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The pet culture in Malaysia

Last activity 15 April 2019 by Ellen Whyte

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Priscilla

Hey everyone,

Pets are an integral part of a lot of families. So much so that they would never consider moving abroad without them. Before doing so, it would be important to know the pet culture in Malaysia just to make sure that their little “expets” feel welcomed in their new homes. Would you give our expats-to-be an insight of what it is like to have a pet in Malaysia by answering the following questions?

What part do pets play in society in Malaysia? Are they generally accepted in rentals and public spaces more generally?

Is it common for families to have pets?

What animal is the most often kept as pets? Are there some animals that cannot be kept as pets? Do some animals have specific significations when kept as pets?

How about the infrastructure needed to cater for pets? Can you find everything you need for your pet in terms of pet food, veterinary services, accessories, pet grooming etc...?

Do people generally spend a lot of money on their pets?

Please share your experience,

Priscilla

Hollis Lui

Pet dogs seem to be common only in a few areas in KL as most condos are not pet-friendly. Desa Park City, where you see more Chinese there, is popular with pets and kids. Cat food, esp if your cat eats only raw meat, is hard to be found or with little choices. So I would say pet dogs and cats are not too popular in this country

Yanonymous

- Pets not allowed in most condos
- Have seen some landed houses with pet dogs
- Its pity that majority of the owners tie or keep their dogs in CAGE  :(
- Pet culture is not as friendly as other countries i would say
- Have seen and heard horrific stories from killing , stealing and eating dogs
- Most common pet "CATS" of course.. Malay people love them..
- Most malays in Malaysia are not allowed to touch DOGS some religious thing
- Very rare good Veterinary Docs, Most are money makers so be careful
- Adopt or Shelter poor street dogs then buying expensive breeds for show off !

iskandarhack

I have to agree that most Malays will not even consider a dog as a pet and resent their non-Malay neighbors having them as pets. The fact that they feel they're not allowed to even touch a dog is because they believe that dogs are dirty animals (on the order of pigs). Also I've found that many people that have cats keep them in cages, and they're not allowed in the house unsupervised. Again a cleanliness issue. Back in the states I had a cat and the litter box was near the door from the garage (which as the primary way in/out of the house for us) and my wife used to comment all the time about how we had to mopped that area several times a day because the cat would use the litter box and the area was dirty.

Ruth Isaac

Thanks

Gravitas

Ruth Isaac wrote:

Hi Priscilla, thank you for all the emails you keep sending.  Would like to know why we have stopped receiving the Expat Magazine for a few months now.  Would like to have it delivered on a monthly basis. 
Thank you and have a great day.  Ruth Isaac


This website is nothing to do with The Expat magazine.

You need to look up The Expat Group (TEG) or Expatgo

Ruth Isaac

Thanks

caesar1956

Just a slight correction
Pet food is abundantly available in most places, of course you have to know where to find it

IanBlakeley

Yanonymous wrote:

- Pets not allowed in most condos


Officially yes but it doesn't seem to stop people, the goods lift in our rental *stinks* because people use that to take their dogs in and out. I guess they use the goods lift because if they made that smell in the other lifts there'd be way too many complaints

There's certainly a pet food aisle in the local tesco so keeping animals is popular enough that the supermarket stocks food.

Yanonymous

iskandarhack wrote:

I have to agree that most Malays will not even consider a dog as a pet and resent their non-Malay neighbors having them as pets. The fact that they feel they're not allowed to even touch a dog is because they believe that dogs are dirty animals (on the order of pigs). Also I've found that many people that have cats keep them in cages, and they're not allowed in the house unsupervised. Again a cleanliness issue. Back in the states I had a cat and the litter box was near the door from the garage (which as the primary way in/out of the house for us) and my wife used to comment all the time about how we had to mopped that area several times a day because the cat would use the litter box and the area was dirty.


I don't think it is because of the cleanliness ..

The prohibition on Muslims from having physical contact with dogs, as promoted by certain quarters in Malaysia, is not due to purely religious reasons as it is related to the identity politics of the country, an expert on Islamic jurisprudence has said.  source https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/categ … -politics/

Mahzimheart

As an expat we moved with our two cats into Malaysia 8 months ago. It was a tedious job trying to find a condo where pets were allowed and one owner ridiculously told me that he can allow one cat only...
my question was what kind of a theory is that.
Anyways, we reside in a villa now.
Pet care is tough in malaysia trustworthy vets are hard to find. We were scammed for over 3500 rm by animal medical Center in Kl.
The weather for our furry family members doesn’t make it any easy either.

Both my cats have triple coats of fur I try to keep them indoors in ac because otherwise they sweat and lick and that causes excessive hair balls.

I love all animals I agree with the above comment that pets are not kept in best condition I have seen a husky tied outside for almost 6 months. I reported it to spca but they replied that the dog is in great conditon. He is a husky and he lives in this weather outside alone.

Indeed, whenever I go around and play with dogs, the Muslim Malays look at me with disgust and judge me for playing with dogs. I have grown up with dogs but I guess it’s more politicised in this country then it’s religious.

They have proper laws but implementation is another story.

Hope things change for the better.

Jeanette Fernandes

Where did you move from with your cats? Did you fly them Malaysia Airlines? What were their travel conditions on the flight? Did u have to quarantine them for a week? Please tell me al you can. I have two Persian cars and afraid to move them to Malaysia because of the unfriendly challenges in the process. That is why we haven’t moved yet! Thank you in advance, Jeanettes

Mahzimheart

Hey sorry the late reply. We moved from Dubai UAE on emirates. They travelled like kings :), both of them travelled in the same cage. They had water and I packed a bag of food for them. It was a direct flight and they travelled in the air conditioned cargo haul.
Yes they were quarantined for a week and I received videos and photos and even visited them at the KLIA quarantine.

Please know that my pet relocation officers were Amazing. Casper was on a special kidney diet which they provided in the quarantine. I can give you their contact Rnd capital logistics mr. Rameez and mr. Dinend. You can reference Casper and Pebbles from Dubai by Mahwysh and they will know exactly who.

Please don’t be scared. Your cats need to be neutered and of opposite sex to be travelling in the single crate. Otherwise big airlines charge around 500$ per cat per carrier.

If there is anything further you can DM me on Instagram @pebbles_casper

Take care

Ellen Whyte

As a rule of thumb, if you want to live in a condo, you can't have pets. If you want pets, you live in a house. Houses are usually slightly cheaper than condos and more roomy.

Ideally, you pick a quiet mixed neighbourhood where you see others with pets. In my street, we have cats and dogs galore.

But, you cannot let an expensive looking pet roam as people will steal them. Cheap looking pets, no problem!

And, you cannot take a dog to the park in most places in West Malaysia. There are dog friendly parks but not many.  East Malaysia is a lot more accepting that way, but they are having some rabies issues so please check first if you're going there.

Cat, dog, guinea pig, rabbit etc food is very easy to buy in most Malaysian cities and towns. It's also generally speaking good commercial quality. We're talking everything from Whiskas to Hills. And if you want, I can hook you up with people who make BARF.

Vets in rural areas tend to stick to big animals. In cities, you can find lots of small animal vets. There are some fake vets, but it's easy to check who's who. Also, some vets will charge according to 'skin tax'. It sucks, but that's life.

Luckily, most Malaysian vets are decent, dedicated and good. If you need a vet, ask me. I have three excellent vets in my neighbourhood and can network to find you someone decent in your area.

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