A cat shelter in Klang recently came under fire for alleged neglect of the premises and its cats.
The shelter which officially opened its doors on August 18 and two weeks into its opening has been called out for allegedly failing to tend to the cats’ needs together with lack of maintenance and care.
The Cat Park, including the shelter, located in Bandar Bukit Raja had cost RM800,000 to build and was set up as an initiative by the Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) to care for the stray cats in the city, according to The Star.
A post on X by @pengwinseng revealed the conditions the cats were kept including being kept locked in the glass cages where the rising temperatures can pose a risk to the felines.
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“(The) shelter is built to be naturally ventilated but (there was) no insulation on the roof. No tree or canopies to provide further shade, nothing inside the shelter that (cats) can hide from.
“Too many stray cats are locked up in one compound and seem to not have any health (screenings).
“Food was difficult to access, litter box (unclean) and filthy, rubbish and plastic was inside. Strays inside (do) not seem neutered or vaccinated,” he said in his post.
Seng alleged that there was not a worker or caretaker of the shelter in sight to attend to the cats and found six cats buried in the shelter’s cemetery.
He also claimed a black kitten in one of the enclosures had died, noting that he found smeared dried-up fluids near the body.
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Not only that, the shelter’s office and treatment facility was said to be built in a “container box concept”, however it was found to be empty.
In his visit, he and his companions came across a kitten who managed to escape then took it to the veterinary clinic as it was in bad shape and could barely walk. The kitten was diagnosed with a neurological condition possibly caused by a “viral infection”.
Besides that, Seng also brought up how the shelter always seemed like it was closed but managed to enter the premises that day as he found the entrance unlocked and pointed out how location seems isolated, making it hard to find for those who want to visit.
Following the visit, Seng has since lodged a report to the authorities.
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Today, Seng updated the post saying he visited the shelter a day after the initial X post and noticed “much better” conditions, but he did not see the black kitten he alleged had died in an enclosed space during the previous visit.
The Star also reported that the royal city council officials had claimed that the cats believed to be dead, were just sleeping.
