Welfare Home for Seventy Cats

Yes, you heard me. I am the owner and operator of the above Welfare home for cats.

Circumstances forced me to end up with the cats (and there were 11 dogs too).

The house was not even a properly built house when I came to own it; it's a shed of some iron frame structure covered with tarpauline roof. The reason I came to own it was because when the Lum Wah Ee hispital building was under construction, the owner was asked to vacate the shed and he tried to sell the iron frame structure and the tarpualine sheet to the highest buyer. I was one of the bidders besides Indian scrap dealers.

There were cats every where, all over the place.

I later discovered why so many cats flocked to this area. Although a large open spaces between and behind buildings normally attract cats, the real reason was there was a restaurant catering to late night night-clubbers. These people with their girlfriends in tow would descend on this shop in droves. They chose - or rather their partners chose - the best foods on offer. Food like steamed or deep-fried pom-fret fish which are popular and very expensive, especially if served by night caterers.

But who cares? After a hard dancing and having a great time, not to mention hard drinking, these diners worried more about their hunger pangs and how to please their girlfriends than anything else, usually ordered more than they could chew. "Sometimes half a plate of pom-frets were hardly touched by these inebriated people," said Francis who washed plates behind the restaurant, showing me the fried fish that inevitably ended up in front of him every night. He couldn't possibly eat them all he said; so he fed to the waiting cats. The lucky cats - who never had it so good - as a result produced profusely. There were hundreds of cats when I came to live there.

But nothing lasts forever. The good Francis lost his washer job and the cats missed their abundant supplies of pom-frets when the restaurant closed down (suddenly). When their food source disappeared the felines descended on nearby homes and coffee shops. And I happened to be there at the right time as if willed by God. That's how I came to be saddled with the seventy cats.

But then again, before that I was already involved with dogs and cats. I used to feed strays for years. Unlike now, then I was much younger, had more money and could afford to be generous. I fed strays throughout Georgetown and up to Tanjong Bungah. Any dogs or cats that crossed my path became lucky ones; they would never go hungry again for the rest of their lives. I would without fail turn up at the same spot and so did they every day. How I wish I could have that kind of money again; so that I could continue to care for more dogs and cats.

But then again, now that I am not that young any more, I will be contented with just being able to look after my seventy cats at home and along the ways to the two markets that I go to every day to get supplies of fresh chicken livers for them.

Even that is in question now; I am running out of money.

I ran out of money fast because the house that now is known as Welfare Home for Seventy Cats was in dilapidated condition, laid waste by subterranean termites.

It took me about two years to repair it to the present condition. I did it all on my own single-handedly but it also took a big toll on my life-saving. I don't know how much I had spent; but when I needed materials for the repairs I had no choice but to buy whatever I needed. This type of project once begun you have no choice except to finish it. Even if you run out of money, you have to borrow in order to finish. I was fortunate in that I had enough to finish but the problem was while I was busy doing the renovation, I had had zero income.

In that kind of situation, no amount of money will last forever. Now what I have can sustain me only one or two months!

I had setup this blog Dogs and Cats with one purpose in mind - to generate revenue from Google AdSense ads and Google Affiliate networks and PayPal donation buttons. But for that to work I need to have high traffic volume to my site which is not the case now. I also helm another blog The Drl Blog to run Google ads to earn income to support my cats, but that still needs to be beefed up with more content.

I have also restarted my refrigeration business (which used to make me good money once) as part of the plan.

However, the reality is these things do take time. And time is running out.

After a hiatus of more than 10 years, my old customers have no ideas I have returned to fixing refrigerators for a living again.

I do hope Goggle AdSense, Google Affiliate and PayPal donation buttons bring in enough to tide me over for a while.

I am not saying the minute my money is gone I am going turn my back on the cats (if I were to follow my mother's advice), hell no! It's just that it will break my heart if a hungry cat or kitten comes and grates its neck against my ankle asking for food and I can't give it to him.

I have heard about Thai people donating a million dollars to temples literally at the drop of a hat! I hope some Thais happen to read this post and do the needful.

At the same time, I hope some visitors to this site (someones like-minded like me) go to their offices and kindly pass the hats around and collect something for my cats.

This idea, mind you, was not my own. It was a woman, a pious Christian woman, who used to pass by almost everyday, who suggested I invest in a coin box or piggy-bank, write the words For The Cats and hand it over and she would try to collect donation for me; which she did. It would be great if someone were to write a check for 100 or 50 dollars or click on the PayPal donation button and pay that amount. But then again, it's up to the donor to give; as they say, beggars have no right to choose. For me, I will be very grateful even if someone were to click on the PayPal donation button and select to give only $0.10! I am not averse to anything, any amount. To me, what counts is the heart.

If you have any question, please email me: