TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Yusof Ishak Institute, Made Supriatma, said the special treatment of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's cat, Bobby Kertanegara, was excessive. This special treatment took place during the Cat Lovers Social Day 2025 event on July 12, 2025. The event was held in collaboration between the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Polri Animal Hospital.
In a video circulating on social media, Bobby Kertanegara arrived at the event venue, passing through a blue carpet and escorted by several police officers. "The treatment of the cat is completely unjustified. A cat is not the head of state," said Made Supriatma to Tempo on July 16, 2025.
Made Supriatma said the treatment of the cat was very excessive, especially treating a pet using state facilities funded by the people's money. He assessed that many people would surely be offended if a cat received more appropriate treatment than they.
"Unless we want to treat cats as citizens. If that happens, we are truly in a cult of personality system, where the president's cat is treated like the president," he said.
Made said that no leader's pet in the country is treated as exceptionally as Bobby Kertanegara. He cited the example of the office cat of the British Prime Minister, Larry the Cat, and the dogs belonging to U.S. presidents, which did not receive the same level of respect as state officials.
"President Biden's dog even bit the White House's Secret Service several times until eventually being removed from the White House. Biden personally paid for the medical expenses of the guard who was bitten," he said.
According to Made, pets should be treated as animals and human companions. He said that no matter how close a human is to their pet, they should not be treated as humans.
"U.S. presidents' dogs walk like dogs. Larry the Cat, on the other hand, is carried by its owner. There is no military honor given to these pets," he said.
Tempo has attempted to request confirmation from the Head of the Presidential Communication Office, Hasan Nasbi, and the State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi, through their WhatsApp numbers. As of this writing, the confirmation request has not been responded to; it has only been marked as read.
Previously, a video of Bobby Kertanegara being escorted by several police officers went viral on social media. The X @MurtadhaOne1 account uploaded the video on July 15, 2025.
"Pitiful. Paid with the people's sweat just to guard a cat?" he wrote.
The video sparked pros and cons. Netizens who supported it said it was better to guard Bobby Kertanegara than to guard useless officials. However, some felt that Bobby's treatment was excessive.
Bobby Kertanegara accompanied Prabowo and resided in the Jakarta Presidential Palace since Prabowo's inauguration on October 20, 2024. Bobby is often seen being brought in a stroller with the "BK" logo, the initials of Bobby Kertanegara.
Bobby is a village cat that began living at Prabowo Subianto's house on Kertanegara Street in 2016. Initially, Bobby was just a stray cat that often showed up when the house was under renovation. However, Prabowo adopted him. He was then given the full name Bobby Kertanegara.
Bobby has participated in several official presidential events. Even when welcoming foreign guests. Prabowo once introduced his cat to the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, during a visit to Jakarta on May 15, 2025. During the dinner reception, Albanese gifted Bobby Kertanegara with a red scarf necklace.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates was also introduced to Bobby Kertanegara by Prabowo during a visit on May 7, 2025. Bobby was brought in a stroller to meet Bill Gates. Prabowo then introduced his cat to the philanthropist. Bill Gates then gave a toy orca doll to Bobby Kertanegara.
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