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Starving cats leave bad taste in mouth
Source: Agencies |
September 7, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MALAYSIAN pet owners and activists who found nearly 300 starving cats caged and soaked in excrement at pet care centers yesterday demanded sterner laws against cruelty to animals.
The felines had been left with a company that was supposed to take care of them in Malaysia's central Selangor state while their owners returned to their hometowns for a week to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.
Many owners became worried when they were later unable to contact company representatives. Rescue volunteers broke into the company's two facilities on Sunday and discovered the emaciated cats lying in their own feces and urine in cages stacked atop each other.
Activists estimated at least 12 cats were dead and dozens more were missing. Police have questioned the company owner and an employee, but no arrests have been made.
The case has energized activists to push for stronger prosecution against people who mistreat animals, said Christine Chin, who heads the Malaysian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "There is no deterrent in this country for animal cruelty, so the problem just spreads," she said.
About 7,500 people have joined a Facebook group created on Monday demanding government action against the firm that abandoned the cats.
Chin said her organization receives about 200 complaints of animal mistreatment each month, mostly involving dogs. However, it has recorded only about five prosecutions by authorities in the past decade.
Government veterinarian resources are often focused on livestock and the prevention of disease outbreaks, she added.
The felines had been left with a company that was supposed to take care of them in Malaysia's central Selangor state while their owners returned to their hometowns for a week to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.
Many owners became worried when they were later unable to contact company representatives. Rescue volunteers broke into the company's two facilities on Sunday and discovered the emaciated cats lying in their own feces and urine in cages stacked atop each other.
Activists estimated at least 12 cats were dead and dozens more were missing. Police have questioned the company owner and an employee, but no arrests have been made.
The case has energized activists to push for stronger prosecution against people who mistreat animals, said Christine Chin, who heads the Malaysian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "There is no deterrent in this country for animal cruelty, so the problem just spreads," she said.
About 7,500 people have joined a Facebook group created on Monday demanding government action against the firm that abandoned the cats.
Chin said her organization receives about 200 complaints of animal mistreatment each month, mostly involving dogs. However, it has recorded only about five prosecutions by authorities in the past decade.
Government veterinarian resources are often focused on livestock and the prevention of disease outbreaks, she added.
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