‘Humans don’t love as unconditionally as pets’
It takes an army to get Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s fur babies to pose with her. Just when her dog, Truffle, finally gives in and settles in her lap, her cat Simmba decides to take off! As the actor sits with us for a special National Pet Day shoot, she recalls how Truffle entered their lives.
“We surprised Viaan (her son) on his 10th birthday with a miniature poodle. She is everything I manifested in a pet. She is disciplined and fitness conscious like me. In the morning, she always needs her badams,” the Indian Police Force actor tells us, adding, “She’s quite human-like, but human beings don’t love as unconditionally.”
Kundra has had furry companions since she was a teenager. “Initially, my father didn’t want a pet. I remember Shamita (Shetty, sister-actor) was so fond of animals that we would sneak in abandoned dogs, storks and all kinds of little creatures. Once, our father found three kittens in the attic and threatened us by saying, ‘Either the pet or me’. My mother, Shamita and I just looked at each other and said, ‘The pet!’ That’s something we laugh about till date,” the 48-year-old shares, right before her daughter Samisha chimes in to keep Truffle in check. “Behave, Truffle, otherwise I won’t talk to you,” the four-yearold says, and we all burst out laughing!
The actor believes it’s impossible to not get attached to these precious furballs. “My father, who didn’t even like animals that much, cried the most when we lost our first pet. He even organised a sendoff ceremony. That’s just how pets are; they end up creating that space in your life,” she wraps up.