Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz loves all animals, but cats hold a special place in his heart. You’ve probably seen his cat Matilda, a grumpy-faced, golden-eyed Persian who travels with Muñoz and his wife Wendy, riding along to road cities in her pink princess carrier. Andrés and Wendy adopted Matilda out of a neglectful situation in Mexico, where the Muñoz family has a history of taking in abandoned or abused animals. Now Andrés is helping adoptable cats in his adopted home of Seattle, teaming up with Seattle Area Feline Rescue (SAFe) for a fundraising effort to support the work SAFe does for pets and pet parents in Washington and beyond.

SAFe takes in cats who need homes from all over Washington, as well as Southern California and Hawaii; they also partner with other agencies to provide relief to overcrowded shelters in times of natural disasters, and with shelters right here in the city when they experience overcrowding. In addition to supporting the cats in their care—which includes supplies and training for foster families as well as medical support for the up to 30 cats on-site—SAFe also supports community pet parents, offering support via a pet food pantry and low-cost wellness care (vaccines, microchips, parasite control, etc.) for low-income families designed to keep cats at home with their loving families.

Emily Sprong, Executive Director of SAFe, says having a quieter shelter environment that focuses only on cats provides better outcomes for the cats in their care. A shelter environment is stressful and scary for any pet, which can cause a strain on a stray cat’s already overburdened immune system, and that environment is only exacerbated for cats when there are barking dogs present.

The Muñozes used a precious off-day this Monday to visit SAFe to tour the facilities in North Shoreline, where the shelter moved into a bigger space a year and a half ago. The new facility—over two and a half times bigger than their old space—boasts an adoption center where potential pet parents can bond with adoptable animals, vet care techs and surgical facilities where cats can get the care they need, an isolation unit for cats suffering from ringworm or other fungal infections, a community meeting space, a pet pantry, exam rooms, and much more.

“I had no idea so much goes on behind the scenes,” said Muñoz, who was given an extensive tour of the shelter and asked many thoughtful questions throughout his visit, including studying a full-body x-ray of a cat with one of the vet technicians. “There’s all this stuff nobody sees.”

Muñoz was especially interested in comparing the procedures at SAFe with what he’s familiar with from Mexico, where his grandfather ran a de facto animal shelter. “He took all the dogs he could, all the street dogs, because he had a lot of land,” said Muñoz. “At one time they told me he had 26 dogs and they’d all sleep in the same bed because he had a big bed, so everybody would jump up on the bed and try to sleep with him. So from there, my mom started to pick up dogs and cats. We just try to do our best to take care of them.”

“[In Mexico], there are a lot of animals around,” he said. “You see a lot of dogs and cats in the streets, you can see their bones from how hungry they are. We can’t let that happen. I don’t like to see anybody suffer,” he said. “We have to take care of them. We as humans, we can fend for ourselves, but animals need us.”

As much as he feels like a protector of animals, Muñoz is quick to point out that animals give back to their people, as well; they’re good for mental health, he says. Your pets don’t care if you had a bad day on the mound or a good one; they’re just happy to see you. “I think they are the best friend of a human. That is why I love to take care of them. They give you a lot of happiness.”

Sprong, the director of SAFe, agrees, noting that cat adoptions were especially popular during the pandemic. “I feel like right now there are a lot of people who are just feeling a little overwhelmed with life, but we can absolutely make a difference in these cats’ lives, and in the lives of people who are adopting them.”

One day, Muñoz dreams of having an actual animal sanctuary in his native Mexico.

“That is one of my goals in life. I would love to do something like this in Mexico. It’s awesome what they do here.”

“We can take care of ourselves, but cats need us to take care of them. I saw a lot of things before of animal cruelty, and I just can’t let those things happen. I can’t do everything, but I will do my best to do what I can.”

Part of what Muñoz is doing to contribute is lending his presence to SAFe, partnering with the shelter to auction off two packages on behalf of SAFe: each package includes four tickets to a game, along with four passes to batting practice and an opportunity for a meet-and-greet with Andrés. The auction is live now and will run until May 5. And for a $100 donation to SAFe, you’ll receive an exclusive printed photo of Muñoz captured during his visit to SAFe, including Andrés cuddling some adorable kitties.

Because adoption fees cover only about 12% of the cost SAFe incurs per cat, donations are a crucial lifeline to keep SAFe hard at work rescuing cats. This year, SAFe is running their “GiveBIG” fundraising drive from May 6-7, and you can donate any amount here, or sign up to help fundraise.

You can also support Seattle-area kitties by coming out to SAFe night at the ballpark on Tuesday July 22nd against the Brewers. “Take Meow’t to the Ballgame” night will be on July 22 and $5 from every ticket sold through this special ticket offer will go to SAFe. You’ll also get this cool hat with a sassy lil’ cartoon cat and mini cat ears (it says “Take Meow’t To The Ballgame” across the back). Deadline to purchase tickets is July 21 by 5 PM.

