RESCUE — SAVE THE CATS!
- Found a tiny orphan kitten (or kittens)? Click here to read about Rescue – Emergency Kitten Care Rescued or have a cat you cannot keep? Please read on for suggestions on what to do to rehome cats.
- ASK THE CAT BEACH HELPLINE FOR HELP If you need help with any aspect of rescue, please contact the CB Helpline. Send a WhatsApp or SMS message or phone the Helpline at +60 17 575 3419 (backup: +60176204508). The CB Team can share information about veterinarians, transport, boarding and how to find adopters, foster carers, donors and fundraising support.
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WHATSAPP FOR HELP Please send the following important information to the Helpline by WhatsApp. It will be shared widely thru social media and chat groups to try to find help for you and the cat. Please send:
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Photo of the cat(s)
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Current location of the cat (and number of cats)
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Location where the cat was found
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Condition of the cat – sick? injured?
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Story of why the cat needs rescue or help
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Contact name and phone number
Click here for CAT RESCUE TIPS slideshow
Rescue 101 Video https://youtu.be/g3vzTNOAD4A
Please do NOT bring cats to Cat Beach Sanctuary without permission. Whatsapp call or message the Cat Beach Helpline +60175753419 (backup +60176204508) if you need help.
EMERGENCY CARE FOR KITTENS AND CATS
SAVING KITTENS
Keep them safe. Keep them warm. Give sugar water. Get Kitten Milk Replacer. Keep them clean.
Found a tiny orphan kitten (or kittens)? Click here to read about Rescue – Emergency Kitten Care
RESCUE PROCESS
Thank you for your care for cats and kittens. These beautiful creatures depend on human care and yet too often are found in desperate situations. Cat Beach is dedicated to help those in greatest need and to give information to cat rescuers and owners. Please understand that Cat Beach is the “last resort” after trying other options.
- SAFETY FIRST – Get the cat to safety. If you can catch it, you can put it inside a cardboard box (you can get one from almost any shop). Close the lid so it cannot escape but be sure the box has airholes so the cat can breathe (you can use a pen to punch holes). Protect yourself when handling any stranger cat or a cat that seems sick or injured. Try not to touch it directly. Wrap it in a towel, rug, coat or other cloth and move it into the cardboard box or other carrier.
- TRANSPORT THE CAT TO A VETERINARIAN In all cases of cat rescues, it is important that a veterinarian examines the cat for health issues. Do not bring the cat into your home until after the vet check, especially if you have other cats as it may have some contagious disease or parasites. If you do bring it inside, isolate it in a bathroom (prevent any spread of fleas or other creepies) and clean carefully after. As we often say, please get the cat the vet care it needs first. Worry about the payment and the cat’s future after. Please take the cat to a veterinarian immediately.
- ASAP Offer the cat water and food. Many rescued cats are dehydrated or starving. If it does not eat or drink, that is a sign it needs vet care asap.
- ASK THE CAT BEACH HELPLINE FOR HELP If you need help with any aspect of rescue, please contact the CB Helpline. Send a WhatsApp or SMS message or phone the Helpline at +60 17 575 3419. The CB Team can share information about veterinarians, transport, boarding and how to find adopters, foster carers, donors and fundraising support. If you send the following important information to the Helpline, it will be shared widely thru social media and chat groups to try to find help for you and the cat. Please send:
- Photo of the cat(s)
- Current location of the cat (and number of cats)
- Location where the cat was found
- Condition of the cat – sick? injured?
- Story of why the cat needs rescue or help
- Contact name and phone number
- NEXT STEPS – Consider ways to fund the veterinary costs (usually about RM 25 to RM 50 for initial health check, more for medical needs). Consider where the cat can go after the veterinary clinic. Most clinics will allow boarding until other options can be found. Reach out with the information above to family, friends and everyone you know to ask them to help the rescued cat.
Please understand Cat Beach is “the Last Resort.”
Please make a sincere effort to find the cat a loving permanent home.
TRANSPORT: To transport a cat or kitten, please place it inside a box or carrier; never let a cat roam free in a car as there is a real potential that it may escape or cause an accident. If you do not have a carrier or cage, you can use a cardboard box which you can get for free from almost any store – just be sure to punch out some airholes! Cardboard boxes are warm – good for kittens to be warm and cosy but may be too hot for adult cats. Do not leave the box in the sun or in an enclosed car where the temperature can get too high.
If you need help finding transport, feel free to contact Cat Beach for help – we can provide a list of local Pet Taxis. We also are grateful to the Grab drivers who have been willing to transport cats – just ask.
