Hammie

There is this special bond between humans and animals (yes, some people regard humans as animals as well); this can be seen especially when one keeps pets. My parents are opposed to having pets in the house but life is full of twists and one pet made its way to my home - this is the story of that special pet:

I used to help look after hamsters in the bunk during my National Service together with another of my bunk mate. We were the ones who bought all the stuff and gave them the care. After National Service, that bunk mate continued to look after a couple of hamsters in his university hostel room while I had that no-pet-rule in my home. However, when it came to graduation, my bunk mate had to vacate his hostel room and bring his hamsters back to his home. At that time, he had 3 hamsters, of which one was perpetually being bullied by the other 2 and thus he had to frequently separate that poor hamster into a separate small container while the other 2 enjoyed a huge cage he had bought. Knowing that hamsters recognise each other by smell, he tried all means including bathing all of them and returning them back into the cage - but it didn't work. Now that he had to bring them home, he realised he had only enough space in his room for that one big cage for the 2 and no place for that ostracised hamster. So he asked around who could adopt but there were no takers. I had helped him move his stuff from his hostel room back to his home in batches and being quite desperate he asked if I could look after the poor hamster for a week while he looked for someone to adopt. Despite the taboo at home, I somehow agreed and carried the small container with that little innocent looking hamster back to my home.

It was no surprise for me when my mother exclaimed at the sight of the hamster but I explained to my mother that it was only for a week and already I too was asking around for someone to adopt the hamster. Being rather unimaginative, I just called that little pearl white hamster Hammie. I couldn't stand seeing him in such a tiny container and took a large unused cardboard box converted it into his temporary home, put his food in a little dish in a corner, hung his water bottle at one end. Hammie was a very gentle and shy hamster who was rather curious. When I carried him into his new temporary home, he did not struggle nor attempt to bite me. He was so happy to explore his spacious abode. Whenever my parents peered into the box, he would stand on his hind legs and peer back with his cute beady eyes - my parents immediately fell in love with him. Before I knew it when I was not around, my parents bought food and stuff for him and when I told them it was only temporary, they simply replied that the stuff could be handed over to the new owner. Anyone who knows hamsters would know they bite but Hammie was very friendly and would let my parents pat and stroke him - maybe his meek nature was the reason why he was bullied in the first place.

One week passed without any luck and I wondered how I would break the news to my parents. Surprisingly, there wasn't any resistance at all when I told them I needed another week. The only condition was to get a proper cage for him which I gladly did over the weekend and shopped for a nice big cage (bigger than his other 2 friends) with a cool wheel and even a mezzanine sleeping level. Gosh I even bought nice sleeping hay to line the cage. My parents bought him some treats and a new water bottle. In the day, he would play in the box in the living room and at night, I would carry him into his new cage which I brought to my room. Despite sometimes being quite poofed after work, I would religiously clean his home, top up his food and water - sometimes my dad would help. Hammie was quite clean and hardly made a mess. He was fussy too with food and soon I knew what he loved to eat including his favourite plump sunflower seeds which sometimes he ate out of my fingers. Hammie was like a perfect child and despite the additional work to do, he brought immense joy to my family. After that week, we decided not to look for new owners and from a somewhat originally orphaned status, Hammie now emerged to be the prince of my household and as time went by, he was showered with more stuff and gifts from my family.

When Hammie passed away a little more than 3 years later, my mother was so upset and the no-pet-rule was restored again as she could not bear another heartache. Having a pet is like looking after a child, and it takes commitment - so I do agree how organisations like SPCA are trying to reach out to would-be owners to mindful of the obligations before irresponsibly abandoning their pets. The only consolation my parents and I had was at least we gave Hammie all we could while he was in this world, and he passed away peacefully from old age.