We often tell ourselves we will get to ‘being associated with a cause’ later, when life
stabilises, when there’s more money, when the kids are older, when work slows
down. The reality is: there’s never a perfect season. If anything, it’s already late, and the longer we wait, the more time we quietly let slip. Not because where you are is
wrong, but because everything in your life naturally revolves around you, your
dreams, your ventures, your family planning, your deadlines. That’s human.
Still, awareness, true awareness can’t stop at the mirror. It has to seep into the room,
the street, the neighbourhood, the ‘small or big hoods’ you walk through every day.
Ask yourself: What in my environment keeps bothering me? What makes me uneasy?
Why is it this way and why can’t it be better?
It always begins with a question. It’s almost written into us. You can’t fight it.
Begin with ‘uneasy’
Something in you shifts when you notice what’s not okay around you. ‘Uneasy’ is the right word. It’s the tightness in stomach you feel when you witness stray animals searching bins at night; when you see litter piled by a school wall; when you notice that your watchman can’t afford basic care. That feeling is not a nuisance.
It’s a compass.
Roman philosophy has always fascinated me for this reason, their natural disposition to question. Be it Marcus Aurelius or Seneca. The questions were often simple but raw, and yet they rearranged the ways of thinking. Centuries later, we haven’t changed that much. We still question. What matters is what we do with the answers we uncover.
From question to groundwork
In 2007, I began to wonder: Why are there so many stray cats in Mumbai? I didn’t
launch into a grand plan. I opened my laptop. I Googled animal NGOs, looked up
vets in the city, checked the cat food market to find something cheap enough to feed on the streets. I threw random keywords at a very quiet internet back then, cats for adoption in Mumbai’ and discovered that not much was happening in the city back then.
And yet, curious as a cat, I kept going. Step two came naturally: going on the ground. Visiting shelters. Talking to feeders. Listening to vets. Seeing for myself. That’s when ‘the cause’ stopped being so abstract in my head. Here’s the truth most people miss: your time and attention are often more valuable than your money at the beginning.
There are communities ready to welcome you and now more than ever. If you’re
reading this in 2025, then timing is on your side. Causes today have strong networks and simple ways to plug in. You don’t have to wait to be rich or retired to start.
The ladder anyone can climb
Early on, before ‘Cat Café Studio’ was even our name, I found myself repeating a
little script to visitors who walked in, curious to meet our rescued cats but unsure
where to begin:
If you can’t adopt a cat, foster.
If you can’t foster a cat, volunteer.
If you can’t volunteer at Cat Café Studio, donate.
If you can’t donate, educate.
If you can’t educate, just sit with a cat and learn.
In short: just join the cause, one way or another. That ‘uneasy’ you feel turns into a
lively spark of energy sooner than you know.
Research, then community
Once you have asked the first question, do a little homework. Learn who is already
doing the work. Join their communities. Ask a simple question: How can I contribute? You may be surprised by the answers. It won’t always be money. Often, it’s your two hours on a Sunday, your camera skills, your spreadsheet brain, your ability to show up and keep showing up. It’s like an unpaid internship, you are there
to better your skills, learn from seniors and be part of a new set of like – minded people.
You will only leave with something. I promise you that. And yes, this might mean closing Instagram earlier or skipping one Netflix episode. The trade is worth it. When your attention moves from passive scrolling to active
caring, awareness stops being a bizarre feeling and becomes a practice.
Why does moral ambition matter?
I’m a fan of Dutch historian, author Rutger Bregman and his School for Moral Ambition. Their mission is beautifully straightforward: help people explore a path where your career and the precious time you invest in it contribute to a better world. Moral ambition is not some fancy vocabulary, it’s your daily meditation. It’s realising we didn’t come to this planet just to care for ourselves. Our moral duty is to be kind toward beings and the planet itself. It was always that simple. We just lost sight of it in the noise of the industrial age, and then the digital one.
Generational gaps, and why it matters
It’s heartwarming today to see youngsters taking this plunge. They seem to be doing
it all, along with college, parental pressure and internships. They want to volunteer in
countless ways. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
What saddens me is to see the lack of the older generation stepping in, wrapped in the
business of life I assume. But again, even if you are a housewife caring for kids at
home, or a senior executive at a corporate, there are always those few hours in the
week you can give to a cause, any cause. Give it your mind, space and attention. I assure you, just disconnecting from your world for a brief few hours will do you
Wonders.
