Adopt a pet and get a Royal Canin starter pack. — Picture courtesy of Royal Canin
Adopt a pet and get a Royal Canin starter pack. — Picture courtesy of Royal Canin

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — To encourage adoption, pet food company Royal Canin Malaysia is giving away starter packs to 150 adopters of cats or dogs.

The company is working with Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Selangor, independent rescuer Catherine Rose Leyow and PetFinder.my for the campaign called Adopt to Save a Life.

Under the campaign, the people are encouraged to find a pet via Petfinder.my.

Royal Canin Malaysia corporate affairs and scientific communication manager Dr Melissa Phoon said the giveaway programme will continue until May 31, 2021.

Advertisement

“We are pleased to play a part in this campaign in which 150 cat and dog adopters will each receive a Royal Canin Starter Pack to facilitate the entry of a new family member into their home,” she said in a statement.

Each starter pack consists of a bag of Royal Canin Pet Food, a feeding bowl, a kibble measuring cup and a puppy/kitten guide and digital Responsible Pet Ownership Guidebook available on the Royal Canin website.

SPCA Selangor chairman Christine Chin said the society had seen thousands of animals being dumped in the past.

Advertisement

“The situation has improved with more Malaysians being more concerned for animals.”

“It is not just important for pets to be adopted but we also need to ensure that they are properly taken care of, spayed and neutered,” she said.

Commending Royal Canin and PetFinder for initiating the campaign and the Starter Pack efforts, Chin said SPCA Selangor fully supports it and that adopters would appreciate it very much.

Leyow, whose activities with fellow independent rescuers have seen more than 2,500 cats and 3,000 dogs saved in Malaysia in the last 14 years, noted an increase in adoptions during the movement control order (MCO).

“Since more people were working from home, I believe they felt it was suitable for them to spend time with their new pet. Pets help in a lot of ways — allaying isolation and loneliness, and even encouraging those who have communication issues,” she said.

PetFinder.my founder Andy Koh said PetFinder serves as a furry matchmaking service for pets to humans and vice versa.

He noted that the adoption listings were low in the first half of 2020.

“However, with the launch of the new user-friendly PetFinder mobile app, coupled with exposure and activities to boost adoption rates, there were an instant surge in listings and rehoming since June.”

“These are very tough and challenging times for rescuers and shelters but if everyone does their part in rescuing, fostering, donating to causes, adopting or even spreading the word on social media platforms, we can help ease the burden,” he said.

For more details about the programme, visit www.royalcanin.com or https://PetFinder.my/RoyalCaninStarterPack.

*A previous version of this story contained an error which has since been corrected.