Catching feral kitties at Sri Murni Condominiums

It's saturday afternoon and usually i like to spend my weekends doing nothing. Instead, my brother and I have been trying to catch 5 cats that our parents have been feeding outside their apartment. Our parents live in a low-rise block of condominiums surrounded by lush jungle on the outskirts of the city. It's quiet here and that's why they like it. Monkeys are a common sight here and sometimes you might see a monitor lizard or a snake. But of course the most common animal here is the ubiquitous stray cat. My brother adopted one of the cats from the compound last year. He's a chubby grey tabby that we named Grumps because he used to hiss at us everytime we fed him in the parking lot. He eventually became my brother's indoor pet because he got his ass whooped by this other much bigger male cat. After the fight he was very easy for my brother to catch because of his injuries. He was patched up at the vet, neutered, and became an affectionate house cat. Grumps isn't grumpy anymore.

So, lately my parents have been feeding another of the compound cats. A female that we just call The Mother Cat. She moved into the area behind my mum's kitchen where the washing machine and dryer are. That area is shaded but outdoor and leads out into the apartment compound's gardens that are shared by all the residents. Mother Cat is super feral and so are her four little ones. Although my rents have been feeding them all for more than 2 months, they remain wary and distrusting of humans. Until now, Mother Cat will swipe at them with her paws when they feed her. She'll hiss, bite, growl, spit and even charge like a raging bull. Its funny coz she'll meow for food with the sweetest little voice then try to rip your fingers off when you bring her chow.

Anyway problem now is the neighbors have started to complain about this family of feral felines. They say the kittens play in front of their windows (for some reason, this is a big problem) and poop in the garden. They claim to be able to smell the poop that's in the gardens. Go figure. Some people are just anal and hate animals. These people have been complaining to the condo's management about the HUGE mess caused by 4 kittens. You'd think we had king kong taking dumps out there... Then yesterday my mother said she saw the evil animal-hating neighbors try to catch the mother cat and her kittens. Well, we can't have kitties falling into the wrong hands!! feral or not, they almost feel like our cats i guess. So earlier today my brother and I drove to SPCA Selangor to borrow the humane cat trap. Its like a large rat trap and I've never used one before.. J, my friend who works there, explained how we should use it but by the time we got home I forgot. Also, it occured to us that it would be difficult, maybe even dangerous to try to catch them with the trap, simply because there are 5 of them in total. Catching one cat would be no problem, becaue it would have to be all the way inside the cage to trigger the door to shut. But what if two go in? And one of them hits the trigger while the other isn't all the way in yet? The door could shut on its body or tail.. Dilemma, dilemma..

My brother and i ended up trying to lure them all into my mum's kitchen and then shutting the door. Maybe not the best idea in hindsight. We put two plates of smelly canned cat food inside the kitchen (normally they're fed outside coz they won't come in) and waited... and waited... Eventually everyone was in but when my brother tried to shut the door they all immediately dashed out. We opened the door again and put the plates further inside the kitchen and my brother positioned himself closer to the door. This time we managed to get the mother cat and her two bolder, less scaredy-cat kittens. The mother cat totally freaked out and literally climbed the walls trying to claw her way out of the kitchen. In her panic, she peed all over the floor. Well, it was too much for her so i opened the door for her again and let her go. Poor girl. I was hoping she'd be able to calm down. We managed to get her kittens to go into a cat carrier and we transferred them to an unused bathroom with food, water, and litter. That's the best we can do for now.

Luckily when i looked outside, the mother cat was still there though the two super timid kittens were gone. We were afraid they might never come back. But after a while they returned, looking for food. We left a plate of kibble outside for them and then we went away. I think they've had enough today and they're not going to fall for our tricks again so soon. We absolutely have to catch them though. We need to tame them too. Mother cat needs to be spayed otherwise she will just keep coming back with new litters. I don't know how we are going to handle that. She is so wild. If we can socialize the kittens, at least they can be put up for adoption.. Otherwise its TNR for all of them i guess..

The two kittens we caught are still crying for their mother. I feel so bad. But its the only way to protect them from harm. Hopefully their siblings will be joining them soon.

i love getting presents but its ok daisy mama, you can stop now..

daisy mama cat is my semi feral stray kitty. she adopted me when i moved into the neighborhood but i've never been able to fully domesticate her. she's a free spirit and will not be confined to living indoors. i've tried many times to get her to stay inside my home but she totally freaks out once she's surrounded by walls. her paw prints literally cover parts of my walls from times when she panicked and tried to claw her way out the windows. so its outdoor living for this flower child.

when i first found her in the neighborhood, i had actually intended to rehome her. but after realizing that she would never be happy as someone's indoor pet, i gave that up. at least with me, she's familiar with the area and its a small, quiet, low-traffic suburb. what if she was adopted but then ran away in an unfamiliar area and got lost? i'd never forgive myself.

daisy mama seems cold and snobbish to everyone. she completely ignores people she's not familiar with. sometimes when i pass her in the street while walking my dogs, she even ignores me when i call out to her. at first i thought "mannn... what a little biatch.. she totally doesn't care about me". but then she started bringing me little tokens of her appreciation. its all quite sweet in a macabre, feline way really.. the first time i found a dead eyeless little shrew next to my car i didn't realize it was a gift for me. but then it happened again, and again, always at my car at the spot where daisy mama waits for her meals.

then one evening, she jumped into the house through the window, purring loudly from deep within her throat. she had something dark in her mouth. she dropped it at my feet and meowed insistently. i looked down to see the mangled, chewed up carcass of a little sparrow. daisy was obviously very pleased with herself so of course i didn't wanna insult her. i was beyond grossed out and horrified but picked up the poor little bird and cooed, "oh my gosh! for me?! thank you so much daisy mama! you shouldn't have!! no, really you shouldn't trouble yourself." she was pleased as punch and rubbed her head affectionately on my legs before giving me a playful nip and jumping out the window.

in the last two weeks she has brought me a variety of rodents and left them at my car. some were fresh kills, still intact, no visible wounds in sight. they looked like they were sleeping. others were starting to reek and decompose. the worst ones were the bloody ones. one last week has its head almost completely severed. it was connected by just a little sliver of skin. the day before yesterday she brought a perfectly intact and cute little mouse. no puncture wounds at all. pristine. then yesterday there was another mouse but this one had been divided into two large pieces literally.. ughhh... blood and guts.. and it smelled soooo bad.

its not very easy to dispose of all the victims of this carnage. i can't bury them in the yard coz i don't want the dogs to dig them up. i can't just throw them in the bin and expect the garbage man to take them away.. they stink!! so i've been reduced to dropping them in the sewer or driving out to the big main garbage dump and tossing them on the mountain of garbage after wrapping them in layers of plastic bags.

daisy mama is very giving.. she might not want to stay home and cuddle up with me but she shows her love through her gory gifts. i appreciate them all.. but really.. i get it now. she loves me. ok. i love her too. she can stop giving me presents now.. please?

A great week for adoptions!!

I'm super happy to announce the confirmed adoptions of Madeleine, Snowy, Luna, and Rajah!!
Madeleine will be off to her new home sometime next week where she will join 4 year old labrador retriever mix pooch Lucky and his human family of four. Yay!
Luna has been adopted by my good friends so i know she'll be in great hands.
Snowy and Rajah have been adopted together by a nice lady with 4 other cats and will be going to their home once Luna has been weaned.
At the moment, snowy, luna, and rajah are all still with me because luna still refuses to try food.. i can't separate her from her mummy snowy until she's more independent.. i'm really not sure what to do about her actually.. her brother rajah has been eating on his own for weeks now but luna still only wants her mummy's milk.. oh dear!

Latest pics of Snowy, Luna, and Rajah

Elegant kitty Snowy and her kittens are soooo gorgeous now you'll shit yourself!! By the way, they're all adopted but won't be leaving me for a while. Snowy and Rajah are going to a new home together and Luna might be adopted by a good friend of mine. They can't be separated yet because Luna is taking her own sweet time getting weaned.. Her brother Rajah has been happily chomping away on soft cat food for almost two weeks now! But little Luna... oohhh Luna! She still isn't even remotely interested in eating food by herself.. She still only wants her mummy's milk.. She has all her teeth now and they're little sharp things, so OUCH for mummy Snowy if you get what i mean..

