I’m glad to see that the SPCA is making some real changes to the state of animal welfare in this country. Or at the least, within the Klang Valley.

Keep up the good work!

Did anyone watch the TV3 program on how stray dogs and cats are allegedly killed at the the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) animal pound in Setapak?

Read about it here.

I didn’t watch is because I didn’t know about it. But I don’t think I would’ve watched it if I did because I cannot stomach the visuals. Too traumatizing.

I sincerely hope those who are concerned are looking into this matter seriously and not just talking about doing something just to keep people satisfied. No living creatures deserves to be treated in such a heinous manner.

Two failed adoptions.

Note : The adoptions failed not due to any fault of Meg’s. One person wanted a more active cat to interact with her child. Another one was a first-time cat owner with a 1-yr old cat and even though I explained that it is normal for cats to hiss and growl at other strange cats when they first meet and that they would take some time to get used to each other, the lady was so stressed out that I didn’t want to push her further.

Sigh…

I don’t know how the hardcore rescuers do it, trying to place so many homeless animals and getting rejections, but I feel physically stressed out even trying to rehome one.

Maybe it’s coz she’s my/our cat.

All I can think of is how lonely and cold she is out there, given the rain each day. And how she didn’t sign up for this.

Sigh.

I thought I’d feel better after seeing her but I don’t.

In fact, I feel worse.

How can you do that to her?
She doesn’t have a say in her life. Her life was in your hands the moment you took her in.
You abandoned her!

Had a physically sick feeling in my stomach when I was sitting there, willing her not to panic, willing her to be less vocal. Trying to figure out what I could do to help her.

But I can’t blame her. Tossed out of a home to fend for herself.

Nobody will understand the turmoil I’m feeling right now. Nor can I fully describe it. Too drama? Perhaps. But the feeling of being responsible for another creature but being unable to fulfill that responsibility is the most depressing feeling ever.

She may be JUST a cat to some, but to me, she’s another unfortunate creature whose only crime was (is) to be a stray.

Just posted her profile on petfinder.my. Hope I’ll get some good leads.

Another stupid ruling from the ever brilliant municipal councils, from The Star.

Dog owners in Nilai must now get neighbour’s permission

SEREMBAN: Dog owners in Nilai must now get written permission from their neighbours to keep the animals in their homes.

This is the first time such a ruling has been introduced in Negri Sembilan following recent amendments to the Dog Licensing Bylaws 2008. The municipal council issues annual dog licences at RM20 each.

Council president Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Latif said the ruling covers dogs which were three months old and above.

“For those who want to rear more than two dogs, their premises must be at least 1,000 sq metres.

“You are allowed to keep more than four dogs if the area is larger than 1,000 sq metres,” he said.

The affected areas are Nilai, Rasah, Ampangan, Mantin, Lenggeng, Pantai, Rantau, Labu and Senawang.

Abd Halim said the owners were duty-bound to ensure that their pets were not a nuisance to their neighbours such as the animals defecating in public places.

“The pets cannot be allowed to roam freely outside their compound,” he said, adding that officers would take away unlicensed pets.

Those caught without a licence could be fined up to RM1,000 or jailed not more than six months, or both.

The Seremban Municipal Council issues dog licences for RM10 each but has not asked owners to get their neighbours’ permission. Applicants are required to attach a vaccination card for their pets.

The state Veterinary Services Department issues licences for RM5 for those living in other areas.

Resident Melissa Wong asked why was there a need to get her neighbour’s permission to keep a dog.

“My neighbour’s cats defecate in my compound almost every day. Why doesn’t the council make it a requirement for cat owners to get their neighbour’s consent?” she asked.

P. Manimaran, who lives in Rasah Kemayan, said he may have to give up his dog because he was not on talking terms with his neighbour.

Those with queries can call the Nilai Municipal Council at 06-798 9099/9077.

~~~~~

Excerpt from the SPCA Friday Flash newsletter:

On Thursday, the Majlis Perbandaran Nilai issued a ruling that all dog owners in Nilai must get their neighbours consent to keep the animals in their homes. The affected areas are Nilai, Rasah, Ampangan, Mantin, Lenggeng, Pantai, Rantau, Labu and Senawang. The move has caused a huge outcry among local dog owners, who claim it is unfair to impose such a ruling for dog owners - even more so when irresponsible cat owners get away scot-free.

In 2003 Johor made it compulsory for dog owners to get permission from their neighbours, and in 2005 Maj Bandaraya Shah Alam ruled the same.

“Municipals need to educate pet owners to be responsible and pick up after their pets. This applies to owners of cats and dogs. Of course, dogs should never be allowed to roam freely outside the compound, they must always be accompanied by the owner and be leashed. Perhaps it would be a good idea for municipals to fine pet owners who did not clean up after their pets, or allowed their pets to be a nuisance or disturbance to the neighbours or neighbourhood,” says SPCA Chairperson Christine Chin.

“This is certainly not fair for dog owners who already do not get along with their neighbours, and also those whose neighbours don’t like dogs for any reason.  We urge the authorities to invest in educating pet owners, monitoring them and taking action against them if their pets are causing any disturbances, or being a nuisance to the neighbours – instead of issuing such a blanket ruling,” she continues.

