She’s magnificently fluffy and beautiful, but best you admire Gebu from afar – she’s not one for cuddling or hugging and if you persist, you’ll have to contend with her loud growl ringing in your ears.
Fairuz Sharifuddin remembers the day three years ago when Gebu was found. “We heard a kitten screaming from behind our home. She was stuck in a really deep drain. So, my brother-in-law climbed in and saved her.”
Seeing how she didn’t want to continue living outdoors like the other strays, Fairuz decided to keep her indoors instead. And thus, began Gebu’s life as a pampered and much-loved indoor kitty.
According to Fairuz, Gebu is intelligent but has a diva attitude. “She’s not a people person in general but loves cozying up to my mom and getting her daily morning scratches from me.”
Gebu also joins Fairuz’s parents for prayers, waiting patiently for them to finish, for that’s when she gets more scratches and some playtime before going on her way.
Fairuz says Gebu loves her freedom although she spends most of her time indoors. “In the mornings, she’ll climb out from my parents’ window for some sunshine.”
Gebu loves hunting for house lizards at night, but she’s not any good at catching them, Fairuz says. “She tends to ‘demand’ that I help her catch them sometimes. She will loudly meow at me while looking at the lizard, and then back at me, with the hope that I grab the lizard for her.”
Gebu is one of those cats who hates dry food. “She will sometimes refuse to eat her normal kibbles as a protest.
“Sometimes, she protests by asking for her food, eats a teeny tiny bit of it, and basically leaves the rest but will ask for more 30 minutes later, even when her bowl is still full. This is the kind of drama we endure at least once a week,” Fairuz says.
Although a bold and confident cat in general, Gebu freaks out at the sound of the vacuum cleaner or the sight of strangers approaching.
“She also hates to be cuddled, and positively hates it when I pick her up to give her a kiss – that’s when she actually growls at me!
“Gebu prefers receiving scratches and love at arm’s length – literally. She doesn’t like sitting too close to anyone, except my mom. Gebu gladly sits on her lap!”
Gebu is a good communicator and besides answering to her name, also knows how to ask for doors to be opened for her. “She will put her paws under the door and pull at it so that the door makes a sound to get our attention,” Fairuz says.
A loner, Gebu prefers being the only cat in the house. “She is highly unsociable, and definitely not friendly. We used to have two other cats living indoors with her. When I brought home a third, she got so stressed out and her fur started dropping.
“It only grew back – and fluffier than before- when the two cats left,” Fairuz says.
She’s also become more territorial now. “If any of the outdoor cats ever comes inside, she’ll hiss and growl at them, but she’s not brave enough to chase them out herself. A bit of a coward this one,” Fairuz says of Gebu.
Fairuz says Gebu is exceptionally close to her parents. “She will always be somewhere in my parents’ room during the day, either sleeping on the ironing board, one of the shelves, under the bed, or sitting in the toilet in one of her favourite spots.
“At night, she will sleep beside my mom on the bed, or on the ironing board,” Fairuz says.
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 lifestyle@freemalaysiatoday.com. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.
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