Four of Winnipeg's largest animal shelters are forming a coalition so they can be a stronger voice for animals.

Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter, D'Arcy's Arc, Manitoba Mutts and the Winnipeg Humane Society have formed Shelter and Rescue Alliance of Manitoba, or SARAM.

SARAM head Carla Martinelli-Irvine says while each group has a different focus, they're all dedicated to animal welfare. She hopes they can bring issues to the forefront at places such as city hall.

"Nobody has better awareness of what's happening within the animal community than we do and if we go there [we can] say, 'This is a problem, and by you passing a certain bylaw or by not passing a certain bylaw it's going to exacerbate the problem,'" Martinelli-Irvine said.

"When you look at the numbers we're dealing with, the thousands and thousands of animals, you know, hopefully one voice with four shelters will be a stronger voice."

SARAM wants to take on issues such as Fluffy's Law to allow pets in apartment blocks and cat licensing.