In my blog post earlier today, I referenced two Sinar Harian stories from Perak — one, a family of eight cats and two, a family of ten cats plus other pets – coping with the flood.
It’s not really all that unusual for some Malaysians to have many cats, be it one dozen or even up to two dozen per clowder.
However when disaster strikes, such as last weekend’s floods, cat owners are unable to bring their pets along with them to the emergency relief centres. I can’t imagine their anxiety.
This is actually a subject I’ve been turning over in my mind since 2016 when I saw news photos of the Rohingya exodus (pix below). None of the refugees brought any cats with them.
BELOW: Screengrab from a Japanese South Korean cat video channel on YouTube
I hear all the time from Malays that kucing itu rezeki. It encapsulates the Melayu outlook on life.
I believe boat rescuers will be willing to take on board the pets, along with their humans, since Malaysia is such a cat-loving country.
For evacuation on water transport, a carrier is more handy than a cage. A backpack carrier (below) allows you and your cats to be glued together during a melee.
A stroller carrier (second pix) might be serviceable if you have to trek uphill on foot to higher ground.
Should necessity dictate, cats can be released from the carriers once you reach safety leashed to a lead and harness.
Helen Ang 
is msia really a cat or dog loving country? it seem we are one of the country perhaps along with thailand that have the most stray cat and dog, they are everywhere. our love toward dog and cat is no diff with our love toward rohingya, its a matter of utilitarian.
I’m sad about the stray dogs.
But with regard to cats, I believe a lot of Malaysians are kind.,
i keep a dog when i was young, a normal local breed, chineae call it “菜狗’. we name it lucy, the first human? i dont really like pets, they are just a playmate when i am bore, we decided to get rid of lucy later and leave her 10 miles away from my home, but i still cant figure out how she can find her way home the next day, i gave up and leave her alone. later on my family move to another town and we never bring lucy along, she stay with my aunt next door, along the years whenever i visit my aunt, she seem remember me well and always the first that rush to welcome me, this happened no matter after how many years until she finally gone. this episode of life tell me i am a irresponsible and heartless pets owner, i never have any pets from then onwards and refuse to keep one even when my kids ask for it.
my neighbor keep many cats, more than 10 i guess, because they share the same collar with bell, but i dont think they ever take care of the cats, they are everywhere. the diff btw cat and dog is cat doesnt seem to appreciate who is his /her owner/master, they dont possess any kind of loyalty, and they can live in any place or house they choose to and you dont really know who own them, i believe this is the reason we think there is less stray cat than dog. my point is there are not really a massive diff between most msia cat and dog owners, most are like me, irresponsible and heartless.
Not to worry. Cats have nine lives. Dogs are humankind’s best friends.