For Bo et Obi, this is like dreams come true.
As I have mentioned in many of my previous posts, we could not have any pets in the house we rent in New York City as requested by the owner.
So, during our stay for 4.5 years there, we could only have a goldfish named Darwin, although our immediate neighbors have cute cats and dogs.
Say Hi to Kiki, our dearest 6 y.o. Persian |
Both my kids, and my hubby as well, love cats and dogs.
We used to have pets when we were kids in our houses back in Indonesia.
I remember Hoki, our all-black dog which had been so good at guarding our house.
And Udi, my hubby, had a cat as well ,named Plum, when he was a kid.
After a long discussion and consideration, we decided to adopt cats.
When the kids and my hubby stayed in our parents' house in Lampung, they were so accustomed to having cats around.
It's a good interface before they are ready to have pets of their own.
Lazy bones :) |
Don't ask me why Abin, my nephew, gave those names to the cats because when I asked about it (those name are not regular or familiar names for us Indonesians) he said he didn't know either.
My kids really love those cats.
Although they are not pure breed, those cats are cute.
And long story short, we finally got two cats directly!
Lucky us.
When we have moved to Jakarta, after a brief 'transit' in Lampung, our hometown, we started to look for some information about adopting cats.
We decided to adopt cats instead of buying them from pet stores.
It just feels right and we saw that there were so many cats which needed help.
Bo and Kiki are quite close |
Moreover, we discussed it at length with the kids, as huge responsibilities entailed whenever you decided to have pets at home.
Having pets is a lifetime commitment.
It's not only about having fun with them without taking care of them properly.
You have to be responsible for feeding them, cleaning them, taking them to the vet, cleaning the litter boxes, making sure the cats are adapting well, making sure the house is still clean, and so many more. Moreover, the kids have to learn the do's and the don'ts of having cats, especially cats. Like it or not, they are animals which need to be handled properly.
After all those long talk, we are welcoming Plum and Kiki, our new boys, to our home
morning session with Kiki. |
First, we adopted Plum, our kitten. Plum, named after my husband's first cat, was a baby Persian. His all black body and white paws make him look so adorable. We got him when he was just 3 month, so he just finished breastfeeding from his mom. Just like any kittens, Plum is so active and curious. It took him only 3 days to be shy in our house and afterwards, he's already running around like crazy. Good thing we got him since baby so that we can easily teach him about his food, his litter box and his no-go rooms or places in the house.
It's sooo difficult to take pictures of Plum! |
Then, a month after we got Plum, we got Kiki. Kiki is a 6 year-old Persian with a rather sad story. He was picked up by Ibu Sari, my Ambassador's wife who happens to be an avid cat lover and rescuer, in her garage. Kiki was in a bad shape at that time, so dirty and matted, with scars and ear infection. It looked like he was abandoned because his previous owner probably couldn't take good care of him anymore. So, long story short, Kiki was taken care of and Ibu Sari was looking for a new home for Kiki. We happily welcomed Kiki to our house and there he was, joining our little cat world. It takes a while for Kiki to adjust with Plum but they are progressing.
We do like having pets at home as it brings many valuable lessons and good impacts for us as well as the kids, despite all the nitty gritty that we have to take care as well for the well being of our pets and us as well. Here are some positive sides of having pets, especially for our kids:
Teaching them about responsibility
Having pets is not only about petting them and playing around. It entails a lot of responsibilities and some of them might be tough, like cleaning up their waste and making sure that the pets are well taken care of.
We ask Bo and Obi to make a schedule and take turns of feeding, cleaning up the litter box and bathing our cats. With clear distribution of works and time, they learn to be responsible. If they can not fulfil their obligations, there will be punishment as well.
Learning about being compassion
Pets are lovable and having them around us teach us more about being compassion.
I really love to see the growing love of my kids for Plum and Kiki.
They treat them tenderly and just like have two additional members of the family.
It brings such positive vibes in the house.
Knowing more about the importance of sanitation and hygiene
Another important aspect we need to know about having pets is how to manage and take care of their waste, hence teaching us more about the importance of sanitation and hygiene. Simple thing such as washing hands thoroughly after handling any litter or petting the cats can be easily done. I don't have to remind them again and again to do that because they fully understand the need to ensure that their hands are clean, for their own health and benefit. We also learn more how to clean up the fur and deal with fleas if any.
Having fun and relaxing moments with pets, taking them away from their gadgets and game
This is another important thing that we enjoy from having pets.
It's very relaxing to play with Plum and Kiki after a long strenuous day at work or at school.
Besides, we spend more quality time with our family and putting down those gadgets for some times! It's good to have kids paying attention to something else besides games and gadgets. This pets for kids session really works.
