No one passing this CD Block house can guess that Deboleena Majumder has a dozen pets inside — nine cats and three dogs — all of whom are quiet as mice!
Deboleena and her husband started off with pet fish. “I never had a fascination for dogs or cats, and would fail to understand why others fussed over them,” she recalls. “But then in 2020, I had gone to the pet shop for aquarium supplies when I saw a punch-faced Persian kitten. He was different from any cat I’d seen and was mewing at me, leaning on me and trying to communicate.”
A quick consultation with her husband later, the family welcomed that kitten, Brownie, home. Next came Icy, a doll-faced Persian cat. “I saw Icy too at the pet store — she had blue eyes, white fur and a Miss India-like figure. She was someone else’s order but I brought her home!”
Deboleena laughs.
One by one, more kittens joined the pack. As Deboleena researched different kinds of felines, she found the Siamese variety beautiful and brought home Simba. “Simba loves attention. She mews more than the others,” says Deboleena, who is a teacher.
Then came Himu, the Himalayan cat, and more Persian cats. “Meanwhile I got interested in dogs. I thought toy breeds would be fun to dress up so we got Coco — a Shih Tzu and Maltese mix. Momo and Lolo, both Shih Tzus, followed suit.”
Believe it or not, the cats and dogs get along famously. “There is no jealousy among them although we, too, make it a point to give everyone equal attention.” Some of them have formed cross-species friendships. Simba, the Siamese cat and Coco, the dog, spend much time together. Rosie, the calico Persian cat, sleeps on Momo the dog’s lap. “Momo is very motherly and pets everyone else,” Deboleena says.
The pets also team up to plan mischief. “The cats like high places and easily jump to cupboard and fridge tops. From there, they throw down things so the dogs at ground level can chew them up,” says Deboleena’s husband Joydeep, whose library book was one such casualty. “I had to pay for the book they left in tatters.”
If you have a pet you have brought up at home as a family member and which has its eyes only for you, write to us with your contact number at The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001 or email to saltlake@abp.in