A would-be journalist chooses to be an animal rescuer instead
Sheena Leigh Cabuyaban, 25, chooses to be an animal rescuer rather than pursuing a professional career. Photos courtesy of Sheena Leigh Cabuyaban
A 25-year-old college degree holder captured the hearts of netizens as she shared her journey of choosing to be an animal rescuer rather than pursuing her dream of becoming a media reporter.
Sheena Leigh Cabuyaban posted on Facebook that she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication five years ago. But instead of pursuing a career in journalism, she has devoted her life to saving stray animals on the streets.
In 2021, she resigned from her work to be a “full-time cat mom and rescuer,” and she sustains the needs of her beloved rescues by selling various feline-inspired merchandise locally and internationally.
Passion and calling
Animals have always held a special place in Cabuyan’s heart. As early as in her first grade in elementary school, she started adopting cats and as she grew older, she realized her calling was giving the homeless strays a “second chance to live.”
In February 2022, she built the “CAThography Cat Cabin” as a “retirement” home for her 38 rescued cats. Cabuyaban told the Inquirer that the cats used to settle in cages, but they now have their spacious home complete with furniture, toys and other amenities.
Photos show the interior and exterior of the ‘CAThography Cat Cabin’ Cabuyaban built for her rescued cats. Photos courtesy of Sheena Leigh Cabuyaban
“[My rescued cats] are the reason I am motivated in life. It’s them and my future rescues who give me the strength to continue and spread my advocacy to rescue the strays on the streets and give them a new life instead of adopting and buying animals,” Cabuyaban said.
Journey with CAThography
Aside from being a rescuer, Cabuyaban is also a businesswoman and a vlogger who documents the day in the life of her rescues. She created CAThography’s social media accounts where she can “capture the beauty and spirit of our feline friends.”
It later became her source of income in maintaining the cat cabin and her rescues as she started selling various goods on its socials, including mugs, tote bags and shirts.
Photos show the CAThography merchandise. Photos courtesy of Sheena Leigh Cabuyaban
Cabuyaban also receives contributions from the page’s followers, which automatically go to the living expenses of her rescued cats and other stray animals. She says her rescued cats have been vaccinated, dewormed, spayed and neutered thanks to the community’s relentless support.
Choosing to be an animal rescuer is a decision she never regrets. As she treads her chosen path, Cabuyaban sends a message to animal lovers and netizens alike: “To the cat lovers, owners or rescuers, I understand the hardships you are going through. Do not let negative comments regarding our ways of supporting the strays affect us.”
“And to readers, please support those animal rescuers because, behind the camera, we go through many hardships but endure everything,” she adds.
For clients and donors interested in supporting Cabuyaban’s rescue journey, you may reach her through her Facebook account, Sheena Leigh B. Cabuyaban, or her Facebook page, CAThography.
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