Yaoyao is a 2-year-old cat, fat yet gentle. She likes sitting on the table and staring at the computer screen when her "foster mother" Zeng Li surfs the Internet, that is, so long as Dudu is not around.

Dudu, another feline family member, scares Yaoyao, and the latter often scurries behind the computer if 6-year-old Dudu raises her tail and struts about the room, proud and graceful.

But Yaoyao gets the upper hand when it is nap time, taking pride of place on Zeng's knees while Dudu stares on jealously.

"I love cats," said Zeng. "But my parents did not allow me to have one when I was at school." She bought her first cat from a market in 2000 after graduating from university.

Zeng still remembers the sweet sensation when the cat touched her hands with its soft little claws. And in that instant, she was sold.

"At first, the cat was just a live toy for me. Yet I gradually realized how much the little creature relied on my love and care.

"Cats are more independent than dogs. But they need your respect too," she added.

After exchanging her experiences with other cat owners via the Internet, Zeng discovered there were many homeless cats living in Beijing. She became interested in how they survived in big cities dominated by people and cars.

Zeng and other cat enthusiasts tried to approach the homeless cats wandering around their communities in the Huilongguan residential area in the northern suburbs of Beijing, and took turns feeding them every day.

Some were abandoned by their former owners. Some were feral, the offspring of abandoned cats.

"The abandoned ones were more friendly towards us than the feral cats. I could feel their strong desire to be back with human families," said Zeng.

Zeng and her friends became concerned that the homeless cats would probably end up dying in the harsh conditions of the street.

"No food, no water, and no shelter. The amount of homeless cats in a community usually reduces remarkably after a freezing winter," Zeng said.

Home for cats

In 2001, Zeng and another nine cat lovers founded Lucky Cats, a Beijing-based non-governmental organization (NGO), which is dedicated to helping homeless cats, especially those which have been abandoned, return to families. And the group spreads a philosophy of respect and care for pets in the community.

The staff, all volunteers, first rented a basement to house eight abandoned cats. The moggies were immunized, and the volunteers took turns to care for them after work.

They also established their own website - www.luckycats.net - and uploaded the basic information and photos of the rescued cats to the Internet, in an attempt to find families willing to adopt the strays.

The website is filled with interesting stories about the moggy mad and their beloved pets. Professional tips are handed out by a vet if owners put forward any questions about a cat's diet, physical or psychological needs.

The basement shelter soon became cramped with more and more strays being brought in.

"It was harmful for their health when so many cats were being raised together. And it cost us a lot to pay for the basement. Also, we had no financial support besides our own incomes," said Zeng.

Lucky Cats members decided, as a temporary measure, to take the cats home.

They recruited more provisional foster parents through the Internet, so the cats received care before adoption.

E-mails from the public asking to adopt cats flooded in, so Zeng quit her job to become the only full time member of staff at the NGO.

"The number of rescued homeless cats are normally about 30 per month. If people have too much choice, they always go for the younger and cuter animals. But we want to make sure that all the cats find a new home," she said.

There are now nearly 20 temporary foster volunteers. A number of them also administer the website, make contracts with potential adopters, and taking photos of the felines in their new homes.

Strict procedures

"We've set up a systematic adoption procedure," said Zeng.

Applicants who want to become foster carers or adopt a cat must first go through intensive examinations by e-mail and personal interviews.

"It doesn't matter whether you have raised a cat before or not. Some people have been wrongly feeding their cats for years without knowing it. It matters a lot that you truly love the cat and will never abandon it," Zeng said.

Applicants face questions from Lucky Cats, such as "do you really want to have a cat as a companion, or are you just driven by impulse?" "Do all your family members agree to raise a cat, and will you give it to someone else if your girlfriend or boyfriend dislikes the cat?" Also, "you may travel, move or get married, will you take your cat with you or ask someone reliable to take care of it for you?"

Many have complained about the strict adoption procedures.

But "cats need equal and careful treatment. They were greatly hurt by their abandonment," Zeng explained.

All adoptions from Lucky Cats are free of charge. Yet applications from those who cannot see themselves with the cat for its whole life are rejected.

"If people confront life changes and are not able to keep the cat any longer, they can hand it back to us. We will take care of it and seek a new home. That would be much better than just leaving it in the wild," Zeng said.

Temporary foster carers and adoptive families are required to sign a contract with Lucky Cats, guaranteeing that they will be responsible.

Lucky Cats keeps all fostered cats and adoptions on record. Every few weeks, staff pay a visit to families who have adopted one of their strays. They are most interested in how the cats are getting along with their new "parents."

Owners are required to send an e-mail update on how the cat is doing with a few attached photos.

Education plans

To date, Lucky Cats has helped 946 homeless cats find families. There are still 170 cats waiting.

"Lucky Cats" has been carrying out its education plan within neighbourhood communities since 2003. The plan promotes the philosophy of "responsible pet ownership" in Beijing's communities.

Volunteers distribute leaflets on how to maintain cat health, and provide free healthcare services.

Last January, they started a Cats Colony Care Plan, which serves to improve the living conditions of homeless cats in one region through scientific management.

The care plan follows three steps. Volunteers feed a colony of homeless cats, take them to the vet to get immunized and neutered, then return them to the colony.

Some cat lovers think it cruel to neuter cats. But Lucky Cats maintains that neutering is an effective way of controlling homeless cat numbers.

"If those homeless cats keep reproducing, there will not be enough food, water and shelter. Baby cats may die immediately after they are born. The living environment of cats and their relationship with residents would worsen," said Zeng.

The two plans, together with the philosophy of "being responsible for your animal companions," have now spread into nearly 20 communities.

Residents have gradually stopped seeing the efforts of Lucky Cats as odd. They have begun to show more care towards the homeless cats in their communities.

"More people are beginning to understand us," Zeng said. "We sincerely hope more animal lovers will participate in our work to improve the lives of these poor homeless creatures."

(China Daily 03/24/2005 page14)