With just a patch of land, helping hands, and a lot of love, animal advocacy group “Cats of Lexington” built a cat village to care for the stray cats in their community of Lexington Garden Village in Pasig City.
Inspired by the famous “cat houses” in Turkey, “Cats of Lexington” group founders Rochelle Javier and Jeanie dela Rama built a small compound with 11 cozy, vibrant-colored houses that stray cats can freely occupy come rain or shine.
“We made sure that each house was treated with an anti-termite solution, painted with epoxy enamel and several coats of weatherproof paint in different colors. We also installed the fencing, and refurbished and repurposed the old cage. It’s no longer a cage, we call it our ‘cat hotel’,” said Javier.
Cats can take leisurely walks on the paver tiles and cobblestones installed on the ground, sharpen their claws at the scratch posts, and urinate or defecate at the sand pit.
At the village’s center is “The Sleepy Kitty Bed and Breakfast,” or the main feeding station.
They also added string lights to the houses, and scattered cat totems around the village for decoration.
The village functions more as a “hotel” for stray cats than a permanent residence, wherein they are safely able to feed and poop.
“The cat village was purposely designed to be an open space so cats can come and go freely or they can stay as long as they want. We didn’t want it to become an area for people to dump the cats as we hoped the community will participate in taking care of the cats, especially the strays,” they said.
Currently, the village’s regular occupants are a mother cat and her four kittens. Around 10 guest cats drop by the village to eat before going elsewhere.
The members of the “Cats of Lexington” group also provide spay or neuter services to the cats staying in the village, as well as attend to their medical and health needs.
Creating a ‘safe space’
Javier and Dela Rama were compelled to undertake this ambitious endeavor when they witnessed 15 stray cats, including a pregnant and nursing cat, rounded up in their village.
“I just thought there must be a better place where they could feel secure and protected,” Dela Rama said.
“They were already traumatized from how they were captured and then they were cramped in a small, dilapidated cage where their poop was mixed with their food. Three of the cats died,” she continued.
Prior to the cat village’s establishment, the duo shared they have several neighbors who feed stray cats and even end up adopting them.
However, others trap the roaming cats, or ask the guards or maintenance staff to take them away. They also shared instances of kittens being put in sacks for disposal and some being poisoned.
They mentioned there was a lot of opposition to their cat village proposal. They had to appease neighbors who complained about the cat litter, and wanted to start rounding up the cats again as a “quick solution.”
Stray cats have been rounded up to be euthanized because they were blamed for leaving their feces on the residents’ gardens or scratching their cars, they said.
A labor of love
“Village chiefs” Javier and dela Rama wasted no time in transforming what was once a dumping and disposal site for village construction debris and other materials into a comfy cat commune in their neighborhood.
They admitted they had minimal financial resources and manpower to start the project, but Javier insisted they “dive right in” anyway, saying “if we wait for the situation to be more ideal, we would never start the project.”
The project began in August and was done by October. The houses were all finished in just two weeks, and the project overall was completed in just 30 days. The founders credit the swift completion of the project, particularly the houses, to the team’s lead installation guy and carpenter Tom dela Cruz.
Javier, an events stylist and designer, as well as display or set fabricator by trade, lent her expertise and skills to the project.
As soon as the village was green-lit by the Lexington Garden Village Board of Directors (BOD), she brought metal frames, steel sheets, wood, and paint from their warehouse. However, tapping her available resources was not enough as she had to buy more new materials.
Javier and dela Rama shouldered most of the expenses themselves. They hope to maintain the village through fundraising events and donations.
Fostering a ‘cat community’
The duo said there are still some who are critical and skeptical of their project, but many members of the Lexington Garden Village including the village board, administration, maintenance, and security staff have been supportive.
In fact, some of their neighbors donated money when the village was first being constructed.
They also have the support of their volunteers and donors. Among their supporters were Cats of Newport City, and Paw Passion Project.
Their group is finalizing their memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the “Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate with anti-rabies, and Return (CNVR)” initiative with animal welfare group CARA Philippines.
They also partnered with Biyaya Clinic for their most recent spay, neuter event.
The Lexington Garden Village lies in an area between the municipality of Pateros and Pasig City.
Even before the establishment of the cat village, the Lexington Garden Village administration had coordinated and partnered with the Pateros local government in holding an anti-rabies vaccination drive in their community.
They also acknowledged the pioneering efforts of Pasig City in micro-chipping and providing free spay and neuter drives for animals. They are hoping more barangays and their village will soon also be involved or become a beneficiary of Pasig's animal welfare programs.
Along with the blessing ceremony of the cat village on Oct. 1, they also offered a spay/neuter service.
One paw step at a time
Javier and Dela Rama emphasized the cat village is merely an “initial step” in caring for the stray cats in their community.
They said accessible and affordable spay/neuter programs, on-going animal welfare education, and finding ingenious ways to coexist with stray animals are the long-term solutions, which local governments must prioritize.
Javier and Dela Rama knew the creation of the cat village entails, on their part, a long-term commitment.
“We are trying to set it up in such a way that it can be self-sustaining and there are measures in place to ensure continuity of what we are trying to do for the village,” they said.
As cats are said to have long “nine lives,” the duo wish their project continues to flourish in the months and years to come.
“We hope that other communities will also be able to establish and sustain a program for stray animals and that animal advocate groups continue to support each other especially as we are a small community facing numerous challenges and opposition,” they said.
“We hope that our project will create the opportunity for residents in the village to be more compassionate about community animals and to find a way to coexist harmoniously with them,” they added.
More than sustaining their feeding and spay/neuter programs, Javier and Dela Rama wish to find permanent, “forever homes” for their stray cats.
The Cats of Lexington group is accepting monetary or in-kind donations through their Facebook or Instagram pages. Those who wish to donate may contact them at:
FB: facebook.com/catsoflexingtonph
IG: Instagram.com/catsoflexingtonph
Watch the Cat Village being built here: