Personal Loss Fetches Sneha Scores Of Friends...All Four-Legged Though!
By Manu Shrivastava
In the bustling Fort area in South Mumbai, about a year and a half ago during the COVID-19 lockdown, a peculiar feeding ground emerged amidst a construction zone behind the Bombay Stock Exchange building. This area soon became a refuge for numerous feline inhabitants, whose population showed no signs of abating.
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| Sneha Visaria experienced selfless love when she adopted 'Happy' |
Initially, Sneha Visaria, who lived at Fort then, herself would dutifully feed street dogs but circumstances compelled her to start feeding cats and eventually entrust their care to a compassionate local resident, ensuring they were fed punctually. This guardian would frequently reach out to her whenever a sickly cat needed attention or if any misfortune befell one of these "charming creatures."
Unfazed by the non-vegetarian nature of cat food, a 'pure vegetarian' Sneha fed the felines, recognising that it was "their natural diet." In the Fort area itself, she tirelessly tended to as many as 150 cats throughout the lockdown.
In one such instance, Sneha was informed about a cat with a rather distressing affliction — a dreadful accident that had caused its right eye to protrude, almost fall off. Daizo's loss of an eye resulted from a tragic road accident, compelling Sneha to bring him home and consult a veterinarian who performed a surgical procedure to remove the damaged eyeball.
After a month confined to a cage, Daizo made a remarkable recovery. Initially named 'Daizy' under the assumption that it was a female, Sneha later discovered the cat's true gender and amended its moniker to 'Daizo'.
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| Sneha with one-eyed Daizo |
It was following her mother's passing in 2020 that Sneha made the decision to leave her job and devote her undivided attention to the welfare of dogs and cats.
Things weren't that way all the time. Sneha was a lot different.
Back in 2015, Sneha found herself yearning to welcome a canine companion into her life. Never having had a pet before, an intense desire to own one filled her heart. However, her parents, apprehensive about the responsibility involved, disapproved of the idea.
Undeterred, Sneha decided to explore the options at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), hoping to find a puppy from their kennel. She believed that by raising a puppy, she could train it, familiarise it with her home and learn the ropes of caring for a dog.
It was on that very day that someone had heartlessly abandoned a basket containing eight sickly puppies outside the SPCA premises. Plagued by pneumonia and deprived of their mother's care, they were too young to even open their eyelids.
Despite her inexperience, Sneha's compassionate nature propelled her to take action. On the 20th of November 2015, she chose one of those helpless pups, affectionately naming it 'Happy'. She couldn't even discern the puppy's gender initially, but soon discovered it to be a male.
However, this decision didn't sit well with Sneha's mother. Sneha recalls, "My mother got upset and chose not to speak with me or even set foot in my room for a full month." However, that changed soon and 'Happy' formed an unbreakable bond with her mother first and then with her father.
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| Sneha's parents Deepak and (Late) Chandan Visaria with 'Happy' on his first birthday |
Sneha quickly adapted to her newfound responsibilities. She procured cushions, blankets, towels and other necessary items to create a nurturing environment for the frail pup.
As 'Happy' was incredibly weak, multiple veterinarians predicted his imminent demise by the time he'd reach two months of age. Being a strictly vegetarian household, Sneha faced an added challenge in finding suitable food.
"Thankfully, one doctor recommended feeding him curd, which I fed for an entire year and 'Happy' defied all odds. He would also relish khichdi, roti and various other home-cooked foods," says Sneha.
He went on to live for three and a half years, a far cry from the "two months" he had been given by doctors.
Tragically, in 2019, 'Happy's' time on Earth came to an end.
Fate dealt a cruel blow on the day Sneha was travelling to her home, on a scorching day where the heat weighed oppressively. 'Happy' succumbed to a heatstroke, exacerbated by faulty AC. The next day, he passed away sending Sneha into profound grief.
"Accepting his departure was an insurmountable challenge ... almost impossible for me," she confessed, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Sneha's sorrow deepened as tragedy struck again in 2020. Her mother, who had forged an extraordinary bond with 'Happy', breathed her last on the 12th of May that year.
Following these heartbreaking losses, Sneha found solace and purpose in caring for dogs. It all began with a modest number initially, which swiftly multiplied as word spread about her compassionate endeavours.
In due course, others sought her assistance with community animals as well. Then, the unforeseen arrival of a lockdown altered the landscape. Most of the other caregivers were unable to continue their efforts, causing a surge in demand for Sneha's services.
During those trying times, she embarked on her nightly rounds, leaving her home "at seven in the evening and returning in the early hours of the morning," tending to the needs of the mute.
And then, sometime back, she met one-eyed Daizy who went on to become Daizo.
A little while later, a tiny kitten, barely a month old, encountered an accident that inflicted grave damage to both its eyes, leaving them severely infected. Touched by its plight, Sneha brought it home and regularly took it to the veterinarian to combat the eye infection.
Despite her best efforts, the kitten lost its sight in both eyes. Though met with sympathy, her appeals for adoption were met with reluctance due to the kitten's epileptic condition.
Aware of the precarious situation and unwilling to abandon the kitten to the perils of the streets, Sneha decided to keep the kitten herself. She named it 'Ebba'.
And, even while her father relented and permitted her to keep Ebba, he drew the line at accommodating any additional feline residents.
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| Sneha with a fully-blind Ebba |
However, similar cases keep coming her way, and at one point, she found herself caring for a total of seven cats at her home.
Daizo, now a sprightly one year and seven months old, shares Sneha's abode with Ebba, who herself is a year and five months old. In their collective presence, Sneha has found solace, creating a home brimming with love and care for these cherished furry companions.