Cat Beach can ONLY take cats or kittens that are in life-or-death emergency situations. Many, if not most, of the cats we receive come in sick or injured. Cat Beach can make no guarantees for their survival – but do promise to do our best to help them. Neonate kittens under 1 month need emergency care and so we will try to help to find a nursing momcat or foster care for them — again, no guarantees for their survival. We can also provide information and training so that you or someone you know can give the cat or kitten the care it needs.
Cats do not need much space – a bathroom, even a closet or cupboard can serve short-term as a safe place for a cat to recover. Please try to find a place in your home or among family or friends to care for the rescued cat temporarily to give time to find foster care or an adopter.
HOW TO REHOME A CAT YOU CANNOT KEEP
If for whatever reason, you have owned or rescued a cat and can no longer keep it, the best thing for the cat is to go to a loving home. There are many people who are looking for a cat right now — you just need to reach out widely and spread the word that you have a cat in need of a home.
- TELL EVERYONE — Talk to your family, friends, colleagues at work and tell them you have a cat in need of a new home. Ask them to spread the word. Don’t stop there – tell the cashier at the store, the waiter at the restaurants you go to, anyone you talk or chat with on the phone.
- POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHATSAPP CHATS, everywhere!
- MAKE FLYERS and put up around your neighborhood, at stores, pet shops, veterinary clinics, restaurants,
- HANDOUT FLYERS to anyone you meet
- ALWAYS INCLUDE BASIC INFORMATION IN POSTS AND PRINT:
- PHOTO OF THE CAT (cute or tragic – a photo that tells the story)
- THE STORY – why the cat needs a new home
- LOCATION – general neighborhood
- CONTACT PERSON – name of a person to contact
- TELEPHONE NUMBER (WhatsApp best)
- POST ON THESE LINKS TO FIND A NEW HOME FOR A CAT
- www.petfinder.com
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/adoptacatpenang
- Many other Facebook pages such as Lovely Cats for Free Adoption – search on cats, Penang, etc.
- Many other social media opportunities: Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, LinkedIn
- You could even create the cat’s own website
- Contact press – newspapers, TV, radio — Get the word out there!
Please never “dump” cats – cats and kittens are not trash. They have little chance of survival if left on the street or dumped at a market. Kittens under 5 weeks of age cannot eat or drink on their own and will die.
PLEASE REPORT ANY ABUSE OF CATS If you need help to rescue or transport cats to safety, please see the following list. In cases of endangerment or abuse of cats, please do not fail to report to the police, the Department of Veterinary Services and/or other authorities. You should know that Malaysia’s Animal Welfare Act of 2015 forbids cruelty to cats and anyone caught harming a cat can go to jail.
See Animal Welfare Contacts List
HELP & OPTIONS — ANIMAL WELFARE CONTACTS If you should see or hear about a cat (or any other animal) being harmed or endangered, please take immediate action to save it. If it is a matter of animal cruelty including “dumping,” try to get some evidence — a video or photo is best — and please help stop animal cruelty! Take the time to report cruelty to the local police and to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS). Malaysia’s Animal Welfare Act of 2015 expressly forbids cruelty to animals and abusers should know that they risk going to jail and heavy fines. If you need help to rescue the cat(s) from abuse, the DVS may be able to investigate.
The APM Civil Defence and the local Bomba Fire Department frequently rescue animals from drains, trees, rooftops, abandoned buildings and other dangerous situations. Other resources include Pet Taxis to transport cats, Veterinarians that can assess health and treat illnesses and injuries, and Boarding facilities that can care for the animal to give time to find temporary Foster Care or even a permanent Adopter.
Click here to go to our Penang Animal Welfare Contacts List.
IF CAT BEACH ACCEPTS THE CAT: Once you have received permission to bring the cat, please let us know at least 1 hour before delivering to the Sanctuary. Volunteers at Cat Beach will need to prepare a cage lined with newspaper, prep clean bowls for food and water, and ensure someone is there to receive the cat and complete the paperwork.
Unless it is an emergency or the rescuer is truly destitute, we ask that all cats be brought first to a veterinarian for health check and vaccination.
For neonate kittens, let us know immediately. Kittens under 3 weeks need 24 hour care. It may be more important to rush them to the Sanctuary or a Foster Carer for feeding and care — kittens may not survive if not fed every few hours.
You will also be asked to sign the Surrender Form (link here). Please do share as much information about the cat as you can.
