Open mouth, insert foot: confessions, justifications and apologies from an animal lover.

Would you adopt me even if I didn't have a pedigree?

Okay, I will confess. Since becoming vegan, I have become more judgmental and less forgiving. Sometimes I’ll be cold if you say something I find insensitive that pisses me off more than before. With all my how-dare-you’s, I’ve had to do a lot of I’m-sorry’s. I know, blowing up at people is the best thing to get you to the vegan side! But hear me out loud please.

Before I became vegetarian in October 2007, I lived in a man-centric world where everything was meant for our pleasure. Food made from cow reproductive secretions? Yum! Skinned lambs on our backs? Bring it on. Mascara tested on bunny eyes? As long as it makes me look like I actually have eyelashes, I’ll buy it. And yes, I used to not like animals. I’ve had pet chicks and a rabbit which I bought from a school fair. Yes they all died.

I lived in a world so convenient for me, I was like Neo before he found out about the Matrix. Ignorance was indeed bliss. And then through some careful research, the veil was lifted, my paradigm shifted, and I learned all the shit happening to animals everywhere. It was pure torture. Heart ache. I’d cry watching the undercover videos. I couldn’t handle the truth, partly because it went against everything I was taught in life. Sometimes I wish I would go back to my pre-vegan days for the convenience thing. It sure was a lot easier when I didn't have to check if the bread I was buying contained whey and that the cute winter coat had no wool.

And then I think of myself (haha, still on the [wo]man-centric thing). Would I want to live in a cage my whole life, have all sorts of crap put in my eyes just to make sure someone else wouldn’t suffer what I had to suffer? Or, how would I feel being raped and impregnated over and over again, just to have my baby ripped from my arms and having machines suck my nipples to get my milk to “more deserving” people? For those who didn’t know, cows have to be pregnant and give birth in order to be milked. I can’t imagine it and I’d hate those lives. I’d surely kill myself before being killed.

I will always remember April 30 as the day Lucky came into my life. He’s my first cat and despite his I’m-too-cool-to-pay-attention-to-you attitude, I love him and my other 2 cats, all rescues, to death. Some people (namely my family) think I’m crazy because I hug them and kiss them and yes, talk to them. Everyday. I will brave dengue-carrying mosquitoes to go to their cat house to scoop out the poop from their litter (sadly my cats no longer live in my home as my mom is convinced my youngest brother is “allergic” to them). I will even weather a storm to bring towels to them in the middle of the night to make sure they’re warm. One of them needs antibiotics? I’ll give it in a syringe and say that “you’re such a brave, brave cat.”

That’s just the tip of my iceberg craziness, people. When Lucky was 2-3 weeks old my dad stepped on him (yes Pop, you’ll never hear the end of it!) and he looked like a mangled pirate kitten. His legs were broken. He could not poop on his own (actually, all kittens need help in the crapper). It was summer and my 3 younger brothers and I took turns monitoring him 24 hours a day. My shift was between 5am and 7am. One morning I was massaging his butt with a moist cotton ball to try to coax the poop out. He ended up squirting shit on my hand, and some on my shirt. And here was this one-eye-swollen-shut kitty struggling to get away from me and my poopy hands with his useless legs, and all I could do was laugh and clean up. What fun cats bring, and I'm not even being sarcastic.

Believe it or not, animals can bring us humans a lot of joy. In fact, you don’t need to be vegan to learn this truth. If you’ve got a pet at home, and I’m assuming you’re a pretty loving owner, you know what I’m talking about. Pets don’t care if you’re getting fat or your hair’s seen better days. Even if you accidentally forget to leave them food in the morning, they. Will. Always. Come. Back. To. You. Because yup, sure we’re taught they aren’t rational beings, but how can irrational beings have unconditional love for us? Here’s another question: how is a purebred cat any different from a cat from the street, other than its color?

So what am I getting to? I’ve been vegan for almost 2 years and yes, aside from the food and no-leather, no-stuff-experimented-on-animals thing, I have changed. Knowing what I know now, I’d like to think I’ve changed for the better. Yes, I am the crazy vegan lady who is often insensitive and is almost always the party pooper when it comes to “I love foie gras!”, “I want a labradoodle!”, "I just want my cat to experience the joy of kitten birth!" exclamations. Yes, if you ask me “If you’re stuck on a desert island with a lion, would you eat it?”, maybe I will eat YOU. And we’ve ALL heard about the vegetables-scream-when-you-eat-them joke, harharhar. We’ve never heard THAT one before. Or how about, “If you’re so much against animals being abused, why do you have cats and why don’t you let them roam free?”

It’s been more difficult for me to be more patient, because sometimes I forget that people don’t know or don’t want to know the truth about the plight of abused farm animals, pet overpopulation caused by our breeding of dogs and cats, horrors of vivisection, what goes on in a fur farm and egg farm, etc etc. Which is why, a lot of the times my responses to animal-related questions may sound condescending, bitchy, and downright icy enough to make you sound like the enemy. Which is why I would like to sincerely apologize to readers of this blog who I may have accidentally alienated with my answers regarding your questions related to animals and animal rights. Maybe you were just really curious and didn’t mean any harm. Sorry guys.

