Bibi Turns One 🎂

When I moved into my new place in Bandung, I didn’t expect to gain a companion — especially not one this small, white, and demanding. The first time I saw Bibi, she must have been only a month old. She wasn’t alone back then; she used to roam around with two siblings — one yellow, one calico. They were a tiny trio who camped around the house like they owned the neighborhood.

Then one day, all three disappeared for a while. For a month or two I didn’t see any of them. When Bibi finally came back, she came back alone. I still don’t know what happened to the other two — maybe someone adopted them, maybe they found another territory. What I do know is that Bibi kept returning, like this was home for her.

So I did what any human chosen by a cat would do: I started feeding her.

At first it was just “okay, here, take this,” and a few weeks later it was “okay fine, you live here now.”

After about two-three months of casual porch visits, I finally took her to the vet for a general checkup and her first vaccines. That was the day she officially went from neighborhood stray to my cat. Or maybe more accurately — I became her person.

How Bibi Changed My Life

Bibi is officially turning one this month (roughly — she didn’t exactly give me a birth certificate), and I’ve been looking back at how this little furball has changed my life.

She is playful, dramatic, curious, and sometimes acts like she pays bills here. But she’s also soft, warm, and so effortlessly comforting. She sleeps on blankets like she owns a five-star hotel, hides under the clothing rack like she’s in a secret bunker, and occasionally supervises my computer screen like a tiny furry boss.

More importantly: she showed up exactly when I needed her.

Life has always been heavy, and having her around helped me stay grounded. She became an anchor without even trying.

One Year Later

She’s not the tiny kitten I first met anymore. She’s a year old now — spoiled, fed like royalty, and deeply loved. I don’t know if I rescued her or if she rescued me, but either way, she stayed. And because she stayed, so did I.

Happy first year, Bibi.

Thanks for choosing my house… and then choosing my heart.