PENAMPANG: “Even after getting into the boat, my four cats were still traumatized from the flood that struck my home and had also scratched me. But after I hugged them tight, they seemed to have calmed down,” said Dr. Phoebe Ann Zepher Andrew Lucas.
The 30-year-old dentist received widespread attention after sharing a photo of her hugging her four cats that were rescued during a flood at her home in Kampung Kolopis on June 30.
The picture of Dr. Phoebe Ann hugging her beloved cats, named Miau, Tatwo, Lico, and Latte, who were terrified after being caught in the flood, moved the hearts of netizens who sympathized with the situation.
Reflecting on the incident, Dr. Phoebe Ann said she decided to wade through the floodwaters with her father, Zepher Andrew, for the sake of the four cats that she considers family. The eldest of four siblings, she initially observed the floodwater in her housing area was ankle-high and decided to move her car to higher ground. But when she returned home, the water had risen to knee height.
“On the way home, I was surprised because the water was knee-deep,” she recounted.
“After sending my mom, Ivy Benjamin, to a neighbor’s house located on higher ground, dad and I went straight back home to look for the cats,” she said.
Upon arriving home, she found the cats stranded on a high spot in the house, clearly distressed.
“I am grateful that not only my family but also all my four cats are safe,” said Dr. Phoebe, who works at a private clinic.