SEE BELOW: STEPS FOR A GOOD RESCUE – Kittens, Juniors, Adult Cats
Please understand that Cat Beach is an all-volunteer sanctuary and there is no resident vet. Our volunteers promise to do the best we can to give basic care including regular food and to carefully follow the instructions of veterinarians if the cat needs nursing care.
Please consider what is best for the cat — a good home. Your help to find the rescued cat a home is a crucial part of good rescue. Please try to be supportive of the new owner or shelter. Cat Beach is “the last resort” — a loving home is the best solution!
Almost every day, cats and kittens are found by kindhearted rescuers. They may be sick, injured, abandoned or given up for many reasons by their caregivers, lost or rejected by their mothers, or part of a colony of Community Cats that humans no longer want around. There are many reasons why cats become homeless and helpless. Unlike wild animals, domestic cats rely on their relationships with humans for their survival – they need and deserve our help.
It is important that people understand that Cat Beach Sanctuary is and should be only “the last resort.”
Please try to make every effort to find another alternative before sending a cat to Cat Beach or any shelter. Finding a loving home offering proper care is a far better alternative than sending a cat (or any animal) to a shelter. Please do whatever you can to help the cat find a ‘fur-ever’ home. The best solution is always a loving home!
STEPS TO A GOOD RESCUE:
- Take pictures. These can be the most valuable tools to identify the cat. You may need assistance to capture the cat and that can help others identify it. The photos help track the cat for the sanctuary. They also can be posted in hopes of adoption and fostering. And good photos also can be used for promotion to help create interest in the public in supporting cat care.
- Capture the Cat. A simple cardboard box or a cage or carrier can help to transport a cat safely. If the cat is difficult to catch, you can put food inside the carrier and wait for it to go in. It may take several days so be patient!
- Plan Transport. If you need help capturing or transporting, contact us for a list of rescuers, pet transporters, and organizations that may be able to assist you. Many of the new Grab Car drivers will allow cats in carriers. Some will even deliver. Please do not let the cat roam free in the car — it can cause an accident if it bothers the driver or it may jump out a window or the door when you arrive. Please carry cats by car; not by bike or motorcycle unless it is an emergency.
- Take the Cat to a Vet for Health Assessment, Deflea and Deworm. Ask the vet to clean the cat so it does not carry diseases (especially important with kittens which may be carriers), give it a deworming if 2 weeks or older, and give a safe age-appropriate flea treatment. Please bring or send the vet’s instructions and information to the Sanctuary so it can be copied for the files and correctly cared for.
- Get the Cat Vaccinated and plan Sterilization. A vet can assess the cat’s health and start any needed treatment right away. Vets can also do tests to determine if the cat has a disease that might be contagious to other cats. If it is old enough, get the cat vaccinated for its own protection and to protect other cats. Please plan to help get the cat sterilized. Typically an adult should rest 10 days after vaccination before the operation. Some vets will do the operation and vaccinate the same day.
- Send pictures and contact information out widely. Post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, send to your Whatsapp and Message contacts, share with your family and friends. Be sure to write up a basic description, the situation, and include how to contact to adopt the cat.
- Post to pages, groups, etc. – www.petfinders.com.my, Lovely Cats for Free Adoption, many others.
- Make printouts, flyers, banners, cards. Distribute them wherever you go. Hand flyers with pictures of the cat and tells its story to everyone you meet. Give them out at the grocery store and tell the cashier. Tell the waiter at the restaurant and hand him or her a picture. Ask the managers if it is ok to tape up a poster on the wall. Don’t forget to put them up at veterinarians and pet shops.
- Tell everyone you meet that you know or have a cat or kitten ready for adoption.
- Consider supporting the cat you saved and all his/her furry friends at Cat Beach! Become a PAW-RENT Sponsor — see our PAW-RENTS page
IF YOU DECIDE TO RESCUE A CAT OR KITTEN, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
FOR KITTENS — under 6 weeks
The best chance a kitten has for survival is to be placed with a nursing momcat who will do all the work of its care. If anyone you know has a nursing mom, try to get the kitten to her as quickly as possible.
If the kitten is less than 6 to 8 weeks old and is found in Penang state, then please do immediately contact Cat Beach. We will try to find a momcat to nurse it or possibly connect you to other shelters or foster carer. If it is old enough (3 to 4 weeks) to eat solid food, please give it JUNIOR FOOD which comes in pouches. They can usually survive on the soft food which is enriched with proper nutrients. Please consider caring for it in your home until an adopter can be found.
While during Kitten Seasons, the Cat Beach Nursery can be overwhelmed, we will accept kittens under 6 weeks as their last best hope for survival. Here’s first steps:
- Box the Kitten When you find a kitten, put it into a box – a very clean cardboard or plastic box lined with newspapers will work and will keep in heat. Put in a soft piece of cloth for a bed. You can cover but be sure there is plenty of air to breathe.
