A World Adoption Day feature
“How can you really love a child you didn’t give birth to?”
Asked this by a friend at eight in the morning, it was a question worthy of three strong cups of coffee. Initially blindsided because I didn’t have a child of my own, I then thought of my fur-babies: three adopted and rescued cats plus one cat-loving dog.
Although they weren’t of my own species, I loved them to bits. To me, they were family.
Loving someone related to us by blood is second nature. Sadly, we have yet to evolve so as to love automatically even that which is not our own. Case in point: people committing crime “for the sake of their families.”Loving someone despite not sharing any history—or genes, for that matter—requires a level of selflessness not inherent in everyone. Treating a child as family regardless of where he or she comes from is a manifestation of perfect, unconditional love in an imperfect, conditional world.
Isn’t that what makes November 9, dubbed World Adoption Day, truly special? Many adopted children will be celebrating with their families on this day.
Nobody said it should be special only to adopted human kids, however! That’s why this month, I enjoin present (and future) “purrents” to celebrate World Adoption Day by taking a peek at these beautiful fur-kids who are still looking for their forever-home!
Your family might have space for one more member—this time, an irresistible little fur-ball who wants nothing more than your love.
Be warned – these cuties, arranged in no particular order, just might steal your heart.
1.BRUNA, THE FELINE FASHIONISTA
“[Bruna] is heavily into fashion. She knows the difference between a tartan and a madras plaid and prefers box pleats to knife pleats, possibly as a protest against being naked all the time,” says her foster mom, Alice Sarmiento.
“Bruna is a little over a year old and just gave birth two months ago to a litter of five. She is spayed, very healthy, and very sweet.”
Her adoption fee will go directly to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, so giving her a home will also mean lending a hand to other felines who are still looking for a human family to love.
2.BUTTON, THE PINT-SIZED PIXIE
Rescued from a store selling cat food, Button is a month-old female, according to foster parent Mark Duran Marla. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in cuteness!
She loves to eat fish and boiled chicken. Rumor has it that she also loves to receive human hugs and cuddles!
3.THE INK-BLOT BABY
Are you fascinated by psychology? This kitten, together with two of her fellow ink-blot siblings, might just be the one you’re looking for!
“We have been feeding a black and white female cat outside our house [whom] we named Rorschach (since her face looked like ink blots from a Rorschach test.) As months went by, I decided to let her inside our house every night and would let her out the next morning. I also noticed that her belly has been growing so I figured she was pregnant,” explains Edrei Del Rosario Olarte.
Then, Rorschach stayed for two days straight without ever heading outdoors. However, her exact whereabouts inside the house remained unknown—that is, until Edrei’s sister heard meowing sounds.
“My sister followed where the noise was coming from. She went to the corner of our bed and when she lifted the mattress, there she found Rorschach with beautiful kittens!”
This ink-blot kitten and her two other siblings are very sweet and playful, randomly pouncing and sprinting around the house. Here’s to hoping their next play session will be in their forever home.
4.DANY, THE GOT DEARIE
Addicted to Game of Thrones? You just might get addicted to this kitty’s meows and purrs, too!
“Pretty girl Dany was named after the Game of Thrones character Daenerys, because, from the looks of the huge scar on her hip, she seemed to have survived a scalding,” shares Glady Rosales, her rescuer. “She had been living at a building carpark for months, with kind-hearted car and unit owners feeding her and sometimes playing with her.
“Very friendly and affectionate towards humans, she seemed to have driven all the other stray cats away from the area as she made it her very own. Being too friendly, however, is not a very safe thing for stray cats—they they may encounter not-so-friendly people (like the one responsible for her scar).
“Although she has grown quite plump, she is as playful as a kitten and loves a good game with a teaser or laser pointer. She is a calm, well-behaved kitty who will not mess around with things other than her own toys, even when she’s left alone at home.”
Glady says Dany is very easy to medicate, is not a finicky eater, and is definitely the lap kitty of your dreams. “She is well-suited to a household with a few cats and would not mind being a solo cat, as long as there are many humans doting on her.” She has already been spayed to keep her from roaming and getting into trouble. All she needs now is a hooman—Game of Thrones fan or otherwise—to love her forever.
5.JUNIOR SNOW
Speaking of GoT, this cutie’s name sounds like Jon Snow, an iconic character from the equally iconic TV series! However, his name’s origin hails from a less violent—although perhaps equally dramatic—tale.
One of the kittens of Nyanya and Senior Snow, Junior Snow’s story starts out sad but with your help, we can give it a happy ending. “Nyanya and Senior Snow used to stay at our front gate to eat,” says Paola Mendoza, currently caring for Junior Snow and his siblings. “Both of them moved to our neighbor’s roof, maybe to get away from other cats.
“When [Nyanya gave birth], we never saw Senior Snow again. He did look kind of old. They had three kittens but one probably died because we only saw two [since then]. The kittens are both white and fluffy.”
One of these two kittens is a potential foster failure—that is, his very own foster parents might adopt him! The remaining kitten—let’s call him Junior Snow after his missing father—is still looking for a family to love.
6.THE COCKTAIL GIRLS
Margarita, Mojito, and Martini are just as much fun as the cocktails they were named after! These beautiful little girls have already been dewormed, spayed, and vaccinated. Healthy and playful, you are sure to love their company, whether or not you fancy their alcoholic-beverage counterparts.
7.BRUISER, THE PRETTY BOY
“Bruiser was rescued around Easter,” says Okobeta Fay. He wasn’t in good shape then, but his foster parent’s love brought out his true beauty. “He is now healthy, neutered, and handsome. [I am] happy for his transformation.”
8.THE ELEVATOR CAT
Although rescued from an elevator shaft, there’s no way to go but up for this gentle feline!
She might have lived in the elevator shaft for two weeks before she was rescued but she is now safe and sound, according to Jaderani Santos, who will be sponsoring her spay surgery.
“[She] has the softest fur. Approximately four to five months old, she is very sweet, appears healthy, and is very affectionate despite her hard beginnings.”
9. RAVEN AND JINX
While both are super cute and playful, Jinx is louder while Raven is more into cuddles.They’re very close, so they are best adopted together. However, they have been socialized with other cats, making them potential paw-blic relations experts! They just might do great even in separate homes, as long as they have other feline friends to play with.
“Raven and Jinx were born in a fairly nice condo compound but were under threat of being kicked out,” shared Elea Andrea Almazora. “They were too young to be out in the streets so we brought them to our Dad’s place. We honestly can’t keep them indoors forever and they need another forever-home.”
This appeared in Animal Scene’s November 2016 issue.
