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PETALING JAYA: Emotions ran high as pet owners and activists lambasted the abuse of cats at a pet hotel, insisting that action must be taken against the operators.
Pet owner Nur Arieffa Adlan, 29, said she went to the pet boarding premises at Desa Moccis and found her cat soaked in its own urine and faeces.
“I gave the operator food for my cat but they did not even open the package,” she said at a press conference organised by Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) and animal rescue group Kucing Terbiar & Anjing Jalanan (Abandoned Cats & Stray Dogs) yesterday.
Cats out of hell: Volunteers standing outside one of the raided pet hotels Monday.It was reported that the cats were rescued after they were allegedly starved in the locked pet boarding premises in Damansara Damai here and Desa Moccis in Sungai Buloh.
Nine cats were found dead while the others appeared hungry, dirty and sickly.
Another pet owner, Lydia Ahmad, said the pet boarding operators left her four cats at her doorstep at midnight on Friday.
“All four of my cats were kept in one pet carrier. They were smelly and starving,” said the 29-year-old housewife.
Nur Alysha Noor Azman, 30, said she witnessed her three cats being dropped off by the pet hotel owner.
Pet owners and activists lambasted the abuse of cats at a pet hotel, insisting that action be taken against the operators.“Cages were stacked on top of one another in a stuffy van.
“The cats stank of urine and kept scratching their bodies due to fleas,” said Nur Alysha.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals chairman Christine Chin urged the Veterinary Services Department to prosecute the pet boarding service operators with maximum sentencing.
“We must push for the maximum fine of RM200 for each animal that was mistreated.
“So, if there are 300 cats, the pet boarding operators would be fined RM60,000,” she said, adding that they should also be jailed.
MDDB founder Wani Muthiah called the pet owners to lodge a police report immediately as it was a criminal act.
A volunteer, known only as Nor Sailina, 28, who helped rescue the cats from the pet boarding premises, was taking care of about 40 cats.
She urged owners who had not found their cats to check the Kucing Terbiar & Anjing Jalanan Facebook page.
Petaling Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Meor Hamdan said the case had been handed over to the Selangor Veterinary Services Department for further investigation.
He said the police had recorded statements from the 29-year-old owner of the pet boarding premises and a 28-year-old staff member.
In PUTRAJAYA, Bernama reported that those caught being cruel to animals would face a fine of up to RM100,000 and a jail term of not more than six months under the Animal Welfare Act to be tabled in Parliament next year.
Veterinary Services director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin said the Act covered all animals, including fish and insects, whether owned by individuals or businesses and would also define the failure to feed them as cruelty.
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