Woman, 70, shares Whitefield home with 72 cats

BENGALURU: In the midst of a bustling Whitefield colony stands a quaint bungalow owned by Maya Sweet-Escott, 70. The septuagenarian doesn't live here alone; she has 72 cats for company.
Maya and her husband moved to Giddeens Layout about 30 years ago, along with their beloved Siamese cat, Ching Chong. The number multiplied when workers started bringing stray cats to the premises and leaving them in the backyard.“My husband passed away soon after that and I didn't have the heart to turn away any of the cats. So I took them all in. But I am old now and it's getting difficult to feed them with the little pension that I get. Even the workers' salaries have gone up. I have been managing on my own but I need help,“ said Maya.
Sudha Narayan, founder of animal rescue centre CARE, is trying to help Maya create more room for the animals who are scrambling for space.
“About six months ago, we received an appeal from animal lovers in Bengaluru, requesting us to rescue and look after about 70 cats. The number must have grown rapidly because either they were regularly brought to the house or the existing ones were not neutered,“ said Sudha.
The felines are tied with ropes and kept in cages. “A lot of them are quite old and I don't know if anybody would want them. The older ones were named by me and the others were given Tamil names like Sarvana, Devi Bai, Ammu and Murga by my workers. They are all very dear to me,“ said Maya.
The space was not enough to house them all, so two bedrooms were converted into housing areas with 15 to 20 cats lodged in each, said Sudha.
“For the others, makeshift shelters were created in the bungalow's backyard, each comprising 5-6 cats. About 25 of them are living in a big steel cage. Every day, the cats are tied to trees, poles or hooks with a thick rope.
They are petrified of strangers as they have never been socialized. It is horrifying for any animal lover to see the creatures being tied to the trees. But Maya says this is all she can do given her limited resources,“ she explained.
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