Dogs, cats and wildlife don’t always have an easy life. If animals in Malaysia are lucky, they live in loving homes or are being otherwise cared after. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.
Many dogs and cats roam on the street, where they have a high chance of being caught by the authorities, after which they’re put down. Others end up in shelters, where volunteers do their utmost to provide them with food, shelter, and a loving hug. Some of these shelters – if not all – have been hit hard by the pandemic and lockdowns.
As far as we know, all shelters mentioned in this listicle are genuinely caring for animals. Please help them. Mostly, donations to these shelters are tax-deductible – ask for an official receipt. If you’re aware of a shelter that is not being mentioned in this list, please do let us know! We’re happy to add them.
Dogs and cats
Bworth Fur Kids Home
No-kill NGO registered animal shelter Bworth Fur Kids Home is situated in Butterworth and is currently sheltering 300 dogs and cats. They promote kindness and compassion towards all animals and are striving for a more humane world for furkids. Most of the animals are neutered and given regular vaccinations after quarantine. The shelter also carries out trap and neuter programmes to reduce homeless lives on the streets. Have a look at their website here for more information about helping them out.
Malaysian dogs deserve better
Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) is a canine welfare initiative dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of rescued and abandoned dogs.
MDDB strives to give destitute street dogs and puppies a second chance in life. Besides rescuing and re-homing, MDDB also advocates and promotes a Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage system for street dogs. MDDB operates on public donations and would appreciate any kind of help from members of the public. More info here on their FB page.
The Volunteers’ Dog Shelter at Rinching
This dog shelter at Rinching in Semenyih is run by volunteers only. Their operational costs depend for 100% on the goodness of the public. Please help them by donating to their feeding programme. More info on their FB page here.
Katzen Cat Sanctuary
Katzen Cat Sanctuary is an NGO that was started by two cat-loving sisters. After some friends found out about them, they started sending some stray cats over, hoping that the sisters would foster the cats and indeed they did. And so the cat sanctuary grew. Their ultimate dream is to find ‘furr-ever’ homes for all cats in Malaysia.
The current policy is for all cats to be spayed or neutered, with at least the first vaccination completed before they can be adopted. Volunteers and donations in cash and kind are always welcome. Would you like to help by buying come cute cat-merchandise? Have a look here.
Second Chance Animal Shelter
Second Chance Animal Society is a no-kill animal shelter with a mission to rescue and rehome stray dogs. Since their start in 2009, Second Chance has saved more than 1000 stray dogs in Selangor – and 50% of them have been rehomed. The Second Chance shelter is solely run on public donations and voluntary aids.
KL Pooch Resort and Rescue
This ‘animals only’ resort features spacious kennels, a swimming pool and onsite grooming. All funds are used for the rehabilitation and housing of over two hundred street dogs that have been rescued. Make an appointment to view the kennels or to adopt a happy, healthy pooch.
You can help KL Pooch Resort and Rescue by buying Christmas biscuits for dogs! More info here.
PAWS
PAWS (Paws Animal Welfare Society) was founded in 1987 by a small group of local and expatriate volunteers. Last month, PAWS has moved to their new location in Ara Damansara. They need funds to build Malaysia’s first multi-storey eco-friendly animal shelter. Find out how you can be part of a sustainable future for furry friends here.
The organisation depends entirely on the generosity of the public through donations or proceeds from charitable events, organised and run by volunteers. More info on donations here. Would you like to know more about PAWS? Have a look at our article here!
K9 Happy Home
K9 Happy Home is a sanctuary in Kuantan for homeless animals that have been neglected and left in the street. The shelter is run by Ms Puva. Her mission: to educate people how to show love towards animals. K9 Happy Home’s operations completely rely on donations from the public. With almost 200 dogs and 90 cats to look after, they need your help. Have a look on their FB page here and find out how you can help them. You can also email Ms Puva here or call her at 017 683 3925. They have many puppies for adoption at the moment!
Mee Fah Shelter in Semenyih
More than 3000 dogs, cats, even a few tortoises and a money have found a home in Mee Fah shelter. That’s a lot! Would you like to help? More info on their FB page here. You can also email them here.
My Pets Haven in Shah Alam
The centre homes 35 dogs and 8 cats and is solely run by Aunty Aileen and one employee. Besides putting the animals up for adoption, they also provide boarding, grooming services and sell pet accessories and necessities.
My Pets Haven relies on donations to help with the bills related to our animals. They also welcome volunteers any day to help out – you just have to contact My Pets Haven at 019 6632 828 and schedule a date.
From our SpanglishMama: “Thanks to the wonderful work of Aunty Aileen at My Pets Haven in Shah Alam, we found our new family member, Leah, a loving young dog. You can choose to foster for a few weeks and then adopt if the dog fits in with your family.”
For more information and to see the precious pooches she is trying to help, visit their Facebook page here.
SPCA Selangor, Malaysia
The aim of the SPCA is to protect defenseless animals and to alleviate their suffering. Established in 1958, the Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals provides temporary shelter to unwanted animals in Selangor and the Federal Territory. The SPCA is trying to rehome as many as possible, but with more than 600 animals arriving every month, the shelter is constantly challenged by a shortage of space and limited funds.
Since they started implementing a ‘no-kill’ policy there are currently about 150 adult dogs and 30 puppies awaiting loving families to adopt them. You can now donate to the SPCA via Lazada! Have a look here.
Cherishlife Home
A no-kill shelter, Cherishlife Home animal welfare organisation is run by Aunty Winnie. She is committed to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of stray cats and dogs. If she is unable to find a home for the rescued cats and dogs, they will stay in the shelter for the rest of their lives.
Cherishlife Home is a private non-governmental organisation. They don’t receive government funding and rely on donations and merchandise sales. At the moment, there are more than 250 dogs and cats with Aunty Winnie. Would you like to help? More info here.
Wildlife
Adopt a bear at the BSBCC
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) is a sun bear rescue and rehabilitation facility in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.The BSBCC is the only sun bear conservation centre in the world. It was founded in 2008 and they aim to provide care and rehabilitation to rescued sun bears and to increase awareness of sun bears internationally.
The Centre is open to the public. Visitors can learn about sun bears and observe them in their natural habitat.
Would you help the Centre? View here on their website for donations. You can also adopt a bear… How cool is that?! Sounds great for a project at school!
The Gibbon Conservation Society, Pahang
The main purpose of the Gibbon Conservation Society is to support the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project or GReP, a project that focuses on rehabilitating victims of the illegal wildlife pet trade. The project is located in Pahang and is currently rehabilitating 15 White-handed gibbons. Please help us send them back to their home in the wild by donating. More info here. They also sell pretty merch here.
You could also volunteer at a shelter, or adopt a dog or cat from the shelters we’ve highlighted in this article. No matter how cute young pups and kittens are, please bear in mind that a lot of older dogs and cats also are in dire need of a forever home. Have a look here at our article, full of tips and advice before you adopt a stray.
