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. 🙏❤️
Gin Mei is medicated & syringe fed to keep her as comfortable as possible. (Metta Cats & Dogs Sanctuary 7/12/22)
She has an enclosure to herself with food, water, litter box and a bed for her comfort. She is medicated and syringe fed to keep her as comfortable as possible.
When I prayed outside her enclosure a couple of days ago, she stopped pacing about and came towards me as if drawn to the recitation of the Medicine Buddha Mantra.
She pressed her face against the wire mesh, let me hold her paws as she stood on her hindlegs for quite some time while I bent as low as my joints would allow me to recite the mantra in her ears.
Extending her face beyond the enclosure.
Throughout this session there was no pity and no dread, but peace between the cat and me.
Because of Gin Mei’s willingness to come to me despite not being familiar with me, I was also able to place my *mala bracelet on the top of her head to bless her further.
Sentient & Spiritual
The cat’s response to the mantra offering to ease her difficulty is open to interpretation. But for me it shows that animals are not only sentient, but they might be as spiritual as we are.
I held her little paws as Gin Mei stood up on her hind legs to receive the Medicine Buddha Mantra.
So even in the most desperate of situations where all medical resources have been exhausted, we must remember we still have the one medicine that goes beyond life & death, and that is our mantras & prayers. ❤️🙏
*mantra – sanskrit word meaning “sacred words”, “chants”, etc that are repeated to aid focus and create beneficial outcomes.
*mala bracelet – prayer beads. This particular one was lovingly made by a friend who meditates regularly & does charity work in Cambodia.
This afternoon I lit a butter lamp to give thanks for a black cat who went missing for nearly 2 months, but was found unharmed.
Thanksgiving Butter Lamp on behalf of a black cat.
Tam Tam was born & raised at the animal shelter. Black cats are the most overlooked adoptees. So we can imagine his shelter caregivers’ joy that at 3 years old he managed to find a home. However, unbeknownst to his shelter family, his adoptive family allowed Tam Tam to roam.
Tam Tam doing what he does best at the old shelter where he was born and raised.
One day he went out & didn’t come home. When the shelter people learnt that Tam Tam had gone missing, they posted notices and searched anxiously for their little black prince.
This post was shared over 100 times on social media. The power of collective intentions can do wonders.
Had he met with an accident since he had little understanding of motor traffic because he wasn’t born on the street? Or had he met a python since he was lost in a forested area?
Is a black cat really so unlucky that even an adoption is shortlived?
Nonetheless I raised a butter lamp for Light to guide Tam Tam to safety, and if he had met with a mishap, may he and his caregivers find peace.
A light for Tam Tam and the search party looking for him. (24 Nov 2022 at Theckchen Choling Temple, Singapore)
A day after offering the butter lamp, I received news that Tam Tam was finally located taking refuge in someone’s compound. Alive. 🙏
This morning at the shelter, he was one of the first cats to come running to greet us at the sliding door. He chased the others around & climbed up the gate leading to the kennels to peer at the dogs. At one point the obsidian feline was seen supervising the humans on the correct way of raising prayer flags.
The Great Black Tam overseeing the raising of windhorse prayer flags on full moon eve (7 Dec 2022)
We will never know where Tam Tam wandered after he got lost, and how he was able to meet someone who didn’t chase him away because he was black, but let him remain in his compound & even fed him.
Tam Tam had scores of people combing the forest for him and his lost post notice was shared over 100 times on social media.
He showed me that it is the care given, and not the colour we’re born with, that determines our luck. 🙏❤️
Contrary to supersitions, Black is a very humble colour that retreats so that others may shine. It forgives a multitude of imperfections, showing Black’s true magnanimity.
Of all the manifestations or portrayals of the Buddha, I feel drawn to the one with curls on his head.
This manifestation of the Buddha which I’m drawn to is located at Tkechen Choling Temple in Beatty Lane, Singapore.
Somehow he felt Nepali to me. In 2011, before my first trip to Nepal I made a trip to the Tkechen Choling temple in Beatty Lane. I told him that I was going to visit his country & asked for his blessings on the medicines & veterinary supplies that we were bringing for the street dogs.
I’m old school in the sense that if I’m visiting a country for the first time, especially one with known spiritual traditions, I have a compelling urge to declare my intentions.
Today we were at the temple to light butter lamps. I lit a lamp for a beloved shelter cat that is lost and the people who are searching for him. May the Light guide him to safety. If he has left his physical form, may the Light embrace his soul & neutralise all negative imprints & comfort the people who love him.
Whether it is just by the window of my home, or in the presence of a sacred figure of reverence, dedicating a light is one of the ways of expressing respect, support and affection.
May Tam Tam the Cat be well. May his finders be guided and comforted.
And today I also learnt for the first time that the Nepali Buddha I’ve been speaking to for the past 11 years regarding my medicine journeys for animals is none other than the Medicine Buddha himself.
May we be guided as we seek to improve our own lives and the lives of others.
Two days back I lit a butter lamp at the temple for my Christian friend to honour his departed soul. Light is a universal medium of blessing at all stages of life. It does not discriminate between life or death, happy or sad.
Dedicating the butter lamp before the lighting.
My late friend was a man of few words and not given to outward display of emotions.
Some years back, he quietly fed the cat taking refuge under his Volkswagen at his condo. He named him Winfred, and defended him when the neighbour accused the feline of spoiling the paintwork of his Mercedes Benz.
My friend took Winfred to the vet when he was ill, sheltered him when he needed a place to recover, and buried him in a safe place when he passed away so that the orange tabby would never have to stray.
Yesterday I made a donation in my late friend’s name to an animal shelter. He who made us sandwiches on long days at work and allowed me to ransack his work station for snacks & meji biscuits would have approved of money going to the dogs & cats too.
After helping the shelter, the thought of a specific animal rescuer who would appreciate some help came to mind. But I too have a budget to stick by.
Late last night I received a text message from a Catholic friend. She did not know of our Christian friend’s passing nor my wish to help the Muslim lady who works two jobs to help animals.
“Don’t know why but I suddenly had a feeling that I urgently need to transfer some money to you to help some animal,” she texted.
And the sum that my Catholic friend wanted to give away was the exact amount that the Muslim rescuer needed to cover some of the care expenses for an aging dog.
Aging dog can no longer walk. The factory compound where she used to seek refuge under heavy vehicles is not safe for her. Hence her feeder decided to put her in boarding where she can be cared for till the end of her natural life span.
So today on Chokhor Duchen which marks the day when Buddha gave his first teaching, I want to share magic, generosity, kindness and trust in people around us and the ones who have gone before us.
Regardless of our heritage, may our life’s choices put us on the path of compassion & wisdom, for our benefit and the benefit of all sentient beings. 🙏
Lisa Ong 