SHAH ALAM: A pet shop in Section 14, Shah Alam today refuted allegation that cats under their care were neglected and kept in poor condition.
This came after the shop, which also offers breeding services for pure-bred felines, was caught in controversy after an allegation that cats there were left starving went viral on social media on Wednesday.
Faisal Abdul Rahman, the person in charge of Imadi Pet in Shah Alam, said a video clip that went viral on Facebook, showing cats there supposedly in hunger, did not reflect the true picture.
He said the person who recorded the video must have done so in between feeding times, hence the empty feeding bowls.
"We have about 200 cats in this outlet. They are fed twice daily, the first at 9am with biscuits, and then between 5pm and 7pm with diced meat.
"In between the feeding times, the bowls would be empty as we want them to finish the biscuits before giving them meat. This is so that the meat won't get mixed with the biscuits, which can cause the cats to be sick and suffer from diarrhoea," he said when met at the shop on Thursday.
Faisal said the shop had been inspected by Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) several times. The latest was early last week after a similar allegation was hurled at the company.
He said DVS had cleared them from animal abuse during the inspection, but issued several orders for improvement.
According to a copy of the DVS Veterinary Inspection Log issued to Imadi Pet on Dec 27, the department found several cats that had sore eyes and flu.
The document, furnished to NST by Faisal, stated that "there was no element of animal cruelty but management has to be improved."
Among the improvement orders were for Imadi Pet to isolate sick cats, clean up the existing isolation area, and to improve ventilation for the spaces where they keep the cats, on the first and second floor.
Imadi Pet owner Ismail Mohd Ali, when contacted through phone, questioned the motive behind the allegations against his company.
"Why would we want to abuse cats? Imadi Pet has been giving our best to take care of cats under our care. We even provide spacious cages which are made of stainless steel that cost millions of ringgit to keep them.
"Imadi Pet also allows cat owners to enter our breeding area when they visit their pets, which is seldom practised by other breeders.
"I wonder what is the motive behind such allegation," he said.
Meanwhile, a DVS spokesman when contacted confirmed that they had received reports against Imadi Pet over the past several months, including on its outlet in Johor Baru.
The spokesman, in response to NST's request for comments, said they were compiling latest reports and would revert with answers soon.
On Wednesday, a Facebook user 'Khairul Azri' posted a video clip and several pictures accompanied by text claiming a number of cats were stranded in a pet shop in Shah Alam.
The video clip showed many cats kept in rows of cages, with a woman's voice in the background saying that she felt sorry for the cats there.