Saudi Gazette report ABHA – Girls are keen to keep pets, raise them and take care of them. Specialists say the secret for girls having pets like cats, birds, fish and hamsters, is the fact that they are different than human beings. They have no specific expectations like human beings. Specialists also confirm that these relations are very satisfying, unlike human relations that are full of complications, an Arabic daily reported. Meanwhile, girls confirm that lack of affection and emotions is the main reason of being attached to these animals. Despite these animals providing girls with emotional security, these girls wage a constant war with family members, who are disgusted by the presence of these animals in their homes due to their smell and carrying of diseases. World of happiness Ibtisam Dhafer considers her cats to be her world of happiness and comfort. She says, “I have loved cats since my childhood. This love increased after marriage, when I felt lonely due to being far from my family.” She says she plays with her cats and understands them. She can tell if they are sad or happy. They fear her when she raises her voice, they run away and hide.
They steal glances until they find the favorable moment for resuming what they had interrupted. Ibtisam says there is a mutual understanding between her and her cats. She says she can tell from the cat's mewing if it is hungry or sick. As to the prices of cats, Ibtisam says Himalayan cats are the costliest, as their prices range between SR2000 and SR8000. They are the most beautiful cats. They are tame and seek their owner's affection. They are quiet and love to play even when they grow old. As to Shirazi cats, their prices range between SR500 and SR1200, but they are not beautiful and they do not entice a person to own them. They are fierce and do not love to play. As to kittens, their prices reach about SR3000. Love despite the scolding Bashaer Al-Ali said, “I love rabbits and I enjoy keeping them and running with them despite the severe scolding by my family due to their smell. I found a good powder that gives them a good smell.” She further said that the prices of rabbits are high compared to those of cats. They have special plates for their food, balls for playing with and special tools for cleaning them. Passport and ticket Wijdan Al-Zahrani said that there is nothing like hugging cats. “I can't sleep without them. My room is full of toys for my cat.” Al-Zahrani said that there is special food for her cats and it is very cheap. She said that cats prefer baby food. She further said that she is keen to spoil them with toys, jumping pillars and colorful neckbands with bells. She takes her cat everywhere even when she travels. She said the cat's air-ticket costs SR25. It also has a passport containing its information and vaccinations. She added that she also loves birds for their colors, apart from fish. Mothers have a different opinion Umm Wijdan (Wijdan's mother) does not hide her anger due to the presence of these animals in her home. She justifies her attitude due to fear of pollution and transmitting diseases, aside from the high cost of keeping them, not to mention, their exorbitant prices. They need special food, toys for playing with and special tools. As to the most difficult situation she experienced due to her daughter, Umm Wijdan said, “I was shocked when my daughter telephoned a GCC country asking for medicine to treat her cats' psychological state, as they are refusing to mate. She asked for help in this.” Meanwhile, Umm Khowlah said, “I don't like the presence of animals in my house even if they are exotic, like fish and birds. I have not been able to prevent my daughters from owning them. I'm seriously thinking of treating my daughters at a specialist doctor. I'm fed up. My efforts to convince them are in vain.” Justifications Meantime, consultant psychiatrist Dr. Abdullah Al-Sibei said, “I don't see any problem in raising pets at home. This does not indicate that there is a psychiatric problem. There are people who raise animals in order to sell them, to benefit from their meat or fur and there are others who raise them for decoration. He sees that girls are inclined to raise small beautiful animals, like cats, dogs or some birds and rodents for recreation and décor or just to take pride in owning them. He said this phenomenon has increased after the spread of means of photography and communication. Girls keep pictures of their animals in their accounts like Instagram and others. They share these pictures. This habit of keeping pets spreads due to girls' love to imitate others or to give attention to something. The more tame the animal the more the attachment.
