Giving up her dreams so she can save JB’s street cats
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Giving up her dreams so she can save JB’s street cats
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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Every weekend, Ms Nur Amira Jumali drives from Singapore to Johor Bahru – not to shop, but to feed and rescue stray and abandoned cats on the streets.
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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In 2022, she found a box of abandoned kittens. Some didn't survive. She took in the rest – and hasn’t stopped helping JB’s street cats since.
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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She’s helped over 1,000 cats – feeding, sterilising, and sending the sick ones to the vet. Many recognise her now and run up when she arrives.
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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Her shelter now houses over 80 cats – though it was built for 50. She funds it with her own money and donations.
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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Her time after her work as a marriage councillor is spent managing the shelter, messaging vets, and working on side hustles to raise money for the cats. Her costs have risen to nearly S$3,000 a month.
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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She plans to raise funds for a bigger shelter by selling her car – a project that could cost at least S$200,000.
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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Ms Amira had planned to pursue a PhD, but has neither the time nor the capacity. "I'm not saying that this is a bad thing … but there's still that sense of loss.”
CNA/Raj Nadarajan
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“If I were to give up on the cats, nobody else would step up and make sure they're okay. And I don't believe in abandoning those that need me the most."
CNA/Raj Nadarajan