It\'s \'pawrty\' time for the pets too

HYDERABAD: Pets are no more mute spectators of good and bad at homes, an object of affection to the guests and relatives of the households and proud possessions of happy families. They are fast becoming family members, being treated on par with children at homes.

Of late, birthdays of pet dogs and cats are being celebrated on a grand note and themed parties are hosted where fellow pets are also invited.

Adorned in coats, frocks and headbands, pets are made to assemble at such parties, and made to relish cakes, and cupcakes, and are given gifts. Some pet owners even erect huge hoardings and banners to celebrate the birthdays of their beloved animals.

The house is decorated and special invitation cards are also made for these birthday parties and gifts like pet-themed t-shirts, key chains and masks too are distributed. While a few owners take their pets for a road-trip and staycation, a few others celebrate their pet birthdays by inviting other pets or feeding all strays for a week.

Shruti Mathur, a businesswoman in the city, prepares a special birthday gift hamper for her dog Zuki that includes toys, treats and customised cake. She also buys new clothes for her dog, especially on his birthday. “It brings immense joy in celebrating my baby’s birthday who makes us smile. Preparing a hamper for him and seeing the joy and happiness on his face when he receives his gift cannot be expressed in words,” she said.

Most pets' first birthday is celebrated in a grand manner. Unnati Shah, owner of a pet dog, invited people and their dogs and organised a huge dog themed birthday ‘pawtry’. A huge banner was also made with pictures of her dog, Ferrero, which said he turned one. “We have specially got paw shaped cupcakes made for pet owners and other dogs. There were pet-theme games organised as well,” added Unnati.

A few people specially invite only children to their pet’s birthday party. Ashish Savaria, owner of the dog named Pogo, invited children for the party and gave his dog lots of treats and toys. The guests were treated with pizzas and cold drinks. Ashish said he made sure to feed his dog with his hands a full meal at least on his birthday.

Several others have their own unique ways of celebrating their pets’ birthdays by either bathing them or taking them to dog parks, or dog-friendly restaurants and cafes. Deven Baheti, owner of a pet café in the city said he had so far celebrated birthdays of over 100 pets and special decoration was also set up for each animal’s birthday. Be it a dog or cat, we celebrate animals’ birthdays with joy and happiness. From preparing invitations to giving return gifts to other pets present, we do it all,” he added.

Pet lovers also said they would not miss an opportunity to give their pets the same unconditional love they received from them round the year and would not give up a chance to celebrate the day which brought happiness in their world.