The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Pune district, on Friday served discover to a pet proprietor to shift over 300 cats from her residence to another location inside 48 hours. The Pune Municipal Company (PMC) had obtained a collection of complaints from the society residents following which an inspection was carried out on Thursday and the discover was issued the day after, SPCA officers mentioned.
Chaos reigned Thursday afternoon when the Pune district SPCA animal husbandry division, PMC, and Pune police (accompanied by a feminine constable) visited Rinku’s home. (HT PHOTO)
The PMC officers knowledgeable that discover was served to Rinku Bharadwaj and her sister (Ritu Bharadwaj), residents of Marvel Bounty Cooperative Housing Society, Hadapsar, who reside in a 3 bedroom-hall-kitchen (BHK) flat with over 300 cats. Chaos reigned Thursday afternoon when the Pune district SPCA animal husbandry division, PMC, and Pune police (accompanied by a feminine constable) visited Rinku’s home.
As per SPCA animal husbandry division officers, over 300 pet cats have been discovered crammed inside the three BHK flat, far under affordable and humane boarding requirements for animals. The premises have been unhygienic and emanated a powerful and protracted ammonia-like odour. Contemporary and dried up faecal matter was discovered within the flat and there have been solely 4 to 5 litter trays made obtainable for the over 300 cats, the officers mentioned. Veterinary care was discovered missing with no vaccination or medical data obtainable for any of the felines. The caretakers themselves weren’t inoculated and admitted to being unaware of the precise variety of cats, indicating a scarcity of correct administration and care. There was clear proof of uncontrolled breeding with a number of pregnant cats current and no data of sterilisation or contraception measures, the officers mentioned.
Dr Sarika Funde-Bhosale, chief veterinary officer, PMC, knowledgeable that your entire staff needed to wait for nearly two hours as Rinku was not able to open the door regardless of a number of requests. “The visit was carried out following a series of complaints received from society residents over the past two-and-a-half years. According to society residents, the large number of cats in the Bharadwaj home is causing a stench apart from concerns over disease outbreak. During the visit, we were shocked to see over 300 cats inside her house,” Dr Funde-Bhosale mentioned.
Beforehand too in July 2022, the PMC and SPCA had visited the Bharadwaj house after they discovered over 60 cats of various breeds inside the home. Since then, the society residents have been recurrently following up with the PMC on the matter.
“The current situation not only constitutes animal hoarding but also poses significant risks to public health, including potential zoonotic disease transmission and compromised air quality for the residents of the building. While bearing in mind the behavioural welfare of the cats and their attachment to their caretakers, we insist on working in accordance with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960; Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act 2009; and other applicable local health regulations,” learn the discover, a replica of which has been seen by Hindustan Instances.
When contacted, Rinku refuted all allegations saying they haven’t obtained any discover from the authorities however have began relocating the cats to their new rehabilitation facility for rescued cats at Kharadi. “The 50 cats that were previously in our care have already been moved to the rehabilitation facility in Kharadi. At Marvel Bounty, we currently have around 151 cats, not 300, and all of them are rescued cats. We intended to shift them to a larger rehabilitation facility in Baner which is under development but due to pressure from some residents of the society, the officials have requested us to expedite the relocation process. We will be transferring them to Kharadi,” Rinku mentioned.
“We are currently working on various projects focused on animal welfare and sustainable living. Kharadi is a personal project I initiated for rescued cats. I am collaborating with several international organisations to promote animal welfare and expand this project across the city with the help of foreign direct investment and government officials,” she mentioned.
On his half, Dr Ankush Parihar, district deputy commissioner of animal husbandry, SPCA, Pune district, mentioned, “We have directed Rinku to shift all her pet cats to an alternative location in Kharadi within 48 hours of receipt of this notice. Also ensure proper veterinary care at the new location, including immediate medical examination, vaccination, and sterilisation as advised by licenced veterinarians.”
Dr Parihar additional mentioned that they’ve directed Rinku to sanitise and restore the present premises to a liveable and hygienic state to remove public nuisance and well being hazards. “Failure to comply with this directive within the stipulated time frame will result in further legal action, including seizure of the animals and potential prosecution under applicable animal welfare and public health laws,” he mentioned.
In line with officers, pet house owners should get licences for his or her pet cats from the PMC, just like canine licences. The civic physique expenses ₹50 per 12 months per cat licence. It’s obligatory to have pet cats vaccinated to get the licence. Nevertheless, the PMC doesn’t have any coverage in place that restricts the variety of animals that may be stored in a spot in proportion to its space.