[INCIDENTAL] “The Cats of Cenang House” by Liang Xuyu

In early July, I went on a solo trip to Malaysia. I first arrived in Kuala Lumpur, then travelled to Penang, and finally made my way to Langkawi. I stayed in Langkawi for four days and four nights, during which I developed an unbreakable bond with two cats at my homestay.

The homestay was called Cenang House and was located near Cenang Beach. The owner was Malay and had transformed his large courtyard into a homestay. Although he kept the guest rooms clean and tidy, he paid little attention to the courtyard, allowing various plants to grow freely. There were six cats at the homestay, and they usually roamed and played freely in the courtyard.

On my first day at Cenang House, I tried to get close to the cats, but they all ran away. On the second day, I stood at a distance and played cat-friendly sounds, but received no response. On the third day, I went on a sunset cruise, a popular local tourist activity that included watching the sunset and taking part in water sports. I paddled a rubber boat but accidentally fell into the sea. Fortunately, I was wearing a life jacket. After returning to the cruise ship, I quickly dried myself and changed into dry clothes, but I could not dry my hair completely. With my hair still wet, I was exposed to the sea breeze for three hours.

When I returned to the homestay at 9 p.m., my throat began to ache. I quickly drank some hot water, but it did not help. When I went to bed, I felt cold even with the air conditioner set to 30 degrees, yet when I turned it off, I gradually became too hot. At 12:30 a.m., I still could not sleep, so I decided to get some hot water to drink. As soon as I opened the door, I saw two cats, an orange cat and a tabby, waiting outside. Even the sight of their backs was adorable.

I was both surprised and delighted. When I stepped outside, they brushed against me with their tails. I squatted down, stroking the orange cat with my right hand and the tabby with my left. I did not know their names, but out of affection, I kept calling them “babes”. They seemed to realise that I was calling them and moved closer to me. The tabby lay across my feet and rolled over, exposing its belly, while the orange cat rested its chin on my hand.

“Babes, I had a terrible day today. I was in the sea breeze for too long, and now my throat hurts and I can’t sleep. I miss home…” As I spoke, the orange cat kept rubbing its head against me, while the tabby gently nibbled and licked my arm. They seemed to understand my sadness and were comforting me.

“Babes, can you understand what I’m saying? If you can, could you nod your heads?” No sooner had I finished speaking than the tabby lowered its head and raised it again. The orange cat glanced towards the owner’s house before turning back and making a similar movement. I was astonished. The cats in Malaysia could understand Chinese!

They stayed by my side until I began to feel sleepy. I stood up, stretched, and turned around to close the door, only to see the two cats still sitting in the same spot. I waved to them and said, “Bye, babes! I’m going to sleep now.” Only then did they leave.

On the fourth day, I stayed at the homestay to rest. At around 10 a.m., I went out to get some hot water. On my way back to my room, I saw the two cats lying side by side beside a car. They did not approach me as enthusiastically as they had the previous night. I walked towards them, but they moved away warily. Slightly puzzled, I asked, “Babes, don’t you recognise me any more?” At that moment, the owner came out of his house. I greeted him, and he smiled back at me. After he left, the cats began to approach me. I squatted down and was about to reach out to stroke them when they turned their backsides towards me. I had read online that this was the highest form of feline etiquette, so I responded as instructed and blew gently towards their backsides. Perhaps I blew a little too hard, as the cats looked somewhat startled.

In the evening, I ordered a takeaway of grilled-chicken nasi lemak. As soon as I took a bite, the two cats began meowing at me. I put some rice into a plastic bag and placed it on the ground, but they continued to meow. I realised that they wanted the grilled chicken, so I put down a piece for them. They stopped meowing and began eating intently, eventually finishing all the meat and rice.

Happy times always pass too quickly. After that night, I would have to leave Langkawi, and perhaps I would never see those two lovely and intelligent cats again. At around 9 p.m., I invited them into my room to play on my bed, but they quickly jumped off again. Perhaps they did not like the softness of the bed and felt more secure on the hard floor.

Knowing that I had to catch a flight the next day, I had no choice but to go to sleep. Before leaving the following morning, I said goodbye to them. My nose was a little stuffy, but I forced myself to walk towards the gate. I could not help looking back at them and saw that they were looking at me too. Before my tears could fall, I quickly got into a taxi and left Cenang House.

^{How to cite: Liang, Xuyu. “The Cats of Cenang House.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 2 Sept. 2026. chajournal.com/2026/09/02/cenang-house.}

Liang Xuyu was born in Guangzhou in 2003 and has had a passion for literature and art since childhood. In 2026, she received a Master’s degree in Creative Writing for Cultural Professionals from Hong Kong Baptist University. She specialises in creative writing and English-Chinese translation. A First Prize winner in the National English Translation Competition and HarvardX-certified in persuasive writing and public speaking, she is trilingual in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Beyond reading and writing, she enjoys photography, crystal design, plant dyeing, Cantonese opera, and travelling. Her dream is to travel the world and live by the sea.