Serving memes and kibble: Meet the mind behind ‘Mga pusa sa daan’

Photos from Mga Pusa sa Daan

The Facebook meme page “Mga pusa sa daan” not only captured the attention of meme-loving netizens but also pet lovers alike as the page features meme-worthy feline photos with witty captions and holds feeding programs for stray cats.

The page’s admin, Daryl or “Dada”, shared with ABS-CBN News that he got the name of the page while listening to “Ilaw sa Daan” by IV of Spades. He recounted that the cat from the page’s profile picture was a snap he took while eating in a fast food chain at Farmers Plaza in Cubao when it appeared in front of him. He also said that the cat is still alive as it is under the care of the security guard of the fast food chain. 

Created in 2022, the page is currently sitting with 446,000 followers on Facebook and 34,200 on Instagram (@pusasadaan_). The admin, despite initially being a dog lover, shared that he adopted a puspin in the same year. He also said the page was a way for him to cope after a long-term relationship. 

When asked about the cat photos featured on the page, he told ABS-CBN News that he originally took the shots himself but took submissions from his followers as the page grew over time. He also shared that the captions of each post would sometimes come from either him or the one who submitted it. 

As the following increased, the page’s followers suggested starting a community feeding for stray cats. To do so, Daryl recounted that they reached out to different cat communities, eventually having their first feeding at Eton Centris in Quezon City in collaboration with Cats of Eton. There, they would check the needs of the stray cats. 

After some time, they did more collaborated with other cat communities, such as Cats of Araneta, Cats of Greenfield, and Cats of Circuit Makati. 

Asked about the frequency of the feeding program, Daryl said they plan to do it monthly. They would also accommodate some suggestions to have the activity in their area. There were also some instances when they had two or three community feedings in a month.

However, the page admin emphasized the importance of neutering, especially for stray cats. He shared that he had his puspin neutered when he adopted it. He also viewed the community feeding as a temporary solution to the rising stray cat population.

“'Yung stray feeding naman parang temporary lang naman siya, di ba? Temporary solution. Ang mahalaga pa rin is kapon. So far, pangalawa namin this April. Nakapag-kapon na kami last September... Nag-iipon pa po kasi, mas mahal po kasi pag kapon,” he said.

With regards to their volunteers, he said the average number of volunteers was 20 people, depending on the location of the feeding program. However, he requires volunteers to be of legal age, from the National Capital Region (NCR), and to sign a waiver for his activity.

According to Daryl, funding their community feedings is somewhat easy as there would sometimes be sponsors. If there are no sponsors, they would have fundraisers, with their target amount landing around P4,000 to P5,000. There would also be pledges for the volunteers’ snacks. 

“Monetized kasi 'yung page pero ang maximum lang namin per month is P5,000. Parang $100, ganon. So, ginagamit namin 'yun dun sa stray feeding natin,” he added.

When asked about the food they give to the stray cats, he said they were not that cautious in the beginning. However, they listened to the feedback from followers, who said organic cat food would be better. They immediately changed the food they give and would also add some steamed vegetables to the mix.

With regards to partnerships with animal shelters and animal rights groups, he said that they have not done it yet. However, they would donate to shelters and school organizations if they had the budget to do so.

As to his thoughts about the recent cases of animal abuse, he emphasized the importance of the Animal Welfare Act and formally filing a complaint when abuse happens. He said that despite having video evidence, if a complaint was not filed, the abuser would not face legal consequences. 

“So ang nangyayari, parang nababaliwala lang din 'yung effort ng iba. Kasi di ba nakuha na ng animal 'yung sympathy ng mga tao pero wala naman nag-file ng complaint. Hindi rin mapapanagot 'yung gumawa ng violence,” he stated.

He said that spreading awareness not only about animal abuse but also the welfare of animals, in his case stray cats, is one of the ways to give light on the importance of animal life. He started creating informative posts about topics such as population control, neutering, and finding cats under cars. He believed that his influence through his page could create an impact, especially to cat lovers.

Asked about his thoughts about people who are respectful to animals, he stated that he salutes them for their genuine feelings toward animals, regardless of the breed. He also thanked his volunteers, donors, and followers for the support he is getting.

“Kasi kung 'di naman dahil sa kanila 'di naman kami makakapag-conduct ng ganun program, especially medyo magastos 'yung mga ganun outreach kaya thankful kami sa lahat ng effort for each volunteer,” the admin answered.

With regards to the future of his cause and page, he plans to give his monthly page monetization to different organizations every month starting June this year.