Cat Capers! The Pallas's cat-An adorable predator of the high mountains.

The small cat from the high mountains is still a mystery! The rising interest in it will hopefully encourage research and understanding of this unique feline.

- ASAD RAHMANI

THE wait was long. It was also uncomfortable given the chilly weather of Hanle and my confined space in the car, where my full bladder was urging me to empty it, but I was not allowed to go out.

In the small car, I was with Dhritiman Mukherjee, his friend Puskar Basu, and the driver. They had long lenses and cameras and other paraphernalia, which left me with little room to manoeuvre. My concern might have been little compared to that of the mother Pallas's Cat, who was out hunting food for her young kitten that was playing among the boulders close to the den, giving two hours of opportunity to the two photographers.

As the afternoon shifted to evening, we waited for another hour, knowing that the mother will bring food to the hungry kitten. At last, Dhritiman said the words that we all were eager to hear, "Here she comes with a prey." The time had come for dusk to meld into the pitch-black night so the light was fading fast. Both of my pals "played" with their cameras as the kitten played with the food, a pika, before devouring it. I was left to watch the joyful scene through my binoculars.

My uncomfortable seating posture in the middle-seat of the car prevented me from taking pictures or even notes, but some observations can be noted without a pen and paper since they are indelibly imprinted in the mind.