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Bhubaneswar, Feb. 2: Blackberry, Airtel, Hutch and Vodafone race to the kitchen to the loud whistle of the pressure cooker. Flanked by their other furry friends, they take their positions in the kitchen-turned-animal kingdom even as 64-year-old Renubala Mishra serves them lunch.
With nearly 45 pet felines to feed everyday, it has become a daily routine for Mishra to see that there are no “catfights” among them. “I have always been an avid animal lover and grew up around eight dogs, mostly strays. But cats have been part of my life since 25 years now. Even my neighbours do not complain,” said Mishra, a homemaker. Once while sweeping her backyard, she had noticed that a big, white cat with a litter of kittens.
“The kittens looked weak and so I fed them and the mother everyday,” she said. Soon after, other cats in the neighbourhood also started pouring in at her place for food. “They all came to me on their own, I never bought any of them. I even asked people to leave their cats with me if they were unable to look after them,” she added.
Her best memory is associated with Bhamara, a black feline she owned several years ago.
“She had badly fractured one of her limbs. Surgeons said we should amputate her leg but I did not agree. I prayed for her everyday and miraculously, she recovered. She lived for five more years,” she said.
At one point of time, Mishra even had a group of 16 monkeys visiting her home. “They used to walk all around the house, look for me and wait until I offered them mangoes or papayas. But they stopped coming now since the dogs scare them off. I miss them whenever our mango tree bears fruits,” she sighed.
Not just cats and monkeys, Mishra has also adopted 25 stray dogs in the neighbourhood. From one-month old pups to old and ailing dogs, they have all found shelter at her large kitchen-turned-pet room. “This is their zone now. Another room has been converted into the kitchen,” she said, adding, “The bigger ones are toilet trained which saves me from a lot of cleaning duty.”
When asked if she dreads spreading of diseases, especially with children at home, she says, “They have bitten me so many times while feeding them or separating them during fights. But I never took any vaccination. A person with pets is as vulnerable to diseases as those without pets. Rather, living with animals boosts your immunity.”
