There are pet lovers everywhere around us, but in the past few years, rescue and adoption of native pets from the streets and animal shelters has seen a rise, as people have grown to understand how important it is to give these animals a loving family and a home. Raveena Tandon, who is an environmental activist and a fervent supporter of animal rights, has led this trend by rescuing many animals and providing them shelter either at her home or her farmhouse. On Pet Day today, the actress shares with us her personal stories of rescuing animals and how she’s been an ardent animal lover since childhood.

Recalling the time when she brought home a little kitten for the first time, the actress says, “I remember I was just three or four years old and had rescued a kitten and brought her home.”

Raveena says, “Now after 30-40 years, I rescued a kitten (four years ago) who was crossing the road and was almost going to die under the wheels of a vehicle. I brought her home and named her Puma. She is now four-years-old.”

The actress, who was recently awarded the Padma Shri, stresses on the need to adopt pets over shopping or going to a breeder for one. Currently, she has adopted and rescued four dogs and three cats. Out of these rescued pets, a dog named Cuddle and a cat named Puma live with the actress in her home in Mumbai along with her other pets, while the rest live on her farm. She also has three Mini Pomeranians and a Husky. Earlier, the actress had another pet, Chotu, a visually impaired rescued Indie dog, who passed away in March 2021.

“Looking after the welfare of animals and having pets are two different things. It is important to understand that adopting an Indie is far more important than specialty breeds multiplying and all of us buying them. Everyone looks after pedigree pets, but it is important to give a home to these Indies who need protection and shelter. At my farm, one of the rescued dogs, Lilie, is a tripod, (she has three legs) and it is lovely playing with her,” she says.

Raveena looks out for abandoned pets everywhere – whether it is the bylanes of Mumbai, or faraway shooting locations. She picked up a pup from a drain in Himachal Pradesh while shooting for the web series Aranyak.

She shares, “We adopted 15 pups when we were shooting in Kullu Manali and Dalhousie, and a few were adopted by my colleagues from the team. Being passionate about animal welfare is one thing, but you need to be compassionate to rescue animals and give them a loving home.”

Stressing on the need to sterilize animals, the actress adds, “People feel that it is good karma to feed Indies on the road, but I feel that money should be used to sterilize them. It is the need of the hour. There is a woman in our society, who starts fighting when the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) comes to sterilize these dogs on the road, but people don’t understand that these animals multiply and then they are ill-treated by people or they meet with accidents on the road.”

The actress reveals how over the years her love for animals has only grown. “I can’t wait to get home to my pets or spend a weekend on my farm with them. I agree it is not easy to have so many pets. My husband (producer, Anil Thadani) often teases me saying, ‘If you get another one, then it’s either me or them,’ but my children and my mother enjoy spending time with them. Everyone knows how your pets are the best companions and, in many ways, better than humans. There is no comparison!”

In the past few years, the actress has rescued a baby bat, who had fallen on her home terrace, three owls, who literally flew into her home, and a monkey.

Raveena shared this throwback picture as a toddler when she had rescued a kitten. Cut to four years ago, she rescued Puma, who now lives with her