One of the cats at the Philippine Animal Welfare Society waiting for a home this Christmas. PHOTO FROM JOSEPH PASCUAL
MANILA, Philippines—With Christmas just around the corner, the greatest gift that adorable shelter animals can receive is a fur-ever home.
If you are unsure of whether to adopt (adopting animals is a huge responsibility), Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) can help you out with a fur baby this Christmas.
PAWS Executive Director Anna Hashim-Cabrera said that the organization unfortunately experiences lower adoption rates during the holidays, as everyone seems to be too busy during the season.
“For this reason, we came up with ‘Home for the Holidays’ to urge people to try out ‘temporary adoptions’,” said Hashim-Cabrera, referring to her group’s new campaign.
According to Alice Sarmiento, a volunteer adoption counselor at PAWS, she currently works with 125 cats. She shared photos of some adorable felines that would love a home this Christmas season.
Lexus
Lexus used to live above a car wash alongside a dozen other cats, where her previous caretaker looked over her. Sadly, that caretaker had already died, said Sarmiento.
“Despite the loss of her original human companion, Lexus remains a sweet and friendly chonk of a cat,” said Sarmiento.
Foggy
“If Lexus is chonky, Foggy is extra chonky,” said Sarmiento.
During a rainy day at the Loyola Cemetery in Marikina, Foggy was rescued alongside his siblings, who are appropriately named Misty, Rainy, Blaze, and Drizzle after the weather they were found in, recalled Sarmiento.
“Unfortunately, Foggy is also very shy, making him the only one among the siblings to remain unadopted,” lamented Sarmiento.
Vernon
Vernon is one out of four siblings. They had to be isolated as they were still too young to be with other cats in the shelter, said Sarmiento.
Unfortunately, this prevents the kittens from socializing normally, she said. 
“This holiday season, Vernon hopes to be fostered, ideally with another one–or all three–of his siblings, so that he can play like a kitten instead of being confined to a quarantine cage,” the volunteer said.
Udon
“Udon is part of the noodle crew, which includes Ramen, Chami, and Soba. They have been at the shelter since late 2020, arriving as kittens during the shelter’s first holiday season under lockdown,” said Sarmiento.
One of the cats up for adoption at PAWS. PHOTO FROM JOSEPH PASCUAL
According to her, Ramen and Soba had already been adopted by foster parents, which is called a “failed foster” at PAWS. Fostering is meant to be temporary but if a fosterer decided to adopt permanently, then it is “cheekily” called a failed foster, said Sarmiento.
Sadly, Udon and Chami have yet to fail in that sense, as they have yet to be fostered.
If you want to foster any of these cats for the holiday season, you can visit the group’s website at www.paws.org.ph or go to the shelter in Quezon City everyday except Wednesdays and Sundays.
For those who cannot have pets but would like to help, PAWS also has donation channels and options for volunteers.
A cat named Lexus is among those awaiting adoption at PAWS. PHOT FROM JOSEPH PASCUAL
PAWS is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to protecting animals in need. They primarily take care of dogs and cats but advocates for the protection and care of all animals, including wild ones.
TSB