A Tiger in the House

Chapter Summary

The story “A Tiger in the House” was written by Ruskin Bond that highlights how the author’s grandfather bought a tiger cub home and raised him up at his home. Grandfather found the tiger cub in the ‘Terai jungle’ near Dehradun. The tiger that was found hiding “under a Banayan tree” was about 18 inches long.

The author’s grandfather named the cub Timothy and used to take good care of him. Grandfather started feeding the tiger cub with milk and then gradually added raw mutton and cod-liver oil to his diet. This diet was also later replaced with pigeons and rabbits. Timothy was a well-mannered tiger but when he was 6 months ago, changes in his behaviour upset his grandfather and he thought to keep Timothy in Lucknow zoo.

The Tiger cub ‘Timothy’ and Grandfather

The author's grandfather bought the tiger cub home that was hiding under a Banyan tree among its intricate roots. The tree was in the Terai jungle that was near Dehradun.

What did Toto do to entertain Timothy?

Timothy, being a tiger cub, was raised like a human child by the author’s grandfather. He has 2 companions at home named Toto and a puppy. Toto was a monkey that used to tease Timothy by pulling his tail. Toto also used to climb up the curtain in order to entertain Timothy.

What did Toto do when Timothy lost his temper?

Toto was a monkey and was a companion to Timothy. Toto also used to climb up the curtain in order to entertain Timothy. This action of Toto used to help the tiger to cool down if he loses his temper.

“I became one of the tiger’s favourites.” - Who is ‘I’ in the statement? Why did he think so?

I became one of the tiger’s favourites. In this line, I referred to the author or the narrator of the story A Tiger in the House. The narrator of the text is Ruskin Bond who stated these words as he thought that Timothy the tiger was rolling his feet and coming close to him to bite his ankles.

Where was Timothy most comfortable during the day and Where during the night?

Timothy the tiger feels more comfortable on a long sofa, during the daytime. The sofa was in the drawing room where the tiger used to sleep very comfortably at night in at night in the cook’s quarters.

Grandmother’s prophecy about the cook

The author’s grandmother had a prophecy about the cook. The prophecy was that the cook, Mahmoud might get killed by Timothy one day. Grandmother feared that Timothy the tiger could make cook his meal one day. This prophecy of the author’s grandmother never came true.

Grandfather’s decision to transfer Timothy to the zoo

Timothy was well raised by the author's grandfather at his home and he gradually grew up into a well-mannered tiger. Timothy used to stay with his 2 companions Toto the monkey and a small puppy at his house. Timothy when grew to six months, grandfather thought to transfer him to Lucknow zoo as he noticed changes in his behaviour.

Timothy's behavior depicted that he was becoming more dangerous and less friendly and chasing cats and eating up hens. Sometimes the tiger also followed the cook, Mahmoud with evil intentions. All these are the major reasons why Timothy the tiger was kept in the zoo by author’s grandfather.

Grandfather of Ruskin Bond requested the zoo authority to keep Timothy in another cage that will be far away from the leopard’s cage as Timothy was getting frightened by the leopard. The tiger was getting scared when he saw the leopard that was in the next cage rushing at him.

Grandfather got shocked when he learned from the keeper at the zoo that Timothy, the tiger died 2 months ago. The tiger that was in the cage was very dangerous, unlike Timothy. This message made the author’s grandfather very sad and disturbed.

FAQs

Q1. Who is the speaker of the line – “Now why don’t you transfer Timothy to another cage, away from this stupid leopard?” Name the text from where the above line has been taken.

Ans. The above lines have been taken from the prose A Tiger in the House. The author of this prose is Ruskin Bond.

Q2. How did the author’s grandfather use to feed the tiger’s cub?

Ans. Grandfather first started to feed the cub with milk and then gradually added raw mutton and cod-liver oil to his diet. Timothy when grew up, was fed by pigeons and rabbits as his daily diet.

Q3. How friendly Timothy was with the small puppy?

Ans. Timothy was very friendly with both of his companions at writer’s grandfather’s house. The small mongrel puppy first used to frighten Timothy but gradually they both became friends. Timothy then allowed the puppy to rest and crawl on his back.