Well, that's our story about Plum and Kiki, our pets. Again, welcoming Plum and Kiki, our new boys, is such a pleasure.
Do you have pets as well?
Do you like cats?
What are their names?
Hai Kiki salam kenal ya, kamu cute banget. Akhirnya setelah lama tinggal di New York skr bisa pelihara hewan lagi ya mbak
ReplyDeleteiyaaa Lia..anak-anak happy bangeeet
DeleteKucing lucu! I am totally a cat person!
ReplyDeleteme, too, Veronicaaaa
DeleteKami di rumah suka kucing, tapi yang terlebih menyukainya adalah anak bunda dan cucu bunda. Walaupun "kucing kampung" mereka lucu, bersih, dan sehat. Jumlah awal 2 ekor ++ sekarang jadi berjumlah 13. Setiap ada kucing yang terlantar dekat rumah selalu diambil oleh anak bunda. Budget untuk ke drg, makanan yang istimewa jadi hariannya boleh dibilang gedean buat kucing deh ketimbang buat makanan kami, hihihiii...
ReplyDeletebukan Hanna makanannya bunda...vaksinnya, pasir Untuk kotorannya, mainan, tempat makan, tempot tidur, dll hehehe
DeleteAh... Plum is so cute! ❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteBtw, I have a pet too at home. His name is Bubu. We all love him! ๐
Hi Bubu...Cheers from Plum and Kiki
DeleteKami juga lebih suka adopt mba, terutama yg memang butuh pemilik. Selamat bersenang2 dg plum dan kiki yaa :)
ReplyDeleteiyaaa mba..makasiiiih
DeleteAku percaya Kiki dan Plum sudah berada di tangan keluarga yang tepat, Insya Allah.
ReplyDeleteSering-sering berbagi kisah mereka nanti ya, mba...
Insya Allaaah mba...will do!
DeleteIiih lucu banget kucingnya Mbak.
ReplyDeleteAwalnya saya tidak suka kucing, selalu sebal kalau masuk dapur dan ikan saya diembat. Tetapi putra ketiga dan keempat saya sangat suka kucing. Sering geli sendiri kalau melihat mereka mengelus-elus kepalanya, eh mana tuh kucing geliat-geliat manja.
Lah sekarang, setelah anak pindah rumah karena tugas saya malah suka. Karma kali yeh ...
hehehe bisa jadi mbaaa...kucing memang seneng dimanjaaah!
DeleteMy boy keeps asking me whether we can have cat in house. Then I ask him back whether he can take care of the cat. Then there is still no cat in our house up to now. I bet you already know the answer, Mom ;)
ReplyDeleteHuahahaha for sure mba...I said to Bo et Obi they have to take care of the litter! Put on the mask for the foul smell and clean it! Now we have 2!
DeleteHalo mbaa. Aku pribadi nnggak perlihara kucing. Jujur aku takut. Hehhee Anakku minta sih mba tapi aku ga bisa kalau ama kucing. Dulu sempat pelihara ikan dan kura kura aja mba
ReplyDeleteiyaa mba..kalau tidak nyaman jangan dipaksaaaa
DeleteKIki lucu banget, bulunya halus, kayaknya suka manja-manja gitu ya sama Bo, hehehe..pasti anak-anak seneng deh punya kucing kesayangan di rumah
ReplyDeleteiyaaa mba...mereka happy bangeeet
DeleteGlek. Aku masih phobia ama kucing meski sekarang udah lebih baik krn anak2 suka kucing.
ReplyDeleteiyaa yaa Mba..memang ada beberapa yang takut banget dengan kucing
Deleteฤi rumahku, anak2ku suka kucing, aku doang yg masih takut. Salah satu kucing yg suka dikasi makan namanya gendut hanya krn wajahnya bulat. Padahal badannya kurus banget
ReplyDeletekok bisaaa ya mukanya aja yang bulet ya Mba.. lucuuu
DeleteHai Kiki dan Plum.. kalian lucu banget.
ReplyDeleteWah, anak2ku pasti suka mba liatnya. Abis deh Kiki dan Plum ini bakalan diuyel uyel.
Saya mempunyai 7 kucing, karna beberapa hal jadi tinggal 3 mochi,jose dan bule mereka tempat paling top untuk kita curhat.. Mereka pendengar yg baik
ReplyDeleteAku suka kucing so much. pernah punya juga beberapa kali tapi kucing kampung semua
ReplyDeleteAku punya kucing siam mba, namanya lulu' hadeehh dia elegan banget, cara jalannya apa lagi kalau mau keluar rumah, nunggu di depan pintu teralis minta dibukain. Padahal dia bisa lewat dengan leluasa di sela-sela pintu teralis itu. Kucing paling Jaim deh pokoknya, hihihi.