Madeleine's balding bum and trip to the vet

I noticed last week that the fur on the backs of Maddie's hind legs seemed to be thinning but I thought maybe I was just paranoid or something.. Then over the weekend, she began to really itch and every time she sat down she'd give herself a good nibble and scratch.. The bald patches grew huge overnight. My first thought was "oh crap! mange!". But there was no crustiness so then i thought it was really horrible super fast-spreading powerful radioactive mutant ringworm unlike any other case I had ever seen before. i hate ringworm. its so annoying and i feel itchy just thinking about it.

Yesterday, I finally got home early enough to bring Maddie to the vet. That's always a challenge because the clinic closes by 730pm; too early!! Maddie isn't really used to wearing a collar and a leash yet so that was another challenge. Whenever i put a collar on her and attach the leash, she immediately lies down flat, chin on the floor, legs splayed out in every direction. I'm not sure why she does this but have been working on it by bribing her with treats. So yesterday, as expected, she wouldn't cooperate and get into the car on her own legs. She's a big pup and I'm a skinny chick so carrying her to my car is no easy task. I wrapped my muscle-free arms around her body and hoisted her up onto the backseat where she cringed and glared at me accusingly. While all this was happening, the other dogs were FREAKING OUT. They were totally convinced that Maddie and I were going to THE most fun place in the world without them. They were all very upset and sure that I was being a meanie and depriving them of going to a magical doggie wonderland where its OK to eat and roll around in cat poop.

Once we were on our way, I had to give Maddie treats every 30 seconds or so to keep her calm and happy. When we arrived, she refused to get out of the car. I had to carry her big ass body into the clinic. When i set her down on the floor, she immediately did her 'hit the deck' thing again. So, it turns out that Maddie has picked up some fleas and the reason for the crazy balding and skin flaking is that she is severely allergic to them. Poor thing. The vet frontlined her from head to toe and prescribed a course of antibiotics and steroids because her skin was so inflamed and itchy. Poor little Maddie has allergies like i do. Now i know where those super itchy bites on my ankles came from!! Thanks a lot Madds!! Oh and just in case you're wondering, the flea allergy thing is called Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). My first time hearing about it!

By the way a potential adopter is coming over this weekend to meet Maddie!! Wish us luck!! Someone is also coming to see Rajah, Snowy, and Luna. YAY!!

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better - LATEST KLANG POUND UPDATE

Taken from http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2010/01/we-guessed-as-much.html

Our friend just called from the Klang dog pound to say that there are very few dogs there. Apparently, most has already been put down and the pound has been cleared-up. That's exactly what we said would happen before Klang MP Charles Santiago goes there tomorrow. Apparently, the dogs were euthanised yesterday morning. We also came to know that the council president was going to visit the pound today afternoon before the briefing Kapar MP Manikavasagam. Anyway, our friend is there delivering the weekly food for the dogs and puppies there. The council should now seriously look into TNR instead of merely catching the dogs and putting them to sleep.

Just a photo tribute to my most precious darling in the world, Spike

Check out the evolution of his lop-sided ears and his adorable brother Scooby who was adopted by someone else.

Animal Suffering for Human Benefit. A paper i wrote for class in 2003.

Thirty-three. The number of animals that die each second in laboratories worldwide. For these poor critters, death is sweet relief, a blissful and welcomed ending to a life filled with anguish, fear, and pain. After all, what is death when one has already endured all the unspeakable horrors of living as a laboratory test subject?

Animals have little rights, nor do they have the ability to defend themselves from the inhumane, cruel, and downright repugnant laboratory tests which they are forced to endure. Considered by humans as a ‘lesser’ species, scientific experiments are conducted on animals to provide insight into health and diseases and to test the effects of products such as cosmetics, cleaning solvents, drugs, and even firearms.

The question is who decided that animal lives are expendable, and what gives humans the right to inflict pain on God’s creatures? Melissa, a volunteer at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says that violators of animal rights are just plain arrogant and ignorant. “Many people think that just because animals can’t talk, they can’t feel pain, anxiety, sadness… They are sentient beings just like you and me. Did you know that a pig has a brain capacity of a four year old human child? Can you imagine eating your four year old brother? We do not have the right to abuse them or use them for any or our own selfish purposes.”

