Shelter of Light

28/04/2026

It was 09/14/2022, my birthday. A fire had broken out in a barangay near us and someone reached out to tell us about two cats who had been caught in the flames. One of them was a white male senior cat with severe burns across his whole body. The vets were unsure if he was going to make it.

But he did. He made it. We named him Vivo.

The first day he came home to SoL, he was terrified. When I reached out to try to comfort him that first day, he bit me deep on the arm.

I was never angry at him. Because how could I be? This was a soul who had known nothing but pain and uncertainty and a world that had never been kind to him.

Slowly, he began to open up. Then one day he just settled beside me like he had always belonged there, and eventually he would crawl onto my leg, onto my chest, and rest. He learned to run to me when I called his name.

Vivo was one of our oldest residents and I always knew that our time had a horizon. This year that horizon drew close. He started losing weight.

Last month came the diagnosis. Pancreatitis. CKD. We knew what that meant and we held onto every remaining moment. Even then he stayed close. When I was working, when I was studying, he was right there beside me.

Last night, Vivo said goodbye.

More than four years of learning each other, of building trust from nothing, of proving to one tiny scarred soul that love is real and that safety is possible and that he mattered deeply. More than four years of him beside me, and now the space where he used to be feels like something we don't have the words for yet.

He came to us burned and nameless and barely alive. He leaves us as Vivo, a soul who came to know what home feels like, who learned that he was worth loving, who spent his final years as someone's cherished, irreplaceable boy.

Thank you for fighting to stay. Thank you for eventually letting me in. Thank you for every quiet night, every warm weight on my chest. Thank you for trusting us with the rest of your life. Thank you for the more than four years we shared.

Rest now, my sweet chubby old man. I will miss you every single day for the rest of my life. I love you always, always, always. We will find each other again.

24/04/2026

Last night, I shared that our recent angels, Winter, Comet CC, Jewel, Tabasco, Flora, and Dove were finally home.

So I want to tell you what today looks like from where we're standing. I want to tell you about the difference that your kindness makes.

💛 The utilities are paid.
💛 The bowls will be full through the end of the month. Rice, chicken, wet food, dry food, litter, all of it.
💛 Dawn and Vivo's vet bills are settled.
💛 We will be able to take care of most of Ever's vet bills.
💛 We were able to forward 10K to our previous vet.
💛 Our new mama cat and her kittens will have a proper cage soon.

And all the help still coming in will go straight to Ever's remaining bills, next week's payment to our previous vet, and getting our newest residents dewormed and vaccinated.

That is what happened because people like you chose to show up.

A share you did while waiting for your coffee to brew. A comment that took you ten seconds to type. The spare change you sent.

Some of you even sent messages saying "sorry ito lang nakayanan" or "sorry ito na lang natitira." I want you to know, there is no "lang" here. What you thought was a small thing crossed over to this side and became something we will feel for days. It was the difference between 70 cats and dogs eating today and not. Between vet bills being paid and debts piling up.

You also made a difference for me, a lone one trying her best for these cats and dogs. Between me being able to breathe and me lying awake at 3am running numbers in my head.

When that weight lifts, even just a little, it is not a small thing.Because of you, I get to sit down today and actually work on my thesis. I don't think I will ever have the right words for what that means to me.

But I hope you know that tonight and for days to come, more than 70 animals will eat, and rest, and feel safe. And I will too. And that is entirely because of you.

Thank you. From me, from every single one of our furmily. From the ones still healing, from the ones just learning what it means to feel at home, from every sleepy face and full belly in this house tonight.

Thank you.

Love always,
Rosie

23/04/2026

THEY ARE GOING HOME TONIGHT 🙏🥹

Before the day ends, I wanted to share this.

Our angels Winter, Jewel, Comet CC, Tabasco, Dove, and Flora are finally going home tonight. 🌈🐾

For Winter, Jewel, Comet, and Tabasco especially... we waited for over two months for this moment. Two months of not being able to get them home. Two months of praying for them and talking to them, asking for their patience just a little longer.

And for Dove and Flora, they weren't long-time residents here. Dove was found already gone, and Flora was found dying. We didn't get much time with them. But they still mattered. They still deserved to go home with the same love and dignity as everyone else. And so they are.

We got here because of this community. Because of every share, every act of help, every kind word that kept us going when we were running low.

