PUTRAJAYA: Although not an official guest or participant at the rehearsals for the 2023 National Day parade, American Shorthair-cum-Persian cat Macho Kingsley, better known as King Oyen, was a show stealer on the third day of the parade's rehearsal on Monday (Aug 28).
Adorned in Jalur Gemilang-themed clothes, songket and sunglasses, the four-year-old cat who became popular on social media was taken for a bicycle ride by her owner Siti Zalifah Abdul Aziz to Dataran Putrajaya as early as 6am to enliven the mood for the National Day celebration on Thursday (Aug 31).
Many people had come to observe the preparations for the National Day parade and were excited to see King Oyen. They managed to snap photographs with the cat and were also entralled by the parade, performances as well as aerial display led by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
Siti Zalifah said her pet feline obeys her instructions and has loved going for bicycle rides since 2020. The cat King is very photogenic and friendly with people.
"This outfit (worn by the cat) is especially to enliven the atmosphere of National Day. This spirit of independence is not only for us, but also for King Oyen. Last year, King Oyen came to celebrate National Day at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, but he will be in Dataran Putrajaya this time around on Thursday," she told Bernama when met here on Monday.
She said she noticed that the cat had very high patriotic spirit as King Oyen was not tired of waiting for hours under the blazing sun to watch the rehearsals for the National Day parade.
King Oyen became popular on videos modelling outfits of the day on Instagram and Tik Tok, and was once the subject of conversation on social media in February when cycling with celebrity Alif Satar in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur.
King Oyen currently has 4,873 followers on Instagram.
National Day 2023, with the theme "Madani Malaysia: Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope” will feature 10 components namely Nationhood, Unity, Malaysia Madani, Economy, Banking, Telecommunications, Creative Industry, Community, National Sports, and National Welfare and Security.- Bernama
