comedy. They are cute and furry and purr when you hold them. They are recipients to your mindless chatter when you're alone in the house.
But mainly, I really wanted a cat because of rats. During walkabout week, some scratching/biting at my foot in the middle of the night revealed that I was not going to be alone in this house, but rather, I was going to share it with a sharp-toothed 12-inch long grey furry rodent that came out at night to eat my potatoes, ramen, empty plastic cracker trays, the wood in the corner of the wall, a friend's backpack, my toothbrush, and possibly my big toe. The thing was really starting to piss me off.
Of course, there were some nights I didn't hear the rat. Those were nice. But most nights I awoke to the sound of a loud scurry or teeth-on-wood gnawing sound. It wasn't subtle.
I put the word out to anyone and everyone in my village that I was really desperate to have a cat. The response was mostly something along the lines of, "A friend of my sister's just had kittens! When she comes, I'll have her bring you one." But I arrived in early July. It was now the end of August and I had yet to receive a kitten.
People happily get rid of pets because they can't feed them. Puppies, more so, since they don't feast on rodents and bugs like cats do. When there's an unwanted lot of puppies born...they unfortunately "make a trip to the sea," never to come back.
Then, late August, when I was eating at someone's house, an orange kitty wandered inside and I told the family I wanted a kitten. They responded, sincerely, "take this one." It apparently belonged to Leisava, a neighbor, and she had a handful of them that she didn't care about giving away. I didn't take that kitty, but I did talk to Leisava the next day.
She told me there was a litter of freshly born kittens hiding somewhere, a few weeks old. There were also some young cats a few months old wandering about. She told me I could have the orange and white one, if and when she found it.
The next day, Leisava's daughter Loren brought the kitty to my house. It was terrified, hiding in the rafters, or in the sheets of metal stored behind the house. I tried to coax it out with an open can of tin tuna. Juju (we'll get to him in a moment) aggressively took that tin tuna and licked it clean, as my kitty sat terrified, shaking in the darkness of its sheet metal hiding place.
I asked a teacher what the language word for "afraid" is. "Mataku," she replied. Here, women's names begin with Lei- or To-. Boy's names are Kal- or Ta-. My name was Leimara (mara means "lead", thus, I am "girl who leads"). Kitty's name was Mataku, until I knew its gender.
After my neighbor Selena trapped it as it came to her house at dinner one night, I brought Mataku into my house and locked it in my bedroom with me. I tried to just pick it up, to no avail. Eventually I just let it roam about my house, where it decided its favorite places were as far from me as possible.
After following tips online of how to make your cat less terrified (talk to it calmly while you're in the room, get it used to your presence and noise), it warmed up to me. Two days after receiving it, it climbed onto my bench where I was sitting watching a movie, and it SAT ON MY LAP. Right there. Unprovoked. I gently petted it, and flipped it over. It was a boy. His name is now Kalmataku.
Since Kalmataku arrived, I haven't heard the rat in my house. I used to hear it almost every night. Now...nothing.
Owning a cat on the island is amazing. I was never a pet person back home. It was too much effort. Too much money. Not on the island.
The cat itself - $0
As I mentioned before, people are just giving these animals away. Why would you pay for an animal? You're rescuing it from drowning to death!
Litter box - $0
The standard Peace Corps litter box is constructed with your plastic-lock medical kit. You receive two upon swearing in, and that extra one is just the size for a kitty. No need to purchase special kitty litter when there's a massive beach just a three-minute walk away, filled with tonnes and tonnes of sand. The litter box is not necessary, but I did keep it for a bit just to make sure Kalmataku knew where his home was, and that he could sleep inside the house. I've since removed it, and he just leaves the house through the rafters to use the grass outside as his bathroom.
Cat food - $0
Cats eat mostly proteins and starches, or at least mine does. I don't give it whole meals, just scraps, like moldy beef jerky, or discarded fish/chicken bones. Pets here eat chicken bones and don't choke on them! They're so much more resilient! Also, you don't feed it a lot. I've probably fed Kalmataku a total of 4 breakfast crackers this week. And he's alive and well, because I've heard/seen him feasting on mice at least three times this week.
