The bubbies are my dad’s cats, but I figured I’d share their story anyway because I raised them.

Back in 2012, my dad was headed to work when he heard crying outside. He grabbed a flashlight from his car, and found Ko running towards him from the bushes. He brought her inside and passed her to my cousin before leaving for work. A day or two later, his tenant found her sister, Ki, alone by the backyard fence. Both times, my family called me up to come get them.

They were a little over 3 weeks old, and still required bottle feeding. I had just trapped Mah Jong, and had her hostage in my bathroom, so she kept them warm during a time that I didn’t yet realize they could live on a heating pad (having a real cat to burrow under was probably more efficient anyway).

They’re both shy cats, but love people. Ki is more adventurous than Ko, but Ko loves to pick a person and shadow them around.

My dad didn’t know if he wanted to have them or not. I was raising them as if they were foster cats that would eventually be ready for adoption through the Humane Society. I don’t think he planned on  having pets, but he had a soft spot for Ko because she came to him that night. After offering to watch them when he’s out of town and get all of their kitten shots done, he agreed to take them once they were older. They were dewormed, vaccinated, and spayed. They went to live with him after I’d watched them for 4-5 months.

For those of you with immigrant parents, you probably know how hard it is to convince them not to feed their pets table scraps. My dad would claim that is how it’s done in the Philippines, and I would groan seeing chicken adobo in their food bowls. I would insist the cats were overweight, he would insist they’re well loved.

He’s had them for almost 4 years now. He’s stopped feeding them Philippino food, though he does free feed. I suppose it’s not awful for only two cats, but I personally can’t free feed with as many cats as I have in my house. Every year when he goes on vacation, the bubbies come back to my home and spend time with me.

I also make sure they get their yearly vet checkup whenever they’re on vacation with me. Ki is only slightly overweight now, at 10.5 pounds. Ko, still my dad’s favorite, is over 12 pounds, which is overweight but not obese enough for my vet to feel like he has to sit my dad down and have a talk.