~~~~~

So yeah, if I have a neighbor who (1) hates my guts, or (2) I totally detest for some reason, I’m so ready to go ask him/her for permission to keep a dog and s/he would be so willing to allow me to do so.

And I’m not even going to go into the other more obvious case of religious differences.

Right.

Lazy buggers. Take away the responsibility from themselves and put it on members of the public.

So brilliant.

Meg is gone.

Nothing beats the feeling of failure, especially when something is close to one’s heart.

I feel like a hypocrite, claiming that I’m looking out for their best interests and that I’m concerned with their welfare when I can’t even take care of them.

I shouldn’t claim to be anything from now on.

God, I hope you’re listening. Please keep Meg safe wherever she is.

It irks me immensely when all some people can do is complain about the problem of stray animals but yet not lift a finger to find a viable solution to address the problem.

When are people going to realize that (1) the stray problem is a societal problem, and (2) it has been and still is a perpetual problem and it is not going to disappear overnight, especially when people don’t care enough to do anything about it except complain. And poisoning strays to get rid of them is NOT a viable solution to solve the problem in the long-run.

Sure, a few of the root causes of the whole stray problem are due to (1) irresponsible owners who do not spay/neuter their pets and let them breed indiscriminately and then dumping the offspring, and (2) inhumane owners who dump their pets after getting tired of them or if the care of the pet is more than they had bargained for.

But this has been going on years and it is of little value to point fingers at who’s to blame. Why not use the energy to find a solution to the problem instead?

(1) Awareness & education — I think it is so vital that people understand the consequences of indiscriminate breeding of their pets. The consequences to themselves, their pets, to society as a whole.
(2) Trap-Neuter/Spay-Release — To prevent existing strays from breeding and adding to the stray population, this method has been proven to be successful in other countries.

I’m not saying that we all have to fork out a significant amount of $ or time to address the problem. The way I see it, what is more important is that we work as a community to find a workable solution to address the problem. Because this piece of work cannot be carried out be one single person or a single organization. It is a collective effort.

The problem is getting people to change their mindset that this is not their problem. Because I believe that it IS our problem, whether we wish to accept it or not.

Full article here.

~~~~~

Excerpt from the article :

“… another pet owner lodged a report with SPCA, alleging that Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) dog-catchers had trespassed into her home and caught her dog, dragging it out from underneath the main gate. Attempts were made to locate the dog which was not taken to the PAWS Animal Shelter, but held by the MBSA and put to sleep three days later. The owner and an SPCA Inspector arrived during the destruction process, and were literally minutes too late to save the dog. The distraught owner made a police report immediately after leaving the pound.”

Oh.my.gawd.

Not only did they STEAL someone’s dog, they actually KILLED the dog!!!
WTF??!!!

Too incensed to write sanely.

Please pass this article to your dog-owning friends and inform them to be vigilant about their dogs. Apparently, these thieves are paid up to RM45 for each dog they steal.

Note to visitors (intentional or unintentional) :

From time to time, I will receive information from TheAnimalNetwork of animals up for adoption.

I will normally post the information here, together with the contact details of the person to contact for each animal who needs a home.

Thus, please contact the person listed directly for further information on the particular animal, if you are interested. I would not have any other information except for what I have posted. As such, I will not entertain any requests to call or sms you, for security purposes, unless I am personally handling the particular animal.

Thank you for your kind understanding.

Update

PhilipC has gotten his new kitten. Get this, his cats are named Aurora (after Sleeping Beauty of course, hehe…) and Adora, as christened by his 4-year-old daughter, Clarissa.

Damn super canggih names!

~~~~~

I’ve got 2 friends who have mini zoos in their backyards

PhilipC : 1 dog, 1 cat,  2 turtles,1 tortoise, 6 angelfish, 6 gouramis, 3 corydoras plus one young daughter and one baby son. Apparently, him and his wife have a segregation of kids and pets. His responsibilities are the daughter, fish, and turtles. His wife’s are the son, tortoise, dog, and cat. And they have no maid! OMG! And he wants another cat!

SenanC : 2 dogs, 2 cats, frogs, fish. He says, “I don’t care if I’m allergic to them, I still want to have them.” Apparently, he’s a bit allergic to the cats. Sometimes he comes in to work with a runny nose, attributed to his cat(s) who’d decided they wanted his company the night before and sneaked into his room.

Do I have cool friends or wat?