When ‘cats’ make heads turn
Feline lovers drawn to unique exhibition adorning the walls of Masjid Jamek station
KUALA LUMPUR: Ex-policewoman Sauyah Zakaria stops every few paces to admire the photos of cats plastered along the tunnel connecting the Kelana Jaya Line and the Sri Petaling Line at the Masjid Jamek LRT station.
The 62-year-old, accompanied by her son Muhammad Saiful Hashim, 36, favours photos of local cats to pedigree ones.
“Look at this one,” she said to her son, pointing to a photo of a grey-white tabby staring straight into the camera.
“This one must be a naughty one. You can tell from its eyes,” she said.
“You can always tell a cat’s personality from his or her eyes,” she added, pointing at a white cat this time, saying that its eyes showed that it was “manja” (spoiled).
Sauyah, a self-professed cat lover who owns 11 rescued cats, was admiring the KucingTa Mu exhibition, which showcases photos of cats submitted by their owners.
She said that she came across the exhibi- tion by chance, but was clearly delighted about it.
“I’m glad I saw this! It’s a good initiative, as there are many cat lovers among Malaysians,” she added.
Apart from photos of cats, artworks featuring cats by local artists also decorate the walls of the tunnel.
One that stood out was a drawing by Kat Rahmat – of a pink mini bus, familiar around the streets of Kuala Lumpur in the 1980s and 1990s, with a cute white cat in a pink baju kurung at its door – titled The Optimist.
The KucingTa Mu exhibition, which is scheduled to run until December 2017, is part of the Arts On The Move programme by Think City and RapidKL.
Owners who wish to submit their cats’ photos for the exhibition are required to pay a donation of RM30, RM50 and RM100 for an A4, A3 and A2 size display respectively, on the walls of the tunnel.
The donations will go to Pet Adoption Network Malaysia, a group of volunteers who help find homes for rescued cats and dogs in the Klang Valley.