The first four years I was here there were no veterinary clinics in El Nido. There were a few veterinarians and animal experts in the area, but anything more than an anti-rabies shot would have had you travelling 5-6 hours on land just for a proper assessment. There was one set up a few months ago but their prices are so high given the difficulty to set things up in the far north of a remote rural island. Here most households are willing to take care of dogs for the protection and companionship they offer but cats on the other hand are generally seen as pests rather than pets. Given the lack of facilities and proper awareness, locals allow their cats to breed at such an alarming rate leaving them with kittens they're not capable of taking care of. One litter of kittens is often too much for most households and the lack of knowledge and options leaves them no choice but to put all of the kittens in a sack or box then drive them some several miles away and drop them off by the road. The lucky ones are found by concerned citizens or are able to adjust to the wild, what happens to the rest doesn't require much guesswork. 

This is Tiger. At just a few weeks old he was found crossing the main highway by a Spanish visitor on his motorbike. Tiger was taken in for close to a week but the Spaniard who was bound for Coron was looking for someone to give Tiger a home. Luckily the day before he was scheduled to leave we found each other. Tiger spent two loving years making a rented room a home not just to his human but to a myriad of other cats that were taken off the streets. He has been missing since March 2018 and we can only continue to hope that he has been spending the rest of his lives in a better home that treats him well, or that he has adjusted well to the wild. 

We're doing all we can to give the abandoned and abused cats of El Nido the chance Tiger had, follow us on our social media accounts to find out more about what we do and how you can support us:

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