Why dedicate your life to rescuing strays? For Svet Rescue Founder Sveta, the answer is simple: “Well… why not?”
“They’re funny, stubborn, and full of personality,” Sveta tells me in an email. “And beyond the fun, there’s a sense of responsibility too — once an animal is in my care, it’s my job to make sure their life is safe and dignified.”
After first rescuing a kitten called Barbara in 2014 and housing thirteen animals by 2016, Sveta realized that coming to an animal’s aid was not just a “phase” but a purpose. “I also realized my friends might get tired of seeing their Facebook feeds slowly turn into a zoo update, so I made a separate page just for the animals.”
Svet Rescue was founded.
Svet Rescue is a one-woman operation. Sveta is the sole rescuer, attending to stray and feral animals she sees in need. “Nowadays, I do not respond to rescue requests, but when I spot a sick, injured, or abandoned animal myself, I go to assess. Sometimes, it’s as simple as picking them up; other times it means crawling under cars, climbing into drains, or waiting overnight to catch them.”
The early days of the rescue, from 2015 to 2017, mainly consisted of feeding and rescuing animals around the Cebu Business Park. “The real turning point came when a kitten got stuck between two building walls,” Sveta shares. “A night-long rescue attempt failed, but the next morning, Martin Yeung, founder of MSY Holdings, showed up and ordered the wall to be broken, and the kitten was saved. I promised him — though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember — that if the mama cat and her kittens could stay in the area, I’d spay her.”
The saved kitten became Svet Rescue’s first animal to undergo the TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) process, a humane method employed to manage feral animal populations. The kitten, named MamaCat, is living happily with Sveta to this day.
Sveta, a TNVR advocate and animal foster mom, shares her knowledge about animal welfare and collaborates with key stakeholders to empower local communities in Cebu City. Last June, Svet Rescue, the Cebu City Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF), and several like-minded volunteers organized an anti-rabies vaccination drive, treating over 60 roaming cats and dogs in the Cebu Business Park.
The mission to rescue animals comes at a price, as Sveta would attest. “The struggles are both practical and emotional,” she admits. “I do make time, I do allocate funds, and I do make space when I rescue — but it’s always a stretch, and the needs never really stop. Burnout is real. Depression is real. It’s heartbreaking to lose animals despite all efforts, or to say no because we’re already at capacity. That’s the reality of rescue.”
But the toll also comes with a rewarding silver lining. To watch an animal “go from scrappy to scared to healthy, playful, and maybe even a little bossy,” Sveta writes. “That glow-up never gets old.”
“And honestly, it’s just as rewarding to see humans change, too — neighbours who start feeding, volunteers who show up, even strangers who decide to adopt. Rescue work may start with animals, but it ends up building a kinder community.”
Check out Svet Rescue via their Facebook and Instagram to learn more about their advocacy and see updates about the animals under the rescue’s care and up for adoption.
Photography Kyrra Kho
