KUALA LUMPUR: For Shafira Azlan, feeding stray cats has never been as simple as putting out a bowl of food and walking away. Over the past five years, caring for a colony in Setiawangsa has become part of her daily life.
“Whenever we go out and see stray cats, we feel tremendous empathy for them,” said the 40-year-old, who tends to the cats with her husband.
It all began with the rescue cats they kept at home: giving their own pets good food every day prompted the couple to start sharing food with the strays they encountered outside.
That casual habit became a regular commitment when they came across that roadside colony five years ago. “They were not someplace with a roof - they were literally by the roadside,” Shafira recalled.
Today, about 30 cats live in the area, although the number constantly changes. “There will always be newcomers,” she added. “Either they were abandoned, or they belonged to someone but escaped."
The couple feed the cats three times a day, starting at 6.30am. Shafira also rescues those who are sick or injured, arranges treatment and boarding, finds adoptive homes, and carries out trap-neuter-return work.
The expenses, of course, add up quickly. Food alone costs between RM600 and RM800 a month, while medical treatment can run into the thousands, depending on a cat’s condition.
“We do receive some donations from the public, but it is far from enough to cover everything,” Shafira said.
Some residents object to their efforts, concerned that feeding the cats will attract more strays. But with so much to do, Shafira has little interest in arguing.
“I just ignore them,” she said. “It’s useless. If you talk too much or fight with people, you’ve already spent the whole day feeding the strays and then you spend more time fighting with someone.”
Her priority is making sure the cats have enough to eat. “As long as the cats get food, everyone eats and their stomachs are full, I’m relieved.”
That does not mean the work is easy. Shafira has experienced burnout and thought about quitting “many times”, worn down by vet bills, boarding fees and emergencies that often force other needs to wait.
Yet stepping away is difficult when she thinks about the animals waiting for her. “When you’re feeding, you look at the cats and think, who is going to feed them? If they’re sick, who is going to help them?”
Her family has long shared the responsibility. Her son, now 18, used to join the couple on their morning feeding rounds before school, and they would stop to feed the cats again after picking him up.
Among Shafira’s most memorable rescues were two female cats: one heavily pregnant, the other found beside a car tyre with her newborn kittens. The kittens eventually found adoptive homes, but their mothers faced a longer wait.
One of the mothers was adopted after two months, only to go missing from her new home for a week. “We went looking for her for that whole week,” Shafira recalled. “Luckily, we found her.”
The two female cats subsequently spent eight months receiving treatment and waiting for a permanent home, staying together through moves from one boarding facility to another. Over that time, their bond became clear.
“They really can’t be separated. They needed each other,” Shafira said. Eventually, both were adopted by the same person.
Caring for strays has also changed how Shafira approaches her own life, including how she spends her money.
"Everything is through the lens of the cats. If we want to eat something nice, we’d think, 'Do we do it for ourselves, or can we save that money and share it with the strays outside?’”
She also rarely travels because the cats need their meals, although working from home helps her maintain her routine.
Shafira cannot say how long she will be able to keep going, but her wish is simple. “I hope as long as I have the energy and the ability, I will continue forever.”