Following the tragic killing of a family dog in Camarines Sur, animal advocates and netizens are now seeking justice from those responsible for the disturbing state of cats found inside their cages at a local animal pound in Dasmariñas, Cavite.
This comes after a video surfaced online showing several cats allegedly resorting to eating their fellow cats within their enclosure due to extreme hunger.
The distressing situation was brought to light when an animal advocate, Yvette May, reportedly visited to assist a friend in locating their missing pet cat.
Upon witnessing the animal shelter’s state, Yvette expressed concerns that the cats were not being properly tended and cared for.
In another video footage captured by the fur mom, multiple cats were cramped inside a small cage. The cats appeared malnourished, with no water and food in their enclosures which prompted the concerned resident to feed them.
Yvette has vowed to seek justice for the cats housed at the cat pound and also stated her intention to engage with city authorities to prevent such incidents from happening again.
She requested the barangay authorities to surrender the 20 cats to them for proper shelter and care to ensure their safety.
In response to the issue, Barangay San Jose chairman Jeff Frani insisted that the cats were “not neglected”, as they were being fed “twice daily by two caretakers”, according to his interview with ABS-CBN News.
The barangay chairman reportedly even showed sacks of cat food as proof that the felines were “well-fed inside the shelter”.
Frani also asserted that the barangay passed an ordinance in January to “keep stray dogs and cats off the streets”.
“Yung barangay council nagpasa ordinance para masolusyunan problema lalo mga nakakagat [ng] also, pusa,” the barangay chairman stated.
“Halos every two weeks meron nalapit sa akin para magpa-vaccine kaya yun naisip namin solusyon na lahat nakagala ba aso at pusa eh makuha at maalagaan sa shelter,” explained Frani.
Meanwhile, the City Veterinary Office in Dasmariñas has issued a statement, assuring the public that they are improving the lives of impounded cats
“We are actively coordinating with barangay officials to ensure the immediate implementation of humane treatment and care protocols for animals and revising impounding procedures to prevent such incidents from recurring,” they said in their post on Tuesday, March 19.
The city veterinarians has also ordered Barangay San Jose to suspend animal-catching activities until they have a suitable facility for the stray animals.
“We have also advised the temporary suspension of all impounding operations in the barangay until we can guarantee that our facilities and procedures adhere to the highest animal welfare standards,” their statement read.
“To stop the impounding dun sa San Jose secondly to educate their people on how to properly segregate yung lalo sa cats po yung mga aggressive, mga may sakit, kelangan ihiwalay ang facility dapat facility [nila],” city veterinarian Andrew Buencamino said in a phone interview with ABS-CBN News.
Buencamino asserted that cannibalism is “rare” among cats but added that there are more factors to consider to explain the incident aside from starvation.
“‘Di lang dahil nagugutom sila pero marami pong factors yan kasama ang stress,” he explained.
On Thursday, the City Veterinary Office, together with barangay officials, is reportedly scheduled to “recover the cats that were freed and bring them to a suitable shelter”, ABS-CBN News reported.
Previously, another case of animal cruelty involved a golden retriever named Killua, who was beaten to death by a man in Bato, Camarines Sur. The incident made headlines as netizens and celebrities called for justice for the poor dog and his family.
