Shelter cat, Tenzin, meditates on the condiments before we use them.
Yesterday I had the honour of helping to prepare a lunar new year dish at the Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary to welcome the Year of the Wood Dragon.
White for new beginning, red for life affirming & green for renewal.
After the animals’ living spaces & human meeting area were cleaned & tidied up, it was time to make auspicious aspirations for the shelter residents and all sentient creatures.
Marcus makes sure the animals’ living space is spick & span.
Each sprinkling of condiments and drizzling of sauces over the carrots, radishes & cucumbers were accompanied by verbal recitations of wishes for health, harmony, abundance & prosperity.
Terry & Marcus unwrapped the condiments & sauces to form a circle of good wishes around the carrots, radish & cucumbers.
The cats looked on with quiet wonderment at the strange human ritual. How can people get so excited about vegetables?
Kenji wonders why can’t he join in the tossing of the salad. It’s not as if he’s gonna eat the vegetables.
As we tossed the artlessly julienned red, white & green pieces to mix well with the consciously crafted blessings embedded in the seasonings, I felt the reunion of thought, speech & action from within. 😊🙏
May the change of seasons that brings about energy shifts enhance the mindful recalibrations of our life’s purpose & positive intentions towards others.
Tam Tam, the cat who lives on the edge makes an appearance as we wish for ease & safely for all sentient beings.
Poinsettias in full bloom in Park Village, Budanilkanta, Nepal. (7Dec 2023)
In my youth December meant holiday jobs to make some money for personal outings & school supplies.
There was always some anxieties whether my limp would be an issue with the employer or labour laws.
December in my late teens & early twenties meant carolling rehearsals and admiring well dressed people who had invited us to sing in their beautiful homes on Christmas Eve.
Only in my 30s, December became a time of looking inward at who I really am. Living with 12 cats & 1 dog assures me that I am home. There’s no need to go outside to seek amusement or approval.
I adopted my first and only dog, Shoya, when I was 35 years old.
After my dog passed on in December 2014, and my cats slowly left me one by one, December becomes a time to rest & remininsce.
And whenever I get the chance to visit Boudha Stupa, I bring my animals with me. In my walks, I thank them for taking on animal forms to teach me what it means to be human.
Showing Shoya the Boudha Stupa at every chance I could since 2016)
This December as I stood still by windows & on terraces, I witnessed wedding celebrations in Budanilkantha, an engagement party in Nagarkot, cultural performances and devotional practices in Boudha.
On the balcony of Hotel Country Villa in Nagarkot Hills, Nepal. (10Dec 2023)
In the midst of music, singing & chanting my spirit lifted as my animals & I received the auspicious vibes generated by these celebrations.
Butter lamp circumabulation at Boudha Stupa.
December is truly an ending & also a beginning. 🙏😊
My 20-year-old cat, Oliver died on the 50th day of the passing of his buddy, Emmanuel. Emmanuel was 19.
Through their lives, these 2 cats have given me 39 years’ worth of companionship and teachings on living & dying.
Because they can’t talk, I learn to listen to their needs by watching their eyes, facial expressions and body language.
Oliver listens to Saraswati Mantra with me.
Because they can’t talk, and can’t defend themselves verbally, I learn to listen to myself before my judgement becomes my reality.
Emmanuel is always protected by Mother Mary.
And because they can’t talk, I learn to make supplications on their behalf.
Took my boys to see the Boudha Stupa this December.
The late Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught that animals don’t just come to us for food & shelter.
Indeed.
As Emmanuel needed home treatment involving needles that I fear and my stiff fingers are not of much help, I started listening to the Medicine Buddha Mantra to overcome fear and steady my hands.
At Kopan Gompa on 12/12/23 to give thanks to late Lama Zopa from whom I’m learning to care for animals beyond their material needs.
As Oliver liked to stay on my lap to listen to devotional chanting or singing, I learned to be still like him and let the words sink in. This was also how my longest living cat left his body.
Until last year, Oliver & Emmanuel had never fallen ill. Unwell animals disguise their pains & injuries to avoid evoking the predatory instincts of the healthy ones. But I also believe my cats endured their illnesses so that I may evolve spiritually.
The quiet in my flat now seems to hold the mantras & music we have listened together over the years.
So on Oliver and Emmanuel’s behalf I wish to thank everyone who has ever smiled at or said kind words to those who cannot talk. In a broken world, any speech made with the intention to heal is sacred to the listener.
