Animal instinct

Indian celebrities are very cagey about public displays of affection. But not with the critters they love. Whether it’s pets, guests who drop in on shoot locations or even wild animals, stars seem to let their guard down around these non-human fans. And that makes for some adorable pictures.

Click to see who gets the stars gooey-eyed.

Athiya Shetty's handsome Husky frequently plays muse.

Although, he sometimes shares space with other divas, like this grumpy pug.

Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Khemu make a pretty good case for pariah puppies.  

Photograph: Sahil Mane/World For All

Dino Morea demonstrates that Indian dogs go with everything.

Photograph: Sahil Mane/World For All

Anushka Sharma clearly has a weakness for Labradors—and Dude is her favourite specimen. 

Imran Khan steals a few kisses between shots.

Photograph: Sahil Mane/World For All

This up-and-comer, who will be debuting with Hero this September, is at her most relaxed in front of the camera when she has an armful of dog.

John Abraham is known for his love of animals and has fronted campaigns for PETA and World For All, a Mumbai-based rescue and welfare group. This is from a World For All calendar to encourage adoptions, which also features Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Khemu, Dino Morea and Imran Khan.

Photograph: Sahil Mane/World For All

Nimrat Kaur gets some sugar from KC. He and his mother, a grey tabby, are the stars of her Instagram account. 

Gul Panag takes road trips with her beloved Beagles.

Now that's a look of unabashed maternal affection.

Can't say we blame her, he's so smooshable.

If you asked Priyanka Chopra, she’d tell you her Cocker Spaniel Brando personifies unconditional love. 

Lazy Sundays are better with a puppy.

Diana Penty catches up with childhood friends.

But this golden spaniel, a friend’s dog, makes the occasional appearance too.

Kalki Koechlin with her ginger fella, Dosa, who is often seen sprawling, sleeping or sulking on her timeline. 

On a holiday in New York, Rahul Khanna met the chipper little terrier Otis, a puppy mill rescue.

Randeep Hooda with his main girl, Candy.

Kunal Kapoor photo-bombs this magnificent beast during a holiday in Africa.

Sonakshi Sinha also loves horses and here she’s showing some love to Cleo.

Sonakshi Sinha has a sweet little pug, Kuro, and the dude has impressive amounts of swag. 

Getting acquainted with a 'co-star'.

Jacqueline Fernandez comforts a melancholic monkey in Morocco, where she was shooting Dishoom.

Nargis Fakhri introduced her Facebook friends to Sudan, a northern white rhino, on a trip to Kenya. She was there to raise funds and support for Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which protects the endangered animals from poachers.

Sonam Kapoor is partial to Pomeranians, can you tell?

Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor get in some quality snuggle-time with Frost, director Remo D’Souza’s Husky.

Alia Bhatt comes from a family of crazy cat people. This cuddly Persian is a fixed feature on her bed.