IMAGINE driving along a busy highway, when a truck speeds past you, and from the back falls a kitten, tumbling and rolling to the hard shoulder. What would you do?
Many Malaysians, with compassion for animals and some amount of daring, would want to save the kitten. Yet, what puts them off, is the idea that they will have to care for that animal for the rest of its life. Unaware there is an alternative, they leave the vulnerable creature to suffer its fate. However, Hannah Nawi and Liliana Martinez knew from experience that another way was possible.
When the shocking incident happened to them, as recorded on their dash-cam, Hannah immediately pulled the car over and Liliana jumped out.
Liliana recalls the frantic moments, striving to save the kitten’s life.
“I was chasing him, but he kept running out into the traffic. One car stopped just as the kitten ran underneath it, pinning its tail to the ground under its wheel. I asked the driver to ease forward but, when he did, the kitten ran again.”
Hannah parked the car and then stepped out into the traffic herself, waving her arms to slow the cars down. Fortunately, sympathetic drivers stopped on the highway, forming a barricade for other cars to do the same. This created enough space for Hannah to approach the terrified animal from the front, while Liliana crept up behind it and grabbed its neck. The kitten was safe at last, but then came the question of what they could do next.
“We have three male cats at home, so we felt we couldn’t take in another, as they wouldn’t accept it,” Liliana explains. “However, we have rescued cats in the past, and have been able to find alternative homes for them. When you do it once, you get the confidence to do it again. That’s why we knew we could help this kitten, and took action. You can’t save them all, but it feels good to help whenever you can.”
Hannah agrees. “The saying, ‘If you save a life, you are responsible for it’ is true, but it doesn’t mean you have to keep it for life. You are responsible for making sure the animal is OK from now on. Find others who can help you, but don’t just dump the animal on them. If you are passing an animal to a rescuer, make their work sustainable by donating for its care. You can follow up, be involved in vet trips, or finding a forever home for the cat. We discovered a helpful cat-boarding place and a good vet then used Petfinder to find the cats' new homes.”
However, in little Lola’s case, Hannah and Liliana decided to keep her themselves.
“On the way to the vet, we were discussing finding a nice home for the kitten when we passed our apartment block. I pointed to it and said, ‘That looks like a nice home for her.’ When I turned to Liliana, she had tears in her eyes. It was such a dramatic rescue, and if it had happened a few seconds earlier or later, we would have missed it. We felt she was meant to be with us.”
Fortunately, the vet trip proved that the kitten was a healthy little girl and, after a day or two, her three big brothers adored her.
“We took Lola home and bathed her and got advice from the Independent Pet Adoption Network* (IPAN) on her feeding and toileting needs. She purrs like crazy, but is too busy for a cuddle, as she wants to explore and play with her brothers and their toys. It’s amazing! She’s a perfect fit.”
For Jacqueline Wong and her family, saving animals has enhanced their lives, rather than disrupt them.
Jacqueline, her husband Tim, and 16-year-old Tobi were cycling around the Botanical Gardens in KL. Feeling thirsty, they turned into one of the newly re-opened cafés to refill their water.
“We saw two cats there; one had a limp and the other couldn’t breathe well,” explains Jacqueline. “We chatted with the café’s friendly owner, who told us he fed the cats fried chicken. A few were sick, and many kittens had died shortly after birth. We agreed with him that we would take the cats for medical treatment and then return them. We offered to provide healthier food for them so that he could continue feeding and monitoring the cats.
“The next day we took the first two. ‘TNBR One Life at a Time’ gave us good advice and contacts. We contacted IPAN, who helped to pick up all the remaining cats and spay them. We also rescued a mum, Kiara, with her three kittens, and found foster care for them. Unfortunately, Kiara was already very sick and didn’t last long. The orphaned kittens have thrived though and will soon be ready for adoption.
“We go check on the cats three times a week now. They are a real asset, as they keep rodents and pests away from the café and attract customers. The café colony is healthy and thriving. Each of them has been sterilised now, and they are all friendly. There was no need to adopt any of them into a house, as they are part of the natural balance where they are.
Jacqueline’s project has not only benefitted the cats.
“The MCOs have been hard on young people; they’ve been isolated and inactive. Tobi has bonded with the cats and looks forward to going out to help them.”
Tobi has even joined an Animal Welfare Club at school, and his schoolmates have expressed an interest in getting out and visiting the cats.
“Tim, my husband, was never interested in a pet, but now he is enthusiastically rescuing strays from the bushes on his hands and knees. It is lovely to see him in a different light. We have made some good friends through rescuing, too.
“We provided the resources to help the cats but didn’t have to turn our lives upside-down. Our family time has become closer and more meaningful. The whole experience has been good for us all.”
When Kayleigh Harris dropped her cat off at the vet to be spayed, she planned to go for breakfast and a massage while she waited. Kayleigh never dreamt that, within minutes, her day would dramatically change.
“I was passing a big metal fence around a car park. Suddenly I heard a kitten. Through the fence, I saw it lying on its side and crying loudly and desperately. It was not moving and had plastic lying across its feet. I was horrified, imagining all the terrible things that could have happened to it, and could only think about getting to it fast.”
Not realising she could access the area through the lower floor car park, Kayleigh ran round to the ground level, and then climbed onto the roof of an adjacent building and jumped down, injuring her foot.
“I didn’t think about the risk. All I could see was the kitten. I was so desperate.”
What Kayleigh discovered was disturbing. The little mite was covered in a strong glue, possibly from a rat trap. Its legs were stuck together so it couldn’t walk, and even its eye seemed damaged. It certainly would not have lasted long in that predicament.
“I grabbed it and rushed back to the vet. It was crying and crying. The first thing the vet had to do was unstick my hands from the kitten! Then they took it in, and I started to think about what next.”
Although she knew she couldn’t keep the kitten herself, as her newly spayed cat would need all of her attention, she was willing to do what it took to find an alternative.
“I called my best friend, who gave me IPAN’s number. They were able to foster and care for the kitten and help find it a permanent home. A lot of people panic in this sort of situation as they don’t know what to do. If you can do the basics – get the animal out of immediate danger and take them to the vet – then there is help and advice out there for the next step.”
When Kayleigh returned to the vet’s two hours later, the kitten, a female, looked completely different.
“The vet had used oils to get most of the glue off and bathed her. She was uninjured, and no longer screaming, but slept purring in my arms.”
Kayleigh passed the kitten to the fosterers, who named her Coconut. Kayleigh herself went home to ice her sprained ankle and rest it for three days until it recovered. However, she has no regrets about her exploits.
“I grew up with animals, and it was a natural response to save the kitten. Animals are happy, loving creatures. Who wouldn’t want to help them?”
Who indeed? Perhaps, armed with the knowledge that help can be at hand, more will be willing to do so. – The Vibes, April 7, 2021
*The Independent Pet Adoption Network (IPAN) is not a shelter, but a network of individuals who rescue and rehome cats and dogs. Catherine Leyow, the writer of this article, is involved in IPAN. If you wish to adopt a cat or dog, need advice, or want to support IPAN’s rescue work, please WhatsApp 012-2026384 – but please, no dumping.
