This Baby Was About to be Thrown Off a Bridge :(

-- Hooman Momma

I was so mad last night!!! I was walking on the MRT Shaw station bridge from Shangri-la, and the maintenance guy (or probably one of the food cart vendors) was holding this kitten, dangling her over EDSA and about to throw her from the bridge while he was laughing with the other vendors!!! I don't know if he was kidding but F*CK HIM!!! 

How can someone even think of hurting this innocent face? :(

JONNA: Hoy anong ginagawa mo??? (What do you think you're doing???)

JERK: Pinapatapon ho ni Sir eh. (My boss is asking me to discard her.)

JONNA: Alam mo ba na pwede ka makulong sa gagawin mo? At magbabayad ka ng P100,000?!? Akin na yan!!! (Do you know that you can be jailed for that? And you have to pay P100,000! Give me the kitten!)

Luckily I have a sack-like canvas bag with me so I put her there. I realized she was purring inside when we got home. I was sobbing madly out of anger. She is super sweet and well-behaved like Rue, and was very lady-like while having her dinner! And she knows how to use the litterbox already! I'm keeping her in my balcony and she's supposed to go to her furever home next week, but I'm not so sure about that...I think she's trying to make our home hers! She's charming her way to our heart! 

Oh, and I'm naming her SHAWN :)

This is her little home :)

Rue: I am watching you, Shawn. I am watching you.

Meeting Kabang, the Hero Dog

-- Hooman Momma

It was such an honor to meet a real hero, and a great dog at that. Her name is Kabang, the canine who saved two little girls from being run over by a motorcycle in December 2011, and in the process, lost her snout. She saved the lives of those two girls, and she was in turn saved by the world so the vet experts in the US can repair the damage to her face.

I was following her story ever since the local media picked it up. She ran away after the accident, and came back to her family two weeks later without a snout and a big wound on her face. She is being taken care of by a poor family in Zamboanga, and as the story about her heroic deed got circulated worldwide, Karen Kenngott, a critical care nurse in the US, took notice and decided to take action. They raised funds needed for Kabang's surgery, and finally in October 2012, she was brought to UC Davis and was able to raise $27,000 from 47 countries. (See Kabang's TIMELINE here.)

This was how his face looked like before the surgery, as illustrated by Marnie Burgoyne, UC Davis 4th year veterinary student:

Kabang’s appearance before the surgery. Drawing by Marnie Burgoyne, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine 4th-year student. Photo SOURCE

If you want to see how it looks like in a photo, click the link HERE (warning: graphic content). And this was the procedure done to close the wound on her face:

Skin flaps from the sides and top of Kabang’s head were advanced to cover the wound. Drawing by Marnie Burgoyne, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine 4th-year student. Photo SOURCE

Kabang’s appearance immediately following surgery, with sutures and temporary nasal stents put in place to create new, permanent nasal passages. Drawing by Marnie Burgoyne, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine 4th-year student. Photo SOURCE

He stayed in the ICU for a few weeks following surgery, and finally, in June 2013, she was received back in the Philippines with a hero's welcome.

I met her in Capitol Commons, and this is how pretty she is now! 

Happy lil dawgie!

Look at her tongue! So cute!

She loves belly rubs :)

I am so glad she was saved to remind us that dogs are indeed man's bestfriend, and not man's meal. She now lives with Dr. Anton in Zamboanga, so they can properly monitor her health. She actually lives like a queen now, the life that a true hero deserves!

Pets are Everyone's Best Friend

NOTE: This article was originally published in The RAMpage, the official school publication of Asia Pacific College.

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Meow! Have you been seeing those furry purring creatures sleeping or standing by the official seal of Asia Pacific College (APC) at the entrance? If you have, then you have met the (un)official APC cats -- Aurelia, the female tiger-gray tabby and Aurelio, the white-orange tom. The names were given by the APC guards, but I heard they’ve got different names given by the students.

Aurelia and Aurelio started hanging around APC some time last year. They are being fed everyday, and you can see that they are actually looking very healthy! They are now spayed and neutered, which is a humane way to control the overpopulation of cats and promote their good health. 

Aurelia proves to be a crowd-drawer, being a naturally sweet cat that she is. She would meow softly and brush herself on people’s legs, wiping away the anxiety of those waiting for the shuttle during rush hour. She enjoys chin scratches and a soft pat on her head. Aurelio, on the other hand, is still a bit wary of people, but would come around when there are less activity at the steps. 

