I am relatively new to this site, but already generating notoriety. My wife and I have been rescuing cats and kittens here in the Philippines for a few years. This last year though, we have gone into overdrive. And now, we have exhausted our resources and had an epidemic of illness in our home. Even though most of the cats have been immunized, there is apparently a new strain of virus in the Philippines, and it has ravaged our home. So much so, that we have realized that it just isn't viable to house so many cats, which wasn't really a choice, it just happened because our hearts are too big. We have decided not to take any more rescues, with this virus being a deadly one. The cats we have that have shown symptoms, are under treatment, some at home, others at our vets office. He had been wonderful, and not one cat has been lost, but it has been a grueling battle that still has not ended.
Even though we agreed, no more rescues, this happened last night. Please read this story, look at the photos, and share with your friends. I know most of you live in other countries, where this is not common, but in the Philippines, it's everywhere and overwhelming.
If your not crying, I want you too. This is a story, that shows in minutes what a little love can do for a little life that was on its way to being extinguished.
Tonight, we found love, again. This time, it happened as it has so many times before. We were about to enter into a mini-mall near our home. This is a new mall, very nice, with heavy foot traffic.
Near the entrance, as I took a final pull on a Camel, I turned my head towards the trashcan as I planned to put out my cigarette there. Sitting next to the can, I noticed a tiny silhouette that appeared to be staring at me. But the light was good, this was no silhouette, it was a crusty covered face of a tiny kitten. His eyes so glued shut by the build-up, I knew he couldn't possibly see me. But there he was, staring through his closed eyes, staring through the excessive discharge making it impossible to see, staring right at me.
I immediately called to Jam "look over there!", her face told me all I needed to know. In that moment, neither of our hearts were beating.
We immediately rushed over too him, and without a seconds thought or hesitation, I reached into one of my grocery bags for a pouch of fresh cat food. We go grocery shopping for the kids, all cats, while barely tending to our own nutritional needs, so it is rare that we carry bags that doesn't contain cat food.
Before I could tear off the top, he darted towards my hands, sensing that he was about to fill his stomach of some much needed nutrients. His body is so thin, his pelvis is his most prominent feature, which is never a good thing. I poured the food to the ground, and he went at it like a lion taking a slave in the Coloseum of Rome. Even though the food seemed to be bigger than he, it took him no time to devour every last bit. By the time I could procure a box to take him to safety, the food was gone.
We dropped all our plans for this night, as he became our priority. First, off to the veterinarian. We have a great relationship with both our primary veterinarians we use, and we use them a lot. So much so, that many minor services are free to us, since they know that we rescue all these beautiful kitties.
Dr. Aruta from the MCA was more than happy to give him a once over. Good news, his eyes appear to be fine, just had something irritating them, and lack of clean living left him very soiled. No fever, and after a good face cleaning by the gentle doctor, we were able to look into each others eyes for the first time.
Just wow. Let me try that again. Just WOW!
Step two, bring him home and give him a big bowl of nice, clean water, only bottled water for the kids, that's our rule. Since we left the mall in such a hurry, we had to return and finish our shopping and retrieve all the bags left at the check counter. And once we returned home to the new baby inside, he still needed attention. First thing on the list, a bath.
Mommy gave him a bath, and now he is sparkling fresh, his face is no longer soiled, his body now shines. You can see it in his eyes, he knows that he has been given a gift of life itself, he knows that he was fortunate to be waiting at just the right time. My only question is this, how many others saw him sitting there, next to the guard, next to the door, in the bright light? How many eyes passed over him? How many empty hearts looked right through this little beauty? How many thought inside "right where he should be, in the trash can?". How many cold hearts, will remain cold tonight by the lost opportunity? This saddens me. But all I have to do is look into his little eyes, feel his tiny heart beating through his chest, and witness the vibrations of a purr, probably for the first time in his little life. And then I smile, because while his heart beats, my heart becomes that much warmer.
This is a tale that repeats, over and over again. Most times, our eyes, or someone else with a huge heart, never sees the kitty, and they just wander off to give up on life. Even though so many had the opportunity to intervene, they choose to ignore, even chase off the little guys. In this world or narcissism, greed, gluttony, and all the other deadly sins, I don't expect much more. Thank you to everyone in this group that does what ever they can to care for cats, taking the time to pass knowledge to newbies, help console the grieving, and support each other with everything from tips, prayers and even financial/logistic support in some cases. What if we ruled the world, I bet that would be a wonderful place to raise our families in.
