The reaction I get from most people when I mention that I have seven cats is a look of unadulterated horror.  

Then I mention that I also have two dogs, two dozen fish and a labi-labi (terrapin – not endangered I might add). Now, the reaction this elicits I can’t even begin to describe. Basically most people think I’m a sandwich short of a picnic basket.  

I can’t quite understand why the concept of having all these animals is so hard to grasp. Granted it is a few more than most people would consider but, really, I was of sound mind and body when I took on my pets. 

I did not start out thinking, “I’ll go and get myself a zoo.” In fact, you can’t plan these things. The only thought I gave before taking my pets in was, “Can I commit to them for the long haul?”  

After weighing the time, expense and physical effort (try bathing seven cats and two dogs in one afternoon and you’ll understand how physical it can get) this would entail, I decided, “Yes, I could.”  

I grew up surrounded by pets but there was also a period when I did not own a single one. In that three years I moved freely, went on holidays at the drop of a hat, worked late with little care in the world. I also realized how empty life was without a pet. Any pet makes for a good companion. I can’t be specific because there are different strokes for different folks. Some are dog people and some are cat people – there are even reptile people. But, at the end of the day, a pet is a pet. The secret is in finding one that fits you.  

A pet will always look adoringly at you even when you’ve broken out in zits and have luggage under your eyes instead of the regular bags.  

A pet will always be happy to see you. Pets can provide security – not just by chasing away strange people who stick flyers on your gate but by being a source of comfort. I have discovered even the most seemingly useless of pets have a higher purpose. Pets instill in us all, even a little child, a sense of responsibility, self-worth and compassion.  

Of course, this then begs the question: If owning a pet is such a great and wonderful thing, why are places like the SPCA and PAWS crammed with unwanted animals?  

Alas, we live not in a perfect world. There are many who buy a pet for all the wrong reasons. Though they have the best of intentions, their decision is usually made without much thought. Some people don’t look beyond the adoring puppy eyes or cuddly kitten fur to see that they are taking on an extra mouth to feed – something that needs love and attention, and which will grow up to be a reproducing adult. 

There are some people who spend vast amounts of money on a pedigree only to neglect and abandon them once the novelty wears off.  

This was the case with Chewy, my apricot-coloured Persian, who was locked up in the same kitten-sized cage his former owners brought him home in – for five long years. Forced to defecate and urinate on himself – from the lack of space – he developed a severe fungus infection which left him with little more than a tuft of hair on his head. Eventually some form of moral consciousness kicked in, and the owners brought him to a vet – only to abandon him there.  

The vets took him in, cared for him (two months), absorbed the cost of his treatment (RM2,000) and found him a home.  

Oscar, when I found him, was a year-old male cat who had not been neutered. Following his natural instincts to roam and find a mate, he was hit by a passing vehicle and sustained a severe pelvic fracture. After six weeks of cage confinement, Oscar now lives out his days on top of the fridge, the roof or any place with a great view, an observer of life.  

If I had not happened to pass by or if I had closed my heart to his predicament and left him where he was thinking, ‘’I’m sure he’ll be OK’’ would someone else have stopped and thought to rescue him?  

Sian and Tara were discovered at the SPCA among the litters of unwanted pups that were given up for adoption. The number of puppies and kittens that are left at the SPCA every day is staggering. It is no wonder that the society sometimes has to resort to euthanasia to keep the population manageable.  

Even my fish were charity cases. The koi’s were bought from a pasar malam stall and kept in little containers with no oxygen while the Chinese carp, which were sold for something like RM2 for a bag of 10, were going to end up as a big fish’s meal. Yes, I could have shrugged it off and left them to their fates, but, really, what would that have made me? I, personally, couldn’t always turn a blind eye.  

I can’t help but feel a sense of sorrow for the ones that were not so lucky. I sometimes catch myself thinking, ‘’What’s one more?’’