Unfortunately, the abuse continues and shows almost no sign of stopping although numerous non-animal based techniques have been developed. Animal testing is officially called ‘vivisection’ and this word literally means ‘cutting alive’. The word vivisection finds its roots in the early days of medicine when scientific experiments included the dissection of living, breathing animals without painkillers or anesthetics of any kind in order to ensure the accuracy of the tests. Not much has changed since then.

Today, animals used in product testing have nail polish, toilet bowl cleaner and all kinds of other chemicals shoved down their throats, rubbed in their eyes, and onto their bare, shaved skin. They are shot, gassed, blown up, turned into drug addicts, burned, infected with HIV, cancer, and other diseases, and mutilated, all in the name of science.

The two most infamous tests are the Lethal Dose (LD) -50 test, wherein a large group of animals are given more and more of a product until fifty percent of them are dead and the Draize Eye and Skin Irritancy test where products are poured directly into animals’ eyes and onto their abraded skin to determine toxicity levels.

In an article entitled ‘Spare a Thought Tomorrow on our Cruelty to Animals’, S.M. Mohd. Idris, president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia wrote: “Animals have little rights. It is the cowardice and tyranny of which they are victims which make their suffering so especially touching. There is something so very dreadful, so satanic in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.”

There are a countless number of reasons why animal testing is so unethical. Aside from the obvious, animals and humans are so different that animal test results are often irrelevant. So can the use of animals in scientific experiments ever be justified? “No,” says Melissa of the SPCA, “and it never will be. In most cases the reaction from animals and humans are totally different.”

At least fifty drugs on the market cause cancer in laboratory animals. This is allowed because it is admitted that animal tests are not relevant. When asked if they agreed that animal experimentation can be misleading because of anatomical and physiological differences between humans and animals, eighty-eight percent of doctors agreed.

Many drugs that pass animal tests but are actually harmful to humans are on the market. Studies show that eighty-eight percent of stillbirths and sixty-one percent of birth defects are caused by drugs passed as being safe in animal tests. Many life-saving drugs would have been banned if animal tests were heeded. Some drugs that fail animal tests but save human lives are aspirin, digitalis (a heart drug), cancer treatments, insulin, and penicillin. Who knows how many other revolutionary, life-saving drugs have been shelved because of misleading animal tests?

During George Bush’s recent visit to Thailand, ten mice were selected to test samples of food which the American president would eat. The mice will be given samples of the food and then observed to see if they die or suffer any adverse effects. Ten little mice held the life of the world’s most powerful man in their furry, little, paws.

What’s rather ironic is that the officials who arranged those animal tests failed to realize that animal tests are often unreliable and inaccurate due to psychological, physiological, metabolic, and anatomic differences between humans and non-human animals. According to animal tests, lemon juice is a deadly poison, but arsenic, hemlock and botulin are perfectly safe. If an attempt on Bush’s life involved arsenic poisoning, Thai officials would be hard-pressed to explain why their mice failed to save the President’s life.

More than 450 non-animal based techniques have already been developed to replace animal testing. Among them are in-vitro (test tube) research, autopsies and cadaver research, genetic research, and most commonly, human tissue, cell, and organ cultures in containers with the drug to be tested in order to observe how it will act within the human body.

Studies show that alternatives to animal testing are not inferior methods. In fact, they are more cost-efficient and reliable than animal tests. So why do scientists continue to conduct animal research if it is misleading and unreliable?

One word. Money. They say money makes the world go round. In this case, money brings nothing but more and more mindless suffering. The disturbing truth of the matter is that the animal research infrastructure currently in place is very powerful and it is difficult to change research practices so entrenched in animal research for so long.

Several industries such as pharmaceutical companies, research universities, hospitals, animal breeders, and equipment manufacturers profit from animal testing. Animal testing is a multi billion dollar industry. Advocates of it are not going to give up a billion dollar money-making machine to save animal lives. Greed clouds judgment and animals continue to die.

In Malaysia the general population remains unaware and unconcerned about animal rights. “The level of awareness is very low. The animal rights movement here in Malaysia is virtually non-existent. Yes, there are concerned animal lovers that are mainly interested in only companion animals which are dogs and cats and even then, Malaysians do not know how to treat their companion animals judging by the cruelty cases that we get. We are not into living a compassionate life. We still support companies that test on animals and buy illegal animal products such as ivory,” says Melissa.

