Struggling strays: If they are not rescued, they are either caught and euthanised by local councils or end up as road kills.
KLANG: A lack of compassion and irresponsible pet ownership are among the main reasons that contribute to an increase in the stray population, according to rescuers.
As a result, they said street cats and dogs undergo immense suffering. These dastardly traits are not only a bane for animal rescuers, who lose their quality of life for the sake of the animals, but in some extreme cases, they end up “hoarding” them.
Feeder and rescuer Dr A. Punithavathy, who is attached to a public hospital, said one of her biggest peeves is people who refuse to neuter their pets.
“When you advise them to neuter their pets, they tell you that it is God’s given right for the animals to procreate and they would be committing a sin if they fixed their cat or dog,’’ said the mother of one.
Dr Punithavathy said that some owners of unspayed female pets that give birth are also known to dump the puppies or kittens when they cannot rehome them.
“Sometimes they dump the mothers together with their litters,” she said, adding that if not rescued, the animals are either caught and euthanised by local councils or end up as road kills.
Dr Punithavathy said there are some who only adopt males and would irresponsibly let their pets roam around the neighbourhood.
“These pets will then dirty the place with their faeces as well as impregnate stray females, which in turn increases the stray population in the neighbourhood,” said Dr Punithavathy, who together with her two sisters spend about RM3,000 monthly to care for street animals.
Besides feeding stray animals daily, Dr Punithavathy, who lives in a housing estate in Seremban, ensures all the animals in her neighbourhood are neutered. Her biggest challenge, she said, are hard-hearted neighbours who get all worked up when they see a stray dog or cat merely walking in front of their houses. “They’ll either harm these animals themselves or harass the local council to come and catch the dogs in the neighbourhood,’’ she said.
Another feeder and rescuer Roselin Mazlan said it is very important for people feeding street animals to ensure they clean up afterwards to ward off complaints from residents.
“If you are feeding at the back alley of homes, you need to wait around until the cats and dogs have finished eating to clean up, or come back after an hour or so to clear the remnants,’’ says Roselin.
She added that if the place is not cleaned up, crows will pick up the remaining food and drop it in people’s courtyards and gardens.
“This makes people very angry, and they would complain to the local council, which will in turn dispatch dog catchers to the area,” said Roselin.
She is currently feeding a pack of dogs living in a secondary jungle to lure them out to be captured for neutering.
According to her, she belongs to a WhatsApp group made up of animal lovers in Petaling Jaya that raises funds to neuter and treat stray cats and dogs.
“We raise quite a bit of money among friends as well as family members and have neutered many animals, especially cats, over the last few months in Petaling Jaya,’’ said Roselin who personally spends about RM2,500 monthly to feed street animals.
Cat rescuer Lai Mei Ling has been taking in the cats that she feeds and neuters because people tell her to take the animals “to live with her if she cared so much for them”.
Lai now has about 60 cats in her home, and the maximum number she had previously was 150 cats.
“These people are intolerant, and some even threaten to poison the cats if I don’t remove them. I have also witnessed people intentionally running cats over with their vehicles. So, I am left with little choice other than allowing myself to be coerced into taking the cats into my home,’’ said Lai, who has been feeding and rescuing cats for almost three decades in Subang Jaya.
She still does street feeding and catches as many cats as possible for neutering and releases them back on the streets because she cannot take in any more due to ill health. Lai, who is also retired, said she has very little money left for herself, as the bulk of what she has goes towards caring for her cats as well as feeding those living on the streets.
Meanwhile, Independent Aid for Protection and Welfare of Animals (IAPWA) Penang president Choong Koon Yean said TNR (trap-neuter-return) is the way forward in stray management.
“We started TNR in Penang island six years ago and work closely with the local councils to catch dogs for neutering,’’ said Choong, adding that the councils do not cull anymore.
She said there was a visible reduction of street dogs, and the councils have requested IAPWA to consider doing the same for cats.
She said the decision to implement TNR and to stop culling was made by current Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow when he was the executive councillor in charge of local councils.
TNR has also been going full force in Seremban for five years and was initiated in Port Dickson in March this year. The dog-catching contract in both the Negri Sembilan districts was given to Liza Sharif, whose company, FurryKids Safehaven Enterprise, is linked to an animal shelter in the state.
“I catch the dogs, get them neutered, and return them to their original locations, and the councils do not catch and cull anymore,’’ said Liza.
Animal rescue and welfare group Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) director Irene Low said Selangor should adopt TNR and instruct its local councils to work with animal groups to catch and neuter.
“Please emulate the Penang and Negri Sembilan initiatives by going to the ground, catching the dogs, and then neutering and releasing them,’’ said Low.
She said unless this is done, the councils will continue to raise people’s ire with various animal bounty-hunting activities, and the stray animal problem in the state will remain unchanged.