Blessings of Light on Oliver. This was our 20th Deepavali together. The next day he entered a good death.
Oct 4 is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi and World Animal Day.
The stories & prayers of St Francis where he mediated on behalf of a wolf and addressed all natural elements as brothers & sisters resonated deeply with me.
Through him I learnt that for good to manifest, every intention needs to come from a place of peace & humility, not judgement.
One of the privileges of being born human is the ability to comfort another being. On our way to Metta Cat & Dog Sanctuary, we always stop by to greet the cats of Mdm Wong’s Shelter.
Since 2007, I’ve been trying to observe 4 Oct by doing something special related to him & animals.
Marcus being greeted by Wednesday on World Animal Day morning. (Metta Cat & Dog Sanctuary)
Today I feel blessed to spend time at an animal shelter and to light butter lamps at a tibetan buddhist temple.
As the day draws to a close and with Krishna Das’ chants filling up my living space, may I return this favour that has been so generously bestowed on me, by wishing everyone the Peace of St Francis of Assisi and Kindness to Self & All Animal Beings. ❤️🙏😊
May these lamps illuminate all sentient beings so that they may transcend suffering & death, and find peace.
Whenever I pronounce the name of the Goddess of Wisdom, “Saraswati”, I feel articulate & calm.
One recent Sunday evening on the ride home, I felt a strong need to listen to a “Saraswati” mantra, specifically the version sung by Krishna Das.
So right there in the living room of my flat with Oliver on my lap, we listened as Saraswati’s Beej Mantra filled up our home through the deep but effortless chanting of Krishna Das.
Oliver & I on a Sunday evening with Ma Saraswati. 🙏
Today a friend shared what a mantra is with me.
“A mantra is a kind of magic formula that, once uttered, can entirely change a situation. It can change us, and it can change others. But this magic formula must be spoken in concentration, with body and mind focused as one. What you say in this state of being becomes a mantra.” – Thich Nhat Hahn
The late Thich Nhat Hahn’s spoken words in his accented English always feel very warm to me.
Oliver sat very still throughout the Saraswati mantra. Maybe he was receiving the wisdom he needed to have an easy & relaxing stay at the veterinary clinic in a few days’ time.
At the vet before he was admitted for a 2 day stay.
May the Super Full Moon tonight share her crystal silence with us, so that in that clarity everything we choose to hear & say becomes a mantra to benefit all sentient beings. 🙏
Hermit the Kitten opened his eyes when he came to the shelter. He is an alert and focused little boy. May he thrive and go to a good home. (Picture taken on 28 June 2023 at Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary, Singapore)
“He will outlive me,” said the elderly feeder candidly, as she approached the shelter for help with her kitten. She had found the little one on the road with eyes still shut, but no mother in sight.
The day Hermit arrived at the shelter was also the day he opened his eyes.
Last Thursday as I held him in my palm while the shelter’s litter boxes were being cleaned & refreshed, I felt his heart pounding wildly against his rib cage.
As his cries got increasingly frantic, I steadied my breath, and place the kitten against my chest.
Reciting the Medicine Buddha mantra under the Windhorse prayer flags.
The last time I held a kitten the size of an iphone was 20 years ago. In my younger days I used to put a small alarm clock among the beddings of abandoned kittens to simulate their mother’s heart beat, and hope this illusion would encourage them to live.
So Hermit leaned on my heart while I recited the Medicine Buddha mantra. Nestling just below my chin his head felt the vibrations of my vocal cords, and his ears received the words leaving my mouth.
Soon the wriggling & meowing were replaced by loud purring. He also found comfort in nursing on the skin between my thumb & index finger. In no time Hermit the Kitten was fast asleep.
Meanwhile, Caddy, the orange cat who had been napping on the sofa opposite us woke up. Some neurological issues had given this gentle creature a slight head tilt. Despite his condition, he was not without purpose or intelligence. Caddy hopped onto the table and made his way towards us as if to parttake in the peace.
Hermit snoozing and Caddy sitting close by.
As Hermit snoozed on & Caddy watched me, I thought of the hardship faced by animals, and how learning about their struggles can inform the way we live our lives.
Caddy gives off vibes that remind me of Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess of War & Medicines.
I thought of the nursing cat and dog moms scavenging for scraps and being shooed off with broomsticks, kicks and even hot water. I thought of the mom hiding & giving birth in the monsoon drain, only to watch her kittens wash away by sudden rain. I thought of the mom at Whampo Market carpark looking on helplessly as a lorry backed up & ran over her remaining kitten.
