It was a party with animals and Meenakshi Modi, 11, was scared of dogs. She stood uncertain at the gate till friends pulled her in. An hour later, she was playing with Pongo the Indie and Puchu the Labrador.

A Manoharpukur Road pet club, Rooftop and the Alley Cat, aims to help children get over their fear of animals and develop empathy.

An initiative of NGO Cape Foundation that campaigns for animal rights, the pet club opened its doors to kids and their parents for the first time on Saturday with music, food and storytelling.

From a 10-month-old to Class X students, children of all ages petted and cuddled two dogs, a rabbit, a guinea pig, a pair of white mice, a goat and a cat. A rooster, two injured kites, a three-legged dog and a shy black cat watched over the kids from their enclosures All the animals at this pet club are either rescued from negligent families or the streets.

Garfield, the three-legged cat; Puchu, an abused Lab; and a rescued goat turned out to be the evening’s stars.

“I have been giving a home to neglected and abused animals here for over 10 years now. We are also attached to Ashari, a hospital-cum-shelter for animals in Mukundapur. We started off with animal therapy sessions in schools to develop the emotional quotient in kids. The pet club is meant to keep kids engaged while their parents are busy. It will make them sensitive and knowledgeable about different species and their rights,” said animal rights activist Radhika Bose, who along with Amrita Pal Choudhuri runs Cape Foundation.

The organisation has conducted sensitisation workshops in several city schools, catering to students of different income groups.

The children at Saturday’s meet were mostly students of La Martinere for Girls, where Bose has conducted several workshops with her rescued lot.

“Spending time at the club will teach children to care for animals, to adopt and not shop for pets, to understand their body language and cohabit with love. They are free to read or work on a craft or engage in any creative activity with the animals roaming around among them. The kids can also play with them whenever they feel like,” Bose said.

“Even our kites are not caged. They have injured wings and kids can tend to them,” Pal Chaudhuri added.

A room on the rooftop has been converted into club space with books, craft materials and knick-knacks.

There was music, brownies and tales of rescue making the rounds as kids were introduced to animals.

Bugsy the rabbit loves fruitcake and Puchu the Lab loves a cuddle — the kids got to know such nuggets about each animal as the latter were carried in for some TLC.

“My daughter loves all animals. She takes care of her German Shepherd at home. But she is often lonely when my husband and I are out on work. A pet club is a wonderful idea to keep her engaged,” said academician Parama Banerjee, who came with her daughter Arini from Salt Lake.

There were children who love animals and also those who are edgy around them. Rooftop and the Alley Cat offered them both a monthly membership of Rs 3,000 and a daily membership of Rs 300. “The money will go towards the upkeep of rescued animals and for promoting animal rights,” Bose added.