Meet Crusty, at home with us now, with a full belly, nutri-gel support, mineral water, warmth and love. He has a fight on his hands, but now he won't be fighting alone. He's so beautiful!
Nice and clean.
Such beautiful eyes.
Meeting his new Guardian, Logan, for the first time.
Even though we agreed, no more rescues, this happened last night. Please read this story, look at the photos, and share with your friends. I know most of you live in other countries, where this is not common, but in the Philippines, it's everywhere and overwhelming.
If your not crying, I want you too. This is a story, that shows in minutes what a little love can do for a little life that was on its way to being extinguished.
Tonight, we found love, again. This time, it happened as it has so many times before. We were about to enter into a mini-mall near our home. This is a new mall, very nice, with heavy foot traffic.
Near the entrance, as I took a final pull on a Camel, I turned my head towards the trashcan as I planned to put out my cigarette there. Sitting next to the can, I noticed a tiny silhouette that appeared to be staring at me. But the light was good, this was no silhouette, it was a crusty covered face of a tiny kitten. His eyes so glued shut by the build-up, I knew he couldn't possibly see me. But there he was, staring through his closed eyes, staring through the excessive discharge making it impossible to see, staring right at me.
I immediately called to Jam "look over there!", her face told me all I needed to know. In that moment, neither of our hearts were beating.
We immediately rushed over too him, and without a seconds thought or hesitation, I reached into one of my grocery bags for a pouch of fresh cat food. We go grocery shopping for the kids, all cats, while barely tending to our own nutritional needs, so it is rare that we carry bags that doesn't contain cat food.
Before I could tear off the top, he darted towards my hands, sensing that he was about to fill his stomach of some much needed nutrients. His body is so thin, his pelvis is his most prominent feature, which is never a good thing. I poured the food to the ground, and he went at it like a lion taking a slave in the Coloseum of Rome. Even though the food seemed to be bigger than he, it took him no time to devour every last bit. By the time I could procure a box to take him to safety, the food was gone.
We dropped all our plans for this night, as he became our priority. First, off to the veterinarian. We have a great relationship with both our primary veterinarians we use, and we use them a lot. So much so, that many minor services are free to us, since they know that we rescue all these beautiful kitties.
Dr. Aruta from the MCA was more than happy to give him a once over. Good news, his eyes appear to be fine, just had something irritating them, and lack of clean living left him very soiled. No fever, and after a good face cleaning by the gentle doctor, we were able to look into each others eyes for the first time.
Just wow. Let me try that again. Just WOW!
Step two, bring him home and give him a big bowl of nice, clean water, only bottled water for the kids, that's our rule. Since we left the mall in such a hurry, we had to return and finish our shopping and retrieve all the bags left at the check counter. And once we returned home to the new baby inside, he still needed attention. First thing on the list, a bath.
Mommy gave him a bath, and now he is sparkling fresh, his face is no longer soiled, his body now shines. You can see it in his eyes, he knows that he has been given a gift of life itself, he knows that he was fortunate to be waiting at just the right time. My only question is this, how many others saw him sitting there, next to the guard, next to the door, in the bright light? How many eyes passed over him? How many empty hearts looked right through this little beauty? How many thought inside "right where he should be, in the trash can?". How many cold hearts, will remain cold tonight by the lost opportunity? This saddens me. But all I have to do is look into his little eyes, feel his tiny heart beating through his chest, and witness the vibrations of a purr, probably for the first time in his little life. And then I smile, because while his heart beats, my heart becomes that much warmer.
This is a tale that repeats, over and over again. Most times, our eyes, or someone else with a huge heart, never sees the kitty, and they just wander off to give up on life. Even though so many had the opportunity to intervene, they choose to ignore, even chase off the little guys. In this world or narcissism, greed, gluttony, and all the other deadly sins, I don't expect much more. Thank you to everyone in this group that does what ever they can to care for cats, taking the time to pass knowledge to newbies, help console the grieving, and support each other with everything from tips, prayers and even financial/logistic support in some cases. What if we ruled the world, I bet that would be a wonderful place to raise our families in.
Meet Crusty, at home with us now, with a full belly, nutri-gel support, mineral water, warmth and love. He has a fight on his hands, but now he won't be fighting alone. He's so beautiful!
Nice and clean.
Such beautiful eyes.
Meeting his new Guardian, Logan, for the first time.
