Natasha Conlon believes that love is forever - not just for the here and now. The American lawyer who made India her home in 2001 with her Irish husband and two children, also plays mother to Haiku, a beautiful Indian cat that she adopted last year after a dramatic rescue by good Samaritans in the city.
Haiku had been found crying inside a drainpipe that she was stuck in, and when neighbours investigated the empty plot where the pipe was, they launched a rescue operation and extracted the miniscule kitten. “My son had always wanted a kitten”, says Natasha who adopted the little one from Cattitude Trust after hearing her story from a mutual friend.
Today, Haiku has the family of four wrapped around her paws – quite literally. Natasha laughingly describes her early morning ritual that involves waking up to give Haiku breakfast, but only after a mandatory silent cuddle. “She waits at the door and wants to be picked up rightaway. She wraps her two front legs around my arm and holds on for a few minutes. And she gets mad if I put her down too quickly!”
“My 11-year-old son Lorcan absolutely adores her”, she says, observing that Haiku brings out his caring side. “He’s very tender and affectionate and has all these little nicknames for her. Animals are positive for children in a lot of ways”. They describe Haiku using an Irish saying ‘mad as a brush’, on account of her antics, like when she arches her back and gleefully races through the house, or climbs the window grills for no apparent reason.
Natasha reveals that she adopted Haiku only after making sure that UK pet transport laws would allow her to take her back with them when they leave India eventually. “There’s a slogan in the UK that goes – ‘A dog’s not just for Christmas’. It’s a major campaign that says when you adopt an animal, it’s a commitment for life…not for just when they’re cute and little”, she says, adding that leaving a pet behind while moving away sends the wrong message to children. “I didn’t want to adopt an animal and leave her here. It wouldn’t be fair to her… or the kids” she says, “We love her and she’s very much a part of our family”.