Well, Juju is an island dog who was ushered into Peace Corps ownership by the previous volunteer at my site, Shannon. He barks at men and is very protective of me and my house. He follows me everywhere and I don't even need to ask or seek him out. He started doing it when I arrived on the island. People told me it's because I smell different. I hope it's not because my smell is strong, because sometimes I don't see him for a few days and he'll just walk right into the classroom I'm in, like he just KNEW I was there. My B.O. must be pretty rancid for him to find me from a village away. But...at least he likes how rancid it is?
We walk around the village together, no leash needed, although having a couple loose pieces of coral/stones in my hand is nice just in case he gets aggressive with the male passersby. He sleeps on my stoop every night, ensuring I get to sleep safely. He may wander off in the middle of the night, but he's always there in the morning, there to greet me as I open my front door.
He's escorted me up the bush to Natalie's site, because he knows the route better than I do. I just tell him "Juju, GO!" and he rushes ahead, forging the path. He only seems to know two commands, "Go! (lead me to where I am going)" and "OUTSIDE! (leave this place, immediately)" He's pretty well trained in that regard, and I had nothing to do with it.
Juju smells, though. I don't let him in my house because 1) he's huge, 2) he reeks, and 3) he is hairy and covered in flies/fleas. He scratches himself a lot and I don't want to be sweeping dog hair out of my home every day.
Kalmataku also has fleas, but that has never deterred me from cuddling. I sometimes bath the two of them with some flea shampoo ($2 in Vila), but it's only once a month or so. Kalmataku I toss into a small basin with water and then wrap him in a towel that I turn into a straight jacket as I pick out fleas with a tweezers. With Juju, I carry into the ocean and lather him up while I squeeze him between my legs so he can't escape.
Despite Kalmataku's free range in and out of my home, I've never had any flea issues on my scalp or in my clothes or cushions. I've heard that fleas don't like regular skin, they only like fur. Whether or not that's true, you just get used to things here, and a flea-riddled animal is one of them.
Kalmataku and Juju, despite their differences in size and species, get along pretty well. Kalmataku always happily greets Juju by rubbing up against him, sometimes to Juju's annoyance. Kalmataku and Juju will share the same space, but not the same food. That, they fight over.
I mentioned before that these animals were resilient. I heard Juju got hit pretty hard by some yungfala who threw a stone at his head, and was knocked unconscious. He got up about fifteen minutes later and found me on the beach, where he just waited for me to finish swimming. Kalmataku has been chased by hoards of dogs 10 times the size of him, but survived it every time. I think Kalmataku had worms at one point, and I didn't do anything about it but wish him better. And he's better. It's funny to go online and read about western pet advice for animals that are so resilient. My cat was sneezing for a week, and I read online to take it to the vet to see if it had a cold. I laughed. Those things just don't apply here.
And the best low-maintenance of these pets? I just leave for days or sometimes weeks on trips or trainings and my pets do just fine without me. Juju wanders about, often sleeping at Anita's house, where he called home during the gap between Shannon's departure and my arrival. Kalmataku wanders in and out of the house as he pleases, snacking on lizards and cockroaches and mice and rats, as well as discards from neighboring families. Juju exclusively snacks on discards. There's no need to get a cat- or a dog-sitter. There's no need to leave enough food in the bowl, or water in a dish. They'll find it. They're wild and free.
Thus, I have my two garbage disposals, my two protectors (from rodents and strange men), my friends.
Why do I need a cat? Well, cats are practical. They eat cockroaches and other bugs. They scare away rats. They are also just fun. They follow you around and act dumb and elevate your mood with lighthearted physical comedy. They are cute and furry and purr when you hold them. They are recipients to your mindless chatter when you're alone in the house.
