A community cat page and a veterinary clinic praised a shopping mall in Makati for its initiative to stray felines.
The Cats of Cybergate, a feline community in Mandaluyong’s Cybergate area, posted a picture featuring a cat dining at a designated feeding station within Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati.
“Bait ni Ayala Malls. Calling all malls, igalaw ang baso, pls [please] … [mainggit] naman kayo,” it said on a Facebook post on February 22.
The cat page added that the photo was from the Cats of Circuit Makati community.
It showed a cat eating from an elevated bowl which was accompanied by the following description:
Hello, Hooman! I am grateful for your kindness in filling up my bowl. However, kindly take note of the following guidelines:
1. Hoomans are encouraged to put only cat food in the bowl. Table food is discouraged.
2. Kindly avoid taking the food bowls as this is Ayala Mall Circuit’s property.
3. Do not pet the cats. For the safety of everyone, petting of community cats are discouraged. Cats need personal space too.
4. Do not place cat food in other areas of the mall.
The photo got 3,600 shares, 5,800 likes and love reactions. It has also earned praises from different Filipinos, including a veterinary clinic.
“Thank you, Ayala Malls Circuit! The cats appreciate this a lot,” the Cats of Circuit Makati page said.
“So happy happy to see this,” The Cat Clinic, a feline-centered veterinary clinic, said in the shares with a heart emoji.
A Facebook user commented that Ayala Malls Cloverleaf has a similar initiative.
“They take care of the cats here too… bawal lang pakainin ng [sinu-sino, baka] mapasama pa ang kalagayan nila,” she wrote.
“Snappy salute, Ayala Malls. Even [in] their parking area, they have a signage reminding to slow down, pets surround [the] area. Thank you so much, Ayala Malls,” another user wrote with a heart emoji.
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Another Facebook user claimed that Ayala Malls owners are “certified animal lovers.”
“Na-meet ko sila at Vertis North adoption and spay/neuter program. Ibang mall owners at admin, galaw-galaw, baka ma-stroke, [diretso] impyerno kayo [niyan], hahaha,” she wrote.
As of 2019, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society said there were 12 million stray cats and dogs in the country. Some of them were former family pets, while others were strays who had reproduced in the streets.
Two years ago, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for the public to adopt cats and dogs to address the problem of animal homelessness, which it said has reached a “crisis point” in the country.