Celeb Pawrents: Actress Tasha Low becomes a cat lover after filming Emerald Hill in Malaysia

Emerald Hill actress Tasha Low and her two cats, Pumpkin and Luna. PHOTOS: TASHAALOW/INSTAGRAM

Joanne Soh

UPDATED Mar 16, 2025, 04:56 PM

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SINGAPORE – Singaporean singer-actress Tasha Low has always been scared of cats, for fear of getting scratched. 

Yet, the dog lover found herself becoming pawrent to two kitties she rescued from the streets in the most serendipitous way.

Low, who stars in the local blockbuster series Emerald Hill, adopted Luna, a female grey cat believed to be a Maine Coon-Norwegian Forest mix, and Pumpkin, a female ginger community kitten, in December 2024 and January 2025 respectively.

In the Mandarin period drama, Low plays Xinniang, a kindhearted street urchin who is later taken in by the rich Zhang family. Emerald Hill is and mewatch, and will air on Channel 8 on weekdays at 9pm from March 19.

The Mediacorp artiste rid herself of her feline phobia when she was in Renggam, a town in Johor, Malaysia, filming the show in August 2024.

“We were in a pineapple plantation and there were many stray cats and dogs, especially in the house where we were filming indoor scenes,” says the 31-year-old. “There was no way I could avoid the stray cats, so I had to get used to them being around.”

One day, she noticed a tiny kitten under a table, shivering and looking “defenceless”. She started buying goat’s milk to feed it and subsequently took it to a veterinary centre. 

“The vet said it was about two weeks old and after treating its flea problem, I was taught how to care for it,” Low says.

As her filming schedule was packed, she had to place the kitten in a pet hotel. 

“Everything was going well until the third day. I received a call that the kitten was not eating and was getting weak,” she recalls. It died shortly after. 

“I cried my eyes out when I saw the lifeless body.”

While the experience was distressing, the star says it changed her feelings towards stray cats. From someone who used to avoid the numerous community cats roaming her mother’s HDB estate, Low started feeding them. 

She met Luna by chance – the cat followed her after she fed it cat treats. Low says: “Luna looked skinny and unwell, so I took her to a vet, who said she was likely abandoned as she was very trusting towards humans – a sign of being domesticated.” 

Unsure what to do with the cat, Low decided – on impulse – to take it home. She says: “I did not do a genetic test, but the vet said Luna is likely two years old and is a Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest mix.”

Pumpkin also became Low’s fur kid by chance. She was another injured stray Low came across and took to the vet. “I was told it was about eight to nine months old,” she says.

When Pumpkin recovered, Low was reluctant to put the cat back on the streets and decided to adopt it. She says: “I think my time in Malaysia showed me that many stray animals can’t fend for themselves. I really feel for them.”

However, Luna did not take well to Pumpkin. “There was a lot of hissing and swatting between them,” says Low, adding that it took a few weeks for them to accept each other.

Both cats are licensed, sterilised and microchipped according to Animal & Veterinary Service regulations. 

While Luna and Pumpkin stay indoors most of the time, Low sometimes puts them in their carriers and takes them out for walks around her condominium compound.

As she had never owned cats before – her family used to have two dogs, a German Shepherd and a silky terrier – she admits she tends to get paranoid over small issues.

“When they sneeze, I’ll quickly take them to the vet,” she says, laughing. 

The bachelorette shares a recent incident when Pumpkin had diarrhoea and was vomiting. “I think I took her to the vet twice that week. It was a scary time for me,” says Low, who is considering buying insurance for her fur kids. 

When she travels, Low will entrust them only to close friends. “My manager, who has a cat, will stay at my place to look after Luna and Pumpkin when I’m away. And Chantalle (Ng) once petsat them when I had to work late.”

Pumpkin is a ginger domestic shorthair. PHOTO: COURTESY OF TASHA LOW

Local actress Ng, 29, who plays the main antagonist in Emerald Hill, is also an animal lover and .

Low estimates spending about $600 monthly on Luna and Pumpkin’s food, litter and grooming. 

They get four meals – canned food and kibbles – a day. Breakfast will be around 10.30am; teatime between 2 and 3pm; dinner at 6 or 7pm; and supper at about midnight. 

“Adopting Luna and Pumpkin were spur-of-the-moment decisions, but I have no regrets,” says Low, adding that she is committed to the lifetime responsibility. “They will greet me when I get home and rub themselves against my legs. The joy that brings is priceless.”

Joanne Soh is a lifestyle correspondent at The Straits Times, with a special interest in entertainment and pop culture.

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