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Compassion for Joseph Carlo Candare & Awareness of Philippine’s Animal Welfare Act

UP TRIBUNAL DECISION: STOMPING A KITTEN TO DEATH IN UP IS NOT ““MISCONDUCT”

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There’s nothing wrong with anger provided you use it constructively. Wayne Dyer

Meet the adorable kitties that give my family so much joy. They are so loved that we call them the other members of the family. Missy (left) is mine. Kylee (center) belongs to L and Lady (right) is M’s pet. Well, my husband gets to choose among the three but I think he has a thing for Kylee. They talk to each other at the dinner table. No kidding. I understand that not everyone is a cat lover. So when I read about Joseph Carlo Candare who got labeled as a Cat Serial Killer, I was beyond horrified that someone could engage in a brutal act. I gasped at his description, I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it’s torso. Slam! Felt good!. As I continued reading, I got more appalled by the comments of the readers as the poster/blogger called for action “Wanted Dead or Alive“. Geesh, what kind of call for action is that? You might be a “Cat Killer Killer”? (Edit April 19– The yoopee multiply entry has been deleted now)

Still seething with anger, I shook my head and tried to understand the actions behind this brutality. Despite my disgust , I turned my thoughts to the student who studies at UP Diliman. What is the university doing about this? Is it providing help to Joseph Carlo Candare (JC)? I know his actions are just so gruesome to comprehend among cat lovers like me. Should I continue on with this anger? What will my anger bring me? Anger is a beneficial one if it is NOT allowed to harden into resentment or used as a battering ram to punish people. Anger signals problems we need to solve or it points to boundaries we need to set. Sometimes it is the final burst of energy before letting go settles in.

Breathe deeply. I can feel all this anger but still take responsibility for my behavior.

Right now, I can act on my anger and move on to a positive resolution.

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Photo Hunt: Furry


Photo Hunt’s theme is Furry. Kylee is best suited for this week’s theme. A few days ago, Kylee turned 10 years old (in human years) or 70 years old (in cat years). Lauren is the master of this neurotic Apple Head Siamese Cat. I bought Kylee from a pet shop sometime mid-February 1999. There were two kittens to choose from. Based on what I read, try to play with the kitten to check on the cat’s personality. From the looks of it, the frail-looking Kylee looked as if he was going to die. He looked lifeless but when I held out a piece of string, his eyes perked up and started to paw the string. This is the cat for Lauren. I held Kylee on the top of my palms and petted his furry little Apple Head, “You’re going to be Lauren’s pet”.

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Missy in Real Life and in Pet Society


My usual break at home consists of watching TV and multi-tasking with my macbook . Things have changed a bit the past month.

Meet Missy, my real live pet kitty and her online equivalent in Pet Society in Facebook. If you don’t know what pet society means, well it’s just a major distraction and a mindless activity but it helps me zone out when I am stressed or just want to be still.

In the world of Pet Society, you can play games, decorate your house and even bring gifts for your Face Book friends when you visit them. Now, I didn’t know that my adorable little Siamese kitty would enjoy it as much as I do.

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A Laptop and Lap Cat on My Lap


It has always been my dream to have an affectionate and cuddly cat ever since Spitz died in 1985, the same day that Butch proposed marriage to me. Butch didn’t know Spitz died of course. He just called me long distance confirming the “pamanhikan”. Months before that when Butch and I were discussing marriage plans, he emphasized that Spitz just had to go because a cat makes him asthmatic etcetera. I hedged and hawed a lot and it disappointed Butch that I hesitated. Oh but didn’t he know that I grew to love my cat, my sleeping companion for years? Of course he didn’t. It baffles me now that Spitz died the same day Butch finalized his marriage proposal. Maybe Spitz felt it.

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My Very Own Siamese Pet Kitten

I once wrote about the Health Benefits of Cat Ownership but the thing is I don’t own a pet kitty. My two daughters each own a pet cat. Kylee is almost 10 years old on January 2009. Lady is 7 years old. That’s in cat years. I am often lonely at home when the kids are at school and hubby is at work. I want the two kitties to adore me the way they do their respective masters. But nada.

