Gurgaonites go for purr-fect pets - Times of India
Even though the existing cat population among pets is negligible (around 2%) in Gurgaon, recent trends point to the fact that more and more people are now preferring cats to other animals as pets as the former demand the least involvement of the owner and yet prove to be a great stress reliever.
Xenia further highlighted the benefits of having cats at home and said that the purring noise they make has a healing affect on stressed or hypertensive owners. "Research has shown that patients of arthritis and diabetes are highly benefited by the presence of pet cats," she added.
Cats have traditionally been the least favourite among pet owners. People in the pet industry feel that many people have a certain mental block when it comes to domesticating cats, as it is considered bad omen. "Cats have mostly been depicted as cunning, shrewd, and disloyal in various folklores, especially in north India. It's therefore not a very natural thing to have cats as pets," said Kunal Sharma, a young astrologer who lives in sector 31. Kunal, who lives with his two Siamese cats,added, "In cities like Gurgaon, a lot of youngsters earn well and live away from their families. So they are more open to the idea of keeping pet cats."
Veterinarians in the city say that people are spending quite a lot on their cats by way of initial purchase amount and further grooming.
When it comes to food, there is a variety of canned cat food available in the market, most of which is imported. "My cat loves her tuna and shrimp, which I feed her once every day. I end up spending around Rs10,000 every month on her food, because each can costs around Rs500 to Rs1000," said Madhumita Das, an owner of a seven-year-old Calico Persian cat.
Big-haired cats, being largely indoor animals and not so used to the Indian summers, need some extra attention during summers. "The hair keeps them very warm; so, one has to ensure that the cats are kept in airconditioned rooms all the time. Also, it's important to clean their coat and nails every two days because they are more prone to catching parasites like ticks," said Vizal Atheya, owner of Petspot.in, who also runs an animal boarding house in Gurgaon.
Dr Satbir Josan, a veterinarian from Palam Vihar said that a cat owner spends around Rs 1,000 every month on regular visits to veterinarians, apart from getting some necessary vaccinations administered from time to time.
29 Aug, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEy0VRrQG_lSrur5e5wAc0Q6J3cjw&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Gurgaonites-go-for-purr-fect-pets/articleshow/9776274.cms
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