WHY A CAT SAT ON HIS HUMAN’S COFFIN
Every day, Cloie and John Marc (‘Em’) Binos would stop by the terminal in their subdivision and feed the community cats and dogs. At home, Em would oversee the cleaning of their animal companions’ living spaces and the scooping of clumps from their litter boxes. This was their daily routine for the past three years, until Cloie lost her job.
At night, one of their Cats , Terry, would sleep beside Em. Sometimes, the Cat would sleep on top of Em’s chest, because that was how close they were.
This was how Cloie described the relationship between Terry the Cat and her brother who had recently passed away.
AN AFFINITY TO ANIMALS
Em and Cloie had been fascinated with animals since childhood. Born to a family of animal rescuers, it seemed natural for them to adopt cats and dogs in their subdivision in General Trias, Cavite.
They started adopting in 2019, and so far, the Binos family has rescued 20 stray animals – 11 Cats and 15 Dogs, all of whom were given a second chance in life.
One encounter in particular was etched into Cloie’s mind. She and her father had rescued a Dog stuck in a canal. The Dog was in too much pain to move by himself . To save him, Cloie went down the creek and carried him to safety.
TOUGH TIMES
It was not an easy journey for the family. To sustain the well-being of their four-legged companions, they would need food, a lot of it.
It was especially difficult for the Binos family, because they didn’t have any sponsors to help with their budget. They relied on voluntary donations prompted by Cloie’s posts on social media.
For the Binos family, seeing their animal companions healthy and happy was worth the challenges they faced. The companionship of those animals was enough to ease their worries.
But life could be cruel at times.
BIDDING FAREWELL
On November 13, Em passed away due to pancreatitis.
On the first day of his wake, Terry the Cat sat on top of his coffin. Was he waiting for Em to wake up?
Before Em was buried, the Binoses took all the Cats and Dogs under their care to see Em one last time. Cloie captured all of it on her smartphone as a way to immortalize the bond they all shared and their love for the animals under their care.
