Earlier last week, Imadi Pet, a relatively well-known pet shop in Shah Alam, was called out by netizens for allegedly mistreating their cats and neglecting them.
Photos of some of the cats looking sickly and visibly thin were circulating online. What caught a lot of people’s attention is that these cats were being given spoilt food filled with cockroaches, hence causing much anger and outrage among Malaysian netizens.
Source: New Straits Times
Now, the pet shop, which also offers breeding services for pure-bred cats, was just raided by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) this morning (11th January) from 11am to 2pm, according to the New Straits Times. A total of 600 cats are reportedly kept in Imadi Pet.
However, despite the photos that were circulated online and complaints from netizens, the DVS have yet to find any concrete evidence that the animals in the pet shop were being mistreated. An officer from the department told the daily,
“We need strong evidence to prove that the cats have indeed been neglected or kept in poor condition. Only then can this case be brought to court for further action.”
Source: Asrol Adisar | Facebook
Source: Asrol Adisar | Facebook
Source: Asrol Adisar | Facebook
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time Imadi Pet has been investigated by DVS. Zaidi Musa, the pet shop’s Shah Alam branch manager said,
“DVS came over again due to pressure from non-government organisations who alleged that we are not taking good care of the felines. But never once have they found any seriously injured or ill treated cats in the shop.”
The manager went on to say that apart from several orders of improvement, nothing was found during those raids.
Source: New Straits Times
However, an individual who worked at an office building near the pet shop told the daily that the DVS should conduct more thorough searches, as the shop was not in good condition, saying:
“They should not merely look on the outside. At the back of the shop, for instance, you can see lumps of hairball and dirty water along the back alley.”
On top of that, during the first raid (27th December 2017), authorities found several cats infected with the flu and had sore eyes. Despite this, the DVS concluded that there was no evidence of animal cruelty, although they did recommend they start isolating sick cats and improving ventilation for the animals.
Whatever it is, we hope the authorities keep a close eye on this pet shop to make sure none of these poor cats are being abused and neglected!
Also read: PJ Cafe Under Fire After Managing Partner Admitted to Abusing Dog For Years
