Trigger Warning: Article contains description of animal cruelty
A photography studio in Davao del Norte lamented the death of its rescued senior cat, which they claimed was killed in front of their place.
Keyshots on Monday, September 16, announced that their pet cat Jack “was killed by someone” in front of the studio.
“You might have seen him or petted him during your visit. He was [the] sweetest and [had] the kindest, most gentle eyes. He loved the outdoors coz [because] he was a stray before we took him in,” it said on a Facebook post.
The studio added that they went to the police to file a blotter for the incident but were allegedly met with the response: “How much was it?” or “Magkano pala ‘yon?”
“This is soooooooo UNBELIEVABLE, HEARTLESS, UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!” Keyshots wrote.
“Please be kind to ALL animals regardless of breed, hindi lang para sa atin ang mundo! Fly high, our Jackiekun,” it added. “I’m very sorry.”
In another post, the photography studio expounded on how the feline lost his life.
“His head and stomach were injured and he bled after being hit by someone parking near our place who wasn’t even a customer,” it said, as translated to English.
“He [driver] might have been super drunk because it was bright outside, so he couldn’t see Jack sitting on the walkway near our door,” Keyshots added.
“He might have been crazy not to stop when he felt he hit something or when he shouted at the cat he needed to run over. He might have been heartless to just leave our cat after hitting him,” the studio said.
They also lamented the police’s attitude towards them when they reported the incident.
“Even the people at the police station weren’t very interested in the case and hesitated to let us in until I mentioned I was the owner of the studio, and maybe, they felt sorry seeing me cry,” Keyshots said.
They added that while they wanted to “give justice” to their cat, they “couldn’t bear” to review the CCTV footage “and hear his screams.”
“We can’t bear to imagine how he suffered and died. Even if we saw who ran him over, it wouldn’t bring our cat back,” the studio said.
Keyshots shared that Jack was already a senior cat when they took him in, adding that the feline suffered chronic cough.
“He stayed at the vet for three days and received grooming and medication for more than a month,” it said.
“Most of the time, he would just sleep in the room, and sometimes, he would come out to get some fresh air and hang around by the door. No matter what, Jack had a favorite spot outside because he grew up on the street,” the studio added.
“He loved fried chicken more than cat food, so we often bought him some from a nearby shop,” Keyshots shared.
The incident saddened some Facebook users who shared of personally encountering the cat before.
“Hala, he’s a very clingy cat. This is him while we were waiting for our hard copy to be printed yesterday. He’s so sweet,” a Filipino wrote in the comments, sharing a video.
Others called on the studio to bring justice to Jack as animal cruelty is punishable by law.
“I hope you have some evidence sa ginawa sa cat, as well as the name of the officer who said that to you (pls. have the translated version included so this can reach more people),” a Facebook user wrote.
“You can definitely report animal cruelty as it is punishable by the law. Please fight back for your cat. Let’s work to eradicate senseless cruelty [to] animals,” she added.
There were some who called out the Philippine National Police for the alleged behavior the officers displayed when the studio owner went to them to report the incident.
“Philippine National Police, paki-educate naman ng officers niyo. Baka ‘di nila alam na may Animal Welfare Act. The nerve to ask kung magkano ang pusa! Wala naman sa breed ‘yan, baka mahiya pa kayo if ipakita namin vet bills ng mga puspin (Pusang Pinoy) namin. Pwe!” a Facebook user wrote.
The Republic Act 10631 or Animal Welfare Act of 2013 states that it is unlawful for any person “to torture any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance of shelter, or maltreat any animal or to subject any dog or horse to dogfights or horsefights.”
It is likewise prohibited for them to be killed or caused or procured “to be tortured or deprived of adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat or use the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the Committee on Animal Welfare.”
The law also states that it is unlawful” for any person who has custody of an animal to abandon the animal.”
“If the animal is left in circumstances likely to cause the animal any unnecessary suffering, or if this abandonment results in the death of the animal, the person liable shall suffer the maximum penalty,” it said.
People who subject animals to cruelty, neglect, or maltreatment shall be jailed and/or penalized for a maximum of P100,000 if the animal dies.
