The Security App and the Neighbor's Cat

Roman's phone buzzes every hour with the same alert. "Motion detected at the back door," it says. Every time, he checks the camera on his phone.

Ponsel Roman bergetar setiap jam dengan peringatan yang sama. "Gerakan terdeteksi di pintu belakang," bunyinya. Setiap kali, ia memeriksa kamera lewat ponselnya.

Every time, the camera shows the same thing. A gray cat walks on his porch.

Setiap kali, kamera menunjukkan hal yang sama. Seekor kucing abu-abu berjalan di terasnya.

At first, Roman finds it funny. By the third day, the alerts start to annoy him. The cat walks past at breakfast, at lunch, and again at dinner.

Awalnya Roman merasa itu lucu. Pada hari ketiga, peringatan itu mulai mengganggunya. Kucing itu lewat saat sarapan, saat makan siang, dan lagi saat makan malam.

On Saturday, Roman meets his neighbor Pia in the yard. "Is that gray cat yours?" he asks.

Pada hari Sabtu, Roman bertemu tetangganya, Pia, di halaman. "Kucing abu-abu itu milikmu?" tanyanya.

"Yes, that's Pepper," Pia says. "He walks the same path every day. It's his little routine."

"Iya, itu Pepper," kata Pia. "Dia melewati jalur yang sama setiap hari. Itu kebiasaan kecilnya."

"My security app sends an alert every time he crosses," Roman says. "I get about six messages a day."

"Aplikasi keamananku mengirim peringatan setiap kali dia lewat," kata Roman. "Aku dapat sekitar enam pesan sehari."

Pia laughs. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know he goes that way."

Pia tertawa. "Maaf soal itu. Aku tidak tahu dia lewat situ."

"It's fine," Roman says. "I just need to change a setting."

"Tidak apa-apa," kata Roman. "Aku tinggal mengubah satu pengaturan."

That evening, Roman opens the app. He finds an option called "Ignore Small Animals." He turns it on.

Sore itu, Roman membuka aplikasinya. Ia menemukan opsi bernama "Abaikan Hewan Kecil". Ia mengaktifkannya.

The next morning, his phone stays quiet. Pepper still walks across the porch every day. The camera stays quiet now.

Keesokan paginya, ponselnya tetap sunyi. Pepper masih berjalan melintasi teras setiap hari. Kamera kini diam saja.

Roman watches the cat from his window and smiles. At least now he only sees it when he wants to.

Roman memandangi kucing itu dari jendelanya dan tersenyum. Setidaknya sekarang ia hanya melihatnya kalau ia ingin.