The Sarawak SPCA's mission is to act as an advocate on behalf of animals and as an enforcer of their rights; to provide for the well-being of the animals of the State of Sarawak who are abandoned, injured, subjected to unfair or cruel treatment, or otherwise in need; to cultivate in the people of our community an awareness of the animals whose world we share; to promote a bond of mutual assistance between people and animals; and to instill respect for and appreciation of all living things. The SSPCA is NOT a dumping ground for unwanted pets. The public need to know what kind of numbers we deal with at the shelter. For the last five weeks, for the month of May and the first week of June, we received 111 dogs and 81 puppies, 74 cats and 107 kittens. At any one time we have between 250 to 300 animals at our shelter. More than half of these animals do not make it… ONE dog was adopted (less than 1%), as well as 20 puppies (about 20%). Seven cats were adopted (9%) and 9 kittens (8%). 64 dogs (57% - more than half of those received) had to be Put To Sleep (PTS) and 19 puppies (23%), as well as 21 cats (28% of those received) and 26 kittens (24%). 22 dogs (20%) died a natural death, as well as 20 puppies (25%). 5 cats (6%) and 34 kittens (31%) also died of natural causes. Total dead 86 dogs (77%), 39 puppies (48%), 26 cats (34%) and 60 kittens (55%). Shocked? Dismayed? Why do so many die? Sick, unloved, unwanted. It is not the SSPCA’s fault – we are the last stop. It is negligence and hard heartedness that cause these deaths. Why such high percentages? You thought all animals at the SSPCA would live, even your “beloved” pets whom you abandon when they are old or have borne too many offspring? These are the hard cold facts, the numbers we have to deal with on a monthly basis. Why are we writing such a shocking article and revealing the numbers? The SSPCA has been very active the last year, doing pet adoptions and working with the local media to create a greater awareness of the Society and the Shelter we are running. Unfortunately with this greater awareness, the greater the number of people that think they can dump unwanted pets on us. But why so many deaths? It is a known fact that previously owned pets who are abandoned will eventually die due to home sickness, missing their owners and stress due to a new environment. This is particularly true with dogs. A lot of strays are brought to us, picked up off the streets by the councils and other good samaritans who find animals abandoned or injured. A lot of these animals have never been vaccinated and have been living in unhygienic conditions and therefore bring with them diseases. If the animal is sick we will try to treat it, sometimes they may die naturally but sometimes, with a Vet’s recommendation, we have no choice but to end their suffering by putting them to sleep. This could be because they are too sick, old or badly injured and infected. We try our best to keep the Shelter clean, but animals with diseases join the Shelter everyday. As much as we can, we will attend to the sickest ones. But once the animals catch an infectious disease they will be Put To Sleep due to the risk of virus spreading to other animals in the shelter. One lady brought in 4 cats and 10 kittens because she had 12 more cats at home! Be a responsible pet owner, and please get your pet neutered to avoid any unwanted litters. In another case, a couple who had lived here for 2 years had to surrender their cat because their contract ended and they did not know of anyone who would take the cat in. We took this cat in and found it a happy home. A student left to further her studies overseas, the family immediately brought in her 7 year old shihtzu to the shelter because they did not want to look after it. Was there no love and affection built up after 7 years? The SSPCA cannot always rehome your pets. Look at the adoption figures. Not very high despite our best efforts of holding off site pet adoption days as well. The shelter is not a guilt free dumping ground, where you think “SSPCA will find my pet a home”. Don’t just wash your hands and walk away, be a responsible pet owner and find alternatives and try to rehome your pets yourself. We would like to salute those people who bring in cats and dogs from the market and other public places, especially those that are starving or injured. We try our best to nurse these animals back to health and rehome them. Due to limited space and cages, however, we are trying to limit the number of animals at any one time to 250 – 300 animals. So if we take in ONE, we have to put to sleep an older or sicker animal. With 250-300 animals, this is a challenge. Imagine yourself keeping your pets clean everyday, then multiply that by 300 animals. The cost of food per month is RM6,000 – RM6,500. With more animals being dumped, there will be less food to go around. The cost of medical services to the Pets is approximately RM6000 per month. 90% of this money comes from public donations and fund raising. So please consider your Pet’s current environment, and explore other options if possible. Reconsider before you think of sending your family pet to be rehomed by us, especially young animals who are more susceptible to disease. Neuter and love your pets always.
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