I am a few steps away from officially becoming a pet mum.
Well, all that is left is for me to find that one ginger (orange) kitten, or for the cat distribution system to send me one.
Either way, I am ready.
There is a growing trend of pet lovers, especially in Kenya, and it is now becoming a very interesting culture.
On socials, people are even creating accounts for their pets, and they are gaining immense traction.
I am one of the few people who enjoy cat content.
But my question is, why do people prefer forming relationships and bonds with pets as compared to forming more intimate relationships with humans?
I read an article by Winnie Mabel on why people prefer the company of pets to intimate unions.
In this article, she speaks of how pet parents actively choose to deprioritise intimate relationships with fellow human beings, and that pets are their replacement of choice.
“Often, their social batteries do not last beyond interacting with colleagues at work and at rare meet-ups,” she says.
“They choose to spend more time with things that soothe and give them peace and mental stability as an alternative to nurturing healthy familial, platonic or romantic relationships.”
She gives a deep dive into the views of different pet owners and why they choose to keep pets.
Now, another question that came to me while I was reading this piece is: Why do young people today prefer having a pet to having a child?
At this point, there are many reasons why one would pick the other.
This assessment is purely based on the people I often hang around with and are either cat or dog mums and dads.
In this case, there are some who prefer having a pet child because even if the responsibilities are immense and it is costly, they do not match up to what a child brings.
To others, since they actively choose to deprioritise intimate, human connections, they prefer having the company of a pet who also serves in the capacity of a child to this set of people.
There are others who have child pets as a form of learning or rather preparation for when a real human child is on the way.
More reasons exist. We can go on and on about why one would opt for one over the other.
However, this pet parenting culture is common and vibrant today, unlike before.
I never grew up in a home where we had pets, let alone dogs, to guard the homestead.
My mother has never been a fan of pets and believes cats come with some kind of weird spirits.
If you come from a proper African home, most of you can understand why a pet wouldn't be an African parent's poison.
I recently mentioned to her how I found a tabby kitten that I wanted to adopt from a close friend who was giving away kittens for free, and she was not happy.
I proceeded to mention how this kitten would be my companion for a while before I bring in a ginger cat, as that is what I initially wanted.
The conversation turned into a 30-minute discussion on why I want a cat and why I shouldn’t get one.
“If you really want to, you can opt to get a dog and send it upcountry to guard our home there. Anyway, you do what you want to do, but I do not want to see that cat,” she concluded the conversation.
My mother detests cats but I, for one, love them.
I find them cute and with a relaxing energy sometimes, affectionate and constantly needy of attention, which kind of brings me some inner peace.
I believe that pets can teach us a lot about ourselves without even talking, and are loyal.
I can have a long and stressful day, but when I see a cat video, I instantly feel calm inside.
I want a ginger cat for many reasons, and I would definitely want to become a cat mum.