I Was Feeling Lost & Found No Purpose In Life. But That Changed When A Black Cat Came & Now I've Helped Over 600 Cats | WeirdKaya

Many often proclaim to be animal lovers, but very few actually stay throughout the entire process or make sacrifices to better the lives of stray animals.

For Julia Hannah, what began as a simple cry for help in discovering her life’s purpose turned into an unforgettable journey, she never imagined possible, let alone something she could have dreamed of.

‘I was scared of cats’

For as long as Julia could remember, cats didn’t exactly evoke warm, fuzzy feelings in her heart, as she grew up being terrified of them.

“Back in my neighbourhood in KL, there were lots of cats roaming about and I had a neighbour who reared 80 cats.

After her mother passed away in 2008, Julia moved to Penang with her father in 2011 when she was only eight years old. When the Covid-19 pandemic reached Malaysia in 2020, she spent most of her time at home during the lockdown period.

Little did she know that her life would soon be turned inside out by the very same creature she spent years fearing.

‘We saved each other’

Prior to meeting the very cat that would change her life, Julia was going through a difficult period after facing a major setback in her academics.

“My family is one where everyone loves mathematics and all things related to technology, but I didn’t share the same love for it.

“I sat for A-Levels to become an engineer, but it didn’t work out as I failed all of my subjects. I was left feeling lost as I didn’t know what was the next step to take.”

Following her father’s advice, Julia took a break from her studies, where it was during this period that a black female cat unexpectedly entered her life.

“She was rather sick when she walked into my house compound and there was just something about her that made me fall in love with her.

From then on, Julia began to love cats, surprising her family who had always known her to avoid them.

Reinvigorated by this new lease on life, Julia went on to sit for STPM in a bid to become a vet. However, fate once again dealt her a bad hand in the form of lacklustre results.

“With those results, I could only settle for Mathematics, which is what I am currently studying at University Sains Malaysia (USM).

“But my passion was about cats, so when I got my STPM results, I once again fell into a mental rut and began wondering what my purpose in life was.”

Trauma bonding

Amidst the mental turmoil, Julia came across a volunteer recruitment notice by a nonprofit organisation called Cats Of Penang, founded by Daniel Leung, an American with a passion for helping stray cats in the state.

“On the day I saw the notice, I had actually asked God for a sign because I felt so uncertain about my future. The moment I saw it, I immediately reached out to Danny, and we met the very next day.”

Thinking it would just be a normal briefing on what was expected of her as a volunteer, Julia quickly realised it was anything but ordinary.

“For the next three hours, it was just Danny yapping away about his dreams and aspirations for Cats Of Penang, while I was just sitting there nodding incessantly.

“But when I got home, I was so awed by the turn of events as Danny’s dreams and passion were similar to mine, and he made me realise that it was actually possible to fulfil,” she said.

Interestingly, as Daniel would later share with me, Cats Of Penang was founded through personal loss.

“Before Cats Of Penang, I actually planned on getting engaged in Penang but it unfortunately fell through. Instead of moping around, I chose to pour my energy and focus into building the organisation.”

Not long after meeting Danny, Julia joined Cats Of Penang as a committee member. Some time later, Danny’s friend Ricky Trogdon also came onboard, with the trio eventually becoming the backbone of the organisation and later forming what is now known as Catsoterra Berhad.

Difficulties

Cats Of Penang’s primary method in controlling the stray cat population is via TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), which involves trapping stray cats, spaying or neutering them, and releasing them back to their original location.

But behind the scenes, it was a process that was financially, physically, and mentally draining.

For starters, while Cats Of Penang collects RM60 in yearly membership fees from its volunteers, the bulk of its operating costs are personally funded by Danny, who has spent more than RM40,000 to date.

As for the physical and mental pressure, Julia said it takes a toll not only on the core team, but on the volunteers as well.

“When we had our very first batch of volunteers, a lot was asked of them as it started out as a pure passion project by Danny and I.

“Another reason why volunteers tend to not stay around for long is due to being busy in living their regular lives,” she explained.

Julia added that a well-meaning but misguided mentality is also what prevents volunteers from remaining with Cats Of Penang.

“Some are so passionate that they have this burning desire to adopt every cat that passes their way. While it seems like a noble act, this actually places a heavy burden on them and they eventually “burn out” when they realise they’ve bitten more than they can chew.

“I used to have this mentality as well and wanted to save every cat possible, but I soon learnt that TNR must come first before rescuing and fostering comes into play.”

More work to be done

Currently, Cats Of Penang has successfully carried out TNR on more than 600 cats throughout Penang, an incredible feat for an organisation that is barely a year old.

However, there still much more to be done, and Julia isn’t looking to rest on her laurels just yet.

But as much as Julia and the team hope to TNR most, if not all, stray cats in Penang and beyond, the public also has a part to play.

“Sterilise your cats, whether they’re indoor or outdoor pets, to prevent overpopulation. Also, please don’t take in too many cats if you’re not capable of caring for them.”

After all, improving the lives of stray cats is not something organisations can do alone—it requires effort and responsibility from the public as well.

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