KUALA LUMPUR: A deep love for animals led a married couple in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, to risk their lives to rescue a cat stuck in a tree due to the floods.
The actions of Amiera Nabiha Zubairi, 28, and her husband, Ahmad Asyraf Ahmad Fakri, 32, gained widespread attention after a video of them rescuing the cat went viral on TikTok.
Amiera Nabiha said she, her husband, and two friends from the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) at Chicha Tinggi, Lati, waded through floodwaters up to their waist to return home to Kampung Lubok Jong, where they came across the animal.
They had been relocated to the PPS on Nov 27, but they decided to return home the next day to retrieve important documents from their home.
"Our house is only about two to three kilometres away, but our car couldn't get close due to the flood, and the strong current forced us to walk for over an hour through another neighbourhood to get to our house.
"When we reached a surau, we saw something moving in a tree, but it was still unclear. We were all scared, thinking it might be a snake. So my husband volunteered to wade through the floodwaters to get a closer look.
"To our surprise, behind the tree was a cat, soaking wet and silent, probably due to the cold and hunger," she said.
She explained that they couldn't bear to leave the cat alone, so they took it and placed it in a friend's house, which wasn't affected by the floods.
She added that they often rescue, feed, and care for stray cats, and they currently care for 15 of them.
"Alhamdulillah, we were able to save all the cats from drowning in the flood, and now they are temporarily staying at a friend's house. The newly found cat will also be cared for once our house is livable again.
"Therefore, I urge everyone to be mindful and save their pets during the flood season, as animals are also victims of this disaster, just like us," she said.
Amiera Nabiha also mentioned that she and her husband were busy cleaning and tidying up their home, which they had been living in since 2020.
"Pasir Mas floods every year, and usually, the water level is only up to our ankles, but this time it's much worse than the 2014 flood," she added.