BUTTERWORTH – A daughter has taken to social media to say that her mother died of heartbreak after her pet cat was seized by the Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) recently.
Azliya Alia posted on Facebook that her mother Azlifah Aziz, 63, from Taman Penaga in Kepala Batas received a courtesy visit from a group of MBSP enforcers, who said they got a complaint from neighbours that her pet cat was being disruptive.
“They told my mother that they needed to seize the cat, which was pregnant at the time. My mother pleaded and my eldest sister, who was also present, did the same,” said Azliya, whose grim post has received more than 27,000 reactions on her account.
Azliya alleged the officers insisted on taking the cat and left with it shortly despite pleas from the two women.
Her mother began to sob and called out the cat’s name – Ibu, besides informing her children that they should find a new home for it if she were to pass away.
The next day while doing house chores at home, Azlifah apparently suffered a heart attack and died at home.
Azliya said since she was young, her late mother loved cats.
“I think her heartbreak of losing her cat was overwhelming until she died as a result of the anxiety.”
Social media users had slammed MBSP for their alleged action.
MBSP president Datuk Rozali Mohamud said that the city council was forced to act because of the many complaints from the neighbours about cat litter all over the area.
“In our initial investigation, the cat owner was willing to surrender the pet as it was suspected to be pregnant. We’ve also informed the owner that the cat would be surrendered to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to care for.”
He expressed his condolences to the family and said MBSP was never inhumane in this case, and the officers were thoughtful throughout the investigation. – The Vibes, May 25, 2021
