Simba and his sister were found abandoned beside the road. They had been there for days and were very weak. His sister could no longer walk. We took them to our place and gave them food and shelter.
They were so cute together.
They quickly recovered and Chynna fell deeply in love with them.
They started to grow larger and stronger. But suddenly one day some children came to visit which scared Simba’s sister so much that she ran away and was never seen again.
Simba kept growing and learning.
As he got braver he started to explore all the nooks and crannies of the house and surroundings.
His coat is a lovely orange brown colour that looks especially good at sunset.
With care and attention he started to become an adult:
He loved to sleep on my office chair when I was not using it, I had to remove him very often:
Chynna gave him lots of cuddles
…but she went to live in a city far away. Simba meowed outside her door for a few days.
Simba kept learning. Soon he was very good at climbing and hunting
…and always very good at lounging. He had many great spots to lounge on:
I played with him a lot and we kept each other company.
Often when I came home he would rush out from the bushes and jump at at me, paws waving and claws out. It was very comical.
Sometimes while playing he was very ferocious and I was hopeful that he would learn to hunt well because I knew I wouldn’t live in Philippines forever and life is hard for animals there.
One day a mother cat appeared, with her child. She was very weak and old so I took pity on her once and gave her a little food. She wouldn’t leave after that.
The kitten was a few months younger than Simba
but they quickly became good friends and played together very much.
Simba and the mother were mostly amiable but never great friends. They didn’t seem to speak the same language.
Simba never fought any other cats and would not defend his territory or food. He was often nervous that another cat would appear and take his meal.
Once, he ripped a toilet roll to shreds and loved it.
bad boy
After about a year my time in Philippines was ending but fortunately the person taking over running the house, Maria, loves Simba and wanted to take care of him.
There was some sort of injury, probably a dog attack, which Maria took him to the vet for and gave him medicine for a couple of weeks.
Looks bad, but he fully recovered
Maria enjoyed having a pet and the house was an Airbnb which bought her good income.
Airbnb guests came and went. Simba met hundreds of people. He was not always overly friendly with them and chose carefully whose lap he slept on. Some he really connected with, some he scratched, one group he drove from the house by hiding in the ceiling and yowling for days. They were bad people.
Watching over the house
Sadly, during the 2020 Covid lockdown there was a spate of animal poisonings. Several dogs and cats died. After Simba went missing for a few days Maria’s husband found him very weak beside the road, with blood coming out his mouth. The vet could do nothing. Simba refused to eat any food and died two days later. He was buried in the garden.
It was a sad end but his life was longer, fuller and healthier than most cats in Philippines. He touched the life of many many people and was loved and cared for.
Rest well, Simba.