Momo, a cat tortured alive in SS12, Subang Jaya Malaysia

A video of Momo when she was alive

My friend and her sister recently told me about this cat their family helped save in June. They mentioned Momo's story to me briefly during 1st day of Eid/Hari Raya. I asked them then to email me more details and all photos they took of Momo as I think Momo's case is one of the worse animal abuse cases in Malaysia and that we needed to alert the authorities about it a.s.a.p.

Though we may never find out who tortured this innocent cat, Malaysians need to know that there are some really sick and dangerous people out there who are willing to inflict such pain on animals and that these people need serious medical help. If we continue to ignore the law and allow irresponsible people to behave this way, then there is a possibility that the very same people could do harm to other creatures and God forbid, young defenseless children included.

I will forward this article to all local NGOs, DVS and PETA Asia today. It seems that animal abuse is on the rise lately and lets pray that our Malaysian government does something about it. 

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Here is an email I received recently from Momo's rescuer.

Traumatized Momo

Hi Kak Tati! Sorry it took a while. Here are the details.

This cat was named Momo. We found her on our lawn on the 9th of June, approx 8 o'clock in the morning. My mother was yelling for my father because she thought he accidentally ran Momo down so I ran down to help. Upon closer inspection, she was not run over but laying prone because of her bound arms and feet. They were bound so tightly (with rubber bands) it cut through her skin and twisted her bones. We wanted to release her immediately but her rotten flesh, maggots and the rubber melded together and it would have been hard to avoid cutting her. So we got her some milk, cleaned her as best as we could and contacted the vet.

All of her paws are destroyed

We went to the Klinik Haiwan in SS14 about 9am as it was not open any earlier. The doctor (Dr Lxxxx) was of course shocked and demanded to know who could do such a thing. At that point in time, we weren't sure who the cat belonged to. My maid and I vaguely recognized her as our neighbours'. He freed her and gave her some injections to kill the maggots. Apart from looking dazed, she (Momo) appeared normal. 

One of Mom's paws

We were given a choice of whether to put her to sleep or to keep her. The doctor said that whilst she would never have her limbs (all 4 paws were completely gone), she could still hope for some sort of a life if we were willing to take care of her. We said yes. This cat had crawled (the doctor said that she was probably bound for a week considering how rotten her flesh was. She probably had not eaten anything in that space of time either) all the way to our home to seek refuge and it seemed cruel to turn her away then.

Momo's front paws

We were given antibiotics and herbal spray (the purple tint on her fur was the result of that) to take care of the maggots. She was a very good cat and hardly fussed. She didn't eat much (the doctor said to give her 2 days) but drank a little water and some special cat milk we bought.

Momo's paws with medicine sprayed

The 2nd day pretty much went the same. Despite the lack of food, she was still active and even attempted to jump on a table on our veranda, presumably to have a nice view of the garden :) I helped her up of course.

=(

The 3rd day I freaked out because I noticed she had a belly and teats. She kept licking her underbelly. I thought she was going to give birth and that was the reason why she wasn't eating. We brought her to the same vet in SS14 and he said not to worry. She was not going to give birth and would start to eat the next day.

On the 4th day, she didn't have a bite and hardly drank. She seemed more depressed than usual. We tried biscuits, wet food, milk, tuna etc to no avail. That night we met my neighbour and asked him to identify the cat. He did and that's when we learned her name was Momo.

Momo looked so tired on the 5th day. Exhausted. She regurgitated her medicine and refused to eat or drink. This time we brought her to a vet in SS17 (the one past Subang Parade. I'm not sure what it's called). All the other vets in the area were closed for some reason. Apparently this vet dealt with a lot of rescued animals. This time the doctor said that it would hurt his conscience to do anything but put her down. He said that he would have to amputate all four legs for a clean cut (as you can see, her bones were protruding) and doing that would make her the equivalent of a worm. We took her home first. Maybe if she ate a little, she would get better? Maybe she still wanted to live? I don't know. She didn't eat or drink anything. Not even if u put it to her lips. The doctor said the humane thing to do was to decide soon. So we did. My mom, sister, neighbour and I agreed to put her to rest.

Sleep well Momo. You deserve a good rest.

She passed away and my neighbour buried her in a park. 

We have absolutely no proof and any ideas as to whom may have done it is complete speculation. I don't know how anyone could be so bloody cruel. 

I can only hope this never happens again. Momo was the sweetest, bravest cat and she went through the most trying ordeal with as much dignity as any 'human being' can muster. Despite having been treated so badly, she still trusted us and even enjoyed being stroked and loved. She didn't act like a nutter and tear my face off. In short, I could say more good things about this cat than a lot of my fellow human counterparts.

It would be very helpful if you could mention that this happened in SS12, Subang Jaya. It would be good to create some awareness in our community that someone had committed a  crime and in the future, would not escape it.

Sorry for ranting Kak Tati. I tried to describe it as closely as possible. Please tell me if you need any more details. Thanks for everything. Lots of love and hugs to you and your family. Take care.

Love, 

xxxxxx

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= Latest update =

1. Dr Chan, from MyAnimalCare.org posted on her website today about Momo's case and gave suggestions on what we can do reduce incidence of cruelty. Read her post here. 
2. I have emailed this post and video of Momo to PETA Asia Pacific, SPCA, PAWS, PetPositive, Malaysian Animal Welfare Society, MyAnimalCare.org, NST, TheStar, MalayMail, FreeMalaysiaToday, MalaysianInsider, YB Hannah Yeoh of Subang Jaya, DVS Malaysia (Department of Veterinary Services) and activists.
3. So far, only a few reps have replied and the only person from the media that shared this news with the rest is Joe Lee aka KlubbKiddKL via his Twitter here.
4. Dato Dr Suhaimi of DVS replied my email on Friday, Sept 9 and this is what he had to say about Momo's case

from Y.BHG. DATO' DR. AHMAD SUHAIMI OMAR suhaimi@dvs.gov.my to Tati Ambia  date Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 2:28 PM subject Re: Momo, a Malaysian cat tortured alive, saved and later buried in June 2011

Thank you

Semoga Allah merahmati mereka yang telah berbuat baik kepada makhlukNya

Suhaimi DVS


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= More updates =

1. Shenaaz Khan, lawyer and president of Malaysian Animal Welfare Society replied my mail and has agreed to assist the rescuer and family on this case.
2. The rescuer and her mother have lodged a police report in Subang Jaya yesterday. She has forwarded the report to YB Hannah Yeoh and DVS Malaysia.
3. I still have not received any feedback from YB Hannah Yeoh, State Assemblywoman of Subang Jaya. I emailed her a few days ago a few times and even mentioned about Momo to her via Twitter.