She had also planned to pursue a PhD after completing her master’s. But now, she 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. Like, you work so hard, (then) something else happens and changes life’s course.”
Her story is reminiscent of those of many other cat helpers I have spoken to in Singapore. Very often, such a journey may start by chance but snowballs rapidly beyond one’s expectations – with seemingly no way out.
Despite the inroads Ms Amira has made, her task appears to be a Sisyphean one. The day we visited JB, shop workers in the vicinity lamented to her about sightings of new stray cats.
“I would like to believe it’s just a postponement,” she said of her plans to further her studies. “But I don’t see how I can continue in the very near future if I have to do everything myself.”
