Adopting a stray pup or cat is a practice that most Mumbaikars still shy away from.
With the hustle and bustle of our hectic Mumbai lives, most of us Mumbaikars don’t even give our city’s street animals a second look and the city of dreams and opportunity soon shapes up into a nightmare for a homeless or an abandoned animal.
As spelt out by PETA India, an unspayed dog can lead to 28,244 puppies in nine years and an unspayed cat can lead to 14 million kittens in nine years only indicating that the number of homeless, starving, frightened, injured cats and dogs are on the rise, and will soon be beyond control. The number of hands reaching out to them remains few, and while sterilization of street dogs is still active in the city, the sterilization of cats has taken a backseat.
We have come across rescue stories where pups and kittens have been found wrapped in plastic bags and gunny sacks and dropped in hostile environments. We envision a Mumbai, where residents will soon open up their hearts to these homeless beings, where children are sensitised to the plight of the animals, where residents helps animal welfare workers in sterilization programmes, and where every pup and kitten will have a loving home.
Adopting an animal is giving it a second chance! If one in every 50 homes in Mumbai adopted a stray pup or kitten, Mumbai can soon be a place where every street-animal has a cosy bed and healthy food. Indian ‘strays’ have a good immune system and a good lifespan. They are also very intelligent and can be easily trained. They adjust well to the local climate and hence do not smell, and are less susceptible to ailments. When groomed and cared for, they turn out to be adorable, affectionate, adjusting, loving and they don’t come with a price tag.
Be it a homeless street pup/kitten or an abandoned bred dog or cat, both deserve a second chance. Be it a pup or a kitten, they bring complete joy to any home. The love they give is more than you can ever thank them for. And why buy when you can adopt? The best things in life are free; we just have to learn to value them, to realise that they are always ‘priceless’.
Readers Taronish Bulsara and Shruti Shetty
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}