He looks pretty good these days after recovering from last year’s illness that left him barely with hair due to feline scabies that attacked his legs, back and tummy. Tito Red was confined in one of those cages Doc Ed’s hospital noted for high steel garages and distinct smell. After a week of confinement, Tito Red was treated at home for a month. The mites were gone, but his kidneys now need medical attention and has been under treatment for close to a year now.

On the second day, I decided to write an ad about him out of sheer desperation. This was how it read (and officemates had a pretty good laugh about it later on):

CAT MISSING

His name is Tito Red – a six-year-old indoor cat with yellow eyes, orange fur and stripes, and scar on his right ear, neutered and vaccinated. He has been undergoing treatment for his renal problems and rashes on his back.

Red left our home last Jan. 1. He could have taken shelter in your garage, kitchen or garden as he is usually shy and afraid of strangers. If you have spotted him around your property, please notify us immediately and we will take care of getting him back. We will appreciate any info that would lead us to his whereabouts.

Tito Red came home knocking on the kitchen window. It was already the 4th day of the new year. Smart cat. He knows his way back.

He just got back today from a week of confinement at Vet’s Nook. Those nasty itchy bruises have started to disappear and that huge cut he had on his leg is beginning to heal.

It was a huge relief. We’re glad he’s on the road to recovery. Porky’s watching him sleep while playing wii games on his computer. Red has lost some weight, and looks tired too. According to mom, he’s eaten a lot during lunch and dinner, and drank water. His veterinarian doctor advised that he should continue taking his medicines to heal his kidneys.

Whatever still be the case, we’re happy that Tito Red is home for the holidays.

It was his first time to receive treatments since we got him five years ago. We were compelled to give him that since we’re transferring to a gated community and we don’t want him to populate the new neighborhood with kitties. Tingting, his best buddy for 3 years, was given to the care of a family friend.

Tito Red’s neutering and vaccination at Vets in Practice cost me around P3,500. Not bad for a first-timer who will soon grow into an orange tabby cat. His attending doctors and handlers were good and pleasant, and they do really care about the animals brought to them for medical care.

Tito Red: An example of an adorable lazy domestic shorthair

I learned that Tito Red has a breed which is that of a domestic shorthair cat. Domestic shorthair cats were used before to help eradicate rat infestation in the English colonies, so I assume that Tito Red’s ancestors were of English lineage. Royalties (hehe). A domestic shorthair’s look also varies, depends on where on earth they live. American and European cats have a stocky built, while their tropical counterparts (like Tito Red) are thinner and lighter.

Domestic shorthairs, or the typical everyday cat, account for almost ninety percent of all cat breeds. Obviously they breed triplets or quadruplets every 3-4 months. Neutering or spraying is a solution to having unwanted kitties.

That lazy orange cat we all call Tito Red is turning 5 this month. We thought it was appropriate to celebrate his birthday together with Buboy, his official masseur. We can’t remember the exact date when he decided to live with us. He just came around as small hungry reddish kitty who stayed outside our door feeding on leftovers. Before we knew it, he was already inching his way inside the house and slowly establishing his territory and position as the 5th member of the family.

Wherever the family goes, Tito Red goes. We have plans for him concerning his diet, grooming and lodging. We will send him to a vet next month to prepare for his transfer to Avida Settings, christen him Tito Red Ayala, being the first pusakal to live in the village, and probably prepare his first communion invitation eblast. Kidding. But what keeps him busy these days is the time he spends on watching Tito Mong work on his computer. He likes Mac.

The movie is an American version of the Japanese dog (of Akita breed) who faithfully awaited his deceased master’s return in a train station in Tokyo. Richard Gere plays the part of a university professor (Parker) who found the puppy Hachiko lost in the train station after long hours of transfers in one of those cross country movers. He took little Hachi home and they bonded together. Hachi grew up walking Parker to the station in the morning and returning to the station every afternoon to wait for him. It was a faithful habit Hachi had for the next 10 years after his master died.

The real Hachiko was born in 1923 and died in 1935 in Shibuya, Tokyo. His master’s name was Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. A bronze statue of the dog was erected in 1934 in Shibuya station and Hachi was even present during the time of its unveiling. Every year, March 8 in particular, dog lovers would gather at Shibuya railroad station to honor Hachi’s remarkable loyalty and faithfulness.

Dolphins washed up at Bataan shores

The last time I was in a Dolphin show was about 3 years ago during a company outing. While dolphins and sea lions were a lovely sight to watch, I had this uncomfortable feeling about them being torn away from their pods and exploited up to a certain degree. Maybe some of you knew the feeling that something wasn’t really right. That they didn’t belong to a recreational park but out there in the deep blue sea.

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has this campaign to bring animals in captivity back into the wild where they actually belong. You can always check what their campaign is about at their website and understand the cause better. And just recently, PAWS has launched the “Homeless, Not Worthless” campaign for stray dogs and cats that need foster homes.

While most of our time has been eaten up by various concerns from families, kids, careers, economic slowdown, proliferation of TV ads on various industrial products to nuclear exercises, let’s stop for a while and smell the flowers. Let’s show a bit of compassion before we forget how.

Meet the new members of the household: Sugar, Freckles and Baby Red. They were born 2 weeks ago inside our room. They have stayed in that particular box up to this time they have developed their eyesights. I don’t want mom to give them away. My brother and I will keep them.