I’ve just spent an afternoon visiting a friend who calls herself a “crazy cat lady”.

Michelle is a middle-aged Australian woman who took early retirement and now lives in a mostly quiet beachside village in Thailand’s Rayong province, about a three-hour drive from Bangkok.

Although she has no job, she has a strict daily routine. She goes to the local Buddhist temple each morning to feed the dozens of cats that have been dumped, or were born, there.

While she and other pet lovers fund a program to neuter the cats and dogs, it’s an uphill battle to control the stray population. More and more animals find their way to the temple or to the beaches, where they are left to fend for themselves by owners who no longer can, or want to, take care of them.

Back home, in a huge house with two outbuildings that is owned by a friend and rented to her at a discounted rate, Michelle cares for another dozen or so animals. Some are motherless kittens, some are convalescing from injury or illness and will be returned to the enclosure at the temple, some (sadly too few) are being readied for adoption, while others have terminal or infectious diseases and are living out their days in comfort.

When I first met her, I thought she had put herself into an impossible position. After all, she is – literally – trying to herd cats, and despite her best efforts (and those of a few others), the problem was just getting worse.

But yesterday, over coffee on the verandah of the sprawling house, overlooking forest and small lake, listening to the sound of birdsong, I started to get it. She’s found a place and a mission in life, and while it’s full of frustrations and expense, it makes her happy. It also makes a big difference to the lives of these animals and, hopefully, sets an example for responsible pet ownership.

If you are interested in Michelle’s work and are able to help, visit her Michelle’s Cat Rescue Facebook page.