The disappearance of a stray cat that lived outside a Chaayos outlet in Mumbai’s Bandra West has sparked widespread outrage, prompting the cafe chain to issue an apology and launch a search for the animal. The cat, which was reportedly relocated by members of the cafe’s staff, has since been found and adopted by a Mumbai-based meditation coach.
On Tuesday morning, the NGO Humanity World Foundation announced that its team had located the missing cat. It also called on Chaayos to issue a public apology over the incident. Chaayos added that it would strengthen training and protocols across its cafes to ensure employees know how to handle situations involving community animals with greater care and compassion. Chaayos wrote, “Our Chaayos cafes are part of your neighbourhoods. And over the years, neighbourhoods’ four-legged residents have become familiar faces around our cafes. And we’ve always loved having them around. Recently, a cat who had been around our cafe was relocated by an untrained member of our team. This should never have happened. We take responsibility for the actions of our team, and we’re genuinely sorry. 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 cafes so that our teams know how to respond to community animals with care and compassion, they added. “Behind the scenes, last night, a 20-member Chaayos team came together to locate the cat.
The meditation coach also said she had approached animal welfare organisations to take up the matter. The organisation said Motwani and her family had decided to adopt the animal and provide it with a permanent home.
