For many students, the first day of university is nerve-wracking. But for one foreign student at Universiti Malaya (UM), her anxieties melted away thanks to this gentle and loving campus cat.
She was just sitting there outside the classroom like a big sister,” the student told WeirdKaya, recalling how the cat’s calm demeanor gave her strength on her very first day.
“It felt like she was watching over us lost freshmen, reminding us that everything would be okay.”
Among the exchange students, she was affectionately known as “Huahua,” while some called her “Dr. Meow”.
The name “Huahua” (花花) in Mandarin literally translates to “flower flower.”
She was cared for by a faculty professor and adored by students from all walks of life.
“Huahua is very gentle, she is like a sister to us.”
“My roommate told me that this cat had been on campus for a long time—she was already here a year ago. At that time, she had given birth to kittens. Back then, she looked very thin compared to when I first met her. Hearing this later, I felt touched because she had worked so hard to take care of herself and her kittens.”
But the story takes a heartbreaking turn.
A grim discovery
On December 16, the student first spotted the lifeless body of a smaller cat in a field, soaked by the rain.
The cat found dead on December 16 was named Hero.
She initially thought it was Huahua and panicked. “I was terrified because I hadn’t seen Huahua in days. I promised myself that if I found her, I’d spend more time with her,” she told WeirdKaya.
When she learned the deceased cat wasn’t Huahua, there was a moment of relief. “I kept telling myself, ‘Thank goodness it’s not Huahua. Thank goodness, thank goodness.’”
However, on the same night, the bad news hit.
Huahua had actually passed away a few days earlier, and her death shattered the hearts of the entire campus community.
My mind went blank when I heard the news. It was the biggest shock. I couldn’t cry, but the sadness was unbearable,” she admitted.
