A food delivery rider decided to take home a stray kitten who approached him while he was waiting for a booking for nearly two hours.
Twenty-seven-year-old Israel Nungay, a GrabFood rider, shared that an orange-and-white kitten came to him while waiting for a job order in his regular spot.
“Almost [two hours akong naghintay doon for booking nang] biglang may lumapit na pusa at lumapit [siya sa akin]. Parang nagugutom [siya kaso] wala naman akong mapakain [noong] time na ‘yun,” he told Inquirer.net.
Nungay said that he played with the kitten for 30 minutes.
He eventually received a booking, but when he set the kitten aside to leave, he noticed that the feline appeared to cry. The latter also climbed in his motor and latched on to his foot.
“Kumapit [siya sa’kin] at parang gustong sumama,” the rider said in his video.
“Hanggang umakyat na siya papunta [sa’kin],” Nungay added.
In the video, the kitten could be seen continuously meowing at him.
“Dito ko na naisip maghingi ng karton kaya kinansel ko na lang ‘yung booking,” the rider said.
The rider added that he requested a carton box where he could place the kitten from a store nearby.
Nungay then went home with the baby cat and introduced the animal to his white pet dog, Sugar.
The rider added that he tried to give the kitten food, but the latter did not have an appetite. He then cleaned the animal and named it Salty.
“Welcome sa bagong bahay mo, Salty,” the rider said in his video.
His TikTok clip has earned 1.3 million views and over 245,000 likes.
@hansam0313 Welcome sa bagong pamilya at bahay mo SALTY 🐈❤️ #foryoupage #trending #fyp ♬ To the Bone – Sasa Tasia
This adoption video also made its way to a Facebook page, where it garnered 34,000 likes and love reactions, as well as 319,000 views.
Five days after he shared his story, Nungay gave an update about the kitten on Friday, July 7, in another TikTok clip.
His mother told him that Salty was able to escape from the house. They found the baby cat in their neighbor in a weak state.
The rider said that prior to that, the kitten was still a bit lethargic and had a poor appetite.
He immediately brought Salty back to their house but noticed that the feline continued to be listless. He also placed her in a carton box since the kitten could no longer stand.
“Nang mga oras na ‘to, hindi ko alam gagawin ko [kasi] wala na din bukas na veterinary clinic,” Nungay said in his video.
“Triny kong i-survive, kaso huli na ang lahat eh,” he added.
“Wala din akong sapat na pera para dalhin siya sa veterinary clinic,” the rider continued. “Sorry, Salty, [hindi] kita nabantayan, need ko [kasi] mag-biyahe. Hindi din naman kita pwede isama, sobrang init.”
“Paalam, Salty. Salamat sa ilang araw na pag-stay mo sa bahay,” Nungay said in the video.
@hansam0313 SORRY SALTY HND KITA NABANTAYAN NEED KO KASE BUMYAHE 🥺🥺 #foryoupage #trending #fyp ♬ original sound – Hansam lang sakanal
The rider’s efforts nevertheless earned praise from the online community who lauded him for having the heart to take care of the kitten, despite its brief life.
“Ok lang, ‘nak, ginawa mo lahat na mabuhay si Salty. Rest in paradise, Salty,” a TikTok user commented.
Nungay said he did all that he could, but the kitten was really weak.
“Bago ko [siya] kunin sa gilid ng highway, mahina na talaga [siya],” he said in the comments with a sad face emoji.
Last year, animal shelter Pawssion Project founder Malou Perez said that there were around 13 million stray animals in the country.
