With two cats, a young child, and a husband in tow, Anrie Too’s household is a busy one. But the lecturer and performing artist loves being a mum to her 14-month-old daughter and her cats, Mr Meowgi and Holly Pawlightly.
She tells FMT that she and her husband Michael were helping a friend who needed a foster family for some strays she had rescued.
“We were only looking to foster in hopes of finding him a forever home,” Anrie says of Meowgi, who is named after the “sifu” from the “Karate Kid” movies.
“But as these stories often go, this temporary home became his furever home.”
She describes the short-haired tabby, now three years old, as a literal scaredy cat.
“Loud noises, strangers, babies – you name it, he’s afraid of it,” she laughs. “He’s generally tentative with strangers, but for those he warms up to, he can be very ‘manja’.”
She adds that Meowgi kept his distance for the longest time after they brought their daughter home.
“He was super tentative to approach her. Now that she’s moving and crawling, he’s quite indifferent most times, but super terrified when she goes ‘baby mode’ and approaches him with her chubby grabby hands!”
Despite this, Anrie insists Meowgi is a cuddlebug.
“He will crawl up to us for naps and generally want to be in our company,” she says, adding, however, that she and Michael can’t be too “desperate for his affection” as it will send him running!
Anrie describes Meowgi as being similar to a puppy at times. “He liked to play fetch when he was a kitten, and now, he enjoys playing catch with his kitty sister.”
In fact, fetching is a little trick of his, fond as he is of chasing after toys and bringing them back to his humans, “but only when he feels like it”.
When it comes to mealtimes, Anrie is particular about what her pets are fed. “We feed them cat food only – wet, dry, biscuits – but no human food. Basically anything that we allow him, he will chomp down.”
And like most cats, he sleeps “all over the house”, though he has a spot on the sofa that has been christened “Meowgi’s spot”.
Anrie says her family, both two- and four-legged, have been a lifeline throughout the various lockdowns since last year.
“Meowgi is protective of us and super loving in his own way. He’s the reason we decided to adopt Holly Pawlightly, hoping she would share similar attributes as him.
“He’s also the reason why my dog-loving husband is now also a cat lover!”
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.