READ: How the Cats of BGC saved this Person’s Life

Emotions are high amidst the firestorm generated by the disappearance of the cats of BGC. Everyone is stressed, to say the least. But in the middle of all this firestorm, we may forget the real reason for our outrage. The ladies of the Cats of BGC know this and have posted a very personal story on their page, shared with them by someone who was touched by the cats of BGC, reminding us that love is the force driving us to find what we lost.

Photo from @bgccatsph

See the embedded and full posts below.

The following text contains mentions of depression and suicide. If you are emotionally sensitive about these, I suggest you stop reading now. Also, for the sake of an easier narrative, I have decided to refer to this person in the story as “he” or “him.” 

A moment with the cats of BGC changed it all.

 

RELATED: What happened to the Cats of BGC?

This is the personal story of someone contemplating giving up on life but who changed his mind when he met the cats of BGC.

“I guess that was around end of October last year. I entered the plateau of my depression. Sobrang lala na kasi ng problems sa life and everything. My problems got the best of me. I was lamenting on how I should end my life back then… should I jump? sleeping pills overdose? hang by the noose? burn myself? those things. Di alam ng family ko yung plan ko nun pero alam ng friends ko and dear lord how they persuaded me to not do the unspeakable. kaso matigas ang ulo ko eh. I was determined to do it. I was about to do it nung October 28 pero may pumigil sa akin nun pero I already set another date, November 5, 2017. walang nakakaalam nung nov 5 plan. Death by blunt force trauma. tatalon kasi ako mula sa 6th floor ng university ko. (that’s the highest point in our uni).

Depressed and feeling hopeless, he set about preparing for ‘the day.’ He planned on jumping from the top floor of his school building.

I have like a week left, so I finished all of my org stuff para kahit wala ako kaya ng org makahanap ng kapalit ko after nov 5. May pa last post na rin sana ako sa blog ko, last will, and handwritten letters to everyone I deeply regard. Funny enough, ni isa sa mga yun wala akong prinepare para sa family ko except for my little sister which was a letter I wrote to her. Pero I know naman na di pababasahin ng mom ko yung letter sa kanya so I set it aside.

He wrote letters to friends and his little sister and wrapped up pending matters.

Nov. 3 came, everything was taken care of. 2 days before the supposed end of my life, I decided to enjoy life for the very last time. A last huzzah. I went to BGC that day, sat at the top of SM Aura. Nakakarelax kasi yung distant noise ng traffic para sa akin. After a few hours, went down and walked for a few minutes then dun ko na stumble yung mga cats. Don’t know if they are yours or what pero di naman sila marusing tignan so I am assuming ngayon na sa inyo yun. lumapit sa akin yung isa then nirub niya yung katawan niya sa legs ko. Yung rub na akala mo alaga mo talaga siya.

Two days before he was supposed to end his life, he decided on enjoying life one last time. He went to BGC and there he encountered a bunch of very friendly cats.

Then may lumapit pang isa, then another, then another one, parang lima ata yung lumapit sa akin nun. Ang cute nila tignan. yung isa parang si Puss n’ Boots kung makatingin sa akin. At that point, for the first time in about 6 months, my face made a genuine smile. I sat there for about 30 minutes or 1 hour para lang makipaglambingan sa kanila. Wala akong food na dala nun kaya I was clueless bakit lumalapit sila. Wala naman akong alam sa cat behavior kasi I’m a dog person. So ayun. lambingan to the max. himas himas sa mga pusa. Di ko nga naisip nun na baka kagatin ako at magkarabies ?. I didn’t care. I was happy in there company. Call me careless or what I didn’t care.

They affectionately rubbed themselves on his legs. He felt puzzled why the cats insisted on sticking close to him. But he felt happy in their company.

But all good things must come to an end so I went home na para walang clue yung family ko sa gagawin ko. I was still determined ah when I went home. Kinabukasan I tried my luck at pumunta ulit ako BGC to find those cats pero ibang set of cats naman nakita ko pero same ng attitude. Malambing like yung dating batch. Another set of lambingan with the new cats. Yun na yung point na I became undecided na to do the unspeakable na kalauna’y di ko na nga nagawa.

Although this encounter did not change his mind, he felt drawn to the cats and decided to return to their company the next day. Back in BGC, he encountered another group of affectionate cats. But as he spent time with them, basking in their affection, he wavered on his plan.

Yung pagrub ng katawan nila sa legs ko yung nagpaduda sa desisyon kong tapusin na ang lahat. Yung mga pusa ang nagbukas sa mata ko na there are creatures or people out there who wants to appreciate someone even if they are flawed.

Maybe he felt a kind of joy over the knowledge that there are creatures who will appreciate you even if you are flawed.

Kaya eto ako, grateful sa mga pusa ng BGC sa 2nd chance na binigay nila sa akin.

So he decided to live.

I was actually planning to get one from the original set of cats kaso baka kasi may ari or something and baka may anak yung mga cats kaya di ako kumuha. Ang heartless ko naman kung iwawalay ko yung pusa sa pamilya niya. Tsaka wala akong pansustento sa cats tsaka bawal sa dorm kaya yun.

So I guess that’s it. If I do get my own apartment I’m really planning to adopt one para naman giving back sa ginawa nila for me.

Once he gets his own apartment, he is planning to adopt one cat of BGC as a way of giving back what the cats gave him, a second chance.

I want to keep one as a reminder to myself na despite everything, may mga hayop or tao na nandyan sa tabi ko.

Not only is he grateful for their gift of life to him, he is also changed in outlook. He says he hopes to adopt a cat of BGC soon to remind himself that, despite everything, there will be someone there for him.

What an incredible story of hope and love. I hope that it will touch people’s hearts. I believe that our communities are rich with these kinds of stories, authentic, and life-changing. We should share more stories like this, don’t you think so?

In BGC, the managed cat community has been fulfilling an integral role in giving people balance, adding charm to the environment, and infusing a much needed positive energy that residents and visitors are hungry for. The cats do not judge, they just want to co-exist with us.

Volunteers and community members have been pitching in as much as they could over the years to maintain this balance between humans and cats, by having the cats spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and fed. They have also been working to have the cats adopted to loving homes.

Although many, if not most, of the cats of BGC, are now lost somewhere out in the city, I am hoping that we can still find them. But in case we really can’t anymore, then I hope with all my heart that they are safe and that people will treat them kindly.

Do you have pets? Share with us how your pet changed or affected your life! Comment below.