Celebrating Our Beloved School Mascot
By Laureen L. Velasco
“The love that breaks our hearts is the same love that heals and energizes us, so we can continue to do what we do.”
Note from the Editor:
Those who are not into cats often wonder what the big deal is with some people’s fervor for felines. Mind you, they have dog (and other animal) counterparts too. They don’t understand what the fuss is about when a pet dies and the sorrow of the owner/pet parent is as immense, if not greater than that generated by a human who has passed away.
Members of the Solace Team have been the recipients of unkind words from strangers and loved ones alike on their seemingly “impractical” concern for animals. One of our colleagues’ family patriarch denied her a loan meant to pay for the sterilization of the family cats. “How come the cats’ hospital bills are higher than humans’? Why do you care so much? Those aren’t even your pets!” the patriarch said, knowing fully well that those cats belonged to his son who had just died.
Another team member who was in hysterics while grieving over his dog that was run over by a motorcycle was admonished by his parents: “Why are you so OA?” (‘OA’ is the vernacular for someone ‘over-acting.’) “It’s just an animal. We’ll buy you another one.”
The quips above from unenlightened individuals are only samples of exchanges that happen around the world, but the misunderstanding prevails because those affected don’t explain their side. Well, the author of this article, through her (and other volunteers’) missionary work, sheds some light into the sentiments of pet supporters everywhere. We see, through her dedication, why others like her continue to sacrifice their time and resources for animals despite some of their wards’ ingratitude and even if it’s inconvenient, expensive, and sometimes dangerous.
If you can get just one takeaway from this post, let it be this: A pet’s passing is a valuable experience in itself and should be taken not as a totally negative event but one from which we can learn and evolve as humans.
We hope those who don’t share our “pet viewpoints” will gain at least this insight. That way, Archer and his feline friends would not have died in vain.
That is the hashtag used in every official death announcement posted to the DLSU PUSA and Cats of DLSU FB pages. DLSU (De La Salle University) PUSA (Professors for the Upliftment of Society’s Animals) is the team that cares for the campus cats since 2015. We started with less than 25 campus cats, then the number reached 80-plus community felines at one point when we eventually included non-Lasallian stray cats in the neighborhood.
Cat Ministry
Caring for these living beings includes providing their daily sustenance and their medical care should they get sick or injured, giving them a proper burial when they pass on (as all living beings do), and raising funds to sustain all those.
Before the pandemic, many volunteers took turns in doing the daily PUSA chores. During the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine), I was the only one granted a special entry permit. So for 100 days straight, from morning till late evening, I did the necessary legwork and attended to the cats’ needs on the ground while my teammates handled other responsibilities in cyberspace.
The incredible hard work behind this advocacy is sustained by great love, the depth of which keeps getting challenged as days go by. There is so much matter, mind, heart, and soul that go into this.
Our Cherished Mascot
When our mascot, a beloved cat named “Archer,” was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 2019, we knew it was time to find him a furever home, so he could be closely monitored. We gave him a fitting ‘farewell’ with a ‘graduation ceremony’ held on campus and attended by about 300 guests—Lasallians and non-Lasallian guests/fans. It was the most publicized event of DLSU PUSA.
The university alumni office even issued him a lifetime alumni card. The adopter kept in touch and posted regular updates on him to our FB pages. Three months later, Archer earned his wings and crossed the rainbow bridge. It has been our practice that no posts on other cats will be approved within 24 hours after an official death announcement, in honor of the feline who just died.
In Archer’s case, it was a one-week tribute online and a one-day memorial on campus. The urn containing his ashes and some fur were brought to school. People offered flowers, poetry, and artworks while we held a ‘vigil’ of some sort. His death was the second most publicized DLSU PUSA event on social media and print.
Many asked who would take his place as our mascot, but Archer would not be dethroned. He was and will always be our beloved mascot. The significance and meaning of a living being who has moved on is not diminished or replaced in their passing. The sadness and grief diminish and get healed by love, but they will remain #fureverinourhearts!
We had few deaths prior to Archer, but there were more to come as more of our fur babies got old, fell ill, or got into an accident. Our hearts would break many times more, but each passing is a chance to feel the depth of our love and to renew the seriousness of our commitment to care for them.
Difficult Decisions
Many do not like to love again because of the pain of losing. I have brought many cats to the vet clinic for their proper burial arrangements. I have kept company a few as the vet medically assisted them in their transition.