For every happy pet we see on social media having a spa day, countless animals continue to struggle to get by day to day.
So may I wish upon this Superfull Moon for Hermit, the lucky kitten to thrive, and to go to a good home. And may all animals meet humans of wisdom, compassion & ample means to help them. 🙏
For adoption enquiries on Hermit, Caddy and any of their loving shelter pals, please contact Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary ❤️😊
“Send help please! I donch knowthis crazy person!” – Tam Tam (28 June 2023)
Tam Tam the black cat was born on 11 Aug 2019 and lovingly raised at the MettaCats and Dogs Sanctuary.
Spotting a white bib on his otherwise obsidian chest, Tam Tam had been rehomed before but his adoptive family was unable to contain him safely.
For the weeks he went missing, his shelter family combed through forested area and put up notices to locate him.
He was later found to be hanging out in one of the properties housing a diplomat. There he was renamed “Lily” by adoring foreign kids. They must have been so charmed by Tam Tam’s gentle sleekness and overlooked his masculine prowess.
On Halloween, Tam Tam ran along for tricks or treats, much to the children’s delight and the adults’ amusement.
As his finders were unable to control Tam Tam’s roaming tendencies it was decided he should return to the shelter and wait for a new home.
From epic indifference whenever he’s first picked up…to slobbery affection within seconds.
Back at the shelter, Tam Tam fits right in with the others as if he has never left. He scales his way up enclosure tops and moves on aerial routes with the surefootedness of a mountain goat.
From scaling wire cages in the old shelter to…supervising the hanging of prayer flags in the new shelter, Tam Tam cannot resist getting involved.
Tam’s appetite for adventure knows no bounds. Lately he’s been giving his shelter caregivers mini heart attacks. As soon as he sees a gap that allows him to enter the kennels, he charges ahead to try to make friends with the dogs.
Parkour cat Tam Tam waits patiently by the gate for an opening so he can charge onto his next adventure.
I love black cats for their definitive outlines and impenetrable opaqueness. In their coat of raven black, they look ready to morph into a bird or extend to become a panther.
Tam Tam’s blackness seems to give him a cloak of protection as he parkours from one peril to another. But he will still need a family that knows his antics and looks out for him.
This cat whose mood can swing from epic indifference to slobbery affection within seconds is still up for adoption.
I hope Tam Tam will parkour his way into a family that can appreciate and protect him for many years to come. 🙏❤️
For adoption details of Tam Tam please contact Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary.
*Parkour – (french origin) the sport of negotiating manmade obstacles by running, climbing, or leaping rapidly and efficiently.
My friend’s orange kitty, Sage, is selective about who gets to hang out with her, for how close and for how long.
My efforts to promote animal welfare do not impress her one bit.
My repertoire of animal knowledge is worth less a kibble to her.
But, if I know my place, Sage doesn’t mind eating a store bought treat from my hand. This means not trying to touch her when she’s trying to eat, or assuming that just because I have the means to buy things, I’m King.
Sage reminds me that I’m only a creature, just like her.
So whenever I need a dose of reality & liberation from egoistic tendencies, I make an appointment with Sage.
And Bella has gone home to God. Even though we’re sad to lose him, we’ll not let fear or hate win.
Given the threats of animal predators and manmade errors that community cats face daily, Bella’s 16 years on earth is a miracle.
When he was a kitten with gender still unknown, the Canadian swim team named him Bella.
Bella as a kitten in 2006/7.
The student athletes whispered their secrets to him.
Bella always listens without judgement. (Photo credit: Koh Aik Beng)
Local & international coaches & staff fed him or asked about him.
Bella is grateful for kibbles & canned food.
Visitors and parents took pictures of him, and sometimes with him (far away in the background).
Overseas athletes saved up their allowance to buy him treats.
Adults helped out with his veterinary needs.
Bella chilling out with his brother, Topaz by the window of the laundry room.
Despite having a low tolerance for touch, and a high need for distance, Bella has succeeded in bringing many people & nationalities together. He has taught us to be generous with our heart, our money, and our time. And love doesn’t mean ownership.
Bella enjoying scritches from Coach Shahrin in a recent picture. The silent company of cats invites us to pause & breathe.
Rest well, Bella Boy. Even though your entry into & exit from this world were not ideal, in between you were loved by many, and now multi-faith prayers from Singapore to Cambodia, and beyond Asia to the West are being dedicated to you. 🙏❤️
Lisa Ong 