Compassion Towards Animals

Animals are an essential part of the ecosystem. If you are one of those people who hate cats and would want them to vanish from the face of the earth, then imagine your life plagued with rats -- the big, bully black ones! Cats keep pests in check, but we have to keep their population in control, too. Through the TNR (trap-neuter-return) program, feral or homeless cats and dogs alike humanely undergo surgery to remove their reproductive organs. After they recover at the clinic, they are safely returned to their “territory.” They then live healthily, and well, lazily, because they don’t need to respond to nature’s call for mating. There are organizations in Manila that support this, and I work closely with Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA). We have spayed and neutered most of the cats in Magallanes, including Aurelia, Aurelio and the ones at the Interchange Park which I regularly feed after work. 

Be known that hurting, abusing and neglecting the welfare of animals is punishable by law -- an offender can be jailed for as long as 6 years, with a maximum fine of P500,000 (source: House Bill No. 6049). Not all people like animals, and I would understand if you don’t. But lay your hands/feet off them. Never kick, hit or hurt any animal.

Adopt, Don’t Shop.

I found a tiny orange ball of fur while walking along Lapu-Lapu one Friday night in July 2009. I heard tiny meows, and I stopped to touch her, but I left right away. She’s cute, but Qish, my Siamese cat, was sickly at that time and I was sure he wouldn’t approve a tiny addition to our family. Five minutes later, I was on my way back. I know in my heart that I couldn’t leave this tiny kitten behind. She had me at meow. This tiny kitten who was once thrown on the street because she was unwanted, became my celebrity cat. I named her Rue, the French term for “street.”

She grew up to be a beautiful ginger classic tabby with Puss in Boots eyes. People don’t believe me when I tell them that she was just rescued from the street. She has her own blog (www.PAWsomeCats.com), Facebook page and Instagram account, with quite a number of followers! She even became popular when her photo wearing the Little Red Riding Hood costume became viral WORLDWIDE. Syndicated news sites picked up her photo and posted it on their websites. As of last posting, this particular photo had over 17,000 likes, 4,000 shares and 700 comments in one account! 

She has quite an impressive portfolio when it comes to meow-deling. She has two big posters now in Bow & Wow (Shangri-la, Greenbelt 5 and Robinsons Magnolia) and her face was recently on Friskies postcards distributed in different supermarkets nationwide. She was featured in national broadsheets such as Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star, and appeared in Unang Hirit. She also had a teaser shoot with Luis Manzano for Pilipinas Got Talent! All of these meow-deling contracts has a price -- she gets paid a talent fee, and she gets to live the life of a princess cat! Who would have thought that this beautiful cat once roamed the streets of Magallanes in search for food, and perhaps a heart to give her a home?

Rue shows that any domestic cat or dog can be beautiful if they are given proper care. They are called “puspin” and “aspin,” short for pusang Pinoy and asong Pinoy. These cats and dogs roaming the street can be great companions, just like the ones with breed. They can give you the same affection and love, and they will be forever grateful to you. If you feel that you are ready for an animal companion, ADOPT from a shelter or from the street. Don’t SHOP from breeders or pet shops. There are many cats and dogs dying on the street and in animal shelters. You may not change the world by rescuing an animal from the street, but you definitely change the world of that animal. Who knows, your rescued pet may just be the next celebrity model, just like Rue!

Animal Companionship

I am sure that there are a lot of APC students who have pets. For those who haven’t, let me walk you through the joys of having an animal companion. 

1.  Pets are the greatest stress reliever. Touch their nose, rub their belly, kiss them, and your worries seem to fade away. A lot of studies have already proven that petting an animal can reduce blood pressure.

2.  Learn discipline and responsibility from your pet. If you get up late, your pet will be all over you, asking for breakfast. If you don’t come home at night, you know that someone you love will be hungry. You have to attend to the needs of your pet -- clean their poop, groom their fur, keep track of their vaccination, give them proper exercise. They are living, breathing responsibilities. If you mess up, they can die.

3.  Animal companions are a great source of amusement and entertainment. They can do tricks, making themselves look silly, for the human’s pure enjoyment.

4.  They make great bed buddies. You may realize that they have taken over your bed when you wake up, but hey, who can complain of free purring heated blanket?

5.  Pets help you meet new people, who are potential new best friends! I have met so many of Rue’s fans, and some of them ended up to be great friends.