As someone who’s had pets all her life, I can say with 100% certainty that my cats are evil by choice. They swipe things off tabletops, wake me up for food at 5AM only to decide they’re not hungry, and destroy my home for the heck of it.
Ironically, it’s these very quirks – plus affectionate moments like following me around all day – that make me love them all the more. And I’m not the only one. Now that many of us are spending more time at home with our pets thanks to WFH arrangements, we decided to pay homage to them.
Since I couldn’t very well write an entire article with just “I JUST FREAKING LOVE MY CATS SO MUCH,” here are seven Singapore pet owners on why their furkids never fail to comfort them:
Spoil your pets with treats and accessories here:
I saw my friend posting about them saying she found these two baby sisters in the drain and I just knew in my gut I had to get them
Image credit: Steph Leong
Whenever I return home after a hard day, my girls would run to the door to greet me. It’s like sometimes they know. And when I sleep, they would climb to my pillow and sleep near my head. In cat language that means they are protecting you!
Moya is my morning alarm; she would rub her face against mine and meow for me to wake up. If I don’t, she’d gently paw my face. She also has a weird addiction to the lint roller ever since I lint-rolled her once. Yoki’s quirk is hacking our automated feeder by pawing the bottom of it to dispense snacks for herself.
Whenever I bust the lint roller out Moya would dash from across the room and demand to be lint-rolled
Image credit: Steph Leong
There was one day last year when I was kinda breaking apart from missing my late dad and navigating through my first and realest heartbreak. I broke down, and the two of them approached me. Moya climbed onto my lap – which she never does – and pressed herself against my chest, while Yoki sat beside me and leaned her head on my leg.
They just stayed like this until I stopped crying and got up. They proceeded to follow me everywhere around the house that day, as if to make sure I was ok. It was then I realised whoever said cats are heartless have not met my cats. I’d say I’m really lucky cos these sisters are really the sweetest.
– Steph Leong
Image credit: @justispao
XiaoSmol was rescued from someone who couldn’t take care of her. I brought her home and told my mom that we’d be dogsitting the little puppy for two weeks. Two weeks later my mom asked when XiaoSmol would be going home, and I said she was already home. And my mom was so happy!
Now, she likes to snuggle and sleep on my bed, basically sticking next to me all the time. As someone whose love language is touch, I appreciate that very much. She also lies down on my feet under the table while I’m editing videos.
Image credit: @justispao
She helped me get through my anxiety. There was once I went down for a walk at 2AM with her to try to clear my head. I highkey had a panic attack but she jumped on me, snuggled up to me and licked me during that episode and it helped me calm down.
I also feel that my family became complete after she joined us. Although my family was close, we weren’t spending a lot of time together and were busy with our own lives. But XiaoSmol somewhat became the glue that brought us back together.
– James Rainier
Dusty and Noah were strays that wandered into our house. Dusty came first. We started feeding her and she just kept coming back. Then she started bringing a friend (Noah) whom we think could be her mother.
Pictured: Noah. It’s nice having them around while working from home.
Image credit: @dustyandnoah
We gave Dusty her name because she was covered in dust and dirt when she first arrived. Noah’s name was derived from us saying “no ah, cannot come into the house,” as we didn’t think we wanted one – or even two – cats at the time. But they persevered in worming their way into our hearts!
The only way to carry Dusty is like how you would when burping a baby. She’s also very loud and can say “noooooo” when calling for Noah. Noah on the other hand has different squeaks and meows for different people in the family. Also, if someone is missing from the dining table during meals, she’d run up to call you down to eat.
Dusty
Image credit: @dustyandnoah
I love knowing how they’re always there after a long day of work. They’re a little bit like dogs in the sense that they will run to greet me when I come home, for the most part. They don’t judge you for anything and even when they get upset over being bathed, they still come back to sit with you.
There’s a calming energy that comes from owning cats, and somehow, petting them always helps to comfort any anxiety I’m feeling.
– Raewyn Koh
Left to right: Luna, Milo and Couscous
Image credit: Pailin Boonlong
I’ve grown up with dogs all my life, but it’s a whole different ball game once you’re the sole person responsible for them. You know that they depend on you fully, and to a pretty huge extent, you depend on them too.
