The Littlest IDA Foster Kitten

This charming little scrap is not as innocent as she looks. She's what is known as 'hyper' when it comes to playing. She's so small that she still has to be fed by a syringe (full of milk). But she enjoys her food so much, that she hangs onto the syringe with both tiny paws while she is drinking. Her lovely colour,orange, black and white is known as tortoiseshell. Isn't she pretty? She will remain in foster care until she is a little bigger. By the time, all of us can look for the lucky person who is going to adopt her!

Mindless Cruelty in Mumbai

Three nights ago I got a distress call from Vikhroli Parksite. Someone had dumped a large group of small pups into a rubbish bin! Our night service went to the rescue and collected them from the person who had carefully taken them out of the bin and kept them in a basket, waiting for our van. They were a dozen plump little siblings, all just wrenched away from their mother and disposed of like garbage.

These little ones are now at IDA Deonar and have to be bottle fed four times a day. The mother was untraceable and one can only imagine what she is going through, deprived of the babies she looked after so well. They are still all bursting with health, though it's doubtful how long they will remain so without their mother.

It is simply astounding that people can resort to such needless cruelty. The question is, how do we prevent these truly mindless criminal actions? One way is to trace this type of culprit and then let the law take it's course. Another is to extend one's help as a member of the public to get the strays in your vicinity sterilised. Little ones born on the roads of Mumbai are prey to every type of cruelty, injury and death. Let's all help to prevent this type of thing from happening in our city.

Some of the IDA Kittens in Foster Care

This cute little bunch is just half of the lot that arrived in two baskets at the Deonar Centre.

As you can see, they love sitting in a bunch for warmth, even though they are different sizes and ages. The two smallest ones are the most mischievous, the white is calm and serene and gets bullied by the little pair. They are one and a half months old and the larger handsome brown one in front is about two months. It's fun to watch them play and race for their food bowls when they arrive. Check them out on our adoption site also - they are all waiting for a warm, comfortable home.

Looking for Foster Homes

The few days it was raining cats and dogs in Mumbai, at IDA Deonar, it was raining puppies and kittens!! Two basketfuls of kittens arrived on Saturday, brought by a well meaning volunteer. To keep them in some semblence of health, they have to be whisked away from all the other large animals who have come in for treatment or their operations. This is easier said than done! Where do we whisk them away to? Only one of them really needed daily medical attention as it was partially paralysed, but the others were normal, healthy and pretty little kittens, so we had to divi them up - two went to one home and three to another, and yes, both are 'IDA' employee/member homes.

Still looking out anxiously for all those potential foster parents out there. (We know you are out there!) Having always, or anyway, most of the time, had a little one in my own home, I can guarantee it's no big deal- in fact 2 kittens together can be the most entertaining couple you've ever seen. They sleep in a cozy ball in a small basket. Eat and play together with anything you provide, like a paper ball or a rolled up sock, then sit in your lap and start their purring motors as soon as they are warm enough. Altogether a delightful experience for all concerned. The best thing is, it is for a temporary period - we keep looking for suitable homes for them while they are safe and secure in a foster home. Try it sometime, you won't regret it at all.

The Adventures of Pixie

This sweet little dog is not as weak and timid as she looks. One memorable day, Pixie slipped under the gate at our IDA Deonar Centre and disappeared! This was a truly traumatic time for all concerned at IDA because this was a little dog who really appeared to be helpless and incapable of surviving even a day on the dangerous roads of Mumbai. Where would she go? What would she eat or drink? How would she escape being knocked down and run over by the heavy stream of traffic that thundered up and down the nearby highways and roads?
Many a quiet tear was shed and many prayers were whispered for Pixie's safety and return. We scoured the neighbourhood, told all nearby watchmen and urchins to look out for her. But Pixie could not be found. To make things worse, she had a lame leg, a bad skin infection around her eyes and covering her ears and a very weak constitution.
Two weeks passed and we were trying to reconcile ourselves to the fact that she was gone forever, when one evening I received an excited phone call. Pixie had been found! One of our exployees, Dipti, was in a rickshaw passing by the Diamond Garden in Chembur. She spotted a familiar looking 'pom' sitting on the opposite pavement. When she went to check, she found it was our dear Pixie, covered in grime and mud but apparently happy and healthy! She was picked up and rushed back to the Centre and effusively welcomed. In two weeks, Pixie had managed to travel about 5 to 6 kilometres away from the Centre and stay alive and well!
The adventure must have given Pixie's immune system a good boost. After this, her ears healed and the infection around her eyes almost disappeared. In fact, today, Pixie is bright-eyed and bushy- tailed - she has virtually turned into a miniature Alpha Dog at IDA.
Long ago this little dog was found abandoned on some road because she was lame and had a skin infection. Now she is one of the favourite dogs at IDA; this adventurous little pom we called Pixie.

Our Handsome Pintoc

This elegant dog is a three year old male. He's healthy and good-looking. The reason he is at our Centre is because he is one of our fourteen blind dogs. This doesn't matter much to Pintoc. He's alert and interested in all that's going on around him. He especially likes it when he has visitors! His head goes up and he tracks the sound of a familiar voice saying his name. Pintoc has a slight smile when he greets you and he really enjoys his head being rubbed! He's one of our sponsor dogs - we are sure he'll be among the most popular!

Meet the Foster Puppy and Kittens

The little pup in foster care is about one month old. About ten days ago, he was rescued from two kids, at the side of a main road full of traffic. The children were tossing him up and down like a little ball and there was no sign of his siblings or his mother.

He's safe and secure now. Has a very healthy appetite for Cerelac and his behaviour is impeccable. He doesn't cry or whine but sits quietly waiting for his next meal or lies in his basket fast asleep. He has a small cloth bunny, which is bigger than him, and plays 'attack' and 'pull the bunny about' for about 10 minutes after each meal. Only problem is, he wets a lot on the sheets of newspaper provided for 'going', but that's okay, he's just a baby.

The three little kittens are very fond of sleeping! They eat by themselves, can lap milk and eat solids and are very fastidious about going to the toilet. They have a little tray with soil which they use when required.

We always have a lot of these little ones at the IDA Centres and the best thing for their health and welfare is to get them temporarily into a foster home while we look for permanent homes for each one.