Now, cat-loving men are openly flaunting their love for felines on social media

Santacruz resident Manik Choudhary has had Billi, a beautiful grey Persian cat, for seven years. "I was a dog person, but my ex wanted a cat. I decided to gift her one on her birthday. As soon as I saw Billi's face, I knew I had found the one," he says. Although his relationship may have ended, his love for Billi has only grown. So much so that nine out of 10 photographs on Choudhary's Instagram account are of the cat, accompanied by witty captions that the 35-year-old copywriter lovingly crafts. In fact, it's safe to assume that nearly all of his 800 followers are there to see the latest picture of the expressive cat.

Hello, kitty
Choudhary is not alone in embracing his feline side. A recent survey by the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association showed that 17 per cent of men in the UK own cats, as compared to 13 per cent in 2016. While there are no statistics to suggest that this is true for Mumbai, there is certainly evidence of it. Comedian Rohan Joshi, chef Pablo Naranjo Agular, and singer-songwriter Tejas are among a growing tribe of men who regularly post videos and photos of their respective cats on Instagram.

Manik Choudhary with his fluffy grey Persian, Billi

Yashmi Adani of Cat Café Studio, which regularly rescues and rehabilitates cats in the city, says they have noticed this trend. "While we have a lot of families adopting cats, when it comes to solo adopters, more men than women tend to take a cat home. Some of our most generous donors are men, too," she adds. Twenty-seven-year-old copywriter Harish Iyengaar, who adopted his cat, Mia, a year and a half ago, says, "I love dogs, but I live by myself and have a job that keeps me out of the house for several hours a day. Dogs need a lot of attention. Cats, on the other hand, are low-maintenance. That's why I ended up adopting Mia. Also, I think I've managed to convince her that she's a dog," he chuckles, adding that she can play fetch and give high-fives. Needless to say, you can see her antics on Iyengaar's social media account.

Harish Iyengaar and Mia & Lakshman Parsuram cuddles Luna

Andheri resident Lakshman Parsuram believes that cats are great to have around for more than one reason. "They are sheer entertainment. They're also more affectionate than people believe. Once, when I was sick, my cat Luna ended up staying in bed with me the whole day," says the 29-year-old sound engineer.

Mainstream acceptance
While the image of the crazy cat lady still persists, all three 'cat dads' assert that people seem to be a lot cooler about guys with cats. Choudhary shares that in all the time he has had Billi, he has not received negative reactions to posts about his cat. In an attempt to explain why this might be, Parsuram says, "Now, thanks to the Internet, people are used to seeing men with cats. Which is good. We don't need any more of that toxic masculinity, where having a cat is considered not man enough."

Iyengaar agrees, adding that cats have taken on a larger-than-life persona online, thanks to the several memes (think Grumpy Cat, Nyan Cat, and I Can Haz Cheezburger) and videos floating around. "I think YouTube owes its existence to cats," he laughs, adding, "Cats have probably always been popular, but never before have people been able to share their love for them so openly."