Chaayos Apologises After Employee Removes Stray Cat From Outside Bandra Outlet

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.

Chaayos apologised for the incident in a statement shared on social media on Tuesday morning, blaming an "untrained member" of its team for relocating the cat. The company said it took responsibility for its employees' actions and acknowledged that the incident should never have happened. It also revealed that 20 employees came together on Monday night to search for the missing animal. The cafe chain confirmed that the cat had been found and adopted.

The controversy began after Mumbai-based meditation coach Purnima Hoon Motwani raised concerns about the cat's disappearance on Monday afternoon. She said the animal was healthy, sterilised and vaccinated and had been living outside the Chaayos outlet in Bandra West.

Motwani alleged that two employees of the cafe had previously attempted to move the cat away from the area but were confronted and forced to return it to its territory. However, the animal went missing on Sunday morning.

Sharing the post she wrote, "We have documented proof of our communication with your staff on Sunday, during which Tanu and Dorgy were identified as the two individuals seen in the footage. We also have proof of communication with your Area Manager, who acknowledged that the cat had been relocated."

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She also shared CCTV footage showing two men carrying a cat while walking along a busy road on October 28.

According to Motwani, her friend Denzil, who owns a nearby garage, witnessed the incident, stopped the employees and brought the cat back outside the cafe. She said the animal remained there for another two days before suddenly disappearing on Sunday morning.

Motwani further alleged that when she approached the Chaayos staff at the Bandra West outlet seeking help in locating the cat, she received an uncooperative response from the employees and management. She said she warned them that she would file a police complaint if they refused to cooperate, as relocating an animal is a criminal offence. However, the manager, staff members and area manager allegedly told her to do whatever she wanted.

The meditation coach also said she had approached animal welfare organisations to take up the matter.

On Tuesday morning, the NGO Humanity World Foundation announced that its team had located the missing cat. The organisation said Motwani and her family had decided to adopt the animal and provide it with a permanent home. It also called on Chaayos to issue a public apology over the incident.

Chaayos Apologises 

In its statement, Chaayos said that animals living around its cafes had become familiar faces in neighbourhoods over the years. The company acknowledged that one of its employees had relocated the cat and said it was genuinely sorry for what had happened.

The cafe chain also said the 20-member team had searched for the animal on Monday night and expressed relief that it had been found safe and was now being looked after by someone who had offered it a home.

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."

"Behind the scenes, last night, a 20-member Chaayos team came together to locate the cat. 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. 

Chaayos also thanked everyone who spoke up for the cat.