Mayor Denies Accusations Of Neglect At Klang Stray Cat Park Within 2 Weeks Of Its Opening
A visitor claimed that six cats have died since the park's opening.
By May Vin Ang — 03 Sep 2024, 10:55 AM
The Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) has denied allegations of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment at Taman Kucing Klang, which have surfaced on social media
In a statement on Facebook, Klang Mayor Datin Paduka Noraini Roslan said the council takes such claims seriously and made a visit to the site on Monday, 2 September, where she was satisfied with the park's cleanliness and overall condition.
"I appreciate the public's concern, but some of the information being shared is completely false, particularly claims that the cats are hungry and abandoned," she said.
"The report of numerous cat deaths is also incorrect; only one cat has died since the park's opening, and it was placed outside the park by an unknown individual," Noraini was quoted as saying after her site visit.
Nonetheless, acting on the viral complaints, Noraini said the council plans to work with Sime Darby Property, the park's developer, to make immediate improvements
She said the council intends to build an additional veranda to enhance the stray cats' comfort, as well as install shading nets to reduce the excessive afternoon heat in the existing shelter.
Noraini also assured that care will be given to the cats' nutrition.
Given that cats need space to roam about freely, she added that caretakers will allow the cats out of the enclosure to explore the park in the mornings.
"We also plan to collaborate with volunteers interested in cat care, given the positive and proud support from the community towards the cat park," she added.
Earlier, a concerned visitor called out Taman Kucing Klang for its alleged poor upkeep only two weeks after its official opening
In a Reddit thread, the netizen said they visited the park and noticed some cats were sick, and alleged they even found a dead kitten inside.
"Too many stray cats are locked up in one compound and they did not seem to not have any health screening.
"Food was difficult to access, litter box uncleaned and filthy, rubbish and plastic was inside. It was horrible until some cats actually climbed up until the top of the tall wall just to relax there," they said, adding that the shelter also had no insulation or protection from the heat.
They added that while they were there, there weren't any caretakers present to monitor the cats, and claimed that six cats had already died since the park's opening.
For a cat park that was promoted to be a "safe and loving space for cats", they claimed the whole place seemed abandoned and hoped that the city council would take action to improve the park's conditions.
