To those that know me, it comes as no surprise that the animals I meet while traveling are always one of my highlights. But this one was really special. One that had me, a normally law-abiding citizen consider breaking it and risking a criminal record. One that touched the hearts of even non-cat lovers.
I met him on my last and 12th day of hiking to Everest Base Camp with Yomads – check out my review here. We had had incredible sunny weather for 11 days, but it turned on the last day. It started out with just a light mist, which was actually refreshing at first. Then it turned into a downpour.
I heard a meowing through the pounding rain long before I saw the scrawny black kitten with piercing yellow eyes. I quickened my pace, wondering what was causing him so much distress. Was he injured? Sick? Starving to death? The worst case scenarios raced through my mind.
He greeted me with a loud annoyed MEEOOOWWW, looking me straight in the eye, as if to say, Can you believe the indignity? I’ve been locked out! IN THE RAIN. STUPID HUMANS!!!!. He was not sick. Not injured. Not starving to death, as his urgent meows had indicated. He was merely locked out. The fact he was not wet, protected from the downpour by the roof was of no consequence to him. I stayed with him for several minutes petting him trying to calm him down. But it was no use. He wanted inside and became more annoyed when I didn’t grant his request! After spending about 10 minutes with him and his increasingly more aggitated meows, I attempted to break-in.
If you’re ever going to risk a criminal record, isn’t an adorable meowing kitten locked out in the rain a good reason to do it?
I thought so. Unfortunately the door was locked with a large padlock that wouldn’t budge. The windows were equally secure. A short glipse around the back of the house indicated only one entrance. I briefly contemplated breaking a window to let him in, but chickened out. Probably a wise decision. After being deported from S. Korea some years ago, I really didn’t desire to be on the black list of yet another country. Besides, he wasn’t even wet! Just really annoyed about the possibility that he might get wet!
Upon sharing the story of the kitten with several other hikers and climbers back in Lukla. They had also seen him. One climber who had been there a couple of hours before us also tried breaking and entering. Admittedly he was also a cat lover and missing his cat at home like me, but still…. Yet another hiker with muscles so big he would give Klitscho a run for his money commented He was soooooo cute, I wanted to take him home with meAnd this was from a guy who didn’t even like cats!
It’s not any cat that can get the attention of climbers who had been
focused on Everest and weary soaking wet hikers.
