Ah, cats. They shred our furniture and mind us only when they want food, but we love them anyway.
Cats are our favorite internet meme stars and there are at least three holidays dedicated to them. One of these is International Cat Day, which takes place on August 8 every year. This special day was created by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in 2002 to celebrate our feline friends and raise awareness for kitties in need.
But first, coffee for cats
This year, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched the first-ever “Coffee for Cats” event on International Cat Day to help felines living in disadvantaged areas of Metro Manila. For this purrtastic initiative, the animal rights organization teamed up with several cafés around the metro to raise funds for its Kapon/Ligation Immediately, Please (KLIP) spay and neuter program.
Participating cafés included Antipodean Manila, Arabica Philippines, Cafe Mermania, Chemistea, Corner Tree Cafe, Manna & Golde, The Fat Seed Cafe + Roastery, The Kismet Cafe & Wellness Market, and YDG Coffee, all of which served up special non-dairy coffee beverages. A portion of the sales of these drinks went directly towards KLIP, allowing people to help “fix” animals in the community while getting their caffeine fix.
5 reasons “snipping” is impawtant
“For every cat and dog who gets ‘snipped’ by KLIP, countless more won’t be born into a world already bursting at the seams with neglected and homeless companion animals,” says Jason Baker, Senior Vice President of PETA.
Here are more reasons why we should spay or neuter our companion animals, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA):
1. Spaying helps prevent breast tumors and uterine
infections in female animals, while neutering can prevent prostate issues and
testicular cancer in our male four-legged friends.
2. Altered males are less likely to wander away from home to search for a mate,
decreasing their risk of getting injured in traffic or getting into fights with
other male animals. Intact female cats yowl and urinate more often when they
are in heat to attract a mate. Spaying your cat will spare your ears and house.
3. Neutering keeps unwanted behaviors such as territorial marking and biting at
bay.
4. Spaying/neutering reduces the number of stray animals on the streets and
helps fight pet overpopulation.
5. Spaying/neutering is a lot less expensive than caring for a litter of
kittens or puppies.
Two paws up for coffee and cats
Since 2015, PETA’s KLIP program has spayed/neutered and vaccinated more than 1,000 cats and dogs from impoverished neighborhoods around the metro for free. Animals with health problems such as mange and parasitic infestations have also received treatment, at no cost to their humans.
Thanks to the cat and coffee lovers who purchased non-dairy lattes and “catpuccinos” during the first-ever Coffee for Cats on August 8, around 70 felines were able to receive life-saving spay/neuter surgery.
This appeared in Animal Scene magazine’s December 2019 issue.
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– A football fundraiser for felines: Pamingming Cup
– Meowcon Manila: A fun match for felines
– Vets warn about the dangers of Himalayan salt lamps to felines
