Meet Mumbai's pet sitter Yuvraj Ved

Meet Mumbai's pet sitter Yuvraj Ved

People plan their holidays around his availability because they know that their pets are comfortable with him

Shruti PanditUpdated: Saturday, June 04, 2022, 07:33 PM IST
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His vibes might not match with most human beings he meets, but all animals just love him. And Yuvraj Ved is just happy with that.

“I am so happy just being with myself and the animals, that sometimes people find it weird,” he says. Yuvraj doesn’t come from a particularly pet-loving family. He didn’t grow up with pets.

“Except for the cows that my grandparents had in Kolhapur!” he corrects. “As I child, I remember spending a lot of time with the cows when I visited my grandparents during holidays. I used to slide underneath a cow and get dirty, much to the annoyance of my mother…”

Despite not having pets at home, Yuvraj’s love for animals just grew. He spent time with strays, pets of friends… An intelligent youngster, he completed his graduation and got himself a job at one of his father’s friend’s factory. “It was a jewellery making outfit and I was their ‘trusted’ soldier who opened and closed the workshop!” However, that was not his calling. He tried his hand at writing with a start-up called Tipples. He wrote food reviews for them. “That was to make some money while I waited to do something that I was passionate about... I was still looking for the perfect job...”

One day, one of his friends was leaving for a holiday and there was no one to take care of his cat. He requested Yuvraj to come and stay at his house for the week and take care of the cat. He offered him a small fee for the same and access to the pantry and refrigerator. That was the beginning of a new career. “The same friend recommended me to somebody else… and then it was the word of mouth that got me clients.”

Today, Yuvraj is in demand. People plan their holidays around his availability because they know that their pets are comfortable with him. He visits the pet and pet parents before deciding to ‘pet sit’. “I like to see how the pet behaves, how well it takes to me… before committing to take care,” he explains. “I have denied the job a couple of times because I was not particularly happy with the way the pet was trained…”

How often does he encounter mischievous pets — ones that are naughty after the parents are away? “Once in a while…” says Yuvraj. “For instance... once there was a cat who went on the fridge top and started throwing the plastic plates that were stacked there. One of them broke. I immediately sent a video to his parents, who promptly said — ‘ahh… he does that often…actually, we have told our maid not to stack them there, she must have forgotten… it’s ok!’ What a relief it was for me to know that they are not blaming me for its naughtiness!”

Yuvraj is happy that the pet parents usually give him access to the kitchen. “I cook…or sometimes their cooks do that for me. Though I prefer cooking as per my taste. Pet parents take good care of me because they know I take good care of their pets.”

Yuvraj thinks that cats are easier to take care of than dogs. “Dogs are like human babies — constantly in need of attention. And you need to take them for walks. Cats are happy with the space you give them as long as they have their food, water and sandbox.”

The tough part comes, usually, while leaving the pet after a long time. “We kind of get attached to each other… especially if I have been with them for more than a week... the parting hurts.”

However, now the parting and meeting is a routine for Yuvraj. He, often, remembers the pets and not their human parents. “For me, the babies are more important than the parents!”

How does his family react to it? “Well... initially they were not so cool about it. Especially because the extended family and their friends were quite wary about the job. But now they are okay. They have accepted that this is my profession now. There are times when I am staying for weeks with a pet and my mother sends me food because she knows I miss her cooking...”

Yuvraj is thrilled that he is earning through one passion to pay for the other — travelling! “Yes... every three months I go on a solo trip...”

What’s the future? “I love my job! So haven’t really thought of doing anything different...”

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