Unfortunately, the apathy towards animal rights comes from much deeper than the general population. Education on the proper treatment of animals is very limited. The ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality is evident even in so-called animal rights organizations in Malaysia. When asked if anything was being done about animal testing in Malaysia, a representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Malaysia declared, “We don’t really deal with animal testing”.

Further investigation revealed that the Malaysian National Animal Welfare Foundation (MNAWF) deals only with teaching people how to take care of their dogs and cats. It’s a start but it’s going to take much more than that to save animal lives in Malaysia and in the world.

It doesn’t take much for people do their part. First, buy cruelty-free products and boycott companies that still conduct tests on animals. In order to be more involved, contact organizations that fight for animal rights. According to Melissa a lot can be done to encourage Malaysians to care about animal rights. “Education and awareness. We as Malaysians should learn to be less selfish and self-centered and start caring.”

In Malaysia the following cruelty-free brands are easy to find:

Aramis, Aveda, Avon, Bobbi Brown, The Body Shop, Chanel, Clarins, Clinique,
Crabtree & Evelyn, Dermalogica, Donna Karan Beauty Company (DKNY), Estee
Lauder, Eucerin, Paul Mitchell, La Mer, La Prairie, M.A.C.
Cosmetics, Murad, The Natural Source, Neutrogena, Nivea, Nu Skin, O.P.I.,
Origins, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Revlon, Staedtler, Stila Cosmetics, Ted
Baker Fragrance, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Decay, The Wella
Corporation (Sebastian), Alberto Culver VO5, St. Ives, Simple, Stuf., Himalaya, Fruit of the Earth, Joico, Benefit, Freeman, and many many others..

There are lots more animal friendly brands, easy to find with just a little bit of effort and research.

LATEST UPDATE FROM MDDB ABOUT KLANG POUND

Here are the latest updates from local NGO, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better. Help them help Malaysia's dogs!!! Also, please go to their blog and check out their past posts about local dog pounds to have a clear picture of what is going on here and how innocent animals are tortured and neglected by our own government officials!

Taken from http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2010/01/please-help.html

PLEASE HELP

Majlis Perbandaran Klang is now feeling the heat. They have realized their folly of cramming their pound with dogs. They are now allowing people to adopt dogs from their pound for free. Please help us by adopting a dog each – our next move would be to push the local council to embark on a TRAP-NEUTER-RELEASE project. However, we still need to email the relevant people protesting over the carnage. Please help us by sending emails of protest to:


khalid@selangor.gov.my
teresakok@selangor.gov.my
hasanali@selangor.gov.my
yaakob@selangor.gov.my
roziahismail@selangor.gov.my
drxavier@selangor.gov.my
drhalimah@selangor.gov.my
iskandar@selangor.gov.my
ronnieliu@selangor.gov.my
elizabethwong@selangor.gov.my
eanyong@selangor.gov.my
mislan@mpkklang.gov.my
mjaid@mpkklang.gov.my
norfiza@mpkklang.gov.my
datoghani@mpkklang.gov.my
azmizam@mpkklanng.gov.my
mpklang@yahoo.com


If you can please also lodge police reports for the torture of the dogs at the pound against.


a) Selangor state executive councillor in charge of local councils Ronnie Liu

b) MPK president Mislan Tugiu

c) MPK Health department's acting director Zulkfli Abbas

d) MPK dog catchers

e) Majlis Perbandaran Klang


Taken from http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-you-can-do-to-help.html

What you can do to help.

