Indonesia now has a “first cat”, and his name is Bobby Kertanegara.

       The brown-black and white feline is the beloved pet of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

       Bobby moved into the Istana Merdeka presidential palace in Jakarta after Mr Prabowo took office as Indonesia’s eighth president on Oct 20.

       A video posted on Bobby’s Instagram account – which has 591,000 followers – on Oct 21 shows Mr Prabowo petting Bobby, as the short-haired cat sits in a beige stroller that bears his name.

       “Do you want to see your new room, Bobby?” Mr Prabowo asks in the video, which has racked up more than 306,000 likes.

       Many were charmed by Bobby and got a glimpse of Mr Prabowo’s personal life, which showed a softer side of the former military general.

       Indonesian media reported that the stroller, from Chinese brand Uppapets, retails from 6.2 million rupiah (S$525).

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       Bobby also managed to charm Mr Prabowo’s guests, including Ms Mulan Jameela, a politician from Mr Prabowo’s Gerindra party, and Indonesian business tycoon Anindya Bakrie.

       Mr Bakrie posted a picture with Bobby on his Instagram account and wrote: “At the (presidential) palace, waiting for RI 1 with Bobby”, referring to Mr Prabowo’s official car.

       According to news outlet Detik.com, Bobby was a stray rescued in 2017 by Mr Prabowo at his residence in Kertanegara, in southern Jakarta.

       Bobby became popular a year later after Mr Prabowo was seen feeding the cat at a Gerindra party meeting.

       “Bobby is very spoiled. He is the ruler of Jalan Kertanegara IV. He is always by Prabowo’s side when at home, even during meetings,” national newspaper Kompas quoted Gerindra party member Andre Rosiade as saying in 2019.

       “Before (Prabowo) leaves for Hambalang, he must pet and carry Bobby to calm him down,” added Mr Andre, in reference to Mr Prabowo’s hometown residence in Bogor, West Java.

       Bobby is not the President’s only pet.

       In 2021, Mr Prabowo adopted three other cats – named Mika, Miki, and Miko – but it is not known if they also moved to the presidential palace.

       Bobby is among a long line of famous felines that belong to world leaders.

       The most famous of them is Larry, the No. 10 Downing Street cat, who has outlasted five British prime ministers over the last 13 years.

       However, Larry now has a rival in the form of a Russian cat that belongs to current Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his family.

       Over in the US, there was Socks, a cat adopted by the Clintons during the early years of the administration.

       US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill adopted Willow, an American tabby domestic short-hair cat, in February 2021.

       Closer to home, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam revealed on Aug 30, 2023, his three adopted cats – Socks, Judy and Awan.