KUALA LUMPUR: As soon as she stepped into Seri Talam Cat Cafe, the writer was greeted by a group of meowing fluffy, furry bundles, all of them rubbing their heads against her legs for attention.
The writer was surprised to learn that all 120 cats in the cafe were strays rescued by retired teacher Zaiton Abdul Mayas, as they were quite affectionate, unlike street cats.
Zaiton, 61, the owner of Seri Talam Cat Cafe in Taman Sri Rampai, Setapak here, started the cafe in 2010 to not only provide shelter for the cats but also to promote her signature ‘kuih talam’, which is the main item on the menu.
“It is heart-wrenching to see their condition when we find them on the streets, sickly, emaciated, blind and lame and with all kinds of health problems. I feel very sorry for them and do not understand why people want to abuse and torture them.
“Although some of the cats look dirty and unpleasant, they can still live a healthy life with proper treatment. They just need some love and kindness,” Zaiton told Bernama.
The cat gallery is air-conditioned and has a veranda, a living room that doubles as a playroom, a room for quarantine and three other rooms as well as toilet facilities.
“At first I started supplying and selling more than 50 types of ‘kuih talam’ and other traditional ‘kuih’ through Seri Talam Zaiton, while the rescued cats were sheltered in my home.
“But after the population started increasing, I felt it was better to set up a more suitable and comfortable place and that is how Seri Talam Cat Cafe came into being, to combine two of my main passions,” she said.
Zaiton said every rescued cat is treated, vaccinated and spayed or neutered before being housed in the cat gallery or given up for adoption.
She said the prospective adopter will be interviewed and vetted to ensure they are suitable and the cats will be in a safe environment.
‘I am fine with people wanting to adopt, provided they take good care of the cats and do not abandon them again. I hope our society as a whole can deal with this stray cat issue and my greatest wish is for this problem to be completely eradicated one day,” she added.
An interesting feature of the cats in the cafe is that they are all named after the locations where they were rescued, such as Alamanda or based on their physical features or traits like ‘Juling’ ‘Dobok’, ‘Jaya’ and ‘Bulat’.
Zaiton said she charges RM25 per hour for patrons to stroke, cuddle and play with the cats in a relaxed atmosphere, which is a form of stress relief.
Zaiton, who is a single parent, said food, medicine, treatment and vaccination costs range between RM15,000 and RM20,000 per month.
“The operations costs are funded entirely from the cafe’s profits, entrance fee as well as sales of homemade cat litter,” she said.
A customer, Fara Omar, 41, who works in the private sector, said she is happy to spend time with the cats, especially at the end of a long day at the office.
“It is a great stress reliever and my daughter loves it here too,” she said. – BERNAMA
