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Chaayos responds after cat's relocation from outside Bandra outlet sparks outrage, says it was found
Indian cafe chain Chaayos has apologised after the relocation of a stray cat from outside their Bandra outlet in Mumbai sparked massive outrage.
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Indian cafe chain Chaayos has apologised after the relocation of a stray cat from outside their Bandra outlet in Mumbai sparked massive outrage. In a statement shared on social media this morning, Chaayos blamed an “untrained member” of the staff for relocating the cat and said that 20 employees came together on Monday night to look for the animal.
The cat was found after a long search and has now been adopted by a Mumbai-based meditation coach, according to the NGO Humanity World Foundation. Chaayos confirmed that the cat has been adopted.
Here’s what happened
On Monday afternoon, Mumbai-based meditation coach Purnima Hoon Motwani posted about the cat’s disappearance. Motwani said that the cat was healthy, sterilized and vaccinated, and lived outside the Chaayos outlet in Bandra West.
She claimed that two members of the Chaayos team had tried to relocate the cat earlier, but were confronted and made to put the animal back in its territory. However, on Sunday, the cat disappeared.
“A few days ago, two employees from Chaayos, Tanu and Dorgy, were caught on video carrying this cat away,” Motwani said in her Instagram video. She shared CCTV footage of two men carrying a cat while walking on a busy road on October 28.
“My friend, Denzil, who owns a garage nearby, saw what was happening, stopped them, and brought the cat back to outside Chaayos. Now here's what I don't understand: The cat was there for another two days, and then suddenly it went missing on Sunday morning,” she added.
Chaayos staff said ‘Do whatever you want’
Motwani further claimed that when she questioned the staff at Chaayos Bandra West about the cat’s disappearance, she was met with a hostile rebuff.
“I went to Chaayos on Sunday and I asked them to help me find it. I even told them that if they refused to cooperate, I would file an FIR because it is a criminal offense to relocate an animal,” she said.
“And the response I got from the manager, the staff, and the area manager was, ‘Do whatever you want.’”
The Mumbai-based woman said she had contacted animal welfare organisations to escalate the issue.
On Tuesday morning, the NGO Humanity World Foundation announced that the cat had been found by their team. They also said that Purnima Motwani had adopted the cat.
“The innocent cat reportedly relocated from Chaayos, Turner Road, Bandra West, has finally been FOUND by us! Purnima Ji and her family have decided to adopt this innocent baby and give the cat a loving forever home!” the NGO posted. It also demanded a public apology from Chaayos.
Chaayos issues apology
Chaayos acknowledged that the cat was relocated by one of their staff members and apologised for the incident, which had led to massive backlash against the brand.
Read the full statement from Chaayos below:
Our Chaayos cafés are part of your neighbourhoods. And over the years, neighbourhood's four-legged residents have become familiar faces around our cafés. And we've always loved having them around.
Recently, a cat who had been around our café was relocated by an untrained member of our team. This should never have happened. We take responsibility for actions of our team, and we're genuinely sorry.
Behind the scenes, last night, a 20 member Chaayos team came together to locate the cat. We're relieved that it has been found, is safe, and is now being cared for by someone who has stepped forward to give it a home.
We are now strengthening our training and protocols across our cafés so that our teams know how to respond to community animals with care and compassion.
To everyone who raised their voice for the cat, we heard you. Thank you.
Team Chaayos
