SHOW MORE COMPASSION TO ANIMALS

By Muhammad Basir bin Roslan

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- Nothing can be more therapeutic than having an adorable cat as a pet, so says Muhammad Hasbullah Ibrahim.

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The 28-year-old secretary of the Malaysia Cat Club has been a cat lover since young and is now the proud owner of seven cats of different breeds.

His love affair with felines started after he rescued four stray kittens from being bitten by a dog by the roadside sometime back. He decided to give them a home and named them Moktam, Shuteh, Leo and Belang.

"When I was small, my mother used to encourage me to keep cats and told me that having them as pets would be beneficial for me and would bring me unexpected rewards. 

"She would advise me to be affectionate towards cats as they would pray for our good, regardless of whether they were strays or well cared for," said Muhammad Hasbullah, adding that among his four rescues, his favourite was the five-year-old Moktam.

He was speaking to Bernama at the International Cat Expo, which took place at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre, here, recently.

The three-day event showcased various activities related to cats, with the highlight being a cat competition. More than 500 cats of various international breeds, such as British Shorthair, Persian and Ragdoll, were entered for the competition and the grand winner was an exotic Shorthair named Rizlya Balthazar of Drimqaseh, owned by Julieka Mat Nasir.

THREE TYPES OF CAT FANS

Muhammad Hasbullah said fans of the Felis silvestris catus – the domestic cat's scientific name – can be divided into three categories.

"Some people just like to look at cats and that's about it, while some keep them as pets but don't look after them well. The best cat lovers are those who keep them as pets and look into all their needs, just as they would  a human being," he said.

Muhammad Hasbullah, who is a hairstylist by profession and works at a salon in Kampung Pandan, here, not only spends a good portion of his salary for the upkeep of his cats but also sets aside some money to help needy people in his surroundings.

He joined the Malaysia Cat Club in 2008 out of his love for cats and also to help raise public awareness on the need to show more compassion to the helpless furry animals.

Muhammad Hasbullah, who has 13 siblings, also said that in his family, only he, his mother and three younger brothers were cat lovers.

ANIMAL ABUSE

He also urged the authorities to tighten legislation related to animal welfare, particularly the Animal Welfare Act 2015,  to prevent abuse of animals.

Pointing to the incident that took place in a self-service laundry in Taman Gombak Ria, Selangor, in September where three people killed a cat by putting it in a dryer, Muhammad Hasbullah said many similar cases of animal abuse occurred in society due to the lack of compassion for animals.

"We all came to know of the laundry incident because the video went viral. But there are so many other cases of animal abuse that have not come to our attention," he said,

He said educating children to show compassion to humans and animals should begin at home.

"Parents are responsible for shaping the future of their children. Society is also equally responsible in educating people to love animals just as much as they love their fellow humans," he added.

 Translated by Rema Nambiar

BERNAMA