The true story of Cat Café Studio started with Maximus, Zabby, and Clooney. While Maximus was roaming the bustling streets of Mumbai, Zabby was in Davangere, a remote town in Karnataka, and Clooney was living his best life in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Barely a year had passed since I moved to Mumbai from New York City, after completing my Master’s in Film Studies. I was working full-time at Pixion, (a post-production studio Mumbai) where days were long and nights often longer, thanks to the looming deadlines on film trailers I was assigned to edit. I was exhausted and frequently felt lonely when I returned to my empty apartment. To cope, I spent my spare time talking to my sister, Charu, who was completing her dentistry course in Davangere, and at nights conversing with Jason, my best friend from the New York Institute of Technology.
Jason would often reminisce about his childhood around cats, especially how his father Michael’s love for felines influenced him deeply. He encouraged me to get a cat, promising it would be the perfect companion. While I had never lived with an animal before, I loved them in general.
Despite being torn about the idea, I took the plunge. Since I was living independently (though struggling), I didn’t need my parents’ consent. And so began my search for the perfect cat in 2008, a time when reliable information about cat adoption was scarce and “cat people” were less common in the city.
Word got around at my workplace. Most friends laughed off the idea, advising me to “focus on work and life” and get a pet when I was more settled. I still can’t quite comprehend that viewpoint.
My initial online research led me to a small post on Facebook by a lady who had just rescued a cat but couldn’t keep her. With no photo or details provided, I called her. She was blunt, warning me that this wasn’t a cute kitten, but a grown cat. I didn’t care. I was determined to adopt. She gave me her address, and that’s how I found my darling Maximus.
Word got around at my workplace. Most friends laughed off the idea, advising me to “focus on work and life” and get a pet when I was more settled. I still can’t quite comprehend that viewpoint.
My initial online research led me to a small post on Facebook by a lady who had just rescued a cat but couldn’t keep her. With no photo or details provided, I called her. She was blunt, warning me that this wasn’t a cute kitten, but a grown cat. I didn’t care. I was determined to adopt. She gave me her address, and that’s how I found my darling Maximus.
When I saw her for the first time, Maximus was a full-grown, frail but strikingly beautiful tabby cat. The lady was surprised I still wanted to adopt her after seeing her condition, because many people had refused upon learning she wasn’t a cute little kitten. It was my first lesson in how deeply biased people can be when it comes to adopting adult or sick animals or for that matter, our Indian breeds.
That first night, I didn’t sleep at all. I followed Maximus everywhere, terrified she might escape or hurt herself. In my naïveté, I hovered like an anxious mother. We finally collapsed on the bed at dawn, and I heard her purr for the first time, a moment I’ll never forget.
Meanwhile, in Davangere, Charu heard all about my excitement. A few days later, she came across a malnourished tabby kitten tied by a rope outside a slum near her college. When she asked about him, the man said he had tied the kitten up because he kept destroying his kitchen, searching for food. Without a second thought, Charu took the kitten into her tiny apartment. Her roommate agreed to keep him too, and they named him Zabby.
Across the world in Las Vegas, Jason decided it was time to adopt his first official cat. He headed to a kill shelter, determined to save a feline from euthanization. There, he met Clooney, a gorgeous six-month-old ragdoll mix who was scheduled to be put down the next day. Jason adopted Clooney on the spot.
But Maximus was not doing too well, she had developed a breathing issue, and despite multiple veterinary visits, no one could pinpoint the cause. One day, she collapsed and needed emergency surgery. The vet discovered three hernias in her stomach, likely from being kicked or hit by a stick or heavy object, which caused her labored breathing. Tragically, Maximus never regained consciousness after surgery. I stood there at the clinic, motionless and speechless, when they handed me Maximus in a white cloth.
My mother, who was visiting at the time, was equally shocked. She had grown fond of Maximus, spending time with her while I was at work. I was distraught, suddenly faced with the heart-wrenching task of burying or cremating my beloved cat in a city with no known facilities for such a purpose.
Ultimately, I chose an empty, abandoned ground behind my building. As I dug into the dry earth, I kept replaying the question, “Who could hurt my baby like this?” My mother placed the lavender flowers by her side, and we sat there for hours in utmost silence.
The following months were excruciating. Yet questions kept haunting me: Why are cats left to fend for themselves on the streets when they should be in homes? Why do people shoo away or harm stray animals? Why was medical care for injured strays so expensive, and why did the city lack dedicated burial or cremation services for animals?
Jason, Charu, and I spent countless hours talking about these issues, trying to make sense of it all.
Thus began my journey of deeper understanding about street cats, their welfare, and the severe lack of medical and rehabilitation facilities for stray animals in India.
Overpopulation, combined with the misconception that cats can or should survive on the streets, exacerbated the problem.
From 2008 to 2010, I began rescuing injured cats on my own, bringing them home. Each rescue taught me something new, about veterinary care, nutrition, sterilization, deworming, and more.