We also want to give a very special thank you to Aeternal Paws - Pet Cremation Services Banawe Street, Quezon City for their incredible kindness and understanding. They allowed us to pay for all six through installment, and that grace meant everything to us. It meant our angels didn't have to wait any longer than they already had. That kind of compassion for rescues like ours does not go unnoticed. 🙏

I won't pretend I'm not crying right now. I am. 🥹

This is what it means to be part of SoL. Nobody gets left behind. Not one. Not ever. Not even in the end.

Thank you to every single person who showed up for these six souls. You gave them the dignity they deserved. Our channels remain open because the work continues, but tonight we feel this fully. Tonight, we celebrate them.

It took us a while. But we kept our promise. Welcome home, my darlings. You are so deeply, endlessly loved. 🕊️✨

21/04/2026

"LAST NA YANG DELATA NA YAN AH."

Those were the first words I heard this morning. I stayed quiet because I was already doing the math in my head. Then I went to take a bath and I cried. Because I don't know how we're going to feed them today. I don't know how we're going to make it through this week.

We have 7 new kittens right now. Including Ever/Mari, who is confined. And they are just the newest. We have more than 70 residents in our care, many of them with special needs, all of them depending on us to show up every single day.

Here is the reality of where we are this week:
🐾 850 for wet food TODAY so the cats have something to eat
🐾 15,000 total for wet food this week
🐾 10,000 for cremation installments for Winter, Jewel, Comet CC, Flora, and Tabasco (around 2k due for Flora's bill today)
🐾 15,000+ for bills and utilities
🐾 30,000+ in vet bills, and the very real fear that our previous vet may take legal action against us because of how long the payments have been delayed

Total needed: 66,750. We have 1,275 + 2k for mama cat so far.

I am one person. I am awake almost 24 hours a day. My hands hurt. I second-guess every single thing I spend money on. I wonder if I should sell my books. I wonder if I should take on more work even though I am already running on empty.

But then I look at the kittens. The residents. And I know I cannot stop. Because if I stop, they have no one.

We have over 11K followers. If even a fraction of you shared this post right now, it could change everything. You don't have to donate. You don't have to do anything except hit share. That one second of your time could put this in front of someone who can help.

And if you can give, anything at all, 50, 100, 500, it goes directly to keeping these animals alive.

Please. Share this. For Ever/Mari fighting right now. For the six other kittens waiting to be fed. For more than 70 cats and dogs who just need someone to care.

They have no one but us. And we have no one but you.

💛 GCash / PayMaya: 09772119959 (Rosemarie A)
💛 PayPal: [email protected]
💛 BDO: Please PM us

In-kind donations and vet-direct payments welcome. Just PM us. Thank you for seeing us.

20/04/2026

Your help means something because it helps us save the lives of numerous cats and dogs. Thank you to Vets on Point for allowing us to bring Ever / Mari despite our balance, and for taking such great care of her. It's been just a few days and look at her progress! Please pray for Ever / Mari, and if you can spare even a little, that means so much.

This is Mari, short for Mariveles Street where she was found tied to a tree, left alone to face the scorching heat with no way to find shade, water, or safety. It is heartbreaking to imagine how long she waited there, but we are beyond grateful she was found and brought to us just in time.

Mari is safe now, but her story is a stark reminder of a painful reality: Abandoning an animal is not "leaving it for someone else to find." IT IS ANIMAL ABUSE.

Tying an animal up and leaving them exposed to the elements is a death sentence. They cannot seek shelter, they cannot hide from predators, and in this heat, dehydration and heatstroke set in rapidly.

To our community:
Abandonment is a violation of animal welfare and carries a heavy weight of cruelty.

If you can no longer care for a pet, please reach out to local shelters, rescue groups, or clinics for guidance. There is always a better way than abandonment.

If you see an animal in distress or witness abandonment, speak up. You might be the only chance they have.

Mari is a fighter, and we are doing everything we can to get her back to full health. Let’s use her story to spread awareness and ensure that no other kitten is ever left behind like this.

20/04/2026

While I was trying to rest today, I realized that the kittens and mama cat we had to take in yesterday look too familiar, and I realized something that made me even angrier.

In 2023, my brother went out one morning and saw a blue plastic bag placed with the trash, moving. He approached it and saw 4 kittens, all wet. My brother found them just 2 houses from us, the same place that the kittens and mama cat from yesterday reside.

I browsed through our old photos, posts, and conversations with the vet, and I realized that those kittens from 2023 may have been the kittens as well of this same mama cat. Same markings, same place. Meaning, they have been disposing kittens for years already.

