These Lovable Stray Cats of St. Paul University Manila Are Looking for Their Furever Homes

(SPOT.ph) Visit St. Paul University Manila and you'll see not just students, professors and staff members—cats have become a vital part of the community having found a home there thanks to a group of feline lovers who advocated for their right for shared spaces in campus.

Meet PauliCats, a group led by school dentist Enggay Montales and her fellow fur lovers who, aside from juggling their personal life and careers, found a calling to become the voice of homeless kitties in this Catholic campus along Pedro Gil in Malate, Manila as they await the day a hooman claims and takes the strays to their furever home.

"One of our takeaways siguro from COVID pandemic is we need to respect nature. We have to respect and learn to coexist with the animals around us kasi 'di lang naman talaga tayo 'yung nandito. Saka 'yun ang tinuturo talaga ng St. Paul Universities, we have to be good stewards of our environment," Montales told SPOT.ph.

"If we can just inspire one person to think na kaya mo 'yan gawin sa community mo, ang big deal nun sa buhay ng stray cats."

Read more:
These Stress-Busting Cats of UP Can Be Your Emotional Support Friends, Too
Get to Know DLSU PUSA, Where Campus Cats Found a Home at La Salle

Get to know PauliCats

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when students were forced to study remotely, SPU Manila faced a growing cat population in campus. Cats were becoming restless because no one was feeding them. Self-confessed animal lover Montales was asked by another school staff member on what they could do to address it.

Normally, the response would be to call the pound and round up the cats, or to relocate them until they wouldn't be able to find their way back to the school. But Montales, a fur mom herself, suggested they try the animal welfare group CARA Welfare Philippines' approach to managing the stray overpopulation without removing them from campus, which includes catch-neuter-vaccinate-return (CNVR) and asked for help and support from the sisters leading the university.

With the help of school officials—Sisters Alegria Avellaneda, Nicole Dabalus, Marivic Estrella and SPU Manila President Ma. Evangeline Anastacio—the partnership between the school and CARA was forged, and some 10 campus cats were placed under its pioneer CNVR program. Sr. Nicole, a known cat lover and among those who advocated for the stray cats, came up with the name that would associate the furry ones to the school—PauliCats.

Unlike DLSU PUSA which inspired Montales to start her own group, PauliCats remains to be an unofficial campus organization. It only exists by name and on Facebook, with the help of her Fur Buddies: Jeannie Gutierrez, Cindy Tudor, Jewel Deorayom, Espie Amarante, and Lovely Lim.

Under their care are about 18 cats roaming freely on campus. If not basking in the sun or lounging on the seats, they can be found at the catio constructed by the school's very own Kuya Dante Fermin with materials paid for by the school.

While the school can't finance all the CNVR and other PauliCats activities, the administration supported the cause by allowing the group to have access to the canteen where they can boil vegetables to add to the cats' food, said Montales. It's a start to embrace the coexistence of humans and paw friends on campus, she said.

Acting like the cats' unofficial "lawyer" to the school administration, she told them: "Maybe all I ask lang is for tolerance and acceptance for the cats, that they will stay here."

"If you just let them stay, accept them and their natural behavior, na talaga minsan magkakalkal 'yan, hindi mo maiiwasan or minsan siguro they would get in a room and baka magdumi. Sabi ko, 'yun na lang ko ang ina-ask ko, is if you'd allow them to stay."

Also read: No, Abandoning Your Pet Isn't the Only Option

PauliCats are for cat inclusivity in campus

Follow PauliCat's page and you'll be introduced to the colorful bunch of SPU Manila cattos. There's Zorro and Bruno who are always together, as if the two boys are twins, and Mamacat—also known as Mingming—who is dubbed the "alpha" as those at school know all the cats avoid her, "even some of the chonky males are afraid of her or avoid her territory."

The calm and well-mannered tabby Tiger is always seen at the Pedro Gil lobby comfortably lying on boxes where students hang out with him. Followers are also in the know with what happened to Lolo Sunshine, who, despite efforts to keep him alive, crossed the rainbow bridge.

The Fur Buddies share the stories of these lovable cats as their way of raising awareness that strays are part of their ecosystem and in hopes of finding their fur parents. And more than just sharing cute photos that bring good vibes, PauliCats of SPU Manila is an avenue to share some tips and tricks on how to take care of cats.

When she has time, Montales engages in talks or conversations with others on PauliCats' activities. What's kapon and what can it do? It's a humane method to curb cat overpopulation. Why do they go through the trash? They're hungry and just like desperately hungry humans, they will rummage through garbage just to find food to eat. Why do cats scratch humans? It's a defense mechanism when they're startled or aggravated, she said. By understanding these things, we humans with higher learning can adjust to the cats' natural behavior, she said.

"We are in a very good position as an educational institution to teach the future leaders and to nurture compassionate future leaders of our country na maging advocates din for animal welfare. Kailangan din silang mapansin."

In return, these cats catch rats and mice, and other pests inside campus, and bring furry good vibes to the students and school staff.

"One of the takeaways or learnings from the COVID pandemic is you have to respect nature to coexist, to tolerate their natural behavior."

How you can help PauliCats

While Montales and the rest of the hoomans behind PauliCats make sure the strays are fed and undergo CNVR, she told SPOT.ph that they are in need of donations to help sustain their initiative.

For those who want to donate cat food, they accept all kinds of dry and wet food. They also accept cat litter sand donation which can be dropped off at the school gates.

For monetary donations, which can help build funds for spaying/neutering, veterinarian services and other emergency needs, you may send it via GCash at 0935-829-6714 (Jewel D.) Don't forget to indicate that it's for PauliCats and to send a screenshot of the deposit to PauliCats of SPU Manila.

More than the donations, Montales hopes more volunteers can sign up to help them feed the cats and join their activities.

"Habang nag-new normal na tayo or bumabalik na tayo sa regular programming, I hope na we can make it structured na rin and kahit unofficial kami, hopefully we can get volunteers."

PauliCats also facilitate adoption to rehome some of the cats there. Those interested can send them a message via PauliCat's Facebook page. Do note that not all the cats in the photos are up for adoption. 

For Montales and the growing group of humans for PauliCats, the cause can be too demanding—physically, emotionally, and financially—but a little compassion goes a long way.

"Minsan naisip ko, even nung bata pa ako, na when you have a compassionate heart, is it a blessing or is it a curse? Kasi madali kang maawa, madali kang ma-move. Hindi mo makalimutan hangga't hindi mo natutulungan. Pero inisip ko, I would rather think of it as a blessing kaysa naman hindi ako compassionate."

"I'm hoping na hindi siya mag-stop with me just being around. I hope na mag-continue siya."

Also read:
10 Useful Pet Essentials Under P250 Worth Adding to Cart ASAP
10 Travel-Friendly Essentials for Your Fur Baby
10 Pet Boarding Houses in QC for Your Fur Babies