Sage Birden, a Thai animal rescuer who has called Shanghai home for over two decades, said helping animals in need is all about "being humane".

Growing up in Bangkok with dogs, both breeds and strays, she learned early that kindness to animals was her second nature.

Her animal protection experience in Shanghai started in 2014 after taking care of a friend's cat temporarily. When the cat left, "a cat-shaped hole" was left in her heart.

That year, she and her partner adopted an abandoned kitten, a decision marred by regret when its sick sibling died.

"One of our friends has picked up two abandoned newborn kittens from the roadside. I wanted to adopt the one that came to sit on my lap but was told it wasn't ready because it was having diarrhea, so we got the other one.

"A week later, I heard the diarrhea one had died, and I regretted (not adopting it). This regret would later play a big part in my determination to try to treat a sick kitten," said Birden.

This regret fueled her resolve to learn about feline care. Soon, her place became a drop-off place, where fellow animal protection volunteers came to get "emergency kits" such as kitten formula, bottles, and medications.

Birden spends extended hours a day caring for the about 100 cats at her place in Zhujiajiao, many of which are injured and diseased. Sometimes, she spends almost a whole day tending to their needs, including bottle-feeding newborns and waking up every two hours at night.

As a "proud" member of Shanghai's animal protection community, Birden remembers one unforgettable experience where the collective effort of volunteers rescued a dying newborn kitten in Hangzhou.

"The time was midnight, and he (the man who found the kitten) didn't know what to do; no vet opened and no vet in sight, no transportation or milk or shop, nothing.

"Everyone just felt sad that we had to give up. But giving up isn't me," recalled Birden.

After seeking help from fellow volunteers, she found a driver and connected the driver with the man who found the kitten, which wouldn't make it if it had to pass another night without food.

After over four hours of driving through the night, the kitten was finally delivered to the one who accepted it.

"Everyone was like, 'Yeah!' It left the impression that together we can make it work," said Birden.

Birden's passion for helping animals is partly because it's her way of paying back to the city that has "accepted" her.

"As a mixed kid, there was often the sense of being a stranger in some cultures where people look at someone different from themselves in a strange way, which I have never experienced here in Shanghai," said Birden, who is from an international family background.

She was born in Bangkok to parents and grandparents from Portugal, France, the United States, and China.

Birden said she inherited her dad's love for pets and passed down this affection for animals to her two sons.

Under her influence, her sons independently rescued a few puppies and kittens, which she "never told them to do".

To follow her enthusiasm for animal protection, Birden divorced her previous husband and left his family because of their different views on helping animals, or anyone in general, in need.

"They are the simply mind-your-own-family's-business type, which wasn't a bad idea but unfortunately not the road I want to walk," said Birden.

Speaking of the drive to help animals in need, Birden said it is about "being humane".

"Helping (animals) doesn't mean you have to run after a truck that stole cats and dogs, but in daily life, if a kitten was crying in your yard on a pouring 3 C night, at least you can bring it in to get dry and warm up, and not let it die in your yard."