Cats Are a Man's Best Friend

ACROSS THE LAST DECADE, MUCH HAS BEEN DONE TO UPEND THE IMAGE OF MEN NEEDING 'MANLY' PETS, AS DUDES THE WORLD OVER HAVE SHRUGGED OFF STEREOTYPES AND BONDED WITH A TRADITIONALLY 'FEMININE' COMPANION: CATS. HERE'S WHAT SOME MEN HAVE TO SHARE ABOUT HOW FELINES FOUND THEIR WAY INTO THEIR LIVES, HOW THEY POSITIVELY AFFECTED THE HOUSEHOLDS AROUND THEM, AND INSTILLED A NEWFOUND SENSE OF PATIENCE, UNDERSTANDING, AND COMPASSION

- SHARAN SANIL

Arjun Mathur

Actor Cats: Taz and Tilly

For the longest time, the Made in Heaven star wasn’t particularly interested in cats, having identified as a ‘dog person’ for most of his life. That is, until he met his partner Tia in 2016, along with her robust black Bombay cat, Taz. “As we started dating about five years ago, she once left Taz with me and went out of town,” he explains. “Over that weekend, I really got obsessed with the guy!”

With time, Mathur indulged his inner catlover and the family of three decided to adopt a little Calico by the name of Tilly, or Tiger Lily — the daughter of one of Taz’s old playmates. “Even before she came into the picture, the moment Tia mentioned Tilly’s name, Taz turned his head and looked at us,” reminisces Mathur, remembering how the unlikely pair got along despite their age differences.