I’d just like to make a point though, with regards to pets. Yes I have my cats and I am not against having pets. I have them partly for selfish reasons, partly because the other option was for them to become road kill, and partly as a symbolic promise to all animals that I will help them in any capacity that I can.

I am, however, against the purchase of animals for pets and am fully supportive of adoption. Our country, no this world, is TEEMING with millions of dogs and cats who just want a home and a loving human companion. These guys didn’t just pop out of nowhere, we bred them into existence. They’re not coyotes and tigers, they are animals domesticated by us over hundreds of thousands of years. And then when we feel too tired to take care of them, we let them “go free”. Or, sometimes we just chain them up and forget to feed them, whatever floats our boat. Sometimes we’ll shout at them when they piss on themselves because we’re too busy to take them out to exercise and do their toilet business. We complain when our female cats get pregnant because, who wants to take care of kittens? Let’s not spay her, oh no that’s too expensive. Let’s just stick her babies in plastic bags and drown them. We also looove to rant about all the street dogs and cats that populate our communities, and sometimes, we secretly love to run over the slow ones who don’t manage to run across the road as we step on the gas. Maybe if you had an opportunity, you’d shoot that tomcat that just loves to stroll around your garden. Who gives a shit, right? They’re not humans.

So next time I answer really snarkily, I’m really sorry and I hope you’ll forgive me. Please remember that I don’t meant to attack you, I’m just thinking of all the poor animals out there that are abused and unloved. Sometimes I forget to think before I talk, I end up being an ass and I stick my foot in my mouth. No hard feelings, okay?

To readers out there – I’d like to ask you a question. Do you often find yourself short tempered when it comes to asinine-sounding questions? How do you manage your temper and your mouth? To the vegetarians and vegans out there, how do you deal with your pent-up emotions about the animals, and how do you make sure you don’t come out as the crazy vegan?

Would you want my life?

Apple pie and black eyed peas and cats, oh my!

Today (Saturday) was one swelteringly humid day(probably 30 deg C or +90 deg F in the kitchen!), but that didn't stop me from baking my first vegan pie. Quite frankly I get intimidated with pies... I am not good at making crusts. The last time I made a pie was 2 years ago for my mom's birthday -- a (non vegan) apple pie. I hated rolling the dough on our kitchen counter because the dough would almost always stick on the surface.

But can you believe I haven't had pie in 8 months? And before that, about a year and a couple of months? Yeah, if I craved pie, I'd have to make it myself (ditto with cake, cookies, or cupcakes)...

So I did just that today. At first I was looking at Lauren Ulm's blueberry hand pies, but I was thinking, maybe I should stick to traditional pies (also, where the heck would you find blueberries in this country?). Then I spotted her mini apple pies, then I remembered Colleen Patrick Goudreau had an apple pie recipe in her cookbook, The Joy of Vegan Baking. That pretty much sealed the deal.


Colleen's instructions for her flaky pie crust were extremely easy to follow. I was a bit apprehensive about pie-making today because of the heat, but her tip to freeze everything -- the margarine, shortening, and flour -- helped mixing the dough a breeze. There's a 1-hr waiting period between mixing the dough and rolling it out into a crust, which was perfect because I was able to run errands and buy some apples. Her cookbook called for refrigerating the dough for 1 hour but I ended up freezing mine. If you live in a tropical country, you'll know that freezing dough makes more sense than refrigerating it.

Then came the hard part: rolling it out. I cheated and lined my kitchen counter with my Silpats, which helped immensely (I know I know, I'm a fake baker!). I suppose you can roll it out on plastic wrap or wax paper. And wow, how easy it was to transfer the rolled out dough from Silpats to pie dish! I may just make pies more frequently now.


Diced apples with lemon juice, raw sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Colleen's recipe was super easy to follow and before I knew it, I had a pie baking in the oven. What excitement! What joy! I was so giddy. Unfortunately I stuck the pie in the oven at around 6pm and it didn't make it in time for dessert -- the recipe recommends letting the pie cool for 3-4 hours, to let the juices thicken. Actually this waiting process was a blessing in disguise... My family is having lunch out tomorrow for my dad's birthday, and he absolutely adores apple pie. So right now I can't say for sure how good the pie tastes like, except that it looks pretty good. Nevermind that the crust looks *slightly* brown -- so I tried to healthify it by using raw sugar instead of brown, big deal. The recipe called for sprinkling the top of the crust with a cinnamon-sugar mixture (I had to cover the pie in foil half-way through baking to avoid even more burntness). Here's to hoping it tastes as awesome as it looks.

