Flash Post 257!

Button, if I recall right, the last time Ugly aka Bestie featured on our blog was when he befriended Mimi, the kitten, and took care of her as if she were her own. Many months have gone by since, many incidents, some even life-threatening ones, have occurred and Ugly–that’s the name we endearingly call him by, is back on the streets, slimmer, fitter and devoid of the huge tumour she carried on the left side of her torso for a long time.

There is definitely a story here and we must share it with our readers.

This is the way Ugly looked roughly 4-5 months back and the other one is of him eating dinner at the Peddar Road bus stand last night after having returned to the streets after his ordeal. The tumour I mentioned grew abnormally large which is why Geeten, a benefactor of Ugly and many such four-legged species and my daughter and I, decided to get Ugly treated and get the tumour removed. There was another lady in the picture who got Ugly picked up and taken to an animal hospital way past Chembur called In Defense of Animals (IDA). The tumour was removed and sent for cancer testing. While we all waited anxiously for the reports to come in, the massive crater left behind after the fluid and some mass was removed, was treated and bandaged. Oral medicines were also administered and Ugly was fed well. Luckily the mass turned out to be benign.

I’d like to intervene and mention that while the veterinarians did their job, had it not been for Geeten’s visits to IDA to check up on Ugly and follow up regularly with the doctors on Ugly’s progress, the process could have taken a longer time.

Our other concern was that would Frisky, another stray who had grabbed Ugly’s spot in his absence, vacate it once Ugly returned or would there be a fight. When Geeten called to inform us that Ugly had been chased away by Frisky, we were worried as to where he would take shelter and if we would find him when we went to feed the other strays.

I know what happened next but I’ll leave it to you to share it with our readers.

We were dejected initially when we failed to find Ugly at the bus shelter. We fed Frisky who was there, cursing our luck and wondering where Ugly had disappeared to.  Not giving up entirely,
we drove ahead slowly and, closer to the exit gate of the Jaslok Hospital, was Ugly, sitting upright. I couldn’t believe if I was seeing right when my daughter focused and announced that it was indeed Ugly who was sitting there. I got off the vehicle with the food packet and a bottle of water. His eyes were pleading and grateful as if to say–you remember me. Yes, I am Ugly and I am back. He was famished and finished eating all the food in less time than we had ever seen him eat before. My daughter and I patted him on his head and sent up a prayer thanking God for returning Ugly to us.