It's nice to see more animal lovers, but I hope they don't start taking their pets into stores in strollers like you see here.
"Their beautiful faces help me forget the daily anxieties, social problems, bad news on television and elsewhere," says one woman who feeds the cats at the Dialogue of Civilizations Park in northwestern Tehran.
(Ramin Mostaghim / For The Times)
Ramin Mostaghim, Nabih Bulos
When Ehsan Kaveh was studying for his medical school exams in the Iranian capital, the stress was getting to both him and his wife, Rima, an IT specialist. But a family friend, a veterinarian, thought he had a solution — a snow-white Persian cat named Eli.
"He said 'Try keeping this cat for two weeks and see how your tension will vanish. Then decide to keep her or give her back,'" Rima recounted.
Two weeks later, the vet asked if he should come collect Eli.
"No way. We're keeping her," was the answer.
The Kavehs are among a growing number of mostly affluent Iranians who are welcoming pets — mostly cats and dogs — into their homes despite the disapproval of the country's traditionalists.
Continue reading at:
[FONT=Georgia, serif]Despite theologians' disapproval, more Iranians are discovering the joy of pets[/FONT]
"Their beautiful faces help me forget the daily anxieties, social problems, bad news on television and elsewhere," says one woman who feeds the cats at the Dialogue of Civilizations Park in northwestern Tehran.
(Ramin Mostaghim / For The Times)
Ramin Mostaghim, Nabih Bulos
When Ehsan Kaveh was studying for his medical school exams in the Iranian capital, the stress was getting to both him and his wife, Rima, an IT specialist. But a family friend, a veterinarian, thought he had a solution — a snow-white Persian cat named Eli.
"He said 'Try keeping this cat for two weeks and see how your tension will vanish. Then decide to keep her or give her back,'" Rima recounted.
Two weeks later, the vet asked if he should come collect Eli.
"No way. We're keeping her," was the answer.
The Kavehs are among a growing number of mostly affluent Iranians who are welcoming pets — mostly cats and dogs — into their homes despite the disapproval of the country's traditionalists.
Continue reading at:
[FONT=Georgia, serif]Despite theologians' disapproval, more Iranians are discovering the joy of pets[/FONT]
