All for the love of cats

By ANURADHA RAGHU

ONE cat breeder loves her pets so much that she considers them her children. “My children are four-legged, furry and reddish-brown in colour,” said Adilah Roose, a pedigree cat breeder who is particularly fond of the exotic Abyssinian cat.

“It is an expensive hobby, but I love my cats,” said Adilah, who runs a cattery in Kuala Lumpur and lives with 18 cats, ten of which are Abyssinians.

Top cats: Enthusiasts posing with their winning cats and judge Mare.

Adilah, 39, said she pampered her cats and gave them the best of everything.

“My cats get the best veterinary care and pedigree food,” said Adilah, adding that she even allowed her cats to sleep in an air-conditioned room.

The Abyssinians, according to Adilah, are among the world’s oldest breeds of cats, and were often featured in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Adilah was one of 45 cat enthusiasts who turned up for the 1st IOI Mall International Cat Show and Competition at IOI Mall Bandar Putra Kulai recently.

This crowd-puller event, featuring 90 cats from Malaysia, China, Thailand and Hong Kong, was jointly organised by the mall, Feline Society of Malaysia and Cat Fanciers Association (CFA).

Good turnout: The huge crowd witnessing an event at the 1st IOI Mall International Cat Show and Competition in Kulai recently.

Other cat lovers at the event were Juriah Abu Bakar, 42, and her husband Zakaria Abidin, 48, who brought 11 of their cats to participate in the show, including their favourite cat, a twoyear-old Persian named Bubbles.

The couple are passionate about cats and have about 80 living with them in their home in Taman Daya.

“I feel sorry for stray cats abandoned on streets, so I pick them up and take them home,” said Juriah, adding that she spent RM1,500 a month on food, vaccination, medicine and other bills for her cats.

Celebrity: Many took part in the Guess My Weight competition, where participants had to guess the weight of this cat, which actually weighed around 8kg.

Juriah, a housewife, said she earned an income by providing grooming, boarding and other services for cats.

Contest judge David Mare, 64, from CFA, said he was impressed by the wide variety of cat breeds at the contest.

Mare has judged cat shows all over the world and has 41 years of judging experience under his belt.

Members of the public were seen flocking to the booth set up by Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Shelter where cats were available for adoption.