- Warm the Kitten Kittens cannot regulate their body temperatures so keeping them warm (but not hot) and cosy is important. If it is a cool day or the kitten seems cold, take a plastic soft drink or water bottle and fill with hot water. Wrap in a towel and put at one end of the box. Be sure the kitten can get away from it if too hot.
- Feed the Kitten Drinking is crucial or kittens can quickly dehydrate. You can get a syringe at a pharmacy or just use your (very clean) finger to drip small drops of liquid into its mouth. Other ways include dipping a sock or cloth and letting the kitten suck on that. You can even use a spoon. Feed the kitten warm WATER even if you do not have kitten milk. Cow milk is not recommended as can cause diarrhea although in an emergency, thin the cow milk with warm water. Goat milk is very good for kittens. Evaporated (not sweet condensed) milk is good, too, as a temporary solution. There are recipes for Kitten Glop mixing evap milk, egg yolks, mayonnaise, yogurt, and gelatin. Even some of those ingredients short-term may give the calories a kitten needs.
- Get equipped. Go to a pet store and purchase Kitten Milk Replacer and a kitten bottle if you will be feeding for several days.
- See the free downloadable e-book from KittenLady.org for instructions on kitten care: Orphaned Kitten Care and watch her videos for good suggestions (www.kittenlady.org)After getting a momcat to care for the kitten, the next best choice for a kitten’s survival is for a human (You?) to take on the handfeeding fostering. Neonates under 3 weeks will need feeding every 2 to 3 hours, all night too. Lots of good advice on kitten rearing on websites — www.kittenlady.org and others. Cat Beach can also give advice if you decide to foster the kitten.
FOR JUNIORS AND ADULT CATS
Except in dire emergencies, please request permission for any junior and adult cats to come to the Sanctuary from the Cat Beach managers.
Cats should be vaccinated before coming to the Sanctuary. There are several veterinarians along the route out to Teluk Bahang. Please just ask Cat Beach if you need the location of a vet near you or on the way.
COMING TO CAT BEACH
Upon arrival, cats are placed in a cage for a minimum of 1 week and maximum of 2 weeks for observation of their health and behavior. This time in a cage allows them to get used to the other cats, the people, and the environment. After that period, the cats are released into the compound to roam free. Usually they will stay around and become part of the colony. They learn to trust that there will be food and water 24/7 and a big family of cats and people to socialize with.
SURRENDER
Rescuers and pet owners who surrender cats to Cat Beach need to understand that the Sanctuary can make no guarantees for the cat’s continued health or safety. Because of the impossibility to fully enclose the property, the cats may run away (although not far as the town is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides and the sea on the 4th). They may hide (many possible places). With so many cats coming from desperate situations, it is possible the cat may catch a disease or become injured.
It is very difficult to keep track of 250+ cats, so please understand that if you visit or request information about it, the cat you brought in may not be found. Our volunteers are kept very busy — so please be understanding if we are unable to respond to your request.
WHY CAT BEACH?
The property has a number of advantages because of its beachside location. There are many things that stress cats in shelters — at Cat Beach, the noise factor is minimized by the sounds of the waves; there is only 1 quiet dog so no barking to upset the cats; and there are lots of places to climb, play, sleep, hide. Apparent disadvantages such as the isolation of the community at the end of a long twisting road also work to the cats’ benefit. Based in an old wooden bungalow, the Sanctuary is not purr-fect but it has come a long way and every day, volunteers work hard to make it better.
With the costs and effort required for cat care, here at Cat Beach, we would like to say “No More!” But as long as Cat Beach Sanctuary exists, it is our firm policy never to turn away a cat caught in a truly desperate situation.
THE COSTS OF CARE
With every new cat accepted, the budget must grow. In essence, rescuers and pet owners bringing a cat to the Sanctuary is asking our volunteers to raise RM 1000 for a year of care.
Currently, we estimate that cat care at Cat Beach costs about RM 1000 per cat per year, about RM 80 to 85 a month.
This means somehow we must find about RM 250,000 for a year of caring for 250 plus cats. Your help as a donor and by reaching out to others to help Cat Beach help cats can make a real difference.
To help sustain Cat Beach Sanctuary as a special place for cats with nowhere else to go, please contribute whatever you can. Please see our page – https://catbeachpenang.com/donate/
To read our Surrender Agreement Form, click here. For more about Surrendering, click here.