1. Lodge police reports at the Klang district police station.
the gist of the report should be about the cruelty against dogs by Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) and the report should be lodged against:

a) Selangor state executive councillor in charge of local councils Ronnie Liu

b) MPK president Mislan Tugiu

c) MPK Health department's acting director Zulkfli Abbas

d) MPK dog catchers

e) Majlis Perbandaran Klang



2) Send emails about how you feel to:

khalid@selangor.gov.my
teresakok@selangor.gov.my
hasanali@selangor.gov.my
yaakob@selangor.gov.my
roziahismail@selangor.gov.my
drxavier@selangor.gov.my
drhalimah@selangor.gov.my
iskandar@selangor.gov.my
ronnieliu@selangor.gov.my
elizabethwong@selangor.gov.my
eanyong@selangor.gov.my
mislan@mpkklang.gov.my
mjaid@mpkklang.gov.my
norfiza@mpkklang.gov.my
datoghani@mpkklang.gov.my
azmizam@mpkklanng.gov.my
mpklang@yahoo.com

3) Visit the pound in Northport with food to feed the dogs


4) Most importantly you can take home one dog or a puppy each and give it a home - we promise to help you all the way.

http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/

Weaning kittens, one of life's hilarities..

Snowy's kittens Luna and Rajah are growing up so fast. Just two weeks ago they were wobbly, half-blind, squirmy little things that couldn't stand up straight. When placed on the floor, they looked like confused creatures paddling away in non-existent water. Now their legs are strong and straight. They can run, play and tumble. They've started climbing and exploring and their eyes are bright and clear. Rajah's eyes are turning bright blue. Could he be any more gorgeous?! Luna's eyes are still dark grey and i can't wait to see what their permanent color will be. They scamper around my feet and follow me as i work my way around the upstairs hall, cleaning all the litter boxes. I took some photos of them last night but forgot to bring my camera with me to the office today.. darn it.. those will have to wait till tomorrow.

I checked inside Luna and Rajah's mouths last night and saw teeny tiny nubbins of teeth starting to grow. That pretty much shows that they're ready to start eating soft kitten food and will be nursing less. The first time kittens are presented with 'real' food is really funny. Some kittens take to it immediately.. Just a few sniffs of the fishy stuff and they start licking the food. Some are interested but confused.. They smell something they want but don't know where it is even when its RIGHT in front of their faces. They mew in frustration looking for the source of the delicious scent even walking in their bowls and through the food but it still eludes them. Others lick the edges of their tiny bowls but don't go that extra millimeter in to taste the food.

The first few times i give them smelly soft food will be very messy. That's normal. They'll play in the food, get it all over their faces, some are so confused that they try to suck up the pasty stuff instead of opening their mouths and taking bites. Last night, Luna and Rajah did everything I expected them to do. They made a huge mess. They tracked through the food then shook their paws in disgust at the wet, clammy feeling.

When i woke up this morning most of the wet food remained uneaten and of course had attracted ants. Since the food was beginning to smell kinda gross, i decided to flush it down the toilet instead of throwing it away in the trash can. Also, I was sure the other cats would end up rummaging through the trash can looking for the leftovers. So, as i was scraping the stinky fishy stuff into the toilet, my brood of fat felines gathered around me, looking at me in horror, obviously shocked and deeply saddened by the waste. Foster kitty Luckytoes Midnight couldn't help herself. She had to put a stop to the madness. She immediately launched herself into the toilet and landed in the gross fishy toilet bowl water. SIGHHHHHHHH......... oh monday mornings! how you continue to amaze me. as if i wasn't already in a hurry to leave the house and get to work on time..

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better issues RED ALERT for Klang Dog Pound

Dear friends, animal lovers, compassionate souls,
I'm personally begging you to please have a look at this post by local NGO "Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better". Some of you may have heard that the conditions in local dog pounds are getting worse. This is true and the cruelty continues to reach new heights. Please help me and other animal welfare activists help the innocent canine victims who continue to suffer at the hands of heartless malaysians. Look at the photos below to understand the conditions. These photos were taken at the Klang Pound by MDDB. I am fostering a puppy (Madeleine) from this pound and she came to me terrified, insecure, and sad. All we ask if that you write in to the Klang municipal council. An email has been drafted at the bottom of this page and all you have to do is forward it to the email addresses provided below. I thank you in advance for your time and kindness.

From: http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2010/01/red-alert.html


The man responsible for the carnage

Pitiful

Suffering

Frightened and hungry

Starved

Frightened to even move - probably bullied by the other dogs

Mother dog and her pups

Anyone missing their pet?

Terrified.

The situation at the Klang Municipal Council dog pound has reached a critical state. A friend who had gone there to feed the dogs said there were almost 200 dogs crammed there and some were terribly sick.

