Arya News - In a metropolis shaped by speed, pressure and long commutes, brief encounters with street cats have become small rituals of joy, lifted by online trends, shared care and a growing appetite for bite-sized escapes in the city.
JAKARTA – A brief encounter with a soft, fluffy animal now offers Jakartans a welcome pause amid the rush of daily life in the capital.
As the nation’s center of government and business, Jakarta rarely slows down, yet a handful of cats lounging around a Central Jakarta mall have unexpectedly created one of the city’s most charming micro-destinations.
In front of the FX Sudirman shopping mall, a gray-and-white tabby shifts positions, yawns and slow-blinks, its paws tucked neatly beneath its body. Other cats living around the mall hide in the bushes or nibble from bowls placed near the pedestrian entrance stairs. But the star of the area is a ginger cat, playful, plump and unbothered, who roams confidently around the mall as if it were his personal estate.
Office workers routinely stop for a few seconds to pet the cats, snap photos or drop off food before heading toward the nearby Transjakarta bus shelter or MRT Jakarta station. What used to be a quiet patch of sidewalk has now become a small social hub, largely thanks to the internet.
The cats surged in popularity after an anonymous user tagged the area as a tourist attraction called “Kucing Oren Depan FX” (Orange Cat in front of FX). The location quickly collected five-star Google reviews, including one from user Karissa Aisha, who wrote, “8/10 petting experience, because Oyen would not budge one bit.”
A grey-and-white tabby cat rests on the pavement in front of FX Sudirman mall in Central Jakarta on Nov. 7, 2025. The cat is one of at least five cats that live around the shopping center. PHOTO: THE JAKARTA POST
Elmo, a 42-year-old copywriter who often visits FX Sudirman for meetings or to meet friends, also shared his photo with the ginger cat, whom he knows as Bolu, on X (formerly Twitter). He said he had known the cat long before the viral moment, as his gaming friends had been sharing Bolu’s pictures on Discord. Even his friends in Sidoarjo, East Java, made time to visit after hearing about the celebrity feline.
Elmo said that whenever he passes FX Sudirman or encounters a stray cat, he offers treats. The routine, he added, gives him a brief moment of calm during his often hectic commute.
“It’s fun when you’re walking to the station and see these cats,” he said. “It’s nice to meet strays, and the fact that they aren’t afraid of people means no one has hurt them. People share space with animals here. These animals can be seen as local residents too.”
Sulastri, 38, a security officer stationed at the mall’s main entrance, said the mall operator allows the cats to live around the building. Some employees feed them, and visitors, some from outside Jakarta, frequently ask about their whereabouts.
“Many people take care of them, give them food, even put collars on them,” she said. “For months now, many visitors have been asking where the cats are when I’m on duty.”
The ginger cat with an online following shelters from the midday sun in front of the FX Sudirman shopping mall in Central Jakarta on Nov. 24, 2025. PHOTO: THE JAKARTA POST
Mapping feline cityscape
Jakarta’s sheer number of street cats plays a role in this growing culture of casual petting spots. With more than 11 million residents and an estimated 860,000 stray cats last year, roughly one for every 13 people, cats are easy to find, especially near transportation hubs, shopping centers and office areas.
And increasingly, Jakartans are going beyond feeding the cats. They are mapping them.
Locations such as “Kucing Oren Depan MRT Setiabudi Astra” in South Jakarta, “Kucing Abu Pintu A MRT Dukuh Atas” in Central Jakarta and “Kucing Depan Hotel Millennium” have also appeared on Google Maps, turning everyday street corners into cat-themed micro-pilgrimage sites.
These crowd-sourced “destinations” highlight a digital form of togetherness, one that allows people to seek small, shared moments in an otherwise fragmented city.
Urban sociologist Raphaella Dewantari Dwianto of the University of Indonesia said Jakarta’s fast pace and high pressure push people to seek quick sources of comfort. Small interactions with animals, she said, help people feel more grounded and less alone.
“Caring for street cats can bring joy to people,” she said. “When people look after them together, it shows that city residents do care about one another. But it also reflects a tendency to follow [social media trends].”
Psychologist Astrid Wen added that animals, especially cats and dogs, can reduce stress for those who enjoy being around them. Pets also offer a simplicity that human interactions sometimes lack.
“They’re vulnerable animals that many people find appealing and easy to care about,” she said. “Most accept humans as they are, unlike interactions with other people, which can be more complicated.”