Life as a Stray is Always Hard
There are many, many thousands of stray cats in Malaysia – and they can cause problems.
Life as a Stray is Always Hard
There are many, many thousands of stray cats in Malaysia – and they can cause problems.
Where do they come from? From you – the public!! Pet owners deny their responsibility to their pet and abandon them to a life on the street. Since most of these abandoned cats are not neutered, rampant breeding begins.
Did you know that it is estimated that one cat, plus it’s offspring, can create over 2 million cats in just 8 years??
We can never emphasize enough how important neutering is to help prevent the escalation of the numbers of strays.
So how can we all help??
- Cat cafes (Set up of cat cafes with agreement from all parties, perhaps tie up with a shelter). Though this concept has not taken off in Malaysia, it can help. If there are strays in compound areas, you can create a quiet place where the cats are fed at the same time each day. The cats will soon realize where they need to be to be fed, and keep away from more public areas where they can be a nuisance. But be sure you have approval to do this – check with apartment management, factory owners, etc to get their approval to do this.
- Neutering of both male and female though some may argue not necessary for the male if the females are spayed
- Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) Program: If the cats are not feral and can be handled, try to get funding to neuter them. Then they can be released back.
- Abandoned kittens: Sometimes a mother cat will abandon her kittens and they need help. Try to find people who will foster them until they can be vaccinated at 8 weeks. At 8 weeks the kittens should then be used to humans and it will be easier to find families to adopt them.
- Vaccinations: This is important to prevent the spread of diseases. Yes, it costs money so try a fundraising campaign.
- Talk to your local council to arrange TNR program especially in public areas like markets & hawker sites.
- Some councils will collect strays if they become a nuisance and either try to find homes for them or relocate them to a more remote area. Although we would not encourage the relocation as it can become a nuisance to others – it just moves the problem.
- Approach shelters: With the escalating numbers of stray cats, shelters are very full, but if all else fails, do at least contact them to see what advice they can give.
Please don’t expect shelters to take in all the stray cats – it’s just not possible for them to handle the numbers. Everyone needs to do their part. You can all help in some way.
Stray cats are found everywhere:
- on the street
- in markets
- in hawker areas
- in factory compounds
- in apartment compounds
- in kampong areas
- around mosques/temples/churches
- basically anywhere where they can find a source of food.
Feeding of strays:
Feeding strays keeps them strong and able to procreate. We do not recommend the feeding of strays for this reason but understand why people want to help them. Do try to get community groups together to trap and neuter the cats, then release them back where you found them. If the strays in your community are all neutered then feeding them does not cause a breeding problem.
What is the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat?
In a letter to The Star in 2019 on the stray animal problem in Malaysia, J.D. Lovrenciear from Kuala Lumpur commented:
- Firstly, stray dogs and stray cats reflect human failure. Pet owners who disown their pets and drive them into the streets are devoid of human values. They have zero compassion!
- Secondly, those who feed their souls by feeding stray dogs and stray cats at eateries are actually doing more harm than good. It’s like giving alms to beggars but not bothering the least bit about giving a quality life to them.
- Third, organisations that claim to have compassion for animals and to stand up against cruelty to animals are not endowed financially nor do they have the capacity to house and care for the exploding stray population.
- Fourth, it seems that neutering is the best way to plug and eradicate the stray nuisance in the long haul. But the fees charged are far too high, and who is going to foot the bill to neuter them anyway? We are talking about strays, and strays mean no one wants to claim responsibility of ownership.
- Fifth, whether you neuter or do not neuter, considering the growing rampant stray cat and dog population in the country, are we not bothered about hygiene or health-related outbreaks affecting humans?