Pet Spotlight: Phineas, Ferb, and Zeda
Sophomore commercial music major Kailani Marie Bartley is over the moon with her sweet pets. At home, she has a chihuahua named Ferb and an orange tabby cat named Phineas. At school, she has a tuxedo kitten named Zeda.
A year ago, Bartley wanted to have a kitten while she was studying at school. At the same time, her mother’s colleague’s cat had just had a litter of kittens. But the kittens couldn’t be given to just anyone. In fact, the colleague wanted to keep the kittens for herself. To circumvent any complications, Bartley’s mother said her daughter was ten years old.
Phineas and Ferb had been a part of Bartley’s life since the sixth grade. They came as a special surprise for her and the rest of her family. “It was like one day when my pare nts said, hey, we’re having pets in the house now,” Bartley said.
Now Phineas enjoys life as a crotchety old man who’s annoyed with anything and everything. And he’s also the kind of cat that would rather eat lasagna than go to the gym, because Bartley recons that her cat weighs a whopping twenty pounds, which is quite hefty for a cat.
Ferb, by contrast, still keeps his energy and barks at anything and everything. He’s often given sweaters when it’s really cold out, which is a quirk for being especially cute.
Zeda has been Bartley’s baby from the moment she got her. As with most kittens, she sleeps and plays quite often. In fact, she’s so energetic that she can tire herself out very easily. Although, she occasionally bites while she plays, it wouldn’t matter since she’s quite cute, as most cats her age are.
Zeda has a lot of quirks as well. Whenever there’s a bag of carbs or loaf of bread on the counter, she would take the bag and start to walk around. The funny thing is she’s too small to be carrying anything that heavy for very long. She would get off the counter and walk a few more feet away before giving up.
Zeda also has a weird habit of sleeping in Bartley’s hair. She’s also a sucker for snuggles. In the morning, when Bartley has to get up for classes, Zeda can be found perched on her chest close to her face, begging for attention. On lots of occasions she’s almost late for class because of Zeda’s snuggle addiction. “So, if I’m late for class, I blame the cat,” Bartley said.
Interestingly, Zeda is also a cat who enjoys car rides, which Bartley considers strange for a cat. Unfortunately, it does lead to dangerous moments.
Sometimes Bartley decides to bring Zeda home with her. When they are on the road to go back home, Zeda would try to explore the floor on the driver’s side while Bartley is driving. It’s especially concerning because it’s enough that she has to keep her eyes on the road, but Bartley doesn’t want Zeda fiddling with the pedals.
When they get home, Ferb would try and hide behind Bartley. It’s either because a) he doesn’t want Bartley’s parents pestering him or b) he sees Zeda and wants to get away. “I can’t believe that my dog is scared of my kitten,” Bartley said.
In hindsight, it’s a shame Ferb is scared considering he also loves snuggling. Furthermore, he’ll know when you’re sad, so much so that he’ll walk up to your face and lick those tears away. Phineas, meanwhile, would just lay around, but Bartley still loves him. And Zeda will always be her baby.
No matter what happens, she’ll always be able to count on her animal friends. “They’re the best animals on the planet, regardless of what anyone else says about their animals,” Bartley said. “Mine are the best!”