Those kittens from 2023, who I named Tigris, Coryo, Katniss, and Lucy Gray ALL DIED. We immediately brought them to the vet after getting them and they all tested positive for panluek. Despite spending thousands and weeks at the vet, they died because they were not even given the chance by these ruthless and evil people. They were disposed like trash, the same way the kittens from last night were disposed of.

Did you know how my brother saw the kittens last night? They were beside a canal, with one of them almost falling down already. Such innocent creatures, surrounded by such evil people.

I am still glad we are able to get them on time. No matter how hard this will all be, I remain grateful. Please pray for this family, please pray for SoL. If you can spare even a little, that would mean a lot.

(First two photos are the kittens from 2023. Last two photos are the mama cat and the kittens from last night.)

20/04/2026

Hi, everyone. I just want to share some updates before I lock in for my thesis. I am hoping that we will be to raise enough for this week so I can focus on what I need to do so I can finally graduate. Please read until the end:

💛 Ever, the kitten found in a plastic hung on a tree, is fighting through. Thank you to our current vet, Vets on Point, for allowing us to bring her despite our balance, and for taking such great care of her. She has started eating though assisted, her discharge are a lot lesser, and she has started grooming.
💛 The family we had to take in last night is also doing well. I was deeply worried because the mom was so anxious but she's coping now. She has started eating (I had to buy her fried chicken) and she has also started grooming her babies which she was not doing at all last night. We have also caught the other bigger baby of hers but we have 1-2 more to contain.
💛 Vivo is keeping on despite not eating that much anymore. He wants strictly table food so we are adjusting to his whim given the situation. He is fighting through still and we remain grateful for every moment we have.
💛 The rest of the rescues are keeping on as well. As you know, we have a lot of those with existing illnesses like heart issue, FIV/FELV, old age, etc. so of course the constant care continues, but again, we remain grateful for the life we are able to give them, no matter what. The photo is of Mallows who is so tired with all the affairs lately.

Given all this, we are still hanging on by a thread. We have ran out of wet food as of today so we need to raise at least 15k for that; we need to raise 10k for the cremation installment of Winter, Jewel, Comet CC, Flora, and Tabasco; our bills are more than 15k this month due to the heat and the high prices; and we need to raise at least 30k with all the vet bills. That's already 70k for this week alone. Almost impossible. But I am praying fervently that God will look upon us and will grant me grace so I can finally finish my thesis.

💛 GCash / PayMaya: 09772119959 (Rosemarie A)
💛 PayPal: [email protected]
💛 BDO: Please PM us

You can also share in-kind or through our vets, just PM us.

19/04/2026

Nahuli na po namin ung nanay nila, but the owner is claiming na mahina na daw and malapit na mamatay ung nanay pati ung mga kuting kaya nila ginusto itapon. Di ko alam if may premonition ba sila or diyos ba sila or manghuhula kase ang ganda ng dahilan na malapit naman na daw mamatay.

Nonetheless, magbabakasali po sana kami if you can help us bring the nanay and the kittens to the vet to be checked. We have thousands to raise with all the vet blills and supplies but it is important that we have them checked asap. Please help SoL 🙏🥺

19/04/2026

We saw their nanay and the 2 other cats being threatened by evil entities aka mga demons na nagkatawang tao, but we were only able to catch 1 of them. The one we caught is also one of the children of the nanay who is grown up now.

We made the owner of the cats swear that they will wait for us to catch the nanay and the other cat and that they will not be thrown away. Sana mahuli na namin sila tomorrow especially because these kittens badly need their mother.

Pasensya na po if I seem angry with this post as well as the previous one. It's because I am angry. Parang di maubos ubos mga masasamang tao sa mundo. Wala naman kamalay malay tong mga pusa at a*o na to pero sinasapian talaga ng kasamaan ung ibang tao. Masahol pa talaga sa hayop. Ewan ko ba bt napapaligiran nila kami.

Please bear with me po during these times. It's a busy, tiring, and financially draining time. Sana di po kayo magsawang tumulong sa SoL. We need you, now more than ever.

As of now, pintry po namin kay cali magnurse ung kittens temporarily since we don't have a stock of kitten milk and the kittens are crying nonstop. Pleass pray for us.

19/04/2026

THIS IS THE WORK OF PURE EVIL.

