When you walk the streets of your neighborhood, it’s not uncommon to see a cat or a dog strolling by alone. The sad reality is that there’s a growing number of strays worldwide, with over 600 million cats and dogs estimated by the World Health Organization.
To raise awareness about this issue, Malaysian artists YooYee Tham, Boon Lee, and Annie Lim started Art for Strays—an initiative that aims to spread the word about strays through designs, illustrations, paintings, and photography. The initiative is composed of local artists selling their works, with a portion of the proceeds going towards feeding strays and to the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, which aims to effectively and humanely manage the stray population in Malaysia in a sustainable manner.
Art for Strays also conducts pet-themed workshops, a mini marketplace, and a sharing session for pet owners and pet lovers to discuss and share their personal experiences with their furry friends.
“The proceeds from sales will be used to help other strays, putting into practice the idea of ‘strays helping strays’. One person’s strength may be small, but when we come together, our collective impact becomes greater,” Tham shares in an interview with Free Malaysia Today.
Last September, the initiative held a landmark program entitled The REAL Cat & Dog Exhibition, featuring 12 local creators who designed 12 unique vinyl record sleeves that tell the unique story of stray cats and dogs. The sleeves contained mini trinkets, including a set of postcards, a zine about their pet’s story, a hand-painted canvas bag, a voucher to join a cat-themed craft workshop, and more.
“May they leave with a renewed sense of compassion, which they can share with family and friends, and help instill the value of treating stray animals with kindness in the next generation,” Tham said in the same interview. By using their creativity to turn their real stories into art, these young creators are shining a light on the issue of strays.
To stay updated on the initiative’s events, follow Art for Strays on Instagram and help spread the word about strays.