Many Kolkata families welcome a pet around Durga Puja. Nearby Pets India shares how to make the decision responsibly and plan the first weeks.
Durga Puja is when Kolkata comes home. Relatives return, houses fill up and families plan for the year ahead. For many households, the festive season is also when a long discussed decision is finally made: bringing home a pet.
Nearby Pets India, an online pet platform delivering to more than 770 cities, sees a clear rise in enquiries from Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal in the weeks around the Pujas. The company welcomes it, but also urges families to slow down.
“A pet is not a festival gift. It is a fifteen-year promise,” says Soundarrajan Kannan, Founder & CEO of Nearby Pets India. “We love that Kolkata families want to start the new season with a new member of the household. We just want them to plan for the day after the pandal lights come down too.”
Before you book: three questions
The company asks every festive-season buyer to think through three things:
- Who will care for the pet day to day? Children may ask for a puppy, but the adults will be doing the feeding, walking and vet visits.
- Is the home ready? Loud crackers, crowds and a stream of guests can frighten a young animal. It may be kinder to time the pet’s arrival for a calmer week after the festivities.
- Does the breed suit Kolkata’s climate? Humid summers and a long monsoon favour short-coated dogs, cats and birds over heavy-coated breeds.
Birds, cats and companion dogs
Bird-keeping has a long history in Bengali homes, and budgies, lovebirds and cockatiels remain popular in Kolkata. Among dogs, Labradors, Beagles, Pugs and Spitz-type breeds lead enquiries from the city. Persian kittens are a favourite with families in flats.
Nearby Pets India’s team gives buyers practical guidance on diet, cage size, vaccination schedules and settling in. That support continues on WhatsApp after the pet arrives.
“Birds need a calm first week more than anything,” says Mohit Johari, Operations Head at Nearby Pets India. “We tell families to set up the cage before the bird arrives and keep it away from festival noise.”
A safer way to buy
Festive demand also brings more fake listings and advance-payment scams. Nearby Pets India uses a meet-first booking model: a 25% advance reserves the pet, and the remaining 75% is paid only after meeting it at delivery.
“A genuine seller will never ask for the full price of a pet you haven’t seen,” says Mohd Asad Siddiqui, CTO of Nearby Pets India. “We built our booking so that most of the payment happens at the doorstep, not on a screen.”
Every pet is vet-checked before dispatch and comes with a vet certificate. Puppies are at least 42 days old and have had their first vaccination and deworming. A 7-day health guarantee applies after arrival.
For this year’s Pujas, the company is running the PUJA20 offer, which gives 20% off (up to ₹6,000) on any pet until 22 October 2026.
Founded in 2023 in Kharar, Punjab, Nearby Pets India has served more than 1,000 customers across India.
“Plan it like any big family decision,” Kannan says. “Then the pet you bring home this Puja will still be part of the family at the next one, and the ones after that.”
About Nearby Pets India: Nearby Pets India helps families find dogs, cats, birds and small pets across 770+ cities, with vet-checked pets, a 7-day health guarantee and a meet-first booking model.
Website: https://nearby-petstore.in/ · Phone/WhatsApp: +91 80696 45024 · Media contact: support@nearby petstore.in