PS I never used to crimp the edges of my pie crusts, I'd always just press the tines of a fork in the edges to seal them. I truly feel like a domestic goddess with the whole crimping action :)



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So after sticking the pie in the oven, I was left with an extra peeled apple. Let me tell you that refrigerators (yes we have 2 - the vegan and the omni. Three, if you count the one sitting in my garage, unplugged and unused) in my house don't bode well for little bits of leftovers. Leftovers often get shoved into our refrigerators, never to be seen or heard of again until we go around hunting for extra food containers (because we almost always run out of food containers with all the leftovers being shoved in the fridges -- what a vicious cycle!) and unearth food with fuzz.

I ended up sticking the extra apple in a black eyed pea spiced stew my brother and I were having for dinner (before you gag, read on!). We had a leftover container of this black eyed pea-tomato sauce mixture which didn't really have much taste... It had no spices (except for chili) or herbs whatsoever, only the usual garlic and onions. I decided to throw in a teaspoon of cumin seeds in a skillet of hot oil, sautee some slivered onion and sliced apples, add a dash of smoked paprika, oregano, and cinnamon, then mix in the black eyed pea mixture along with chopped cilantro. Oh and I added in the juice of half a lemon, whose other half I used for the apple pie (I am a total leftover saver!).


An apple and black eyed pea spiced stew = yum!

What a fortunate fortunate discovery -- the apples did not weird the dish out at all! For some reason the sweetness of the apples tempered the spices, especially the cumin. I can't say for sure how long I cooked the dish, because I just winged it. The apples weren't mushy -- they were softened a bit yet crisp. So, tip: apples go well in spiced bean stews.

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Just some gratuitous pictures of the babies:


Poor poor Lucky, the little man has had fever for over a week and seems to be recovering. Last Saturday night I found a lump (!!! I thought it was a cyst!) in the left side of his throat which turned out to be an infected wound that turned into some sort of boil. The vet said he may've gotten bitten by another cat :( Unfortunately for us, the cats can't stay indoors because my mom believes that my youngest brother (who is fond of the cats himself) is allergic to them. We've built a nice cattery for them in the garden and I let them explore the garden during the day. Often times they meet stray cats, and believe me this country is brimming with stray cats. Lucky's on antibiotics for 2 weeks (now on his 2nd week) and we had to spread some ointment on his lump to speed up the healing process. He's had a fever for a week which made him pretty lethargic and sleepy most days. Today he decided to venture into the garden and disappear for the whole afternoon. As I put him back in the cattery I found out that he has another lump, this time in the right side of his throat :( Will have to consult the vet again tomorrow morning.


The little lady herself, who used to be healthier than Lucky, isn't in tip top shape either! Last Thursday night as I cuddled her, I smelled this awful sewer-like smell seeping from the top of her head. As I laid her down I felt my hands were wet and smelled like the sewer. Lo and behold, her bum leg was seriously infected. Apparently, since she doesn't use the paw on the bum leg, her thumb nail had grown so long and grew back into her paw. It caused a nasty infection, which spread onto her bum leg and her chest, causing her fur to fall out! In addition to the ingrown nail was rain getting stuck in her fur -- whenever her chest and bum leg would get wet, they wouldn't dry off properly because of the way she folds her leg over her chest. The vet was able to cut out the ingrown nail and prescribed an anti-bacterial cream to be spread on her leg and chest 2-3 times a day for a week, and antibiotics for 2 weeks. Included with the drugs is this cone she has to wear around her neck so she won't lick off the cream. Oh and, whenever it rains she's not allowed out :(


And Francis Boy over here is the healthiest of them all. This little guy hasn't experienced any sickness or complication whatsoever. Francis loves hanging out in the garden, meowing for attention and getting his ears rubbed by us. He absolutely hates being picked up. Sometimes he can be such a dear dear pet, always begging to be loved, but when he knows you want to put him back in the cattery, he runs for his life and disappears up the mango tree. I guess you can say he's the most streetsmart of 'em all because he loves climbing trees and fences and going into our neighbors' gardens, with nary a scrape or wound on him. He grooms himself quite splendidly and I'm sure he's aware he's one good looking cat.



The picture on the left is of little Francis as a baby, when we newly rescued him. This was taken in October 2008 and I'm guestimating that he's about a year old now. If you look at the pictures on the left (then) and the right (now), he still has the same dagger-eyes expression! Despite his fierce appearance, he is the sweetest, most lovable cat there is. He is almost like a dog in the sense that he doesn't look down on his human, as most cats do :)

Fine, a post on cake + The lone female kitten in the house (last post on cats, I semi-promise)

Good grief I know this is supposed to be a blog about veganism or vegan food but I (kinda) swear, this is the last time I'll be making blog posts on each of my cats. Unless something big comes up, I may mention them here and there amidst talking about food. 

Actually, the cats have played a big role in my veganism -- everyday I am reminded that all animals think and feel exactly like how my cats think and feel. It's not right that we put "pet animals" on pedestals, that we label them as "not food" (unless you live in Northern Luzon or some parts of China) while other animals -- i.e. cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, fish, other sea animals -- are "food animals". The stories about how they came into my life -- poor defenseless creatures, abandoned by their mothers and shunned by humans -- are things that I will always hold dear. Everyday as I am about to enter my home I am truly thankful to God that my eyes have been opened to the plight of animals and that He has spared these three cats from a terrible life.