ReplyDeleteAku suka kucing mbak, sebelum nikah aku punya 12 kucing dan keluarga pecinta kucing semua mbak :)
ReplyDeletesaya dan semua adikku suka kucing, Mba. Dan sekarang di rumah mama ada empat ekor kucing yang suka "nongkrong". Kucing-kucing itu gak mau pergi karena suka dikasih makan sama adik saya :)
ReplyDeleteAku udah lama gak punya piaraan buat main kaya kucing. Sekarang udah gak terlalu suka. Tp jika miara, ini bisa jadi untuk belajar tanggungjawab
ReplyDeleteHallow plum and kiki. I had a cat when I was high school his name same "kiki" but ending with sad story because miss communication my father give kiki to his friend. Hiks
ReplyDeletebtw kucingnya gemesin ya, trutama si Kiki. kl aku ga terlalu sukaa bgt mb, tapi ya ga takut bgt. tp kalo suami suka bgttt
ReplyDeleteSetuju dengan :
ReplyDeleteMemelihara hewa peliharaan adalah komitmen seumur hidup.
Saya pernah memelihara.
Dan seperti blm mau lagi
Hehehe
Namanya cakep, Kiki hai. Sementara ini hewan peliharaan kami adalah ikan di dalam Aquarium. Saya takut sama yang namanya kucing, geli iya, apalagi kalau denger suaranya kalau sedang berantem satu sama kucing lainnya. Blm bs menerima kalau anak anak pingin kucing
ReplyDeleteLucu amat si Kiki... ya ampun tapi nggak tega kalo tahu cerita asal usulnya dia ya. Ini kalo ketemu manda, bakal dinyanyiin "Kiki... do you love me? ...." Hahahha
ReplyDeleteHi plum and kiki. Dapet salam nih dari kucing kami di rmah ' Obama, gabrielle dan michelle :)
ReplyDeleteMba Indah, duh gemes banget kucingnya. Aku pengen punya satu gitu di rumah, tapi karena udah nnikah dan ikut mertua yang nggak demen kucing aku jadi nggak berani pelihara. Dulu aku melihara kucing biasa beranak pinak ampe 35, nenekuu juga pelihara kucing ada 15 an, tanteku 7 kami keluarga penyuka kucing. Duh mereka ini emang hewan paling gemesin ya.
ReplyDeleteSalam kenal buat Plum dan Kiki ya Mba Indah, baek-baek di sana Nak.
Aku dulu juga suka kucing tapi sekarang dapat suami yang gak suka kucing. Jadi kalo ada kucing masuk rumah, langsung diusir.
ReplyDeleteWe think overly about having a pet...because the girls is too busy to playing with 'em...
ReplyDeleteHiiks~
Desperate....
Hello Kiki. Dulu pas pindah Cilebut jg mau adopt kucing tapi apa daya emaknya maju mundur hehe. Krn anak2 mah kecil jd kyknya emaknya nih yg bakal urus2 si pupus. Tapi liat Kiki jd pengen deh pelihara kucing๐
ReplyDeleteWah kucingnya lucu banget ya jadi pengen melihara juga, aku engga ada kucing gitu tapi ada aja kucing lain maen ke rumah
ReplyDeleteAki ga bisa pelihara kucing karena trauma dulu kucing kakakku pup di kasurku dan melahirkan di almari bajuku, rusak deh baju renang kesayangan wkwkkw. Tapi anak anakku suka karena lucu kali ya
ReplyDeletehai kiki n plum... salam kenal dari cilu di rumahku :D
ReplyDeleteSenangnya bisa mempunyai binatang peliharaan di rumah. Tapi mempunyai binatang peliharaan itu suatu terapi oleh untuk kita.
ReplyDeleteai ai ai penghuni baru. semoga istiqomah ya ngerawatnya, karena kadang ada dateng malesnya dan rajinnya. hehehehe
ReplyDeleteI'm lame, and can't have any! Allergies and asthma have me allergic to any furry, or feathery being out there. The Allergy Clinic even told me not to get allergy safer dogs or cats. They still shed, and have saliva. I wanted a hedgehog. I was so excited to get one. Then a student came in with hers. They have furry bellies. I held it for no longer than 2 min., and had red dots all over my arms.
ReplyDeleteI love the looks of Komondor and Chow dogs. Possibly because they are unique.
Cats are nice because they stick to themselves. The Savannah Cat is the most interesting to me. It fetches like a dog! Crazy!
I wish they'd one day figure out allergies. I imagine because so many people are allergic to different things it makes it hard to test. I'll donate my body and time to testing though. Ha!
Congrats on your new kitties! I think that's wonderful that you adopted instead of buying from a store. Most of our pets were rescues as well, and they really make for some of the best pets.
ReplyDelete