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Malaysian traffic officers recently waded into traffic recently in order to save a small ginger kitten.
Cat jam
Tiktoker @innchoker, who is a motorcycle officer with the Penang Jabatan Pengangjutan Jalan (JPJ), also known as the Road Transport Department Malaysia, shared a video taken by his helmet camera.
It starts with him dismounting his motorcycle while several people are gathered around a white hatchback in the midst of a traffic jam.
Image via @innchoker/Tiktok
While it is not clear why road traffic has stopped, the video shows a police bike parked across the road, which perhaps indicates that the officers have stopped a section of traffic for the rescue mission.
Three helmeted JPJ officers gather around the white car, along with two other men. They place their hands into the wheel well, seemingly feeling for something under the car.
Image via @innchoker/Tiktok
Shortly after, they run along the line of traffic, lying on the road in front of a blue hatchback, while a caption reads "Mana pulak dia lari", or "where did he (the mysterious creature) run?"
Image via @innchoker/Tiktok
Having failed to find what they were looking for, the officers then hurried back to a white Toyota Vellfire, searching under it while a bemused driver looks on.
Image via @innchoker/Tiktok
They direct traffic around it, and the five men gather behind the rear wheel, where one officer is sticking his arm in, digging around.
Finally he stands up, with something clutched in his hands.
Image via @innchoker/Tiktok
The little troublemaker is a small orange cat, lovingly referred to as an "Oyen" by the commentators, Malaysian slang for orange cats.
@innchoker Ada haiwan dalam bahaya 😅 #fypdongggggggg #fypシ #jpjmalaysia #enforcementjpjpenang #animalsoftiktok #pecintakucing #saveanimals #jpj #catsoftiktok ♬ original sound - InnChoker
Chaos incarnate
"Oyen" is a play on the word "Oren", or orange in Malay, used to refer to ginger cats in Malaysia.
Oyens have a reputation for being chaotic or mischievous, so much so that one of the leading pet insurers in Malaysia has taken its name from the breed.
As this article by The Rakyat Post put it,
Oyens are less common in areas with greater mortality risk.
This indicates that Oyens are more likely to engage in risky behaviour which could result in death.
Based on this experience, they seem to need that insurance.