Catman of Mylapore

SR Prakash and stray cats
SR Prakash, who voluntarily retired from the Indian Railways, spends most of his time with homeless animals, especially cats. He says rescuing and nurturing stray cats is his passion. Opposite the bus stand on the Luz Church Road in Mylapore is one of the secured spots where he feeds cats. Prakash takes care of around 75 cats around the city. Independent nature and cleanliness of cats allure him. For the past 19 years he has been into this act of kindness, moving around the city with milk bottles in hand to feed the feline friends, without worrying how must he spends on it.  In addition to his big stray family, Prakash is proud pet parent to Tyson, a 13-year-old cat who weights 7.5 kg. He also takes care of a set of cats at Kapaleeshwar Temple where his friend Shankar Narayan, who knows where to find each cat, helps him in attending the feline fellows whose names are Sadhasivam, Bharathi, Ardhanari and Pulipandi. Shankar’s association with Prakash began five years ago when he rescued his cat Kutty at the temple.
Prakash in his 19 years of service to strays has faced all ups and downs with instances when he had to stand up for himself and his homeless animals, amid disturbances from policemen, politicians and others. Whatever the odds, he never stops moving around Mylapore, looking for strays.