At least that’s what cat parent Mohammad Affan Aizat Anuar, 32, is convinced of. Every year he makes sure his cat is decked out in finery for the family photo on Raya morning.
This had inspired him to create traditional Malay outfits for his cat so it looks just as regal as every other member of his family on this special day.
“It’s been five years since I’ve been sewing cat attire for my beloved cat ‘si Koko’ to match the family’s colour theme for Raya morning,” he told Bernama recently.
The mechanical engineering graduate, who is also founder of Meowkushop, stitches custom-made Malay traditional outfits for cats, ensuring that there is no compromise on safety and comfort. The products are sold online.
“To ensure that the designs and materials are comfortable on the cats, we will try them out on our pets first. The last thing we want is to stress our customers’ cats out when they’re wearing our outfits.
“The cats are usually dressed for just a short time and the accessories are worn for up to three hours a day,” he said while referring to his fur baby models Brownies, Koko Jr, Mox and Zizi.
At present, Meowkushop sews baju melayu, teluk belanga, baju melayu cekak musang, kurta, baju batik, baju kurung, kebaya and kurung kedah in various colours for the furry felines.
They also sew a variety of headwear such as songkok, samping pelikat, tanjak (traditional headgear) and ribbons from RM5 to RM65 per piece.
Meanwhile, Meowkushop co-founder Raja Nur Alya Raja Abd Aziz said the clothes are made of high-quality fabrics, namely pearl skin and songket of various colours, while the songkok are made of velvet and cotton.
She said the outfits are sewn by five experienced seamstresses under the supervision of Mohammad Affan’s mother.
She explained that the job requires meticulous stitching as the girth measurements are tiny, from between 28 cm and 62 cm only.
The ready-made clothes come in sizes ranging from small to extra large, but cat owners can also request for custom-made outfits.
Raja Nur Alya said this year, Meowkushop will be sewing 2,500 custom-made and ready-made kitty outfits for customers outside Malaysia as well such as in Brunei, Australia and Singapore.