I don't even know saan kumukuha ng lakas ng loob ung mga taong ganito. Saksakan ng kasamaan. Pinili niyo magalaga ng pusa tapos pag ayaw niyo na, dahil anak nang anak dahil di niyo pinapakapon, tatapon niyo na lang nang parang basura. Ibang tao na nga halos nagpapakain sa kanila at nagaasika*o. Binigyan na rin namin kayo ng kulungan para icontain.

Tapos nung nanganak na ulit kase pabaya kayo, tinapon niyo rin nang parang basura ung mga anak na bagong panganak lang. Ni hindi pa bukas ung mga mata. Tinapon niyo sa kalsada lang na alam niyong ikamamatay nila. Buti may nagsumbong pa samin at nakuha pa namin ung mga bata.

Ung Nanay di pa namin mahanap, di namin alam kung nagtago lang ba o niligaw niyo na rin. Napakasahol. I don't get angry a lot pero ung init nang ulo ko sumasabay sa init nang panahon. Imbes na tinatapos ko thesis ko, sinasabayan niyo nang kasalbahihan niyo.

Sa tingin ko mababasa niyo rin 'to kase maraming kampon na nagaantabay lagi sa page namin. At sana nga mabasa niyo. Diyos na bahala sa inyo. Pati dun sa mga nagbabanta pa sa ibang a*o at pusa di lang samin, pati sa mga nasa community.

Hatakin nawa ng karma buong buhay at pagkatao niyo.

18/04/2026

Remember the kitten we posted about yesterday? The tiny one who was put in a plastic bag and hung on a tree amidst the scorching heat. We made sure to bring her to the vet despite challenges.

Great news is she tested NEGATIVE for panleuk, calici, and herpes. Her p**p are also formed. An unfortunate news for now is the discharge from her nose and eyes are severe, which is the possible main culprit why she is not really eating and has to be forcefed.

We have high hopes for this kitten, who we now named Ever (the name in the plastic bag she was found in). If she gets through this ordeal, she will have an even higher chance of making it. At the very least, she is now a lot safer. Look how she is sleeping in the second photo!

I couldn't bear imagining how she would be now if my brother didn't go out and saw her in that tree, in that plastic bag. With the heat yesterday, she would have surely died if we were late for even a little bit.

A lot of days, I pray na sana sana sana, wala na muna need dalhin sa vet. It worries me a lot and nahihiya rin ako sa previous and current clinics namin since we get delayed in the payments a lot lately. Ang dami dami bayarin and sobrang taas ng lahat. We don't even rescue anymore.

But how could we turn our back and close our eyes on a life needing help when they are already right in front of us? How could we do that to such a tiny, helpless life?

So i just continue to pray and hope that a miracle will eventually see us through and we will be able to pay our vets. For Ever, we will be able to pay for the initial checkup, but since she is confined indefinitely, we will have to keep the channels open for her.

We were able to forward 6k to our current vet for the balance of Dawn and Vivo since we had to divide all the help for the supplies as well. Just today, we had to pay 4200 for the cat litter.

We have not forwarded pa po to our previous vet who we owe half a million still, but we are hoping to at least forward po our weekly payment of 10k this week. Bills are coming in and they are a lot higher than last month plus may installments pa with the cremations.

May a miracle see us through.

Channels in the comments po.

17/04/2026

Amidst everything, I want to take a moment for this.

Tatay is turning 65 this May. He lives in a separate house from us, with only three dogs to keep him company, because that is what our situation requires. He cooks every day. For the rescues and for our human family. He does it without complaint, without asking for anything but pandesal or sliced bread and palaman, and to watch action films.

Nanay is turning 63 this year. Every noon and every afternoon, she walks to the house where Tatay is, through the heat, on foot, to help prepare the rescues' food. Then she comes back to help me tend to all the cats and dogs. She never makes it feel like a burden. All she wants when resting is to play candy crush and watch YouTube videos.

They live apart from each other most of the time. So that this can work. So that the animals are taken care of. So that I can keep going.

They don't gain anything from this beyond the joy the animals bring us. And that has always been enough for them.

They are among the rea*on I refuse to stop. They are why I fight so hard for a better place for SoL. Somewhere we can finally all be together, somewhere they can rest, somewhere far from the people who makes this harder than it already is.

To everyone who has ever helped SoL in any way, please know that Nanay and Tatay are grateful for you. Deeply, genuinely grateful. Every donation, every share, every kind word reaches them too, even from a distance.