Cat Hotels Fully Booked Ahead Of Raya Holidays

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- It has become common practice for cat owners to send their furry companions to pet hotels during festive seasons to ensure their pets receive proper care while they return to their hometowns.

With Hari Raya Aidilfitri approaching at the end of this month, cat owners are already busy looking for pet hotels.

A survey by Bernama on platform X found that several social media users had started searching for pet accommodations as early as last year.

“Raya is still far away, but I already have to book a cat hotel. Hmm, I haven’t even decided on my Raya outfit colour yet,” one user wrote. Another lamented, “Oh my God, all the pet hotels are fully booked!"

Surprisingly, many pet hotels are already fully booked for the upcoming Hari Raya holidays, with the bookings made since last year. This has left cat owners scrambling for alternative boarding for their pets.

According to Rohani Majid, the owner of Orios Cat Hotel in Kajang, Selangor, her premises, which can accommodate up to 80 cats at a time, was fully booked for Hari Raya as early as December 2024.  

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The 47-year-old entrepreneur, who has been offering pet boarding services for three years, said the standard accommodation for cats at her facility consists of wooden enclosures and not metal cages.

“However, due to the high demand (for the festive season) and a long waiting list, we have introduced metal cages as an alternative.

“This way, the cats are still cared for in our pet hotel, just in a different type of enclosure. We have to think creatively to meet the high demand. Some customers even bring their own cages and ask us to look after their pets,” she said.

Meanwhile, recognising the growing need for pet care, Baharim Abu Bakar, 47, offers a pet-sitting service where he visits his clients’ homes to feed, clean and spend time with their pets while the owners are away.

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Baharim, who has been in this business for eight years, said the demand for his services peaks during festive seasons, making it challenging for him to accommodate everyone. 

“Many people, especially my regular clients, have inquired about my house-to-house service during Raya. However, I will only open bookings during Ramadan to be fair and to organise my schedule efficiently as I focus solely on the Klang Valley during the festive season.

“I handle everything on my own without any assistance, so I can’t take on too many bookings. My maximum is 20 houses over five days (of the festival). To ensure I provide the best service, I’ve to limit the areas I cover so I don’t get too tired,” said Baharim, who is also the owner of Rumah Katsumi, a shelter for disabled cats.

Baharim, whose service charges start from RM50, does not impose a time limit on his visits and provides pet owners with regular updates through video recordings sent via WhatsApp.

“I don’t set a fixed duration for each visit. Some homes take me less than an hour if they only have one cat, while others require more time if they have several cats,” he added.

-- BERNAMA