Before Manila fully wakes, when the streets are still half-empty and the air is quiet, 70-year-old “Uncle Rooney,” a longtime resident of Binondo, is already walking.

Not for exercise. Not to pass the time.

But for the stray cats waiting in the shadows of Tutuban, Binondo, and Sta. Cruz.

With plastic bags of food in hand, he moves through familiar streets, stopping at corners most people ignore. He calls out softly, and almost on cue, they appear.

From under carts, behind parked vans, out of narrow alleyways.

Some hesitant, others already certain.

They know him.

“Pag tinawag ko sila, lumalabas na ’yan (When I call them, they come out),” he said. “Parang alam nila na kakain na (It’s like they already know it’s time to eat).”

What started in 2015 as feeding a few cats around Binondo has since grown into a daily ritual he cannot walk away from.

He no longer keeps count. On most days, dozens of cats meet him along his route, sometimes more, depending on where he passes.

The numbers changed over time, but the responsibility stayed.

So did the routine.

Now retired after 37 years of running an electronics repair shop, Uncle Rooney has built his days around these walks. 

He walks between 20,000 steps daily, even as his knees weaken and his hearing fades.

“At my age, mahina na tuhod ko… pero blessing pa rin na kaya ko pang maglakad. Kahit papaano, may nagagawa pa ako para sa iba (At my age, my knees are already weak… but it’s still a blessing that I can walk. At least in some way, I can still do something for others).”

What used to be movement has become meaning.

“If I don’t feed them, my day is not complete,” he said. “Parang may kulang talaga (It really feels like something is missing).”

The routine comes at a cost.

There are days when donations come in, especially after his story began circulating online. But support is inconsistent, and much of the expense still comes from his own savings.

Uncle Rooney has no social media accounts and no digital footprint.

When he encounters injured cats, those hit by vehicles or left weak on the roadside, he brings them to clinics, sometimes spending P6,000 to P8,000 just to give them a chance to survive.

Before this, he once tried feeding homeless children, but stopped after becoming discouraged.

It was later, in Binondo, that he started feeding stray cats, and never really stopped.

Now, every stop along his route feels familiar.

Even rain does not stop him. He simply puts on a raincoat and continues.

There is no audience when he starts his walk, no recognition waiting at the end of it.

And every morning, without fail, he shows up.