At the end of it, these initiations rescue us in more ways than one. Take it like an
evening walk in your local park and meeting someone new.
I remember attending my first ever adoption camp with World For All, and I was
heartbroken at the end of it to see how many animals didn’t get adopted that day. But that pain was essential. It was part of the process.
It made me realise the gravity of
the issue, the reluctance of future adopters in India, and the dire need for more
organised associations aiming toward a larger goal with a firm game-plan.
If troubleshooting and problem-solving is your gig, then step onto the arena. If
singing and performing is your soul, then plan a fundraiser for an NGO. The ways are
countless. It’s just about stepping up and doing something.
So many past visitors at Cat Café Studio have thanked us for giving them the space to
interact with cats and learn more about them. Often, that’s what nudged them to
rescue a cat from the street or to assist their neighbourhood animal feeders. It’s a
ripple effect, and it’s just wonderful to see it all come together so beautifully.
Paths at Cat Café Studio and The Feline Foundation
We have designed our programs so anyone can enter at their current comfort level
and grow from there. Over a decade in, that script I used to say at the door hasn’t
changed. What has changed is the innumerable ways you can be involved.
Adoption: Bring home a rescued stray cat who was once fending for themselves on
the street. We offer pre- and post-adoption counselling, because adoption isn’t a
transaction, it’s a relationship. We help you prepare, integrate, and problem-solve.
Fostering: Care for a cat temporarily. Try adoption with no strings attached. Learn
your rhythms, your household’s comfort, your capacity. It’s one of the most powerful
bridges to forever homes.
Virtual Adoption: Big Brother – Big Sister Program
Support a cat’s monthly care if you can’t bring one home right now. You contribute to
food, litter, medical needs and we keep you regularly updated on their well-being. It’s
meaningful, practical, and keeps our shelter resilient.
Volunteering: Be hands-on at Cat Café Studio across different verticals – cat care,
visitor counselling, events, content, logistics, based on your interest. If you want
deeper field exposure, join our sister concern, The Feline Foundation, for real onground learning in rehabilitation and sterilisation programs. This is where you see
systems change up close.
Education & Advocacy: If education calls you, we run school/college workshops,
corporate sensitisation training, and community outreach. You can help design
learning modules, create content, document stories, or simply speak to groups about
respectful human – animal coexistence. The multiplier effect here is enormous. All of this exists because we learned early that community involvement is the oxygen
of any cause. We have built programs that invite you in, meet you where you are, and
grow with you. The goal isn’t to guilt you into action it’s to show you that there are
ample, practical paths to express your moral ambition.
Start where you are (today, not ‘someday’)
If something in your environment makes you uneasy, that is your starting line. Not
the donation link. Not the five-year plan. The question. The walk. The email you
send. The two hours you block on a Saturday.
Here’s a simple start, you can take up this week:
– Name the uneasy: Write one sentence: ‘It bothers me that ____.’
– Search and list: Spend 20 minutes finding the 3 – 5 groups closest to that issue
(local first, then city-wide).
– Reach out: Send one message: ‘How can I contribute? Time, skills, or funds? I can
give ___ hours this month’
– Show up once: Commit to a single shift, call, or meeting.
– Reflect: What felt meaningful? What was hard? Adjust and repeat.
That’s it. No philosophical jargon. No perfect moment. Just movement.
The point of all this
You might still be thinking: I’m busy. I don’t have a lot to give. I understand. Truly.
But association with a cause is less about volume and more about direction. Even a small act, if done consistently, changes the narrative drastically. It changes the cat’s story, the street’s story, the city’s story. And it changes your story, from a life that was entirely about you to a life that also touches what’s beyond you.
At Cat Café Studio and The Feline Foundation, we are here to help you find that fit.
Adoption of indie cats in Mumbai, fostering, virtual adoption, volunteering across verticals, learning inside rehabilitation and sterilisation departments, or taking the mic in education and outreach, the opportunities are endless. We designed them with one thing in mind: to make it easy for you to begin, and meaningful for you to continue. Because moral ambition isn’t a grand identity you wear. It’s the next right step you take. And if you have read this far, you already know what’s calling.
