When cats are in trouble I seldom take notice. I know this is wrong, and yes, I admit I am guilty. Blame it on a life of growing up with dogs, but it has always seemed a more noble thing to rescue a dog than a cat. I am biased, and I know it.
No longer. The cat god from above must have been looking down on me with sharp claws drawn on the day I rescued a tiny black kitten in the village in Pasig where I live.
How could I not take notice? The tiny kitten was such a fighter: he followed me and my three canine companions as we made our way to the park. I had to send the doggies home so I could pick up the kitten and take him home, too.
We fed the kitten and gave him a place to stay as I searched for a way to find him a home.
“I love black cats and kittens,” said PAWS volunteer Karla Mae Garcia. “I just love the way this kitten looks at me.”
Karla adopted Jack, the name she gave the kitten an hour after she stayed with him at the PAWS adoption booth. I warned Karla that Jack eats a lot. At least that was all he did when he was in my home for four days.
Thank God for pet lovers and adoptive parents.
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Since then, I have become more sympathetic to abandoned animals — dogs or cats — and I try my best to help in whatever way I can.
Recently I was told that when cats or kittens end up in dangerous places, like on a narrow ledge of a busy highway or in the middle of Aurora Boulevard, you can bet that they did not fall from the sky. Rather, they may have been put there by cruel humans.
Take, for example, the case of Shaun, a cat rescued by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Anna Cabrera, PAWS program director, told me that Shaun was found in the gutter of the EDSA/Shaw Blvd. tunnel. Concerned motorists Sue Hooper and Wendy Duncan reported the case of the cat — immobilized from possibly a combination of fear and dehydration — to PAWS.
Shaun was found on July 27. The cat had been seen at the same spot since Thursday. A PAWS rescue was arranged for Sunday night.
Grimy and severely dehydrated, Shaun still managed to meow his thanks the minute he was brought into the car. He also tried to show appreciation by rubbing against his rescuer’s shirt as he was being rushed to the vet’s clinic.
Shaun was brought to the Vets in Practice clinic, where he wolfed down a plateful of soft cat food laid out for him, before he was put on dextrose by Doc Herbert.
The good news is that cats really have nine lives. The spunky Shaun is expected to make a full recovery from his harrowing experience soon.
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And here’s another cruel act. There was another white and orange tabby kitten rescued from a plant box in the middle of Aurora Boulevard last June 25.
Joey was entangled amid the bougainvillea branches planted on the island. PAWS had to cut off the chicken wire that someone had put around his neck as a decorative collar.
The good news is that these “Highway Cats” are up for adoption. So, if you are ready to offer them a safe and loving home, e-mail PAWS at philpaws@yahoo.com.
For more information, call PAWS at 475-1688.
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Compassion and Respect for Animals Philippines (CARA Phils.), an animal welfare NGO that works to help animals in need or trouble, will have its first “World Homeless Animal Day” today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the covered basketball court, Barangay 43, Zone 3, District 1, Tondo, Manila.
CARA volunteers will perform free medical treatments on neglected pets and animals whose owners cannot afford a decent meal for them. They will also help in caring for the stray animals in the area.
Among the many free services lined up for the day are the giving of vaccines, mange medications and veterinary consultations. They will also give out free collars and leashes, free food samples and perform free ear cleaning. Volunteers will give talks on the importance of spaying and neutering pets as well as the importance of responsible pet ownership.
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CARA Phils. offers neutering and spaying of dogs and cats for free at their clinic, located at the basement, Carson Bldg., Orense St., Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City (near MMDA EDSA). The clinic is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
CARA also holds a “Wildlife Party for Kids,” which is very popular in the expat communities. For a small sum pets of CARA volunteers are brought to the party so that the kids will be able to touch and get up close and personal with some of the most adorable and friendliest creatures in the animal kingdom. The funds raised are used to help sustain the low-cost charity neutering/spaying services of CARA.
For more information, contact Albie Sia at 882-5323 or 0928-2117171. You can e-mail carapresskit@gmail.com.