DAVAO CITY — In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the shortage of isolation facilities in many areas of the country, a governor decided to put up an isolation facility for three stranded cats in Misamis Occidental.
In fact, the provincial government bought a cage that they call an isolation facility of “quarantined cats”.
The story about the three-stranded cats struck Misamis Occidental Governor Philip Tan after a locally stranded individual from Iligan City was going home to Clarin, Misamis Occidental brought with her three furbabies. Upon reaching Liloan Port Thursday night, July 16, she could not present a veterinarian’s quarantine certificate to allow the entry of the cats, a document she failed to comply with.
Instead, the owner was ordered to leave her pets. Wanting to be home, the girl reportedly agreed to leave her cats to the quarantine facilities, but hours after she arrived home, she sent a private message to Tan, pleading to keep her cats until the prescribed quarantine period will be over.
But night after, Tan received a message from the owner telling him, it was painful for her to leave the kittens behind because she nurtured them since birth.
The messaged touched Tan’s soft spot, he immediately inquired from the borders about the condition of the cats.
But securing the cats did not come easy, the border officers discovered that they only found two, one was missing.
To this, Tan ordered an intensive rescue mission for the one missing feline. Frontliners’ stations at Liloan Port, the frontliners in various messages to the governor said “this is the lighter side of covid-19”.
On Sunday, the three cats were reunited, everyone cheered.
But one more problem has come, the government only puts up isolation facility for LSIs and ROFs. This time, they need to buy a cage to serve as a quarantine facility for cats.
On Sunday, Tan, in a Facebook post stated “Nakapalit na gyud intawon ang probinsya og quarantine facility para sa atong 3 ka special LSIs (locally stranded iring) aron mas safe sila sa quarantine. Magpabilin sila sa border hangtod mahuman ila quarantine period. Thank you Liloan border control for always doing the extra mile. Happy Sunday everyone and to all animal lovers”.
(The province has bought quarantine facility for the three (3) special LSIs (Locally Stranded Iring “cat”), for their safe quarantine. They will remain in the border until the quarantine period is over. Thank you Liloan border control for always doing the extra mile. Happy Sunday everyone and to all animal lovers).
Tan described the experience a very rare problem, “I just experienced that even finding cats becomes the work of a Governor since the Governor was requested, the whole province, the board members, department heads, and all frontliners at the borders were involved”.
Given the experience, Tan in his post said “This is Only in Mis Occ where every lifeform is safe and secure with our frontliners. Hay, what a nice story. Have a nice weekend everyone”.
On April 22, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine posted “Cats appear to be at least mildly susceptible to COVID-19. The severity of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats is unclear. In the naturally occurring case of feline COVID-19 from Belgium, the cat developed GI and respiratory problems and recovered within nine days”.
It added, In the two cats from New York, both had mild respiratory illness and are expected to make a full recovery. In addition, the experimentally infected cats did not show evidence of the virus in their lungs, but rather in their upper airways, and they did not develop signs of disease.
The act of the Governor did not only moved the people of Misamis Occidental, but people who read the story also praised him for the extraordinary endeavour.-Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline.ph
