My Pet

    

     My first pet was a little turtle I got in Ancol at kindergarten graduation. My father told me, it was my graduation gift. The turtle was placed in a small house-shaped aquarium, with some stones for my turtle to sunbathe. When I got home, I showed off my new pet as I had just received a glowing trophy.  My eyes lit up and a smile didn't stop adorning my lips. When I eat, I always feed my turtles. "Let's eat together so that we can grow up together." When I sleep, I place the aquarium on my study table, "my bedroom is yours", I muttered while stroking the shell. Unfortunately, my happiness felt so short, I hadn't even had time to give it a name. I still remember how loud my crying was when I woke up the next day. My turtle does not move in the slightest, it is stiff with its head not getting into its shell. My mother tried to calm me down, but I ignored her. I just want my turtle back. I learned a valuable lesson back then. I should have placed my turtle at a normal temperature. My little turtle froze to death because the temperature of the air conditioner in my room was too cold. It takes quite a long time to deal with losses.

A year later, my family and I moved to Depok. The atmosphere there is different from Jakarta. My house is on the side of the road and overlooks an open field. In the field, there are many big trees, and the atmosphere is quite scary at night. Fortunately, I have neighbors who are very friendly to newcomers. One morning, my father woke me up. "Nyiur, there are cats and kittens coming to our house. Let's get up and say hello to them". Spontaneously, I got up and followed my father. From behind the kitchen window, I saw two cats eating the fish my mother gave voraciously." They must be very hungry. Can I give them more fish?", my mother agreed. I went to the backyard, greeted and fed them. Slowly, I stretched out my hand to stroke their fur. Alice and Birthday were the first two cats my family decided to keep. They are calico cats, with a mix of orange, black, and white colors. Alice is the mother of Birthday, her fur is predominantly white, with green eyes and a short tail. Her character is very friendly, calm, and obedient. She would meow softly if we called. While Birthday, who was about 3 months old at the time, had predominantly greyish-black fur and a long tail. She has her mother's eyes, bright eyes. Because Birthday is still a kid, she has a high enthusiasm for playing. Birthday likes to play chase with me and my brother. At night, they always sleep on the patio chairs hugging each other. Our family felt there was a new color with the arrival of Alice and Birthday.

A month passed. At that time, it was not usual for Alice to woke my family up in the middle of the night. We ignored Alice’s voice because we thought she was only communicating with the male cat she used to encounter. However, our assumption was wrong when the morning we saw Alice fainting for losing her daughter. We found Birthday lifeless because of eating poison for rats. Seeing that, my family and I were crying. We regret not checking the situation outside the house when Alice urged to ask for help. "We’re so sorry, Alice. I wish we were there to save your baby. We’re not going to ignore you ever again.”  We buried Birthday in our backyard. It was a place where she loved to run and play. The sunshine shone on her grave as if she knew that Birthday loved to sunbathe under the warmth.  The deep distress we felt at that time made us more alert and cautious. At that time, we only had Alice who was hardened even though her face was painted lost. We tried to deal with our sadness for months.

Time flies, we realized that Alice was pregnant. We were very happy to have a new family member. We took care of her very carefully. My mom always gave fresh and fat fish to Alice. My dad always makes sure his cat is safe and warm. He bought a cat bed that was placed in the back yard of our house. My brother and I gave all our love to Alice. Two months later, Alice’s belly got bigger. I remember I just finished maghrib prayer with my mother.  Alice whispered as if asking for help. We realized that this was the time for Alice to give birth. My mother immediately prepared a cardboard and took a cloth to cover the cardboard. Alice was the first cat to give me the experience of helping a cat give birth. Soon after, she gave birth to two cute and healthy cats. Both of them are female. The first cat we gave birth to was named Dezka, whose fur was the same color as Alice's. While the second cat that was born was Dezky, it was black and white, commonly called tuxedo color. I was so happy to see Alice with her babies. Her longing for Birthday is represented by their presence.

I started to realize that pet is not just for entertainment. As a living creatures, they can feel emotions. We should treat them with care and respect, as they are more than just animals but also cherished members of the family. Pets also provide companionship They can be great company for people. Besides that, Studies have shown that interacting with pets can lower cortisol levels, which is a hormone associated with stress. When my family and I started living for the first time in Depok, we had anxiety due to the new place, but then Alice and Birthday came to our house and gave us emotional support. Pets are the ones who love you unconditionally and making cats a pet is the right choice.

#Undira