It has been a while since I last wrote about my cats.
Which is unfair, considering they have never stopped making their presence known. Loudly. Dramatically. Consistently.
They are part of the team too. Not the kind that appears on meeting pages or introductions, but the kind that occupies space, demands attention, and believes the house exists primarily for them.
They are witty and naughty, as always.
Whenever I go outstation and leave them behind, they do not take it well. There is no subtle disappointment. There is sulking. Full-bodied, unapologetic sulking. They make sure I feel it the moment I return. The looks. The distance. The deliberate turning away, as if to say, you left us and now you must live with it.
Then comes the retaliation.
Tissue papers are never safe. Somehow, they manage to find them every time. One moment the house is neat, the next it looks like a small snowstorm has passed through the living room. Tissue everywhere. On the floor. Under the table. In places that defy logic. Their true colours always reveal themselves when they feel abandoned.
And yet, despite the tantrums, they are loyal in their own way.
When I study, they are always there. Sitting nearby. Sleeping beside my books. Occasionally stepping on important notes without apology. They do not help academically, but their presence does something else. It grounds me. Keeps me company. Makes long hours feel less lonely.
Sometimes one of them will stare at me as if deeply invested in my work. Other times, they will choose the exact notebook or laptop keyboard I am using as the best place to lie down. Personal space is a concept they have never acknowledged.
They are chaotic, affectionate, dramatic, and completely convinced that they run the household. Which, to be fair, they probably do.
So yes, it has been a while since I talked about them. But they have not changed. Still witty. Still naughty. Still sulking when I leave. Still destroying tissues when offended.
And still there, quietly accompanying me through study sessions, late nights, and ordinary days.
The other team members. Unofficial. Unpaid. Irreplaceable.