But mainly, I really wanted a cat because of rats. During walkabout week, some scratching/biting at my foot in the middle of the night revealed that I was not going to be alone in this house, but rather, I was going to share it with a sharp-toothed 12-inch long grey furry rodent that came out at night to eat my potatoes, ramen, empty plastic cracker trays, the wood in the corner of the wall, a friend's backpack, my toothbrush, and possibly my big toe. The thing was really starting to piss me off.
Of course, there were some nights I didn't hear the rat. Those were nice. But most nights I awoke to the sound of a loud scurry or teeth-on-wood gnawing sound. It wasn't subtle.
I put the word out to anyone and everyone in my village that I was really desperate to have a cat. The response was mostly something along the lines of, "A friend of my sister's just had kittens! When she comes, I'll have her bring you one." But I arrived in early July. It was now the end of August and I had yet to receive a kitten.
People happily get rid of pets because they can't feed them. Puppies, more so, since they don't feast on rodents and bugs like cats do. When there's an unwanted lot of puppies born...they unfortunately "make a trip to the sea," never to come back.
Then, late August, when I was eating at someone's house, an orange kitty wandered inside and I told the family I wanted a kitten. They responded, sincerely, "take this one." It apparently belonged to Leisava, a neighbor, and she had a handful of them that she didn't care about giving away. I didn't take that kitty, but I did talk to Leisava the next day.
She told me there was a litter of freshly born kittens hiding somewhere, a few weeks old. There were also some young cats a few months old wandering about. She told me I could have the orange and white one, if and when she found it.
The next day, Leisava's daughter Loren brought the kitty to my house. It was terrified, hiding in the rafters, or in the sheets of metal stored behind the house. I tried to coax it out with an open can of tin tuna. Juju (we'll get to him in a moment) aggressively took that tin tuna and licked it clean, as my kitty sat terrified, shaking in the darkness of its sheet metal hiding place.
I asked a teacher what the language word for "afraid" is. "Mataku," she replied. Here, women's names begin with Lei- or To-. Boy's names are Kal- or Ta-. My name was Leimara (mara means "lead", thus, I am "girl who leads"). Kitty's name was Mataku, until I knew its gender.
After my neighbor Selena trapped it as it came to her house at dinner one night, I brought Mataku into my house and locked it in my bedroom with me. I tried to just pick it up, to no avail. Eventually I just let it roam about my house, where it decided its favorite places were as far from me as possible.
After following tips online of how to make your cat less terrified (talk to it calmly while you're in the room, get it used to your presence and noise), it warmed up to me. Two days after receiving it, it climbed onto my bench where I was sitting watching a movie, and it SAT ON MY LAP. Right there. Unprovoked. I gently petted it, and flipped it over. It was a boy. His name is now Kalmataku.
Since Kalmataku arrived, I haven't heard the rat in my house. I used to hear it almost every night. Now...nothing.
Owning a cat on the island is amazing. I was never a pet person back home. It was too much effort. Too much money. Not on the island.
The cat itself - $0
As I mentioned before, people are just giving these animals away. Why would you pay for an animal? You're rescuing it from drowning to death!
Litter box - $0
The standard Peace Corps litter box is constructed with your plastic-lock medical kit. You receive two upon swearing in, and that extra one is just the size for a kitty. No need to purchase special kitty litter when there's a massive beach just a three-minute walk away, filled with tonnes and tonnes of sand. The litter box is not necessary, but I did keep it for a bit just to make sure Kalmataku knew where his home was, and that he could sleep inside the house. I've since removed it, and he just leaves the house through the rafters to use the grass outside as his bathroom.
Cat food - $0
Cats eat mostly proteins and starches, or at least mine does. I don't give it whole meals, just scraps, like moldy beef jerky, or discarded fish/chicken bones. Pets here eat chicken bones and don't choke on them! They're so much more resilient! Also, you don't feed it a lot. I've probably fed Kalmataku a total of 4 breakfast crackers this week. And he's alive and well, because I've heard/seen him feasting on mice at least three times this week.
