A pet sitter for all in the time of pandemic

Sajila’s boarding facility is host to birds, rabbits and cats

By Zahid H Javali

Barring birds that have to be caged, so they don’t fly away, every other pet in Sammy’s Nest is free to roam around the house. In the times of the pandemic, the usual boarding time of 3-5 days has gone up to many months. Earlier, her weekends used to be packed with pets. Now, it’s packed every day. That’s 41-year-old Sajila Dhanasekar’s home business in Sector 2 where one exclusive floor spread across 1500 sq. ft. only plays host to every variety of pets, barring dogs, because “the other pets will not be comfortable with them around and you have to cage either one of them, and I don’t want to do that”. Over the last five years, Sajila claims to have boarded over 1500 pets.

A resident of HSR for the last 15 years, the Kerala-born entrepreneur worked with Fidelity as an associate and later helped her husband with his business. Soon, she got bored of it and became a pet sitter instead when her friend Vidhu suggested it and has never looked back since.

Unlike other pet sitters, her pets stay with her in her house, and sometimes, in her bed. “I board cats, Hamsters, guinea pigs, birds and rabbits,” she says. Her profession has allowed her to meet different kinds of animals and birds. Like African grey. “They are intelligent and talk like humans,” she says. And cats, ofcourse. “Some are very funny and jovial and some are rowdies. I once boarded a senior cat who was 17 years old for almost six months. Taking care of her was fun and at the same time, quite stressful, due to her age. She is like a 90-year-old human being with all kinds of mobility and sickness issues. Thankfully, my 17-year-old only had slight arthritis.”

Pet sitting is not for everyone. It works for Sajila because she loves pets. “A pet sitter should always be alert. Some cats can pick fights, so you should identify the fighter in the group and isolate them. Cats are very moody and adamant… If they don’t want to eat, they just won’t and fall sick easily. Their stomach is very sensitive and can get gastritis quite easily if you just change the brand of the food they eat. They sleep a lot in the day time and are very active and playful at night. They are also great escape artists. In a fraction of a second, they can disappear through a small window.”

Barring traffic on narrow roads, Sajila is a happy HSR resident. Besides pet sitting, she loves reading and watching films. “If not a pet sitter, I would have been an assistant to a veterinarian,” she says. Her future plans? “Building a bigger place for my boarding pets and starting a grooming place for cats.”

Sajila wakes up at 6am and goes to bed by 10.30pm. “If you like pets, it’s the best job to do. You just have to treat the pets like your own kids and they will give you a lot of love in return.”

SAMMY’S NEST
24th Main, Sector 2, HSR Layout
Phone: 98807-34006

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