I resolved to get my own Siamese cat. Why a Siamese cat?

Well, the Siamese are talkers! I see it in Lauren’s Siamese cat, Kylee. He makes a number of sounds and some of the sounds begin to sound very much like human words. The more we talk to our Siamese cat the more it understands our language. So yes, the Siamese is the cat for me.

I searched high and low at pet shops until I decided to check online forums like adpost.com. The ad caught my attention because of the owner. Look at her requirements…

– owner loves cats kaya they are well taken cared of for sure
– I need to talk to the future owners of my kittens, before each transaction.They must be caring…. I won’t sell my kittens to you if you will cage them lang.

I find it touching that Danielle, the cat owner is particular about the future owner of her kittens. I showed her cat entries in my blog to prove that I am truly a cat lover. Danielle seemed happy enough. Today, I finally brought home Missy, a female Siamese (formerly named as Autum by Danielle). She is so adorable.


Missy loves to pose for the camera. I took this photo at Danielle’s home when I was still trying to figure out which of the remaining two kittens fit my personality. The other Siamese scampered away from me as I tried to be friendly. No, not her. Definitely, Missy is the cat for me since she calmly posed for the camera. What a cutie.

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Adjusting to a New Home

kyleeladyIf you think moving is stressful, imagine what went through our pets’ thoughts when they saw boxes upon boxes being packed, furniture disarranged, and everything in our old home to which they’re accustomed being turned upside down. The family managed to live with the mess for two months. But what about our pets? One of the many considerations of the move was the feelings of our pets. How do we make them feel comfortable towards their new home? Can we teach old cats new tricks? Will they escape and walk back to their old home?

My dear husband refused to bring the pets with him when we drove by convoy to our new home. Humphrey the Boxer pup, Kylee the sassy Siamese Cat, Lady the Royalty Cat, my daughters L and M all rode in my SUV. Humphrey wedged in between the two girls behaved quite well . Kylee and Lady inside one carrier looked like two very pissed tigers. What torture for Lady. She sqwalked all the way from Makati to the other end of Pasig.

“meooooowwwww. meowwwww”

lady the catkylee the siamese catboxer pup

Her wailing meows must have irritated Kylee to his limits that the latter bit Lady’s face. A cat fight ensued. Oh dear. Humphrey ignored the meows as he was being needy. He was still nursing a hurt paw. Despite the pets’ nervous state, my two girls just laughed it off as I continued to drive merrily to our new home.

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I nearly killed our Boxer pup

March 18, the day we had been waiting for so long. We finally moved in to our new home. You know, our new home symbolizes new beginnings. It seemed like an unreachable dream a few months ago. For months, we couldn’t find a property that satisfied our budget and needs. The journey to our new home shows that one can attain a dream if one remains focused and believe that God’s plan works.

The move must have made me so hyper-excited that I lost my focus that morning. As the movers drove in to the garage, they told me to move my car a bit forward. Then I heard a long yelp. Ugh I had forgotten I had tied Humphrey’s leash beside the garage door. Then I heard cries from my 2 girls. Oh no…I killed our boxer. My heart sank. I couldn’t bear to look at the suffering puppy. I turned to the fawn colored pup and felt relief that blood wasn’t spilled all over the garage. My girls were horrifed that I ran over his tiny paw.

“oh mom, let’s bring him to the vet”

It was a dilemma. Should I bring the pup to the vet or not? The movers were piling the boxes on the van and soon we would have to go. Butch was nowhere in sight. So I trusted my instincts. I hugged the whimpering pup close to my chest and he stopped yelping after a few minutes. Phew, I almost thought I ‘d run to the vet for emergency checkup.

The horror of moving day ended there…

It’s our third day since our move and there is 50% semblance of order in our new home. There is still so much to do but I am taking it slowly enjoying every activity in fixing a new home.

Here is a rundown of the day.

