KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian pet owners and activists who found nearly 300 starving cats caged and soaked in excrement at pet care centers demanded sterner laws Tuesday against cruelty to animals.

The felines had been left with a company that was supposed to take care of them in Malaysia's central Selangor state while their owners returned to their hometowns for a week to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

Many owners became worried when they were later unable to contact company representatives. Rescue volunteers broke into the company's two facilities Sunday and discovered the emaciated cats lying in their own feces and urine in cages stacked atop each other.

Activists estimated at least 12 cats were dead and dozens more were missing. Police have questioned the company owner and an employee, but no arrests have been made.