More fluff to come about cat #2, aka Velma, but I want to distract you for a little bit.

I made this Almond Rosewater Tea Cake for my mom which she gave to this Indian-Malaysian lady that rents our old house in Pasig. Apparently the lady is vegetarian and is very pro-vegan, particularly vegan desserts. Getting new clients and discovering existing ones never cease to amaze me. For example, last week I organized an employee volunteerism fair at my real workplace and of course invited PAWS. One of the two PAWS volunteers was vegetarian (I made it a point to ask because we had to feed them merienda) and we gabbed about their animal shelter, rescued dogs and cats, and of course food. I mentioned that I was vegan and that I baked vegan desserts, and they both said they were once given a box of vegan cupcakes and cake for Christmas from PETA. I mentioned my baking company's name (Kitchen Revolution FYI) and yes, it was my cake and cupcakes that they ate! I was so tickled. I love that my food gets around and that the word's (a bit) out that there's a vegan baking company out in Manila.

Sorry for the lack of posts on food. I was able to cook for myself (not for sale! how refreshing!) last weekend, it was very relaxing. I experimented with a lemon pound cake, hummus, and my first vegan mac and cheese based on a recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook subbing dijon mustard for the mustard powder, whole wheat flour for the flour, and orecchiette for the macaroni; instead of using typical bread crumbs, I used the only bag of crumbs in the house: a bag of communion host wafer crumbs. Short story: my mom bought the bag of crumbs from some Opus Dei center which makes communion hosts for mass; the remnants are bagged and marketed as bread crumbs. Needless to say that stuff is NOT good for mac and cheese. I was supposed to top the mac and cheese with bread crumbs and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes. Crumbs were supposed to turn golden brown, the host wafer crumbs stayed white. You can almost imagine it looks like shredded white cheese except it stuck to the roof of your mouth and tasted like... holy communion.

My weekend was very relaxing because I did not go out at all. I stuck around the Alabang area, hung around the house, finally got to watch some TV, and baby-sat the cats. Last Saturday was probably the most time I spent with the cats. I let them explore the garden and get up close with nature which was exactly what they needed since they've been cooped up in the laundry area because of my brother's allergies.

Cat face off!

So, on to Velma. I love all my cats, but Velma I hold close to my heart (don't tell the others!) partly because she's the lone girl cat and partly because she's such a fighter. She is much tinier than Lucky though they are the same age (she is about the same size as Francis, but she's 10 months old while he's about 5 months old) but she is stronger, faster, healthier, and I'll have to admit it -- smarter. Lucky if you're reading this, I'm sorry but it's true!

Velma came into our lives sometime end-April / beginning of May 2008. By that time we only had Lucky who was a few weeks old. This was also back when half my family lived in my lolo's (grandfather's) house while the other half lived in my tita's (aunt's) house as my house was being renovated. My lolo had a stray gray and white adult male cat living in his garage named Muning, Tagalog for "kitten" (pronounced moo-ning but with a short "oo"). Now Muning loved sleeping on top of the laundry machine in the garage which was right beside the kitchen door entrance. He was completely feral but was friendly with the tenants of the house. Often times Muning would leave his abode and stroll around the block (and perhaps the village?); one day he arrived home with this little calico cat in tow. Muning being the territorial spoiled cat forbade Little Calico Cat from eating his food or drinking his water; he didn't even share his laundry machine space! Poor Little Calico Cat was forced to hide around the corner where Muning couldn't see her. He would hiss and bare his teeth whenever she popped her head out, looking pitifully for some food. It's a wonder that she never left us despite mean Muning.

Now just as with Francis, I did not immediately take a liking to Little Calico Cat. I was busy being a mother to Lucky (my brothers and I were completely new at kitten parenthood) and busy at work. However it was my two brothers (again! they have such big hearts) who fell in love with her and would often bring Lucky out -- then an infant -- to play with her. Back then Little Calico Cat was very affectionate and very friendly. When she'd see you sit down on the lawn chair she would quickly hop on over to you and let you scratch her ears. Sometimes she'd hop back on the floor and rub her ears on your ankles.

Finally I warmed up to her, took her to the vet and had her checked out. Actually back then we all thought she was a he and I wanted to name her Sam, as in Samwise Gamgee. Brother #5 wanted to name him Vladimir, as in Dracula. The vet informed us she was a girl, so Vladimir was transformed into Velma.

Velma is a special cat because she only uses three legs. Her right arm is bum and we have no idea what caused that to happen. There are two schools of thought: [1] she was born with that congenital defect (and she's a runt) or [2] she was hit by something and her arm never healed. Her lacking a fourth leg never stopped her from doing what she wanted though. When wrestling with Lucky she always wins. She runs faster than him and jumps higher. It's almost as if her bum leg has given her extra feline powers of strength.

