Klang cat park comes under fire over alleged poor conditions

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KLANG: Just two weeks after its grand opening, the Klang Cat Park has come under fire from animal lovers.

Two incriminating videos have surfaced on social media showing sickly-looking cats locked up in enclosures. One of the videos also appears to show a dead cat inside an enclosure.

The Cat Park, located at the Pavilion Wetland in Bandar Bukit Raja, is an initiative of the Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) and was opened in mid-August by Selangor Permaisuri Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.

The park was built for MBDK at a cost of RM800,000 by Sime Darby Property.

At the opening, MBDK mayor Datin Paduka Noraini Roslan said the cat park would be managed by the council's health department. She also mentioned that the cat park would serve as a transit point for stray cats, which would be neutered and vaccinated pending their adoption.

One video posted on Instagram shows a kitten having what appears to be an epileptic fit. The person who posted the video claimed that adult cats and kittens were all placed in the same enclosures.

"The money could have been used to neuter them instead of locking them up and letting them become critically ill. The food and drink containers are filthy. They opened a cat park and let it go unsupervised," she added.

In the Facebook video, the person stated that the cats were dying in the hot enclosures and should be released. She claimed there was a dead kitten inside and that she could not save the cats and kittens as the enclosures were locked.

She added that the cats were unable to eat because the food was not dispensing properly. "Absolutely horrendous!" said the person filming the video.

When contacted, MBDK Corporate Communications Director Norfiza Mahfiz stated that the cats believed to be dead were actually sleeping.

"We are improving the place further," said Norfiza, adding that she and the mayor visited the park on Monday morning. She also mentioned that the videos were shot before the daily cleaning, which is why the enclosures appeared dirty.