“I found it pretty strange that there was only one kitten. We believe that the rest of the litter didn’t make it,” Quah, 30, told FMT Lifestyle.
Quah and her brother brought them into the restaurant with the intention of only caring for them until Mochi was bigger. But the duo quickly charmed their way into the hearts of the humans.
Several weeks later, she and her brother were certain that they wanted to give the cats a forever home. But there were two other hearts that the felines needed to melt – their parents.
“Our parents didn’t really fancy pets, so we tested our luck. We told them it was going to be temporary,” recalled Quah.
That was back in 2021 and today, the “temporary” stay has turned permanent.
Now firmly a part of the Quah household, they named the mother “Amber” and her kitten “Mochi”. “I thought he resembled the Japanese rice cake with a peanut filling,” Quah recalled affectionately.
And although Mochi certainly adds sweet moments to Quah’s life, he adds some “spice” as well! Describing Mochi as “cheeky” and “hyper”, Quah revealed that he likes sneaking out of the house – and he plans his covert operations meticulously.
First, he keeps a close eye on his humans to see if they’re going out. Upon picking up signals that they are, he quietly hides in a corner. Then bam! Once the door is open, he dashes out to sweet, sweet freedom! “We have to go looking for him and bring him back,” said Quah.
But that’s not all the sneaky boy gets up to. Mochi enjoys eating “bak kwa”, the Chinese sweet-salty dried meat similar to jerky. His humans, however, do not indulge him due to its high sugar content.
So Mochi devised another covert operation: he sniffs out the hiding spots of this sinful treat, waits for the right moment and bam! He rips the plastic bag and sinks his teeth into the sweet, sweet meat.
So, what else does cheeky Mochi do? “He likes to chew on our Shopee parcels and anything in plastic bags. My mom is always finding him with plastic bags,” Quah said.
Mochi, however, isn’t fond of two things: being given a bath or being separated from his mom, with whom he shares a close relationship. “They’re always grooming, licking and playing with each other. They even nap together,” she said.
Needless to say, Mochi is certainly a cute bundle of joy and laughter in Quah’s life. “Mochi is like my therapy cat. When I come home from work and see him, I immediately feel energised when he’s being his cute and cheeky self. Just seeing him just makes me happy,” she said.
This article was written by Sheela Vijayan @ FMT Lifestyle. Read more pet stories here.
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 [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.