By 2010, I had launched Zcyphher Films, an independent creative agency making brand films and fueling my dreams as a filmmaker. During this time, Charu tragically lost Zabby when he slipped out of her open apartment one day and never returned. Another harsh lesson made us realize how crucial it is to keep our feline companions safe indoors.
In 2011, Charu joined me at Zcyphher, leaving her dental practice to pursue photography and design. She became the second “mommy” to our rescues at home.
In 2012, Jason visited India for the first time and was shocked by the condition of stray animals. He started visiting more often and eventually moved to India, leaving Clooney in the capable hands of his father, Michael.
With the three of us together, rescue efforts increased significantly, and our small Zcyphher office doubled as a rehabilitation space for cats.
We visited numerous vets and NGOs, realizing two major hurdles: the high cost of feline medical treatment (which discouraged people from rescuing cats) and the absence of accessible spay/neuter programs. We learned and unlearned how systems worked, striving to improve the city’s understanding of cats and encouraging people to coexist with them.
We were fortunate to meet individuals like Dr. Hitesh Swali—one of Mumbai’s top veterinarians—and Taronish Bulsara and Ruchi Nadkarni, founders of the NGO World for All. Their guidance helped us see the bigger picture and paved the way for practical solutions.
By 2012, one thing became clear: despite rescuing and providing medical care, cats ultimately need homes. We began sharing stories and photos of our rescues in search of adopters. The response was encouraging each adoption felt like a beautiful, happy ending.
By 2015, we had achieved significant success with adoptions and were rescuing more cats than ever. Zcyphher Films had moved into a larger space, allowing us to help even more cats and people. However, funding all these rescues had become unsustainable. We needed a self-sustaining system to continue our mission.
That’s when, in August 2015, we founded Cat Café Studio, inspired by the cat café concept in Japan, where patrons sip coffee and spend time with cats.
Our goal was to make the café segment of our enterprise financially support the rescue efforts. Thus, Cat Café Studio became a social enterprise with a dual purpose:
Nevertheless, we still faced a glaring problem: the lack of affordable medical treatment and widespread sterilization programs for stray cats.
Determined to tackle the problem at its core, we launched our NGO, The Feline Foundation, which aimed to build a low-cost community clinic specifically for stray animals. Our hope was to make it easier for people to rescue and spay/neuter stray cats, reducing overpopulation and suffering.
In 2017, we opened our first Feline Foundation center near Cat Café Studio. Charu took over the role of Chairman here, leading all operational decisions and Dr. Swali became our medical director.
Today, Cat Café Studio functions as an adoption rehabilitation partner for The Feline Foundation. We specialize in caring for injured and vulnerable stray cats that cannot be returned to the streets, especially those with disabilities. We also collaborate with other NGOs in the city to help special-needs animals.
Under our collective mission of “Rescue, Care, Love, Adopt”, we strive to educate the public about the ongoing crisis facing stray animals and emphasize our collective responsibility to join hands and alleviate their plight.
We encourage everyone to rescue animals whenever possible and turn them into lifelong companions, because it’s worth it. Our doors are always open to guide and support anyone looking to adopt or seek help. Our vision is to create a unique space where people connect over their love for cats, coffee, and creativity while driving meaningful community impact through animal welfare and art.
At its core, Cat Café Studio’s mission is to foster empathy and understanding in our community, offering education and support through our “Rescue, Care, Love, Adopt” motto. We aim to build a more compassionate environment where all beings can thrive.
We hope – one day, you can experience the love of Maximus, the playfulness of Zabby, and the charm of Mr. Clooney. After all, as they say – there’s a part of the human soul that remains untouched until you have experienced the love and warmth of an animal.
Today, Cat Café Studio functions as an adoption rehabilitation partner for The Feline Foundation. We specialize in caring for injured and vulnerable stray cats that cannot be returned to the streets, especially those with disabilities. We also collaborate with other NGOs in the city to help special-needs animals.
Under our collective mission of “Rescue, Care, Love, Adopt”, we strive to educate the public about the ongoing crisis facing stray animals and emphasize our collective responsibility to join hands and alleviate their plight.
We encourage everyone to rescue animals whenever possible and turn them into lifelong companions, because it’s worth it. Our doors are always open to guide and support anyone looking to adopt or seek help. Our vision is to create a unique space where people connect over their love for cats, coffee, and creativity while driving meaningful community impact through animal welfare and art.
At its core, Cat Café Studio’s mission is to foster empathy and understanding in our community, offering education and support through our “Rescue, Care, Love, Adopt” motto. We aim to build a more compassionate environment where all beings can thrive.
We hope – one day, you can experience the love of Maximus, the playfulness of Zabby, and the charm of Mr. Clooney. After all, as they say – there’s a part of the human soul that remains untouched until you have experienced the love and warmth of an animal.
