Two men, who are owners of a cat care centre, pleaded guilty in the magistrate’s court in Petaling Jaya today to 30 counts of neglecting the welfare of 30 cats to an extent of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the animals last year.

Magistrate KB Elena Hong Tze Lan set June 28 for sentencing.

Shahrul Azuan Adanan, 29, and Yushairi Khairuddin, 29, had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges last December.

On all the 30 counts, Shahrul Azuan and Yushairi are jointly charged with wantonly or unreasonably neglecting to feed and care for the animal resulting unnecessary pain and suffering to the cats.

They are charged with committing the offence at the Petknode Online Pet Store, No. F001B, Level 1, Plaza Seasons Square, Jalan PJU 10/3, Damansara Damai, Selangor, between Sept 3 and 4, 2011.

Earlier, their lawyer, Syariful Nizam Shahruddin, said that his clients’ act was not tantamount to animal cruelty.

However, Hong said that based on the post mortem report, the cats had been neglected for a long time.

Prosecuting officer from the Veterinary Department, Jamadi Badri, prosecuted.

Meanwhile, more than 30 pet lovers, clad in black and red clothing, gathered outside the court.

- Bernama