I got my cat Manny, at around the same time Ho Dental Office started, which was around May 2015. You could say that he was an "Angel Investor" in my dental clinic.😸😇He never stepped foot inside my clinic, but if patients were observant enough, traces of fur can be found around my clothing and belongings. 😸
Manny's life and death
Manny took his final breath in the early hours of March 16, 2026. He lived 11 happy and carefree years with us.
From a street cat who wandered around, he eventually colonized my cousin's candy store. My cousin Judy chose to name him Manny because it was the time of Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather 's first boxing match (May 2015).
When the store had to close down in the middle of 2015, we reluctantly took him home as our first house cat. Thus begun his lifelong adventure as an indoor cat.
 |  |
As an indoor condominium cat, he roamed around as much as he could both inside and outside our unit. He explored every nook and cranny inside our 3BR condo unit and tried to lay down on it, often with great success. When there was no more new hiding places to explore, he ventured into my neighboring cousin's house. But his spirit of adventure never stopped there. While exploring outside, he once went down as far as the 8th floor (we lived on the 10th) on his own. He also ventured, uninvited, into some of our other neighbors open doors. I tried to venture with him further away, once on our roof deck, but he wasn't happy inside a domed cat backpack, and would rather explore the nearer places on his own. Most of the time outside, he would graze around the plant box looking for wild plants to aid his digestion, and afterwards, he would find a nice flat and dusty spot to lay down for an afternoon siesta, or for a night stalking with lizards or cockroaches. I would often need to wipe Manny clean afterwards because of all the dust stuck on his fur.
Manny's regular daily routine were as follows: 1. Wake up mom for breakfast, around 7am. Chill out in the balcony, smelling the outside, observing, then nap some more. TV time with mom or me. Chill out on some new or seasonal indoor hotspots (repeated throughout the day). 2. Gym time with dad, or with me strolling outside in the afternoons. He would sometimes become a "border guard" as he blocked the common corridor outside. 3. Dinner time is around 6-7pm, split into two to four portions. 4. Post dinner time. Could be either Laptop or gym buddy with my dad. TV time with mom. Desktop Computer time with me. Sometimes early night strolling or visit neighbor cousin Judy's unit. 5. Lights out. Sleep with me or with mom and dad. Oftentimes he would sleep with mom and dad in the night, and would come sleep with me after his breakfast.
As a hunter, Manny's official catch were 2 mice, 1 bird, a dragonfly, a few cockroaches, and many many lizards. He sometimes presented the cockroach or lizard to us as a gift.
His diet consisted mainly of fried fish - galunggong (mackerel or round scad) and tilapia. He would also try tomato canned sardines a few times. He lived carb-free. He would often eat roast and fried chicken too when we had it at the table, he would often help himself with it and lick it directly. Occasionally, i gave him treats such as milk, cream (from a Frap) or quick-melt cheese. My mom would also let him lick Blueberry flavored yogurt from time to time.
As a picky and spoiled indoor house cat, Manny would often have leftovers of fish meat or head. I would keep them in the freezer, and reheat them on Sundays or Holidays, and feed it the various street cats, and even dogs, around the neighborhood. I did this for 11 straight years as a weekly routine, including the "pandemic" years, skipping only a few due to work schedule or inadequate leftovers.
Manny never used a litter box. He instead learned to pee and poop inside the bathroom, near the shower sink area. He would often have post-poop zoomies and run around fast, meanwhile i would stop him to give him a good butt, leg, and face wipe. Back in the store, we never really found out where he would poop, but i think he learned to pee in the bathroom back then all by himself.
We bought him an assortment of cat toys, most often he would tire of them quickly. His all time favorite toys were usually just pieces of string/shoelace or a ribbon that was used to tie a box of cake. Manny tried Silvervine powder earlier on and got high as fuck. In the latter years, we provided him catnip balls for licking, where he would not just lick them, but rub himself onto it. He also likes to be brushed a lot.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Manny never visited a vet, nor has he received any vaccines. He underwent spaying surgery in mid-2015, and that was it. Perhaps this was a shortcoming on our part. But he lived with no visible health issues, until the last few months and days of his life, for 11 years, i guess he was just really lucky. In January 2026, he got sick from most likely, the flu. He wasn't able to eat for 3 straight days, we thought he wasn't going to make it, but he pulled through. He recovered his voracious appetite since then. Looking back, we think this could have hit some of his organs hard.
In what had been the final two and a half months of Manny's life, he roamed and revisited most of his favorite chill out spaces within the house. Also explored outside our unit, strolled around the corridors, and grazed on wild plants. The past few weeks, he had been actively eating with us on the dinner table, already taking positions right before we even started eating. A few times, he stepped on our plates filled with rice. He partook on his favorite table food which were fried milkfish, and fried or roasted chicken.
Manny ate his final meal, slept and spent time with the family on March 13. By March 14, he had no appetite, and was vomiting, mostly water/fluids from time to time. By evening of March 15, he would have weakness in his muscles, unable to gait and maintain standing posture properly, and also soiled himself in urine. I gave him a good wipe and clean that day. I said to myself that if he pulled through that night, then i will bring him to the vet on March 16, Monday. But as a free spirited and independent cat, Manny had other plans. My dad said he heard his final 3 meows at around 4am (Manny spent the last night under the Master's bed), true to his character, announcing his departure.
Rest in peace now, my friend, i hope we had served you well enough. We love you and will miss you dearly.
