Of Salvage, Sanctuary and Shelter
Behind the scenes of Singapore’s longest-running no-kill pet shelter
Just off Kranji Expressway Exit 5, along Sungei Tengah Road, one can hear the incessant barking of dogs in a facility known as The Animal Lodge.
The Animal Lodge comprises 112 units and 20 two-storey blocks of independent animal shelters, pet farms and animal advocacy groups. Metta Cats and Dogs Sanctuary is located in Block U, one of Singapore’s largest and longest-running no-kill animal sanctuaries.
Founded by Mdm Lee Siew Ying in 1999, Metta Sanctuary started out as a shelter in Pasir Ris housing 50 cats. Since then, Mdm Lim rescued approximately 10,000 cats over 30 years before her demise in 2019. Mdm Lim’s son, Mr Terry Lim, now continues her legacy as the owner of Metta Sanctuary.“I got my PhD when I was 37. She passed on when I was 38, and that’s when I quit everything and carried on the shelter,” said Mr Terry, who left his profession as a clinical psychologist to dedicate time to serving the shelter.
“This has been my full-time job ever since,” said Mr Lim whose main source of income comes from renting out his HDB flat. Mr Lim spends his entire day at the shelter, alongside the aid of dedicated volunteers.
After being evicted from their previous location in Lim Chu Kang, Metta Sanctuary relocated to The Animal Lodge eight months ago. “When we first came in, there were no cubicles, nothing set up. We had to build all this from scratch,” said Mr Lim, explaining that the sanctuary had to raise $100,000 to first set up the space. Now, Metta Sanctuary has to raise about $24,000 every month to keep daily operations going and heavily relies on regular donations.
All 40 cats and 12 dogs at the sanctuary are either rescues or passed on by owners who are no longer capable of providing care for them. Some were rescued from abusive environments. “There were a few that were supposedly hit, and were scared of humans when they were first rescued,” said Ms Yuan Ying, 42, one of the volunteers.
Others were abandoned by their previous owners. For instance, Woofie, a Singapore Special was given up by his owner in June 2017. He refused to eat properly for days, cried and would pine for his owner who had blocked the sanctuary from communicating with him. Woofie has now grown accustomed to the sanctuary and is looking for a new home ever since.
“Because they are Singapore Specials and not pedigree, you’ll find that the demand for their adoption is much lower,” said Mr Lim.
Not all pets at the sanctuary, however, are up for adoption.
For instance, Wednesday, a petite orange-white cat is no longer qualified to be adopted due to the trauma of being switched around homes three times. Despite previously going for home trials, Wednesday was quickly returned after she knocked down her potential adopter’s television and scratched all over the house. “She has PTSD now,” said Mr Lim who now ensures she is well-taken care of in the sanctuary.
“This is why we ask potential owners questions like, would they prioritise their cat over their laptop? Or, if they are okay with being scratched and their furniture being scratched?” said Mr Lim.
Ms Yung Ying (right), 42, a nurse who volunteers on weekends, has spent the past two years feeding, washing and walking the dogs at Metta Sanctuary. As an animal lover, and an owner of an adopted dog herself, she felt it was only natural for her to volunteer when she heard that Metta was looking out for people to walk the dogs.
“It helps that when you come regularly enough, the animals know you and more can be done because they learn to trust humans”, said Ms Yung Ying.
For Ms Lina Chua (left), 53, however, being a part of Metta was something that occurred by chance. Her daughter was the one who introduced her to the sanctuary when she needed to find a volunteer for her Community Involvement Programme (CIP) hours. “After the first visit I had, I told my daughter she wouldn’t go back. Back then, the shelter at Lim Chu Kang was very worn out. It was like a reality check. But she continued going and because of that I went too,” said Ms Chua, a regular volunteer since 2019.
“Shelters require a lot of support from the public in terms of finance and volunteers. Terry can’t do all this himself. But for all of our efforts, the ultimate aim is for our animals to get adopted,” said Ms Chua.
Beyond being a shelter where animals are up for adoption, Metta Sanctuary specialises in providing palliative care for strays with terminal illnesses. When asked if the sanctuary ever rejects any animals offered to be taken in, Mr Lim said, “We will usually reject those who have healthy cats, because we know healthier cats have a higher chance of getting adopted.”
As such, volunteers are trained to take care of pets with specific medical needs.
Ms Genine Loo, 40, a volunteer at the sanctuary is equipped to administer injections to some of the cats infected with Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV) and monitor their drips.
We are very sentimental people, that’s why we keep all the ashes”, said Ms Loo, referring to how Metta takes care of the pets till their last breath and keeps the urns of each animal that passes away in the sanctuary.
Due to the medical conditions of some of the animals, it is not uncommon for their conditions to deteriorate quickly.
“It still affects some of us emotionally when we see cats or dogs suffering or when they fall sick or when we know that they don’t have a lot of time left. I guess, that’s the invisible part of the job”, said Genine, who has now been a volunteer for over 4 years.
Despite living in the shelter and fully setting the space up, the facility at Sungei Tengah is not a permanent fix for both Mr Lee and the animals at Metta Sanctuary.“Right now our biggest concern is having a permanent location”, said Mr Lee who explained that the leases for the shelters expire in December 2023 and have a final renewal up to 2026.
“Anything we buy we just think of whether it is detachable,” joked Mr Lee. However, this is not something new for Mr Lee who shared that Metta also had the threat of eviction looming over their heads during their time in Lim Chu Kang and Pasir Ris.
Despite the challenges, Mr Lee and the volunteers are committed to providing a sanctuary for strays.“There might be a stereotype that animals at shelters have palpitations, are ridden with diseases or won’t be well taken care of. And there is a stereotype for a reason. But you have to come down to the shelter to see for yourself,” said Mr Lee.
He added, “Most shelters are not fully equipped due to overpopulation, and there is only so much shelters can do. That’s why I try to tell people to always rescue within their means, and if you don’t have the capability, look for someone better equipped.”
When asked what keeps him going, Mr Lee replied, “Duty. Duty to them.”