Founder Of S’pore Animal Shelter Dies From Cancer; Shelter Urgently Seeking Donations


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Some people dedicate their lives to fight for a cause they believe in and Lee Siew Ying was one of such people. 

Siew Ying spent the last 20 years building up a shelter for strays called Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary, to ensure they were taken care of as she loved animals greatly. 

Sadly, Lianhe Zaobao reports that on 17 November 2019, 66-year-old Siew Ying passed away. 

Image: Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary

Earlier this year in April, Siew Ying suffered from a fainting episode and was later diagnosed with Stage 4 Stomach Cancer after further check ups.

Her Shelter

Siew Ying started the shelter by herself back in 1999, and while the shelter started off with just a hand full of strays, it currently houses over 200 cats and dogs. 

Zaobao reported that after Siew Ying got a divorce about 27 years ago, she single-handedly brought up her now 37-year-old son, Terry.

Siew Ying has always loved animals and even when she was staying in a three-room flat, she took in as many as 20 stray cats. 

It was when she wanted to take home another five more cats when she realised that her house had insufficient space to provide a good home for all of them. This was when she decided to start a shelter. 

Image: Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary

While Siew Ying worked at a clinic during the day, she visited the shelter every day after she was done with work. 

As she was unable to reject any strays that were found, her shelter ended up being home to over 120 dogs and 500 cats at one point. 

Siew Ying loved the animals so much that even as she started her chemotherapy sessions, she never stopped visiting the shelter to look after the cats and dogs there. 

The High Cost

As the shelter currently houses hundreds of animals, the monthly cost incurred totals to be over $15,000. Here is the breakdown of their cost. 

Image: Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary

The shelter currently relies on donations and fundraising to make ends meet. 

When asked, Terry mentioned how his mother had spent over $3 Million on the animals over the past 20 years, taking out every dollar she had in her savings to care for these strays. 

Terry also went on to say that this shelter is his mother’s life work and he will be continuing it because she entrusted it to him. 

Donate? 

Siew Ying’s dedication to the strays is extremely heartwarming and we should definitely take a leaf out of her book.


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If you would like to contribute, here is a link to the shelter’s website where they have step by step instructions on how to make a donation. 

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to animals, Siew Ying, may you rest in peace.