Needed: Help keeping a cat in Mumbai

nosianai

Hi,

My husband and I have recently relocated to Mumbai. We're living in the suburbs... the sub-sub-suburbs in Borivali (W) in a cute, calm, cozy and very green area called I.C.Colony. I know it's beyond most tourists' and expats' reach, but I love it. It doesn't feel like a mad city at all.

Since we are new we struggle to find the following things and I hope someone in Mumbai can help us out:

We need to find a good animal shelter that can keep our pet cat for a couple of days each time we go on a holiday.
Ideally it should be located somewhere on the Western Line, but since we would need this place only occassionally, I guess it's ok if it's just anywhere in Mumbai.

I'm also looking for a decent vet. I know there are many of those roadside vets, but I really need a trustworthy one.

Pet Store: I could not yet find a pet store that is stocked with cat products. I know dogs rule in India, but that doesn't help much since I am running out of cat litter. It should be open on Sundays and it would be best if it was located no further down South than Andheri (W).

Import store: There are some imported food products I just cannot live without. I've been to Hypercity and Le Marche. Both have a decent array of imported stuff, but I haven't yet found Nutella. Maybe someone knows where I can get the more extravagent stuff?

Hospitals: Honestly, I've been less than impressed by Lilavati Hospital. I thought what's good enough for Bollywood actors would be good enough for me, but I guess the Fortis chain in Delhi has just raised the bar for Indian Hospitals. I hope someone can suggest a really good place on the Western Line.

Any other tips/must-visits in Mumbai are also very much welcome.

Thanks.

Daniela

Noodle

Hi! I can't be of direct help here but would advice you to look for private people who take care of your cat. Most Indian animal shelters are not places you want to give your pet to, they are not very well cared for, infectious diseases are easy to be picked up, food is low-quality, and (maybe most important) the risk of your cat escaping is high as personnel is not well trained (if at all), especially when it comes to cats.

Here in Pune, for example, is a lady who takes care of stray cats (vaccinating, spay/neutering, re-homing), on a small scale (all done from her flat), and I'm sure she would do cat-sitting as well. Surely there must be people like that somewhere in Mumbai. Ask around at vets offices, hang fliers in pet shops, best starting now, so you can make contact with people and check out them and their places in good time and don't get time-pressured when you want to go on a holiday.

Another option would be to leave your cat at home and have someone you trust come in twice a day to feed and interact with the kitty while you're gone. (I for example would be glad to do that if I lived in Mumbai.) Cats are usually more happy to be left alone in their familiar surroundings than having company in strange surroundings - something that freaks most cats out (hence the high risk of them trying to escape and get back to their home, often without success, and you end up with a lost cat).

That person would of course need to be highly reliable, and made familiar with your cat beforehand, and know about her food, cat litter cleaning etc. But since you pay for the service this shouldn't be a big problem.

As to vets, I heard from an acquaintance in Bombay who recommended Dr Rajyadakhsa. There are also Dr Wakankar, Dr Swali, Dr Sangeeta Vengasarkar at Dadar, Dr Sunita Patel at Juhuare, which are said to be good. Maybe look them up if they are convenient for you. She said the animal hospital at Parel is horrible.

I hope this helps a little!

All the best!

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Hemmie

I can buy Nutella at both supermarkets in Hiranandani gardens, Powai (D-mart and Haiko supermarket), so I thought you would be able to buy it everywhere. But never looked for it at Hypercity, might be hidden somewhere, I always find stuff there in places where I least expect it. Sometimes you can also find cheaper brands of hazelnut spread in some shops (Haiko, The dollar shop).

Hemmie

I just happened to spot the Nutella at Hypercity yesterday. Look for it between the mayonnaise and the mustard...

Noodle

Not to confuse the three at home though!

nosianai

Thanks a lot, that really does help.

While staying in Bangalore we used to give our cat back to the animal shelter CUPA where we had got him from in the first place, and it was a wonderful organisation. The ppl there were very well trained and our cat never seemed disturbed after staying there for a couple of days.
It was very different in Delhi, where the situation was exactly the way you described it. It was an emergency situation when we had to leave our cat there for about 3 weeks and he was starved when he came back and very disturbed for many many weeks. Maybe i should post a warning entry here. The place was called Jeevashram. Later we did as you suggested: we left the cat at home and someone would come and feed him. He usually got upset and smashed some stuff around the house but i can understand and bear with it. Unfortunately we do not yet know anyone in Mumbai who'd like to take care of our cat that way. Maybe someone who reads this would like to volunteer? ;-)

I'll check out the doctors you recommended.

Thanks again.

nosianai

Will check that again. Thanks. Maybe you are right - i should not look in the aisles where it's supposed to be kept. ;-)

Noodle

Yes, please do open a thread to warn people.

I know a lady in Bombay who is very much into cats (she's the one who gave me the vets names). I will send her email address to you with a pn. She might be able to cat sit for you.

I also know a German expat living there, I will ask her too, although she will probably leave Bombay in a year or two.

nosianai

She'll leave in year or two? that's fine. I have no idea where we'd be in a year or two. Seems like to much time to plan ahead in India.

But thanks a lot. I'll get in touch with them and see whether we'd be able to make some sort of arrangement.

slaint

dear cat friend!

I can't help with a cat sitter, although I am starting up a cat organization here in Mumbai so perhaps in the near future we might have people who are willing to cat sit as that is always something that is needed. I tend to have my maid (whom I trust) come each day while we are gone to play with the cats and feed them. They seem fine everytime we've done this and its often for a month or more.

a great pet shop - in bandra unfortunately (for you and your distance), but it is great. Paws n Furs on Waterfield Road. I've seen people go in there from Powaii stocking up.

I also recommend Dr. Rajyadakhsa I send everyone to him. He is also in Bandra/Khar though.

As for western food, it depends what you are looking for. In Bandra there are lots of shops that have great western products, albeit not always in stock! There is also a great cheese/deli meat shop in Pali Market. Its expensive, but is worth it when you are craving cheese! If you are in town, Indigo Deli (near Regal Cinema) is another good place for cheese/meats.

My favorite shop for wester products (cleaners, food, candy, etc) is Patel near Mahboob studio in Bandra.

Sorry - all I know is the Bandra area for goodies!
k

nosianai

Thanks a lot! Let's see how your cat org works out. I think a network such as that is really needed.

I suppose it might just be necessary to make a monthly trip down to Bandra for shopping purposes. It just can't be helped.

A friend of mine in Delhi asks her maid as well to cat-sit for her, and it works out very well for her. But i don't keep any maid since I've had some bad experiences with them, so there's no way in.

Thanks a lot for the doc's reference.

himmat01

You can find a lot of imported food stuff at a shop called Alfa in Vile Parle(W). It's much cheaper than the supermarkets.

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nosianai

Is there any landmark for Alfa so that it's easier for me to find it?

navinkurian2002

For alfa you take a left from cooper hospital traffic signal.Or a right when coming from andheri station on the sv road from borivali.
Alfa, Irla Society Road,Vile Parle (W),Mumbai 400056 .

here is a list of pet food shops in mumbai.Veterinary Services in mumbai

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nosianai

Thanks a lot!