Paw-parenting: The cost of caring for pampered fur babies
Purity Kemunto during the dog festival in Nakuru accompanied by her daughter Elsie.
Growing up, it was rare to find a properly groomed or well-trained pet living in the house.
The only animal usually allowed inside was a cat, but even the cat wasn't always lucky. It would sometimes be thrown out for misbehaving or drinking milk directly from the sufuria.
Recently, however, there's been a change, with people taking much better care of their pets and even giving them cute names.
Cynthia Karime has been caring for her cat, Ash, for two years, having adopted him when he was six months old.
She notes that while it's not overly expensive to look after Ash, it does come at a cost.
"I can't treat him like the cats of the past, who were kept mainly to chase away rats. There are no rats here and I can't even remember the last time I saw one," she says.
Cynthia tells Mtaa Wangu that Ash's diet consists of raw meat, dry and wet cat food, which costs Sh1,200 per Kg, and which she replenishes monthly.
She does the grooming herself, using a shampoo that costs Sh1,500.
"Bathing a cat may seem challenging as most cats do not like water. But it's essential for their health and hygiene," she says.
Cynthia also takes Ash to the vet once a year for vaccinations and deworms him regularly at home every three months.
Purity Kemunto has a Chihuahua named Kendi that she's cared for since the dog was a year and four months old. Like Cynthia, she grooms her pet herself.
"Most people prefer to take their pets to the vet for grooming, but I prefer to do it myself because I've learned how," she says.
Purity makes sure Kendi is properly groomed to avoid an itchy fur and trims her nails to prevent scratches.
As for food, Kendi doesn't eat commercial dog food; instead, Purity prepares rice and minced meat for her.
"I bought dog food, but it's still in the house because we've never used it. My dog eats rice, mince and bones," she says.
Purity also notes that while pet care has improved significantly, there are still people who don't believe in having pets, let alone keeping them in the house.