A woman has been rescuing sick and abandoned cats amid the pandemic, selflessly caring for them despite the financial challenges due to the lockdowns.
In Kara David’s “i-Witness” documentary titled “Cat Love,” independent cat rescuer Tirzah Lim said her journey began when she found four kittens inside a box among the trash back in 2018.
Four cats became 40, as the number of her rescues doubled when the coronavirus forced lockdowns and halted economic activity.
“‘Yung mga karinderya nagsara. May mga community cats po na doon umaasa so nawalan sila ng source of food, naging palaboy, nanghihina, so kailangan namin sila i-rescue,” Tirzah said.
[“Eateries have closed. There are community cats who depend on those so they have lost source of food, they wander away and become weak, so we need to rescue them.”]
“Besides that, marami po nag-a-abandon. Siguro po sa gastos. Dinadala o ina-abandon sa pound,” she added.
[“Besides that, there are a many people who abandon their pets. Maybe because of expenses. They take them or abandon them in a pound.”]
With the number of cats in her care, Tirzah has turned her apartment into a cat shelter. She took many of her things outside to clear some space for her fur babies.
“Mas importante po ‘yung mga pusa kaysa mga gamit. Ang gamit, nabibili naman ‘yan. Mapapalitan naman, materyal lang ‘yan. Ang mga pusa, ‘pag nawala, paano ko pa po ibabalik?”
[“Cats are more important. Things, they can be bought. They can be replaced since they’re material things. Cats, when they’re gone, how can I bring them back?”]
“Buhay ‘yan eh. Hindi lang naman tayo ‘yung ginawa ng Diyos. May mga ginawa rin siyang halaman, hayop,” she added.
[“That’s life. We aren’t the only ones that God made. He also made plants and animals.”]
According to Tirzah, her monthly expenses for cat food reach around P13,000. She has also incurred debt to the veterinary clinic amounting to around P70,000.
“Hindi pwede na tutulungan mo, papakainin lang. Kailangan ‘pag may problema, address mo ‘yon,” she said.
[“To take care of them, it’s not enough to just give them food. If they have health problems, you need to address that.”]
While the cutest cats have become good friends of her son, who has autism, Tirzah’s attention is on the cats who need more care, such as the old ones, the malnourished, and and those who have illnesses.
Despite all the sacrifices she has to make, Tirzah said she is committed to continuing what she does. She said she gains strength from the cats she has already rescued and became better.
“‘Pag tiningnan n’yo ‘yung mga pusa, lalo ‘yung mga alam niyong nasaktan o baka sinaktan, buhay sila ngayon. Kung ‘di ko ginawa ‘yon, patay na sila ngayon. ‘Yon lang binabalikan ko parati.”
[“When you look at the cats, especially those we were hurt, they’re alive. If I didn’t do that, they’d be dead by now. That’s what I always look back on.”]
—Franchesca Viernes/MGP, GMA News
Woman selflessly rescues sick, abandoned cats amid pandemic
Source: Balitanghali
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