People of Kondamitta locality of the temple town of Srikalahasti are a baffled lot on seeing a strange friendship between an old mangy dog and a cat. The duo’s 50-day acquaintance reportedly commenced with a small fight on March 24, when the lockdown was clamped. With each passing day, their friendship has only turned into the cynosure of all those passing the narrow lanes of the locality.
The 16-year-old dog, Potti, belongs to a retired government employee. Ageing has made the canine a sage-like personality. On March 24, a cat from a nearby hillock temple came into the locality and settled in a small gap between two houses. Local residents said that after repeated pranks with the dog, the cat became friendly with it by evening. A week later, somebody named the cat Corona.
Radha Devi, a government teacher, said she had been watching the flourishing companionship of the two since a month. “At sundown, the kid (cat) will gambol over the dog, pluck its ears and tail. But, the latter would only show its gentleness, licking its new friend and caressing it. It’s a strange sight. Watching them play helps us a great deal in shedding the lockdown boredom,” she said.
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Akhila, a housewife, observed that whenever Potti wanted to roam in the next lane, Corona would create a fuss. “The cat will roll before Potti, preventing it from moving further. Would suddenly pass between the legs of the weak dog, making it stumble. It will sometimes fetch a rat or two and gets ready to share it with Potti, but it doesn’t like it,” she said. It is further observed that the ageing dog has started feeling happy these days with the entry of Corona.
“Corona has now almost become Potti’s child. Their friendship is an eye-opener to the fast disappearing human relationships. When the lockdown is lifted, many more will come and see the rare spectacle,” says Shiva, a government teacher in the locality.