A cat named “Aggie” was our first euthanasia case. It did not quite sink in at first that the team must eventually decide on that. Aggie had a big tumor and a poor quality of life. It was time to surrender the fight to keep her alive. She was suffering unnecessarily. I held her paw as I peacefully watched her slowly earn her wings.
Seemingly Hopeless Cases That Aren’t
Aggie’s case was not the first time a vet suggested euthanasia due to poor quality of life. When I visited a sick and paralyzed cat named “Dragonite” who was found behind the garbage bins in school, the only question I asked pertained to her will to live. The vet’s recommendation was euthanasia, but I saw the cat had a strong will to live in spite of her paralyzed hind legs, bladder problem, and other health issues. I said I would give it another week before making a decision.
I adopted this cat a week later. She walked again, jumped, played, and lived for almost a year before she earned her wings. I wanted so much to celebrate her first-year adoptversary/rescueversary, which was two weeks later, but when I saw how sick she was, I whispered to her that it was okay to go.
Small consolation, but each passing is serene and enveloped with love, affection, and gratitude. And this is the case not only with the death of cats we had cared for.
Other Obituary Posts
Click on each thumbnail for a better view per cat.
What We Learn With Each Passing
One late evening, a stray cat was hit by a car in a parking area beside the campus. I was contacted and I rushed to the scene to check it. I brought this stray cat I named “Spark” to the vet for evaluation. His eye was swollen and he had been vomiting blood. It was decided he would be put out of his misery. Then I posted the official death announcement on him.
There are many nameless, homeless, and hungry “Sparks” out there whose suffering is unseen, whose cries are unheard. May we all respond to the Sparks in our hearts and help them. Their lives are short, and every day that we spend loving and caring for them enriches our hearts and souls.
Every death we encounter only deepens the affection and diminishes the fear of death and dying as you look at it straight in the eye. There is no running away. We are present in these cats’ lives. We likewise want to be present in their deaths. The love that breaks our hearts is the same love that heals and energizes us, so we can continue to do what we do.
Animals reveal so much about us. Are we brave or not? Do we help or harm? Do we see the beauty in these beasts or only their usefulness to us? Are we capable of respecting another being?
Love Can Be Inconvenient
Animals have taught me that loving also means embracing many inconveniences. This advocacy has repeatedly challenged me to walk 10 extra miles (or even more)! They will never greet you on special occasions or send thank you cards. Sometimes, they even scratch or bite you.
A newly adopted cat once mauled me so badly, less than 12 hours after I took him home. I had to get nine shots after. His previous owner wanted him killed because he would occasionally bite them. Animals are great teachers. From this incident, I learned the meaning of respecting various ‘purrsonalities’ more.
I was a complete stranger to this cat and it didn’t welcome petting. Eventually, though, he allowed me to touch and bathe him. Many people were surprised that I still kept this cat even after the incident.
Animal Welfare Advocacy
Through our TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return) project funded by the Lasallian Mission office, we sterilized 70 cats in 2018. However, we continue to neuter/spay cats even without funding from DLSU. We hold fundraising events for this purpose as well as to pay for other organizational expenses and incidentals.
Clockwise from left:
Brother Michael Broughton, FSC, the former Vice President of the Lasallian Mission office, dropped by during this fundraising event. He took DLSU PUSA under his office when it was founded.
Our biggest chore is daily feeding. Here we are, training new volunteers.
One of our fundraisers.
Moments of camaraderie from our TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return) project.
Cognizance
Respect requires that we see others as they are and allow them to be who they are. In fact, a more profound realization about respect reveals to us that others do not need our permission to be true to themselves.
Animal welfare advocacy is an invitation to expand our hearts and widen our circle of compassion in a way we never imagined or expected. What sets fire to my heart is caring for our feline friends 365 days a year, rain or shine. My teammates and I affectionately call them “our meowters” and we are their happy slaves. I am full of gratitude for the experience and the opportunity.
Eternal Advocate
It has been a couple of years since I moved to the city, three hours away from my suburban home, to attend to the campus cats’ daily needs. I spent my entire sabbatical leave with them while doing the PUSA daily chores. Would I do this for a hundred years? I am willing to do this for a million lifetimes!
If reincarnation was true, this would be the only reason I would want to return—to experience many lives and many deaths over and over again. What else would I be willing to do? I will give up the profound joy of taking care of them if it means they are safe, living happy lives, and do not need my help anymore.
*The author is a professor of philosophy at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
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Photo Credits:
Obituary posts: DLSU PUSA
Campus snapshots: provided by the author
Archer’s toga pictures:
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