MALAYSIANS KINI In a remote commercial district in Bukit Beruntung, Selangor, hiding from plain sight, is a super hero’s lair.

You may mistake the two-storey shophouse for the proverbial cat lady’s home.

But for the 80 felines that live inside, the house owner and their saviour, is the ‘cat-man’.

Meet 38-year-old Mohd Rohizan Ramli, cat lover extraordinaire.

It all started quite innocently, he told Malaysiakini .

He has been adopting street cats for the past seven years, though last year, he got the urge to rescue even more.

It got to a point that he had to quit his job as a scriptwriter so that he can dedicate all his energy towards caring for the felines.

“When I first quit my job it was hard. But I kept my resolve, because I pitied them. I didn’t have the heart to abandon them.

“When I was working, I didn’t have time to care of the cats, and some of them died because of that,” related Rohizan.

Surrounded by his feline friends, he said the cats he adopted are the thin ones, those with diseases, and orphaned kittens.

Thirty of his 80 cats are currently ill, including those who have been crippled in accidents or are visually impaired.

“Some of them were scrawny when I got them, but now they’re fat,” he said, beaming.

The Perlis boy, who goes by the pen name Janjira, has a rather unique way of naming his cats.

“Some of the sick cats don’t have names yet, but I remember the names of almost 60 cats.

Expensive lifestyle

“I name them after places. Ali was named because I got it from (mamak shop) Ali Maju, Tes was got its name because I found it near Tesco,” Rohizan said.

To him, they are his children. He lives with them, and fully dedicates his life to them.

Even the use of his writing skills are now for them.

“I do all sorts of work because sometimes the cost to treat a sick cat can be expensive. It can reach RM5,000.

“So I do cat grooming, and cat daycare. I sell things, and recently I’ve started to write books,” described the former scriptwriter.

It’s an expensive lifestyle for an unemployed man, admitted Rohizan, though he does accept aid, but on one condition.

“I normally ask those who want to give contributions to come here themselves, before donating. Let them see what it is like,” he said.

Those interested in lending a hand, can visit the KUTIP by Janjira Facebook page, or call 010-3866733 or 019-2966223 for further information.

 

 

MALAYSIANS KINI is a series on Malaysians you should know about.

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