kittens

Hi everyone, this is Cat Mom. Two weeks ago, Cat Dad and I had a short trip up north to Johor Bahru, Malaysia! Apart from doing the usual things that Singaporeans do when in JB, like shop and eat (and shop and eat some more), we hit up a few pet stores in the area. Our objectives were to find pet stores that offered a large enough selection of the things we need, and preferably at a lower cost than what we’re used to in Singapore. We’re happy to share with you those that we love and are definitely going back. The addresses of these places will be listed at the end.

The first place we went to was Dhani Pet Store. We love this place because it is very cat-centric. Most of the products there catered to cats and they carry a lot of the brands we see in Singapore, but at a fraction of the price. The treats are worth getting, in our opinion, but definitely check out the expiration dates before buying. The staff working there were extremely helpful and not pushy at all. The shop space itself is cozy but not cramped. We dropped by on a weekday afternoon and there was no crowd. You can also ask their friendly staff about their membership. Members can get items at a lower price and collect points with each purchase. The points can then be used to redeem other products. For drivers, there is ample parking space right outside the store in their open-air car park.

Dhani Pet Store

Operating Hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm

No. 40 Jalan Setia Tropika 1/1, Taman Setia Tropika, 81200 Johor Bahru

The second place that has earned its place on the honorary list is Fisn N Pet! This place has more of a family business feel to it and is slightly smaller than Dhani Pet Store. Despite that, they have most of the things that we needed and also offer 20% membership discounts off every item. Fish N Pet does have in-house cat boarding services, not that this matter for us, but that means we get to look at adorable cats! The staff here are also very helpful and nice.

Fish N Pet

Operating Hours: 10am to 10pm

7, Jalan Padi Emas 6/2, Bandar Baru Uda, 81200 Johor Bahru

We visited a handful of other pet stores as well and we are still in the process of visiting others, but for now, these are the ones that we will definitely go back again. One thing that we’d like to bring to attention is, we noticed that it is quite common for pet stores in JB to sell repackaged food, or at least all those that we’ve visited happened to have those. These are usually dried food that have been repackaged into clear plastic packages with no labels or nutritional information. We suggest to find out more about the origins of them if you do decide to get. Also, double check for expiry dates! Some of the items, especially treats, might be put on sale because they have already expired or are nearing the end of their shelf life. So be careful! Otherwise in general, we feel that the products and brands carried in these stores are quite safe. If unsure, always go for the brands that you are familiar with!

A little fact about us – we live in a ~~too~~ sunny and ~~too~~ warm tropical island of Singapore. Cat Mom and Cat Dad were born and raised here, so were Dodo and Pea Pea. We thought it would be interesting to share some of our experiences as first time cat parents.

Before we start off, we would like to throw in a disclaimer. Having pets (in any shape or size) is a huge responsibility. From the day you decide to bring home your pet, they are dependent on you for the rest of their lives, which is why you have to be financially, mentally, and physically prepared for the commitment before jumping in.

Also, the content of these post is solely based only on our experiences so far, we’re not generalizing or making any assumptions about anybody. These are what we found to have worked with our cats and they may not work for everybody. We are no Jackson Galaxy. We are constantly learning and trying to be the best parents we can be to Dodo and Pea pea.

Researching

Dodo was our first cat. The original plan was to adopt one from the local SPCA but we eventually found Dodo on an adoption ad posting on the internet (more on that in a later post).

Our experience and knowledge about these ads are that the animals put up for adoption on these sites are usually from existing pet owners whose pets have just given birth and they are not able to care for all the babies, so they put them up for adoption with a fee, which could include the cost of their first vaccinations/vet visits, as well as basic supplies up to the point of adoption. However, you do have to be careful of shady pet owners, which we will talk about in a later post, but do try to be more observant about the animal you are adopting, how they interact with their current owner, as well as the body language and nonverbal cues of the owners when you interact with them.

We also feel that it’s better to have visits in the owner’s home before adopting because,

A picture tells a thousand words but a moving, breathing (purring, running around, and probably scratching) cat can tell a million;
The cat would be more at ease in the familiar environment and you can see them interacting with other cats and humans, which helps to determine whether their personalities are in line with what you are looking for and;
You will be able to observe their current living space and kinda tell if the owners are genuine animal lovers or are breeding for financial gains.

So far, the owners whom we met with were very kind and helpful. They even gave us recommendations on what supplies to get and where to get them. We were very fortunate as our experiences with adopting Dodo and Pea pea were mostly pleasant.

Preparation Work

As first time cat parents, we needed to get the necessary supplies and so… *cue the cat supplies shopping spree*

Where we live, pet necessities and supplies from mainstream stores can get quite costly. We got most of our supplies from online pet stores both locally and abroad. Consumables are mainly from local stores which we managed to find pretty good deals thanks to Cat Dad’s exceptional researching abilities and patience.

Over the years, the amount of cat stuff we have snowballed, but here is a list that we think are the basics:

1. Food, treats, as well as food and water bowls- we give a mixed diet of dried and wet food daily. Dodo was not a water drinker, so we added a bit of water into her food and we eventually managed to get her to drink. Treats are not mandatory but they are good for training and bonding.

2. Litter box and cat litter

Although whether or not your cat might actually make use of it is a different story. Someone was CLEARLY trying to make a statement here. 🙄

3. Carrier- for transportation purposes

4. Toys and scratching post/small cat condo

CAUTIONARY WARNING: your cat MAY or MAY NOT use the cat condo as a place to poo poo and wee wee. DON’T ask how we know.

5. Bed

6. Grooming necessities- claw clippers and brushing tools are the essentials. We subsequently went on to include cat shampoos, toothbrushes, and toothpastes for hygiene purposes.

Coming Home

After all the preparation work, it’s time to bring the fur babies home!

Dodo and Pea Pea are now completely free roaming in our home but as most cat owners would suggest, we limited their space to within a room the first few days of bringing them home. Allowing them to roam freely right off the bat might be too overwhelming for them. We also had food, water, and their litter box in the room so they basically lived in confinement for awhile. Both Dodo and Pea Pea acclimated quite quickly and they, thankfully, got along well with our family members as well. Throughout the initial few days, we also made sure to be at home for the most part, periodically checking in on them to ensure that they are settling in well.

As pet parents (or human parents for that matter), there’s only so much you can do for your children. Ultimately, they decide for themselves the path they want to choose, the place they want to poo, or the bed the want to snooze. They might sleep in the bed you specially ordered for them, or they might sleep on their siblings, they might also end up in your bed. But most definitely, they will end up in your heart. ♥️