‘Petknode has no licence to operate’

Department of Veterinary Services director-general cautions owners to make educated decisions before leaving their pets in the care of others.

PETALING JAYA: Pet owners beware! There are many pet boarding facilities, but not all of them are legal, said Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) director-general Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin.

“You must know your veterinarian, your clinic… don’t just listen to people or go to a website. (If) you value your dog, your car or your pet, send (them) to the responsible people,” he told reporters in front of the Petknode pet centre in Damansara Damai today.

Abdul Aziz, who was there to inspect the place, confirmed that Petknode had no licence to operate a pet boarding facility.

DVS officials then opened the centre for reporters to have a look. An overpowering stench of cat urine permeated the air as soon as the shutters were lifted.

Several cages were still left inside the small three-room shoplot. A myriad of supplies, garbage bags and furniture cluttered the place.

“This is just one case, maybe there are more, so check properly (before putting your pets here). You (must) ask if they have a license to operate,” Abdul Aziz said.

“This fellow (Petknode) didn’t register (a license) to operate a boarding house. They were only supposed to be selling cat food.”

During the Hari Raya holidays, many people left their pets in the company’s hands. A few got their cats back in severely malnourished state late Saturday night.

Angered, the owners complained over Twitter and Facebook, alerting others to the matter.

Regulations for pet boarding facilities

They eventually resorted to breaking open the Damansara Damai office on Sunday and found dozens of cats locked in cages and drenched in their own urine and faeces.

It was later revealed that more cats were locked away in a Saujana Utama bungalow.

Over 300 cats were found. None of them were fed with food and water for nine days. At least 13 have since died from starvation.

Abdul Aziz said that the DVS was in the midst of drawing up regulations over pet boarding facilities, as a result of this incident.

“We are working … to draw regulations, SOP (standard operating procedure) … in order to build a pet (boarding facility) … we will show you one day,” he said.

Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) councillor Syed Abdul Malik Syed A Hamid Al Jafree, who was there as well, said that MBPJ should have taken action against Petknode a long time ago.

He said that the MBPJ’s Licensing, Enforcement and Health departments should be held responsible over the matter.

FMT learned yesterday that Petknode had not renewed its operational license since 2009.

“Maybe they overlooked this one. We don’t know. There are so many places, so many things they (MBPJ) need to handle,” said Syed Abdul.