I'm quite glad that Lucky has Velma because Lucky would've been one spoiled cat if not for his female counterpart. They are almost like husband and wife, or maybe it's brother and sister? They are a perfect pair. Up to now Lucky doesn't know how to cover his poop in the litter box and it's Velma who gets in the box and cleans up his mess. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of cleaning out the box she hops back in and covers the poop up, as if embarrassed about it! When Lucky's feeling extra naughty he jumps and wrestles her but she oh-so-calmly wrestles back and pins him to the ground with one paw. Sometimes she's the mastermind of their naughtiness -- she opens closed doors with her left arm and lets Lucky through before she goes in. They are so sweet together though! At times I catch them sleeping together in one cat bed, Lucky usually lying against her leg, kinda like how a mom would allow her child to sleep on her lap.

Back when we first let her in the house she immediately became un-affectionate and pretty much suspicious of us. It was only after a few attempts when she'd let us catch her and pick her up. She seems to be content that she isn't the cat that everyone fawns over -- I wonder what goes through her head when she sees us baby Lucky. She is such an observant cat, very quiet and very shy. She's a quick learner too -- one time she discovered marbles being kept in a bowl in the living room. Often she would pick one from the pile (with her mouth), drop it on the floor, and proceed to play football with it. With only three legs. I think she also returned the marbles when she was done.

I don't have much stories to share about her only because she's a very private cat. She and Lucky are the best of friends but for some reason, she despises Francis. I don't know what it is... is it because Francis is un-neutered (he'll be neutered in a few days)? Francis has an outdoorsy smell to him? Every time they see each other she hisses at him.

We haven't had Velma spayed yet even though she's reached puberty and is in heat every other two weeks. I'm getting her blood test results tomorrow to see if her little body is strong enough to take the invasive surgery and the anesthesia. Apparently her bum leg may be a symptom of a weaker system. It breaks my heart whenever she yowls and screams because her body is telling her to mate while she's stuck in the house with neutered Lucky... She rubs herself on everyone and everything, and it's upsetting that she can't help that she does those things and can't control it at all. It's like she's writhing in pain and I can't do anything to stop it! Oh well, I hope the test comes out well, I really don't want her accidentally getting out into the wild and getting pregnant...

Oh yes, in another display of her awesome feline strength... Back when I got the cats collars two weekends ago, she was the only one who was able to semi-rip the collar in half after one day of wearing it. The collar holds on to dear life around her neck to this day while the collars on Francis and Lucky are still good as new.

4 stories about cat #3

I've been meaning to blog about all my cats but I've always been putting this aside... I think it's because I want the post to be as perfect as possible and to reflect every anecdote and memory I have of them. Oh well, we're only human. We can't make perfect blogs...

I'd like to introduce you to my third cat. Let me tell you how he had 2 names before I put my foot down and named him Francis. My sister and brother #4 (I have to distinguish among brothers because I have six of them) went to the mall late one night in mid-October to get some coffee. Outside the coffeehouse they found a dusty looking orange tabby kitten who was being petted by some of the customers. They were smitten by him -- so smitten that they decided to take him home for ME to take care of. Yes me.

Some trivia: it was my sister who found my first cat Lucky in an empty lot across my aunt's house and brought him home; he was 7-days old and she left him outside the house's gate in a shoebox instead of bringing him in the house so "his mom could find him." Long story short Lucky was abandoned twice (by his mother and by my sister) and bro #5 and I decided to take him in. Do you see where I'm going? She likes "rescuing" kittens and making me take care of them and spending my own money on them, because I'm vegan (bro #5 is vegan too) and vegans are like the Mother Teresa of poor abandoned cats.

Anyway so my sister and bro #4 brought the third cat home and left him in the laundry area of my house where the two other cats sleep. This was at around midnight or 1am. In the morning I wake up to bro #6 exclaiming excitedly that there was a third kitten in the house and no one knew where he came from. Sister and bro #4 never admitted that they were the ones who stuck cat #3 in the house because both my parents were adamant about no more cats.

As with the first two cats I did not welcome cat #3 right then and there. I usually have to put a wall between myself and animals because I get attached and then heartbroken when something bad happens to them. Vegans especially need walls because they're more sensitive and aware to animal cruelty that occurs everyday in every crevice in the world; I was pretty angsty and depressed all of last week because of the can't-keep-the-cats-in-the-house issue and other pet cruelty cases that's happening locally (google "Cagayan de Oro animal cruelty" if you dare) and among my coworkers in the office, but that's a whole different story.

I guess what made me open (it pretty much provoked me actually) to loving cat #3 was a piece of information I heard... Back when we didn't know who brought cat #3 home I was told that it was indeed my sister who did the deed; when after a week or so I refused to acknowledge the cat's presence or respond to bro #6's pleas to keep the cat she told a certain someone that she brought him home because she knew (assumed! but I guess she knew me) I'd take care of him, because he was a stray; apparently I'm not a cat lover and neither am I vegan if I didn't care. I was so furious when I heard this because I hate it when people assume I'd do things "just because". Oh and it didn't help that my sister who neglects her dog (that's another wall I have up if I want to keep my sanity and the peace in the house) accuses me of not loving cats because I was ignoring the cat she brought home . Well I certainly didn't want to be that person my sister accused me of so the next weekend I immediately brought cat #3 to the vet. And you know the rest: I fell in love with him and now he has his own blog post.

