Pet peeve: Ill Persian cats spur owner-activist row

LUCKNOW: The Kaiserbagh police have sought legal opinion to resolve a tricky situation arising out of a dispute over upkeep of two Persian cats between their owner and animal rights activists.
On April 19, animal rights activist Kamna Pandey received information that Zeeshan Khan, a resident of Ghasiyari Mandi, Kaiserbagh, was ill-treating his two pet cats. Pandey, along with Kamal Sharma, who is a member of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), approached police for help.
With two policemen in tow, the animal rights activists visited Khan's house and took the cats, Husky and Pesky, into custody. The felines were later admitted to a private veterinary hospital in Gomtinagar. "Husky is a male and was found to be anaemic while Pesky, a female, was diagnosed with liver dysfunction. Both also have fungal infection. They are under treatment," a vet told TOI. A formal police complaint against Khan was lodged on Thursday. "Keeping pets in unhygienic conditions and not feeding them properly amounts to offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act," Pandey said.
Khan has, however, rejected the allegations and raised objection to the manner in which his cats were taken away from him. "One of the activists claimed to be from SPCA, but his ID was not issued by a competent authority. They stole my pets on the pretext of providing them medical aid," he said.
The two cats, Khan said, were bought at Rs 16,000 each on April 20, 2018. He added that he was consulting his lawyers and would file a complaint against the activists on Friday.
Kaiserbagh circle officer Amit Rai said they had sought legal opinion on how to go about the case. "Action will be taken against the owner if his negligence is proved. Else, the animals will be handed back to him after treatment," the officer said.