Leila de Lima Takes Home Five of Her Stray Cats From Camp Crame: “I Learned to Love Them”
They gave her companionship in isolation.
(SPOT.ph) Leila de Lima didn’t always like cats, but her time at Camp Crame has changed that.
Being locked up for six years is more than enough to take a toll on a person’s mental health, which is why de Lima was big on routine. Her days began early at 4:30 a.m., with prayers, reading, and writing, followed by feeding the cats and birds at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center.
Eventually, her perspective on cats shifted as she cared for them each day.
“I used to hate cats kasi dog lover ako, pero noong nandiyan na, I learned to love them,” de Lima said in an interview with Rappler. In her first press conference since her release, she shared that the stray cats "kept [her] sanity intact." She had over 20 feline friends in her compound, but she had her favorites.
De Lima formed a special bond with five cats—Avatar, Doll, Duchess, Otto, and Lily—who constantly stayed by her side, even sleeping near her, while the other cats would only stick to her at meal times. This bond grew so strong that she decided to adopt these five upon her widespread release on November 13, 2023, expressing immense sadness over leaving the others behind.
"They became so attached to me and that's why I miss them so much," de Lima told ANC's Headstart. "Even now, as I think about them, I am so saddened. If only I could bring them all I would.”
De Lima was arrested in 2017 after she was accused of involvement in the drug trade during her time as justice secretary. She denied these allegations, stating that her detention was an attempt by the Duterte administration to silence her criticism of the drug war. It was only six years later when a Muntinlupa court allowed her to post bail for her third drug case, granting her provisional freedom.
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Leila de Lima on her love for the Camp Crame cats
In her dispatch from Camp Crame on February 2021, de Lima wrote:
“What a delightful sight? In an almost perfect horizontal line formation, my cats (adopted stray cats) welcomed my return here at the detention quarters last Friday, Feb. 12, from my 24-hour medical furlough. All of them with a weary yet accusing stare, as if saying “where the hell have you been?” They obviously missed me.
I had to immediately feed them as most of them had a famished appearance.
What a constant source of joy and good vibes!”
It wasn’t always smooth-sailing for de Lima and her stray cats. Rappler reported that there have been two instances where she was bitten. When a few of the cats passed, she mourned and even arranged burials for them inside Camp Crame.
Her love for cats extended to a broader concern for animal welfare. From behind bars, she filed the Revised Animal Welfare Act in 2020 to strengthen protective measures for animals, illustrating her commitment to the cause inspired by her experience with these cats.
Say what you will about de Lima, but her cat-lady experience at Camp Crame is a striking story of finding hope in unexpected places.
Also read: These Lovable Stray Cats of St. Paul University Manila Are Looking for Furever Homes