When Giresh and Neena Nair decided to bring home a pet, they stayed glued to the Facebook page of Cattitude Trust, hoping to find an adoptable kitten. They didn't find one – instead, they found five. The siblings were orphans that had barely been weaned and the couple didn't have the heart to split them up. Today, the five have grown into adolescent cats that rule the household. And each of them has been given the Nair surname. “It's like adopting children”, says Giresh who works as a social media consultant. Agrees Neena – “Before doing this, give it a lot of thought: the long-term commitment and the quality time they need”.
Being passionate advocates of the adage ‘adopt, don't buy', the duo also recently took in a homeless puppy and named her Chocolate Chip (CC for short) on account of her glowing brown coat. Giresh observes that Chennai has never been breed-biased and that rescues have a good shot at finding families here. “Once, a labourer came to my parents and said: ‘I found these two orphaned pups. I'll take one, will you take the other?' So my parents also had a mongrel. The point is to give a homeless animal a home”. He adds with a laugh – “As for people who are hung up on breeds, I'd ask them to check their self-esteem! We don't need a specific breed to make a statement. A dog is a dog”.
Giresh is delighted that the next generation is getting ready to change the world. “I feel so proud when my four-year-old daughter refers to CC as her sister” he says. Their family is now complete, with ten four-legged members, all of whom were rescued from dire situations. The kittens are a handful and their names are a mouthful. Neena refers to the photo and jokes – “The picture just happened. They're not usually that well-behaved”.
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