Petz-A-Mania, a 'paw-radise' for animal lovers

IPOH - Last weekend, pet lovers here had the opportunity to visit the biggest pet festival the city has ever seen, Petz-A-Mania.

Held at the Perak Turf Club here on Aug 3 and 4, the festival was indeed a ‘paw-radise’ for animal lovers, featuring entertaining performances by parrots and cats as well as dogs from the police's K-9 unit, among others.

Petz-A-Mania organiser Jeffrey Parama said the festival, which has been held since 2022, aimed to educate the public on treating animals lovingly and refraining from abusing or abandoning them indiscriminately.

"I organised this (festival) to allow the public to gain knowledge about caring for pets such as cats, rabbits and dogs so that they have the awareness and become responsible pet owners," he told Bernama when met here.

He said pet owners should take care of the welfare of their pets by providing them with the basic necessities such as water and food, in addition to ensuring that they are vaccinated.

He also said various types of pet food, health products and accessories were sold at the festival, with advice on pet care provided to the public.

Several pet owners and animal activists were also present to share their knowledge with visitors about their pets. The two-day Petz-A-Mania festival was attended by about 5,000 people.

Mohd Ghazali Mohd Shafii, 38, who is from Ipoh and whose hobby is rearing parrots, brought along five of his beloved pets which put up a "free fly” performance for visitors.

He owns 15 parrots of various species which, he said, cost him "thousands of ringgit” to acquire. The birds are all registered with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia.

According to Ghazali, parrots are intelligent and tame and capable of mimicking words taught to them. He said their unique and colourful feathers are also among the reasons he enjoys caring for them.

"The uniqueness of parrots lies in their ability to mimic human conversations, although their pronunciation may not be perfect. People find this entertaining,” he said, adding parrots have a lifespan of between 80 and 100 years if well cared for.

"Parrots can recognise their owners. They are trained to 'free fly' and can perch on the shoulder or hand when called by their name or using a whistle.”

Also present at the pet festival was Nora Shaw, 59, from Kuala Kangsar. A member of a non-governmental organisation running a shelter for rescued stray, sick and abandoned cats, Nora said the cats are treated and vaccinated before being put up for adoption.

"We receive donations from the public to meet the cost of providing food, medicines and vaccinations for the rescued cats,” she said, adding they now have more than 20 cats in their care. - BERNAMA