Pretty picture of feral cat at dusk at Manila Bay

Feral cat at Manila Bay Philippines
Feral cat at Manila Bay Philippines. Photographer unknown.
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

There is a beauty in this picture which masks the tough and short life that this cat probably endures. Manila Bay is in the Philippines. I am sure that there are lots of feral and stray cats in that country. The Philippines is one of the countries where they eat cat meat, for instance.

The Philippines Animal Welfare Society shelter (PAWS) is full according to their website “so it can no longer accommodate the sheer number or animals that are being abandoned everyday”.

The Philippine Primer website lists four animal shelters in the Philippines. The human population of the country is 105 million. You can see that the country has a shortage of animal shelters. I think America has around 4,000 animal shelters with a human population of about 310 million. There is a huge disparity. And animal shelters in the Philippines don’t take in unwanted cats apparently. They take in cats which are victims of abuse.

“….there is no “agency” that will take in unwanted pets except perhaps the City Pound or your local animal control unit. The animals are then put to sleep or euthanized if they are not claimed by anyone.” (PAWS)

This would indicate that a lot of unwanted cats are on the streets living short lives. My research indicates that there is a lack of focus by cat ‘owners’ on spaying and neutering.

So this picture hides the truth. It is not beautiful for stray cats in the Philippines unless the cat is exceptionally fortunate. They do have TNR in the country. Perhaps the cat in the photo is a member of a TNR colony.

Philippines Cat Animal Welfare Protection

Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.

Leave a Comment

follow it link and logo