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| Best of friends - February 2018 |
As for Juju...
Well, Juju is an island dog who was ushered into Peace Corps ownership by the previous volunteer at my site, Shannon. He barks at men and is very protective of me and my house. He follows me everywhere and I don't even need to ask or seek him out. He started doing it when I arrived on the island. People told me it's because I smell different. I hope it's not because my smell is strong, because sometimes I don't see him for a few days and he'll just walk right into the classroom I'm in, like he just KNEW I was there. My B.O. must be pretty rancid for him to find me from a village away. But...at least he likes how rancid it is?We walk around the village together, no leash needed, although having a couple loose pieces of coral/stones in my hand is nice just in case he gets aggressive with the male passersby. He sleeps on my stoop every night, ensuring I get to sleep safely. He may wander off in the middle of the night, but he's always there in the morning, there to greet me as I open my front door.
He's escorted me up the bush to Natalie's site, because he knows the route better than I do. I just tell him "Juju, GO!" and he rushes ahead, forging the path. He only seems to know two commands, "Go! (lead me to where I am going)" and "OUTSIDE! (leave this place, immediately)" He's pretty well trained in that regard, and I had nothing to do with it.
Juju smells, though. I don't let him in my house because 1) he's huge, 2) he reeks, and 3) he is hairy and covered in flies/fleas. He scratches himself a lot and I don't want to be sweeping dog hair out of my home every day.
Kalmataku also has fleas, but that has never deterred me from cuddling. I sometimes bath the two of them with some flea shampoo ($2 in Vila), but it's only once a month or so. Kalmataku I toss into a small basin with water and then wrap him in a towel that I turn into a straight jacket as I pick out fleas with a tweezers. With Juju, I carry into the ocean and lather him up while I squeeze him between my legs so he can't escape.
Despite Kalmataku's free range in and out of my home, I've never had any flea issues on my scalp or in my clothes or cushions. I've heard that fleas don't like regular skin, they only like fur. Whether or not that's true, you just get used to things here, and a flea-riddled animal is one of them.
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| Kalmataku likes starch. Kato is starch. Kalmataku wants my kato. - September 2017 |
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| Go right ahead, Kalmataku, eat all the moldy beef jerky you wish. - November 2017 |
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| "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Their enemy is rain. - September 2017 |
Kalmataku and Juju, despite their differences in size and species, get along pretty well. Kalmataku always happily greets Juju by rubbing up against him, sometimes to Juju's annoyance. Kalmataku and Juju will share the same space, but not the same food. That, they fight over.
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| Kalmataku hates the heat almost as much as I do. - December 2017 |
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| Tag team napping. - February 2017 |
I mentioned before that these animals were resilient. I heard Juju got hit pretty hard by some yungfala who threw a stone at his head, and was knocked unconscious. He got up about fifteen minutes later and found me on the beach, where he just waited for me to finish swimming. Kalmataku has been chased by hoards of dogs 10 times the size of him, but survived it every time. I think Kalmataku had worms at one point, and I didn't do anything about it but wish him better. And he's better. It's funny to go online and read about western pet advice for animals that are so resilient. My cat was sneezing for a week, and I read online to take it to the vet to see if it had a cold. I laughed. Those things just don't apply here.
 |
| Kalmataku sits on my bag to prevent me from leaving for Reconnect training. - October 2017 |
And the best low-maintenance of these pets? I just leave for days or sometimes weeks on trips or trainings and my pets do just fine without me. Juju wanders about, often sleeping at Anita's house, where he called home during the gap between Shannon's departure and my arrival. Kalmataku wanders in and out of the house as he pleases, snacking on lizards and cockroaches and mice and rats, as well as discards from neighboring families. Juju exclusively snacks on discards. There's no need to get a cat- or a dog-sitter. There's no need to leave enough food in the bowl, or water in a dish. They'll find it. They're wild and free.
Thus, I have my two garbage disposals, my two protectors (from rodents and strange men), my friends.
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