Sprong is grateful to Muñoz, baseball’s #1 cat dad, for lending his voice in support of cats, who don’t always receive the same amount of attention as adoptable dogs.

“It’s phenomenal. Cats are definitely underserved, overshadowed by dogs in the adoption space. I love dogs too, I have a dog at home, but being able to have a space like this that is designed and built for cats…it’s a quiet environment, there’s no barking or anything, it makes a really big difference. It allows us to really focus on their unique needs. As we have increasing density in Seattle, more and more people are living in apartments, that’s a little easier with a cat than with a dog.

So it’s really great to have somebody shining a light on cats, and we really appreciate it.”

The deadly car ramming attack in Vancouver is sending shock waves through the Filipino community. Several people were killed and dozens were hurt in the incident Saturday night.

ABC7 News talked to a Seattle man who was there. Devin Cabanilla, a dad from Seattle, was sharing on Instagram his tremendous relief.

“Good morning, everybody. Thanks to everybody who messaged or called. This is just faster. I’m safe. The kids are safe, especially,” Cabanilla said.

He also expressed his utter devastation.

“We’re all shaken up knowing that the people around us may not be alive. It’s really bizarre just knowing what happened around us,” Cabanilla said.

Murder charges filed after 11 killed, dozens injured as driver plows into crowd: Vancouver police

Cabanilla said the annual block party was supposed to be a joyous celebration of Filipino culture as part of Lapu Lapu Day.

He was among 20 Seattle parents and kids at the festival. They were participating in a dance performance.

Cabanilla and his family were leaving Saturday when chaos ensued in the Sunset District of Vancouver. They didn’t know anything was wrong until they got a call. Cabanilla talked to ABC7 News by phone what happened.

“Our dance director called us frantically saying, ‘Where are you. Are you safe? Something has happened.’ It was just a shock. They say there were police and ambulances all over here,” Cabanilla said.

Cabanilla said the massive festival was eight blocks long and everything seemed so safe. He broke down in tears on the phone as he struggled to process why the attack happened.

“I saw so many babies on the street. There were so many babies on the street, kids just eating ice cream, on their parents’ shoulders. That’s all I think about. And my kids were just walking around too. I’m sorry,” Cabanilla said.

Cabanilla said everyone in his large group is safe. But he’s worried and wondering about the vendors he knew right beside Fraser Street where the attack happened. He mentioned one vendor in particular.

“Her booth was next to the street where the incident was. Yeah, I haven’t heard back from that vendor yet,” Cabanilla said.

Saturday night’s car ramming attack is still under investigation. But police do not believe the incident was terrorism-related.

Sunday night, the community in Vancouver held a vigil for those killed and injured.

Bay Area Filipino community members ABC7 News talked with say they are checking with groups like Bayan Canada. They’re watching and waiting to see what they can do to help.

The Seattle Mariners drubbed the Miami Marlins 14-0 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park.

With the win, the Mariners are now 15-12 on the season and they own a share of first place with the Texas Rangers.

Seattle got big nights from everywhere in the lineup, with Jorge Polanco going 2-for-4 with two homers, three runs scored and two RBIs. Mitch Garver and Julio Rodriguez each homered, while Ben Williamson had four RBIs and Miles Mastrobuoni added three.

Starting pitcher Luis Castillo threw six scoreless innings to get back on track. He struck out five, lowering his ERA to 3.62 for the season.

The M’s also got some good news after the game on first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who left the game early after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that X-rays on his left hand were negative. It’s unknown if he’ll be in the lineup for the series finale on Sunday.

Signed to a minor league deal in spring training, Tellez made the team on the heels of a strong camp. Though he’s hitting only .170 this season, he does have four homers and 12 RBIs. He homered in each game of last weekend’s series win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Lifetime, he’s a .233 hitter with 109 homers and 331 RBIs.

The Mariners will go for a series win on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Marlins again at 1:10 p.m. PT.

M’s rookie Logan Evans will make his major league debut against Max Meyer.

NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of “Refuse to Lose,” talking about the series win in Boston, a milestone for Julio Rodriguez, the offensive resurgence and much more, including Dylan Moore’s new approach at the plate. Curtis Rogers, the pre and postgame show host on Seattle Sports 710 stops by. CLICK HERE:

WS BOUND? Buster Olney of ESPN certainly had fans excited when he mentioned Mariners and World Series in the same sentence. CLICK HERE:

ROSTER SHIFTING: In the wake of the Logan Gilbert IL news, the Mariners have made multiple roster moves. Who’s in and who’s out? CLICK HERE:

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