They’re my “ultimate comfort” in my everyday routine: when I’ve come home after a long day out and they’re overjoyed to see me; cuddling up with me on the sofa when I’m reading; or pawing my lap if they feel like a lapdog that day.
Each dog has a very distinct personality. Luna is one of the clingiest dogs you’ll ever meet and she has a habit of sleeping on our pillows, pressed right up against our heads. If she was a person, she would be your best girl friend who wipes away your tears and holds your hair back when you’re throwing up drunk in the toilet.
Luna is the most comforting dog we have. We’ve had her for seven years, and as a family, we’ve been through a ton.
Image credit: Pailin Boonlong
In comparison, Milo is the most aloof thing we have at home. We call her fake ‘cos she sucks up to every stranger out there but couldn’t care less about us. Meanwhile, we’ve only had Couscous for over a year but she’s already developed some pretty odd habits like snoozing our alarms in the morning by rolling on the phone and nudging it with her muzzle.
– Pailin Boonlong
Image credit: Natalie Ng
Gigi was a rescue cat. She was found in a gutter with injuries, and her white fur was grey. We suspected that she was mistreated by her previous owner. Our fosterer took her in and gave her the appropriate and necessary treatment and now she’s a fatass.
She’s like the princess of my house. My dad sometimes refers to her as his favourite daughter. She’d wake up at 5AM and scratch the door repeatedly until my dad feeds her two tuna bars. Gigi also has her own chair at home which only she sits on.
Sometimes she does really weird things like stare into the mirror and then stare straight at us after
Image credit: Natalie Ng
After a long or terrible day, I would see her welcome me at the door, meowing. I never realised it but that in itself is comforting. It may be weird to non-cat owners, but I find a lot of comfort in her smell and putting my face against hers. Gigi has a habit of asking for a combing session after our dinner time, and we usually take turns to do that.
I think because cats are usually independent souls, it isn’t normal for them to want to sit on my lap like a dog would. When she realises that we’re not giving her attention, she gets extremely needy and demands that. And once she gets what she wants she’ll just stay in the room with us.
I would say that her presence alone is very comforting! My family loves her like no other and she has been a really great addition.
– Natalie Ng
Willow is a super clumsy and lazy cat – when she’s falling she won’t stop herself and just go with it. Cats are supposed to land on their feet but she never really does. She’s also best friends with my sister’s pet turtle, so everyday without fail she’d sit beside its tank or climb on top of it to just watch the turtle.
Image credit: Ilarnna Chrisandra
Sometimes my siblings and I joke that she’s really a dog because she can give her paw for a treat. I feel like she knows when I’m upset, and it’s comforting to just “talk” to her – even petting her makes me feel better, especially when her affection is exclusive to me!
There was a period where I was dealing with burnout and I would come home late, often feeling really tired. Everyone else would be asleep so I’d just cry on my own. She would sit beside me and let me pet her, almost as if she was listening to me. Sounds silly, but it really helped me. It’s like having a companion who doesn’t judge, which is what we all need sometimes.
– Ilarnna Chrisandra
Image credit: Joyce Lee
Susan is still a puppy, so she’s very playful and is mostly naughty. It was interesting to see how her personality evolved within the span of four days. She was on her best behaviour for the first two – demure, rather polite and a little shy. But after that she became this wild, erratic demon who’d run around the house like her life depended on it.
She’s still too young to offer any form of comfort because she’s living her best life as a four-month-old: eating cement and twigs, peeing on the couch and chewing smelly socks. However, she does little things that make me laugh like wiping her butt on the floor after a big poop. She does this while making eye contact with me.
Image credit: Joyce Lee
I once enacted a scene where I dramatically fell off the couch, pretended to faint and lay on the floor to see if she would try to “rescue” me. Susan threw me a look, got up slowly and walked all over my body. Then she started to walk on my face, had enough, parked herself next to my motionless body and had the gall to look bored.
I think that brought me comfort in a sense where if anything were to happen to me, life goes on for her without any issues. Such a strong, independent Susan.
– Joyce Lee
Most Singapore pet owners would agree that there’s no replacement for the comfort our furkids bring us. Whether they have unforgettable quirks or offer us a listening ear when we need one, our pets will always be the best companions we have.
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