Reward: Chew (second from left), his wife Datin Felicia Cheng (second from right), receiving from Malaysia Book of Records senior record consultant Siti Hajar Johor (right) and her colleague Mohamad Nazrul Hafizi Ahmad Fauzi the two certificates at Cat Supermarket in Shah Alam.
MELAKA: The owner of an aquarium was ready to throw in the towel, but what kept him going was seeing the kindness of strangers who were cheerfully feeding stray cats amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Not only that, it inspired him to start a successful new venture.
Shore Oceanarium chief executive officer Datuk Chew Chert Fong came to the verge of closing down his business after suffering huge losses due to the movement control order and travel restrictions that saw zero tourists visiting the historic city.
He had to feed hundreds of aquatic species and kept more than a dozen workers despite having no income, and even continued paying his suppliers after the pandemic first hit the country in March 2020.
The father of three also had no choice but to stop all the charitable activities of his association based here – until one day, he chanced upon several kind-hearted locals feeding strays at the back of his outlet here.
“Despite the MCO, some people still came to feed feral cats at the back alley.
“I was taken aback to see them being so cheerful, although they were facing hardship themselves.
“Actually, I was making plans to sell off some of my business at one point, but these people motivated me and changed my heart, so I decided to navigate around to cushion the impact of the pandemic,” he said in an interview.
Chew said he then started looking for pet food suppliers and then decided to invest his savings to buy a few products.
Initially, he started promoting affordable pet food to those who intended to feed the strays before opening an outlet at his property in Bukit Baru here.
Without keeping his hopes too high, his new venture ultimately became a successful endeavour.
Chew had also turned to social media, offering all animal lovers pet food at cheaper prices and complimentary packets to those who wanted to feed strays, but who could not afford to do such noble deeds.
“It was a new challenge and to my surprise, my first Cat Supermarket in Melaka became a hit and went viral on social media,” he said.
Chew said he decided to take up another challenge by opening a second outlet at Linggis Industrial Park in Shah Alam, Selangor and his risk was duly rewarded.
“Locals supported my outlet so much that it was entered in the Malaysia Book of Records with two recognitions: one for largest cat food and accessories outlet in Malaysia and another for variety of choice in a short span of time,” he added.
Chew said the pandemic has made him stronger in facing adversity and taught him that in life, there are ups and downs.
“I was glad that I could restart my charitable work and I am going to set up a fund for strays and also to help terminally-ill people,” he added.
Chew said he will open a third outlet at Taman Paya Rumput here after Chinese New Year.
The local businessman is no stranger to the community and has carried out many charity works since 2015.
He started his free bicycle project to benefit hundreds of Melaka students, sponsoring education materials, spectacles and equipment to schools.
Over the past seven years, he has organised close to 200 community programmes in Melaka and Negri Sembilan.
