CHENNAI: For homemaker Kanchana Rao growing up with dogs was a way of life. Later, her son Aditya, now all of 17, displayed a great deal of affection for both dogs and cats and that is how they slowly made their way into the Rao’s ground floor apartment in the city.
The family now has a family of four adorable fluffy and plump Persian cats of various ages, one perky little Shistsu, one mild and child-friendly Golden Retriever, one chirpy and garrulous, talking African grey parrot, and four fish tanks which have been reduced to three over time.
The pets are all named after Star Wars characters and they share an amazing bond, considering they are natural enemies. The oldest cat is a red Persian and is called Obi wan Kenobi, Obi in short, the next is a Calico which is a rare one as they mostly die at birth, Princess Leia or Leia, the next is Queen Amidala or Ami and the last kitty is Master Yoda or Yoda.The Shitsu is Mara Jade Sky walker or Mara, the English golden retriever is Juno Eclipse or Juno, the parrot was given by a family who couldn’t keep her anymore and was called Sassy by them. Whew, now that was quite a mouthful.
“My father in law is terrified of dogs, so we had to look for a dog that looks and behaves like a cat and that is how our Shitsu came in to our home,” says Kanchana Rao who is now almost a pet scientist and an expert on their behaviour. The Shistsu purrs like a cat and uses her paws to keep the Persians away instead of barking at them! Purrfect feline behaviour.
“There was a time when we had four fish tanks perched on the bar counter, now there are three,” says Kanchana. The tanks need to be cleaned once a week, the oxygen cylinders checked, the plants in it trimmed, and what not. A professional comes to do this.
The fish are fed a Japanese brand of pellets called AVA. When a fish jumps out of the tank, none of the cats harm it, instead they go up to the lady of the house and lead her on to the little fish on the floor. “I have saved quite a few fish this way,” says Kanchana Rao.
Earlier, dead fish were bid a tearful goodbye and buried in the garden, these days they are placed in the garbage bin and sent off to the other world. Kanchana even has names for some fish that are friendly and respond to affection.
The dogs and cats need to be brushed and groomed every single day. Care is taken to remove hair and fur so that the cats don’t gulp them down. They then start throwing up the stuff. A paste which is a vitamin and mineral supplement is fed to them to minimise this problem. This is also a hair ball remedy and the hair gets excreted through the system.
The Rao’s have a small garden for Juno to play in. Juno is given pet food once a day and one regular meal which is a portion of what the family eats, usually chicken, veggies, rice and dal.
“After doing a lot of research, we zoomed in on a Golden Retriever that is by nature a very mild and friendly dog. So even though Juno is 70 kg, she is harmless and even gets bullied around by the cats. She is a gentle giant and does not retaliate.”
Juno was trained by a professional in socialisation when she was young. The animals visit a spa once in three months or so for grooming. Each session can last for as long as four hours with baths, haircuts, nail clipping, tooth cleaning and adding embellishments such as bows and ribbons. The females love their bows but the boys do not like their bandanas.
The African Grey, Sassy, sleeps at 10 pm when a bed sheet is placed over her cage and the ‘night’ sets in. She wakes up early and starts whistling and chatting away to glory. Her poop and food tray is cleaned thrice a day and she is fed baby food with a syringe in the morning and then regular bird food, rest of the time. Sassy has a large vocabulary and Kanchana is often confused when she mimics her son Aditya and calls out mamma, come here, mamma come here!
The parrot is bathed once a week with a warm water spray followed by a quick blow-drying session which she quite enjoys. Her beak is cleaned with a soft towel. She fluffs her feathers and looks mighty pleased with herself after the bath.
The animals are never sent to kennels while the family is away on vacations. “They need love and cuddling. They bond so well with us and with each other,” says Kanchana Rao. Her husband, ex banker, Raghu Rao, couldn’t agree more.