While a few dog-friendly parks exist in Malaysia, cat-friendly spaces are not so common.
Tianna Avis Rajendra, a cat lover herself, decided to take matters into her own hands when she opened “Manjapot”, a space primarily designed for felines.
This cat-centric theme park is outfitted with suspended cat bridges, wall-mounted cat perches, scratching posts and multiple cat toys.
“During the planning phase, my main focus was the enjoyment of cats, so the interior design had to be suitable for them to roam and play around in,” Tianna, 18, told FMT Lifestyle during a recent visit.
She said that before opening “Manjapot”, she ran a home-based business selling pet-friendly cakes for two years.
“There was a lot of trial-and-error when I was learning how to make the cakes. I couldn’t use sugar as it’s toxic for pets. I also had to use pet-friendly frosting, making sure it could hold its shape and so on,” she said.
Unlike other girls her age, Tianna focussed on growing her “Manjapot” business rather than furthering her studies after completing her secondary education.
“I remembered being frustrated that I couldn’t bring my cat Coraline to many places, not even parks because usually there’d be plenty of dogs there. I wanted a place where she could roam freely without being leashed, so I really designed this place for her,” she said, referring to “Manjapot”.
Tianna said her family was supportive of her plans, and worked with her every step of the way from conceptualising the idea to the renovation process.
Sadly, Coraline passed away just three weeks before “Manjapot” was set to open. Tianna was devastated. She considered abandoning her project altogether but after much thought, she decided it was what Coraline would’ve wanted. And so, she soldiered on, opening “Manjapot” this August.
Still with plenty of love in her heart, Tianna has since adopted two other cats, Sundae and Corridor, which she takes to her shop whenever she’s around.
Other than being a play space and theme park for cats, ‘Manjapot’ also doubles as a cat hotel, allowing your cat the privilege of roaming freely during their boarding time there.
The space has a total of eight small rooms and two large ones, and can house up to 20 cats at any one time.
There are also plenty of suspended bridges, stairs and cat wheels where cats can have a field day.
“The wall is mounted with cat perches too because they like to climb, I assume because they want to be high and above us,” Tianna said, laughing.
You can even play dress-up and have a photoshoot with your cats, as there are plenty of cute clothes here your cats will look adorable in!
Still harbouring a love for baking, Tianna has continued to make pet-friendly cakes. The cakes are baked fresh either the night before or on the day of an event. Customers should place their orders at least three days in advance to avoid disappointment.
The finished cakes look too tempting and Tianna gave her reassurance that sneaking a taste of your pet’s cake won’t hurt as it’s safe for human consumption too!
“I chose to name the place ‘Manjapot’ because pet owners like to call their furkids that when they’re being manja, so I thought it’d be nice to have a Malaysian-inspired name.”
Follow Manjapot on Instagram or head to its website here.
Manjapot
2.88 Level 2, Summit USJ Mall
USJ 1, 46500 Subang Jaya
Selangor
Business hours
11am-7pm (Thursdays-Sundays)
By appointment only: Mondays-Wednesdays
Contact: 017-702 6979