With Sofitel’s Closure, Cat Rescues At Risk of Losing Shelter
On top of employees losing jobs.
(SPOT.ph) Apart from the hundreds of employees at risk of losing their jobs, cat rescues could also be losing their homes when Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila closes by the end of June, which happens to be Adopt-A-Cat month.
Many might not know it but Sofitel has a cat sanctuary called Whiskers Program within hotel grounds. Here, cat rescues are vaccinated, litter-trained, and spayed/neutered, so all new cat owners have to do is to give them a loving home.
With the impending end of Sofitel Manila on the horizon, SPOT.ph spoke to Joel Dela Cruz, the primary cat caretaker at the bay area hotel to ask what will happen to the Whiskers Program after July 1.
“Terminated kasi kami kaya wala na mag-aalaga sa [mga pusa],” Dela Cruz said.
But the good news is that adoption efforts have been progressing swiftly in recent weeks, with only less than 10 cats left in the shelter awaiting their own adoptive humans. This positive development allows the Whiskers Program to free up space and resources to welcome even more rescued cats in the interim.
“Hangga’t may magagawa kami, continue pa rin. May time pa naman,” Dela Cruz said of their efforts to give cats shelter as well as facilitate their adoption.
Also read: Leila de Lima Takes Home Five of Her Stray Cats From Camp Crame: “I Learned to Love Them”
What happens to the cat sanctuary at Sofitel?
Sofitel stands out as one of the few luxury hotels in Metro Manila that is pet-friendly (at an additional cost), so it’s no surprise that a cat sanctuary was established here. During the pandemic, stay-in employees would feed stray cats around the hotel.
Dela Cruz was the Property Maintenance Supervisor when Whiskers Program started in September 2022. He still holds the post today so being a cat caretaker is really only his side job.
“Nagkaka-complaint [kasi galing] sa mga guests, parang ayaw nila. Ginawa namin is to create a place na pwede paglagyan sa kanila, kaya nabuo ‘yung sanctuary,” Dela Cruz told SPOT.ph. From there, the initiative continuously improved until it became what is now called Whiskers Program. “Isa ako sa nagka-idea para sa program pero [in charge of] implementation is ‘yung general management ng Sofitel.”
Because of Dela Cruz’s efforts, along with two other caretakers, 77 Sofitel cats have found forever homes as of January 11, 2024.
While adoptions have been brisk, there's still an urgent need to find homes for the remaining felines by the end of the month. If some cats remain unadopted, they will be transferred to another shelter willing to take them in.
Meanwhile, Sofitel staff recently appealed to retain their employment. The union argues that the hotel's closure is only temporary, for "rehabilitation.” They are requesting continuous employment without losing seniority rights and benefits as the union is willing to wait for the hotel to reopen.
However, Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc. (PPHI) President Esteban Peña Sy clarifies that the Sofitel will close permanently due to safety concerns.
How to adopt a cat at Whiskers Program
Interested in adopting a Sofitel cat? There are no strict requirements or online forms to fill out—just get in touch with Joel Dela Cruz at (0939) 248 3750 or contact Whiskers Program on Facebook for a shelter visit.
Also read: Get to Know DLSU PUSA, Where Campus Cats Found a Home at La Salle