So that's story #1, here's story #2: the story of cat #3's name. In the beginning he was christened by my sister as Kwek-kwek, which to be honest sounds funny but is the most unfit name for anyone. Kwek-kwek is a local street food made up of deep fried battered hard boiled eggs, usually of chickens or quails. I know, disgusting right? It was funny to say out loud especially when calling a cat. Obviously kwek-kwek is not vegan and I refused for this cat to be named after deep fried eggs. His second name was Silverstein as volunteered by bro #4, which makes absolutely no sense because... the cat's not Jewish and it's such a western name.

I settled for a very respectable yet noble name: Francis (it was a draw between Francis and Cupcake but I knew Francis would never forgive me for naming him after a dessert, especially since he's such a tough kitty). For those who don't know Catholic saints, St Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals. It is only on the Sunday following St Francis' feastday on October 4 that Catholic churches open their doors to pets for mass and blessing (the rest of the year the Church have no say on factory farming, breeders and pet mills, animal testing and other animal rights issues, which pretty much means they don't object to them). I found a lovely poster on the blessing of animals in Eastwood last October which may have inspired me to name cat #3 after Francis. I think now my favorite saint is St Francis... legend has it that he was vegetarian, he would preach to animals as well as to people and he thanked his donkey on his death bed. See, how cool is St Francis? He also shunned a life of riches and hedonism for the poor life of a friar. I hope that one day, some day, it becomes Catholic law not to use, hurt, and kill animals and that veganism becomes part of Catholicism's basic tenets... One can dream...

But I digress. Francis was found with the skin and fur of the tip of his tail removed -- there was even a bit of tail bone sticking out of it! For a week or so we swabbed the tip of his tail with hydrogen peroxide and Betadine. Both of my parents refused for him to live in the house so he lives in our garage.

Francis is one of the most lovable and affectionate cats you'll ever meet. My first two cats think they're above everyone and don't go to you when you call them. Francis not only responds to his name, he will run to you when you call it and when he sees you. He is such a love-hungry cat! He loooves it when you rub his ears and under his chin. He loves to rest on your lap and have his fur stroked. He would meow when he's content, when he's hungry, and when he wants some love.

Now I remember why I decided to blog about him right now, even before blogging about Velma, cat #2. I was busy baking brownies and a cake before dinner when my sister called my attention to Francis who was out in our terrace. He was on the outdoor bar table which is right under a window. The window has a slide-down screen and there was a bit of gap between the screen and the window frame. He was meowing so pitifully and his arm would go under the screen, frantically looking for a way in the house where it was warm and there were people to pet him. Of course my heart went out to him; I removed my apron and went outside to hang out for him for a bit.

Oh how I wish he was an indoor cat! Before the whole cat-allergies issue we would often let Francis inside the house to get acquainted with Lucky and Velma (and to hope in vain that my parents will allow him to live indoors). When you open the door to the garage he would immediately enter the house and refuse to go out. Sometimes we'd give up (or conveniently forget) that he was in so we'd let him stay in. I remember one time, really early in the morning (a few hours after midnight) I woke up because someone jumped on my bed and was walking on top of me. It turned out to be Francis. I was too sleepy to bring him back to the garage so I told him something like, "You can stay in my room, just be quiet okay?" Remember that this kitten lives in the garage and is very much a street cat. He is neve

r bathed because we fear his claws. Of course he didn't listen and proceeded to nip my ankles. I ended up leaving him in the laundry area with the 2 other cats. Who let him in? Brother #2.

Here is story #3: How Francis melted brother #2's heart of stone (towards animals). On Lucky's first night with us in March (remember, abandoned by the mom and only 7 day sold) I wanted him to sleep in my room so I could keep an eye on him. My mom and brother #2 refused to let him sleep upstairs let alone in the house. He was such a cat-o-phobe! This is why brother #5 and I ended up camping in the living room so we could attend to Lucky. Fast forward to October: brother #2 got so smitten over Francis. He loved that he came home from work to Francis who was so eager and so happy to see him. Even before he stepping out of the car Francis was waiting for him outside his door. He loved that Francis was so affectionate and playful. He fell in love with the little guy and even begged my parents to let him stay in doors. What a change! He still conveniently forgets that he would let him in the house and not bring him out right after. Brother #2 experienced the simple joy of having a pet and loved it.

Let me tell you more about Francis (story #4). He is such a spunky cat. He's lived outdoors all his life and is quite the survivor. He's a pretty respectable cat too. Instead of pooping in the garden or in the plants in the garage he actually crosses the street to the park to poop in the bushes. He knows how to cross the street confidently and without any accident. After having a fill of cat food he would settle on your lap and just let you rub his ears and his chin and stroke his fur. He doesn't pick fights with the other cats and is a good defender.

