Malaysia ‘Catwoman’ Pampers 48 Felines

Pearly (The Catwoman) Chong’s love affair with cats began a decade ago when she took in a family of strays.

Today Chong’s bungalow on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur vibrates to the purring of no fewer than 48 cats, ranging from pure-bred Persian, Siamese and Burmese to common strays.

Chong dotes on them all, pedigree or not.

“There should have been 52 of them but four died of kidney failure recently,” said Chong, her eyes watering as she recalled the burial of her pets in a sprawling garden that now holds the remains of 10 of her furry companions.

“They are my children and it’s a full-time job,” said the petite 40-year-old housewife, who also keeps 13 dogs.

The wife of a commercial pilot, Chong said her collection of cats grew as more strays, some of them pregnant, found their way into her home and heart over the years.

As her interest in cats grew, she decided to breed and sell Persians.

“But soon I found it too painful to sell them. I cried each time I sold one. Besides, I feel it is unfair to the cat to give birth so often,” she said.

“I had to part with the kittens within three months of their birth, otherwise I would grow too attached to them. I interviewed each client and later visited them to check if the cats were all right,” she said.

“I couldn’t sleep if I found they were not.”

All six cats she entered in a major Malaysian competition last September won prizes, including Pein Pein (Flat Nose), a 4-year-old Persian who took the “Best Malaysian Bred Cat” and two other titles.

Another of Chong’s cats, Tassy Star, took the “Best Siamese” title and was named Grand Champion for consistently winning that category in Malaysian shows since 1985.

Chong also owns Paprika Panter, a light-brown Persian bearing a remarkable resemblance to the cartoon character Garfield. It has retired from competition after being crowned “International Grand Champion” for winning titles at nine shows.

Chong said she was offered $740 for Pein Pein. “But I won’t sell her or any other of my cats. They are all valuable, even the strays I picked up.”

Some of the cats live in the Chongs’ air-conditioned, marble-floored bungalow decorated with an assortment of items bearing cat motifs--ashtrays, posters, dolls, clay figurines and paintings.

“If burglars ever break in, they may take away any items but not my cats,” Chong said as she sat surrounded by a multicolored platoon of animals purring around her for affection.

The rest of the cats are kept in a “cattery,” a huge shed with rooms for different breeds.

It is guarded by 12 dogs, some of them German Shepherds, prowling outside the chicken-wire fencing.

Chong’s 13th dog, a tiny, five-pound Chihuahua that looks as delicate as one of the cats, eats and sleeps with the felines.

“She can’t stay with the bigger dogs or she will be eaten up,” Chong said. “But she is as cunning and lovely as any of the cats.”