Early one morning I saw a cat in the dressing room. As soon as he saw me, he ran away. I told Baba what had happened and when I saw the cat again, I brought him to Baba. It was love at first sight for Pegu. He just rushed to Baba and rubbed his head at Baba’s feet. Baba told me that the cat was very fortunate to have His darshan.

In the meantime, when it was discovered that Pegu was missing from his home, the family started a search. Eventually it brought them to Guruprasad. Imagine, the family’s runaway cat gave them the opportunity of seeing Baba!

First the mother came and thanked Baba for taking care of Pegu. Naturally, she requested that he be allowed to return home with her. But when she saw how happy and contented he looked sleeping on my suitcase, she didn’t have the heart to disturb him and left him with us.

Later her son came to Guruprasad for the same purpose. He asked Baba if he could take Pegu back home and Baba agreed. He thanked Baba, picked up Pegu and proceeded to walk out of Guruprasad and down the driveway to the street. Just as the boy reached the gate, Pegu jumped out of his arms and ran back to Guruprasad. Pegu was determined to stay with Baba! And so Pegu joined the household as the new pet.

Every morning Pegu would seat himself in front of Baba’s bedroom door. Before I could open it wide enough to enter myself, Pegu would slip through the narrow opening and have Baba’s darshan first! Pegu looked so sweet as he would nestle his head against Baba’s feet. Truly Pegu’s love for Baba was unique.

Pegu proved to be an unusual cat. Unlike most cats, he was very well-behaved. He would always wait patiently for his food without disturbing us with his meows.

Baba loved Pegu very much and would always remember him before He would eat Himself. I remember one day Gaimai sent fish for Baba’s lunch. Baba eagerly called for Pegu. As soon as Pegu came, Baba took a big piece of fish in His hand to give to Pegu and I had to rush to put a plate under it so it wouldn’t fall on the carpet! Of course, Pegu really relished the fish and that made Baba happy.

At the end of each summer, we would begin preparations for our return to Meherazad. Though we were happy to come home, it meant leaving Pegu behind. I recall one summer when Baba was especially concerned about Pegu’s welfare. Baba always made ample provision for Pegu’s food and care in our absence, but this time He really seemed uneasy about leaving him behind. None of us could understand why, as cats are quite independent creatures and can take care of themselves.

Nevertheless, before we left Poona for Ahmednagar, Baba warned Khorshed several times to take good care of Pegu. Khorshed, you see, would stay with us at Guruprasad during the summer and then return to her home in Bombay when we left for Meherazad. It was her duty to remain in Guruprasad for a day or two and make sure everything was in order before she returned home. Khorshed assured Baba that she would keep careful watch over Pegu and see that he was well fed.

We returned to Meherazad and everything seemed fine for a day or two. Then one morning when Baba came from the mandali side to rest before lunch, He remembered Pegu. Baba gestured to me, “Mehera, I wonder how Pegu is. Do you think he is eating? He could be starving and die!”

Baba expressed such concern that I tried my best to assure Him that Pegu was fine. “Baba,” I said, “there is nothing to worry about. Cats are not like dogs, they are quite independent and can look after themselves.” But the expression on Baba’s face conveyed that my answer had not satisfied Him. Baba turned to Meheru and told her to send a postcard to Khorshed in Bombay asking if Pegu was all right. Meheru quickly wrote the note and read it out to Baba. Our bazaar man was still at Meherazad collecting the mail, so the timing was perfect. It was given to him to post immediately from town. As soon as the letter had been written and sent out, Baba’s mood totally changed. All His apprehension seemed to vanish.

Little did we know that while we were at home at Meherazad, a real drama was being enacted at Guruprasad.

It happened that while Khorshed was busy putting everything in its proper place, Pegu, unbeknown to her, had slipped into one of the lower shelves of a cupboard. Khorshed had her back turned and didn’t notice. Carefully she finished her work and closed the cupboard door and locked it. Now that her work was completed, she got ready to leave for Bombay. Then she remembered Baba’s warning to her to look after Pegu. She asked the servants if they had seen the cat. They told her that he must have gone out. Believing Pegu to be outside, Khorshed left Guruprasad and returned to her home in Bombay.

Two days later, the caretaker of Guruprasad property came to clean the carpets, dust, and sweep the premises. While sweeping one of the rooms, the man heard a very strange sound – like scratching and tiny cries. At first he just ignored it, but the sound was so persistent and it seemed to be coming from inside the cupboard! Finally, he decided to call Mr. Mohite, the manager of Guruprasad. Immediately Mohite pried open the cupboard door and out walked an emaciated and scared Pegu. The cat hadn’t had any food or water for two days.

And that’s not the end of the drama. A week or so later, we received a letter from Khorshed in which she had told Baba and us girls not to worry, that Pegu was fine!

No wonder Baba had expressed such loving concern. As man He plays out the role of perfect “unknowing” and yet as God there is nothing He doesn’t know!

You would think that after that dreadful experience, Pegu would have learned his lesson and never again burrow into a cupboard. But the very next summer Pegu was at it again. Somehow he never was cured of the habit!