Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 9, 2020)

Over the past few weeks, an increasing number of people are said to have abandoned their pet cats and dogs, following unconfirmed reports that these animals could spread Coronavirus. Meanwhile, actor Harshvardhan Rane has welcomed one such abandoned cat into his home. This, despite the fact that he suffers from severe cat dander allergy.

Talking about the latest addition to his family, who has been named Gigi, Harshvardhan says, “My best friend Minnakshi, who is also my flatmate, put me in touch with Ganesh, who runs an NGO that works for animals. I wanted to contribute towards feeding stray dogs during the lockdown. Almost a month ago, he told us about a kitten that had been dumped by her owners and suggested that we adopt it. Initially, Minnakshi and I decided that we didn’t want another pet, as we already have a cat. Besides, I have a severe cat dander allergy.”

However, a look at the furball melted the actor’s heart. He explains, “Ganesh sent us a picture of the kitten a few days ago and told us that it still hasn’t found a home. One look at her grey-blue innocent eyes and we changed our decision. I named her after the international supermodel, Gigi Hadid, because I think my Gigi has beautiful eyes like her. She is so loving, it’s almost unbelievable.”

Talking about his allergy, he says, “I just increased my medication in return for all the love that I receive from the kittens.”