QUEZON CITY – The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has kicked off its latest advocacy campaign, "Puso Para sa Puspin," at Ayala Malls Vertis North. 

This initiative aims to foster compassion and responsible care for our beloved Philippine native cats, also known as "puspins." 

With actress and animal advocate Jodi Sta. Maria as the face of the campaign, the goal is to change how the public views stray cats and to promote adoption and humane treatment.

Many Filipinos still lean towards buying or breeding pets, which adds to the growing number of strays, especially since spay-neuter programs are lacking. Stray cats often have to survive on their own, facing dangers like accidents, hunger, and mistreatment. 

PAWS is dedicated to educating everyone about the importance of spaying and neutering to help manage the stray population and lessen animal suffering through featuring several initiatives, including “I Love My Puspin/Love-Save-Adopt”, “KabaliCAT Program”, and “Kung Mahal Mo, Ipakapon Mo”.

Instead of sending strays to city pounds, where many face euthanasia, PAWS is also advocating for a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program. This approach allows stray cats to live safely in their communities while preventing uncontrolled breeding.

Jodi Sta. Maria was chosen as the campaign's ambassador because of her commitment to rescuing animals, including her own cat, Naia, whom she saved from an airport. 

During her visit to the PAWS Shelter, she saw the challenges faced by stray cats and felt compelled to support the cause.

"With this campaign, we're really hoping na ma-encourage ang mga tao na bigyang pansin ang mga Pusang Pinoy or puspins na they deserve to be treated well, they deserve kindness from us and that we should not hesitate to help them or rescue them when we see them injured or sick or pinagmamalupitan," Jodi shared. 

"Maganda rin na makapag raise tayo ng awareness tungkol sa lumalalang sitwasyon ng pagdami ng stray cats sa ating bansa at na merong solusyon para dun which is ang pagkakapon sa kanila," she added.

As the top animal welfare organization in the country, PAWS operates a shelter in Quezon City that cares for more than 200 rescued animals and runs an affordable spay-neuter clinic. 

They've made great strides in promoting animal adoption, thanks to past campaigns that featured well-known celebrities like Alden Richards and Janella Salvador.

With their initiative "Puso Para sa Puspin," PAWS is dedicated to ensuring that animals are treated humanely and to tackling the issue of pet homelessness.