She has taken some photos and the sight at the pound is terribly heart wrenching. The Klang Municipal Council refuses to look at other alternatives instead of catching and putting these dogs through hell.

To make matters worse, they pay their dog catchers incentives which has resulted in them going out to catch dogs at all times of the day.

Their favourite time is about 6.00 or 7.00 pm when home owners come back from work and release their dogs to ease themselves.

Most of the dogs caught have collars on and if allowed to go on the situation will only get worse.

We have posted pictures taken by our friend and will also give out pamphlets this Saturday calling for people to gather outside MPK next week. We will announce the date soon.

Meanwhile, we are attaching a message to be sent to the relevant people as well as their emails. please send them mails telling them to stop the carnage.

The emails are that of the Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, the state executive councillors, Klang Municipal Council officials as well as the Klang MP Charles Santiago.




The Klang Municipal Council’s dog catching unit is going on a rampage as the dog catchers have been given incentives for every dog caught. The situation has gotten out of hand with the dog catchers even going out to catch dogs late at night.

Their favourite modus operendi is to go to housing estates in the evening when dog owners return home and release their dogs out for a while. The dogs are nabbed and manhandled before being brought to the pound. A large number of the dogs at the Klang dog pound have collars.

Yes, no doubt there are complaints about strays but this time MPK has embarked on a rampage of hate against all dogs under the instructions of its health department head En Zulkifli Abbas. The dogs are cramped in cages without proper food and water and many end up dead.

Hopefully, the state government will look into this as soon as possible and failure to do so is reflective of the Pakatan Rakyat’s inability to control its local government machinery. We also urge the Pakatan Rakyat government to transfer En Zulkifli Abbas out of MPK.

Failure by the state government to do so will result in aggressive groundwork being immediately launched to ensure that it’s booted out of Selangor in the next elections. We animal activists are willing to put any party which propagates compassion for animals in power because our main priority is to stop this cruelty and viciousness against dogs.

khalid@selangor.gov.my
teresakok@selangor.gov.my

hasanali@selangor.gov.my

yaakob@selangor.gov.my
roziahismail@selangor.gov.my

drxavier@selangor.gov.my

drhalimah@selangor.gov.my
iskandar@selangor.gov.my
ronnieliu@selangor.gov.my
elizabethwong@selangor.gov.my
eanyong@selangor.gov.my
mislan@mpkklang.gov.my
mjaid@mpkklang.gov.my
norfiza@mpkklang.gov.my
datoghani@mpkklang.gov.my
azmizam@mpkklanng.gov.my
mpklang@yahoo.com


http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2010/01/red-alert.html

Feeling overwhelmed and a little sad

So the Asia for Animals Conference in Singapore starts tomorrow and goes on till Monday evening. I so totally wanted to go, thinking i'd meet lots of passionate, like-minded people and learn tons more about animal welfare.. I even stopped eating meat last year in preparation for it.. i wanted to be more committed to the cause and not such an undisciplined loser. Plus I knew that all the food served at the 4 day event would be vegan. I've failed at vegetarianism so many times. Anyways SPCA Selangor people are going to or are already in Singapore for the conference and I can't go! I have too many fosters and pets right now! i was hoping that i'd be foster-free now, but i'm not and won't be for a while. So no AFA conference for me..

Then there's the upcoming reunion my childhood friends are having in Bangkok, the city where we all grew up and attended the international school. They'll all be there in the next week or so. I can't go! I miss them so much. I know I sound selfish but sometimes i just wish i had more time and money for me. I feel like i give up a lot for these animals and i don't see an end to it. I'm fighting a losing battle. Nothing I do makes even the tiniest dent in the stray overpopulation problem. They continue to reproduce exponentially in the streets and the cycle of suffering continues. I don't want to think about these things anymore but can't stop and sometimes i feel so sad about all the suffering, I wish i didn't care anymore. Why do i care? why can't i just happily go about my business instead of inflicting all this work and worry on myself.

Every year i tell myself that i'm going to slow down on the fostering and not stress myself out so much. Well that's not happening.. Whenever one animal is adopted, its almost always immediately replaced. Everywhere i go, whenever i'm driving, I cna't help but scan the roadsides for injured or sick animals. Its an obsession. I wish could drive with my eyes closed.

