A stray cat that reached Kondotty market a few months ago has become the darling of many shopkeepers. The mutual affection between the cat and the shopkeepers grew so much that the pet inaugurated a newly opened shop named after it at Kondotty here on Saturday.
They named it Rocky when the emaciated stray cat landed up at a footwear shop named Takbeer owned by Shoukath Kunnummal on Thangals Road at Kondotty on a Ramzan day.
Shoukath and his friends took care of the cat, and soon Rocky became popular among the traders of Kondotty. When restaurateur Unni offered the cat milk two times everyday, fish vendor Ummer offered it fish. The traders pampered Rocky everyday.
When Shoukath opened a new sports-and-bags shop at Kondotty, he named the shop after Rocky. And to the surprise of a large gathering of local people and traders, Rocky inaugurated the shop by cutting a ribbon.
Holding the cat in his hands, Shoukath claimed that Rocky must be the first cat to inaugurate a shop in the State by cutting a ribbon. “It is a moment of recognising a wonderful human-animal relationship,” said Shoukath.
Excitement was palpable on the faces of Shoukath and his partner V.M. Basheer as Rocky ambled inside their new shop after savouring payasam they offered for the inauguration.
