What greater gift than the love of a cat? Arushi knows it better; Koko is like a divine blessing in her life! He makes her life complete, happy, and crazy; his meows make her go aww and his antics enlighten her mood. Here’s a glimpse of her beautiful journey with Koko…
When and how did Koko come into your life?
“Life is full of unpredictable beauty and amazing surprises”
That’s exactly how we felt when Koko came into our lives. Koko entered our lives on the midnight of 14th February, 2018 as a gift to us. We got him when he was just a two month old playful kitten. With one meow… our hearts melted! We knew he is going to be our baby forever.
What do you generally feed him?
We feed him mostly wet food for lunch and dinner. He loves the Applaws salmon mousse. Koko doesn’t mind occasional munching on dry food. N & D pomegranate is his favourite. Koko is a sucker for treats! If he had it his way, he would be just gorging on his Temptations treats or licking his favourite Bonito flavoured creamy treat all day long! Koko is not a picky eater and is okay with trying different fish flavours every few months. Fish over chicken any day!
How does Koko like to spend time with you?
He is involved in absolutely everything! He would sit on my laptop when I’m working or watch late night football matches with my brother or sit on the canvas when my mom is painting! He loves spending wee hours of morning with my dad when he is doing yoga as that’s his time to scratch the mat!
My mother basically calls out to Koko even before she calls me or my brother. All our decisions and daily activities revolve around him and we obviously wouldn’t have it any other way.
He hates closed doors; he would say the cutest meow to us indicating we have to open the door and after which, on most occasions, he won’t even enter that room!
Koko is a cat that surprisingly loves belly rubs and would also come up next to me and lay on his back, asking for them or rather more like demanding them!
How do you take care of his grooming needs?
Koko gets groomed once a month with a luxurious spa from Pet Pamperer. All his grooming needs are taken care by them including a fresh trim and a bath.
Apart from that I regularly trim his nails, clean his teeth daily and brush his smooth fluff. Persian cats need to be combed twice a day; this is something he needs to endure as he is definitely not a fan of the daily brushes! As soon as he sees me with his comb, he makes a run for it! It is a daily entertainment in our house chasing him at grooming hours.
What are Koko’s favourite playtime activities?
His favourite toy is the fishing rod. He also loves playing with toys and if the toy has catnip, it is definitely the cherry on top for him. Although, even after pampering him with so many toys, he still prefers to play and sit in the Amazon box!
Nothing beats birdwatching for him. Our house is completely netted but I can guarantee his imagination would be running wild just thinking if he could grab one of the birds. Koko’s playtime activities also include scratching everything! Even though we have scratch posts for him, he would scratch the sofas or any rough surface that is in his sight. He is the most excited seeing an occasional bug. He would chase the bug like there is no tomorrow!
Do you take him along when you travel?
Koko is a completely indoor cat. He is a little afraid of travelling in car but he is getting better at it. He recently went on a mini road trip with us.
If we are traveling for a period of time, we completely trust Petsitterz for pet boarding. Koko is very comfortable and he gets a lot of love and care there. We get daily updates via videos and pictures.
What are your views on pets having their separate social media handles? Does Koko have any?
I feel having a social media account for your pet is time consuming. One should have one if he/she is fully dedicated and committed to building the pet’s page. It is almost like being a backend influencer for your pet! I believe a social media presence is great for people to have cute animal content to watch and also to network with other pet owners who can be of a lot of help at times.
Koko is quite the Instagram celebrity and you can follow him on @koko_purrs
Do you like to participate in various contests conducted for pets?
Koko has been a part of a few online contests and has won a couple as well! As he is an indoor cat, we haven’t really enrolled him for a physical contest.
Do you feel there is any gap between what you look for Koko and what is available in market?
Yes, I definitely feel there is a gap between what I look for Koko and what is available in the market. Though there are quite a lot of toys for dogs, cats have to make do with lesser than what is available for dogs. Koko gets easily bored with one toy and I am running out of options to find new innovative and interactive cat toys.
Summarize your bond with Koko.
I think the bond I have with Koko is something special and something that no pet or even most people could ever replicate. He is my child, my comfort and my whole heart. My bond with Koko has made me realize the importance of cats but also pets in general in people’s lives and the impact they can cause on us is something unimaginably wonderful! Having Koko has, personally, changed me a lot too. Since he has come into our lives, I suppose we all have become more aware and a lot more concerned about the treatment and well-being of stray animals. I, for one, have started to look after around thirty cats around my locality. Siddhesh Bhobe, who is the heart and soul behind the NGO Catrina Foundation, has enlightened me a lot about welfare of strays. He has guided me every step of the way and it’s just marvellous how much his NGO does in Mumbai, Pune, and Goa.
All I can say to everyone is that please get a pet, it makes your life complete. A four legged fur baby can change your life for the better in ways you can’t imagine!