The only photo I have of 3 of my cats: Velma (the little head peering from the top of the stairs) and Lucky (the one who can't look at his mini-me without hissing) hated Francis (walking down the stairs) back in the day.

Back when he was only 1 or 2 months old Lucky and he were mortal enemies. Lucky hated Francis because he was a completely new cat. Maybe Lucky knew that Francis knew how to win people's hearts while he (Lucky) was a snob. Often we'd try to make them play in the shoe area of our house (nearest area from the garage door) but Lucky would just hiss and occasionally paw at Francis' face. Francis would retreat every time Lucky would get close to him but one time he hissed and pawed back. What a fighter! After a few weeks of these play dates Lucky and Francis became BFF's. Lucky knew every time Francis was let in the house and he would gallop down the stairs to stare at him and to play. I think Lucky secretly respects and looks up to Francis because he's street smart and a survivor (while Lucky is a house cat who would probably run into the open arms of a catnapper looking for new lab animals for animal testing). Also I think Lucky's tired of hanging out with Velma (who's actually quite jealous of Lucky's and Francis's BFF status) because she never wants to wrestle with him and she always wins when they do.

Anyway, that's pretty much it. Now you know Francis's life story up til today.

* All photos except the last one, courtesy of bro #4 aka Jose Gonzalez

What makes me sick with anger...

...Is that we can't extend our sympathy and compassion to animals other than human beings.

We live in a third world country but we are still human beings, "superior" to other creatures. All I can say is... what bullshit.

Last year CARA (Compassion and Responsibility for Animals), a local animal welfare group found 29 massacred cats and kittens that were kept in a shelter in Dasmarinas Village, Makati. For those who don't know, Dasmarinas is essentially the Beverley Hills of the Philippines. CARA had trapped, spayed and neutered 29 cats and kittens that were kept in cages outdoors to recuperate after the surgery. According to this article when CARA came to check on them, they were all found shot by air guns and none survived. No one claimed responsibility.

This slaughter happened a few days before Christmas 2007.

And we call ourselves a Catholic country.

This other article recalls of how stray cats are treated by us humans. Some crazy people actually throw boiling water or oil on stray cats. One compassionate lady would give food and water to stray cats in her area in Urdaneta (another wealthy village) but some crazier people put poison in the water. Let's just say that... drinking insecticide-laced water will make you die a slow and painful death, both for humans and non-humans.

FYI, all these terrible acts are against Republic Act 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

If you recall, I blogged about having to give up my cats a few posts back. I'm really having a difficult time finding them homes. Seriously, there is no one who can take them in. It's not like in Northern America / Australia where it's so pet friendly and so rescued animal friendly. The Philippines has issues with animals, specifically cats, specifically non-purebreds. People would rather have dogs over cats, purebreds over non-purebreds, it's heartbreaking...

People keep telling me that I'm sure to find good homes for them but deep down I know the future isn't looking so bright for the cats. I know only of a few who are sympathetic to animal welfare (none can't take cats in as of the moment -- thank you for your efforts though). Everyone else hates animals, or hates cats, or only wants purebreds. It really makes me sick with anger. No one gives a shit about animals.

It (cat and dog overpopulation) is such a BIG problem here and I hate that my own family can't even support me with trying to solve it (completely unrelated to the whole allergies issue). I told my family last night that what I really wanted to do was to cage stray cats in the area, spay and neuter them, then release them back into the streets to stop the cat overpopulation. I'm trying to do some good in this world and all they could tell me is "Instead of trying to take care of animals why don't you take care of your fellow human beings?" EVERYONE is doing something for people but NO ONE is doing anything for animals. We're not the only creatures God created. I'm sure God is sick with anger too when he sees how we treat his animals.

This is why I'm the crazy vegan cat lady.

To think that we're supposed to be the "superior" beings. I've heard true stories of animals willing to risk their lives to protect humans (whether the humans are their owners or are strangers) but for humans willing to risk their lives for animals, nil.

PS Please don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against people who can't have pets - it isn't for everyone due to certain circumstances like allergies or lack of money or whatever. I just have something against people who would directly and indirectly cause harm to them... like caging them for life, or poisoning them, or neglecting to take them to the vet, or abandoning them because they realize that they never wanted a pet in the first place. I have issues with buying pets from breeders and mills too - this is such a sad industry.

Away for the holidays + sad news about my cats

Hmmm so I guess my weekly blog posts turned out to be a bust... but it's the holidays, so I should be excused, right?

I miss blogging! But everything's been so busy and crazy and I haven't been able to upload photos to my laptop. Right now I am in the United States spending the holidays with my family in the Bay area. I really should blog about it because: it. seriously. is. a. legendary. Christmas. It's been the best holiday so far, meeting up with my 2 (out of 6) brothers that have been living on other sides of the earth the past year as well as spending time with my cousins from my mom's side who live in California. My whole family hasn't been in the States in 6 1/2 years, hence the legendary status.

