Teen volunteer: Ian Chan, 18, is a sixth-former at Wah Yan College, Hong Kong. He has been a volunteer for HKCSA from Form Two.

'Our school has a club for cat lovers, and a few years ago we found a stray kitten that was sick. The vet said the cat would be put down if no one adopted it.

So I looked on the internet and found the HKCSA. One of their volunteers adopted the cat. Although it passed away a few months ago, I was glad that it died comfortably.

Sometimes the HKCSA will hold promotional events at schools or housing estates. They will set up a mobile room for people to look at the cats. I will look after the animals and answer queries.

Children are curious about the behaviour of cats. When a cat raises its tail, it means the animal is excited. When a cat slaps its tail against the floor, it means it's unhappy.

Animals are quite simple-minded, and you just need to feed and play with them when they are unhappy. But if they appear gloomy for over a few days, you must pay attention as they may be sick.

There are many stray cats in Hong Kong. In the past, many stores kept cats to ward off rats.

Nowadays, many people abandon their cats, which are often not sterilised. As a result, more cats wander the streets.

Many people in Hong Kong don't know how to take care of cats properly. Some will feed stray cats leftovers, but they don't know cats should not eat oily food. Also, many cats get diarrhoea if they drink milk.

As an animal lover, I find it sad to see animals being hurt. I've seen children throw things at stray cats. It gives me great satisfaction to help these animals and change their destiny.'