Pet parents in showbiz make mental health a priority for their adorable fur babies

Actor, host and model Kubbra Sait recently spoke about how her anxiety affected her pet cat Shifu, who had to be hospitalised and required surgery. The doctors advise here: heal yourself first, to help the pet recover; one’s physical and mental health is directly related to your pets wellbeing. We spoke to celebrity pet parents about this concept.
SHIFU FELL VIOLENTLY SICK AND IT WAS HARD FOR ME
Kubbra Sait
Shifu is family; he doesn’t extend himself as a pet – oscillating between being a son, a brother and best friend.He unfortunately fell violently sick, as he responded emotionally to my incapacity to deal with the stress of the pandemic. It was hard for both of us, but we managed to make it through. The closer I got to feeling connected with myself, through meditation, the more love I was able to transfer to him, and the faster he healed. I never knew that my pet and I were so intuitive. Now we can now decode each other’s language and communicate well; it’s like understanding an infant’s language.
PHOEBE STOPPED EATING FOR TWO DAYS
Shamita Shetty

When I’m not okay, Phoebe sticks around, sits on my lap and purrs away. I feel a lot more relaxed when I stroke her fur. She has been with me for a while and is definitely sensitive to my feelings, especially when I am low. Once when I was sad, she stopped eating for two days and had to be taken to the vet; she was absorbing my energy. Now, if I’m not okay, I ensure Phoebe is not in the same room, I don’t want it to affect her health. Pets communicate differently; thus, we need to be sensitive to their feelings. You must give them a lot of love; because what you give, is what you get!
STAY SANE AND KEEP YOURSELF HEALTHY FOR YOUR PETS
Fahmaan Khan
I survived the lockdown, because of my cats Zorro and Zoey; I was out of work for over 8 months. When I was stressed, they would come and sleep on my lap, they’ve always been sensitive towards me. Since I stay away, when I begin to miss my family, my pets come climbing up to me, and I feel better within a fraction of a second. I would advise other pet parents to stay sane and keep yourself healthy, if not for you, for your (fur) babies. To take good care of them, you need to take good care of yourself. I met Zorro and Zoey under unusual circumstances; Pets come to you and not vice versa. That is what happened to me.
KYUBI BROUGHT OUT THE PARENT IN ME
Arjun Kanungo

As I am away from family, Kyubi has become the centre of my life. We’ve (with wife Carla Dennis) changed our habits to ensure he has the happiest, healthiest and most active lifestyle. I wake up at 5:30 am to walk him and plan my evening runs to take him along. I think the more anxious you are, the more your animal companion is. If you’re upset, they know. Kyubi has made me realise a lot about myself – I am very patient, and have a lot of love to give; he has brought out the parent in me. Pet parents should spend as much time with their pets as possible. Teach them to be independent because, they do get miserable when you’re away. Treat them like you would treat any family member – with a healthy balance of discipline and love.
CATS TRY TO COMFORT YOU DURING LOW POINTS
Taha Shah Badussha

I have two cats Luna and Tuna, the latter is more sensitive to my moods. Once when I was very sad, Tuna climbed on my lap, snuggled in, with her head on my chest and fell asleep there, which is not her usual behaviour. Cats definitely try and comfort you during your low points. Life is tough and everyone goes through a low phase. Though pets can’t communicate, they try to give you all their love.
WE ARE EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY CONNECTED TO PETS
Priya Ahuja Rajda
Take care of yourself first and your pets will automatically be fit and fine. Once during the lockdown, I was going through a very tough phase mentally, and Oreo developed a skin infection. I was advised to heal myself first, because our health has an adverse and a direct effect on our pets’ health. We are connected to them emotionally and mentally, and vice versa. There are days when we forget to love ourselves, but for them we do go that extra mile. So yes, my advice would be to take care of yourself mentally, spend time with your pets and stay happy!
“People who feel low or suffer mental health issues should call upon friends, family, or get professional help, including in the care of pets at home. While animals may provide comfort, they have feelings and needs too, they should not be neglected or abandoned. Sadly, many dogs and cats that were taken in during the Covid-19 pandemic were later abandoned or dropped off at a shelter, when their human guardian was no longer suffering from loneliness; this is cruel and unfair.”
- Dr Bandhanpreet Kaur, Veterinarian, on the co-relation of the pet parent’s and pet’s mental health