The first day of flooding was rather casual and lighthearted as we thought flooding was temporary and caused by frequent rains. But there was a warning about the big dam in Laos about to release extra volume of water. People did observe rising river at lighting speed in one afternoon. I was hoping that the flood would be limited and disappear fast. I was glad to see Joan coming to see us after disappearing for two days.
The river has risen higher every hour till the water seeped through the draining pipes and slowly flooded the fields by the riverfront. I knew Joan would be stuck with us as the dirt road would become soggy and muddy. Kwan was glad to see her big brother and she kept laying beside Joan. I was glad to see two orange cats still had the sense of belonging to the same family. So, I was eager to take photos of two cats being close to each other. I had no idea how long this close relationship would last.
As the flood level began to increase at alarming speed in one night, we woke up to find out that the dirt road has been flooded completely. I could no longer go cycling in the evening. The worse thing was when the floodwater has creeped into the front and back gardens. My gardener and her neighbour turned up in the morning to alert me of worsening conditions. They turned up early to help me lifting stuff on higher ground.
They made such a lot of noises that my cats became nervous and ran to hide. The moving of furniture and heavy appliances took over an hour. They went back through the back garden and climbed the gap in wired fence. I looked around for my orange cats. I knew they would be frightened by loud noises and went into hiding as usual. I could find Kwan hiding upstairs but I couldn’t find Joan anywhere inside the house.
So, I started calling for him in the garden. Surprisingly, the front yard seemed to have a layer of flood water in one hour. The back garden had about three inches of flood water seeping in from the bamboo groves. I thought Joan might be hiding in the back garden. He heard my voice and showed his face from behind a tree. He looked desperate as his paws were soaked in water and he stood on a patch of high ground. He couldn’t possibly walk through the flood water as he would get soaked. Cats didn’t like water very much that’s why he looked so lost and pale. Joan was stuck behind that big tree and would soon be under floodwater.
I had to wade the floodwater to pick Joan up. He seemed very relieved that I rescued him just in time. I had to clean up his muddy underside and dirty paws. I wondered if I didn’t find him, would he walk through flooding about six inches deep. Within three hours the whole ground was covered with water. The orange cats were intimidated by the sight of floodwater covering all the lawns and gardens. They could no longer dig holes and mess about under trees. Both cats retreated to the upper floor of the house.
They seemed to feel quite insecure and frightened by new surrounding. It was strange to see both cats trying to stay close to each other. Kwan would snuggle by Joan’s side without any protest from Joan. I was glad to see these cats getting closer with stronger bonds. But it began to trouble me when they were afraid to step outside the front door. Both cats would dig the door whenever I closed it behind them. They were very jumpy when I carried them outside the door. Both cats would try to get back inside the house for safety.
It troubled me a lot as I didn’t want my cats to be easily frightened by the menace of water around the house. They were afraid to look at the brown water covering the whole ground. I wondered what went on inside their minds, whether they were shocked by the disappearing of green grass and the earth. They kept very quiet and slept longer. I tried to teach orange cats to pee in the bathroom. Only Kwan could learn to pee in the bathroom.
I asked my gardener to bring me some sand from the pet shop. But there wasn’t any shop selling cat’ sand. Luckily, the builders left a bag of sand in the house. So my gardener fetch me a big pale. I filled the round basin with some sand to lure orange cats to do their toilets. But they were both still very tense and nervous to learn new things.
On the second day, I took Joan to sit with me on the stair so that he would be force to look at the flood water around the house. He was very nervous and wanted to get back inside the house. But I held him and gave him a massage until he became more relaxed. After twenty minutes, he started to observe the moving water and showed some curiosity. He was very alert and watched the new surrounding with anxious eagerness. Then, I took him to sit by the big basin with sand inside. I had to send him a telepathic message that it was for his toilet. After two minutes, Joan was no longer afraid of the strange basin. He went inside and got on with his business. He took his own sweet time as he didn’t go to toilet for two days. I was glad to see him being more comfortable and relaxed. I still have to teach Kwan to use this basin.
Hopefully the flood level would subside in a few days. The local warning was that we should expect another batch of water from the dam in Laos. The heavy rain in the mountains in Laos made the dam overflow with water. I hoped that the failure in water management would teach responsible officials some valuable lessons.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.