Firemen Endure 500-Metre-High Floodwaters to Save 40 Stranded Cats in Kuala Krai

By Karissa Lund  •  08 Jan 2021 in News

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Amidst floodwaters, the state Fire and Rescue Department rescued around 40 cats belonging to a family in Kampung Kenor, Kuala Krai yesterday (8 Jan).

According to Harian Metro, Kuala Krai Fire and Rescue station chief, Muhammad Rizwan Ar-rafee Parsimin said the cats were evacuated to the SMK Kuala Krai relief centre along with their owner and four other flood victims. He added a team of nine men used a boat, lorry and a pick-up in the operation.

“We received an emergency call at about noon today and immediately rushed to the village for the rescue work. Apart from saving five adult women and a baby boy from two houses there, we also saved 40 cats of various breeds belonging to one of the flood victims,” Rizwan said.

He noted that the operation ended at about 3pm and the victims were relocated after the two houses were inundated in 500m-deep of floodwaters.

The owner of 40 pet cats, Norhidayah Kamarudin, 31, was the one who sought the help of a few firefighters to save her cats. When the flood started to come in, her main concern was to move her pet cats somewhere safe as she knew she could not do it on her own.

“Previously, I only rescued five cats and at that time, all five of them were transferred to the PPS with some of my family members. However, this time, I had to ask for the help of the fire brigade to move all these cats because there’s so many of them,” she added on.

Norhidayah also explained that all the cats under her care were rescued from the streets. Most of them were ill and needed treatment.

“I consider these stray cats to be my own children,” she said.