KLANG: When his grandmother who raised him died on April 22, Mohd Faiz Basirun was crushed, but the lad bravely carried out his daily routine of feeding the strays right after her burial.
“I was devastated with her death but I realised the cats and dogs I fed depended on me for their daily food.
“I went on my feeding rounds as usual after the burial ceremony,’’ said Mohd Faiz, who lives in Kampung Kumpulan A, Langkawi.
For the young man, feeding stray animals on the island in Kedah has been a lifelong commitment. Even as a child, Mohd Faiz was concerned about their plight.
“When I entered Form One, I decided I would start feeding stray animals on a daily basis,’’ said the 20-year-old.
His main problem over the years was being able to buy enough food to feed the cats and dogs that he came across.
Luckily for him, Mohd Faiz’s fervent prayers of being able to feed the stray cats and dogs daily were finally answered with the assistance of Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.
Mohd Faiz narrated how he met Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin who was on a private visit to the island with her friends in January.
“I helped arrange transport for Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin and her group and she invited me to join them in their activities,’’ he said.
When Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin learnt that Mohd Faiz was an animal lover and would go about feeding stray animals daily, she immediately pledged to provide him with pet food at his request.
Mohd Faiz shared that throughout her stay on the island, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin fed all the dogs and cats she came across there.
He said Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin was already sending cat food regularly to Hotel Casa Del Mar on the island for the felines that she had adopted there.
“So, she now sends pet food for me as well to feed the cats and dogs on the island. All I have to do is go to the hotel and pick up the food and inform the staff there if I require extra supply,’’ he said.
Apart from feeding stray animals daily, Mohd Faiz creates social media content such as reviews and news commentaries to earn a living.
He also takes on the role of master of ceremonies and sings at social events and gatherings.
Mohd Faiz said he had enrolled in a diploma programme in information management in 2020 but had to quit after a few months to take care of his ailing grandmother.
“Both my grandmother’s legs had been amputated due to diabetic complications. I wanted to take care of her like how she had taken care of me,’’ he said.
Mohd Faiz had been staying with his grandmother since he was 12 after his parents divorced.
His ambition now is to pursue a career in teaching.
“Even if I don’t get to become a teacher, I hope to join the civil service,’’ he said.
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