The fascination with pedigree dogs and cats has boosted the culture of shopping for pets in India. Animal welfare activists and experts tell us how it endangers pets and why adopting an indie is an ethical option
Adoption of stray animals helps in breaking the chain of cruelty where animals are forcibly bred, reproduced and sold as a commodity. Mid-day file pic
“The premise of buying an animal itself is completely wrong. Especially in a country like ours, where there are so many beautiful Indies waiting to be homed. People buy breed animals because of their ignorance about the pros and cons of buying versus adopting an animal,” says Dr Charu Khosla, chairperson at The Feline Foundation, a low-cost community clinic for stray animals and co-founder of Cat Café Studio in Andheri, which facilitates easy adoption of cats.