It was a normal working day for High Court lawyer Rajesh Pratap Behere when he appeared before the judge in a writ filed by college students in August 2008. After the short hearing, when Behere headed for a cutting chai with another client, a call from his daughter changed the priorities of the day.

Cancelling all appointments, Behere drove back to his Thane home to attend to Jimu who was in labour. In the cozy curtained master bedroom, where the Beheres and their house help were present, Jimu gave birth to three kittens (later named Ina, Mina and Dika). This was not the first delivery they were midwifing. After ensuring arrangements for the newborns and their mother, Behere resumed court two days later. "Being besides Jimu, in the crucial hour, was a joy and a duty I did not want to adjourn," recalled Behere, 54, when he interacted with fellow cat lovers at the Manzar Premi summit in Thane. He possibly cannot attend all the summits (like the last one in Pune or the next in Ratnagari), but the group (formed online three years ago) is his way of spreading feline love and keeping his hypertension in check.