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Puppy Love

humphreyMeet the newest member of the family, Humphrey, our cute 7 week old boxer pup. Butch wanted to christen him “Pacquiao” but M shivered with the disgust over the suggestion. So Humphrey it is. My gosh, our [tag]puppy[/tag] has grown over a 4 week period. Five weeks ago, this adorable puppy wasn’t even walking yet. I gushed over Humphrey as he stared at me with puppy dog eyes. His eyes lingered towards his siblings as if wanting to play one more time. And he stared back at me as if saying “let me play, please” . I couldn’t resist those puppy dog looks and stroked his light fawn colored fur. I let him play a few more minutes before it was time to go home. The kennel owner handed over the Philippine Canine Club “Certified Pedigree & Registration Certificate” which showed that Humphrey had 12 red lines of champions in his family tree. Not that I am going to be a breeder but a little intelligence in a dog is a must. It’s not an assurance that a champion line breeds excellent dogs but it might help.

Humphrey seemed resigned to his fate and reluctantly allowed me to carry him to the car. He remained quiet and slept throughout the trip from Cainta to Makati. Hmm. Is he really that well-behaved? The next daunting task is the introduction to the other family members, the two felines. Will they scratch, hiss at Humphrey or better yet feel ignored ?

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Our Boxer Pup

boxer pups
M and I visited the kennel yesterday to reserve the [tag]boxer[/tag] pup that M discovered through the Dog Tracker forums . There were 4 cute pups to choose from. On the photo above, the female pup is to the leftmost while the rest were male boxer pups. They were only 2 weeks old but they have grown so much. It’s a comforting fact to know that the kennel owner’s Persian cat and his boxer live in peace. We believe the boxer is [tag]right dog breed[/tag] for our family and two felines. We were able to haggle the price a bit lower because I offered more than 50% downpayment. This boxer pup will be a family dog and not a show dog but it’s nice to know that the pups have good genes as they were sired by Philippine Boxer Champion, Solo.

And from among the 4 adorable pups, we chose….

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The Right Dog Breed for Our Family

dals1.jpgThe last time we had a pure bred dog was over seven years ago. The children grew up with frisky dalmatians. My two girls screamed with joy when their Uncle Raul gave them Sindy, the female dal who in turn gave birth to adorable puppies. This was at the height of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians in the early nineties. Can you imagine their delight when 6 puppies scampered about our living room? My maternal instinct yearned for another baby as I helped them take care of the dalmatians. Little did I know that Luijoe was already growing in my womb. Many years later, when we moved to Makati, the village security guards kept giving us a fine of 1,000 pesos ($20) everytime one of the dalmatians broke out of the gate and caused a nuisance to the neighbors. Exasperated, we brought them over to Baguio where they would be free to romp around to their heart’s delight.

Moving to our new home has its risks. Security in the village is not as tight as it is in here. Outsiders are just free to enter in and out of the gate. So my husband thought it’d be best to get a dog for added security measures. I remember how the utility people freaked out whenever our dals came barking at them by the gate. But we didn’t want dalamatians anymore. We didn’t want a guard [tag]dog breed[/tag] like the Doberman because they could be mean. We just wanted a dog that could be a family pet, yet intimidating to strangers and hopefully an intelligent watchdog. Another criteria involved the two precocious kitties who are part of the family. How we love our cats! We don’t want our dog to harm them . They don’t have to be buddies but the cats and the dog need to be civil towards each other.

M took upon the task of researching for the right dog breed for the family. Her first choice was the Siberian Husky
husky.jpg
We found out the Siberain Husky is not quite friendly to small animals. Instinctively they ran after them. The next choice was the Akita
akita.jpg
Then again, M discovered that Akita’s were like the Huskies who ran after small animals. No, that won’t do. M thought that herding dogs or non-sporting dogs would be the better breed. She suggested the Collie but I thought long haired dogs might be difficult to take care in our tropical weather.

I asked “what about the Belgian Malinois?
BelgianMalinios.jpg
The Belgian Malinois , a herding dog closely resembles “the German Shepherd Dog, but upon closer inspection, many differences may be seen including size, bone structure, color, and head and ear shape.” He looks intimidating yet probably kind to cats since the breed is a herding dog. Everyone agreed and the search for the Belgian Malinois began…

Then M showed me an adorable photo of this cat cuddled up with a dog….

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