A momentous occasion! I spotted a new cat during my usual trip to the nearby convenience store.
It was a very welcome surprise to hear the meow of a cat just as I was walking out of the store, receipt and breakfast in hand, heading for my car. The moment I heard the meow, I looked around, and saw the cat. I was able to reach out and pet them, and over the course of the interaction, it let out some incredibly beautiful meows. Awwwww.
This convenience store is a cat hotspot, but not quite anymore. There had previously been two cats that regularly called this place home. One of those regular visitors was a calico, but a few months ago, those two cats disappeared without a trace. Of course, cats, especially stray ones, will move around as they wish. Perhaps they still call the place home, perhaps they have found some other branch.
Since I don't go to the store everyday nor have CCTV camera access, there's no telling if the cats live there. When I visit, I'm usually just there from anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes. That's 23 hours and 50 minutes the cat could be there completely undetected.
Anyways, if you would like to conduct an investigation into the full extent of my cat stalking activities across the Philippines, I post photos of them on Bluesky sometimes, and have multiple posts here dedicated to cats.
May you encounter a cat in your daily life, too. Remember to savor every beautiful-sounding meow as you hear them.