Here's a rundown of issues about this trip so far:

1. Finding a vegan winter coat was almost impossible (vegan = not wool, not containing down or feathers, not leather)
2. How we were able to surprise my 2 brothers with our visit -- while wearing graphic tees with their faces on them!
3. First trip to Lake Tahoe, first time to see snow, first time to sleep in a cabin that had the temperature of 40 deg F (5 deg C) because of broken heater, first time to snowboard
4. How San Francisco is so Goddamn easy to be vegan... I'm jealous of all you Northern Californians, seriously
5. First time to eat at a fully vegan restaurant
6. First time to eat a Tofurky roast for Christmas dinner and Tofurky sausages for breakfast

I expect to be visiting a VEGAN ICE CREAM PARLOR soon and I am so excited! Will definitely have to mention that one.

Will be back home by the 7th of January! You will find my next blog post shortly after I arrive.

Happy holidays everyone!

PS I miss Pinoy weather where it's sunny year round and you can go out in tsinelas... My Pinoy skin is not used to North American coldness.

PPS I just remembered: today is my vegan anniversary! I have been vegan for exactly 1 year today! I turned vegetarian on October 8 2007 and vegan on December 31 2008.

PPPS I have sad news about my cats :( We recently found out that my youngest brother is allergic to the cats we adopted. He gets violently sick every month and apparently it's because of the cats. My mom is putting her foot down and is demanding that they all (I have 3) have to leave the house. Either find them new homes or turn them to the streets. This saddens me immensely as I consider these cats my babies. I rescued them from a cruel world and now I'm forced in a position to give up on them and be like any other cruel human they have faced. The thing is, Manila is very unfriendly to moggies / non-purebreed cats. Actually Manila is unfriendly to cats in general. I have no idea how to find them good homes. 

My mom said one option is for them to live outdoors. My first cat Lucky has been human-raised since he was 7 days old and is completely unaccustomed to the outdoors. He goes out sometimes to play in the garden but always under human supervision. He has no means to survive in the outdoors... He may run into the road and get into an accident... he may get into fights with other cats... I think I would get a heart attack if I come home to the roadkill remains of one of my cats...

Velma is our only female cat. She is unspayed because of her leg deformity -- her right front leg is unusable and is a 3-legged cat wonder (see a cute picture of her here). Turning her to the streets would be disastrous... Because of her deformity the vet said she can't be spayed (something about her immune system or the risk of the surgery) and mustn't get pregnant. I'll be consulting with the vet again regarding the spaying issue. I can't turn an unspayed female cat into the streets in full conscience.

I haven't blogged yet about my 3rd cat, Francis. I will dedicate a whole post on him soon. He is an orange tabby like Lucky and he came into our lives in October. He lives in our garage right now because my mom didn't want any more cats. He is completely street smart and will do fine as an outdoor cat... When he first arrived we tried to get him, Lucky and Velma to be playmates but Lucky and Velma thought they were too cool to play with him. They'd hiss at and ignore each other. Now they are all BFF's especially Lucky. I think Lucky enjoys playing with another male who's not as good as wrestling as he is (believe it or not Velma is an awesome wrestler and runner, despite her 3 leggedness). Francis is just about 3-4 months old while Lucky and Velma are 9 months old.

Anyway, I ask for your prayers regarding the cats... When I go back home I will be forced to address this issue. Have the cats live outdoors, subject to other street cats, cruel humans, and cruel drivers, or find them permanent homes and have them separated from me completely? What would you do in my position?

Would you have the courage to give up your own babies? 

In the end...: Vegan MoFo #23

This is my last blog for Vegan MoFo. I can't believe it's been over a month! It's been a pleasure and a challenge to blog every weekday about food. I'm glad I pulled through and I hope my blog won't look so empty and sorry anymore.

I recall my first mofo entry like it was only yesterday...

And I thought it would be only fitting that I end MoFo with the same theme of carrot-y goodness...














Apparently I'm not the only one crazy about carrot cake. My coworker and friend Pet has ordered carrot cake cupcakes twice, and this time she ordered a carrot cake. Now that I've been baking cakes more often, I'm getting the hang of decorating them. Lessons from mofoing: don't fear cakes, cakes love to be baked and frosted!

(carrot cake smothered in a walnut-studded cinnamon buttercream)

MoFoing has been such a learning experience for me. Before October my blog had about 5 measly entries in a span of 8 months. I hope I'll continue blogging and churn out 1 entry at least every week.

MoFo lessons learned:

1. It's best that you include photographs in your posts for a more interesting read. You don't need a schmancy SLR camera to get awesome photos.
2. You don't need high-tech editing software to make your photos look more smashing than they already are. Picasa is user friendly.
3. Picasa is not mac friendly.
4. Blogspot is not mac friendly.
5. Bring your camera everywhere (even if it's to get street food and buko juice from just around the corner); you never know when the perfect opportunity comes to photograph food.
6. Pictures of baked goods (such as 90 cupcakes, 60 cupcakes, 1 cake, or 3 cakes) is always a crowd pleaser.
7. Have your companion animals stay with you when you're cooking or baking. Cooking and baking won't feel so much like chores anymore.
   

Til next MoFo!

(Lucky pooped out from all the baking)