Pets, Not Pettiness

Adjusting to life with a furry friend is tough enough. It's harder when the world beyond still won't acknowledge the bond

- Anushree Chatterjee

Pets, they say, are basically babies that never grow up. Adults on the other hand, can be total babies when it comes to recognising a pet as a member of the family. As more Indians welcome a dog or cat into their households, they're grappling with the everyday responsibility of keeping an animal alive and happy. They're also realising how dismissive the world can be towards a pet parent. See how it's creating new complications.

Special addition

Mumbai vet Dr Malhar Joshi has seen several cases in which families excitedly brought a pet home as a plaything, only to abandon it weeks later, because the animal grew sullen or disruptive from inadequate care. In Gurugram, one family of three is learning some lessons the hard way.