Bengaluru's working pros delightfully take the cat call

BENGALURU: Gone are the days when this laidback city was dotted with bungalows with a friendly pet dog completing the warm view. Now, no-nuisance, less-maintenance cats are being preferred to suit the needs of the city's increasingly stiff urban lifestyle.

Radio jockey Danish Sait has a male Persian cat named Red. Specialised cat food, toiletries, birthday parties, grooming visits, a personal air cooler and fancy toys (including a remotecontrolled car) Sait showers love on Red. "Smaller and compact" cats make convenient pets in apartments that have replaced big, independent homes.

Restaurateur Pratiksha Kataria has lovingly christened her three cats JLo (Persian cat), Cleo and Kisna (rescues) with joint surnames of her and her husband. "Cats don't need to be taken out for walks. They sleep for 16 hours a day. So, you don't feel guilty to leave them at home alone for long hours," she says. The trend has turned a new leaf for dog lovers. Like for Minal Patil, when a stray Indian cat walked into her home. "The cat adopted us. I shower the same amount of love on my St Bernard and the cat," she says.

Fatema Siamwala, a spokesperson for the Indian Cat Federation, says: "Persian cats bag the first spot in popularity followed by Bengal Cats and Indian cats. The more the city has working professionals, the more the cat will be embraced."