The cats of Delhi: A quiet revolution above the streets

The cats of Delhi: A quiet revolution above the streets
As perspectives shift, these felines are finding greater acceptance in urban homes and markets across the city

By Hannah Shaw
Published October 14, 2024 12:00PM (EDT)




From Cats of the World by Hannah Shaw and Andrew Marttila with permission from Plume, an imprint of the Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

As you walk through Delhi, there is much to take in at street level. The sweet scent of food carts selling guava and bananas blends with blooming jasmine, burning incense, and the fragrant fumes of auto rickshaws driving by. As the city awakens, motorbikes weave through the streets in a hurry, and any driver will tell you that it’s dogs and cows—not cats—around whom they will swerve on their morning commute. But look up, and your perspective will shift entirely. A thick canopy of lush green leaves seems to pour from the sky onto the rooftops, and in that overhead oasis, you’ll find that it’s the cats of Delhi who have a bird’s-eye view of it all.

“You won’t actually see many cats in Delhi . . . unless you look on top of the buildings,” explained Anupriya Dalmia, founder of Dogs of Delhi. Due to the ubiquity of street dogs, who can pose a threat to felines, most cats have made a life leaping from roof to roof. As canine sterilization efforts like Anupriya’s have started to stabilize the dog population, she and others are turning their attention upward.

Perspective influences everything, and for the young people of Delhi, mindsets around feline welfare are rapidly changing. “Cats aren’t a traditional pet in India, so older generations have never really opened up to them,” explained rescuer Saara Gupta as we walked through her South Delhi neighborhood. “My family actually says I’m not normal because I don’t want to have kids, and I care about cats. This is a concept that is not yet accepted here.”

According to experts, cats have long been relegated to a mythos of bad luck. “The superstition against a cat crossing your path is real here,” explained Mansi Tejpal, a social researcher with a focus on animal ethics. “Young people are challenging these notions. What you must understand is the emphasis on staying with family—family is the social structure that binds Indian society. But as people are moving out to urban spaces for better opportunities, they are wanting a companion, and bringing in cats. This is a first-generation concept in India.” ......................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/10/14/the-cats-of-delhi-a-quiet-revolution-above-the-streets/