Business owners face conundrum with amended Sarawak law banning pets in eateries
KUCHING: When the Sarawak Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Protection of Public Health (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Tuesday, business owner Janet Then was stumped.
The amendments include prohibiting animals or pets from entering any food premises.
Then is the owner of Sarawak’s first cat café, which opened in 2014.
“This is the one and only pet café we have (in Kuching). I’ve been running it for 10 years; then they come up with this.
“It is really disappointing,” she told The Borneo Post here.
She pointed out that in her café, the room for the cats and those where food is served, are separated.
“The cats here are all vaccinated yearly and always taken care of by their pioneer vet,” she explained.
The café has attracted tourists from China, Japan, Spain, Singapore, Germany, Australia, France, and Italy.
It is also aiming to be a mental health tourism spot by providing animal-assisted therapy.
“If it’s going to bite people or I’m giving people problems, I would have to close early already. People would report me,” added Then.
Meanwhile, dog park founder Anna Wee said the prevention of health hazards and cleanliness lay predominantly with general food handling in the kitchen, which was subject to regular inspections by council enforcement units.
She viewed an outright blanket ban of animals in eateries with the passing of the Bill as ‘unnecessary’.
According to Wee, dog and cat cafés are select eateries and thus, should not be forced to close as they serve as safe spaces for customers to socialise with pets.
“Such establishments should be exempted from a generic blanket ban but it is up to business owners and entrepreneurs to decide their market niche,” she said.
She also suggested creating a separate licence for these establishments.
Wee added that the Animal Welfare Act should be extended to Sarawak and advocated for mandatory neutering of all dogs to control stray populations humanely.
She also called for legislation to criminalise animal abandonment, cruelty, and neglect.
She said Sarawak could distinguish itself by implementing policies that balance public health, social acceptance, and community preferences based on diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as historical context.