Do Duong Truc Lam, 28, and his girlfriend Ngo Dinh Van Khanh, 25, are now operating a shelter for around 100 feral cats.
Truc Lam and Van Khanh take around 100 cats
Lam said that one night in 2019, while he was carrying Khanh home after work, they saw four starving and exhausted cats.
They then decided to bring them home. On the first days, their life was disturbed by the cats. Quarrels occurred between them when they had to clean the house and feed the cats. However, they gradually got familiar with the work and their love for cats grew stronger.
During Covid-19. more cats were left abandoned in HCM City and the couple adopted many more.
To date, Truc Lam and Van Khanh have rescued roughly 600 cats. The pair is now hiring a two-floor house in District 7 to look after roughly 100 cats. The house is divided into three different parts, including rooms for cats to sleep or stay when they are ill.
The couple's happiness is taking care of cats every day
Every day, they get up quite early to tidy up the house and feed the cats. They even check the animals’ feces to diagnose their health so that they can take them to the vets if needed.
“Our happiness is hugging and talking to cats daily. The pets help us to ease stress, giving us more pleasure,” he said.
Van Khanh also gave up her job so she could spend more time on cats. Truc Lam followed the suit, quitting his high-paying job to support his girlfriend. The two even decided to cancel their wedding scheduled to be held in 2021 to use money for their cat shelter
“We planned a big wedding, but we instead prioritised the feral cats. After that, we just completed the marriage registration and held a small party,” Truc Lam added
Truc Lam and Van Khanh are building a shelter for cats on a rented land plot covering 1,500 square metres in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.
“I now think it isn’t really important to have a big wedding party. We share a great love for cats, which is the foremost thing for us. We’re happy with our choice,” Van Khanh noted.