Go away backyard breeders!!

I've received soooo many inquiries about Snowy, Luna, and Rajah already from people who saw their adoption profile on http://www.petfinder.my/. Normally this would so totally please me but most of these inquiries have been from breeders.. tsk tsk people!! I believe its clearly stated in my adoption procedure that neutering/spaying is compulsory. THis is soooo not negotiable. I'm totally anti-breeding. I'm a shelter volunteer. Breeding goes against all my beliefs about the welfare of these animals and totally undermines all the work that people like me put so much heart and effort into.

So, no. Please don't try to convince me otherwise. Its not happening. Its not on. Don't waste my time breeders!! Why don't y'all try to improve yourselves by mating with a decent human being? It would be nice if your offspring had half a brain and some compassion. Maybe that'll improve YOUR breed.

Foster pups Molly Sue & Madeleine are in love

Rescue tripod pup Molly and ex-pound pup Madeleine seem to have taken a liking to each other.. When Maddie first arrived, she was scared of her roommate and showed lots of teeth.. she was a snappy little growler but now she wags her tail so hard that her whole body wiggles. Its so wonderful to see traumatized puppies open up and learn to have fun again.. Madeleine is most definitely ready to go to a new home but i still haven't found her a family yet.. please help spread the word! Maddie is paper-trained, knows how to sit, comes when she's called, and surprisingly, is much calmer and mellower than my older adult dogs. She's quite zen this one.. and super cute too. she's not a picky eater and she gets along with cats. She also enjoys chewing rawhide bones and having her tummy rubbed.

Puppy Mill Article

I just read a great article about puppy mills. For those of you who aren't aware of the extent of the cruelty and neglect that goes on in these places, please take a few minutes to click on the link below and enlighten yourselves..

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100111/ap_on_re_us/us_puppy_mill_pushback_abridged

If you absolutely have to buy a pedigree pup instead of adopting a homeless stray, at least have the decency to make sure he comes from a responsible humane breeder and not a puppy mill. Pet shops will lie and tell you their pups come from good breeders. This is not necessarily true. Do more research. Pet shops get their pups from any source. They don't care how the pups' poor overused parents are treated. Always check on the parent dogs first. Ask yourself, where did these puppies come from? i'm sure you'll love your new pup, but does anyone love his parents?

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better - ADOPTION DRIVE

Announcement from Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB)

ADOPTION DRIVE
Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better will have its monthly adoption drive this Sunday. We hope that all our puppies will be successfully rehomed as we need the space to care for the Klang pound puppies. The puppies are currently with fosterers as well as in several veterinary clinics. Many are very anti-social and snappy and we need to bring them to our half-way-home to familiarise them with people as well as to give them good nourishment to build-up their immunity. MDDb is also appealing for hep to settle its never ending veterinary bills. Dry and canned dog food, dog shampoo and towels are also welcome. MDDB needs the extra dog food to be sent to the Klang pound.Details about the adoption drive:

Date: Jan 10, 2010

Venue: The Summit, Subang Jaya

Time: 11.00am to 7.00pm

Details: 019-3576477, 012-3739007

Posted by Sharmini Popiko Sasha at 1:42 AM
Labels: ANNOUNCEMENT

For Adoption - Snowy, Luna, and Rajah

As promised, here are some photos of my latest fosters.. Snowy is the mama cat. She has greyish black fur with a white undercoat. I don't know how else to describe it. She looks dark grey but if you brush her fur up its all white underneath.. She's no more than 2 years old, still a young lady. She's an affectionate and intelligent cat that prefers a quiet, mellow environment.

The little black tabby with striped legs is Luna. She's about 3 weeks old now and looks just like her mummy. She's the lazier of the two kittens. She loves sleeping and cuddling up with Snowy all day.

The silver tabby is Rajah. I've named him after Princess Jasmine's pet tiger in Disney's Aladdin cartoon. He's more adventurous than his cozy, comfort-loving sister. Every time I check on them, he's awake and looking at me with wide eyes.

The kittens will be ready for adoption in about 6 weeks time. If you're interested in adopting, please refer to the adoption procedure outlined on the right side of this blog. Snowy will be ready for adoption once her kittens are fully weaned and she has been spayed.